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01 Jul 12

World's first GM babies born
The world's first geneticallymodified humans have been created, it was revealed last night. The disclosure that 30 healthy babies were born after a series of experiments in the United States provoked another furious debate about ethics.

6.6 magnitude earthquake rocks China's Xinjiang region; 35 injured, 64,500 affected Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/powerful-qu
A powerful 6.6-magnitude quake on Saturday jolted northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, injuring at least 35 people and causing wide spread damage besides trapping 120 people in a landslide.

5.8 magnitude earthquake jolts Nagaland
New Delhi: A moderate earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted Nagaland on Sunday, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

US drone strike kills 8 militants, Pakistani officials say
Pakistani intelligence officials say a U.S. drone strike has killed eight suspected militants in the North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border. They say missiles fired from an unmanned drone struck a house in Dre Nishter village early Sunday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Mississippi to become only state without abortion clinic?
Mississippi soon could become the only U.S. state without an abortion clinic as a new law takes effect this weekend. Critics say it would force women in one of the country's poorest states to drive hours to obtain a constitutionally protected procedure or carry unwanted pregnancies to term.

Egypt's new president, Mohammed Morsi, vows to support Palestinians
Egypt's newly elected president has sent an implicit message of reassurance to Israel in his first major address after taking office, but he also pledged support for the "legitimate rights" of the Palestinians. Islamist Mohammed Morsi said Saturday that his administration will continue to honor its international treaties - a thinly veiled reference to the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.

Report: Al-Qaida planning to crash U.S. airline during London Olympics
The al-Qaida branch in the Arabian Peninsula is believed to be planning a terror attack during the Olympic Games in London, scheduled to begin at the end of the month. According to a report in today's Sunday Times, quoting intelligence services, the organization has recruited a Norwegian Muslim convert who was supposed to hijack a U.S. passenger plane and crash it on a suicide mission. It is not clear though that the attack targeted one of the Olympic venues, despite the timing.

Friday night news dump: White House salaries edition
The White House released its annual report to Congress on staff salaries. At 4:39 p.m. on Friday. A quick review found the White House payroll appears to have grown since last year, going from $37.1 million in 2011 to $37.8 million in 2012. The number of employees listed also grew -- from 454 last year to 468 in 2012.

Heat Wave Smashing All-Time Records
High temperature records have been falling by the wayside so far this year, and the current heat wave now has more, including all-time records in jeopardy. Never mind highs near 100 degrees. The current heat wave has temperatures pushing 102, 105 even 108 degrees in portions of the Plains, Midwest, South and East.

UN envoy calls for transitional government in Syria
UN peace envoy Kofi Annan has said there is international agreement that a transitional government should be set up in Syria. This could include both members of the government and opposition, he said after talks in Geneva. But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could not remain in power.

Australia introduces controversial carbon tax
Australia has introduced its highly controversial carbon tax, after years of bitter political wrangling. The law forces about 300 of the worst-polluting firms to pay a A$23 (£15; $24) levy for every tonne of greenhouse gases they produce. The government says the tax is needed to meet climate-change obligations of Australia - the highest emitter per-head in the developed world.

Kenya church attacks 'kill 16' in Garissa
Sixteen people have been killed in attacks on churches in the Kenyan town of Garissa near Somalia, say the Kenyan Red Cross and a medical official. Regional deputy police chief Philip Ndolo said balaclava-clad "goons" attacked the town's Catholic church and the African Inland Church (AIC). A combination of grenades and gunfire was used, police said.

Mexico set to elect new president
Mexicans are set to go to the polls in a presidential election dominated by the economy and war on drugs. Ex-governor Enrique Pena Nieto - seen by many as the leading candidate - is attempting to win the presidency back for the PRI party that ruled for years.

Iran pledges to counter 'malicious' oil embargo
Iran dismissed a European Union oil embargo which took effect on Sunday and said it was fully prepared to counter the impact of sanctions with a $150 billion war chest of foreign reserves. The EU ban on crude imports is part of a push by Western countries aimed at choking Iran's export earnings to try to force it to curb a nuclear program they fear includes weapons development.

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Black mobs now beating Jews in New York
“Anti-Jewish crime wave,” read the June headline about a series of recent anti-Semitic attacks. “In the most disturbing incident, a mob of six black teenagers shouting, ‘Dirty Jew!’ and ‘Dirty kike!’ repeatedly bashed Marc Heinberg, 61, as he walked home from temple in Sheepshead Bay

155,000 People Affected after 6.6 Magnitude Quake in Xinjiang
The quake also caused 7,500 homes to collapse and damaged 64,000 more. The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Disaster Reduction Committee responded to the emergency and sent relief goods to the affected areas.

Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupts, prompts evacuations
Colombia evacuated people from communities close to the Nevado del Ruiz volcano after an eruption on Saturday that spewed smoke and ash from its crater, bringing back memories of avalanches that in 1985 buried tens of thousands under rocks.

Earthquake swarm strikes Baja, California as tension builds along the fault
An intense earthquake swarm has erupted around Baja, California following the stress eruption of shallow twin 4.6 and 4.7 magnitude earthquakes. The two earthquakes have produced about 16 notable aftershock tremors.

Eurozone jobless total hits record high
Unemployment in the 17 country eurozone hit another record in May as it continued to be buffeted by its debt crisis. Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, said that the jobless rate rose to 11.1% in May from 11% the previous month. That is the highest since the euro was launched in 1999.

Ground deformation and seismic activity continue to plague El Hierro
The pressure of the magma detected in El Hierro has caused in the past four days on the island deformation of four to five inches vertically and three to four horizontal, as reported by the Security Directorate of the Canary Islands. The energy released has reached 420,000 million joules, a fact which, together with the ground deformation evidence magmatic process acceleration on the Canary Island, where there is an inflation process is centered in the area which earthquakes occur.

Shallow 4.8 magnitude earthquake reported near Nabro volcano
We have just received a USGS Notification of a new 4.8 magnitude earthquake in the immediate vicinity of the Nabro volcano. M4.8 is a very strong earthquake for volcanic circumstances.

Iran readies ballistic missile drill to counter possible strike against nuclear facilities
Iran on Monday said it was readying ballistic missile war games simulating a counter-attack against U.S. or Israeli targets in the region in the event of air strikes on its nuclear facilities. The three-day drill in Iran’s central desert region was starting days after the European Union and the United States imposed severe new sanctions, and on the eve of another round of negotiations with world powers seeking to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Euro compromises in Brussels likely to unravel
The compromises announced on Friday between creditors and debtors will fall apart because they are mutually contradictory. The good news (of sorts) is that the European Central Bank is out of the firing line for the moment. It can cut interest rates by ¼ percentage point on Thursday without being accused of kowtowing to government pressure.

Ancient synagogue and mosaic unearthed in Galilee
The remains of an ancient synagogue with a striking mosaic floor have been uncovered in northern Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday....The mosaic includes depictions of the heads of women, a portrayal of the biblical hero Samson and two foxes with burning torches tied to their tails — a detail from the Samson story in the Book of Judges — and a damaged Hebrew inscription urging congregants to perform good deeds.

Russian finger may have pushed the button to down Turkish jet
Middle Eastern sources said it would not be surprising to discover Russia's involvement in the incident, claiming it might have been a direct message to NATO. Russia may be aiming to underline that Syria was a case unlike Libya, and there would be a price to pay for any attempts to impose a no-fly zone, the unnamed sources further said.

‘Wipe Them Off the Face of the Earth’: Iran Issues New Threat to Israel
An Iranian military official threatened to “wipe” Israel “off the face of the earth” if the Jewish state attacks, a stark new threat coinciding with the start of a European Union oil embargo to put pressure on Iran’s nuclear program, Reuters reported. Revolutionary Guards General Amir Ali Hajizadeh reportedly issued the warning as he announced new missile tests to take place in the coming week.

Russian Military to Hold Over 1,000 Drills in June-October
The summer training will focus on improving interoperability of all branches of the Armed Forces and efficient use of automated battlefield management systems, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Israel, US joint military drill set for autumn
The exercise Austere Challenge ’12 was scheduled originally for April but was postponed amid growing talk of Israel preparing to attack Iran over its nuclear program. The odds of an Israeli attack in the near term appear to have lessened.

Uzbekistan withdraws from Russia-lead military alliance
Strategically located on the southern fringe of Central Asia, Uzbekistan is an important but controversial partner for the West, which needs its support to withdraw military kit from neighbouring Afghanistan from 2014. The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) didn’t give any official reasons for Uzbekistan’s withdrawal from the alliance when it announced the news in Moscow last Thursday but analysts and commentators were quick to describe it as a move towards the US.

Turkey scrambles F-16 jets on Syria border
Turkey has scrambled six F-16 fighter jets near its border with Syria after Syrian helicopters came close to the border, the country's army says. Six jets were sent to the area in response to three such incidents on Saturday, the statement said, adding that there was no violation of Turkish airspace. Last month, Syrian forces shot down a Turkish jet in the border area.

Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto 'wins' presidential poll
Mexico's old ruling party, the PRI, is set to return to power as early official results indicate its candidate Enrique Pena Nieto has won the presidential election. Mr Pena Nieto, 45, is on about 37%, several points ahead of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has not conceded. Thousands of police were on duty for the vote, amid fears of intimidation from drug gangs.

Storm-hit US states declare emergencies
States of emergency have now been declared in four states and the US capital after violent storms cut a swathe through the east of the country. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the sudden storms, which, packing hurricane-strength winds, uprooted trees and downed power lines. Amid an intense heatwave, three million people were left without power.

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Officials say Iranians in Kenya planned attacks on Israeli, US, UK, Saudi targets
Two Iranians who led authorities to a cache of explosives after their arrest planned to attack Israeli, U.S., British or Saudi targets inside Kenya, officials told The Associated Press on Monday. The two are believed to be members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, an elite and secretive unit that acts against foreign interests, one of the officials said.-"The international community needs to fight the world's greatest exporter of terror," said a statement from Netanyahu's office.

What Divides Catholics and Protestants?
Perhaps the biggest difference is their views on the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. Traditionally, Protestants believe that the Bible alone is sufficient in teaching man all that is necessary for salvation from sin, and contains the standard in which Christians should measure their behavior. Catholics, however, do not believe that the Bible alone is enough, and instead hold that the Bible and sacred Roman Catholic traditions are equal in authority.

FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: AMERICAN WEAKNESS IS DANGEROUS
Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in a rare public speech, warned that American military and financial weakness is creating a more dangerous and unstable world. “The signal of weakness is a dangerous one,” he said. -“And I would submit that that is what worries me when I go to bed tonight, the idea of an America that is not seen as strong, and a presence, and a deterrent, a dissuader to countries from behaving in manners that are harmful to others.”

Recent Earthquakes In California: The Need For Government And The Private Sector To Plan
A San Diego earthquake on June 29, 2012, erupted at 12:45 p.m. and was felt throughout parts of Southern California. No significant injuries or property damages have been reported; however, this event together with recent earthquake activity highlight the urgent need to prepare the area in the event of much larger earthquakes.

NATO calls for 'political solution' in Syria
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday called on the international community to enforce a political solution in Syria while reiterating there would be no military intervention. "The right response to this crisis remains a political response. And a concerted response by the international community against a regime that has lost all humanity and all legitimacy,' Rassmusen told a news conference. Welcoming the weekend meeting of the Action Group on Syria in Geneva, the alliance head said "the international community has a duty to put an end" to the conflict "and to do it now".

Pope Benedict Begins Firing Bishops Who Mismanage Diocese
Usually when bishops run into trouble - either for alleged moral lapses or management problems - they are persuaded by the Vatican to resign. But Pope Benedict XVI has become increasingly willing to forcibly remove bishops who refuse to step down, sacking three others in the last year alone.

'IAF strikes Hezbollah target in Lebanese territory'
The Israel Air Force bombed an intelligence-gathering device in southern Lebanon on Monday, according to Lebanese media reports. One of the reports claimed that the attack was carried out by an air-to-surface missile which struck a “device” between the southern towns of Zrariyeh and Tayr Filsay.IDF refuses to confirm attack.

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Powerful M-Class flare ejected from the Sun – July 2, 2012
Big sunspot AR1515 erupted on July 2nd at 10:52 UT, producing an M5.6-class solar flare that almost crossed the threshold into X-territory. A pulse of x-rays and UV radiation from the flare illuminated Earth’s upper atmosphere, producing waves of ionization over Europe. Such waves alter the propagation of low-frequency radio transmissions.

Assad to ramp up crack-down against Syrian oppostion, Turkey continues military build-up on Syrian border
In a phone call to the Kremlin Sunday, July 1, Syrian President Bashar Assad said he needed just two months to finish off the revolt against his regime. “My new military tactics are working,” he said in a secret video-conference with Russian intelligence and foreign ministry officials who shape Moscow’s policy on Syria.

Why So Many People Think Obama Is a Muslim
Why do people believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim? Here's why: after the Muslim Brotherhood won the Egyptian presidency, the military moved to curb the president's powers in order to stave off sharia rule in Egypt. But then Obama warned the military that they better hand over power quickly, or Egypt would lose billions in U.S. aid. It wasn't enough that Obama invited the Muslim Brotherhood to his submission speech in Cairo in June 2009, despite the fact that the group was banned at that time for obvious reasons...

Report: Israeli warplanes strike espionage facility in South Lebanon
Lebanese TV station LBC says jet fighters targeted device near town of Zrariye; incident represents rare disturbance along the border, which had remained mostly quiet since 2006 war.

US heatwave: Storm death toll reaches 22
Millions of people in the eastern US faced a third sweltering day without power Monday as the death toll from weekend summer storms rose to 22. Stifling homes and spoiled food were some of the challenges as temperatures approached or exceeded 100 degrees (40 degrees Celsius). Concerns rose about the sick and elderly staying cool.

China confirms bird flu outbreak
The outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian flu initially killed 1,600 chickens and sickened about 5,500, the agriculture ministry said overnight. In an effort to contain the disease, agricultural authorities quarantined the area and culled 156,439 chickens, according to the ministry.

Large earthquake felt across NZ
A large earthquake has been felt across the North and South Islands tonight. The 7.0 magnitude quake was centred 60 km south-west of Opunake at a depth of 257 kilometres, GNS Science said. The earthquake was felt across the North Island from Taranaki to Bay of Plenty, down to Wellington and as far south as Canterbury.

Pope appoints doctrinal watchdog with links to 'Marxist' Catholics
Pope Benedict on Monday appointed as the Roman Catholic church's doctrinal watchdog a fellow German with links to liberation theology, the interpretation of Christianity that conservatives have deplored as Marxism with a cross in place of a hammer and sickle.

'Iran agents planned to hit US and British targets in Kenya'
Officials told the Associated Press news agency that the plot appears to fit into a global pattern of attacks or attempted attacks by Iranian agents, mostly against Israeli interests. Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Sayed Mansour Mousavi were arrested last week with 33 pounds of RDX, a powerful explosive, in the coastal city of Mombasa. Several hotels on the coast are Israeli-owned.

Bird flu outbreak hits chicken farms in Mexico
An outbreak of avian flu in western Mexico has killed at least 870,000 poultry birds since its detection last month but poses no threat to humans, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. The H7N3 flu was detected in two municipalities in the state of Jalisco, Mexico's largest chicken farming region, and authorities have been working quickly to contain the outbreak, a statement from the ministry said.

US sees stronger hints of Higgs
The news comes amid fevered speculation about an announcement by researchers at the Large Hadron Collider on Wednesday. Finding the particle would fill a glaring hole in the widely accepted theory of how the Universe works. This 30-year hunt is reaching an end, with experts confident they will soon be able to make a definitive statement about the particle's existence.

UN global arms treaty talks stalled
Talks at the United Nations aimed at creating a global treaty on the international arms treaty have stalled before they even began. A dispute over the status of the Palestinian delegation delayed the official start of talks, which are now set to begin in New York on Tuesday.

Meteor plunges into ocean lighting up Perth sky
PerthNow reader Gavin Trought snapped the 'fire in the sky' as it appeared over Cottesloe, Perth, just before sunset on Friday, with remnants of the phenomenon still visible in the sky this afternoon.

'US quietly bolstering presence in Persian Gulf'
The United States has quietly increased its military presence in the Persian Gulf to deter Tehran from attempting to shut the Strait of Hormuz, according to a New York Times report published Tuesday. ...Citing a senior administration official, the report stated that the deployment of a number of fighter jets capable of striking deep into Iranian territory was partly done to reassure Israel that the US is taking the Iranian threat seriously.

Evidence of 'God particle' found
Physicists say they have all but proven that the "God particle" exists. They have a footprint and a shadow, and the only thing left is to see for themselves the elusive subatomic particle believed to give all matter in the universe size and shape. Scientists at the world's biggest atom smasher plan to announce Wednesday that they have nearly confirmed the primary plank of a theory that could restructure the understanding of why matter has mass, which combines with gravity to give an object weight.

Romney shifting his presidential campaign to Israel
Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, plans to shift his campaign to Israel. He plans to visit the Jewish state this summer to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders.

Syria running 27 torture centers: rights group
Syrian intelligence agencies are running torture centers across the country where detainees are beaten with batons and cables, burned with acid, sexually assaulted, and their fingernails torn out, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Tuesday.

Syria-Turkey tension: Assad 'regrets' F-4 jet's downing
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is quoted as saying he regrets "100%" that a Turkish jet was shot down after entering Syrian airspace. In an interview with Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper, he argues that the plane was flying in an area previously used by Israel's air force.

Mammoth Lakes, famous California ski town, files for bankruptcy
Mammoth Lakes is known for its world-class skiing and snowboarding, as well as the majestic Sierra Nevada wilderness that surrounds the remote California town. On Monday, however, Mammoth Lakes also became known for having filed for bankruptcy in the face of a $43-million breach-of-contract judgment brought against the town by a developer

Heat wave: For millions without power, little relief
A heat wave continued to scorch the eastern half of the United States on Monday, as more than 2.2 million customers remain without power following the deadly "super derecho" storm that ripped through the nation's midsection over the weekend, killing at least 15 people.

Iran reports long-range missile launch in exercise
Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards test fired several ballistic missiles on Tuesday, including a long-range variety capable of hitting U.S. bases in the region as well as Israel, Iranian media reported. The official IRNA news agency said the surface-to-surface missiles successfully hit their targets, while semi-official Fars said the salvos included the so-called Shahab-3 missile. It quoted a leading officer as saying the missiles travelled distances of up to 1,300 kilometers, or 800 miles

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Atheist Files Discrimination Complaint Over Pa Restaurant’s 10% Sunday Discount For People With Church Bulletins
An atheist has filed a discrimination complaint against a Columbia, Pennsylvania-based restaurant. The offense? The establishment has been offering a 10 percent discount for individuals who bring in a church bulletin on Sundays. John Wolff, who has officially issued his grievance with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, is hoping that Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen is held accountable for its diner discount.

Homeland Security-Funded Study Lists People ‘Reverent of Individual Liberty’ as ‘Extreme Right-Wing’ Terrorists
Are you “reverent of individual liberty?“ Are you ”suspicious of centralized federal authority?“ Do you think there is a ”grave threat to national sovereignty and/or personal liberty?” Well, then you fall into the category of “extreme right-wing” terrorist, according to a new study out of the University of Maryland, which was funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security.

Pakistan allows Nato convoys to Afghanistan to resume
Pakistan will reopen crucial supply routes to Nato-led forces in Afghanistan after the US apologised for killing 24 of its soldiers in November, Washington and Islamabad have said. The decision will save the US hundreds of millions of dollars as it prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan. Pakistan has said it hopes the move will improve relations with the US and other Nato countries.

Kenyan Muslim groups 'to protect churches'
Muslim leaders in Kenya have agreed to form self-defence groups to protect churches following a deadly attack on Sunday. Fifteen people were killed in the raids on churches in Garissa, a town near the border with Somalia. Kenya's border region has been tense since it sent troops into Somalia to pursue al-Shabab Islamist militants.

Greece to present debt inspectors 'alarming' data
Greece's new government will present "alarming" data on its recession and unemployment to international debt inspectors this week, in a bid to renegotiate the terms of its bailout agreements. Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said in a television interview Tuesday that the data would demonstrate that the current austerity program was counterproductive.

Twitter shares info on gov't demands for user data
Twitter will provide biannual reports about U.S. and foreign government demands for information about its users, just as Google has been doing for the past two years. The first batch of data posted Monday on Twitter's website shows the online messaging service processed 849 government requests about its users during the first half of this year.

French gay couples get right to 'marry, adopt children'
Gay couples in France will be allowed to get married and to adopt children as of 2013, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has announced in parliament. The announcement was part of a keynote speech outlining the new Socialist government's five-year plan.

Yasser Afrafat's body to be exhumed
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has agreed to exhume late president Yasser Arafat's body for examination at the request of some of his family members, a spokesman said Wednesday. The decision was taken a day after the Al-Jazeera reported that Arafat, the late Nobel laureate, might have died of a radioactive isotope called polonium. The report said that traces of the polonium were found on Arafat's belongings, Xinhua reported.

Syrian army attacks rebels, Turkey scrambles F16s
The Syrian army pressed its offensive against rebels, bombarding the city of Douma near Damascus, and Turkey said it had scrambled warplanes after Syrian helicopters flew near its border.

Climate change no longer tops US environment worries
Americans no longer see climate change as the world's number-one environmental issue, according to a public opinion poll released Tuesday amid an ongoing heat wave in much of the United States. Twenty-nine percent cited water and air pollution as the most pressing concern, the Washington Post-Stanford University poll indicated, followed by 18 percent who pointed to climate change -- way down from 33 percent in 2007.

