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Vomiting Larry battles "Ferrari of the virus world"
"Norovirus is one of the most infectious viruses of man," "It takes fewer than 20 virus particles to infect someone. So each droplet of vomit or gram of feces from an infected person can contain enough virus to infect more than 100,000 people."

Over 3,000 Noticeable Quakes Hit Japan In 2012
Quoting the Japan Meteorological Agency, the NHK broadcaster reported that a total of 3,134 quakes had been felt across Japan until Sunday (December 30) which is about 1,000 more than the annual average from 2001 to 2010.

Costa Rica saw most seismic activity in past 62 years during 2012
According to the Costa Rican Volcanology and Seismology Observatory (OVSICORI), after the magnitude 7.6 earthquake which occurred on September 5th, 2012, the country registered the highest level of earthquake activity it has seen in 62 years.

Don’t panic! Preliminary data suggests earthquakes are indeed increasing worldwide
Earthquakes and Volcanic eruptions have always been closely related. For instance, if you look at a map of quakes worldwide and compare it to a map of volcanoes, you’ll find that they match closely.

Obama Administration: We Can and Will Force Christians to Act Against Their Faith
In a legal argument formally presented in federal court in the case of Hobby Lobby v. Kathleen Sebelius, the Obama administration is claiming that the First Amendment—which expressly denies the government the authority to prohibit the “free exercise” of religion—nonetheless allows it to force Christians to directly violate their religious beliefs even on a matter that involves the life and death of innocent human beings.

Registration, the Nazi Paradigm
New research into Adolf Hitler's use of firearms registration lists to confiscate guns and the execution of their owners teaches a forceful lesson -- one that reveals why the American people and Congress have rejected registering honest firearm owners.

Obama makes passing gun control measures a priority for 2013
President Obama pledged Sunday to make gun control a top priority in his second term and vowed to put his “full weight” behind such legislation. “I’d like to get it done in the first year,” the president said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “This is not something that I will be putting off.”

Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Re-Arrested in Iran on Christmas Day
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s story has been both a troubling and tragic one. While his plight seemingly ended positively earlier this year, the nightmare is nowhere near over. After initially arresting him for apostasy, Iranian officials changed their minds numerous times surrounding the charges that were waged against him. Then, this fall, after nearly three years behind bars, he was released, sparking a sigh of relief among human rights workers. But on Christmas day, Nadarkhani was, once again, detained.

Peres takes swipe at undiplomatic Liberman, urges talks with Abbas
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is one of the only Arab leaders with whom Israel can reach an agreement, President Shimon Peres said Sunday... “You can reach an agreement with Abbas… one of the only leaders in the Arab world to publicly and boldly say that he supports peace and a demilitarized state, and opposes terrorism,” Peres said at...at a meeting of Israeli ambassadors ahead of an annual Foreign Ministry conference.

Obama Urges Illinois To Legalize 'Gay' Marriage
President Barack Obama is urging the Illinois General Assembly to legalize gay marriage in his home state as lawmakers are poised to take up the measure as early as this week in Springfield. “While the president does not weigh in on every measure being considered by state legislatures, he believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect,” White House spokesman Shin Inouye told the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday.

Brazil debates treatment options in crack epidemic
Bobo has a method: Cocaine gets him through the day, when he cruises with a wheelbarrow around a slum on Rio's west side, sorting through trash for recyclables to sell. At night, he turns the day's profit into crack.

Iran test-fires missiles near Strait of Hormuz
Iran's navy says it has test-fired a range of weapons during ongoing maneuvers near the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for one-fifth of the world's oil supply. The Monday report by the official IRNA news agency quotes exercise spokesman Adm. Amir Rastgari as saying the Iranian-made air defense system Raad, or Thunder, was among the weapons tested.

Reports: Russia sends another naval ship to Syria
Russian news agencies say the navy is sending another ship to the Syrian port of Tartus, where Russia has a naval base. The reports Sunday by the ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agency cited an unidentified official in the military general staff saying the Novocherkassk, a large landing ship, has set sail from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk. The ship is expected to arrive in the Tartus area in early January.

Senate committee report on Benghazi terrorist attack faults State Department
A scathing Senate committee report on the Benghazi terrorist attack faults the State Department for failing to adequately respond to mounting security threats in the lead-up to the assault. The report says the facility was woefully under-protected at a time when the region, according to a top department official, was "flashing red" -- yet security was not improved, and nobody recommended the compound be shut down.

Peres: Israel would talk to Hamas if it met Quartet terms
President Shimon Peres on Monday pursued his calls for peace when addressing spiritual and lay leaders of Israel's Christian community, notwithstanding the barrages of criticism that he encountered on Sunday after telling Israeli diplomatic missions abroad that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is a leader with whom Israel can reach a peace agreement.

Merkel warns Germans of tough economic times ahead
Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that the German economic climate in 2013 will be "even more difficult". In her new year message, she also cautioned that the eurozone debt crisis was far from over. However, she did say that reforms designed to address the roots of the problem were beginning to bear fruit.

Explosions across Iraq kill at least 10, wound 46
Explosions killed at least 10 people and wounded 46 across Iraq on Monday, police said, underlining sectarian and ethnic divisions that threaten to further destabilize the country a year after U.S. troops left. Tensions between Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni factions in Iraq's power-sharing government have been on the rise this year. Militants continue to strike almost daily, and carry out at least one big attack a month.

Egyptian pound falls further despite currency intervention
The Egyptian pound has fallen further against the US dollar, despite efforts by the country's financial authorities to halt its slide on the money markets. The renewed decline came as the central bank held the second in a series of currency auctions. It sold $74.8m at a cut-off price of 6.3050 Egyptian pounds to the dollar, less than the equivalent price of 6.2425 in Sunday's first auction.

Central African Republic crisis: Bozize offer rejected
Rebels in Central African Republic have dismissed the president's offer to form a national unity government. "We don't believe in [Francois] Bozize's promises," rebel spokesman Eric Massi told the BBC. He accused the security forces of attacking members of ethnic groups seen as rebel sympathisers - the government has previously denied such claims.

Colombia landslide kills five in Neiva with 25 missing
Rescue teams in Colombia have been searching for at least 25 people missing after a landslide cut off a road near the south-western city of Neiva. Five people were killed in the accident, which happened on Saturday. The Colombian authorities believe at least six cars are buried under tons of mud and rocks.

Hillary Clinton in hospital with blood clot after fall
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been admitted to hospital in New York with a blood clot, officials say. Mrs Clinton suffered a concussion earlier this month after fainting and falling down. At the time, she was reported to have had a stomach virus and to have passed out after becoming dehydrated.

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Bill to avert fiscal cliff heads to House
Legislation to negate a fiscal cliff of across-the-board tax increases and sweeping spending cuts to the Pentagon and other government agencies is headed to the GOP-dominated House... It would prevent middle-class taxes from going up but would raise rates on higher incomes. It would also block spending cuts for two months, extend unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, prevent a 27 percent cut in fees for doctors who treat Medicare patients and prevent a spike in milk prices.

Iran test-fires missiles near Strait of Hormuz
Iran's navy says it has test-fired a range of weapons during ongoing maneuvers near the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for one-fifth of the world's oil supply. The Monday report by the official IRNA news agency quotes exercise spokesman Adm. Amir Rastgari as saying the Iranian-made air defense system Raad, or Thunder, was among the weapons tested.

Iraq cities hit by wave of deadly explosions
At least 22 people have been killed and tens more injured in a series of explosions across Iraq, officials say. In the deadliest single attack, seven people were killed in the town of Mussayib, to the south of the capital Baghdad. At least two people were killed in the southern city of Hilla when a bomb exploded in a busy street.

Hollande vows to revive French supertax
France's President Francois Hollande says he still plans to raise the top rate of income tax after his 75% plan was struck down on technical grounds. In a national address on New Year's Eve, he said the law would be redesigned, adding, "we will still ask more of those who have the most". However, he did not mention the 75% figure, leading some to speculate that the move would be watered down.

Pope new year address deplores rampant capitalism
Pope Benedict XVI has condemned "unregulated capitalism" for contributing to world tension, in a new year address to worshippers. The Pope also thanked the world's peacemakers and said humanity had "an innate vocation for peace". The Roman Catholic Church leader spoke at a Mass in the Vatican, then greeted a crowd outside St Peter's Basilica.

Pakistan 'frees Afghan Taliban ex-minister Mullah Turabi'
Pakistan has freed the Afghan Taliban's ex-justice minister, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, and three other Taliban prisoners, officials say. Afghan officials have been in talks with Pakistani counterparts to try to free certain Taliban prisoners in order to push forward a peace process. Pakistan released 13 Afghan Taliban members in November.

Netanyahu: We're building a digital Iron Dome
Israel is building a "digital Iron Dome," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the opening ceremony of a new national program to train young people for cyberwarfare Tuesday. "Israel's vital systems are under attack from Iran and other elements. This will only increase as we enter the digital age," Netanyahu stressed, speaking at the Ashkelon Academic College.

Same-sex marriage ceremonies begin in Maryland
Same-sex couples in Maryland were greeted with cheers and noisemakers held over from New Year's Eve parties, as gay marriage became legal in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line on New Year's Day. James Scales, 68, was married to William Tasker, 60, on Tuesday shortly after midnight by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake inside City Hall.

Pakistan: Seven charity workers shot dead
Seven charity workers, six of them women, have been shot dead in north-west Pakistan, police say. The women, some of them teachers, were attacked near a health and education community centre. A male colleague died with them. All were Pakistani citizens.

US Senate passes key deal to avoid tax rises
The US Senate has approved a deal to avert general tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff". The bill, which raises taxes for the wealthy, came after lengthy talks between Vice-President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans.

Colorado gets members-only clubs for legal pot use
With reggae music pumping in the background and flashing disco-style lights, members of the recreational pot club lit up in celebration of the new year — and a new place to smoke legally among friends. Club 64, in an industrial area just north of downtown Denver, opened at 4:20 p.m. on Monday, with some 200 people signed up. The opening came less than 24 hours after organizers announced they would charge a $29.99 admission price for the bring-your-own pot club.

2012 one of "bloodiest years" for journalists: media body
A heavy death toll in war zones such as Syria and Somalia made 2012 one of the bloodiest years for journalists, with 121 killed, an international journalists' group said on Monday.

US Hits Borrowing Limit, Moves to Avoid Default
The U.S. government is running up against its $16.4 trillion borrowing limit and is taking steps to avoid default. Reaching the limit Monday sets up another dispute between the White House and Congress over taxes and spending in the new year. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the government will take a series of accounting measures to avoid defaulting on its debt. On Monday, it suspended the issuance of new debt for two government retirement funds. That step won't impact current retirees.

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JORDANIAN MINISTER ACCUSES ISRAEL OF PLANNING TO ERECT THE THIRD TEMPLE
A Jordanian minister accused Israel on Wednesday of planning to partition the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and the Temple Mount plaza surrounding it in order to erect the third Temple. Islamic Endowments Minister Abdul Salam Abadi said Israel was planning to divide the mosque from its courtyards with a 144-dunam structure.

Pressure builds to nix gift of tanks, F-16s to Egypt
Later this month, the new government in Egypt is scheduled to begin taking delivery of 10 F-16 fighter jets and 200 Abrams tanks – courtesy of U.S. taxpayers. The $213 million deal is part of a foreign aid package signed when American ally Hosni Mubarak was president, but a growing chorus of critics say the Obama administration should pull the plug.

Israel 'cracking down' on West Bank terror suspects
Security services are bolstering efforts to arrest suspected terrorists to prevent simmering civil unrest from escalating into third intifada, sources say

Democrat Mayor Puts Armed Police In NJ Schools
Hornik says the idea to place an armed police officer in all nine of his schools didn’t come from the NRA. It was something he decided to do in the wake of the Newtown murders based on the recommendation of local law enforcement:

Boehner rejected by 6-1 margin in poll
Boehner, however, isn’t getting credit for much, if anything, of the strategy by Republicans facing a Democratic White House and a Democratic Senate. As of this afternoon, participants in an unscientific poll on the Drudge Report were rejecting Boehner as a future speaker of the House by a more than 6-1 margin.

Archbishop of Westminster halts gay masses
Archbishop Vincent Nichols said the masses at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Soho were out of line with the church's main teaching on sexuality, the BBC reported Wednesday. "The moral teaching of the church is that the proper use of our sexual faculty is within a marriage, between a man and a woman, open to the procreation and nurturing of new human life," Nichols said.

Measles outbreak kills hundreds in Pakistan
Measles cases in 2012 have surged by almost five times of that the previous year in Pakistan, leading to the deaths of hundreds of children, according to an international health body.

U.S. military cuts budget, pulls one carrier group from Middle East
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said the Navy would operate one rather than two aircraft carrier groups in the region over the next few months.

Report: Kirk recalls seeing angels
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said he saw three angels in the hospital when he awoke from a stroke-induced coma in an interview published Wednesday. Kirk — who had a stroke almost a year ago — is set to walk up the U.S. Capitol building’s steps Thursday without any assistance.

Will a megathrust earthquake strike the NW in 2013? Some clues emerging
There were 4,800 earthquakes in the Northwest in 2012 and a record "episodic tremor and slip" event – a string of deep mini-quakes running from Vancouver Island to below Centralia – over the summer, but does any of that mean we're likely to see the "big one" in 2013?