Survey: 62% of Iranians willing to stop uranium enrichment
Iranian TV publishes two online surveys showing 60% of Iranians are willing to halt enrichment efforts; 89% opposed plan to close Strait of Hormuz. Poll quickly removed from station's website

UK's borders 'will be closed' to refugees from Greece and other failing countries if eurozone collapses
David Cameron will close Britain's borders to EU citizens if the Euro collapses. The Prime Minister said he is prepared to ban refugees from Greece and other failing economies from flooding the UK.

Iran says can destroy US bases "minutes after attack"
Iran has threatened to destroy U.S. military bases across the Middle East and target Israel within minutes of being attacked, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, as Revolutionary Guards extended test-firing of ballistic missiles into a third day. Israel has hinted it may attack Iran if diplomacy fails to secure a halt to its disputed nuclear energy program. The United States also has mooted military action as a last-resort option but has frequently nudged the Israelis to give time for intensified economic sanctions to work against Iran.

US military quietly moves large reinforcements into Persian Gulf
Move seen as deterence measure to prevent Iran from blocking the Strait of Hormuz and increases number of fighter jets in region capable of hitting deep into Iran • Iran state TV reports Revolutionary Guard launches several missiles in military exercise, including those that can hit U.S. warships in the gulf.

Greece to present debt inspectors 'alarming' data
Greece's new government will present "alarming" data on its recession and unemployment to international debt inspectors this week, in a bid to renegotiate the terms of its bailout agreements. Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said in a television interview Tuesday that the data would demonstrate that the current austerity program was counterproductive.

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WikiLeaks publishes Syrian emails
WikiLeaks' Sarah Harrison told journalists at London's Frontline Club that the emails reveal interactions between the Syrian government and Western companies, although she declined to go into much further detail. Harrison quoted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as saying that "the material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria's external opponents."

Anti-Semitism on the Temple Mount
WE MUST no longer remain mute about the infuriating disgrace that is Israeli policy toward the Temple Mount, where the Muslim Wakf effectively calls the shots and Jews are prevented from praying freely. All people of good faith, whether left or right, religious or secular, should speak out against this travesty and demand that it be corrected.-The gov't and police hide behind excuses such as “maintaining public order” to justify the current situation. But let’s drop the meaningless euphemisms and call this policy by its real name: this is anti-Semitism on the Temple Mount. And the time has come for it to end.

'Israelis have a legal right to settle all Judea and Samaria'
Committee headed by retired Supreme Court justice, tasked with examining the legal status of outposts, concludes that international law does not preclude Israeli construction on land owned by the state • Committee declares that communities built with government assistance were implicitly authorized.

Russian wheat price reaches historic highs
Prices for Russian fourth-grade milling wheat skyrocketed due to the drought in the US and Latin America. Prices rose to a historic 8900 roubles ($276) from 7075 ($219) a metric ton a week ago in the Black sea ports according to the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies (IKAR). Global wheat and maize prices also jumped nearly 30% mainly due to a drought in the United States and parts of Latin America.

They Are Turning Our Crops, Animals And Even Our Babies Into Freakish Genetic Monsters - What Could Go Wrong?
The greatest environmental threat that we are facing is genetic modification. All over the globe, scientists are treating the fabric of life as if it was a playground where anything goes. Behind closed doors, scientists all over the planet are creating some of the most freakish and most bizarre monsters that you could possible imagine, and very few people seem concerned about it. But the truth is that messing with the building blocks of life is going to have some very serious consequences.

Dreams, Visions Moving Muslims to Christ
The film documents and dramatizes Ali's story and several other Muslims who came to faith in Jesus through a dream or vision. "We're seeing that all around. We're hearing about people that have never even thought about Jesus as savior," Tom Doyle, with e3 Ministries, said. "They're content Muslims and they're having dreams over and over." The phenomenon of dreams and visions has surfaced throughout the Muslim world, from Indonesia to Morocco.

Israel within range of missile tested by Iran
The liquid-fuel Shihab has been deemed Iran’s first deployed IRBM. The missile comes in a solid-fuel variant called Sejil and has undergone enhancements in accuracy. “It’s a reaction to those who are politically discourteous to the Iranian people by saying ‘all options are on the table.’ “

Rare cholera outbreak kills 3 in eastern Cuba
Cholera is a waterborne disease caused by a bacteria found in tainted water or food. It can kill within hours through dehydration, but is treatable if caught in time. Cholera is unusual in Cuba. But recent outbreaks in nearby Haiti have killed more than 7,200 people.

Seeds of World War 3: Hezbollah and Iran say they will fight with Assad to defend Syria against any invasion
In an interview with Beirut-based Mayadeen television, Jibril said that if a “Turkish-European alliance or NATO escalate… we will take to the streets and fight on behalf of all those with honour and our Syrian brothers.” Jibril also cited Nasrallah as saying Hezbollah would fight on behalf of the Syrian regime, and described the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah alliance as “one axis” that the PFLP-GC is part of. He added that he met recently with Nasrallah, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, without specifying when. He also noted that the Hezbollah chief “said he would join this battle, in the event of a foreign attack” on Syria.

Vanishing Dust Belt Around Star Baffles Scientists
"It's like the classic magician's trick: Now you see it, now you don't," principal investigator Carl Melis of the University of California, San Diego said in a statement. "Only in this case, we're talking about enough dust to fill an inner solar system, and it really is gone!"

If One Storm Can Turn D.C. Dark For Several Days, What Would A Massive EMP Burst Do?
The “super derecho” storm that pounded the Washington D.C. area on Friday night with hurricane-force winds is being called unprecedented. But the truth is that there are other events that could happen that would be far more damaging to our power grid. For example, a substantial EMP burst over a major U.S. city would fry virtually all of the

Quake big but no damage reported
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake at 10.36pm on Tuesday was followed by a less obvious rattle measuring 4.5 at 10.45pm. The epicentres of the quakes were within 10 kilometres of each other. While social media went wild with reports coming in about people being frightened and woken up by the quake, there were no reports of damage to buildings or roads. None of the repair work at the Manawatu Gorge was damaged, said NZ Transport Agency Palmerston North state highways manager David McGonigal.

Obama's Social Security Number challenged
Daniels, who has vetted thousands of Social Security Numbers for numerous other clients, has done her homework. In her filing, she thoroughly documents her contention “that Barack Obama has repeatedly, consistently, and with intent misrepresented himself by using a fraudulently obtained Social Security Number.” What Daniels has done, however, is establish a paper trail so indisputably legitimate that even the most squeamish of conservative media will have a hard time finding fault.

Scientists race to unlock mind-blowing potential of 'God particle' after breakthrough
"It's clear there's a great deal more to be done experimentally, even after they announce a discovery," Steven Weinberg, a professor of physics at the University of Texas at Austin, told The Guardian. They were unsure if the particle was the long sought-after Higgs boson, or God particle, or something more "exotic".

US Banks Submit Plans For Breaking Up In A Crisis
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. released summaries of the "living wills" on Tuesday for Bank of America, Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and UBS.

"It's a boson:" Higgs quest bears new particle
Scientists at Europe's CERN research center have found a new subatomic particle, a basic building block of the universe, which appears to be the boson imagined and named half a century ago by theoretical physicist Peter Higgs.

More than one million in U.S. still without power five days after storm
More than 1 million homes and businesses in a swath from Indiana to Virginia remained without power on Wednesday, five days after deadly storms tore through the region.

Somalia facing 'fresh hunger emergency'
Poor rains and continuing conflict in Somalia are threatening the recovery from last year's famine, the charity Save the Children has warned. This could put hundreds of thousands of children at risk of hunger again.

Malware may knock thousands off Internet on Monday
The warnings about the Internet problem have been splashed across Facebook and Google. Internet service providers have sent notices, and the FBI set up a special website. But tens of thousands of Americans may still lose their Internet service Monday unless they do a quick check of their computers for malware that could have taken over their machines more than a year ago.

Tunisia media commission resigns over press freedom
The Tunisian commission tasked with reforming the country's media has resigned, citing government censorship. Kamel Labidi, head of The National Authority for the Reform of Information and Communication, said it "does not see the point in continuing its work".

NATO trucks cross into Afghanistan
The first trucks supplying NATO troops in Afghanistan crossed the border from Pakistan on Thursday after Islamabad ended a seven-month blockade. Pakistan closed overland routes for NATO convoys into its war-torn neighbour after a botched US air raid in November killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at a border post, plunging ties between the "war on terror" allies to a new low.

Apartment rents rise at highest rate since 2007
Renting an apartment in the U.S. became even more expensive during the second quarter, as vacancies set a new 10-year low and rents rose at a pace not seen since before the financial crisis, according to real estate research firm Reis Inc. The average U.S. vacancy rate of 4.7 percent was the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2001, down 0.2 percentage points from the prior quarter, according to preliminary data Reis released on Thursday.

Farmers: High Grain Prices Are a 'Myth'
Corn and wheat prices may be trading close to ten-month highs but contrary to public opinion many farmers are not reaping fat profits. The stark reality is that growers' margins are razor thin and many are even losing money because food crops are priced well-below the cost of production, former Australian farmer Paul Hickey explains.

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U.S. Firearms Community Raises Concerns about International Arms Trade Treaty
As of Tuesday, final deliberations have begun on the fate of the world’s first global and legally binding treaty to regulate the international conventional arms trade, and it has some firearms enthusiasts and advocacy groups in the United States raising alarms. The United Nations (U.N.) has been working on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) since 2006, and after positive feedback from member states’ governments, including that of the United States, the group is looking to pass the measure following a four-week diplomatic conference to discuss the matter in New York from July 2-27.

Report: Western Governments Fund Anti-Israel Church Activism
The report mentions Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, located in Jerusalem, founded in 1989 and led by Anglican Canon Naim Ateek. Sabeel seeks to build a critical mass of influential church leaders who will amplify its message that Israel is solely culpable for the origin and continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

'Impossible’ Binary Stars Discovered
A team of astronomers have used the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) on Hawaii to discover four pairs of stars that orbit each other in less than 4 hours. Until now it was thought that such close-in binary stars could not exist. The new discoveries come from the telescope's Wide Field Camera (WFCAM) Transit Survey, and appear in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Has the normalizing of pedophilia begun?
“It appears that one can be born with a brain predisposed to experience sexual arousal in response to children,” he wrote in his CNN piece. He continued, “Cases of child molestation that involve long strings of victims over the course of years illustrate what can happen when someone gives in to, or outright indulges, his sexual interests, regardless of its potential damage on others. It is those cases that dominate headlines and provoke revulsion toward pedophiles.

Death toll rises after heat wave and blackouts storm across the eastern U.S.
Power outages, sizzling heat waves and deadly thunderstorms across the Mid-Atlantic region in the U.S. left millions of homes and businesses without electricity. The death toll is now 26 after two accidents were reported in Virginia. Authorities blame the storms for 26 deaths,

Smaller volcanic eruptions could cool climate according to satellite research
A University of Saskatchewan-led international research team has discovered that aerosols from relatively small volcanic eruptions can be boosted into the high atmosphere by weather systems such as monsoons, where they can affect global temperatures.

80% of the world’s industrial activity is now contracting
“We now have 80% of the world posting a contraction in industrial activity.” This is the second worst since the great financial crisis and only matched by last fall, when in response Europe launched a $1.3 trillion LTRO and the Fed commenced Operation Twist.

Ahmadinejad invites Egypt's Morsi to Tehran summit
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has invited his newly elected Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Morsi, to a summit of Non-Aligned Movement nations to be held in Tehran in late August... "Your excellency's presence as the current head of the Non-Aligned Movement at Tehran's summit would be effective in progressing negotiations and decisions," Ahmadinejad was quoted telling Morsi by telephone.

1 million chickens culled in outbreak of H7N3 bird flu in Mexico
An outbreak of the H7N3 bird flu virus in western Mexico has infected about 2.5 million chickens and led authorities to destroy or dispose of almost a million birds. The country’s Agriculture Department said 129 farms in the western state of Jalisco have been inspected. Flu was confirmed in birds at 24 of the sites and tests continued on most of the rest. The farms in question have been placed under quarantine, the department said in a statement. The outbreak has caused increases in the price of chicken and egg products in Mexico.

Catholic Church only true church, Vatican says
The 16-page document was prepared by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a doctrinal watchdog that Pope Benedict used to head. The document adds that Protestant denominations — called Christian Communities born out of the Reformation — are not true churches, but ecclesial communities. "These ecclesial communities which, specifically because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood … cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called 'churches' in the proper sense," it said.

Libya elections: Muslim Brotherhood set to lead government
Libya's top politicians have hatched a deal that would see the Muslim Brotherhood lead the government after the country's first free elections in almost five decades takes place on Saturday. While the elections for a 200-member National Congress is unlikely to grant a majority to any one faction, the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies are confident they can join their counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt at the helm of leadership.

3.5 earthquake 'rumbled' Big Bear during busy holiday week
The epicenter was six miles from the town of Big Bear Lake, 11 miles from Lucerne Valley, 28 miles from San Bernardino and 82 miles from the Los Angeles Civic Center, the USGS reported. "We just felt a rumble. It kind of shook your balance," said Elizabeth Marsh, manger of the Big Bear Lakefront Lodge. "It was definitely a noticeable earthquake, but nothing too scary."

Strong earthquake rattles Pacific island nation of Vanuatu; no damage or injuries reported
The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-6.3 quake struck Friday, 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of the island of Santo, at a depth of 179 kilometers (111 miles). The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert.

UK braced for further severe flooding
Experts are warning of floods in many parts of the UK, with a month's rain due to fall in 24 hours. The Environment Agency has urged 97 communities in England and Wales - particularly in north-west England - to be vigilant. Racing at Warwick and the MFest, in Leeds, have been cancelled.

Cuban President Raul Castro signs deals in China
Cuban President Raul Castro is meeting Chinese leaders in Beijing, signing agreements aimed at deepening already close ties between the two allies. Mr Castro is due to meet Vice-President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who are widely expected to take over China's top leadership posts. On Thursday he met President Hu Jintao and signed several co-operation deals.

Turks ‘disturbed’ by Israel, Cyprus natural gas ties
Israel’s decision to become an active partner with Cyprus on issues of natural gas – despite the island nation’s unsolved political disputes with Turkey – has left Ankara “disturbed” by its ally, according to a Turkish expert. “Turkey feels a little bit disturbed,” Prof. Mitat Celikpala of Kadir Has University in Istanbul told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

'Hezbollah setting IDF up for another Goldstone'
Israel’s 2009 offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, will pale in comparison to what will happen to Lebanon in a future war with Hezbollah, a senior IDF officer in the Northern Command said on Thursday. “The destruction will be greater in Lebanon than in Israel and the amount of explosives which will fall there will be far more than what will fall here... We will need to be strong and aggressive,” the officer said.

California bill could create sanctuary state for non-felon illegal immigrants
The Transparency and Responsibility Using State Tools, or TRUST Act, which is currently making its way through the California legislature, would prohibit local law enforcement from turning over illegal immigrants for deportation except for those with serious felony convictions.

Obama told to back off U.N. gun treaty
Over 100 members of Congress appear to share the concerns of a former Army general who has sounded the alarm over efforts by the Obama Administration to push through the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, or ATT. ...retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin earlier this year, in a video in which he claimed Obama was leading America down the path of a quiet, Marxist revolution, blasted the ATT, also known as the small arms treaty, saying it would regulate private gun ownership.

As U.N. Finalizes Arms Trade Treaty, Opponents Warn of Global Gun Grab
In a letter to Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the eve of the conference, 130 Republican lawmakers outlined their concerns that the treaty being negotiated could negatively affect U.S. security, foreign policy and economic interests – as well as Americans’ constitutional rights. “The ATT must not accept that free democracies and totalitarian regimes have the same right to conduct arms transfers: this is a dangerous piece of moral equivalence,” the letter stated.

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Libya election: Historic vote amid tensions
Libyans are voting in their first free election for more than 50 years. They are selecting a temporary assembly which will have the task of picking a cabinet and a prime minister. But voting has been disrupted by unrest in some areas, particularly the east. Officials say 101 of more than 1,500 polling stations were unable to open.

Iran plans to sell oil via private group, evade ban
Iran has reached agreements with European refiners to sell some of its oil through a private consortium, an official said on Saturday, a move designed to circumvent sanctions intended to put pressure on Tehran to halt its disputed nuclear program.

Our revolutionary Supreme Court and the rise of Socialist America
We now live in post-constitutional America. The rule of law has been replaced with arbitrary centralized government. The republic is dead. It has been strangled by President Obama and the Supreme Court. Upon its ruins, a socialist empire is being erected. This is the real meaning of the court’s recent decision to uphold Obamacare.

Lakeland may ban human sign wavers
The city of Lakeland may ban human sign wavers along road sides. In some cases, the people holding the signs and waving are for gold-buying businesses or restaurants. During tax season, people will signs advertising tax form preparing businesses.

Republicans Introduce ‘Repeal Of Obamacare Act’
ouse Majority Leader Eric Cantor has introduced a bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. ObamaCare, and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Pastor Says Black Christians Should ‘Withhold Support’ From Obama Over Same-Sex Marriage
An influential group of black pastors is urging black Christians to shelve their support of President Barack Obama until he reverses his position favoring same-sex marriage. The Coalition of African American Pastors last month requested a meeting with Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss how Obama had “broken [their] hearts” when he endorsed same-sex marriage as a civil right. Having received no White House response, the 1,300-member organization is calling on blacks to boycott the president, the Washington Examiner reported.

78 dead in southern Russia floods
Torrential rains dropped nearly a foot of water on a Black Sea region in southern Russia overnight, setting off intense flooding that killed at least 78 people and forced some in the largely rural area to take refuge in trees and on roofs, officials said Saturday.

London police make seventh arrest in terrorism probe
Police investigating a potential terrorist attack said they had arrested a seventh person, a 22-year-old woman, in east London on Saturday. Police are on high alert ahead of the London Olympics but said the latest arrest and those of a woman and five men in London earlier this week were not linked to the Games.

Suicide bomber kills 7 of his own family in Iraq
A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged belt at a gathering of his own family in western Iraq, killing his pro-government cousin and six other relatives, officials said Saturday. The blast targeting a leader in the Sahwa militias in the city of Ramadi is a reminder of how extremism still divides Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority, with some working with al-Qaida-linked insurgents against others who support the Shiite-led government.

Zimmerman released on bail under stricter terms
George Zimmerman is out of jail again, but the rules have changed since the last time he was released on bail after being charged in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.


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THIRD WORLD AMERICA: Class War Gets Violent In Chicago
On the Fourth of July, comedian Chris Rock tweeted: "Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren't free but I'm sure they enjoyed fireworks." Chris Rock disowns the holiday with tongue-in-cheek. Well right back at you Mr. Rock. My continental European ancestors weren't in the USA when colonists won their independence from England.

Syrian army conducts exercises in show of force as Iran warns of regional ‘catastrophe’
In a show of force, Syria began large-scale military exercises Sunday to simulate defending the country against outside “aggression.” Damascus’ staunch ally Iran warned of a “catastrophe” in the region if no political solution to the 16-month-old Syrian conflict is found. Tehran is Syria’s closest ally, and has stood by President Bashar Assad’s regime throughout the revolt against his rule despite a growing chorus of international condemnation.

Israel to bring remaining Ethiopian Jews by 2014
Israel's Cabinet has approved plans to bring in the last of Ethiopia's Jews over the next two years. More than 120,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel after waves of immigration over the past three decades. Advocates say some 2,200 Jews remain in Ethiopia. They are Falash Mura, members of a community that converted to Christianity under duress more than a century ago but have reverted to Judaism.

Newfoundland and Labrador experiences unusual 4.4 magnitude earthquake
Newfoundland and Labrador were hit with a 4.4 magnitude earthquake Sunday morning. The earthquake hit around 8:13 a.m. local time along the Quebec-Labrador border, just south of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Those in the immediate vicinity felt very strong shaking.Natural Resources Canada says the last time an earthquake of this size hit the province was 50 years ago.

Russia's Weather to Become More Extreme, Scientist Says
Extreme weather conditions such as the flash flooding that swept through the Krasnodar region over the weekend are likely to become increasingly common, a prominent scientist said Sunday. "Weather conditions such as unexpected, large-scale flooding due to colossal downpours or abnormal heatwaves, which are now extremely rare, will be far more common across the world, including in Russia," Alexei Kokorin, head of WWF Russia's climate and energy program, told RIA-Novosti.

Extreme weather and natural disasters occurring simultaneously around the globe
The last days are here as the Word of God has prophesied thousands of years ago and viewing the current events through the lens of Biblical prophecy for days such as this can prove more accurate and truthful than any Scientist or man-made explanation - through which comes No real solution against the force of God.

The ‘New Gestapo’? Maine Gov. Blasts Massive Expansion of IRS Agents
Governor Paul LePage of Maine is making news for allegedly referring to the IRS as the “new Gestapo” Saturday, after blasting the president’s overhaul of our health care system.

Russian nuclear-capable bombers intercepted near West Coast in second U.S. air defense zone intrusion in two weeks
Two Russian strategic nuclear bombers entered the U.S. air defense zone near the Pacific coast on Wednesday and were met by U.S. interceptor jets, defense officials told the Free Beacon. It was the second time Moscow dispatched nuclear-capable bombers into the 200-mile zone surrounding U.S. territory in the past two weeks.

Al-Qaeda terror suspect caught at Olympic Park
The alleged al-Qaeda militant was caught crossing through the Olympic Park five times, breaking a ban imposed by the Home Secretary, The Sunday Telegraph has learned. ...A Home Office lawyer warned after his discovery in the Olympic area that the man - known as CF - wanted to “re-engage in terrorism-related activities, either in the UK or Somalia” and is “determined to continue to adhere to his Islamist extremist agenda”.