Why Did A Train Carrying Biofuel Cross The Border 24 Times And Never Unload?
A cargo train filled with biofuels crossed the border between the US and Canada 24 times between the 15th of June and the 28th of June 2010; not once did it unload its cargo, yet it still earned millions of dollars... The companies “made several million dollars importing and exporting the fuel to exploit a loophole in a U.S. green energy program.” Each time the loaded train crossed the border the cargo earned its owner a certain amount of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), which were awarded by the US EPA to “promote and track production and importation of renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.”

‘Grim’ data reveals eurozone factory slump is getting worse
It’s pretty grim really. These surveys are pointing to a pretty deep recession. Eurozone factories sank deeper into recession in December as new orders tumbled, business surveys showed on Wednesday, a sharp contrast to continuing signs of revival in China.

Iran to Citizens: Flee Isfahan
Iranian officials have instructed residents of Isfahan to leave the city, renewing concerns that a nearby nuclear site could be leaking radioactive material. An edict issued Wednesday by Iranian authorities orders Isfahan’s one-and-a-half million people to leave the city “because pollution has now reached emergency levels,” the BBC reported.

Gallup: 50% Believe America’s Best Years Are Behind Us
Fifty percent of Americans now believe the country’s best years are past, according to Gallup, while 47 percent still say America’s best years are still to come. In a poll published on Jan. 2, Gallup asked, “When you think about the future of the United States -- which do you agree with more: the country’s best years are ahead of us (or) the country’s best years are behind us?

Pakistan militant Mullah Nazir 'killed in drone attack'
Senior Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir has been killed by a US drone strike, security officials say. He died with at least five fighters when two missiles struck his vehicle in the north-west tribal district of South Waziristan, they said. He was the leader of one of four major militant factions in Pakistan, accused of sending fighters to back the Afghan Taliban and fight foreign troops there.

White House wins fight to keep drone killings of Americans secret
A federal judge issued a 75-page ruling on Wednesday that declares that the US Justice Department does not have a legal obligation to explain the rationale behind killing Americans with targeted drone strikes.

War With Iran: US and Israel Cyber Warfare Against Iran Is Very Much Underway
Talk of war between Iran and Israel, ever fretting over the possibility of a nuclear armed or even nuclear capable Iran, dominates the discourse on the subject. It’s well noted that a potential war over Iran’s nuclear program in the Middle East would not only likely spread and escalate, but also drag the United States into yet another major conflict in the troublesome region, a predicament unimaginable to an American public tired of war and bloodshed after the invasion of Iraq and ongoing operations in Afghanistan.

Venezuela opposition demands 'truth' on Chavez health
The main opposition movement in Venezuela has called on the government to "tell the whole truth" about the health of President Hugo Chavez. The Venezuelan leader has not been seen or heard in public since having cancer surgery in Cuba three weeks ago.

Fiscal cliff: US urged to tackle budget deficit
US politicians have been urged to do more to sort out the budget by the two largest credit rating agencies. The warning comes despite the US narrowly agreeing a deal to stave off the US "fiscal cliff" of spending cuts and tax rises worth $600bn (£370bn). Rating agency Moody's said lawmakers would need to take additional steps to lower the ballooning budget deficit.

IDF preparing hospitals for chemical attacks
The IDF Home Front Command is preparing all hospitals in Israel for a range of security threats, including large-scale missile attacks and chemical attacks, a senior military source told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. The preparations have been planned three years in advance, and bear no relation to current events or recent threat assessments.

Father of Indian gang rape victim calls for hanging of guilty
The father of an Indian student whose gang rape and death sparked public outrage against the government has demanded that those responsible be hanged and he called for new legislation on sex crimes to be named in honor of his daughter.

Cliff Resolved - Deficit Set To Explode
Under the current bill there is only $1 in spending cuts for every $41 in tax increases. As I stated in my previous article not only will this actually result in a drag on the economy going forward it will also increase the deficit. According to updated information from the CBO the "Fiscal Cliff Deal" carries a $4 Trillion price tag over the next decade.

U.S. drone strike kills key Pakistan Taliban commander: sources
A U.S. drone strike killed a key Taliban commander, his deputy and eight others in northwest Pakistan, intelligence sources and tribal leaders said Thursday, deaths that could substantially alter the power balance in the Taliban heartland of Waziristan. Maulvi Nazir Wazir, also known as Mullah Nazir, was killed on Wednesday night when missiles struck a mud house in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, intelligence sources and residents said.

Al Jazeera buys Gore's Current TV, terms undisclosed
Al Jazeera said on Wednesday it will buy Current TV, the struggling cable channel founded by Al Gore and partners, in a move that will boost the Qatar-based broadcaster's footprint in the United States. Terms were undisclosed, but analysts estimated the deal could be worth as much as $500 million.

Shooter kills 3 people, injures 2 in Swiss village
A man using an old-model Swiss military rifle shot and killed three women and wounded two men in a Swiss village, and was then arrested by officers who shot and injured him, police said Thursday.

Syria unrest has killed 60,000, says UN
More than 60,000 people have been killed since Syria's uprising began in March 2011, the UN has said. A study commissioned by UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay collated data from seven different sources, and concluded that there had been 59,648 deaths until November 2012.

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Oklahoma Earthquake Prompts Insurance Review
"We have had a significant number of earthquakes in the past year alone, which reinforces the seriousness of adding earthquake coverage to insurance policies," said Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. "It is important to protect your home and possessions from natural disasters when the potential damages can be staggering to your finances."

Judge Slaps Down EPA Bid to Regulate Water as a Pollutant
“You know it’s bad when a partisan Democrat board of supervisors, like Fairfax County, will join us to sue the EPA,” he said. “That’s how bad it’s gotten.”

'Lost Tribe's' Return to Israel Fulfilling Prophecy?
Freund worked for years to help bring about this moment. He said he believes the Bnei Menashe return fulfills of biblical prophecy. "The prophet Isaiah says 'al tera qui ka ani,' which means 'fear not for I am with you, God says," Freund explained. "'Me israch avi zerecha,'" which translates 'from the east I will bring your descendants.'" "These are the descendants of Israel and they are coming back from the east," he said. "It is as if the headline of today was written by Isaiah the prophet 25 or 2,600 years ago. It's a phenomenal thing."

Citing Biblical precedent, Netanyahu cautions against ‘rushed’ peace agreement
Netanyahu, speaking at his weekly Bible-study session, compared political changes in the region to the weekly portion, saying just as a benevolent Pharaoh was replaced by one who enslaved the Jews, leaders around the region are being forced out and that could happen to Abbas as well. “In this week’s Torah portion it is written, ‘Now there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph.’ That’s also happening today,” he said from his Jerusalem residence, referring to the Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, who replaced Hosni Mubarak as Egypt’s leader last year.

Small Earthquake Shakes Up Okfuskee County
A small earthquake rumbled near the town of Boley, Okla. in Okfuskee County, Thursday night. The quake, which weighed in at a magnitude of 3.7, shook at a depth of about six miles.

Magnitude 5.1 earthquake jolts eastern Taiwan
The earthquake's epicenter was located at sea about 78.6 kilometers east of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 6.9 km, the bureau said.

NASA mulls plan to drag asteroid into moon's orbit
Researchers with the Keck Institute for Space Studies in California have confirmed that NASA is mulling over their plan to build a robotic spacecraft to grab a small asteroid and place it in high lunar orbit. The mission would cost about $2.6 billion – slightly more than NASA's Curiosity Mars rover – and could be completed by the 2020s.

More than 100 die of exposure in cold snap
Mr Srivastava said many of the dead were poor people whose bodies were found on sidewalks or in parks. The weather department said temperatures in the state were between 4 and 10°C below normal. New Delhi suffered its coldest day in 44 years amid the cold snap across northern India, meteorologists said.

Chinese Cyberattack Continues
The Department of Homeland Security warned Internet Explorer users this week about a new software flaw used in remote cyber attacks as Microsoft issued an advisory on the embattled browser’s software hole.

Egyptian mag affirms Brotherhood infiltration of White House
Effectively affirming the concerns of five much-maligned Republican House members and the evidence presented in an investigative book, an Egyptian magazine claims six American Muslim leaders who work with the Obama administration are Muslim Brotherhood operatives who have significant influence on U.S. policy.

Netanyahu: Iran yet to cross nuclear red line
"Iran remains the number one threat. I set a red line (for its nuclear program), and as of now Iran has yet to cross it," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday. Speaking at the annul meeting in the Foreign Ministry for Israel's ambassadors overseas, the PM said Israel remains determined to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Franklin Graham warns 'wicked' America
He was banned from a Pentagon prayer service because of Muslim complaints about his beliefs, and he later charged that Barack Obama has “shaken his fist” at God by endorsing same-sex “marriage,” so no one would expect mild platitudes from the strong-willed Franklin Graham. But to liken America’s current situation to the status of the Old Testament tribe of Judah under Manasseh, the “wickedest king to rule?”

Saudi Arabian jets 'aiding US strikes on Yemen'
US drones are backing Yemeni forces combating militants of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The group's Yemen branch is considered by Washington to be the most active and deadliest franchise of the global jihadist network. The Times cited a US intelligence source as saying that "some of the so-called drone missions are actually Saudi Air Force missions".

Illinois Dems advance ban on most modern firearms
Illinois Senate Democrats advanced legislation late Wednesday to restrict semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, pressing forward with new gun control measures...over the objections of firearms groups. Amid the developments, the Illinois State Rifle Association issued an “urgent alert” to its members warning them that Democratic legislators were trying to push through last-minute anti-gun legislation.

Hillary Clinton 'will testify about Benghazi consulate security shambles' despite concussion and blood clot
Hillary Clinton will testify in front of Congress about the terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya - despite receiving a concussion and being hospitalized for a blood clot, it was revealed on Thursday. The Secretary of State cancelled appearances before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee after she fainted and hit her head on December 9.

Bahawal Khan to succeed Pakistan militant leader Mullah Nazir
A successor to Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir, who was killed in a US drone strike, has been named. Bahawal Khan, who also goes by the name Salahuddin Ayubi, has taken command of Nazir's group, officials say. Mullah Nazir died when two missiles struck his vehicle in the tribal area of South Waziristan on Wednesday.

'Egypt stops US-made missiles destined for Gaza'
Egyptian security forces in the Sinai Peninsula intercepted a shipment of American-made anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles destined for the Gaza Strip, Palestinian news agency Ma'an and Egyptian media reported on Friday. After receiving intelligence on the weapons shipment, the Egyptian Interior Ministry raided the location south of El-Arish, Ma'an reported.

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Near Shilo: Arabs Injure 11 Jews, Damage Vineyards
About 250 Arabs rioted Saturday afternoon near Esh Kodesh, close to Shilo in the Binyamin region, injuring 11 Jews. According to the Tatzpit news agency, the rioters tore down the fences surrounding the Jewish residents' vineyards, causing them serious damage.-Israeli security forces instructed the local emergency team to go into action, and the responders fired in the air until the IDF arrived in the scene.

Venezuela faces turmoil as Chavez worsens
The government, which has given only vague updates on his condition since he flew to Cuba for emergency treatment, admitted that Mr Chavez's condition had worsened. "The President has faced complications as a result of a severe respiratory infection. This has led to respiratory deficiency that requires Chavez to remain in strict compliance with his medical treatment," said Ernesto Villegas, the information minister.

Early flu season accelerates; no peak yet, CDC says
The nation’s early flu season continued to grow in the U.S. this week, with no sign yet of a peak in the spread of coughing, achy, feverish illness, health officials said Friday. "I think we're still accelerating," said Tom Skinner, a CDC spokesman. Twenty-nine states and New York City reported high levels of flu activity, up from 16 states and NYC the previous week.

Nato deploying Patriot missiles to Turkey-Syria border
Nato has begun to deploy Patriot missiles to Turkey to help Turkish troops repel attacks by missiles or aircraft from neighbouring Syria. The US European Command said its troops and equipment had started arriving in southern Turkey, and more would arrive in the coming days. Germany and the Netherlands are preparing to ship their Patriot batteries early next week.

Iraqi Sunnis stage protests against 'discrimination'
Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims in Iraq have been staging anti-government protests in Baghdad and other cities. It is is the latest in two weeks of protests over alleged discrimination. They are also calling for the release of female detainees they say have been arrested in place of husbands or sons wanted on charges of terrorism.

Gaza: Fatah holds biggest rally since Hamas came to power
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction have held rallies in Gaza to mark the group's 48th anniversary. Hamas, which governs Gaza, allowed rival Fatah to hold celebrations there for the first time since Hamas ousted Fatah forces five years ago. Last month, supporters of Hamas celebrated their movement's founding with a rare rally in the West Bank.

Southern Weekly reporters confront China censors
Journalists at a leading Chinese newspaper have called for a propaganda chief to resign, in a rare protest against censorship. Prominent former staff and interns at the Southern Weekly urged the official to quit after he changed an editorial into a Communist Party tribute. They accused him of being "dictatorial" in an era of "growing openness".

Australia wildfires: Thousands stranded in Tasmania
Wildfires on the Australian island of Tasmania have stranded thousands of people and destroyed at least 100 homes. Much of Australia is experiencing a heatwave, and temperatures in the Tasmanian state capital Hobart earlier reached a record high of 41C. Some took shelter on beaches on the Tasman Peninsula, which remains cut off.

Sandy flood aid passes US Congress
The US Congress has passed an emergency aid package for victims of "superstorm" Sandy, days after an outcry over a delay in approval. The $9.7bn (£5.9bn) bill will prevent a flood insurance fund from running out of money by next week. House Speaker John Boehner agreed to hold two votes on a total $60bn request, after politicians from the hardest-hit areas spoke out.

'Obama set to nominate Hagel for defense post'
President Barack Obama appeared poised on Friday to pick former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as the next US defense secretary and the announcement may come early next week. Sources on Capitol Hill and in the national security community said all signs were pointing to Hagel as Obama's choice to replace current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

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Pope: Church Must Stand Firm Against 'Intolerant Agnosticism'
"Anyone who lives and proclaims the faith of the church is on many points out of step with the prevalent way of thinking," he said. "The approval of the prevailing wisdom, however, is not the criterion to which we submit." In the United States, a group last month started a petition on the White House website asking the administration of President Barack Obama to list the Catholic Church as a "hate group" because of its opposition to gay marriage.

Tony Blair speaks out over Europe, immigration and banker-bashing
...the former prime minister stood by his New Labour conviction that the "third way, progressive radical centre' is the best political position to adopt.

THE THIRD WAY Politics Of The Radical Center
The Lord Jesus Christ did not teach comparative religion, nor encourage his disciples to make such arrangements with the secular Powers That Be. The "Third Way" ideology is much more than just 'another way' of doing things. Rather, it is the specific ideology of the political elite and their multinational industrial paymasters. And, if you study this ideology closely, you may soon learn the real reason behind all those very oppressive laws, rules and regulations coming out of Washington these past few years.

Earthquake measuring 7.5 strikes off southeastern Alaska
A powerful earthquake measuring 7.5 magnitude struck a remote corner of the Pacific Coast off Alaska's panhandle, triggering a tsunami warning that prompted evacuations early Saturday in the seaside borough of Sitka, but no severe damage or injuries were reported. The quake was centered about 60 miles southwest of Port Alexander, a town near the southern tip of Baranof Island, at a depth of 6 miles, and occurred just before midnight local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Iran building software to control networking sites
Iran's police chief says the Islamic Republic is developing new software to control social networking sites. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam was quoted in Iranian newspapers Saturday as saying the new software will prevent Iranians from being exposed to malicious content online while allowing users to enjoy the benefits of the Internet. He did not say when the software would be introduced.

Mass protests against government spread in Iraq
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied across Iraq on Friday, charging that Sunni Muslims had been disenfranchised under the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and pressing for detainees to be freed. Protests have raged for weeks and continued even after the Iraqi justice ministry freed nearly a dozen female prisoners and said it would transfer others to jails closer to their homes.

UK must 'ask for change on Europe,' David Cameron says
Britain is "perfectly entitled" to ask for change on Europe, Prime Minister David Cameron has said. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, he said voters would be offered "real choice" on the UK's relationship with the EU at the next election. But he said being entirely outside the EU would not be "right for Britain".

PM: Global Jihadists moving into Golan border area
Israel needs to construct a border fence with Syria on the Golan Heights because the Syrian army has moved away from the border, and Global Jihad elements have moved in its place, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday. ...The prime minister said Israel needed to defend the north both from illegal infiltration and from terrorist elements.

GOLDMAN: Bond Market Investors Are About To Get Crushed
Goldman Sachs strategists have issued a big warning to clients hiding out in bond funds: You're about to lose your shirt. The reason: interest rates began rising this week, and if they return to the historical average yield of 3 percent, prices for long-term bonds will plummet. (By their very nature, fixed income prices must fall if rates rise.)

China's Coldest Winter In Decades At New Low
China is experiencing unusual chills this winter with its national average temperature hitting the lowest in 28 years, and snow and ice have closed highways, canceled flights, stranded tourists and knocked out power in several provinces.

White House weighs broad gun-control agenda in wake of Newtown shootings
The White House is weighing a far broader and more comprehensive approach to curbing the nation’s gun violence than simply reinstating an expired ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition, according to multiple people involved in the administration’s discussions.

Sudan, South Sudan Agree to Set Up Demilitarized Border Zone
Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir and South Sudan’s Salva Kiir agreed to set up a demilitarized zone along their border “without further delay” as the African states seek to resume oil flows vital to their economies.

Gérard Depardieu meets Vladimir Putin and gets his Russian passport
Gérard Depardieu has met the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Black Sea town of Sochi and obtained his Russian passport, the Kremlin has said, after the French film star left his homeland to avoid a new tax rate for millionaires.

Venezuela assembly re-elects legislative chief amid Chavez health crisis
Allies of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez on Saturday chose to keep the same National Assembly president -- a man who could be in line to step in as a caretaker leader in some circumstances. The vote to retain Diosdado Cabello as legislative leader signaled the ruling party's desire to stress unity and continuity amid growing signs the government plans to postpone Chavez's inauguration for a new term while he fights a severe respiratory infection nearly a month after cancer surgery in Cuba.

Assad to make rare speech as Syrian rebels draw nearer
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will deliver a rare speech on Sunday about the uprising against his rule, which has killed 60,000 people and brought civil war to the edge of his capital. With insurgents fighting their way closer to the seat of his power, state media said in a statement that Assad would speak on Sunday morning about the "latest developments in Syria and the region", without giving details.

Four dead after police standoff in Colorado
A gunman barricaded inside his Colorado home fired shots at police from a second-story window before he was killed as SWAT officers stormed the home Saturday. Once inside, they found the bodies of three other adults, authorities said.

Drone attack in Pakistan kills at least 10: intelligence sources
A U.S. drone strike killed at least 10 people suspected to be Taliban fighters in Pakistan's northern tribal areas on Sunday, intelligence sources said, days after another drone strike killed a top militant leader in the area.

Pakistan says 1 dead in border clash with India
Pakistan and India traded accusations Sunday of violating the cease-fire in the disputed northern region of Kashmir, with Islamabad accusing Indian troops of a cross-border raid that killed one of its soldiers and India charging that Pakistani shelling destroyed a home on its side.

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Egypt ups Islamist role in cabinet, eyes IMF deal
Egypt reshuffled its government on Sunday to strengthen Islamist control and pledged to complete talks with the International Monetary Fund on a $4.8 billion loan deal to stave off a currency crisis that risks igniting more unrest.-The IMF deal is seen as vital for boosting investor confidence and staving off a financial crisis.

Tehran, Moscow to hold 10th joint economic committee meeting
Iran and Russia will hold their 10th joint economic committee meeting in the second half of the Iranian calendar month of Bahman (February 3-18, 2013), ISNA reported. "The two countries can cooperate more in the political, economic, trade, and cultural areas, oil and gas, and construction of power plants to raise the value of bilateral trade to $10 billion dollars a year"

'Turkey won't participate in possible military action against Iran'
An Iranian FM spokesman has slammed the Turkish gov't for allowing NATO to deploy Patriot missiles along the country's border with Syria, but in the meantime said that Turkey has assured them that it will not participate in any military action against Iran.-He later said the Patriot missiles in Turkey are in the hands of NATO and the West, not Ankara - refuting Turkish officials' statements to the contrary - and that they were deployed in Turkey to protect Israel.

Controlled Chaos And The Battle For The Human Mind
The psychopathic political elites use controlled chaos to advance their agenda of continued theft of wealth and liberties and gradual march to one world government. The recent “fiscal cliff” negotiations are a perfect example of this controlled chaos. Their chaos is the result of ongoing manufactured crises, one piled upon the other. Political elites love for the public to be whipped into a state of frenzy over thoughts of impending doom.

Greg Laurie on Things to Do Before Jesus Returns
What if we knew somehow that Jesus Christ will be back for us at 3 p.m. tomorrow? The pastor asked. "I'm sure we'd all be saints at 2:45 … We'll be wearing our Sunday morning smiles and our come-quickly-Jesus attitude." Though we do not know when Jesus is returning, "shouldn't we have that same smile and that same attitude every day as if that were the day that Christ could come?"

Head of Catholic sect calls Jews ‘enemies’ of Church
Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, made the remark during a Dec. 28 address at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in New Hamburg, Ontario, about 90 minutes' drive west of Toronto. He was reviewing the situation of the society, which opposes Catholic Church reforms decided by the Second Vatican Council and is not recognized by the Church.

Berlusconi strikes vital Italy election deal with League
Berlusconi has been striving for weeks to seal the deal with his estranged former allies to strengthen the center-right bloc, under a strategy to stymie the center-left government which is expected to emerge from a February 24-25 election.

Scientists Seek Foolproof Signal to Predict Earthquakes
One theory is that when an earthquake looms, the rock "goes through a strange change," producing intense electrical currents, says Tom Bleier, a satellite engineer with QuakeFinder, a project funded by his parent company, Stellar Solutions, of Cambridge, Massachusetts. "These currents are huge," Bleier said at the AGU meeting. "They're on the order of 100,000 amperes for a magnitude 6 earthquake and a million amperes for a magnitude 7. It's almost like lightning, underground."

China newspaper journalists stage rare strike
Journalists at a major Chinese paper, Southern Weekly, have gone on strike in a rare protest against censorship. The row was sparked last week when the paper's New Year message calling for reform was changed by propaganda officials.

Buenos Aires Swelters Amid Heat Wave, Power Outages
Amid a plethora of recommendations by the authorities on how to deal with the soaring temperatures, which on Tuesday were expected to reach 36 C (97 F), people took refuge in any shade they could find to get out of the blazing heat of the Argentine summer. The National Meteorological Service renewed this Tuesday a high alert for the Argentine capital and its surrounding areas due to the high temperatures, which created scenes the total opposite of those seen these days in snowbound Europe and the United States.

Temperatures in China hit 28-year low
Since late November the country has shivered at an average of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit), 1.3 degrees colder than the previous average, and the chilliest in 28 years, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday, citing the China Meteorological Administration.

Dutch Patriot missiles shipped to boost Turkish air defenses amid threat from Syrian civil war
The Dutch military is shipping its Patriot missiles to fellow NATO member Turkey to boost its air defenses amid the escalating war in neighboring Syria. The two Dutch batteries are part of a NATO contingent of Patriot missiles that intercept incoming ballistic missiles. Two U.S. and two German batteries are also being deployed to other parts of southern Turkey.

Flu infections sweep America hospitalizing thousands and leaving 18 children dead of complications, and it's going to get worse
The U.S. has been hit with a particularly aggressive early flu season this year with widespread reports of the illness across the country, hospitalizing 2,257 people and leaving 18 children dead before the end of 2012. And health officials say the numbers haven't even peaked yet.

Renowned French economist to join Obama’s team
France’s Esther Duflo, a world renowned economist, has been nominated by US President Barack Obama to join a government body dedicated to advising the administration on global development policy. Called the Global Development Council, the group was founded by Obama in 2010 to help shape US development efforts abroad.

Buchanan warns of ‘revolution’ if government attempts to ban and confiscate firearms
Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, author of “Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?,” predicted that a revolution will result if President Barack Obama tries to ban and confiscate firearms. “There are three million ArmaLite rifles — those Bushmaster types out there right now, and people are buying them like hotcakes,” Buchanan said.

Totally blind mice get sight back
Totally blind mice have had their sight restored by injections of light-sensing cells into the eye, UK researchers report. The team in Oxford said their studies closely resemble the treatments that would be needed in people with degenerative eye disease. Similar results have already been achieved with night-blind mice.

Basel liquidity agreement boosts bank shares
European bank shares have risen following the weekend agreement on the minimum amounts of cash and easy-to-sell assets that banks have to hold. A previous draft two years ago said they would have to meet new requirements by 2015, but that has now been extended to 2019.

Democratic Senator: WH Gun-Control Plans 'Way in Extreme'
According to the Post, the proposals "would require universal background checks for firearm buyers, track the movement and sale of weapons through a national database, strengthen mental health checks, and stiffen penalties for carrying guns near schools or giving them to minors."

Obama to nominate Brennan as CIA head
US President Barack Obama is to nominate John Brennan as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, White House officials have said. If confirmed, Mr Brennan will replace Gen David Petraeus, who resigned last year after admitting to an affair. Chuck Hagel is to be put forward as the president's next defence secretary, replacing Leon Panetta.

Hospital drills prepare for chemical attacks
Jewish Voice Ministries International President Rabbi Jonathan Bernis said that Israel’s Home Office considers the preparedness important because of the proximity to Syria, which is torn by civil war and possesses stockpiles of chemical weaponry.

Fleet of Russian warships reportedly en route to Syria to head off a Western attack
A flotilla of five Russian warships laden with hundreds of troops, which is headed toward Syria, is a show of force meant to deter Western armies from intervening in the war-torn nation, the London-based Sunday Times reported.

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Earthquake measuring 6.2 shakes northwestern Turkey, Greek islands in Aegean Sea
The Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory says the quake occurred at 4:16 p.m. (1416 GMT) Tuesday off the coast from Turkey's northwestern Canakkale province. Authorities are still assessing possible damage.

It's So Hot In Australia, They've Added A New Color To Maps
Global warming is turning the volume of extreme weather up, Spinal-Tap-style, to 11. The temperature forecast for next Monday by Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is so unprecedented — over 52C - (around 125 degrees Fahrenheit) that it has had to add a new colour to the top of its scale, a suitably incandescent purple.

Obama to Boehner: 'We Don't Have a Spending Problem'
In a stunning admission, Obama reportedly told Boehner, “We don’t have a spending problem.” Boehner added that President Obama continues to maintain that America’s federal deficit is caused not by governmental overspending but by “a health-care problem.” Said Boehner, “They blame all of the fiscal woes on our health-care system.” Boehner told Obama, “Clearly we have a health-care problem, which is about to get worse with Obamacare. But, Mr. President, we have a very serious spending problem.” Obama eventually replied, “I’m getting tired of hearing you say that.”