US record heatwave leaves dozens dead
At least 42 people have died in a heatwave that has brought soaring temperatures to a dozen US states from the Midwest to the East Coast. Crops shrivelled and roads and railway lines buckled in the heat. Hundreds of records fell across the affected area on Friday and Saturday, but the heat was expected to ease slightly on Sunday.

Iran Pastor facing death for apostasy
Iran has scheduled a September court date for evangelical Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, whose incarceration for practicing Christianity reaches the 1,000-day mark on Sunday. ...Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 because he questioned the mandatory Islamic education of his children and sought to register a home-based church. The Iranian authorities sentenced him to death in 2010 for apostasy.

Taliban publicly execute woman near Kabul: officials
A man Afghan officials say is a member of the Taliban shot dead a woman accused of adultery in front of a crowd near Kabul, a video obtained by Reuters showed, a sign that the austere Islamist group dictates law even near the Afghan capital. In the three-minute video, a turban-clad man approaches a woman kneeling in the dirt and shoots her five times at close range with an automatic rifle, to cheers of jubilation from the 150 or so men watching in a village in Parwan province.

Clinton praises Afghanistan on unnanounced visit
The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stopped in Afghanistan on Saturday prior to attending a major conference in Tokyo to discuss billions of dollars in aid. Arriving in Kabul on the unannounced visit, she told reporters the stopover was intended so she could talk to officials before the significant ministerial conference in Japan.

Merkel ally: Greece needs more time
The leader of one of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition partners has called for giving Greece more time to get its financial house in order. Rainer Bruederle, floor leader of the Free Democratic Party, is publishing a statement on Greece in Sunday's Welt am Sonntag, the Greek daily newspaper Ekathimerini reported. His statement was previewed in an article Saturday.

Death toll in Russia floods climbs to 141
The death toll from severe flash floods in Russia's southern Krasnodar region climbed to 141 people from 134 overnight as officials discovered more bodies, a police spokesman said Sunday. The worst hit area was an area around Krymsk, a town of 57,000 lying about 200 kilometres (120 miles) northwest of the Black Sea resort town of Sochi where Russia will host the 2014 Summer Olympic Games.

Episcopalians move closer to allowing transgender ministers
The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops on Saturday approved a proposal that, if it survives a final vote, would give transgender men and women the right to become ministers in the church.

Congressman Barney Frank weds in same-sex marriage
Democratic Representative Barney Frank wed his longtime partner, James Ready, on Saturday, becoming the first sitting congressman to enter into a same-sex marriage.

Severe flood warning in South West as heavy rain falls
severe flood warning has been issued for part of south-west England, as river levels rise after heavy rain. The Environment Agency said lives were in danger in areas near the River Axe, in Devon. In Northumberland, a man in his 20s died when his car came off a road during torrential rain. Some 48 flood warnings and 133 flood alerts remain in England and Wales, while nine flood warnings and seven flood alerts are in force in Scotland.

Afghanistan: Hamid Karzai urges support for 'progress'
fghan President Hamid Karzai has urged international donors to continue giving aid to his country in order to safeguard political and economic gains made since the fall of the Taliban. He was speaking at a conference in Tokyo on how to support Afghanistan after foreign forces leave in 2014.

Morsi to make first official visit to Saudi Arabia
Egyptian president to meet King Abdullah in first official visit since being sworn in; Morsi has yet to accept invitation to attend summit in Tehran Reuters Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for his first official visit abroad since he was sworn in on June 30, signaling that he wants to maintain the long-standing regional alliance.

Report: UN envoy Annan says efforts for peaceful political solution in Syria have failed
ecial U.N. envoy Kofi Annan acknowledged in an interview published Saturday that the international community's efforts to find a political solution to the escalating violence in Syria have failed. Annan also said that more attention needed to be paid to the role of longtime Syrian ally Iran, and that countries supporting military actors in the conflict were making the situation worse.


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Google Bans Guns in Shopping
Google is an anti-2nd Amendment company. They always have been, ...they are actually a spying shill for the CIA and NSA. This is not a new angle for Google. Like all of the Silicon Valley do-gooders without a clue, Google is clueless.

Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
During the late hours of July 8th, a series of rapid-fire explosions on the sun propelled three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) into space. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded their exit...

'Israel … will turn into ashes within seconds'
Shiites believe their 12th Imam, Mahdi, will reappear at the end of times and kill all infidels, raising the flag of Islam in all four corners of the world. The attendants at Tuesday’s event, which was organized by the cultural center for the “Hidden Imam” in the city of Shiraz, discussed actions needed for the reappearance of the last Islamic messiah.

Can IRS police both taxes and health care law?
Can the Internal Revenue Service police President Barack Obama's health care mandate while simultaneously collecting all the taxes for running the federal government? The question is being renewed in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision upholding most of the 2010 Affordable Care Act as a tax issue rather than one of interstate commerce.

U.N. Agreement Should Have All Gun Owners Up In Arms
...Under the guise of a proposed global “Small Arms Treaty” premised to fight “terrorism”, “insurgency” and “international crime syndicates” you can be quite certain that an even more insidious threat is being targeted – our Constitutional right for law-abiding citizens to own and bear arms...What, exactly, does the intended agreement entail?...Enact tougher licensing requirements, creating additional bureaucratic red tape for legal firearms ownership...

Obama invites Egypt's Islamist leader to U.S.
President Barack Obama has invited Egypt's newly elected Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, to visit the United States in September...reflecting the new ties Washington is cultivating with the region's Islamists. Washington...shifted policy last year to open formal contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood, the group behind Mursi's win. Mursi formally resigned from the group after his victory.

More Demands on Cell Carriers in Surveillance
In the first public accounting of its kind, cellphone carriers reported that they responded to a startling 1.3 million demands for subscriber information last year from law enforcement agencies seeking text messages, caller locations and other information in the course of investigations.

South China Sea tension tops Asean regional agenda
Tension in the South China Sea is expected to top the agenda for a regional Asean forum this week. China and several countries in the 10-nation bloc are laying claim to disputed waters in the area. Foreign ministers of the group are meeting in Cambodia before the arrival of their regional counterparts from 16 countries, including China.

IDF concerned Lebanon planning water diversion
The IDF is deliberating responses ahead of the possibility that Lebanon will divert water from the Hatzbani River, a move that Israel has in the past viewed as a casus belli – justification for war. Israel’s concern stems from the construction of a large tourism center on the Lebanese side of the river, not far from the Israeli town of Metulla.

‘I,’ ‘Me’—Obama Uses First-Person Pronoun 117 Times in 1 Speech
Speaking in Sandusky, Ohio on July 5, President Barack Obama used the first-person pronouns “I” and “me” a combined 117 times in a speech that lasted about 25 minutes and 32 seconds.

Israel seeks advanced missiles for new gunboats
The Israeli Navy plans to install an advanced, short and long-range missile system on the new vessels it will purchase next year, a media report said. Navy and defense ministry officials have been holding talks in recent months focused on the need for new vessels to replace the aging fleet of Sa'ar 5-class corvettes, reported Xinhua.

Syrian army conducts exercises in show of force as Iran warns of regional 'catastrophe'
In a show of force, Syria began large-scale military exercises Sunday to simulate defending the country against outside "aggression." Damascus' staunch ally Iran warned of a "catastrophe" in the region if no political solution to the 16-month-old Syrian conflict is found.

Six U.S. Troops Killed in Eastern Afghanistan Blast
Six American troops were killed in a roadside blast today in eastern Afghanistan, a U.S. official told ABC News. Details about the deadly incident remain vague. Earlier today, a press release by NATO's International Security Assistance Force said six ISAF servicemembers "died following an improvised explosive device attack in eastern Afghanistan today."

Dry skies threaten U.S. corn crop as heat wave breaks
The withering U.S. corn crop is gaining some respite from a record heat wave this week but new weather forecasts offered scant signs of the rainfall it urgently needs to avoid the worst drought damage in nearly a quarter century. As the majority of a near-record-size U.S. corn area is now set to enter the key phase of pollination, a period when hot and dry conditions can cause irrevocable damage, the lack of moisture threatens to extend a rally that has already propelled corn prices more than a third higher since mid-June.

Egypt's constitutional court to discuss president decree
Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court, which dissolved parliament last month, is due to discuss how to respond to President Mohammed Mursi's order to reconvene it. Military and judicial authorities have held emergency talks, but did not decide on any action, officials say. Mr Mursi, whose Muslim Brotherhood won most seats, said the chamber should reconvene until a new election is held.

Israeli PM Netanyahu's party backs conscription law
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's party has unanimously approved a plan to end exemptions from conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arab Israelis. The move by the Likud party means the coalition government can now move towards drafting a new law.

Spanish borrowing costs rise ahead of euro summit
Spanish and Italian 10-year bond yields have been rising ahead of a summit of eurozone finance ministers on Monday. The yield on Spanish 10-year bonds, which are taken as a strong indicator of the interest rate the government would have to pay to borrow money, rose above 7%, while Italian bond yields rose to 6.1%. Yields above 7% are considered to be unsustainable in the long term.

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Hot Weather Sends Thousands of Fish to Their Graves
Fish are showing up dead by the thousands on shores across the United States. Scientists say high temperatures leading to low dissolved oxygen levels and excessive microscopic algae bloom are the likely causes of some 6,000 gizzard shad and 600 adult white perch deaths in Delaware.

Emilia strengthens to major storm
Emilia is a Category 3 hurricane and was expected to strengthen further -- and could become a Category 4 storm Monday night or Tuesday, the hurricane center said.

Debt desperation: France joins Germany to sell T-Bills at negative yield
France joined a handful of euro-zone countries Monday in selling short-term debt at negative interest rates as investors seek alternatives to expensive German and Dutch debt. Earlier in the day, Germany’s six-month borrowing costs again turned negative at an auction, after the European Central Bank slashed its key policy and deposit rates to unprecedented levels last week. The negative yield at Monday’s German auction, the lowest on record in this maturity segment, means that investors effectively pay the German state for the privilege of holding its debt.

5.6 strong earthquake in Eastern Mediterranean Sea
M 5.6 strong earthquake shakes Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Egypt today, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was centered in Eastern Mediterranean Sea with epicenter located 83 km (51 miles) SSW of Kalkan (Turkey). It was 29.1 miles deep.

Washington Monument's earthquake repairs will require huge scaffold, may last into 2014
Repairs to the Washington Monument will require massive scaffolding to be built around the 555-foot obelisk and may keep it closed into 2014 after it was damaged by an earthquake last year, the National Park Service said Monday. A damage assessment by engineers who inspected the stone structure by rappelling from the top last September found scaffolding is necessary to provide workers access to the top of the monument, said park service spokeswoman Carol Johnson.

Solar flares keep on getting stronger - with latest hotspot the size of 15 Earths strung together
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spotted the summer's first 'X' solar flare on Friday - a huge outburst from the sun right at the top of the scale. This came on the back of 12 'M' flares in just six days, with a M6.1 flare knocking out radio signals across the planet on Thursday - hinting at the destruction the sun could reign on our technology if Earth takes a full blast across its blow.

Report: 83 percent of doctors have considered quitting over Obamacare
Eighty-three percent of American physicians have considered leaving their practices over President Barack Obama’s health care reform law, according to a survey released by the Doctor Patient Medical Association. ...Even if doctors do not quit their jobs over the ruling, America will face a shortage of at least 90,000 doctors by 2020.

Embry - Hang On Because The Chaos is Going to Accelerate
Today John Embry told King World News, “...the chaos will accelerate,” and “...before this ends, it will be cataclysmic.” Embry, who is Chief Investment Strategist of the $10 billion strong Sprott Asset Management, also discussed market manipulation. Here is what Embry had to say: “The fact that this LIBOR scandal has come to the surface is interesting. It’s an indication of the depth of the corruption in the system. The LIBOR scandal is just one of the many manipulations going on in the world at this point.”

Russia's Putin says the West is on the decline
President Vladimir Putin said on Monday the West's influence was waning as its economy declines but warned Russian diplomats to be on their guard against a backlash from Moscow's former Cold War enemies. In a biennial speech to Russian ambassadors, Putin also took a shot at the West by condemning any unilateral actions to solve international disputes and underlined the importance of resolving such conflicts through the United Nations.

Massive drought in U.S. Midwest sets global crop prices soaring
Prices for key agricultural commodities such as corn, soybean and wheat have soared in the past few weeks as investors realize yields in the corn belt are going to be far lower than they expected in the spring. Grain prices are approaching the peak levels reached in mid-2008, a period when many other commodities were also hitting record highs just before the economic meltdown.

Eurozone ministers agree 30bn euros for Spanish banks
Eurozone finance ministers have agreed to lend Spain 30bn euros (£24bn; $37bn) this month to help its troubled banks. It will be the first instalment of a bailout of up to 100bn euros, which was agreed in June. The ministers will need to get approval from their own parliaments and hope to make the payment by the end of July.

Egypt's parliament convenes despite dissolution
Egypt's parliament has briefly convened, despite the ruling military council ordering it to be dissolved. The country's new President, Mohammed Mursi, had ordered the assembly to meet in defiance of the ruling. Earlier, the council said the decision to dissolve parliament must be upheld. The military closed parliament last month after a supreme court ruling.

More flooding set to hit Britain
Large parts of Britain are set for more flooding as further downpours hit areas already saturated by days of rain. Residents will see spells of more heavy rain in the next few days, with the ground already waterlogged by earlier deluges. The Environment Agency (EA) has seven flood warnings and 36 flood alerts in place in England.

'Stop Wakf from destroying Foundation Stone'
Activist group Temple Mount Faithful filed an emergency petition with the High Court of Justice on Monday to stop construction work at the Temple Mount, which they claim is damaging holy Jewish artifacts. According to chairman Gershon Salomon, Wakf Muslim religious trust officials who are conducting renovations at the Temple Mount have built scaffolding over the Foundation Stone, which was part of the Holy of Holies in the Temple.

Three dead after more Syrian shells hit Lebanon
Three people were killed when Syrian mortars hit villages in northern Lebanon on Tuesday, as violence in Syria continued to spill across the border. ...Lebanon, with a history of domination by its powerful neighbor, is anxious to avoid being drawn in to the uprising, and its reaction to cross-border incidents has been more restrained than Turkey's.

Obama to donors: Help!
After two straight months of getting pummeled by Mitt Romney in the race for cash, President Barack Obama’s campaign is stepping up pressure on donors and bundlers to find new money. Obama’s campaign and its allies are aggressively pushing wealthy and smaller-dollar donors alike to open their wallets after Democrats lagged behind Romney and the Republican National Committee by $35 million in June and about $17 million in May.

Climate Change Plays a Role in Wildfires—But Not the Only One
The West is burning. The early weeks of summer have been marked by brutal forest fires in states like Montana, Wyoming, Utah and most of all Colorado, where that state is grappling with the worst fires in its history. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of July 3, 45 large active wildfires were burning through 15 states, and since January 1, fires have incinerated nearly 2.2 million acres across the country. And while the weather has calmed somewhat in recent days, allowing firefighters to get on top of some of the worst blazes, the expectations are that flames will continue to burn throughout the long, hot summer of 2012.

Russia to suspend new arms to Syria: agencies
Russia will not deliver fighter planes or other new weapons to Syria while the situation there remains unresolved, the deputy director of a body that supervises Moscow's arms trade was quoted as saying on Monday. "While the situation in Syria is unstable, there will be no new deliveries of arms there," Vyacheslav Dzirkaln told journalists at the Farnborough Airshow in Britain, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

Nigeria Islamists claim weekend funeral carnage
Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists on Tuesday claimed a weekend attack at a graveyard in central Plateau state that left at least 22 people dead, including two prominent politicians. Police and officials have blamed nomadic Fulani herdsmen for the raid and Boko Haram has in the past claimed killings widely thought to have been carried out by another group, in an effort to boost its stature.

Egypt parliament reconvenes, defying military
Egypt's Islamist-dominated parliament reconvened on Tuesday in defiance of the powerful military and the judiciary, following a decree by newly-elected President Mohamed Morsi to reinstate the assembly.

Episcopal Church To Offer a New Blessing for Gay Marriage
The Episcopal Church has approved a new liturgy that allows priests and bishops to provide official blessings for same-sex marriages. The new rites were proposed and approved at the Church's Gneral Convention this week and could go into effect by the end of the year. Some local dioceses have allowed their priests to officiate at or bless same sex marriages in states where they are legal, but the new proposal offers official guidelines for Church members to follow.

China Overtakes Japan in Fortune 500 Rankings
Chinese firms have overtaken their Japanese peers on the Fortune Global 500 list of the world's largest companies for the first time, and will continue to gain market share at the expense of the more developed competitors, the U.S. business magazine said on Monda

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Report Calls on Rich to Loan Money to Euro Zone
"In many countries the sovereign debt levels have increased considerably, and at the same time we also have very high amounts of private assets that, taken together, considerably exceed the total national debts of all (euro-zone) countries," Stefan Bach, of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin, said in an interview with the institute's weekly publication. In order to stabilize the countries' finances and to reduce sovereign debt, the states could go after those private assets, said Bach, who authored the DIW study.

Five indicted in killing of Border agent Terry
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who has led the Congressional probe into Fast and Furious and spearheaded placing Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for allegedly not cooperating with the investigation, called the unsealing of the indictments politically motivated. Issa said the DOJ’s announcement was the Obama administration’s attempt to place “politics over good policy” because it came so closely on the heels of the House’s vote to place Holder in contempt.

Heat blamed for fish kills in southern Minn. lakes
The recent heat wave is blamed for killing thousands of fish in several southern Minnesota lakes. Most of the lakes are shallow, and thus more susceptible to summer fish kills, and most of the fish were northern pike, which prefer cold water.

When earthquakes split mountains: 6.4 magnitude quake leaves 20 meter crack in Mt. Fuji
...an official at the Meteorological Agency said, indicating the crack was caused not by volcanic activity but by the temblor. Both the width and depth of the crack were several centimeters, and it has subsequently been covered by sand and pebbles, according to the Yamanashi Prefectural Government. “Nothing has happened after more than a year (since the discovery of the crack), so Mount Fuji is probably not going to erupt,”

Russian Warships to Exercise in Atlantic, Mediterranean
A Russian naval task force will perform combat training missions in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The task force comprises warships from Russia’s Northern, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, a ministry official told RIA Novosti. “The ships are headed toward the northern Atlantic,” he said.

Closure of Border Patrol stations across four states triggers alarm
The Obama administration is moving to shut down nine Border Patrol stations across four states, triggering a backlash from local law enforcement, members of Congress and Border Patrol agents themselves. Critics of the move warn the closures will undercut efforts to intercept drug and human traffickers in well-traveled corridors north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Egyptians to ponder Camp David Accord
Despite early assurances by Egypt's new President Mohammed Morsi regarding his "commitment to international treaties and agreements," one can already foretell a likely confrontation between Egypt and Israel. A chaotic transition notwithstanding, a new, post-revolution Egypt is emerging. It is is more self-assertive, emphasizing issues of national dignity and respect.

5 ‘real world’ signs of the coming Chinese apocalypse
From shrinking trade to stalling factories to surprise rate cuts, signs are mounting that China is headed for a hard landing. Tuesday investors fretted as China’s imports in June grew at half the expected pace, entrenching concerns that domestic demand in the world’s second-largest economy is cooling quickly. The news was also not a good harbinger for China first-half GDP data to be released later this week.

Syria's opposition appeals for Russian support
A delegation of Syrian opposition figures is visiting Moscow to discuss international efforts to find a political solution to the violence. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is holding talks with Abdulbaset Sayda, head of the Syrian National Council. Mr Lavrov's deputy said Russia wanted to move the opposition "towards realistic and constructive positions".

Egypt court overturns President Mursi parliament order
The highest court in Egypt has overturned a decree by President Mohammed Mursi to recall parliament. Mr Mursi had issued the decree in defiance of a military council ruling that dissolved parliament. Members of parliament gathered for a brief session earlier in the day before the ruling of the Supreme Constitutional Court was announced.

US Episcopal Church approves same-sex blessing service
The Episcopal Church has become the largest US denomination to bless same-sex relationships. The policy was overwhelmingly approved in a vote at the church's general convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Church officials stressed the new ceremony, which includes prayers and an exchange of vows and rings, was not a same-sex marriage.

Pentagon: Iran boosts missiles' lethality, effectiveness
Iran’s military has "boosted the lethality and effectiveness of existing" ballistic missile systems with "accuracy improvements and new sub-munition payloads," according to a Pentagon report. Portions of the document were declassified on Wednesday after having been presented to Congress last week.

Japan protests at Chinese ships near disputed islands
Japan has summoned China's ambassador to protest against the appearance of Chinese patrol boats near a disputed chain of islands in the East China Sea. Three Chinese fishery patrol boats entered the area early on Wednesday and have since left, reports say.

Italy eyes euro zone aid to ease debt pain
Italy said on Tuesday it may want to tap euro zone aid to ease its borrowing costs as finance ministers struggled to convince markets they are getting a grip on the bloc's debt crisis, which a top European Central Banker said could escalate.

Parliament in legal limbo in Egypt power struggle
Egypt's parliament was hanging in legal limbo on Wednesday after a top court overruled a presidential decree reinstating the dissolved house, stepping up a power struggle between the president and the army.

Spain PM Rajoy calls for fresh cuts as protests loom
Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy has announced a 3% VAT rise in a series of austerity measures aimed at cutting the public budget by 65bn euros (£51bn;$80bn). The changes come as hundreds of Spanish miners arrived in Madrid to protest against government cuts to subsidies. Mr Rajoy said sales tax would go up to 21% and there would be a 3.5bn euro cut in local authority budgets.

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Why Earthquakes Are Shaking North Texas
“We’ve been looking at the question of whether the number of earthquakes occurring across the mid-continent has changed in recent years. And we find that there is a statistically significant increase in the rate just over the past several years. And many of these are in areas where we know there is a lot of energy activity,” U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Bill Ellsworth tells StateImpact Texas.

As Islamists Pledge to Wipe Out Christianity, Gov't Study Says Not to Worry
Back on earth, Islamist leader Sheik Farook al-Mohammedi has announced the "Revived Global Caliphate has set eyes on the West to once and for all rid the world of Christianity" and to "Islamize" countries like the United States. But never fear, the U.S. government-sponsored study says that Islamists are "not an aggressive offensive foe seeking domination and conquest of unbelievers, as is commonly assumed."

New Gallup Poll Says Americans Are Tuning TV News Out
As the reality of Barack Obama’s failed economy sinks in, more and more Americans are skeptical of the TV news departments that insist on painting a rosy picture that doesn’t match the bleak world of foreclosures, closed businesses, and radically high unemployment that’s out there. If the TV networks keep insisting on parroting the Democratic Party line, the day is not far off when they will have no one to preach to.

Ex-US commander McChrystal calls for reviving draft
The former US commander in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, has urged that the draft be reinstated to spread the burden of fighting and to instill a sense of shared civic duty among young Americans. The country's all-volunteer force has performed with great skill but after more than a decade of war "we're running very, very hard and at a certain point you can't expect it to go forever,"

Spain Deepens Austerity Under European Pressure
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced a swathe of new taxes and spending cuts on Wednesday designed to slash 65 billion euros from the budget deficit by 2014 as recession-plagued Spain struggles to meet tough targets agreed with Europe.

Mississippi abortion clinic to stay open
A Mississippi judge has kept in place a temporary block on a law that could see the state's only abortion clinic close its doors. US District Judge Daniel Jordan did not immediately say how long the restraining order would last. Jackson Women's Health Organization sought a renewal of the temporary stay while it goes forward with a lawsuit.

Report: US Navy deploys drones to the Persian Gulf
According to the report, deployment of the German-made device known as SeaFox is part of an American military build up aimed at stopping Iran from closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The first drones began arriving in recent weeks as the latest round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear development program appeared to have stalled.

Israel to Bring Remaining Ethiopian Jews by 2014
More than 120,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel after waves of immigration over the past three decades. Advocates say some 2,200 Jews remain in Ethiopia. They are Falash Mura, members of a community that converted to Christianity under duress more than a century ago but have reverted to Judaism.

NATO, Russian naval-air buildup in E. Mediterranean, French units to Gulf
NATO, which proclaims non-involvement in the Syrian conflict, and Russia, which vows to block foreign military action against the Assad regime, are both moving large naval forces into the eastern Mediterranean opposite Syrian shores. A flotilla of at least 11 Russian warships has been detached from Black Sea, North Sea and Baltic fleet bases and is on its way to the Syrian coast for a maneuver; NATO has consigned its rapid response Maritime Group 2 to the same stretch of sea - where also five Israeli warships are deployed.

UN arms treaty could put U.S. gun owners in foreign sights, say critics
A treaty being hammered out this month at the United Nations -- with Iran playing a key role -- could expose the records of America's gun owners to foreign governments -- and, critics warn, eventually put the Second Amendment on global trial... the treaty would mark a major step toward the eventual erosion of the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment gun-ownership rights.

The Corn Is Dying All Over America
All over America the corn is dying. If drought conditions persist in the middle part of the country, wheat and soybeans will be next. Weeks of intense heat combined with extraordinarily dry conditions have brought many U.S. corn farmers to the brink of total disaster. If there is not significant rainfall soon, many farmers will be financially ruined.

Orwell's Thought Police made real: Mind-reading helmet invades privacy of the mind
Recall Orwell’s Thought Police that can invade even private thoughts? Well here they come in the form of a “mind-reading” helmet machine. The maker of this mind-reading technology is Veritas Scientific whose CEO Eric Elbot said, “The last realm of privacy is your mind. This will invade that.” And who is the first customer for the brain-spying device?

Field Mice Overrun Farms in Central Germany
Millions of field mice are overrunning the central German states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, much to the concern of local farmers. The rodents are devastating food crops, cutting yields by up to 50 percent. Getting birds of prey to hunt the critters didn't help, and now farmers want to be allowed to use a banned rat poison.

Syria's Chemical Secret: Israel Raises Alarm
Hundreds of tonnes of Syria's stockpile of deadly nerve gas could fall into the hands of terrorist groups if the regime of Bashar al Assad falls apart amid widening concerns that Israel could go to war to try to stop this 'Doomsday threat'. According to Middle Eastern and other intelligence sources, Syria has the biggest stockpiles of the nerve gasses VX and Sarin, as well as mustard gas, in the Middle East.

Iran is Arming
Iran’s military is continuing to improve its missile capabilities by increasing their range and developing nuclear weapons related expertise, according to a Pentagon report to Congress.

The UFO Files: aliens 'might come here for holidays'
In a 1995 briefing now published by the National Archives, a desk officer said the purpose of reported alien craft sightings “needs to be established as a matter of priority”, adding there did not appear to be “hostile intent”. The unnamed official said it was “essential that we start with open minds”, explaining “what is scientific ‘fact’ today may not be true tomorrow”.


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Israel on the outs — again
If there’s one nation on Earth that knows what it is to be a victim of terrorism — and how best to combat it — it’d be Israel. So you’d think. Unless you’re the Obama administration. Once again, Israel was excluded from one of Team Obama’s pet projects — the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, a group of 29 nations that met this week in Spain.

USDA buckles, removes Spanish food stamp soap operas from website
Following The Daily Caller’s expose of the United States Department of Agriculture’s food stamp outreach to Spanish-speakers via radio novelas, or Spanish language soap operas, the agency removed the series from their website.

Ban: Syria massacre casts doubt on Assad's peace pledge
UN chief condemns indiscriminate use of heavy artillery, shelling of populated areas by Syrian gov't; Clinton urges Hama ceasefire, says perpetrators of Taramseh massacre "will be identified, held accountable."

Senior General: U.S. Atomic Arsenal Could Deter a Nuclear-Armed Iran
The top U.S. military commander for strategic combat on Thursday said that Washington’s atomic weapons could serve as the ultimate tool for deterring a nuclear-armed Iran (see GSN, June 21).

Suicide bomber kills 22, wounds 40 at Afghan wedding
A suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding reception in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 22 people including a prominent politician, and wounding 40 others, police said. The death toll makes Saturday's attack one of the most lethal in the country for months. Influential Afghan lawmaker Ahmad Khan Samangani, who hosted the party, was among those killed, provincial governor Khairullah Anosh said.

Chavez: Venezuela is no threat, Obama is a "good guy"
President Hugo Chavez denied on Friday that Venezuela was a threat to anyone, after U.S. presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticized Barack Obama for playing down the risk posed by the socialist leader. Obama told a Spanish-language television station in an interview screened this week that Chavez's actions over recent years had not had a serious impact on the national security of the United States.



Free Syrian Army preparing for “final battle” for Damascus
In light of the noticeable development in the Free Syrian Army [FSA]’s military operations, not to mention the escalated pace of defections from the regular army’s forces, the FSA has announced that it is gearing up to take the fight to the al-Assad regime in Damascus. Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat, FSA commander Colonel Riad al-Asaad revealed that “preparations for the battle of Damascus are underway and are in full swing, particularly as this operation – which will be the final and decisive confrontation with the regime – requires special preparations and arrangements”. He added “this has led to the battle being postponed so far; however once it starts it will be resolved quickly'

COMPROMISED INTEL: Secret Democratic Political Research Files for Twelve 2012 Match-Ups Found via Google
It could be one of the biggest political intelligence coups of the 2012 battle to control Congress. Media Trackers, a conservative investigative watchdog group, discovered nearly three-dozen Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee opposition research notebooks – extensive secretive manuals outlining anything that could be used against a political opponent. Several news outlets have reported that some of the files have been quietly published on the DCCC’s website to facilitate their use by independent expenditure groups. On Thursday, however, Media Trackers published a dozen opposition research books that Democrats have so far managed to keep secret.

Bankrupt U.S. Cities Indicate Nation’s Future
Last Friday, the city of Scranton sent out paychecks to its employees, as it does every two weeks. But these checks were for amounts significantly smaller than usual because Mayor Chris Doherty reduced all city employees’ pay—including his own—to the state minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. After sending out Friday’s checks, Scranton had only $5,000 left in the bank and still owed its 400 employees almost $1 million.

Farmers suffer as soaring temperatures worsen drought in Midwest
A severe drought is spreading across the Midwest this summer, resulting in some of the worst conditions in decades and leaving more than a thousand counties designated as natural disaster areas, authorities said. Farmers in the region are suffering, with pastures for livestock and fields of crops becoming increasingly parched during June, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

MI6 chief: Iran could go nuclear in 2 years
Britain's foreign intelligence chief believes Iran will acquire nuclear weapon capability within two years, the Daily Telegraph reported Friday. MI6 Chief John Sawyers, in a rare public speech, spoke before a meeting of senior civil servants in London and said that British agents had foiled Iran's attempts to produce a nuclear weapon as long as four years ago, according to the report.

US fears Assad relocating chemical stockpiles
US officials said that Syria has started to move part of its chemical weapons arsenal out of storage facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The country's undeclared stockpiles of sarin nerve agent, mustard gas and cyanide have long worried US officials and their allies in the region, the report said.

U.S. declares drought-stricken states largest natural disaster area ever
The United States Department of Agriculture has declared natural disaster areas in more than 1,000 counties and 26 drought-stricken states, making it the largest natural disaster in America ever. The declaration—which covers roughly half of the country—gives farmers and ranchers devastated by drought access to federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans.

Moody's cuts Italy's debt rating
Moody's has cut Italy's credit rating, warning that the country was likely to see a sharp rise in borrowing costs. The rating was cut two notches to Baa2 from A3, two levels above junk status. The move raised concerns of a contagion risk from Spain and Greece, pushed Italian bank shares down and kept the euro near two-year lows against the dollar.

Russian parliament adopts NGO 'foreign agents' bill
Russia's lower house of parliament has adopted a controversial bill that labels foreign-funded non-governmental organisations as "foreign agents". The upper house and President Vladimir Putin are now expected to turn the bill into law. Approval in the largely pro-Putin Duma (lower house) was overwhelming.

Navy Beginning To Implement Underwater Drones In Gulf
Amid concerns of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz during a potential crisis, the U.S. Navy is beginning to develop and release a set of underwater drones to find and destroy sea mines present in the Persian Gulf, according to U.S. officials. ...In February, the Navy implemented dozens of SeaFox drones after an immediate request by Marine Gen. James Mattis, the head U.S. commander serving in the Middle East, according to media reports.

Very Strong CME Blast To Hit Planet On Saturday, Communication To be Affected
Expect communications to be affected. This blast hits when it is daylight over the North American areas, but hits at night for Europe.

Syrian forces shell outskirts of Damascus, activists say
Security forces fired mortars into a district on the outskirts of Damascus on Thursday, the first time an area of the Syrian capital has been shelled since the uprising against President Bashar Assad began 16 months ago. Activists in the Kfar Souseh neighbourhood of Damascus said Assad's forces were firing mortar rounds into orchards on the outskirts of the city, apparently trying to flush out rebels taking cover there.

Vaccines Backfire: Veterinary Vaccines Found to Combine Into New Infectious Viruses
Research from the University of Melbourne has shown that two different vaccine viruses- used simultaneously to control the same condition in chickens- have combined to produce new infectious viruses, prompting early response from Australia's veterinary medicines regulator.

The UFO Files: Tony Blair briefed on alien defence policy
Tony Blair was so concerned about the disclosure of classified information on extra-terrestrials when he was Prime Minister he received a full briefing about UFOs from the Ministry of Defence, it has emerged.

Major Solar Flare Erupts From Giant Sunspot
The sun unleashed a huge flare Thursday (July 12), the second major solar storm to erupt from our star in less than a week. The solar flare peaked at 12:52 p.m. EDT (1652 GMT) as an X-class sun storm, the most powerful type of flare the suncan have. "It erupted from Active Region 1520, which rotated into view on July 6," NASA officials said in an alert. Active Region 1520, or AR1520, is a giant sunspot currently facing Earth.

'Everything is happening according to this biblical template'
Author Jonathan Cahn, in an interview with American Family Radio, explained that the template was created when God issued a series of warnings to the nation of Israel before it was judged, and eventually allowed to fall into captivity. The same sequence of events now has developed in the United States, starting with the terror attacks of 9/11, he said in the interview with Ed Vitagliano of the American Family Association production.

Israel fears window for Iran attack starting to close, while US urges more patience
Behind the bland public comments, however, one well-placed Israeli source spoke of friction in US-Israeli ties over the struggle to thwart Iran, with the US urging Israel to allow more time for sanctions to bite, and Israel expressing concern that its window of opportunity for military action is starting to close.

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Intense solar storm bombarding Earth now
A strong solar storm is battering the Earth now and could amplify the planet's northern lights displays.This weekend's solar storm originated from one of the most powerful sun flares to occur this year. The flare registered as an X1.4-class sun storm, one of the strongest flares the sun can unleash. It marked the sixth X-class solar flare of 2012.

U.S. foreclosures up for second straight month
U.S. foreclosure starts rose year-over-year in June for the second consecutive month, as banks continued to clear their backlog of inventory after a nationwide mortgage abuse settlement... Major banks across the country kept moving on distressed properties following a $25 billion mortgage abuse settlement this April, causing foreclosure starts to rise in the second quarter for the first time since the last quarter of 2009.

Yatom: Israel could go to war over Syria's chemical weapons
...Syria's chemical weapons could end up in the hands of terrorist groups if President Bashar al-Assad's regime falls, and concerns are increasing that Israel may go to war against Syria to prevent this "doomsday threat," Sky News reported on Thursday, quoting Middle Eastern and other intelligence sources. The sources say Syria possesses the biggest stockpile of nerve gases VX and Sarin, as well as mustard gas, in the Middle East.

Russian Grain Harvest to Fall 15% in 2012
Russia may harvest less than 80 million tons of grain in 2012, compared to the 94.2 million tons brought in last year, Russia's National Union of Grain Producers head Pavel Skurikhin said on Thursday. ... Russia downgraded its grain harvest forecast from 94 million tons to 85 million tons in June, owing to continued rains in the south of the country.

Severe U.S. drought slams small businesses
Farmers, boating companies and restaurants are among the growing number of small businesses reeling from the worst drought to hit the United States in 12 years. ...Once a region is declared a disaster area by the government, it allows federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration to then offer loans to affected small businesses.

'Iran lying about nuclear program, bribing Russia and China'
Iran is lying to the West about its nuclear program and is bribing Russia and China for their support, according to a letter written by an unidentified former general in the Islamic republic's Revolutionary Guards Corps. The letter...provides a rare glimpse of political dissent within the ranks of the elite force in charge of the country's nuclear program and of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's personal security.

Russian ship with helicopters for Syrian regime sets sail again
The Alaed's previous attempt to convey the Mi-25 gunships to the regime of of President Bashar al-Assad under a Curaçao flag caused anger in London and Washington. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the aircraft would be used to kill innocent civilians. ...Moscow has insisted it will deliver the Mi-25 helicopters in the teeth of western disapproval and it appears likely the ship's real or eventual target is Syria.

Global food crisis looms as grain prices soar
What looks to be the worst U.S. drought in a quarter of a century has given rise to an old-fashioned commodity rally on world markets, with key grain prices hitting highs which caused food crises in vulnerable parts of the globe last time around.

Ranchers ravaged by fires, drought and scarce alfalfa
'We're going to run out of grass. It's shaping up to be scary,' says expert...recent wildfires in states such as Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have displaced thousands of cows from federal rangelands which may not be fit for grazing for years. Where range has not been destroyed, drought has lessened forage.

Japan floods: 250,000 people ordered to leave homes
About 250,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes to avoid floods caused by torrential rainfall in south-west Japan, officials say. Flooding and landslides on the southern island of Kyushu have left at least 20 people dead in the past three days. TV footage showed muddy waters sweeping through homes and streets as rivers burst their banks in the north of the island.

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Getting ready for the Big One: Japan chooses disaster-alternative capital
The Japanese government is considering unparalleled counter-measures to withstand the inevitable earthquakes and tsunamis awaiting Japan in the future. Experts propose preparation of emergency government offices in the country’s five major cities.

Romney to Break Fast of Temple Mount Mourning with Netanyahu
“What better way for the Governor to understand the opportunities and the threats to Israel than to be there on a day when the people of Israel and Jews around the world commemorate and mourn the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem twice in their history," Dan Senor wrote in an

Quake-damaged Washington Monument may remain closed into 2014
The 555-foot-tall monument has been closed since an earthquake struck the mid-Atlantic region near Richmond, Virginia, in August 2011. Repairs are expected to begin this fall.

Iranian FM: Iran ready to host Syria crisis talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying on Sunday, in an effort to bring an end to the conflict in the country: "The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to sit down with the Syrian opposition and invite them to Iran," "We are ready to facilitate and provide the conditions for talks between the opposition and the government."

EIB head: euro zone crisis will not end within two years
The head of the European Investment Bank (EIB) said on Sunday he did not expect the euro zone to emerge from its debt crisis within the next two years. "The pressure on member states and on the European Union itself to get their house in order will continue for a long time," Werner Hoyer told Germany's weekly Focus magazine.

Japan floods: Search for missing on Kyushu
Japanese soldiers and police are searching for missing people on the southern island of Kyushu following flooding and landslides caused by record rainfall. The severe weather conditions are now spreading to the country's old capital Kyoto on the main island of Honshu. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected. Many of them are staying in evacuation centres. So far, 22 people have reportedly been killed.

Syria denies UN claims it used heavy arms in Tremseh
Syria has rejected claims by the UN that it used heavy weapons in an attack on the village of Tremseh on Thursday. It accused UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan of "rushed" comments, adding that only troop carriers and small arms were used in the operation.

China's Wen warns of economic hardship ahead
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao warned Sunday that his nation's economic rebound was not stable and the world's second largest economy faced hardships ahead, state media reported.

Iran top leader one to decide on Strait of Hormuz
The chairman of Iran's Joint Chiefs of Staff says the decision over whether Tehran would block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the passageway through which a fifth of the world's oil flows, rests in the hands of the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

China frigate heads home, averts South China Sea standoff
A Chinese frigate grounded in disputed waters close to the Philippines was refloated on Sunday and headed back home, averting a possible standoff with the Philippines navy amid rising tensions in the strategically key South China Sea. The South China Sea has become Asia's biggest potential military flashpoint as Beijing's sovereignty claim over the huge area has set it against Vietnam and the Philippines as the three countries race to tap possibly huge oil reserves.

linton backs Egypt army return to security role
Hundreds of people chanted anti-U.S. and anti-Islamist slogans outside Hillary Clinton's hotel on Saturday as the U.S. secretary of state urged Egypt's military and Muslim Brotherhood to complete a transition to full democratic rule.

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Violence rages in Damascus
Syrian troops and rebels have clashed inside Damascus for a second day in some of the worst violence in the tightly controlled capital since the country's crisis began 16 months ago. The fighting on Monday briefly closed the highway linking the capital with Damascus International Airport to the city's south and plumes of black smoke drifted over the city's skyline.

Navy confirms American vessel fires on boat off Dubai in possible mistaken threat; 1 dead
The U.S. Navy says a security team aboard one of its ships fired on a small boat after it disregarded warnings and raced toward the vessel near the Dubai port of Jebel Ali. Lt Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, says sailors aboard the USNS Rappahannock issued a series of warnings Monday before resorting to lethal force using a .50-calibremachine-gun.

Powerful solar storm slams Earth
Yesterday morning,it was widely reported that a much-anticipated solar storm originating from huge sunspot AR1520 was a dud that did littler in the way of disturbing Earth's magnetic field and producing aurora, also known as the Northern (or Southern) Lights. Well, these reports were premature as, one day later, it was confirmed that the solar storm did indeed pound earth in a big way, albeit far later than expected.

U.S. Declares Drought-Stricken States to Be Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever
...the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) declared over 1,000 counties across 26 states to be natural disaster areas. This year has been the one of the worst years since the 1930s for drought in America. Drought, along with extreme heat, has prompted the USDA to declare these territories the largest natural disaster area in American history.

Egyptians pelt Clinton with tomatoes, chant ‘Monica’
Hillary Clinton has been welcomed in Egypt by locals greeting her motorcade with tomatoes, shoes and water bottles. Rallying protesters showed awareness with US domestic policy history, chanting “Monica, Monica”.

When the sun brought darkness
This solar storm of electrically charged particles, when it reached the Earth, began creating extremely intense auroras at the Earth's poles, with some in the Northern Hemisphere visible as far south as Texas. Satellites in polar orbits did not respond to signals from the ground and tumbled out of control for several hours, and weather satellites stopped sending images to Earth.

Global food crisis looms as grain prices soar
What looks to be the worst U.S. drought in a quarter of a century has given rise to an old-fashioned commodity rally on world markets, with key grain prices hitting highs which caused food crises in vulnerable parts of the globe last time around. ...With so much of the world putting faith in a record U.S. corn crop, it is little wonder that prices have surged around 40 percent in the past three weeks as relentless dry weather melted yield expectations for cereals.