Palestinian Authority Chief Judge: 'Jerusalem Will Be the Capital of the Caliphate'
Palestinian Authority Chief Islamic Judge Tayseer Al-Tamimi uttered these words on Azhari TV on December 31, 2012: The caliphate will be restored after this tyrannical rule comes to an end... What we are seeing in Egypt are birth pangs. The struggle between Islam and others, and all the conspiracies that aim at stopping the train that has already set out to liberate Jerusalem and to restore Islamic rule. Jerusalem will be the capital of the caliphate,

Right wing pro-Israel group takes Hagel’s name to launch campaign against Pentagon chief pick
The Emergency Committee for Israel, a New York based non-profit with a history of running campaigns against US politicians seen as critical of Israel, went live with www.chuckhagel.com last week. The website calls into question Hagel’s ability to serve as defense secretary, highlighting a number of statements seen as anti-Israel or anti-Semitic.

NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT
Magnitude: 4.7 mb Depth: 119 km Universal Time (UTC): 8 Jan 2013 08:29:42 Time near the Epicenter: 8 Jan 2013 18:29:42 Local standard time in your area: 8 Jan 2013 03:29:42

Assad outlines new Syria peace plan
Bashar Assad on Sunday outlined his vision for a road map to end nearly 22 months of violence in Syria but also struck a defiant tone, calling on his countrymen to unite against "murderous criminals" whom he said are carrying out a foreign plot seeking to tear the nation apart. In a one-hour speech to the nation in which he appeared confident and relaxed, Assad ignored international demands for him to step down and said he is ready to hold a dialogue but only with those "who have not betrayed Syria." He offered a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution but demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming rebels trying to overthrow him first.

Red Cross chief: 'Britain could face more riots'
The Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Britain could face further riots as a result of the economic crisis. Yves Daccord also said he believes there is the prospect of further violence throughout Europe, drawing parallels with the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy): increase in uplift and temperature as possible signs of magma ascent
According to a recent report by INGV Naples, the ground deformation of the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) near Naples has increased considerably lately. During the last 12 months, the ground in some places near the town of Pozzuoli was uplifted by about 8 cm. The largest uplift, recorded by GPS devices, occurred during the months of July-August 2012 and since December. The trend appears to be continuing at the moment.

Mexico: violent explosion of Volcán de Fuego de Colima
Yesterday afternoon, on the day of Epiphany, a violent explosion of Volcán de Fuego de Colima has affected Mexico causing a large lookout in the Mexican civil protection system with the immediate evacuation of about 3,000 tourists inside the Nevado de Colima National Park.

Netanyahu says he will ‘never divide Jerusalem,’ could accept a centrist coalition
Jerusalem will not be divided “so long as I’m prime minister,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Monday night Channel 2 broadcast. Asked by Yaakov Elon about polls showing two-thirds of Israelis support the division of the city as part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians, the prime minister responded, “I don’t buy it” and stressed that Hamas would be at the walls of Israel’s border if Jerusalem were split.

U.S. downgrade expected without grand bargain in next two months
While the fiscal cliff deal brought a big sigh of relief to the market, particularly for risk assets, the compromise does nothing to address the long-term budget problems facing the United States. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office’s math suggests the bill increases the budget deficit by US$4-billion over the next 10 years.

House Democrat Serrano tries to alter Constitution, end presidential term limits
Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano is once again proposing a constitutional amendment to end presidential term limits – hoping to break his losing streak on the resolution that dates back roughly 15 years.

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Japan Earthquake 2013: 5.4 Magnitude Quake Hits Country Amid Promises Tokyo Will Be ‘Quake-Proof’ For 2020 Olympics
A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the northeastern coast of Japan on Tuesday, the same day as Japanese officials boasted of the country’s safety after putting forward a bid to host the 2020 Olympics.

Egypt's president to meet Palestinian rivals on unity
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi plans to meet the leaders of Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah on Wednesday in a renewed effort to help them heal their five-year-old feud, Palestinian and Egyptian officials said.

Earthquake measuring 6.2 shakes areas of Turkey and Greece
An earthquake centered beneath the Aegean Sea shook cities and islands in Turkey and Greece on Tuesday, causing panic in some areas but no injuries or damage, officials said. The Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, occurred at 4:16 p.m. (1416 GMT) off the coast from Turkey’s northwestern Canakkale province.

US seared during hottest year on record by far
America set an off-the-charts heat record in 2012. A brutal combination of a widespread drought and a mostly absent winter pushed the average annual U.S. temperature last year up to 55.32 degrees Fahrenheit, the government announced Tuesday. That's a full degree warmer than the old record set in 1998. Breaking temperature records by an entire degree is unprecedented, scientists say. Normally, records are broken by a tenth of a degree or so.

Netanyahu takes on the world in Israeli election campaign
Benjamin Netanyahu has been lecturing the international community - vocal in its criticism of settlement expansion on occupied territory and his hints of military action against Iran - about what it should really be worried about.

BIG SUNSPOT:
A very large sunspot is emerging over the sun's eastern limb. Numbered AR1654, it consists of two dark cores each 4 or more times wider than Earth.

Australian heatwave puts south-east on alert as wildfires burn out of control
A record-breaking heatwave and high winds across south-eastern Australia have produced some of the worst fire conditions seen in the country, with blazes destroying thousands of hectares of land and threatening properties, but – so far – sparing lives. Emergency teams fought more than 130 fires across New South Wales, the country's most populous state, on Tuesday, with at least 40 burning out of control.

Obama administration ends post-9/11 restrictions on Saudis entering U.S.
The United States, a decade after Al Qaida strikes in New York and Washington, has opened its doors to Saudi nationals. Diplomats said the administration of President Barack Obama has removed most restrictions on the entry of Saudis to the United States. They said the percentage of visa approvals for Saudis has reached unprecedented levels.

The US Has Gone Over The 'Demographic Cliff' And Markets Will Crash This Summer
Dent, the economic forecaster perhaps best known for the use of demographics in his analysis, is predicting a big market crash this summer.

Surprise! The Payroll Tax Hike Obliterated an Entire Year’s Worth of Wage Gains
The Senate-backed “fiscal cliff” bill that managed to pass both chambers last week failed to reinstate the payroll tax holiday... Consequently, everyone will see their taxes go up. In fact, as Brad Plummer of the Washington Post points out, the payroll tax hike (which is technically returning the tax to its previous rate of 6.2 percent, up from its temporary rate of 4.2 percent), will completely wipe out an entire year’s worth of wage gains...

Asteroid named after an Egyptian demon set to pass by Earth tomorrow
A 900 foot-wide asteroid will make the latest in a series of close approaches to the Earth tomorrow. Scientists have ruled out any possibility of a cataclysmic collision - yet - but there remains a non-negligible chance of the asteroid Apophis smashing into Earth in 2036. This year Apophis, named after an Egyptian mythological demon, will not get closer than around nine million miles.

Israel Planning to Build Holy Temple, Claims PA Official
...an analysis of Jerusalem's development plans finds there is an intention to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and within this framework build the Temple on its ruins and to then reduce the number of Arab residents in the city.

Planned Parenthood's New Annual Report: We Did 333,964 Abortions; 1 Every 94 Seconds
That works out to an average of one abortion every 94 seconds. The 333,964 abortion Planned Parenthood did in fiscal 2011 is an increase of 4,519 from the 329,445 abortions it did in 2010, according to a fact sheet that Planned Parenthood published last year. Over two years, Planned Parenthood says, it has aborted 663,409.

Governments urged to prepare for the worst
It would be useful, adds Lee Howell, managing director of the WEF's Risk Response Network and editor of the report, if governments were to create similar functions, with a view to "take an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to risk". "How often do you see a central bank governor talk to a defence minister?" he says. "It doesn't really happen."

Pro-jihadist John Brennan to head CIA?
Obama said Monday that he would nominate former Nebraska Sen. Hagel, a Republican, to be secretary of defense, and his top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Astonishing. Obama is doing the full monty. The president’s CIA pick has called jihad a “legitimate tenet of Islam,” arguing that the term “jihadists” should not be used to describe America’s enemies.

Does Obama plan to bankrupt America?
“Barack Obama and the radical left activists now in control of the Democratic Party see the Cloward-Piven theory as predicting a welfare state expanded to the point where the accumulated national debt bankrupts the USA,” Corsi said. “The Cloward-Piven theory predicts capitalism will collapse such that the USA can be reconstructed as a truly socialist state dedicated to the elimination of private property and the creation of ‘social justice’ achieved by redistributing income from the ‘haves’ to the ‘have-nots.’”

EU demands access to details of all UK drivers: 'Orwellian' move to hand out personal information to foreign police forces
Brussels is demanding that 26 police forces across the EU should have access to the personal details of every motorist in Britain. The Government is being threatened with fines totalling millions of pounds unless it obeys the ‘Orwellian’ edict. Foreign police also want open access to the UK’s national DNA database and fingerprint records so they can check them against crime scenes and camera footage.

Hospital Opens Emergency Tent in Midst of Increasing Flu Cases
It’s the most miserable time of the year for many people in the area. Flu season is in full effect and this one in particular is shaping up to be more extreme than usual. The State Department of Health reports that four Pennsylvanians have already died of complications from the influenza virus.

Rheinmetall demos laser that can shoot down drones
A laser weapons system that can shoot down two drones at a distance of over a mile has been demonstrated by Rheinmetall Defence. The German defence firm used the high-energy laser equipment to shoot fast-moving drones at a distance. The system, which uses two laser weapons, was also used to cut through a steel girder a kilometre away.

U.N. wants to use drones for peacekeeping missions
The United Nations, looking to modernize its peacekeeping operations, is planning for the first time to deploy a fleet of its own surveillance drones in missions in Central and West Africa. The U.N. Department of Peacekeeping has notified Congo, Rwanda and Uganda that it intends to deploy a unit of at least three unarmed surveillance drones in the eastern region of Congo.

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Japan Earthquake 2013: 5.4 Magnitude Quake Hits Country Amid Promises Tokyo Will Be ‘Quake-Proof’ For 2020 Olympics
A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the northeastern coast of Japan on Tuesday, the same day as Japanese officials boasted of the country’s safety after putting forward a bid to host the 2020 Olympics.

Egypt's president to meet Palestinian rivals on unity
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi plans to meet the leaders of Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah on Wednesday in a renewed effort to help them heal their five-year-old feud, Palestinian and Egyptian officials said.

Earthquake measuring 6.2 shakes areas of Turkey and Greece
An earthquake centered beneath the Aegean Sea shook cities and islands in Turkey and Greece on Tuesday, causing panic in some areas but no injuries or damage, officials said. The Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, occurred at 4:16 p.m. (1416 GMT) off the coast from Turkey’s northwestern Canakkale province.

US seared during hottest year on record by far
America set an off-the-charts heat record in 2012. A brutal combination of a widespread drought and a mostly absent winter pushed the average annual U.S. temperature last year up to 55.32 degrees Fahrenheit, the government announced Tuesday. That's a full degree warmer than the old record set in 1998. Breaking temperature records by an entire degree is unprecedented, scientists say. Normally, records are broken by a tenth of a degree or so.

Netanyahu takes on the world in Israeli election campaign
Benjamin Netanyahu has been lecturing the international community - vocal in its criticism of settlement expansion on occupied territory and his hints of military action against Iran - about what it should really be worried about.

BIG SUNSPOT:
A very large sunspot is emerging over the sun's eastern limb. Numbered AR1654, it consists of two dark cores each 4 or more times wider than Earth.

Australian heatwave puts south-east on alert as wildfires burn out of control
A record-breaking heatwave and high winds across south-eastern Australia have produced some of the worst fire conditions seen in the country, with blazes destroying thousands of hectares of land and threatening properties, but – so far – sparing lives. Emergency teams fought more than 130 fires across New South Wales, the country's most populous state, on Tuesday, with at least 40 burning out of control.

Obama administration ends post-9/11 restrictions on Saudis entering U.S.
The United States, a decade after Al Qaida strikes in New York and Washington, has opened its doors to Saudi nationals. Diplomats said the administration of President Barack Obama has removed most restrictions on the entry of Saudis to the United States. They said the percentage of visa approvals for Saudis has reached unprecedented levels.

The US Has Gone Over The 'Demographic Cliff' And Markets Will Crash This Summer
Dent, the economic forecaster perhaps best known for the use of demographics in his analysis, is predicting a big market crash this summer.

Surprise! The Payroll Tax Hike Obliterated an Entire Year’s Worth of Wage Gains
The Senate-backed “fiscal cliff” bill that managed to pass both chambers last week failed to reinstate the payroll tax holiday... Consequently, everyone will see their taxes go up. In fact, as Brad Plummer of the Washington Post points out, the payroll tax hike (which is technically returning the tax to its previous rate of 6.2 percent, up from its temporary rate of 4.2 percent), will completely wipe out an entire year’s worth of wage gains...

Asteroid named after an Egyptian demon set to pass by Earth tomorrow
A 900 foot-wide asteroid will make the latest in a series of close approaches to the Earth tomorrow. Scientists have ruled out any possibility of a cataclysmic collision - yet - but there remains a non-negligible chance of the asteroid Apophis smashing into Earth in 2036. This year Apophis, named after an Egyptian mythological demon, will not get closer than around nine million miles.

Israel Planning to Build Holy Temple, Claims PA Official
...an analysis of Jerusalem's development plans finds there is an intention to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and within this framework build the Temple on its ruins and to then reduce the number of Arab residents in the city.

Planned Parenthood's New Annual Report: We Did 333,964 Abortions; 1 Every 94 Seconds
That works out to an average of one abortion every 94 seconds. The 333,964 abortion Planned Parenthood did in fiscal 2011 is an increase of 4,519 from the 329,445 abortions it did in 2010, according to a fact sheet that Planned Parenthood published last year. Over two years, Planned Parenthood says, it has aborted 663,409.

Governments urged to prepare for the worst
It would be useful, adds Lee Howell, managing director of the WEF's Risk Response Network and editor of the report, if governments were to create similar functions, with a view to "take an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to risk". "How often do you see a central bank governor talk to a defence minister?" he says. "It doesn't really happen."

Pro-jihadist John Brennan to head CIA?
Obama said Monday that he would nominate former Nebraska Sen. Hagel, a Republican, to be secretary of defense, and his top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Astonishing. Obama is doing the full monty. The president’s CIA pick has called jihad a “legitimate tenet of Islam,” arguing that the term “jihadists” should not be used to describe America’s enemies.

Does Obama plan to bankrupt America?
“Barack Obama and the radical left activists now in control of the Democratic Party see the Cloward-Piven theory as predicting a welfare state expanded to the point where the accumulated national debt bankrupts the USA,” Corsi said. “The Cloward-Piven theory predicts capitalism will collapse such that the USA can be reconstructed as a truly socialist state dedicated to the elimination of private property and the creation of ‘social justice’ achieved by redistributing income from the ‘haves’ to the ‘have-nots.’”

EU demands access to details of all UK drivers: 'Orwellian' move to hand out personal information to foreign police forces
Brussels is demanding that 26 police forces across the EU should have access to the personal details of every motorist in Britain. The Government is being threatened with fines totalling millions of pounds unless it obeys the ‘Orwellian’ edict. Foreign police also want open access to the UK’s national DNA database and fingerprint records so they can check them against crime scenes and camera footage.

Hospital Opens Emergency Tent in Midst of Increasing Flu Cases
It’s the most miserable time of the year for many people in the area. Flu season is in full effect and this one in particular is shaping up to be more extreme than usual. The State Department of Health reports that four Pennsylvanians have already died of complications from the influenza virus.

Rheinmetall demos laser that can shoot down drones
A laser weapons system that can shoot down two drones at a distance of over a mile has been demonstrated by Rheinmetall Defence. The German defence firm used the high-energy laser equipment to shoot fast-moving drones at a distance. The system, which uses two laser weapons, was also used to cut through a steel girder a kilometre away.

U.N. wants to use drones for peacekeeping missions
The United Nations, looking to modernize its peacekeeping operations, is planning for the first time to deploy a fleet of its own surveillance drones in missions in Central and West Africa. The U.N. Department of Peacekeeping has notified Congo, Rwanda and Uganda that it intends to deploy a unit of at least three unarmed surveillance drones in the eastern region of Congo.

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Menacing Dust Storm Hits Australia
A huge wave of dust swept over the coast of Western Australia on Wednesday, Jan. 9. A Bureau of Meteorology forecaster explained to The West Australian that the striking view was created when the sand and dust was mixed into a thunderstorm's wind and rain.

Dupe of the Year 2012
You may be sick of hearing about him again, but Warren Buffett did huge damage serving as Obama's useful fool last year.

Egyptian Press Confirms Washington Infiltrated By Islamists
The radical Muslim Brotherhood doesn't just threaten Israel and Mideast peace. According to the Egyptian press, several of its operatives have infiltrated the U.S. government and are influencing policy here. The respected Egyptian magazine Rose al-Youssef has identified at least six Brotherhood-tied agents of influence who have worked into positions inside the Obama administration.

Heavy snow leaves Jerusalem in unfamiliar territory
In many parts of the country Thursday morning, 10 to 15 centimetres of snow fell. Jerusalem, which is nestled among hills, received a good blanketing –“The downtown area is bathed in white,” Elisha Peleg, an official in charge of emergencies for the municipality of Jerusalem, told the Jerusalem Post. “The elders of Jerusalem don’t remember such a snowstorm in years.”

Magnitude 2.0 earthquake rattles central Virginia
The earthquake registered a mere 2.0 magnitude, but people as far as Virginia Beach, Silver Spring and the District described feeling its effects.

PM slams Abbas for meeting with Mashaal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Wednesday meeting of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal, saying: "Abu Mazen embraces a terror organization's leader who announced just a month ago that Israel should be wiped off the map. That is not the conduct of someone who wants peace."

We are raising a generation of deluded narcissists
Psychologist Jean Twenge, the lead author of the analysis, is also the author of a study showing that the tendency toward narcissism in students is up 30 percent in the last thirty-odd years. This data is not unexpected.

The five-inch killer slugs invading Britain: Millions set to attack our garden plants and vegetables after arriving from Spain
‘And then I noticed that it wasn’t just plants that were being attacked by this species, they were actually eating things like dead animals, there was an instance of a mouse that was killed by my cat, slugs were swarming over it and eating it. 'They were also eating other slugs, eating snails, even eating shells.’ He said millions of eggs and baby killer slugs were buried under leaves, waiting until spring to emerge.

Americans never give up your guns
However, in the city alone, at that time, lived over 30,000 military officers (both active and retired), all with their own issued weapons and ammunition, plus tens of thousands of other citizens who were armed. The Soviets promised to leave them all alone if they did not intervene. They did not and for that were asked afterwards to come register themselves and their weapons: where they were promptly shot.

Sarah Palin Praises Ben Shapiro's Book 'Bullies'
Ben Shapiro has a great new book out called “Bullies: How The Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America.” Ben’s premise about the left’s silencing tactics is absolutely correct. Obviously I’ve witnessed the left’s bullying behavior up close and personal when it’s been directed at those so close to me.

Greece unemployment reaches record 26.8%
This is a major increase from the same month in 2011...

Raytheon's Quick Kill System Defeats Lethal Armor-Piercing RPGs
In a recent test, held in December 2012, the Quick Kill APS demonstrated its protective capability by successfully defeating an extended set of threats, including one of the most lethal RPG threats by destroying it in mid-flight. All testing is in preparation for formal government evaluations in early 2013 to demonstrate the system's unique RPG-defeat capabilities.

Solar Variability and Terrestrial Climate
...the luminosity of our own sun varies a measly 0.1% over the course of the 11-year solar cycle. There is, however, a dawning realization among researchers that even these apparently tiny variations can have a significant effect on terrestrial climate. A new report issued by the National Research Council (NRC), "The Effects of Solar Variability on Earth's Climate," lays out some of the surprisingly complex ways that solar activity can make itself felt on our planet.

White House spokesman asked about Mint the Coin — doesn’t flatly rule it out
Carney laughed and sidestepped the question, repeating that it is Congress’ job to raise the debt ceiling and that President Barack Obama would not negotiate with Republicans. “Nothing needs to come to these kinds of speculative notions” like the trillion-dollar coin, Carney said. Nevertheless, Todd continued to press Carney multiple times about the trillion-dollar coin option. Carney did not explicitly rule it out, but he said there was “no backup plan” if Congress didn’t do its job.

20 Facts About The Collapse Of Europe That Everyone Should Know
The economic implosion of Europe is accelerating. Even while the mainstream media continues to proclaim that the financial crisis in Europe has been “averted”, the economic statistics that are coming out of Europe just continue to get worse.

US publicly voices concerns over Britain leaving EU
His remarks came as David Cameron prepares to deliver a speech on Europe later this month. The Prime Minister is expected to promise to renegotiate Britain’s membership and then put the new terms to a referendum. Many Conservatives, including some Cabinet ministers, believe that a ‘No’ vote would mean Britain leaving the EU, although Mr Cameron says he opposes an exit.

NATO casts missile noose on Syria
The NATO operation of the deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missiles in Turkey has entered an active phase. The missiles are being shipped from Germany and the Netherlands to be deployed along the Syrian border. NATO alleges that the Patriot systems are to defend Turkey from Syrian aircraft and missiles.

This Is How a Secret Gun Provision Made its Way Into Obamacare Legislation
There’s a widely-unknown provision in the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) — legislative wording that is capturing attention in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Pushed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), a newly-noticed regulation that was placed deep within the bill back in 2010, among other things, bans doctors from documenting patients’ answers to questions that focus upon guns.

Inside the Ring: Chinese missile defense test?
U.S. intelligence agencies are closely monitoring China’s missile facilities in anticipation of a test of China’s missile defense interceptor, which also doubled in the past as an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile. The officials commented in response to reports that China is set to conduct another potentially destabilizing anti-satellite missile test in space.

What Did Google Earth Spot in the Chinese Desert? Even an Ex-CIA Analyst Isn’t Sure
But even this old analyst is having trouble ID’ing the objects he found in the overhead images of Kashgar. “I haven’t the faintest clue what it might be — but it’s extensive, the structures are pretty big and funny-looking, and it went up in what I’d call an incredible hurry,”

We are raising a generation of deluded narcissists
A new analysis of the American Freshman Survey...reveals that college students are more likely than ever to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, even though their test scores and time spent studying are decreasing. Psychologist Jean Twenge, the lead author of the analysis, is also the author of a study showing that the tendency toward narcissism in students is up 30 percent in the last thirty-odd years.

Famous church's bells to ring for same-sex couples
The Washington National Cathedral had been ready to embrace same-sex marriage for some time, though it took a series of recent events...to announce Wednesday that it would begin hosting such nuptials. The key development came last July when the Episcopal Church approved a ceremony for same-sex unions at its General Convention in Indianapolis, followed by the legalization of gay marriage in Maryland, which joined the District of Columbia.

As new fiscal crises near, Democrats seek more tax increases
In case you thought there was no risk of your taxes going up again, think again. Washington isn’t done with you yet. Democrats, led by President Barack Obama, want lawmakers to consider a fresh set of tax increases in the next several weeks when they discuss whether to cut spending.

India 'provoked Kashmir clash after woman crossed LoC'
Two Indian newspapers have suggested the army may have provoked recent fatal clashes in the disputed Kashmir region. The reports say commanders breached a ceasefire accord by ordering new observation posts on the dividing Line of Control (LoC) after a 70-year-old woman crossed it unhindered last year.

Mali's army 'seizes' Douentza from Islamists
Malian troops have captured the strategic central town of Douentza from militant Islamists, an army source has told the BBC. This is the first time the military has claimed to have retaken a town in the Islamist-held north. The military has also launched an offensive to regain Konna town, the source said.

US warns Britain on EU referendum
The Obama administration has warned Britain against sidelining itself in the EU as Prime Minister Cameron comes under increasing pressure to hold a membership referendum. "We have a growing relationship with the EU as an institution, which has an increasing voice in the world, and we want to see a strong British voice in that EU," Philip Gordon, the State Department's main official dealing with EU affairs said Wednesday in London.

NATO detects more missile launches in Syria
A short-range ballistic missile was fired inside Syria on Wednesday, following similar launches last week, a NATO official said on Thursday. The official condemned as "reckless" the missile launches, which US officials called an escalation of the 21-month-old Syrian civil war when their use was first spotted last month.

Mom who shot intruder inspires gun control foes
A Georgia mother who shot an intruder at her home has become a small part of the roaring gun control debate, with some firearms enthusiasts touting her as a textbook example of responsible gun ownership. Melinda Herman grabbed a handgun and hid in a crawl space with her two children when a man broke in last week and approached the family at their home northeast of Atlanta, police said. Herman called her husband on the phone, and with him reminding her of the lessons she recently learned at a shooting range, Herman opened fire, seriously wounding the burglary suspect.

Kurdish PKK co-founder Sakine Cansiz shot dead in Paris
Three Kurdish women activists - including a co-founder of the militant separatist PKK - have been found dead with gunshot wounds to the head in the Kurdish Institute of Paris. The bodies of Sakine Cansiz and two others were found on Thursday. French Interior Minister Manuel Valls called the killings "intolerable".

Biden suggests executive action on guns
President Barack Obama may use executive action to help stop U.S. gun violence, Vice President Joe Biden said, as pro-gun groups were to meet with him Thursday. At the same time, the head of the National Rifle Association said he supported prosecuting criminal gunmen.


Offshore account dispute snarls top French taxman
The man at the forefront of France's fight against fiscal fraud is now one of those being investigated. Budget Minister Jerome Cahuzac has spent months singling out corporate multinational tax dodgers, citizens who live abroad to avoid taxes and those within France who stash money in overseas accounts.

Delhi gang-rape accused were tortured by police, lawyer claims
The men accused of raping and murdering a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in Delhi last month were "tortured" by police after their arrests, their lawyer has claimed. Mohan Lal Sharma, who represents three of the six men arrested two days after the incident, told the Guardian that all those on trial for the attack were "brutally assaulted" by police during interrogations following their detention.


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An earthquake shakes Petersburg sending residents to higher ground
Petersburg residents began seeking higher ground after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 hit just before midnight Friday evening.

Wyoming Threatens Arrests for Federal Gun Grabbers
Local radio station KTWO reports that lawmakers in Wyoming have proposed a “Firearms Protection Act” that provides a state-level annulment of any ban against semi-automatics or magazines that hold 20 or 30 rounds or more. If the measure passes, it would mean that anyone–even federal agents-who try to enforce a ban within the state borders could be charged with a felony.

Minor Earthquake Hit Louisa County
The US Geological Survey says a magnitude 2.0 earthquake hit Louisa County on Wednesday at 6:35 PM.

Is the World’s Population About to Begin Falling?
The conventional progressive narrative that we have been subjected to endlessly is that without population control, the world will become overpopulated and everyone will be eating weeds to stay alive. Or people. The reality is more complicated.