Saudis to give $100 million to Palestinians
Saudi Arabia will give the Palestinian Authority $100 million to help alleviate a stinging budget crunch, the Palestinian prime minister's office said on Sunday. News of the cash was welcomed...as salaries for public sector employees have yet to be paid in full this month and economic doldrums promised to mar the usually festive and spendthrift Ramadan holiday beginning next week.

Poland shocked by tornadoes, one dead
A freak wave of tornadoes ripped through northern Poland on Sunday, wrecking houses and swathes of forest and leaving one person dead and another 10 injured. Tornadoes are not unknown in the European Union's largest eastern country but the scope and power of Sunday's twisters was unusual and comes in a summer already marked by flash floods, hailstorms and gales.

Violent storm turns night into day over Washington- residents claim the ‘most intense’ lightning storm ever seen
The thunder and lightning that moved through the area earlier Saturday seemed anything but normal to the dozens of residents who took to social media to describe the experience. Some referred to it on the Tri-City Herald's Facebook page as "the best storm ever" or the "most intense" they've experienced in the Northwest. People awakened by the loud booms reported staying up through the early morning hours because they were fascinated by Mother Nature's spectacular display, or simply realized that attempts at sleep were futile.

China on alert as disease outbreak kills 112 in June
The Chinese province of Hunan urged parents on Sunday to seek immediate treatment for children showing symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease after official figures showed 112 people died from the illness last month. The disease, which children are especially vulnerable to, also infected more than 381,000 people, the Ministry of Health reported last week.

British GM crop scientists win $10m grant from Gates
A team of British plant scientists has won a $10m (£6.4m) grant from the Gates Foundation to develop GM cereal crops. It is one of the largest single investments into GM in the UK and will be used to cultivate corn, wheat and rice that need little or no fertiliser. It comes at a time when bio-tech researchers are trying to allay public fears over genetic modification.

West Coast of U.S. will be the most contaminated by ********* cesium in 10 years
As a consequence of the magnitude 9.0 Thoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami hitting the east coast of Japan on 11 March 2011 the ********* Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) were severely damaged and radioactive material was released to the atmosphere as well as to the ocean (Buesseler et al 2011). Samples of sea water collected off the NPPs by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese Ministry of Technology (MEXT) in the weeks after the incident indicated extremely high levels of radioactivity, as far as 30 km offshore...

Syria conflict: West 'blackmailing' Russia on sanctions
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Western attempts to get Moscow to discuss sanctions against Syria contain "elements of blackmail". Mr Lavrov said the West had threatened to end a UN observer mission if Russia opposed its draft resolution. Peace envoy Kofi Annan is due in Moscow, and is expected to urge Moscow to put more pressure on Syria's leaders to begin a political transition.

Brazil evangelical Christians hold huge Sao Paulo rally
More than a million Brazilian Christians have taken part in a "March for Jesus" in Sao Paulo. Huge crowds thronged through the city's main avenues, accompanied by floats blasting out gospel music. The evangelical groups who organised the march described it as the "largest Christian event in the world".

America's coming civil war -- makers vs. takers
Call it America’s coming civil war between the Makers and the Takers. On one side are those who create wealth, America’s private sector–the very ones targeted by President Obama’s tax hikes announced Monday. On the other are the public employee unions; left-leaning intelligentsia who see the growth of government as index of progress; and the millions of Americans now dependent on government through a growing network of government transfer payments, from Medicaid and Social Security to college loans and corporate bailouts and handouts (think GM and Solyndra).

Assad receives last warning to stop moving his WMD: Top generals defect
Several high-placed generals bolted Bashar Assad’s inner circle Sunday, July 17, including such key figures as two security services chiefs who were operations commanders of the Alawite Shabiha militia plus the former head of Syria’s chemical and biological administration who took six other generals with him. They all fled to Turkey and defected. A fourth senior general from another security service was assassinated in Aleppo.

Cyber war on Iran has only just begun
A US cyber war against Iran's nuclear program may have only just begun and could escalate with explosions triggered by digital sabotage, experts say. Although the Iranian regime remains vulnerable to more cyber attacks in the aftermath of the "Stuxnet" worm that disrupted its uranium enrichment work, Tehran may be receiving help from Russian proxies for its digital security, some analysts say.

'Israel being excluded from counterterrorism parley'
Rabbi Marvin Hier, the founder and dean of the human rights group the Simon Wiesenthal Center, charged the US-sponsored Global Counterterrorism Forum of deliberately excluding Israel from a second meeting of the group that took place in Spain last week. ...The lack of Israel’s presence at the Istanbul event raised eyebrows, largely because Israel has a long track record of combating terrorism.

Debt worries hit euro, German bonds gain
The euro hit a three-and-a-half year low against sterling and German bond prices extended last week's gains on Monday as investors worried the European Central Bank had changed its stance on how some bondholders could be treated under Spain's bank bailout.

Egyptians pelt Clinton motorcade with tomatoes
Protesters threw tomatoes and shoes at U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's motorcade on Sunday during her first visit to Egypt since the election of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.

War with Iran more likely as high-stakes U.S. election looms, sanctions take hold
Just after the European Union’s embargo on importing Iranian oil took effect July 1, Teheran escalated its belligerence and threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian parliament on July 2 announced that it had drafted a law that would ban oil tankers of any sanctions-supporting country from transiting the Strait.

US State Department, Egypt work to free American hostages being held in Sinai Peninsula
The U.S. State Department announced Sunday that it is working closely with Egyptian authorities to bring about the safe release of three hostages in the Sinai Peninsula, two of which are American. Rev. Michel Louis, the 61-year-old pastor of a Boston Pentecostal church, was on a trip to retrace Jesus' steps through the Holy Land with 23 other members of the clergy and worshippers when he was abducted Friday. Along with him, a 39-year-old Boston woman in the group and a tour guide were kidnapped in broad daylight.

Waterfall-like rain eases in Japan, but 28 dead
Most of the quarter-million people who fled massive flooding in southwest Japan were able to return home by Monday, but the danger had not fully passed from record rains that have killed at least 28 people.

Secretive North Korea ditches top military man, purge seen
North Korea's ruling party has removed a top military official close to the center of power, suggesting new leader Kim Jong-un and his closest advisers may be purging the ruling elite to strengthen their grip on the secretive state.

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Death Valley, California Records the World’s Hottest Temperature in a 24 Hour Period
Death Valley, California recorded the world record for the highest low temperature at 107 °F on the night of July 12, 2012, surpassing the previous record of 103°F. This came after the same area recorded a high temperature of 128°F within the same 24 hour period. While the daytime temperature was not a world record, it still tied for the tenth hottest temperature recorded in U.S. history.

Republicans have the votes to sink sea treaty
Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) joined the list of treaty opponents on Monday, creating the one-third majority that would be needed to prevent ratification of the global maritime pact.

Syria conflict: 'Fresh clashes rock Damascus'
Fighting is intensifying around the Syrian capital Damascus, activists say. Shooting was reported in Baghdad Street, one of the city's main thoroughfares. There were also reports of tanks in the south-western suburb of Midan, and clashes involving helicopters in the north and north-east of the city.

TSA Fails to Comply With Year-Old ‘Nude’ Body-Scanner Court Order
A year later, the government has yet to hold those hearings. And the appellate court has twice denied motions from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which brought the case, to order the TSA to get going.

N Korea names new vice-marshal in military reshuffle
North Korea has appointed a new vice-marshal, Hyon Yong-chol, the official KCNA news agency says. The move comes a day after the army chief, Ri Yong-ho, was removed from his post "due to illness". The decision was made by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and the National Defense Commission of North Korea, KCNA said.

U.S. Navy Fires on Ship in Persian Gulf, One Dead
An American Navy ship fired on a boat in the Persian Gulf today, killing one person and injuring three others aboard the craft, U.S. naval officials told ABC News...a security team aboard the oil supply ship U.S.N.S. Rappahannock fired a .50 caliber machine gun at a "small motor vessel after it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship" off the coast of Jebel Ali, a city approximately 30 miles from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Prepare for Syria chaos
The intelligence discourse no longer deals with the question of whether Assad will go, but rather, with what will happen the day after. The assessment is that the war in Syria won't end even after Assad's departure. The Alawites won't surrender. They will continue to fight for their lives.

Business groups criticize Obama over remarks about government's role in success
Prominent business groups are joining conservatives and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in calling out President Obama for his recent comments about the relationship between government and business.

China on alert as disease outbreak kills 112 in June
The disease, which children are especially vulnerable to, also infected more than 381,000 people, the Ministry of Health reported last week.

Mystery animals wash ashore in Hawaii
The pea-sized, crab-like animals are dotting the beaches in Honolulu but scientists are yet to determine what they are, TV station KHON2 reports. "The lifeguard called and asked what these things were because she had reports of surfers were actually have these things crawl up on their boards and onto them," Waikiki Aquarium biologist Norton Chan said.

Syria-bound Russian warships resupply at Limassol
The first warships of the Russian naval flotilla bound for the Russian base at Tartus, Syria, are putting into the Cypriot port to re-supply and rest their crews –

US sends aircraft carrier to Gulf as tensions are raised
the US defence secretary, declared the US focus on the escalating tensions in the oil-rich region would be reinforced by the dispatch of the John Stennis aircraft carrier and its supporting fleet. The deployment had been brought forward by four months to plug a gap in which the US was to have left Gulf security and responsibility for maintaining the front line against Iran with the Dwight Eisenhower carrier.

Residents flee Damascus as Syrian capital sees heaviest fighting so far in country's 'civil war'
Panic-stricken residents fled southern Damascus on Monday as the heaviest fighting seen in the city since Syria's uprising began stripped away the last veneer of normality in President Bashar al-Assad' principal stronghold.

After long drop, gas prices rise for second week
After a long tumble, gasoline prices have risen for the second straight week as the summer driving season heads to its peak. Regular gas prices averaged $3.427 a gallon across the country in the latest weekly survey by the Energy Information Administration, up from $3.411 last week.

Syria: Assad regime 'ready to use chemical weapons'
The most senior Syrian politician to defect to the opposition has told the BBC the regime will not hesitate to use chemical weapons if it is cornered.

Drought worsens crop damage, raising world food, fuel worry
Corn and soybeans in the U.S. Midwest baked in an unrelenting heat wave on Monday with fears rising of big crop losses that will boost food and fuel prices and cut exports and aid from the world's top shipper of the key crops.

Assad will use chemical weapons: top defector
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will use chemical weapons against opposition forces and may have already deployed them, Nawaf Fares, the first Syrian ambassador to defect, told the BBC on Monday.

World economy heads for another perfect storm
To the all too familiar economic threats posed by the eurozone must now be added the approaching “fiscal cliff” in the US, whose own nascent recovery is in any case fast losing momentum, and the evident slowdown in emerging markets. All three cornerstones of the world economy seem now to be heading into the sand.

JIM ROGERS: The World's Agricultural Problems Are Much Bigger Than The Drought In The US Read
"The world faces serious problems in agriculture. We are facing shortages of everything. The inventories are near historic lows so any problem will have an immediate, profound effect. We are facing a shortage of farmers so any problems will turn into even bigger.

********** West Coast cesium slam ahead, hair falling out, Tepco data flaw
As hair falls out of a ********* victim's head, a new German study reports that North America’s West Coast will be the area most contaminated by ********* cesium of all regions in Pacific in 10 years, an "order-of-magnitude higher” than waters off Japan, according to a new German study followed by a former New York Times journalist going inside the no-entry zone and reporting radiation levels over 10 times higher than Tepco’s data.

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Netanyahu Vows 'Forceful Response to Iranian Terror'
"All signs point to Iran" as the perpetrator of the murderous terror attack in Burgas, Bulgaria, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Wednesday evening. "Only in the last few months we have witnessed terror attacks in Thailand, India, Georgia, Cyprus and elsewhere," he said. Netanyahu noted that the attack took place on the 18th anniversary of the blast at the AMIA building in Buenos Aires that killed 85. "Iranian terror continues to strike at innocents. Israel will respond with force to the Iranian terror"

Three killed in attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria
At least three people were killed in an attack on three Israeli tour buses in at the Sarafovo International Airport in the Bulgarian vacation city of Bourgas. According to initial reports, up to three tour buses were attacked, possibly by a suicide bomber . Israel Police and the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry confirmed at least 20 people were injured in the attack.

Top defence officials killed in Damascus bomb
Syrian def. min. and his deputy have been killed after a suicide bomber struck the National Security building in Damascus during a meeting of cabinet ministers and senior security officials, state media reported. Gen. Daoud Rajha and Assef Shawkat - the brother-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad - were killed on Wednesday in the deadliest assault on govt officials since the violence began 16 mo. ago. It said in a statement on its FB page that it "targeted the cell called the crisis control room in the capital of Damascus". "This is the volcano we talked about, we have just started," spokesman Qassim Saadedine said.

Religious Israeli lawmaker tears up New Testament
An Israeli lawmaker has torn up a copy of the New Testament in front of cameras in his parliament office. An aide says Christian missionaries mailed the Christian scripture to Michael Ben-Ari of the ultranationalist National Union Party.

Shock Video: Bystanders Walk By Dying Man As He Lays Motionless On The Sidewalk In Virginia
Police in Arlington, VA, are shocked at what transpired on July 1 near a city bus stop. There, a man was struck by a vehicle, and he ended up lying face down and motionless on the sidewalk. But that isn’t what has officials horrified: it’s the fact that a bus surveillance video driving by caught numerous people walking past and doing nothing as they man lay dying.

Islamorealism’ ad claims ’19,207 deadly Islamic attacks since 9/11
The American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) created an ad campaign to raise awareness about Jihadist activities against Israel and the United States, highlighting the number of Islamist attacks since Sept. 11, 2001, and a growing number of deaths that have resulted. “19,207 deadly Islamic attacks since 9/11/01 and counting,” the ad reads. “It’s not Islamophohia, it’s Islamorealism.”

Israel's largest party walks out of Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition
Just two months after joining a unity government, Shaul Mofaz led his Kadima party into opposition after failing to secure legislation extending conscription to Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jews. Mr Mofaz also resigned as deputy prime minister as negotiations over a new law on army service collapsed. "Kadima has decided to resign from the national unity government," Mr Mofaz said.

Corn Prices Headed for Record Highs as Crop Shrinks
Corn futures are heading to record highs on reports of wider crop devastation, and as forecasts show continued hot, dry weather threatening even more of this year’s crop. The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows that just 31 percent of the corn crop is in good to excellent shape, a sharp drop from the 40 percent level last week

Obama Economy: Food Prices Skyrocketed in 2011
So you think you’ve been paying more for groceries because your food bill is too high? You’re right. Barack Obama is consuming fine dining while you’re putting another helping of macaroni on your plate. In 2011, with Obama’s inflation beginning to hit, prices skyrocketed for staples that you consume...

Afghanistan: Taliban bomb destroys 22 Nato fuel tankers
A bomb planted by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan has destroyed 22 Nato fuel tankers carrying supplies to coalition forces, local officials say. The vehicles were hit by a pre-dawn explosion which triggered a huge fire that engulfed them in flames, they say.

Mount Merapi spouts ash
Mount Merapi, located in Yogyakarta, emitted high-pressure gas on Sunday afternoon that caused its crater wall to collapse and volcanic ash to fall on its western slope, as smoke billowed up to 1 kilometer into the sky.

How Close Are We to New Great Depression?
“When we broke the link between money and gold, this removed all constraints on credit creation. This explosion of credit created the world we live in, but it now seems that credit cannot expand any further because the private sector is incapable of repaying the debt it has already, and if credit begins to contract, there’s a very real danger that we will collapse into a new Great Depression,” he argued. “If this credit bubble pops, the depression could be so severe that I don’t think our civilization could survive it.”

Heat Wave - Europe - Cyprus
Cypriot health authorities reported three serious cases of heat stroke on Tuesday as temperature reached a record high of 44 degree Celsius in the eastern Mediterranean island. A 51-year-old woman is in a coma and two elderly people are also hospitalized and in critical conditions. Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius are not uncommon in Cyprus, especially in July and August, but 44 degrees are rarely seen. The current heat wave is expected to continue for a few more days before cooler weather sets in.

Magnitude 5.9 - FIJI REGION
5.9 Date-Time Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at 08:09:46 UTC Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at 08:09:46 PM at epicenter

X marks the spot: Spy ring and warships encircle Iran
The Pentagon is quickly tightening its ring of forces around Iran. As a recent report reveals a radar belt around the Persian country is almost complete, the biggest ever naval drills, involving up to 20 nations, are to take place in the Gulf waters.

War Drums? U.S. Military Building Missile Defense Radar Station in Qatar
The WSJ reports the Pentagon is building a missile-defense radar station in Qatar to address the potential for “Tehran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles and its threat to shut down the oil-shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz by mining them.”

Mahdi, the Messiah, Found Infecting Systems in Iran, Israel
Who knew that when the Messiah arrived to herald the Day of Judgment he’d first root through computers to steal documents and record conversations? That’s what Mahdi, a new piece of spyware found targeting more than 800 victims in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East, has been doing since last December, according to Russia-based Kaspersky Lab and Seculert, an Israeli security firm that discovered the malware.

Sununu: ‘I wish this president would learn how to be an American’
Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu said Tuesday he wished President Obama “would learn how to be an American” and called the Obama campaign “a bunch of liars” for running an ad that suggested GOP nominee Mitt Romney may not have paid all of his taxes.

Arpaio: Obama birth record definitely forged
Investigators for an Arizona sheriff's volunteer posse have declared that President Barack Obama's birth certificate is definitely fraudulent.


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Colt 1911A1 Rail Gun Possibly Selected as the Marine Corps Special Operations Command’s New .45 Pistol
Today SoldierSystems.net reported that based on information from a credible but unnamed source, the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) placed an order for 4,000 .45 caliber Colt 1911A1 Rail Guns to become the Command’s new M45 MEU(SOC) pistol. This comes as the possible conclusion to the months long competition for the $22.5 million dollar contract for the handgun. The Rail Guns would replace the current MEU(SOC) .45 caliber pistols which are hand-assembled modified 1911s put together by armorers at the Corps’ base in Quantico, Virginia from an amalgamation of government

Hezbollah is preparing 'a big surprise' for Israel, Nasrallah says
Hezbollah is preparing a "big surprise" for Israel, the Shiite organization's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, said on Wednesday in a speech marking the sixth anniversary of the Second Lebanon War. During the speech...Nasrallah proudly revealed that Syria had been arming Hezbollah, as well as groups in the Gaza Strip, with long-range missiles capable of reaching all of central Israel, including Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu, Clinton: World is 'Changing Fast'
Netanyahu said that the two were going to “discuss how the world is changing so quickly, especially in our region. “I am especially looking forward to hearing your impressions of Egypt, which has in the past been an anchor of peace and observance of the peace treaty with Israel. This is very important for us, and I appreciate the efforts you have put into this issue,” Netanyahu told Clinton, who arrived in Israel Sunday from Cairo.

Syria: Israel considers strike at chemical weapons
The Pentagon is not advocating military action, particularly while President Bashar al-Assad still clings to power, but US officials told the New York Times that the option had been presented by Israel. Thomas Donilon, the US national security advisor, was in Israel last weekend to discuss the dramatically developing crisis, which reached a bloody turning point on Wednesday when a rebel bomb killed three of Mr Assad’s closest aides.

Deputy FM calls on world to ground Iranians from air travel
“It is extremely important that the international community denounce and isolate Iran so no Iranian will be able to travel the world,” Ayalon said Thursday, a day after a terrorist attack killed seven and wounded dozens in Burgas, Bulgaria. Israeli officials blame Tehran for the blast, which claimed the lives of six Israeli tourists.

Nearly 36pc of ********* children diagnosed with abnormal thyroid growths
The Sixth Report of ********* Prefecture Health Management Survey, released in April, included examinations of 38,114 children, of whom 35.3 percent - some 13,460 children - were found to have cysts or nodules of up to 5 mm (0.197 inches) on their thyroids...."Yes, 35.8 percent of children in the study have lumps or cysts, but this is not the same as cancer," said Naomi Takagi...

Drought expected to drive up cost of milk, cheese
The heat and drought ravaging much of the nation will soon be hitting America at the supermarket counter: cheese and milk prices will rise first, and corn and meat are probably not far behind. Price hikes in basic food staples are causing huge concern to milk producers and others who rely on dairy to sustain an important part of the national farming economy.

Obama, Putin talk as U.S. says Assad losing grip on Syria
The United States said on Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was losing control of his country and urged Russia and the international community to get behind a political transition plan to avert sectarian civil war. U.S. President Barack Obama called Russian President Vladimir Putin - Assad's main international supporter - after a Damascus bomb blast killed Syria's defense minister and Assad's brother-in-law, throwing the 16-month old rebellion onto an unpredictable new path.

Peres: Israel will hit terror nests around world
In unusually tough remarks, President Shimon Peres responded Thursday to the Burgas terror attack saying that Israel will hit terror nests around world. The attack targeting Israelis killed at least seven people in the city of Burgas, soon after a charter plane, Air Bulgaria flight 392 arrived from Ben-Gurion Airport.

It really is a world-wide web! Stunning map that shows the sprawling mass of internet cables that keeps the world connected
Fortune magazine and graphic designer Nicolas Rapp teamed up with telecom data and infrastructure company GeoTel Communications. The company maps fiber optic cables and geographic information systems (GIS) that connect people all over the world, which were used to create the stunning image below. It shows the key locations for fiber optic cables, the high speed connections that form the backbone of the internet.

Vatican bank 'failed to act on money laundering'
The Vatican's scandal-struck bank has failed on seven counts to clean up its act and will not be allowed on a list of financially virtuous nations, EU inspectors indicated yesterday. The report, by Moneyval, a department of the Council of Europe, means the institution will remain outside the "white list" of countries that abide by global norms on fighting money laundering, the financing of terrorism and tax evasion.