German Economy Declines on Weak European Demand
Germany's economic performance declined in the fourth quarter of the year as industry reduced its production in line with weak European demand, the country's Economy Ministry said on Friday.

Major Flu Outbreak Threatens to Slow Economy Further
One of the worst flu seasons in a decade is putting further strains on an already sluggish U.S. economy as companies get slammed with increased health care costs and lower productivity from widespread worker absences.

Deadly storms blanket parts of Mid-East in snow
The worst storms to hit the region in a decade have claimed several lives and left parts of Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan covered in snow. Across the Middle East, many schools are shut and thousands of homes are without power. Heavy snow in Jerusalem on Thursday brought transport to a standstill.

Pentagon Preparing for Drastic Cuts
Panetta said that department officials must also develop detailed plans to implement unpaid furloughs for civilian personnel. The furloughs would kick in if the automatic cuts are triggered. But Panetta said he has asked defense leaders to ensure that any initial moves they make now should be reversible if at all possible, and they must minimize harmful effects on military readiness.

Japanese government approves $116bn stimulus package
The Japanese government has approved a fresh 10.3 trillion yen ($116bn; £72bn) stimulus package in an attempt to spur a revival in its economy. The package will include infrastructure spending, as well as incentives for businesses to boost investment. Tokyo estimates that the stimulus will boost Japan's economy by 2% and create 600,000 jobs.

Joe Biden to make gun-control recommendations on Tuesday
US Vice-President Joe Biden has said his task force on gun control will make its recommendations to President Barack Obama as early as Tuesday. Mr Biden met members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) on day two of White House talks on gun control policy. The perennial US debate on gun violence has been revived by a massacre at a school that left 27 dead last month.

Earth’s Mantle Magma Melts Hotter And Deeper Than Previously Thought
...researchers at Rice University, the Earth’s mantle magma melts far hotter and deeper in the Earth’s core than previously thought, a discovery that will have lasting implications for our understanding of the planet’s geophysical and geochemical properties.

IDF bans civilians from Route 10 near Egypt border
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz has banned civilian traffic from sections of Route 10 that run near the Egyptian border, the army announced Thursday. Civilians will not be permitted to drive near the border without prior coordination with the army for a year, according to the new directive.

Palestinians pitch tents in sensitive E1 corridor
Palestinians from villages in the West Bank near Jerusalem pitched tents on Friday on land Israel has earmarked for a new urban settlement, looking to preserve the area for an independent Palestinian state. Scores of Palestinians erected about 20 large, steel-framed tents on a...hillside in an area known as E1, a geographically sensitive area where Israel announced last month it would build homes for hundreds of settlers.

INCREASING CHANCE OF FLARES
NOAA forecasters have upped the odds of an M-class solar flare today to 50%. The likely source would be big double-sunspot AR1654. At the moment, the active region is crackling with lesser C-flares, such as this one recorded by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory during the late hours of Jan. 10th:

American Express to cut 5,400 jobs
American Express said the jobs eliminated will span employee seniority levels and divisions worldwide, but will primarily involve positions that do not directly generate revenue for the company. All told, the company anticipates that staffing levels will end up between 4 and 6 percent lower this year than in 2012.

Australia braces for cyclone
Images posted by Perth Weather Live showed a towering red dust storm over the ocean ahead of the cyclone. A huge wall of reddish cloud, topped off with billowing white rose up from the ocean. Tug boat worker Brett Martin, who captured the fearsome pictures 25 nautical miles from the town of Onslow, reported conditions were glassy and flat before the storm hit late Wednesday. But when the wild weather arrived, the swell lifted to two metres, winds increased to 40 knots and visibility was reduced to 100 metres.

New nanotech fiber: Robust handling, shocking performance
"We finally have a nanotube fiber with properties that don't exist in any other material," said lead researcher Matteo Pasquali, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and chemistry at Rice. "It looks like black cotton thread but behaves like both metal wires and strong carbon fibers."

Syrian rebels take Taftanaz air base
The foreign office said the UK "stands ready to support transition in Syria" as part of a "collective international effort to assist the Syrian National Coalition to bring about the changes the Syrian people deserve".

Record cold kills 80 in Bangladesh
Dhaka - A cold snap which saw temperatures drop on Thursday to their lowest point in Bangladesh's post-independence history has killed around 80 people, officials said.

Greek goddess Europa to feature on five-euro notes
The "Europa" series, portraying the goddess on new security holograms and watermarks, will be phased in across the eurozone's 17 member countries over several years, starting with a new five-euro note in May.

Heat, Flood or Icy Cold, Extreme Weather Rages Worldwide
Britons may remember 2012 as the year the weather spun off its rails in a chaotic concoction of drought, deluge and flooding, but the unpredictability of it all turns out to have been all too predictable: Around the world, extreme has become the new commonplace.

‘Severe’ Strain Of Flu Reaches Epidemic Proportions In New York City
“It’s a bad year. We’ve got lots of flu, it’s mainly type AH3N2, which tends to be a little more severe. So we’re seeing plenty of cases of flu and plenty of people sick with flu,” Farley told reporters...

World View: China Quadruples Rice Imports for No Apparent Reason
United Nations agricultural experts are reporting confusion, after figures show that China imported 2.6 million tons of rice in 2012, substantially more than a four-fold increase over the 575,000 tons imported in 2011. The confusion stems from the fact that there is no obvious reason for vastly increased imports, since there has been no rice shortage in China.

Top U.S. General Says Stopping a Syrian Chemical Attack Is ‘Almost Unachievable’
If Syrian dictator Bashar Assad decides to use his chemical weapons, there won’t be a thing the U.S. military can do to stop him, America’s top military officer conceded on Thursday. Nor will the U.S. step into a “hostile” atmosphere, with or without Assad, to keep those chemicals under control.

DEA agents arranged prostitute for Secret Service agent
A summary of the findings of the investigation, included in a Dec. 20 letter from the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General to Sens. Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins, indicated that a third DEA agent present on the night of the incident was not involved in procuring the prostitute for the Secret Service agent.

Atlanta’s Rev. Giglio withdraws from Obama inauguration amid controversy
The Rev. Louie Giglio, whose selection to deliver the inaugural benediction sparked nationwide controversy because of his conservative views on homosexuality, dropped out of the coveted spot on Thursday. “Neither I, nor our team, feel it best serves the core message and goals we are seeking to accomplish to be in a fight on an issue not of our choosing, thus I respectfully withdraw my acceptance of the President’s invitation,”

U.S. attack submarine strikes vessel in Gulf
A nuclear-powered U.S. attack submarine struck a suspected fishing vessel shortly after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf on Thursday, damaging one of the submarine's periscopes but injuring no one, a Navy official said on the condition of anonymity.

Rare snow shuts down Jerusalem
An incredible and a rare site in the Holy Land: The biggest snowstorm in a decade covered Jerusalem with a blanket of white Thursday, paralyzing the city, but thrilling residents. Looking out at the hills around the ancient city is more like looking at Colorado or Switzerland than the arid Middle East. Cars, pine trees and palm trees are all covered with snow.

'Last chapter' hailed in Afghan security plan
The US and Afghanistan have reached the "last chapter" in an effort to make Afghanistan secure and sovereign, the US defence secretary has said. Leon Panetta's remarks came as he welcomed Afghan President Hamid Karzai to the Pentagon for talks.

Japanese government approves $116bn stimulus package
The Japanese government has approved a fresh 10.3 trillion yen ($116bn; £72bn) stimulus package in an attempt to spur a revival in its economy. The package will include infrastructure spending, as well as incentives for businesses to boost investment.

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Troops Ordered To Kill All Americans Who Do Not Turn In Guns
(See Video)

Russia rejects Assad exit as precondition for Syria deal
Russia voiced support on Saturday for international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi but insisted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's exit cannot be a precondition for a deal to end the country's conflict. A Foreign Ministry statement following talks on Friday with the United States and Brahimi, whom the Syrian government has labeled "flagrantly biased", reiterated calls for an end to violence in Syria, where more than 60,000 people have been killed since March 2011.

Americans feel austerity's bite as payroll taxes rise
Americans are beginning to feel the pinch from Washington's decision to embrace austerity measures aimed at bringing down the nation's budget deficit. Paychecks across the country have shrunk over the last week due to higher federal tax rates, and workers are already cutting back on spending, which will drag on the economy this year.

Big sunspot unleashes an intense solar flare
The surface of the sun erupted in a solar flare early Friday, unleashing a blast of super-heated plasma into space. A huge sunspot known as AR1654 produced the M1-class flare at 4:11 a.m. EST, officials with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory said in a description of the event.

Bushfires rage on in Australia 'helped' by climate change
Australian firefighters are continuing to tackle more than 100 bushfires, which have gutted houses and thousands of hectares of land. Officials say temperatures are lower than feared, but gusty winds are making it hard to contain the blazes in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Six people have been treated for heat exposure, but nobody has died.

Haitians still await rebuilding after 2010 quake
Three years after the worst natural disaster in the history of the Americas — the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti — reconstruction has barely begun. So far, the promise by aid groups to "Build Haiti back, better" remains just that, with hope fading.

Israel orders eviction of Palestinian outpost in E1 area
Israel has ordered the leaders of the Bab al-Shams Palestinian outpost, erected Friday in the disputed E1 area, near Ma'aleh Adumim, to immediately evict the premises. A group of 200 Palestinians, backed by foreign activists, created the outpost, whose name means "Gate of the Sun," in the early hours of Friday morning.

China's landslide death toll rises to 46 - state media
At least 46 people, including children, are now known to have been killed by a landslide in China's southern Yunnan province, state media report. The bodies of the last two missing residents of the Gaopo village, Yunnan province, were found in the morning, Xinhua news agency says.

Obama: US war in Afghanistan winding down
With the war in Afghanistan winding down after 11 years, President Barack Obama says the time is right for U.S. forces to let Afghans do their own fighting.

'Million Man March' promises to paralyze Pakistani capital
"Terrorism and violence cannot be permissible in Islam," Tahir ul Qadri told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in 2010 after declaring a Fatwa on terrorism. The bold pronouncement thrust Qadri into headlines worldwide and led to an invitation to speak at the prestigious World Economic Forum and United States Institute for Peace.

Captors kill hostage in Somalia during French raid
France's defense minister says a French soldier is missing after an unsuccessful commando raid in Somalia to rescue an intelligence agent who was killed by his captors during the fighting. Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday that the mission had been planned carefully but was extremely dangerous. He said the hostage, code-named Denis Allex, and a French soldier were killed, as were 17 Islamists.

3 hurt in blast that levels North Texas house
An explosion Friday in a North Texas neighborhood leveled a home that is part of a nonprofit group's affordable housing program, injuring three men and scattering debris.

No clear path for Obama to act alone on U.S. debt cap: experts
The White House would be taking a risk if it tries to make a constitutional end-run around Congress' authority to raise the debt ceiling, legal experts said. The "public debt" clause of the 14th Amendment is being cited by a number of lawmakers as giving President Barack Obama a legal way to issue debt and pay bills, working around the debt ceiling and avoiding default.

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4.6 earthquake near Mount Redoubt volcano rattles dozing Anchorage
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck deep beneath the Alaska Peninsula southwest of Cook Inlet early Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The 3:45 a.m. shaker hit some 80 miles underground just across the inlet from communities along the western Kenai Peninsula.

Mexico Earthquake Today 2013 Erupts in Sinaloa
Officials tell news that a 5.5 magnitude Mexico earthquake began moments ago. Erupting at 9:28 am local time, the quake was shallow. USGS indicates to news that the quake began only six miles below sea level. As a result, the quake could be felt across the Sinaloa region.

Indicted Businessman Names Harry Reid as Alleged Recipient of Massive Bribe
A Utah businessman is rocking both state and national politics after claiming Utah Attorney General John Swallow helped him broker a deal with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make a federal investigation into his company quietly disappear, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Jeremy Johnson was allegedly told that the price would be $600,000, and claims to have made an initial payment of $250,000 when he was slapped with a federal lawsuit. Now he says he wants his money back.

Syrian warplanes bomb rebellious Damascus suburbs
Syrian fighter jets on Sunday bombed Damascus suburbs in a government offensive to dislodge rebels from strategic areas around the capital, activists said, as clashes raged around army bases and airfields in the country's north.

Britain's New Stealth Bomber Is Unmanned And Fully Autonomous
Britain's Royal Air Force has been using Tornado bombers for decades and is already building a fleet of new manned bombers, but BAE hopes to supplement those forces with a powerful new drone.

Six men arrested in new Indian 'bus rape'
Police in India have arrested six men after they allegedly gang-raped a woman on a bus, just weeks after a similar attack shocked the nation. The latest assault is said to have taken place in the northern state of Punjab. The police are searching for a seventh suspected attacker.

Californians deal with freezing temps, snow
Frost and freeze warnings were in effect early Sunday for parts of San Diego County with lows in some areas dipping to 25 and even lower in the mountains, according to the weather service. On Saturday, the town of Ramona in eastern San Diego County recorded a low of 23 degrees, breaking the 24 degrees set in 2007.

UK troops to assist Mali operation to halt rebel advance
The UK has agreed to help transport foreign troops and equipment to Mali amid French efforts to contain rebels. France has attacked militants in Mali to support the Malian government, and has attempted to rescue a French hostage in Somalia, in recent days.

Bomb kills 14 Pakistani soldiers in North Waziristan
A roadside bomb killed as many as 14 Pakistani soldiers in the northern border region of North Waziristan on Sunday, military officials said, a day after the Pakistani Taliban leader called for attacks on the military in the area to stop.

Egyptian Court Grants Mubarak a New Trial
An Egyptian appeals court on Sunday overturned the life sentence of former President Hosni Mubarak for directing the killing of protesters and ordered a new trial, a ruling that could prolong a politically fraught legal battle over the fate of Egypt’s deposed autocrat two years after he was ousted.

Vatican paper criticizes gay adoption after Italy ruling
The Vatican newspaper on Sunday stressed that children should be raised by a father and a mother after Italy's top appeals court granted a gay mother custody of her son, prompting a debate over gay adoption.

Russians protest against ban on adoptions by Americans
Thousands of demonstrators gathered for a march in Moscow on Sunday to protest against a ban on Americans adopting Russian children, saying President Vladimir Putin's government had made orphans pawns in a political dispute. Kremlin critics and other opponents of the ban converged on a central boulevard in freezing temperatures, some chanting "Shame!" and "Putin is a scoundrel!" or holding banners condemning lawmakers who backed the law prohibiting adoptions.



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New research shows California statewide earthquake may be possible
Scientists believe that the central portion of the San Andreas Fault acted as a natural barrier to prevent a large earthquake in the southern part of California from spreading to the northern part of the state and vice versa. However, new research suggests that a massive statewide earthquake might be possible after all.

CNN's Piers Morgan to be taken off air?
“Please call CNN to demand that Piers Morgan be fired for advocating political murder with assault rifles on last night’s show. Free speech is one thing, but we cannot allow the liberal media to take things this far against those that oppose amnesty or support gun rights etc.. Call 404.827.1500 and wait for a human operator,”

CME Hits Earth on Thursday, Earthquake Watch Opens Tuesday
Simulations of a coronal mass ejection (CME) show the impact arrival of such on January 17th. This coincides with Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin's window for an earthquake in North America. The Sun is acting up again, with large sunspots moving across the solar disk. The sunspots are powerful enough for x-class solar flares, the most powerful of them all. While a 10% chance is now given for such a flare, one is already on the way. This should impact on January 17th and go into the 18th. As it does so, aurora will be likely in the middle to upper north and south latitude locations. Strangely, this coincides with Martin's earthquake window. "Using HS network and my own theory (posted here), we are getting close to the next larger quake in the Western North America region between Mexico and Alaska," said Martin.

Report says Assad residing on warship
President Bashar Assad and his family have been living on a warship, with security provided by Russia, intelligence sources told a Saudi newspaper. An Al-Watan report Monday says the family and Assad aides are residing on the ship in the Mediterranean Sea and that he travels to Syria by helicopter to attend official meetings and receptions.

ACTIVE SUNSPOT:
Big sunspot AR1654 is crackling with C- and M-class solar flares, and it poses a threat for even stronger eruptions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 10% chance of X-flares today. Flares are illuminating the sunspot's magnetic canopy like flash bulbs at a rock concert...

India's army chief turns up heat on Pakistan, says can retaliate
India's army chief held out the threat of retaliating against Pakistan for the killing of two soldiers at the de facto border in Kashmir, saying he had asked his ground commanders to be aggressive in the face of provocation. General Bikram Singh's strong remarks on Monday, amid mounting public anger at the alleged decapitation of one of the slain soldiers, appeared set to ratchet up tensions further with Pakistan, although analysts said a breakdown in ties was highly unlikely.

China Newspaper Says To 'Prepare For The Worst' After Military Confrontation With Japan In The East China Sea
After repeatedly flying surveillance aircraft into disputed airspace with Japan, which made Tokyo scramble F-15s in response, China sent fighters of its own on Thursday into the East China Sea. A Friday press release out of China confirms the incident began when Beijing was flying a Shaanxi Y-8 on a "routine Thursday patrol" over the "oil and gas fields in the East China Sea."

Russian volcano creates unprecedented lake of lava
a volcano expert at Russia's Academy of Sciences in the Far East, said Friday: "There were no lava lakes at Kamchatka volcanos before now. We have never seen this before."

French capital flight spikes as Hollande hits business
Simon Ward from Henderson Global Investors said the net loss of funds was €53bn (£43.8bn) over the two months, roughly the period when Mr Holland unveiled a string of tax rises and suffered a collapse in relations with French business.

Obama to push for one-step, comprehensive immigration reform early in second term
Obama seems ready to tackle the illegal immigration issue in the coming months and push Congress to act promptly on comprehensive reform of U.S. policy, perhaps laying out his plan in the coming weeks.

France bombs rebel strongholds in northern Mali
French fighter jets pounded an Islamist rebel stronghold in northern Mali Sunday as Paris poured more troops into the capital Bamako. France is determined to end Islamist domination of north Mali, which many fear could act as a base for attacks on the West and for links with al-Qaida in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa.

Looming defense cuts had uneasy contractors leaving industry long before budget crisis
The announcement that the Pentagon would scale back defense contracting amid massive budget cuts was unsettling but expected news for some contractors who have already left the industry amid the uncertainty that has loomed over them for nearly 18 months.

Egypt's Coptic Christians fleeing country after Islamist takeover
Coptic Christian churches in the United States say they are having to expand to cope with new arrivals, as priests in cities like Cairo and Alexandria talk of a new climate of fear and uncertainty. "Most of our people are afraid," Father Mina Adel, a priest at the Church of Two Saints in Alexandria said. "Not a few are leaving - for America, Canada and Australia. Dozens of families from this church alone are trying to go too."

Report: Iran gathering info on Israel from Syria
Pentagon report reveals Tehran established signals intelligence stations across Middle East to supply information on Israel to Hezbollah. Golan Heights station active since 2006

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Southeast Alaska: Another Earthquake Aftershock Occurred Monday
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 occurred Monday morning in Southeast Alaska near where a more powerful quake struck on January 4. According to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, the quake can be considered an aftershock of the 7.5 quake.

As Germany Prepares To Repatriate Its Gold, We Hope They Have Learned From The "Monetary Sins Of The Past"
The Bundesbank has broken away from its "all is well" posturing exhibited as recently as three months ago, and in a dramatic reversal of its diplomatic position, has demanded repatriation of some of its NY Fed and all of its Paris-domiciled gold.

A different Israel after January 22
Sixty-five years after those who spoke for the local Arabs rejected a Jewish state, this will likely be an Israel that has voted to reject a Palestinian state — prompted by a combination of the Palestinians’ intransigence, doubletalk, hostility and terrorism, and of Israeli Jews’ security fears, historic connection and sense of religious obligation.

'Obama: Israel doesn't Know What's Good for It'
When informed about the Israeli decision to approve construction plans in the E1 area, "Obama, who has a famously contentious relationship with the prime minister, didn’t even bother getting angry," wrote Goldberg. "He told several people that this sort of behavior on Netanyahu’s part is what he has come to expect, and he suggested that he has become inured to what he sees as self-defeating policies of his Israeli counterpart. "In the weeks after the UN vote, Obama said privately and repeatedly, 'Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are.'

BIG SUNSPOTS IN THE MORNING
Sunspot AR1654 is so large, people are starting to notice it with their naked eyes when the sun is dimmed by clouds or mist.

Sun Eruption May Boost Northern Lights This Week
The solar eruption, called a coronal mass ejection (CME), occurred at 2:24 a.m. EST (0724 GMT) on Sunday and should take about three days to reach Earth, researchers said. The space weather event is not strong enough to interfere with satellites or electrical systems on Earth, they added. Observations from NASA's twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory showed that the CME shot away from sun at speeds of 275 miles per second — about 990,000 mph (1.6 million kilometers per hour).

Minor earthquake reported in midcoast Maine
Robert Marvinney, director of the Maine Geological Survey, said the 2.5-magnitude quake was enough for nearby residents to feel a rumble or jolt but not enough to cause any damage.

Kaspersky Labs finds "Red October" cyber-espionage malware
"We're not saying they are Russian hackers, but the developers are of Russian-speaking origin," Baumgartner says. Kaspersky Labs finds that the attackers have been at work since at least 2007 -- mostly targeting Eastern Europe, but there are reports of the cyber attacks in North America and Western European countries like Switzerland and Luxembourg. Research suggests that the hackers are interested specifically in data from European Union government entities, based on the type of encryption software packets that were targeted.The encryption type tends to be used mainly by the E.U.

Media Silent on ********* Radiation Impact in US
"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."

Fewer in U.S. see homosexuality as sin
A November 2012 survey of adults in the United States found 37 percent affirm a belief that homosexual behavior is a sin -- a statistically significant change from a September 2011 LifeWay Research survey asking the same question. At that time, 44 percent answered, "Yes."

Senator Asks CIA Nominee When Drones Can Kill Americans
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sent a letter on Monday to John Brennan, the White House’s counterterrorism adviser and nominee to be head of the CIA, asking for an outline of the legal and practical rules that underpin the U.S. government’s targeted killing of American citizens suspected of working with al-Qaida. The Obama administration has repeatedly resisted disclosing any such information about its so-called “disposition matrix” targeting terrorists, especially where it concerns possible American targets.

Pakistan cleric gives government ultimatum
AN influential Pakistani cleric gave the government a one-day ultimatum early today to dissolve parliament and provincial assemblies to make way for a caretaker administration, as he addressed a mass protest rally in Islamabad. ..."Morally, your government and your assemblies have ended tonight," he told the crowd from behind a transparent bullet-proof box...

Russian warships arrive for major exercise off coast of Syria
Officials said the Russian Navy has sent a fleet to the eastern Mediterranean Sea for a major exercise in mid-January. They said the four-day exercise would include combat and logistics vessels.

Team Obama won’t act to prevent Assad’s use of chemical weapons
The United States, despite repeated pledges to the contrary, has ruled out military intervention to stop Syria from using its chemical weapons. Obama has acknowledged that the U.S. Army would not be deployed to stop President Bashar Assad from firing CW at either Sunni rebels or neighboring states. Officials said the administration has concluded that Washington could not prevent Assad from using his CW arsenal.

North Korea steps up surveillance of citizens with 16,000 CCTV cameras
That figure is on top of the 85,570 similar cameras that it has bought in the past three years, with the total cost running to more than £6.22 million, according to South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper. ...the paper quoted analysts as saying that many of the cameras are being positioned at key points along the long border the two nations share in order to detect and capture would-be defectors from the North.

Mt Tongariro still letting off steam
Mt Tongariro has continued to emit steam and gas but beneath the mountain, things have been quiet so far this year. The Te Maari craters, the site of eruptions in August and November last year, continue to be active with continuous emissions of steam and volcanic gas, GNS Science said.

Volcano lava flows worry Italian island
Spectacular lava flows and smoke from an active volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli on Monday sparked fear among inhabitants but geophysicists said the situation was under control. The volcano is active but on Monday there was a particularly powerful eruption and sustained lava flows following four days of heightened activity.

GOP congressman threatens impeachment if Obama uses executive action for gun control
Texas Republican Rep. Steve Stockman threatened Monday afternoon that he would file articles of impeachment against President Barack Obama if he institutes gun control measures with an executive order. Stockman warned that such executive orders would be “unconstitutional” and “infringe on our constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms.”

Biden: W.H. eying 19 executive actions on guns
The White House has identified 19 executive actions for President Barack Obama to move unilaterally on gun control, Vice President Joe Biden told a group of House Democrats on Monday, the administration’s first definitive statements about its response to last month’s mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

China 'to survey disputed East China Sea islands'
China says it is to conduct a survey of disputed East China Sea islands, amid a bitter diplomatic row with Japan. State news agency Xinhua said the survey was part of China's "programme to safeguard its maritime rights and interests". The island are called Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.

India PM Manmohan Singh warns Pakistan on Kashmir
Indian PM Manmohan Singh has said it "cannot be business as usual" with Pakistan after troops clashed along the disputed Kashmir border last week. He said the deaths of two Indian soldiers - one of whom India says was beheaded - were "unacceptable". Both countries claim Kashmir and have fought two wars over the territory.

Pakistan Supreme Court orders arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf and 15 others over corruption allegations, raising fears of a political crisis just months ahead of an election. Mr Ashraf denies accepting bribes when approving power generation projects as minister for water and power in 2010. Analysts say that the move is unlikely to lead to his immediate removal.

Debt ceiling debate: Obama stakes out position
America is "not a deadbeat nation", US President Barack Obama has said, as he warned Republicans unconditionally to approve a rise in the US debt ceiling. At a White House news conference, he said it would be "absurd" to use the borrowing limit as a negotiating chip. But Republican House Speaker John Boehner said spending cuts should accompany a federal debt ceiling rise.

Schaeuble: Greece has 'no alternative' to austerity
German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Monday (14 January) urged Greek opposition leader Alexis Tsipras to drop his opposition to bailout-linked austerity measures, saying there is "no alternative" if Greece wants to stay in the eurozone. It was the first time the...minister and ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel received the young leftist leader, who has blamed Germany for the hardships which Greek people are enduring.

Plans for Jordan Valley settlement homes advance
After a wait of 12 years, Rotem, a small ecological settlement in the Jordan Valley, might finally get permission to build up to 170 homes and a guest house for visitors. Last week the Jordan Valley Regional Council was given permission to deposit the first zoning plans for the settlement before the Higher Planning Council of Judea and Samaria...

'Obama says Israel doesn't know its own best interests'
US President Barack Obama has stated repeatedly in private conversations that “Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are,” regarding Jerusalem's advancement of new settlement plans, influential Jewish American columnist Jeffrey Goldberg reported Tuesday. ...According to Goldberg, Obama said in private that Netanyahu was leading Israel down a path toward near-total isolation by advancing settlement plans.