Missile shield may spark China nuclear upgrade: officer
China may need to modernize its nuclear arsenal to respond to the destabilizing effect of a planned U.S.-backed missile defense system, a senior Chinese military officer said on Wednesday. "It undermines the strategic stability," said Major General Zhu Chenghu of China's National Defense University about the U.S.-led development of a missile shield, which has also alarmed Russia.

Russia says "decisive battle" underway in Syria
Russia said on Wednesday that a "decisive battle" was under way in Syria. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also warned that passing U.N. Security Council sanctions against Syria would amount to direct support for rebels and could draw the country into civil war. "The battle for the capital, the decisive fight (is under way in Syria)," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow. "Adopting a resolution against this backdrop would amount to a direct support for the revolutionary movement. If we are talking about a revolution then the U.N. Security Council has no place in this."

Assad has an escape route planned, if the rebels force him from Damascus
Wednesday’s Syrian rebel attack in Damascus was planned well in advance, and is part of a larger offensive currently underway in the Syrian capital, representing the greatest threat thus far to the Assad regime. The repercussions of this struggle will have profound effects on Israel’s security situation. The blast, apparently from a suicide bomber who had access to the top ranks of the insular and suspicious regime, killed Defense Minister Daoud Rajha, the highest ranking Christian in the regime; Assef Shawkat, the president’s brother-in-law and deputy commander of the military; and Hassan Turkmani, military adviser to the foreign minister.

US warns of higher crop prices from drought
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has warned the worst drought in decades will result in higher crop prices. Mr Vilsack met President Barack Obama on Wednesday to discuss the US response to drought concerns, with little rain forecast to ease the crisis. By the end of June, 55% of the continental US was in a moderate to extreme drought, officials reported.

U.S. government issues another worldwide security caution
The U.S. government issued its latest version of a worldwide safety caution Wednesday to U.S. citizens abroad. Terrorist groups "continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East," a statement by the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Travelers should be cautious when using public transportation systems, including maritime services like ferries, the statement said.

Netanyahu vows to react ‘forcefully to Iran’s terror’ after bomb kills seven Israelis in Bulgaria
Israel vowed to strike back at Iran for a brazen daylight bombing Wednesday that killed at least seven people on a bus full of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria. The bombing was the latest in a series of attacks attributed to Iran that have targeted Israelis and Jews overseas and threatened to escalate a shadow war between the two arch-enemies. Iran has denied involvement in the past but did not comment on Wednesday’s attack.

Clashes in Damascus, Assad said to be in Latakia
Clashes erupted on Thursday near Syrian government headquarters in Damascus after rebels attacked forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, who have deployed armored vehicles and increased roadblocks across the city, activists and residents said. At least one person was reported killed in the fighting in Ikhlas neighborhood near the Council of Ministers, a huge complex, and a Damascus University campus, they said.

World leaders condemn Burgas terror attack
World leaders resolutely condemned Wednesday's terrorist attack against Israeli citizens in Bulgaria and offered solemn condolences to the victims' families. US President Barack Obama called Prime Minster Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night to express his condolences over the "barbaric" attack, which he called "outrageous."

5.7 magnitude earthquake felt in northern Pakistan
A moderate earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale jolted several parts of the country including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Swat, North Waziristan, Nowshera and Abbotabad on Thursday.

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Could earthquakes be the cause of bubbling bayou?
The water in parts of Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou has been inexplicably bubbling, and scientists said they have also been picking up earthquakes in the area. “Although they seem to be related somewhat in time and space, it may be happenstance,” University of Memphis researcher Stephen Horton said. Seismometers have picked up an average of 10 tremors a day since he and his colleagues installed four of the instruments underground Thursday, said Horton, who works with the university's Center for Earthquake Research and Information. They started monitoring the area after residents reported feeling the ground shaking.

Iran and the ‘End of Days’
On Friday, July 6, a number of Iranian state-run media outlets ran stories highlighting remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In his address, Khamenei warned his people all over the world that Iran must prepare for war, and that we are now living in “the end of times.” More specifically, Khamenei warned of the imminent return of the Mahdi, or the 12th imam. “The issue of Imam Mahdi is of utmost importance, and his reappearance has been clearly stated in our holy religion of Islam,” he said. “We must study and remind ourselves of the end of times and Imam Mahdi’s era. … We must prepare the environment for the coming so that the great leader will come.”

Mass Shooting at Colo. Movie Theater, 12 People Dead
A lone gunman dressed in riot gear burst into a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., at a midnight showing of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" and methodically began shooting patrons, killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 50.

Poll: 63% Believe Country in Recession; Consumer Confidence Dropping
Couple all of this with stagnant jobs and wages reports, and there is no wonder why so many people feel the country is in a recession, as their personal economic situation is far from being fine. And this is why President Barack Obama will run a campaign that focuses on everything but his economic record.

S.Leone cholera outbreak kills 62 in less than a month
Sierra Leone's health ministry on Wednesday said an outbreak of cholera in the west African country has killed 62 people in less than a month.

M7-class flare erupts from sunspot rotating away from Earth
Sunspot complex AR1520-1521 erupted again on July 19th, this time producing an M7-class solar flare that almost crossed the threshold into X-territory.

Japan looks for 'standby' capital city: report
The Japanese government is looking into picking a "standby capital" city in the even Tokyo suffers a severe earthquake, the Nikkei business daily reported Friday.

Assad said to have fled Damascus
Arab media reported Assad and his family have fled by plane to his hometown near the seaport of Latakia. Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai said Assad fled to the village of Kardaha in the Alawite Mountains following the deaths of his three top security chiefs Wednesday. From there he is directing his regime's response, the paper said.

Syria denies Assad ready to leave power
Syria's Information Ministry said on Friday that comments by Russia's ambassador to France that President Bashar Assad has accepted leaving power in an orderly way were "completely devoid of truth".

Remnants of Fabio hits Southern California Wednesday, SCWXA upgrades alert
A Mesoscale Discussion was issued tonight from SCWXA, which states that heavy rain and thunderstorms will hit Southern California's populated areas on Wednesday.

Fears grow Syria will use chemical weapons stockpile
British military intelligence chiefs told The Daily Telegraph there was a "high probability" of the Assad regime resorting to chemical agents following the assassination of three senior Syrian military figures in a bomb attack on Wednesday. A source said that the killings amounted to a "red line crossed" for the regime and that a chemical attack could come "soon" as a result. "The threat is genuine," the source added.

Floridian before Obama fundraiser: ‘He’s talking about outsourcing–he killed NASA.’
Obama campaigned Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla., at a retirement community where one senior had some sharp words for the president, WPBF reports. “A lot of the stuff he’s talking about doesn’t make sense,” Zeb Liebskind said. “He’s talking about outsourcing–he killed NASA.”

Worst drought since 1956 threatens world food crisis
The severest drought since 1956 in America's agricultural heartland has dashed the hopes that were alive just a couple of months ago of a bumper harvest. Traders and economists warned that the effect will ripple out from the US because it is the world's biggest producer of corn and a major supplier of soybeans and wheat.

Ex-North Korean Military Chief Possibly Dead After Reported Gun Battle
Earlier this week everyone was talking about the power struggle behind the removal of ousted North Korean military chief Ri Yong-ho. If reports are to be believed, that struggle was very real. From South Korean paper Choson Iblo: A gunbattle broke out when the North Korean regime removed army chief Ri Yong-ho from office, leaving 20 to 30 soldiers dead, according to unconfirmed intelligence reports. Some intelligence analysts believe Ri, who has not been seen since his abrupt sacking earlier this week, was injured or killed in the confrontation.

The Porn Industry Is Being Ripped Apart By Piracy-Fueled 'Tube' Websites
The adult entertainment business is being torn to shreds by websites exploiting a loophole in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), according to porn trade news magazine XBiz.

Russia, China veto UN Security Council resolution on Syria
Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Thursday that threatened Syrian authorities with sanctions if they did not halt violence against an uprising, again thwarting Western hopes for tough action as the crisis in Syria escalates.

U.S. officials: Hezbollah attacked Israelis in Bulgaria to retaliate for killing of Iran nuclear scientists
The suicide bomber who attacked Israeli tourists in Bulgaria earlier this week was an Hezbollah operative, U.S. officials told the New York Times late Thursday, adding that the bombing was ordered by Iran in order to avenge assassinations targeting its nuclear scientists.

Syria conflict: Rebels seize Turkey and Iraq border posts
Syrian rebels have captured a number of positions on the country's borders with Turkey and Iraq. A senior Iraqi official said all the crossings on Syria's eastern frontier had been seized. At one point, two Turkish posts were also in rebel hands. The push came a day after a bomb claimed the lives of three senior defence officials in Damascus.

Service members to march in gay pride parade
The Defense Department on Thursday announced it is allowing service members to march in uniform in a gay pride parade for the first time in U.S. history. In a memorandum sent to all its branches, the department said it was making the allowance for San Diego's gay pride parade on Saturday even though its policy generally bars troops from marching in uniform in parades.

U.S. whooping cough outbreak could be worst in half century
The number of U.S. whooping cough cases has risen to around 18,000 in an outbreak that is on track to become the most severe in over a half century and could in part stem from possible waning vaccine protection, health officials said on Thursday.

House votes to appropriate $606 billion for defense
The House of Representatives approved on Thursday $606 billion in defense spending for next year after two days of debate that saw lawmakers from both parties line up to condemn the ongoing war in Afghanistan as a waste of lives and money.

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Congress steps up efforts to regulate drones
Concern over the personal privacy implications of the nation’s inevitable drone boom continues to grow on Capitol Hill. On Monday, Rep. Ted Poe, a Texas Republican and former judge, will introduce the “Preserving American Privacy Act,” which sets strict limits on when, and for what purpose, law enforcement agencies and other entities can use unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.

Unemployment rates rise in 27 states as more look for work
The Labor Department said Friday that unemployment rates fell in 11 states and Washington, D.C. — the fewest declines since August. Rates were unchanged in 12 states. Nationwide, employers added only 80,000 jobs last month, third straight month of weak job growth. The national unemployment rate stayed at 8.2%.

Syrian Muslim Brotherhood to form political party
Amid escalating violence in Damascus and the constant failure of the international community to bring an end to the year-long Syrian crisis, with Russia and China vetoing yet another resolution aimed at condemning President Bashar al-Assad's regime on Thursday, the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has decided to form a political party to take a more active role on the political scene.

UNHCR: 30,000 Syrians may have crossed into Lebanon
Up to 30,000 Syrian refugees may have crossed into Lebanon in the past 48 hours, in what would be a sharp increase of people fleeing fighting in the country, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday. Syria's borders remain open, it said, but the agency was not able to confirm reports Syrian rebels took control of two major crossings on the border with Turkey and the main Abu Kamal post on the border with Iraq on Thursday.

Bolton to Israel: Time to Finally 'Retaliate' Against Iran
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton is urging Israel to attack Iran... “This is obviously a very dangerous period for Israel with the civil war in Syria, refugees reported going across the border into Lebanon, and Hezbollah well armed with rockets on Israel’s northern border,” Bolton told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren Thursday night. “So I think if there were ever a time to retaliate, and directly against Iran this time, this is it.”

Syria crisis: Heavy clashes in second city of Aleppo
There have been heavy clashes between security forces and rebels in Syria's second city of Aleppo, activists say. The fighting was centred on the Salah al-Din district, but had also spread to Sakhur and Haydariya, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Aleppo has so far been spared the daily bloodshed seen in other cities since the uprising began in March 2011.

Russia: Controversial NGO bill becomes law
President Putin has signed into law a controversial bill forcing foreign-funded non-governmental groups (NGOs) involved in political activity to register as "foreign agents" in Russia. The Kremlin has said the law is needed to protect Russia from outside attempts to influence internal politics. But critics think the authorities will use the law to try to crush dissent.

UN 'should take blame for Haiti cholera' - US House members
More than 100 Democrats from the US House of Representatives have called on the UN to take responsibility for introducing cholera to Haiti. It is the latest twist in the allegation that UN peacekeepers unwittingly introduced the disease. The United Nations' envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton, has accepted UN soldiers may have brought cholera.

Syria’s Next Act
With the days and weeks of the Syrian government appearing numbered, the Central Intelligence Agency is scrambling to get a handle on the locations of the country’s chemical and biological weapons, while assessing the composition, loyalties, and background of the rebel groups poised to take power in the event President Bashar al-Assad falls.

Colorado Theater Massacre Suspect Remains Jailed
Many are still searching for answers following a devastating and deadly shooting at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.” ...Police said 24-year-old James Holmes. walked into a movie theater and opened fire about 20 minutes into the movie. Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said 11 of the 58 people injured in the attack remain in critical condition. Twelve people were killed.

ABC News, Brian Ross apologize for report suggesting shooting suspect tied to Tea Party
ABC News and correspondent Brian Ross apologized Friday after Ross suggested on air that the Colorado mass shooting suspect could be tied to the Tea Party. As the name of the suspect, identified as 24-year-old James Holmes, first emerged Friday morning, Ross reported on ABC News that he'd found a web page for a "Jim Holmes" on a Colorado Tea Party site.

Exclusive: Kim plans economic change in North Korea
Impoverished North Korea is gearing up to experiment with agricultural and economic reforms after young leader Kim Jong-un and his powerful uncle purged the country's top general for opposing change, a source with ties to both Pyongyang and Beijing said.

Police to detonate explosives at Colorado suspect's home
Police probing a Colorado shooting rampage prepared on Saturday to send in a robot to detonate what they called a sophisticated booby-trap in the apartment of a man accused of killing 12 people at a screening of the new "Batman" film. James Eagan Holmes, 24, is accused of storming into a theater in a suburban Denver multiplex just after midnight on Friday clad head-to-toe in black body armor and a gas mask and tossing smoke bombs into the audience before shooting seemingly at random.

Two dead, six missing in flood-hit Philippines
Two people were killed and six others are missing in the Philippines as floods inundated parts of Manila and nearby areas while a storm tore through the country's north, authorities said Saturday.

Explosion shuts down oil pipeline in Turkey
An official says an explosion and fire has shut down a pipeline that carries oil from Iraq to the Mediterranean. An Energy Ministry official said no one was injured in the explosion and fire that occurred late Friday. The explosion hit a section of the pipeline near the southern town of Midyat and was quickly put out. The official said Saturday the blast was most likely caused by sabotage.

Thousands flee as Syrian rebels wage guerrilla war
Rebels pressed their guerrilla fight to topple Syria's regime deeper into the capital on Friday, ambushing troops and attacking police stations as thousands of terrified civilians fled to Lebanon and Iraq to escape some of the worst violence of the 16-month conflict.


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Pontifical Catholic University Of Peru Stripped By Vatican Of Right To Call Itself Catholic
The Vatican said on Saturday that the break came after the university had several times unilaterally modified its statutes and had "gravely prejudiced the interests of the Church". It did not elaborate. The rector of the university, Marcial Rubio, has been at odds with the archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, over control of the institution.

Who Will Save the Christians in the Gaza Strip?
If anyone has good reason to fear for his life it is Archbishop Alexios, head of the Greek Church in the Gaza Strip, who is spearheading the protests against persecution of Christians and forced conversions. Leaders and members of the Christian community now fear reprisal attacks by Muslim extremists. Some have appealed to the Vatican and Christian groups and churches in the US, Canada and Europe for help. But according to Christian families, the world does not seem to care about their plight.

Did Ahmadinejad Brag About Iran’s Role in the Bulgaria Terror Attack?
...Speaking hours after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had publicly blamed the bombing Wednesday at Bulgaria’s Burgas airport on “Hezbollah, directed by Iran,” Ahmadinejad described the attack as “a response” to Israeli “blows against Iran.” “The bitter enemies of the Iranian people and the Islamic Revolution have recruited most of their forces in order to harm us,” he said in a speech reported by Israel’s Channel 2 TV.

Water diversion newest flashpoint in Middle East
Lebanon – Israel has expressed concern over a Lebanese plan to divert some water from the Hasbani River in south Lebanon. The river also flows into Israel, even though it represents a small percentage allotted under the so-called Johnson Plan which addressed previous water diversion disputes between both countries and Jordan, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Corn, soybean prices shoot up as drought worsens
...soybean prices, which are up nearly 25% since early June, continued to rise Friday. Soybeans for November delivery, the most active contract, rose more than 2% to $16.902 a bushel, topping the record set on Thursday. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said earlier this week that 78% of this year's corn crop is now in an area designated as drought impacted, while 77% of the soybean crop is being threatened.

Vast aquifer found in Namibia could last for centuries
A newly discovered water source in Namibia could have a major impact on development in the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates suggest the aquifer could supply the north of the country for 400 years at current rates of consumption. Scientists say the water is up to 10,000 years old but is cleaner to drink than many modern sources.

Syria crisis: Fresh clashes rock Damascus and Aleppo
Fierce fighting is reported in Syria's two biggest cities - Damascus and Aleppo - as government forces seek to regain control of rebel-held areas. The army's elite fourth division, backed by helicopters, has reportedly launched an assault on the capital's north-eastern suburb of Barzeh. Troops were also said to have deployed in the western suburb of Mezzeh.

Prime Minister’s Office to BBC: We insist you call Jerusalem Israel’s capital
A quarrel between the Prime Minister’s Office and the BBC over the broadcaster’s disinclination to list Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is rumbling on, with the PMO’s spokesman sending a second letter demanding the BBC change its Olympics website to explicitly refer to the city as the country’s capital. -“Unlike all the other countries listed, in Israel’s case, our capital Jerusalem is not classified by the BBC as such but rather as a ‘Seat of government.’ I kindly request that Israel’s capital be identified accurately on your website.”

Police: Colo. suspect planned massacre for months
The shooting suspect accused in a deadly rampage inside a Colorado theater planned the attack with "calculation and deliberation," police said Saturday, receiving deliveries by mail that authorities believe armed him for battle and were used to rig his apartment with dozens of bombs.

Syrian rebels say fight for Aleppo has begun
The commander of Syrian rebels in the northern province of Aleppo says his forces have launched an operation aimed at "liberating" the country's largest city from regime troops. Sunday's statement by Col. Abdul-Jabbar Mohammed Aqidi posted by activists on YouTube came as clashes in the country's commercial hub of Aleppo raged for a third day.

Norway remembers victims of bomb, shooting attacks
Norway is commemorating the 77 victims of a bomb and gun massacre that shocked the peaceful nation one year ago. Anders Behring Breivik, a 33-year-old far-right fanatic, has admitted to the July 22, 2011, attacks: a bombing of the government headquarters in Oslo, killing eight, and a shooting rampage that left 69 dead at the left-wing Labor Party's youth camp on Utoya island.

China storms kill 20, including 10 in Beijing
The heaviest rain to hit Beijing in six decades killed at least 10 people and left cars and buses submerged, and 10 other storm deaths were reported elsewhere as China braced Sunday for more downpours. The rain Saturday night knocked down trees in Beijing and trapped cars and buses in waist-deep water in some areas.

Troops march in San Diego gay parade - in uniform
Some of the loudest cheers Saturday at San Diego's gay pride parade were for active-duty troops marching in military dress, the first time that U.S. service members participated in such an event while in full uniform. Dozens of soldiers, sailors, and Marines marched alongside an old Army truck decorated with a "Freedom to Serve" banner and a rainbow flag. They were joined by dozens more military personnel in civilian clothes, but the uniforms stood out among the flower-bedecked floats and scantily clad revelers.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Continue to Climb in 2011
International talks to address human-caused global warming began 20 years ago in Rio de Janeiro. But despite attempts to curb emissions of the greenhouse gases responsible, they have continued to pour into the atmosphere since then.

9 dead after bomber attacks militant compound in Pakistan
Police say a suicide bomber attacked a militant commander's compound in northwest Pakistan, killing at least nine people, including three children. Amjad Khan, a senior tribal police official, says the compound attacked Saturday in Spin Dal village in the Orakzai tribal area was owned by militant commander Mullah Nabi.

EPA reviewing part of controversial power plant rule after complaints
The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing part of a controversial rule that sets the first federal standards to reduce toxic air pollution from power plants. The rule, issued in December, is aimed at curbing mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants. The Obama administration calls the rule a sensible step to reduce pollution, but Republicans have denounced it as a part of a "war on coal." The rule could force hundreds of the nation's oldest and dirtiest power plants to clean up or shut down.

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2 neurosurgeons banned from human research
The university has admitted to the federal government that the surgeons' actions amounted to "serious and continuing noncompliance" with federal regulations. The actions — described by two prominent bioethicists as "astonishing," and a "major penalty" for the school — threaten both the doctors' professional careers and the university's reputation and federal-funding status.

Debt crisis: Greek economy is in a 'Great Depression' says Samaras
Greece is in a "Great Depression" similar to the American one in the 1930s, the country's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told former US President Bill Clinton on Sunday.

China approves military garrison for disputed islands
China has approved the formal establishment of a military garrison on disputed South China Sea islands, state media reports. The command will be based in Sansha city on Woody Island in the Paracels; a city formed in June to govern the area. On Sunday 45 legislators were also named to the new city's congress.

Thousands flee rioting in Indian state of Assam
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in the Indian state of Assam following weekend clashes that killed at least 17 people, police say. The fighting was between indigenous tribespeople and Muslim settlers in the state's Kokrajhar district. There have been tensions between indigenous groups and Muslim Bengali migrants to Assam for many years.

Drug-resistant HIV 'on increase' in sub-Saharan Africa
Drug-resistant HIV has been increasing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade, according to experts writing in the Lancet. Studies on 26,000 untreated HIV-positive people in developing countries were reviewed by the team. They said resistance could build up if people fail to stick to drug regimes, and because monitoring could be poor.

Turkey sends military reinforcements to Syrian border
Turkey on Sunday sent military reinforcements to its border with Syria via the southeastern province of Mardin, the Anatolia news agency reported. Anatolia said the military deployed ground-to-air missiles to military barracks in the Nusaybin district, along the border with Syria, via a train that was loaded from a station in Mardin.

Al-Qaida: We're returning to old Iraq strongholds
The first online statement from the new leader of al-Qaida's affiliate in Iraq claims that the militant network is returning to the old strongholds from which it was driven by U.S. forces and their Sunni allies prior to the American withdrawal at the end of last year, and that it is preparing operations to free prisoners and assassinate court officials.

'Arab League backs Palestinian bid for UN nod'
The Arab League has voiced support for the Palestinian plan to ask the U.N. General Assembly to recognize a state of Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, Palestinian officials reported this week. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that no date for such a step was set in Sunday's Arab League meeting in Doha. Instead, a committee was to prepare a U.N. appeal and report back to the Arab League on Sept. 5.

US poverty on track to rise to highest since 1960s
The ranks of America's poor are on track to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains from the war on poverty in the 1960s amid a weak economy and fraying government safety net. Census figures for 2011 will be released this fall in the critical weeks ahead of the November elections.

Syrian TV Shows Bodies of Terrorists of Arab Nationalities Killed by the Syrian Army in al-Qaboun Neighborhood
The Syrian TV showed footage of bodies of terrorists from Egypt and Jordan who were killed by the Syrian armed forces when it was clearing al-Qaboun neighborhood in Damascus from armed terrorist groups. The Times newspaper had reported that the so-called "rebels" in Syria are no more than mercenaries who are funded and given weapons from external sides.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg demands action on gun control, says ‘somebody’s got to do something’
Bloomberg again called out President Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney to put up or shut up on gun control.

Debt crisis: IMF ‘suppressed signs that Europe was facing debt crisis’
The International Monetary Fund deliberately suppressed evidence that Europe was heading for a debt crisis, according to a blistering resignation letter from a senior economist at the fund.

Turkey sends missile batteries to Syria border
Turkey sent batteries of ground-to-air missiles to the border with Syria on Sunday, media reports said, boosting its firepower as rebels in Syria seized several border posts. As fighting raged in Damascus and Aleppo, rebels were said to have taken control of three crossing points on the border with Turkey, which is sheltering thousands of Syrians who have fled the conflict at home.

Assad rebuilds fighting command, retaliates against Turkey
President Bashar Assad quickly recovered from the blow he suffered with the loss of his four top allies last Wednesday, July 18. Within 24 hours, he had put in place a new command for fighting the rebels headed by his younger brother Gen. Maher Assad, commander of the 4th Division, debkafile’s military and intelligence sources report exclusively... Despite a wave of desertions, the Syrian army was soon back on the job, showing no signs of shock or wavering at the command level.

Two hours for Syrian chemical weapons to reach Lebanon. Four armies prepared
The IDF, the Turkish and Jordanian armies and US Middle East forces have switched to preparedness mode in the last few hours in case the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal starts moving west toward Lebanon...


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BBC Omits Jerusalem As Capital Of Israel On Its Olympics Web Page
The British Broadcasting Authority (BBC) has omitted to identify Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel on its Olympic website. The BBC has established a special web page containing basic information about each country taking part in the 2012 London Games, featuring details about the nation’s athletes, map, population size and capital city. When Israel’s page went online, there was no reference to its capital, Jerusalem, while East Jerusalem was labeled as the capital of “Palestine.”

Israel marks 40th anniversary of Munich massacre in London
"The International Olympic Committee have a moral commitment to commemorate the 11 athletes, coaches and referees," Israeli Olympic Committee secretary general Efraim Zinger said. "Not because they were Israelis, but because they were Olympians and were murdered during the Olympic Games. "It's been 40 years since that dreadful day and I hope that the day will come that the IOC will recognize all 11 athletes as victims and find the proper way to commemorate their memory."

Temple Institute Tisha B'Av Video
A new video released by the Temple Institute, called The Children are Ready has hit over 110,000 views on YouTube as of Tuesday, only five days after its release. The Temple Institute says the 90-second long video "is an attempt to positively refocus people’s attention during the period of the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av (the Fast of the Ninth of Av, the day the two Temples were destroyed)." It depicts two children building a sandcastle which looks like the Bet Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, in Jerusalem.

Earthquake rocks southern Mexico
A magnitude-5.2 earthquake rocked southern Mexico early Tuesday, but there are no damage or injury reports, the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, said. The quake's epicenter, which was located at a depth of 13.2 kilometers (8.2 miles), was 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) south-southeast of San Juan de Cacahuatepec, a town in Oaxaca state, and 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) north of Santiago Pinotepa Nacional, another town on the southern state's Pacific coast.

4000 Tracts Quietly Seeded at Muslim Festival
This year, the Arab International Festival in Dearborn, Michigan was again targeted by two types of Christians. And the news media picked up both stories. In one, Christian “protesters” charged in waving confronting signs and placards and carrying a pig’s head on a pole. The other was Tim Berends, a six-foot-tall guy wearing a warm smile and a I-(heart)-Muslims T-shirt.

Refuting Global Warming
In the last few months, two large studies have been published that warn about the dangers of global warming related to coastal flooding in the United States. Unfortunately, the media outreach by one study's authors and the national media's reports on the stories are extremely misleading. Just Facts President Jim Agresti dissected the reports earlier this week. According to Agresti, " ajor media outlets -- and in some ways the studies themselves -- have painted a distorted picture of past, current, and future sea levels. In fact, the studies actually conflict with each other, a crucial fact that has gone unreported in news reports that have mentioned both of the studies."

Wave of attacks in Iraq planned
A series of attacks in more than 15 cities and towns across Iraq killed at least 110 people and wounded hundreds more, officials said. The attacks Monday were in predominantly Shiite areas and the casualties were largely Iraqi security personnel, indicating they required planning, resources and experience, Voice of America reported. Shiite-dominant targets "would fit with [the perpetrators] being al-Qaida in Iraq.

Dust Storm Envelops Phoenix Area
There were no official estimates of its size, but Dewey says spotters estimated it was around 2,000 feet tall. She says there were also reports of 35 mph wind gusts in the area, and a report of a 50 mph gust at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

Israel signs 1st agreement, on water, with S. Sudan
In the first official agreement between Israel and South Sudan, Israel Military Industries Ltd. signed a pact to cooperate on water infrastructure and technology development during a ceremony at the Knesset on Monday. “We see this as a privilege to be the first [sector in Israel] to sign an agreement with the new state,” Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau said...

Bloody Day Of Violence In Iraq Kills Dozens
A series of roadside bombings, exploding cars and gun battles have killed at least 111 people and injured more than 200 across Iraq in the deadliest day of violence in more than two years.

As China costs rise, technology lures U.S. factories home
Frustrated by expensive and slow shipping and wanting more control over the manufacturing process, the 15-year-old company started building factories in Simi Valley, California, and Crystal Lake, Illinois. "When we do the numbers we're actually ahead manufacturing here instead of paying for air freight and dealing with the logistical issues that we're having in China," said Raymond Sjolseth, the company's president and co-founder.

Nigeria: Deadly flooding in Jos in Plateau state
At least 35 people have been killed in flooding in central Nigeria's Plateau state after heavy rainfall caused a dam to overflow near the city of Jos. A Red Cross spokesman said that about 200 homes, many of them made from mud, had been submerged or destroyed. Officials say that at least 25 people are missing and that the number of dead is expected to rise.

India struggles to control deadly Assam riots, hamlets razed
Police shot at a roving mob in India's northeastern state of Assam on Tuesday as security forces struggled to contain ethnic fighting that has killed 22 people and left remote hamlets in flames, forcing tens of thousands from their homes.

Moody's Cuts Outlook on Germany, Two Others
Moody's Investors Service on Monday changed its outlook for top-rated Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg to negative from stable, warning that they may have to increase support for indebted euro zone states such as Spain and Italy. Moody's also cited an increased chance of Greece leaving the euro zone, which "would set off a chain of financial sector shocks ... that policymakers could only contain at a very high cost."

Syria warns will use chemical weapons in case of foreign attack
Syria says it will only use its chemical and biological arsenal against “external aggression,” and never against own population. The US has warned the Arab country against using the arsenal under any circumstances. ­Torn by a 16-month civil conflict, Syria will not use the weapons against its own people, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi assured on Monday.

Federal court rules Wisconsin schools' graduations in church were unconstitutional
A three-judge panel from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September the schools did nothing wrong by hold graduation in Elmbrook Church, in the southeastern part of the state. However, the full 7th Circuit reversed the panel, ruling Monday the ceremonies were unconstitutional and noting students were exposed to religious messages in the form of a giant cross that hung over the church's sanctuary and religious pamphlets on middle school and high school ministries and hymnals in the pews.

Embry - Expect Shortages Of Gold As Soon As Next Month
“We are moving toward a fundamental shortage of gold, and I believe it may start as soon as next month.” Embry also cautioned, “The problem now is that the global economy is contracting at a time when the debt levels are catastrophically high.”

Bread lines, destruction as war comes to Damascus
It’s a gruesome turn for the distinguished Middle Eastern city of Damascus, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and a sign that Syria’s civil war appears doomed to escalate.

Obama in gravest warning yet to Assad
Obama said Monday that “Assad will be held accountable if he makes the tragic mistake of using chemical weapons.

Corps creates law enforcement battalions
The Marine Corps has created its first law enforcement battalions — a lean, specialized force of military police officers that it hopes can quickly deploy worldwide to help investigate crimes from terrorism to drug trafficking and train fledgling security forces in allied nations.

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8.6 Quake Possible in Southern California? Caltech Suggests New 'Mega-Earthquake'
But the U.S. Geological Survey and Caltech have been on the ball, working from a likely scenario, a simulated "Shakeout" (see video after the jump) that would have a 7.8 quake hitting greater L.A. It would be deadly, destructive and put us in the dark for days, if not weeks. Unfortunately, a 7.8 might now be too low of an estimate for The Big One...

Lieberman Worried That Cyber Attack 'Could Be Imminent'
To Lieberman, the goal of the bill is simple: to protect the electric grid, water systems, financial networks, and transportation systems from cyberattacks.

70,000 Christians 'locked in concentration camps'
“We have not heard any reports of improvement for Christians in the country and have no reason to believe anything has changed,” Morgan said. “The regime still has up to 70,000 Christians locked away in virtual concentration camps.”

Gas mask distribution on rise in Israel
The number of Israelis seeking gas masks has increased amid fears Syria's chemical weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists, officials said. Officials said fears are growing the weapons could fall into the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon...

Tongariro volcano (New Zealand): seismic swarm, a possible precursor to new activity
Compared to a background average of 2 quakes per year, the swarm is significant and could indicate magma movements. Seismic activity dropped on 21 July with only 1 quake since then, but preliminary measurements show an increase in volcanic gas emission. NZ Scientist started to increase their monitoring at the volcano.

New Mechanism Observes Activity of Caldera in Santorini
The new seismic-detecting mechanism that observes the activity of the volcano in Santorini, Caldera, was finally placed at the bottom of the sea. The scientific community now says it will be ready to warn authorities in case there is any alarming activity. The new mechanism is the cutting edge of technology of its kind.

Strong earthquake kills villager, damages buildings in western Indonesia; no tsunami reported
The magnitude 6.4 quake hit about 7:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) and was centered 28 kilometers (17 miles) northwest of Aceh province’s Sinabang town at a depth of 45 kilometers (28 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. a 70-year-old man who was suffering from hypertension died as he fled in panic and fell down, but there were no other casualties reported.

Earthquake hits Sumatra
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake has struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the US Geological Survey said.

U.S. Drought Could Cause Global Unrest
Twice in the last five years, rising food prices triggered global waves of social unrest. With drought baking U.S. crops, another round of soaring, society-straining price spikes may happen in coming months.

Naresh Chandra panel recommends military preparedness to deal with 'assertive’ China
India has to be prepared militarily to deal with an "assertive" China even as it seeks to build bridges of cooperation with Beijing, the Naresh Chandra Task Force on national security has recommended.

Turkey closing border crossings with Syria as northern tensions flare
The border closure will stem the flow of vehicles across the long border between the two former allies, harming what commercial ties remained. Refugees, who use smuggling routes to escape battle-torn Syria for Turkey, will likely be unaffected, Reuters reported.

Iranian nuclear plants ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC virus
The recent, bizarre, attack caused computers at the Natanz and Fordo nuclear plants to blast the metal anthem “Thunderstruck” by arena rock gods AC/DC at full volume in the middle of the night. It also shut down part of the automation networks there.

Assad has been moving chemical weapons to ‘airports’ on borders, rebels claim
“We in the joint command of the Free Syrian Army inside the country know very well the locations and positions of these weapons,” a statement from the FSA said.

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Massive Wealth Destruction’ Coming, Well-to-Do ‘May Lose 50%’
Where Faber sees a 50 percent loss of wealth for some, Wiedemer sees much more widespread economic destruction. In a recent interview for his newest book Aftershock, Wiedemer says, “The data is clear, 50% unemployment, a 90% stock market drop, and 100% annual inflation . . . starting in 2012.”

Recent security leaks putting US lives at risk, Special Ops chief says
Recent national security leaks have put lives at risk and may ultimately cost Americans their lives unless there is an effective crackdown, the head of the Special Operations Command Admiral William McRaven says.

Saudis 'mull buying nukes from Pakistan'
The Islamic countries, both dominated by the mainstream Sunni sect, have long had a particularly close relationship and these events heightened speculation Riyadh is trying to strike a secret deal with Islamabad to acquire nuclear weapons to counter Iran.

Arab League allows PA to seek statehood via UN
The officials told The Jerusalem Post that no date has been set for presenting the application to the UN. But one official said that the application would be presented to the UN “probably before the end of the year.” He said that the application would include a request for recognition of Palestine as a non-member state of the UN.

Severe Storms, Derecho Possible in Northeast Tomorrow
A derecho, the kind of storm that knocked out power to millions in Washington last month, may accompany bad weather forecast for New York City and the rest of the Northeast tomorrow, the U.S. Storm Prediction Center said.

Melting asphalt, kinking rail tracks: Weather extremes buckle US infrastructure
From highways in Texas to nuclear power plants in Illinois, the concrete, steel and sophisticated engineering that undergird the nation’s infrastructure are being taxed to worrisome degrees by heat, drought and vicious storms. On a single day this month here, a US Airways regional jet became stuck in asphalt that had softened in 100-degree temperatures, and a subway train derailed after the heat stretched the track so far that it kinked...

6.5-magnitude earthquake destroys houses in the Solomon Islands
The 6.5-magnitude earthquake at 10:20 p.m. local time (1120 GMT) was centered about 39 kilometers (24 miles) southwest of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. It struck about 22.9 kilometers (14.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Iran says it's ready to give 'experience and capabilities' to Syria
A high-ranking Iranian official says his country is ready to share "experience and capabilities" with the Tehran-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. In a report published late on Wednesday by official news agency IRNA, Iran's vice president in charge of international affairs, Ali Saeedlou, described the two countries as powerful nations able to influence regional and global stability.

Russian MPs suggest allowing public use of firearms shortly after Colorado shootings
Russian legislators have drafted a bill which would allow public use of firearms. The law’s sponsors hope to curb crime rates...

Al-Qaeda gaining experience in Syria, eyes 'Islamic state to fight Israel and Iran'
An Iraqi Al-Qaeda operative has admitted that his organization is taking part in the Syrian uprising against President Assad. The revelation comes amidst increasing evidence that Al-Qaeda is gaining a foothold in Syria. “Our big hope is to form a Syrian-Iraqi Islamic state for all Muslims, and then announce our war against Iran and Israel, and free Palestine.”

Strong quake hits off Mauritius
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck off the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said. The quake was centered 212 miles northeast of Rodrigues island and at a depth of 20.5 miles. The USGS initially put the magnitude at 6.7.

House passes Ron Paul’s Fed audit measure
In a move that serves as a capstone to Rep. Ron Paul’s colorful career, the House on Wednesday voted to have Congress‘ chief investigators conduct a full audit of the Federal Reserve’s shrouded decision-making process. ...Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke doesn’t like the prospect of such a broad audit, calling it a “nightmare scenario” last week and saying it would lead to politicians second-guessing his decisions.

Volcano blast showers ash on Japanese city
The eruption at one of Japan's most active volcanoes showered ash on the streets of Kagoshima, which lies just 2km across a bay from the volcano. Residents of Kagoshima donned face masks to protect themselves while sweeping away the ash.

UN arms treaty takes shape, raising alarm among gun rights advocates
The arms trade treaty being hammered out by the United Nations is nearing completion, and the current draft shows it could lead to perpetual attacks on the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment and American foreign policy...

Chinese buying of U.S. business at record pace
Total Chinese foreign direct investment in the U.S. is on pace to reach at least $8 billion this year, according to the report from research firm Rhodium Group.

Israelis scramble for gas masks as Syria deteriorates
Over the past two days distribution centers gave out 3,700gas mask kits each day, Maariv reported Wednesday. By comparison, since the beginning of February 2010 the distribution centers, located in post offices and malls around the country, distributed kits to about 2,200 people a day. Despite the surge in interest, sources said there are still plenty of gas masks in stock.

Iran nuclear facilities struck down by midnight 'thunder'
The email said: "Our nuclear program has once again been compromised and attacked by a new worm ... The automation network and Siemens hardware were attacked and shut down.

Aurora shootings: Obama calls for 'common sense' over guns
US President Barack Obama has said he wants common-sense measures to control guns, following last week's cinema shooting that killed 12 people. Mr Obama pledged to work with members of both political parties and civic organisations to reach a consensus on the matter, but gave no details.

Brussels moves to tackle slumped carbon market
The European Commission on Wednesday (25 July) announced short-term plans to bolster the carbon Emissions Trading Scheme, its flagship environment project undermined by rock bottom carbon prices. The scheme, which allows companies to buy and trade pollution allowances, has suffered from an over-allocation of allowances compounded by the economic downturn and drop in manufacturing output.

'Muslim Brothers plotting overthrow of Gulf states'
Dubai's chief of police has warned of an "international plot" to overthrow the governments of Gulf Arab countries, saying the region needs to be prepared to counter any threat from Islamist dissidents as well as Syria and Iran. ...The brothers and their governments in Damascus and North Africa have to know that the Gulf is a red line, not only for Iran but also for the Brothers as well."

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Wildfires tear through Russia
Russia's Emergencies Ministry announced Friday forest fires in Siberia have burned nearly 58 square miles of forest and have covered Tomsk in smoke. About 3,000 firefighters, 412 pieces of firefighting equipment and 24 firefighting aircraft are being used to fight dozens of blazes, RIA Novosti reported.

Russia seeks to set up naval bases abroad
Russia is talking to Cuba, Vietnam and the Seychelles about housing Russian navy ships, its naval chief has said. Vice-admiral Viktor Chirkov told the RIA Novosti state news agency Russia was in talks with the three countries about setting up maintenance and supply facilities but would not give further details.

US: Iran Siding With Assad Regime 'Extremely Dangerous'
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland was responding at a daily press briefing on Thursday to Iran's comments that they were going to step up and increase their support to the Assad regime.

Skeptics put the freeze on NASA 'hot air' about Greenland ice
NASA’s claim that Greenland is experiencing “unprecedented” melting is nothing but a bunch of hot air, according to scientists who say the country's ice sheets melt with some regularity.

6.7-magnitude earthquake strikes the Indian Ocean off Mauritius
The 6.7-magnitude earthquake at 9:33 a.m. local time (0533 GMT) was centered about 387 kilometers (240 miles) northeast of Port Mathurin, the main village on Rodrigues island in Mauritius. It struck about 9.8 kilometers (6.1 miles) deep, making it a very shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Bipartisan group of senators threatens to oppose UN arms treaty as deadline looms
A bipartisan group of 51 senators is threatening to oppose a global treaty regulating international weapons trade if it falls short in protecting the constitutional right to bear arms, as the United Nations bumps up against a Friday deadline for action.

Drought ruining crops in Russia
"Such an unfavorable year has not been witnessed since the second world war," said Yuri Tkachenko, head of the Krasnodar weather forecasting center. The immediate effect of the lowered crop yield is a severe reduction in Russian exports of grain and corn, Russian news service ITAR-Tass reported Thursday.

Worsening Illinois drought points to increasingly ominous signs for crops
...the central and southern portions of Illinois are experiencing even worse conditions that are classified as extreme or exceptional, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. Surrounding states, especially Missouri and Indiana, have also been hit hard, with 55.5 percent of the Midwest experiencing at least a severe drought, compared with 45.6 percent of the country.

Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling
From highways in Texas to nuclear power plants in Illinois, the concrete, steel and sophisticated engineering that undergird the nation’s infrastructure are being taxed to worrisome degrees by heat, drought and vicious storms. On a single day this month here, a US Airways regional jet became stuck in asphalt that had softened in 100-degree temperatures, and a subway train derailed after the heat stretched the track so far that it kinked — inserting a sharp angle into a stretch that was supposed to be straight.

Storms knock out power to thousands from Plains to Northeast
Hundreds of thousands lost power due to a potent storm system that extended eastward from the Plains toward the Northeast on Thursday, bringing with it high winds and destructive lightning.

Markets Surge after Draghi Vows to Protect Euro
It was the signal investors were waiting for. The European Central Bank "is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro," its president, Mario Draghi said on Thursday. Markets leapt because the statement was a strong signal that the ECB will resume its program to buy the bonds of struggling euro nations.

'Muslim Brothers plotting overthrow of Gulf states'
"There's an international plot against Gulf states in particular and Arab countries in general...This is preplanned to take over our fortunes," Khalfan told reporters at a gathering late on Wednesday marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "The bigger our sovereign wealth funds and the more money we put in the banks of Western countries, the bigger the plot to take over our countries..

"Hot War" Erupting With Iran, Top Terror-Watchers Warn
“We’re seeing a general uptick in the level of activity around the world. Both Hezbollah and the [Iranian] Quods Force have demonstrated an ability to operate essentially globally,” Matt Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told an audience of more than a hundred security professionals gathered here on Thursday. “This is a hot war that has gotten hotter,” Michael Leiter, Olsen’s predecessor at the NCTC, told the Aspen Security Forum. “The Iranians have considered this a shooting war for some time.”

Official: Israel will act if militants raid Syrian chemical or biological weapons stocks
Israelis rushed to get government-issue gas masks Wednesday, the latest sign of mounting fears that Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles could be used against them as the crisis there deepens.

US government ran chemical experiments on military veterans under operations MKUltra, Bluebird and Artichoke
Details of this sad episode in our history were contained in a 2009 class action suit. Filed by the Vietnam Veterans of America and individual soldiers, the suit charges the U.S. Army and the Central Intelligence Agency, with the help of former Nazi scientists, of using at least 7,800 vets as guinea pigs to test the effects of as many as 400 different types of drugs and chemicals. They included mescaline (psychedelic alkaloid), LSD (psychedelic drug), amphetamines, barbiturates, nerve agents and mustard gas.

Poll: Less than half of voters think Obama is Christian
About one in six voters still thinks President Obama is Muslim while only half identify him as a Christian, according to a new national poll released Thursday.

RICK SANTORUM: Mayors Shunning Chick-Fil-A Reflects The 'Absolute Intolerance' Of The Left
Former presidential hopeful Rick Santorum went on CNBC's Kudlow Report to talk about Chick-fil-A and the mayors who have spoken out against the chicken chain. The mayors of three big cities — Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia — have all made statements slamming Chick-fil-A for the controversial anti-gay marriage statements made earlier by president and COO Dan Cathy.

Biderman Batters 'Believe-Me'-Draghi
Somewhat stunned by the market's exuberant reaction to Mario Draghi's 'Believe Me' speech this morning, Charles Biderman, CEO of TrimTabs, sees the slow-motion train-wreck that is the European crisis speeding up and rapidly running out of track. Stepping back to look again at the European big picture; Biderman sees a bunch of economies whose citizens are making less money than before (and even before the current recessions European economies were not generating enough taxable income to pay current government expenses).

Two soldiers killed in blast in southeast Turkey
Two Turkish soldiers were killed in the mainly Kurdish southeast on Friday when the vehicle they were traveling in was hit by a remote-controlled explosive, security sources said. Security officials blamed the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a 27-year campaign against the Turkish state in which 40,000 people, mainly Kurds, have died.

Draghi sends strong signal that ECB will act
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi pledged on Thursday to do whatever was necessary to protect the euro zone from collapse, sending a strong signal that inflated Spanish and Italian borrowing costs were in his sights.

Drought diminishes mighty Mississippi, puts heat on Congress
The severe drought in the U.S. Midwest wreaked more havoc across the country on Thursday, forcing barges on the Mississippi River to lighten loads for fear of getting stuck and raising concerns about higher prices for food and gasoline.

U.S. fears Syria preparing for massacre in Aleppo
President Bashar al-Assad's forces renewed a ground and aerial bombardment of Aleppo on Friday, extending efforts to crush rebels in Syria's commercial capital in what the United States said it feared could become a massacre. Insurgents targeted army roadblocks and security installations, with both sides avoiding close-quarters warfare in the city of 2.5 million people, Syria's biggest urban center.

Storms in Northeast knock out power, ground flights
Severe thunderstorms unleashed heavy rain and strong winds across parts of the Midwest and Northeast on Thursday, grounding hundreds of flights and leaving tens of thousands of people without power. The storms spawned a tornado that touched down in Elmira, New York, damaging a mall and a local country club, the National Weather Service said.

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Democratic senators offer gun control amendment for cybersecurity bill
Democratic senators have offered an amendment to the cybersecurity bill that would limit the purchase of high capacity gun magazines for some consumers. Shortly after the Cybersecurity Act gained Senate approval to proceed to filing proposed amendments and a vote next week, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a sponsor of the gun control amendment, came to the floor to defend the idea of implementing some “reasonable” gun control measures.

Christian, Muslim villagers clash in Egypt
An Egyptian security official says Muslim and Christian villagers hurled fire bombs at each other south of Cairo after a Christian laundry worker burnt a Muslim's shirt. The official says Muslim villagers set fire to Christians' homes on Friday, prompting authorities to deploy forces at the village of Dahshour in Giza province.

US sees Israel, tight Mideast ally, as spy threat
...The CIA considers Israel its No. 1 counterintelligence threat in the agency's Near East Division, the group that oversees spying across the Middle East, according to current and former officials. Counterintelligence is the art of protecting national secrets from spies. This means the CIA believes that U.S. national secrets are safer from other Middle Eastern governments than from Israel.

Egypt's president discusses Gaza blockade with Hamas PM
Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi has held talks with the head of the Hamas-led government in Gaza, Ismail Haniya. They discussed "solutions" relating to the blockade on the coastal territory and "alleviating the suffering" of its residents, Egyptian officials said.

Ethiopia: 20,000 flee Moyale clashes - Red Cross
Ethnic clashes in southern Ethiopia are reported to have left at least 18 people dead and 12 others injured. More than 20,000 people have crossed into Kenya to escape the fighting, the Kenyan Red Cross says. A spokesman told the BBC that people were continuing to cross the border although Ethiopian government forces had intervened to stop the fighting.

Poll: Jews support Obama, but far less than in 2008
US Jews continue to back President Barack Obama over presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, but support for the incumbent remains well below 2008 levels, according to a Gallup poll published Friday.

Officials: Ebola breaks out in Uganda
Ugandan health officials say the deadly Ebola virus has killed 14 people in western Uganda this month. The officials and a World Health Organization representative told a news conference in Kampala Saturday that there is "an outbreak of Ebola" in Uganda. There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola, and in Uganda, where in 2000 the disease killed 224 people, it resurrects terrible memories.

Turkey sets up secret base to bring aid to Syria rebels, sources say
Turkey has set up a secret base with allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and communications aid to Syria's rebels from a city near the border, Gulf sources have told Reuters. News of the clandestine Middle East-run "nerve centre" working to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad underlines the extent to which Western powers - who played a key role in unseating Muammar Gadhafi in Libya - have avoided militaryinvolvement so far in Syria.

Syria army attacks Aleppo as tanks move in
Syrian army tanks around Aleppo have begun moving in on south-western districts of the city, activists say. They say the bombardment of rebel-held areas intensified in the early morning, with military aircraft overflying the city at low altitudes. The BBC's Ian Pannell, in Aleppo, says many casualties have been reported and families are fleeing.

UN global arms treaty talks end without agreement
Negotiations at the UN to achieve a landmark treaty to regulate the conventional arms trade have ended without agreement. The US, followed by Russia and China, said they needed more time to consider the issues.

Syrian troops kill 6-year-old fleeing into Jordan
The family crept across farmland under night's cover, heading for the border, when Syrian troops opened fire. Bullets whizzed around them as they broke into a mad dash, survivors say. The 6-year-old boy, holding his mother's hand, broke away and ran ahead. He nearly made it into Jordan when he fell dead, a bullet in his neck.

Romney can expect warm Israeli reception
Mitt Romney's support for Israel will likely earn the presumptive Republican presidential nominee a warm welcome from Israeli leaders when he visits on Sunday — and a frosty reception from Palestinians, who fear he would do little to advance their stalled statehood dreams.

Greece warns against letting it fall out of euro
Greece's coalition government has warned that letting the country fall out of the euro currency union would spell "suicide for the eurozone." Evangelos Venizelos, the Socialist party leader and junior coalition partner, made the remarks Thursday, when senior European officials were in Athens to inspect Greece's shaky public finances and the future of its rescue loan program.

Golan Druse start to turn against Syria's Assad
The raging civil war just across the cease-fire line in Syria is posing an uncomfortable political choice for the Druse people in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Do they maintain their traditional loyalty to the government of Bashar Assad, whose family has vowed to take back the territory? Or should they support the burgeoning Arab revolt against Assad's harsh rule?

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No let-up in Aleppo battle as Syria vows to crush rebels
Shelling and gunfire have again shaken Aleppo as Syrian government forces battle rebels for control of the country's largest city. A BBC correspondent who is just outside Aleppo says heavy fighting is reported in the city centre near the old fort but this cannot be verified. Syria's foreign minister said on Sunday that the rebels would be defeated.

Floods in North Korea 'killed 88 people in July'
Flooding in North Korea has killed 88 people and injured 134 others in the past ten days, state-run KCNA news agency said. Typhoons and torrential rain have damaged 5,000 homes and left more than 60,000 people homeless. South Pyongyang province suffered the biggest lost of life. More than 30,00 hectares of land have been submerged.

Aide: Romney backs Israel if needs to strike Iran
US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would back Israel if it were to decide it had to use military force to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, a senior aide said on Sunday.

Markets risk ECB disappointment after Draghi remarks
Financial markets will be waiting with bated breath to see if the European Central Bank announces any new policy moves next week, but analysts warned they could be disappointed. ECB chief Mario Draghi sent stock markets soaring and helped bring down Spanish borrowing costs sharply last week when he said the central bank was "ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. And believe me it will be enough."

To upstage Romney, Obama signs enhanced US-Israel defense bill
The U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act will be signed Friday on the eve of Republican rival Mitt Romney's visit to Israel • U.S. also announces readiness of largest ever bunker busting missile and agreement with Lockheed Martin for new Israeli version of the F-35 stealth fighter jets.

Tisha B'Av: Temple Mount closed to Jews
Jerusalem Police on Sunday closed the Temple Mount compound to Jewish worshippers following intelligence indicating intents to hold riots on the day Jews mark the Tisha B'Av fast. Police will consider reopening the compound as events unfold. No suspects have been arrested as of yet.

Obama aide tells Israel of Iran attack plan: paper
President Barack Obama's national security adviser has briefed Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a U.S. contingency plan to attack Iran should diplomacy fail to curb its nuclear program, an Israeli newspaper reported on Sunday. The Haaretz newspaper said that the U.S. adviser - Thomas Donilon - had described the plan in talks with Netanyahu earlier this month.

US Air Force: Bunker buster ready for use
Air Force Secretary Donley tells Capitol Hill Club bombs designed to destroy deeply buried bunkers that protect nuclear weapons are ready for use 'if needed.' Pentagon officials: Bombs tailor-made to disable Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo

Stand with Chick-fil-A in Support of Traditional Marriage
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has called for a National Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day on Wednesday, August 1, to demonstrate support for the company. I would like to join with him, and ask that, if you live near one of their restaurants please drop by and let them know how much you appreciate them and their stand.

Afghan truckers a forgotten front in a war growing deadlier by the day
In the cabins of their "jingle" trucks flamboyant with tinsel baubles and painted tiger patterns as they move NATO's war supplies, Habibullah thinks he and other drivers are becoming a forgotten front in an Afghan war growing more vicious.

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Top Obama security official 'briefed Israeli prime minister on plans for U.S. military strike on Iran' in nuclear row
National security adviser Tom Donilon sought to reassure Israel that Washington is prepared to act militarily should diplomacy and sanctions fail to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear enrichment program.

Thousands of Christians run for their lives
“An exodus of Christians is taking place in Western Syria,” Janssen said. “The Christian population has fled the city of Qusayr, near Homs, following an ultimatum issued by the military chief of the armed opposition, Abdel Salam Harba.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard behind car blast near Israeli embassy in New Delhi, says India Police
In the incident, which took place on February 13, 2012, Tali Yehoshua-Koren, the wife of the Defense Ministry's representative to India, was injured. The Times of India newspaper, which published the findings of the investigation, reported that members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard began speaking with Indian journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi about the possibility of carrying out an attack against Israeli diplomats in New Delhi as early as February 2011, over a year before the attack. At the time, a number of Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated, and Tehran blamed Israel for the deaths.

Ebola outbreak in Uganda kills 13
An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has killed 13 people in Uganda and efforts are under way to contain the hemorrhagic fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. There is no treatment and no vaccine against Ebola, which is transmitted by close personal contact and, depending on the strain, kills up to 90 percent of those who contract the virus.

6.0 quake strikes near Guatemala-Mexico border
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Guatemala near the country's border with Mexico Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Local agencies offered different assessments of the quake, which occurred at 6:22 a.m. (8:22 a.m. ET).

Judge Temporarily Stops Administration from Forcing Christian Family to Act Against Faith
The injunction spares the family from complying with an Obamacare regulation while the judge decides on its merits the lawsuit the family has brought contending the regulation violates their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion.

Mayor Bloomberg pushing NYC hospitals to hide baby formula so more new moms will breast-feed
Mayor Bloomberg is pushing hospitals to hide their baby formula behind locked doors so more new mothers will breast-feed. Starting Sept. 3, the city will keep tabs on the number of bottles that participating hospitals stock and use — the most restrictive pro-breast-milk program in the nation...and document a medical reason for every bottle that a newborn receives.

Scalia opens door for gun-control legislation, extends slow burning debate
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Sunday the Second Amendment leaves open the possibility of gun-control legislation, adding to what has become a slow-boiling debate on the issue since the Colorado movie theater massacre earlier this month.

DHS gears up for civil unrest prior to presidential elections
As the brief explains, “the objective of this effort is to procure riot gear to prepare for the 2012 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the 2013 Presidential Inauguration and other future similar activities.”

Romney: US has moral duty to block Iran nuclear plans
US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said his country has a "moral imperative" to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. ...He said the US recognised Israel's right to defend itself and that it was right for the US to stand with Israel. Mr Romney also referred to Jerusalem as Israel's "capital" - senior Palestinian officials said this was "unacceptable".

Only Mario Draghi's ECB can avert global calamity before the year is out
Mario Draghi has promised the moon. The European Central Bank’s council had better deliver on his pledge this week. If it does not, the crisis will surely escalate out of control in August or soon after.

Euro-saving operations due within 'days,' says Juncker
Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker has said there is "no time to lose," as the world talks about a eurozone breakup, with joint action by the European Central Bank and the eurozone bailout funds expected in the coming days. "We have come to a crucial point. There is no more time to lose," Juncker said in an interview published both in Le Figaro and Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Monday (30 July).

6.6-magnitude earthquake hits off Papua New Guinean island
Tsunami warning centers in the region said there was no threat of a tsunami from the earthquake, which was initially measured as having a magnitude of 6.6. "No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

Euro zone crisis heads for September crunch
"September will undoubtedly be the crunch time," one senior euro zone policymaker said. In that month a German court makes a ruling that could neuter the new euro zone rescue fund, the anti-bailout Dutch vote in elections just as Greece tries to renegotiate its financial lifeline, and decisions need to be made on whether taxpayers suffer huge losses on state loans to Athens.

Russia May Evacuate Personnel from Its Syria Base – Navy Chief
Servicemen may be evacuated from the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria, if it comes under attack, Navy chief Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Saturday.

Grid failure for 300 million across India
The outage which directly affected some 400 million people-more than the combined populations of the US and Canada-was spread across eight northern provinces, including the capital New Delhi. It left people helpless and sweltering in searing temperatures that were exacerbated by high levels of humidity.

Tunisia: Hardline Islam threatens democracy gains
Thousands of hardcore Muslims chant against Jews. Youths rampage through cities at night in protest of "blasphemous" art. A sit-in by religious students degenerates into fist fights and the desecration of Tunisia's flag.

200,000 flee Aleppo as Syria battle rages
Around 200,000 civilians have fled fighting in Syria's most populous city Aleppo and many more were trapped, the UN said as a fierce government offensive against rebels entered a second day. The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) on Sunday accused the government of preparing to carry out "massacres" in the northern city and pleaded for heavy weapons to enable rebels to meet the regime onslaught.

Spain's economy shrinks 0.4% as recession deepens
pain's recession deepened in the second quarter of the year as the economy shrank 0.4%, figures show. That compares with a 0.3% contraction in gross domestic product (GDP) in the first three months of the year.

Power cut hits northern India causing major disruption
A massive power cut has caused disruption across northern India, including in the capital, Delhi. It hit a swathe of the country affecting more than 300 million people in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan states

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Top Obama security official 'briefed Israeli prime minister on plans for U.S. military strike on Iran' in nuclear row
National security adviser Tom Donilon sought to reassure Israel that Washington is prepared to act militarily should diplomacy and sanctions fail to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear enrichment program.

Thousands of Christians run for their lives
“An exodus of Christians is taking place in Western Syria,” Janssen said. “The Christian population has fled the city of Qusayr, near Homs, following an ultimatum issued by the military chief of the armed opposition, Abdel Salam Harba.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard behind car blast near Israeli embassy in New Delhi, says India Police
In the incident, which took place on February 13, 2012, Tali Yehoshua-Koren, the wife of the Defense Ministry's representative to India, was injured. The Times of India newspaper, which published the findings of the investigation, reported that members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard began speaking with Indian journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi about the possibility of carrying out an attack against Israeli diplomats in New Delhi as early as February 2011, over a year before the attack. At the time, a number of Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated, and Tehran blamed Israel for the deaths.

Ebola outbreak in Uganda kills 13
An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has killed 13 people in Uganda and efforts are under way to contain the hemorrhagic fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. There is no treatment and no vaccine against Ebola, which is transmitted by close personal contact and, depending on the strain, kills up to 90 percent of those who contract the virus.

6.0 quake strikes near Guatemala-Mexico border
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Guatemala near the country's border with Mexico Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Local agencies offered different assessments of the quake, which occurred at 6:22 a.m. (8:22 a.m. ET).

Judge Temporarily Stops Administration from Forcing Christian Family to Act Against Faith
The injunction spares the family from complying with an Obamacare regulation while the judge decides on its merits the lawsuit the family has brought contending the regulation violates their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion.

Mayor Bloomberg pushing NYC hospitals to hide baby formula so more new moms will breast-feed
Mayor Bloomberg is pushing hospitals to hide their baby formula behind locked doors so more new mothers will breast-feed. Starting Sept. 3, the city will keep tabs on the number of bottles that participating hospitals stock and use — the most restrictive pro-breast-milk program in the nation...and document a medical reason for every bottle that a newborn receives.

Scalia opens door for gun-control legislation, extends slow burning debate
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Sunday the Second Amendment leaves open the possibility of gun-control legislation, adding to what has become a slow-boiling debate on the issue since the Colorado movie theater massacre earlier this month.

DHS gears up for civil unrest prior to presidential elections
As the brief explains, “the objective of this effort is to procure riot gear to prepare for the 2012 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the 2013 Presidential Inauguration and other future similar activities.”

Romney: US has moral duty to block Iran nuclear plans
US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said his country has a "moral imperative" to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. ...He said the US recognised Israel's right to defend itself and that it was right for the US to stand with Israel. Mr Romney also referred to Jerusalem as Israel's "capital" - senior Palestinian officials said this was "unacceptable".

Only Mario Draghi's ECB can avert global calamity before the year is out
Mario Draghi has promised the moon. The European Central Bank’s council had better deliver on his pledge this week. If it does not, the crisis will surely escalate out of control in August or soon after.

Euro-saving operations due within 'days,' says Juncker
Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker has said there is "no time to lose," as the world talks about a eurozone breakup, with joint action by the European Central Bank and the eurozone bailout funds expected in the coming days. "We have come to a crucial point. There is no more time to lose," Juncker said in an interview published both in Le Figaro and Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Monday (30 July).

6.6-magnitude earthquake hits off Papua New Guinean island
Tsunami warning centers in the region said there was no threat of a tsunami from the earthquake, which was initially measured as having a magnitude of 6.6. "No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

Euro zone crisis heads for September crunch
"September will undoubtedly be the crunch time," one senior euro zone policymaker said. In that month a German court makes a ruling that could neuter the new euro zone rescue fund, the anti-bailout Dutch vote in elections just as Greece tries to renegotiate its financial lifeline, and decisions need to be made on whether taxpayers suffer huge losses on state loans to Athens.

Russia May Evacuate Personnel from Its Syria Base – Navy Chief
Servicemen may be evacuated from the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria, if it comes under attack, Navy chief Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Saturday.

Grid failure for 300 million across India
The outage which directly affected some 400 million people-more than the combined populations of the US and Canada-was spread across eight northern provinces, including the capital New Delhi. It left people helpless and sweltering in searing temperatures that were exacerbated by high levels of humidity.

Tunisia: Hardline Islam threatens democracy gains
Thousands of hardcore Muslims chant against Jews. Youths rampage through cities at night in protest of "blasphemous" art. A sit-in by religious students degenerates into fist fights and the desecration of Tunisia's flag.

200,000 flee Aleppo as Syria battle rages
Around 200,000 civilians have fled fighting in Syria's most populous city Aleppo and many more were trapped, the UN said as a fierce government offensive against rebels entered a second day. The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) on Sunday accused the government of preparing to carry out "massacres" in the northern city and pleaded for heavy weapons to enable rebels to meet the regime onslaught.

Spain's economy shrinks 0.4% as recession deepens
pain's recession deepened in the second quarter of the year as the economy shrank 0.4%, figures show. That compares with a 0.3% contraction in gross domestic product (GDP) in the first three months of the year.

Power cut hits northern India causing major disruption
A massive power cut has caused disruption across northern India, including in the capital, Delhi. It hit a swathe of the country affecting more than 300 million people in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan states

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