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World Bank cuts growth outlook as advanced nations drag
A frustratingly slow economic recovery in developed nations is holding back the global economy, the World Bank said on Tuesday, as it sharply cut its outlook for world growth in 2013.

Israel to open exhibit on biblical King Herod
Israel's national museum said Tuesday it will open what it calls the world's first exhibition devoted to the architectural legacy of biblical King Herod, the Jewish proxy monarch who ruled Jerusalem and the Holy Land under Roman occupation two millennia ago. The display includes the reconstructed tomb and sarcophagus of one of antiquity's most notable and despised figures, curators say.

Christians' rights trampled on by 'obsessive political correctness', say dissenting European judges
Christians’ rights of conscience are being sacrificed on the altar of “obsessive political correctness” contrary to the values of a democratic society, two European human rights judges have claimed.

Oregon sheriff tells Biden he won't enforce new gun regulations
An Oregon sheriff has sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden saying his department will not enforce any new gun laws it considers unconstitutional. Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller, in his letter dated Monday, said politicians are "attempting to exploit the deaths of innocent victims" by supporting laws that would harm law-abiding Americans.

First Shots Are Fired in Global 'Currency War'
Japan has set the stage for a potential global currency war, announcing plans to create money and buy bonds as the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks to stimulate the moribund growth pace.

Bundesbank to pull gold from New York and Paris in watershed moment
The move marks an extraodinary breakdown in trust between leading central banks and has set off ferment among gold enthusiasts, with some comparing it with France’s withdrawal of gold from the US under President Charles de Gaulle as the Bretton Woods currency system crumbled in the late 1960s.

CHANCE OF X-FLARES
The magnetic field of big sunspot AR1654 is growing more complex. It is now classified as a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field, which means it harbors energy for X-class eruptions. Any explosion today would be Earth-directed.

12 People Infected With New A/H1N1 Strain in the U.S.
Health authorities said at least 12 people are suspected to have contracted a new strain of A/H1N1 or swine flu which is not covered by this season's flu vaccine. The new strain known as H3N2v has manifested some potential for human-to-human transmission among the 12 infected patients, making it especially dangerous. The 12 patients are from Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Tiny Solar Activity Changes Affect Earth's Climate
Even small changes in solar activity can impact Earth's climate in significant and surprisingly complex ways, researchers say.

Mali conflict: French troops to face combat 'within hours'
France has embarked on a land assault in Mali that will put its soldiers in direct combat with Islamic insurgents "within hours", military leaders said. The ground assault reverses France's earlier insistence that it would provide only air and logistical support for a military intervention... "Now we're on the ground," said Edouard Guillaud, the military chief of staff. "We will be in direct combat within hours."

The Islamization of France in 2012
Muslim immigrants and their supporters have been using a combination of lawsuits, verbal and physical harassment -- and even murder -- to silence debate about the rise of Islam. Opinion surveys show that to voters in France -- home to an estimated 6.5 million Muslims, the largest Muslim population in the European Union -- Islam and the question of Muslim immigration have emerged in 2012 as a top-ranked public concern. The French, it seems, are increasingly worried about the establishment of a parallel Muslim society there.

Exclusive: Secret State Department cable: Chemical weapons used in Syria
A secret State Department cable has concluded that the Syrian military likely used chemical weapons against its own people...last month... United States diplomats in Turkey conducted a...intensive investigation into claims that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons, and made...a "compelling case" that Assad's military forces had used a deadly form of poison gas.

New York Has Gun Deal, With Focus on Mental Ills
Gov.Andrew M. Cuomo and lawmakers agreed on Monday to a broad package of changes to gun laws that would expand the state’s ban on assault weapons and would include new measures to keep guns away from people with mental illnesses. The state Senate, controlled by a coalition of Republicans and a handful of Democrats, approved the legislative package just after 11 p.m. by a lopsided vote of 43 to 18.

Long Term Unemployment at Highest Level Since WWII
Long term unemployment under President Obama is at the highest level since at least the end of World War II, threatening to create a permanent underclass of workers who will find it difficult or impossible to obtain jobs in the future. What’s more, Obama’s insistence on repeatedly extending long term unemployment benefits may be fueling the unemployment problem.

Fitch may downgrade U.S. credit rating
The United States could lose its top credit rating for the second time from a leading credit agency if there's a delay in raising the country's debt ceiling, Fitch Ratings warned Tuesday. Congress has to increase the country's debt limit, which effectively rules how much debt the U.S. can have, by March 1 or face a potential default.

Cuba confirms 51 cholera cases in Havana
Cuba's health ministry has confirmed a cholera outbreak in Havana with 51 people infected - the biggest incidence of the disease there in decades. An official statement said health workers had detected an increase in "acute diarrhoea" in some districts, which has been established as cholera. The source has been identified as a foodseller who caught cholera during a previous outbreak in eastern Cuba.

Israel advances settlement plans after alleged Obama rebuke
The Housing and Construction Ministry issued tenders for some 200 new housing units in the West Bank on Wednesday, a day after a US columnist released comments allegedly made by US President Barack Obama in which the American leader harshly criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanayahu's settlement policies.

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US ex-commander: We can't stop Iran's nuclear program
Admiral William Fallon, the former head of the U.S. Central Command (which covers the Middle East) said that Iran was a big concern for the U.S. and for Israel, but voiced hope that the nuclear issue could be resolved through diplomatic efforts. "If the U.S. were to put a full-fledged strike campaign in there, that would probably take several weeks, it could put this program back for several years" - "The bottom line is, it's not going to be a one-time shot. It's not going to be like '81 or even 2007," Fallon said, referring to reported Israeli strikes on an Iraqi nuclear reactor and Syrian nuclear facility respectively.

Second GOP congressman suggests impeachment over executive action for gun control
A second Republican congressman is suggesting that impeachment should be an option as President Barack Obama takes executive action to enact gun control measures. In an interview with Florida’s “The Shark Tank,” Florida Republican Trey Radel addressed Texas Republican Rep. Steve Stockman’s statement that he might seek impeachment if Obama goes forward with executive action to bring about gun control measures.

Thousands of Dead Fish Wash Up On Pawleys Island
There is a mystery along the South Carolina coast. Thousands of dead fish washed up on the beach at the south end of Pawleys Island Tuesday afternoon. The fish are menhaden, and the SC Department of Natural Resources have been notified of the incident.

Olmert: Israeli government rejecting peace
The criticism came on the backdrop of reports citing US President Barack Obama acerbically criticizing Netanyahu for announcing plans to build thousands of new homes in the disputed E1 area of the West Bank in November.

PM hits back at Obama: I know what's best for Israel
A day after...Jeffrey Goldberg quoted President Barack Obama as saying that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu does not understand what is in Israel’s best interest, Netanyahu...essentially shot back, “Yes I do.” ...“I think everyone understands that only Israel’s citizens are those who will be the ones to determine who faithfully represents Israel’s vital interests,” the prime minister said in his first direct response to Obama’s reported criticism.

106 dead in new Homs massacre, says Syrian monitor
More than 100 people were shot, stabbed and possibly burned to death in the Syrian city of Homs this week, in what a monitoring group said was a massacre by the army or militia loyal to Bashar al-Assad. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said women and children were among the 106 people killed by forces who stormed Basatin al-Hasawiya, an impoverished district on the edge of town

Small quake rumbles in northeast Oklahoma County
USGS said the quake struck shortly after midnight. The earthquake's epicenter was four miles southwest of Arcadia, six miles northwest of Jones and 14 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.

US gun debate: Obama unveils gun control proposals
US President Barack Obama has unveiled the most sweeping gun control proposals in two decades, setting up a showdown with firearms rights advocates. He called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and wider background checks on gun buyers. The Democratic president also signed 23 executive actions, which do not require congressional approval.

'Iran to deploy warships to Mediterranean Sea'
Iran is planning to send its 24th fleet, comprised of a submarine and a warship, to the Mediterranean sea, the Red Sea, and the Suez CanaI, semi-official news agency Press TV quoted Iranian naval commander Admiral Habibollah Sayyari as saying on Thursday. "The Navy’s 24th fleet of warships will patrol the Red Sea, Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea for three months," Press TV quoted Sayyari as saying.

Somalia's Shebab Say they Executed French Hostage
Somalia's Shebab Islamists said Thursday they have executed a French agent they have held since 2009, as France said the hostage was likely killed several days ago in a failed rescue attempt.

11,000 quakes since Sept 2010
A magnitude-3.3 earthquake that struck Christchurch this afternoon could be the 11,000th tremor since September 4, 2010. The quake hit at 12.55pm, 15 kilometres east of Christchurch at a depth of 6km. Over 163 people reported feeling the "moderate" shake on the GeoNet website

Ebola virus spreading to Asia: fruit bats in Bangladesh test positive for ebola antibodies
The study found Ebola virus antibodies circulating in ~4% of the 276 bats scientists screened in Bangladesh. These results suggest that Rousettus fruit bats are a reservoir for Ebola, or a new Ebola-like virus in South Asia. The study extends the range of this lethal disease further than previously suspected to now include mainland Asia.

Hawaiian Lava Lake Hits New Record High
The level was about 80 feet (25 meters) below the crater floor, the highest level reached since the summit vent blasted open in March 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey reports. The lava lake last surged on Oct. 23, 2012, when the high mark was measured at 100 feet (31 m) below the crater floor.

Anti-Surveillance Hoodie And Scarf Prevent Drones From Tracking You
The exhibition will show off several garments designed to either stymie or protect against various privacy-probing surveillance technologies, including a shirt with an X-ray-deflecting patch over the heart, an “off pocket” that zeroes out your phone’s signal when it’s inside, and the aforementioned hoodie and scarf, both engineered to conceal the body’s thermal signature that can be picked up by the IR sensors built into many surveillance cameras and drones.

Disarming Americans, Arming Terrorists
While the White House was busy drafting proposals to ban assault rifles, the last of the regulations imposed on Saudi travel to the United States after September 11 were being taken apart. While some government officials were busy planning how to disarm Americans, other officials were negotiating the transfer of F-16s and Abrams tanks to Muslim Brotherhood-run Egypt.

Alabama Supreme Court Recognizes Unborn as ‘Children’
The decision could have significant implications in ending abortion in the U.S., according to pro-life advocates.

Minnesota sheriff 'will not enforce' new gun regs
Pine County Sheriff Robin Cole said he would consider any new federal regulation on guns to be illegal and would “refuse to carry it out.” “We will not enforce that,” Cole told the News Tribune of any potential federal regulation that could lead to confiscation of firearms.

47 states revolt against Obama gun control
Thousands of gun owners across America have had enough of the Obama administration’s attack on the Second Amendment – and they’re preparing to take their concerns to the capitols in at least 47 states this Saturday at 12 p.m. Texan Eric Reed, founder and national coordinator of the “Guns Across America” rallies, told WND he’s irritated about all the talk of new gun-control regulations and overreach by the federal government in violation of our Second Amendment rights.

Malicious virus shuttered U.S. power plant -DHS
A computer virus attacked a turbine control system at a U.S. power company last fall when a technician unknowingly inserted an infected USB computer drive into the network, keeping a plant off line for three weeks, according to a report posted on a U.S. government website.

Flooding hits Indonesian capital Jakarta
Flooding has hit parts of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, closing offices and blocking roads, after days of heavy rain. Areas including the central business district (CBD) were inundated. Businesses were closed and traffic grid-locked. Weather officials warn that the rain, which is seasonal, could get worse in the next few days.

Algeria troops surround militant hostage-takers
Algerian troops have surrounded a gas facility in the east of the country where foreign workers are being held hostage by Islamist militants. The kidnappers occupied the complex at In Amenas on Wednesday, after killing a Briton and an Algerian in an attack on a bus. Algeria says some 20 foreign nationals are being held hostage, although the kidnappers say they have 41.

Firebrand cleric raises fear of "soft coup" in Pakistan
To Pakistan's ruling party, a firebrand cleric camped outside parliament with thousands of protesters is looking more and more like the harbinger of their worst fear: a plan by the military to engineer a "soft coup".

France gets deeper in Mali war: Are they ready?
French ground troops in Mali advanced north today toward the tiny hamlet of Diabaly, preparing to engage Islamic rebels in a shooting war whose duration and success are still a question mark.

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Leprosy bacteria use 'biological alchemy'
Infectious bacteria have for the first time been caught performing "biological alchemy" to transform parts of a host body into those more suited to their purposes, by a team in Edinburgh. The study, in the journal Cell, showed leprosy-causing bacteria turning nerves into stem cells and muscle. The authors said the "clever and sophisticated" technique could further therapies and stem-cell research.

UK snow: Schools and transport hit by disruption
Hundreds of schools have been closed and transport disrupted as a band of heavy snow affects most of the UK. Heathrow Airport cancelled 70 flights and runways at Bristol, Cardiff and Southampton airports were closed. There are hazardous conditions on many roads. A rare red Met Office warning for snow is in place for parts of Wales, meaning severe disruption is likely.

Hamas, Fatah agree to implement unity agreements
Hamas and Fatah agreed Thursday to implement, by the end of this month, previous reconciliation agreements signed between the two parties. The new agreement was reached during talks between representatives of the two sides in Cairo. ...The Egyptians will head a committee consisting of Hamas and Fatah representatives and whose task will be to ensure the implementation of the new-old agreements.

Netanyahu to ‘Post’: I won’t uproot masses of Jews
As he sought to stop voters leaving Likud Beytenu for Naftali Bennett’s Bayit Yehudi party on his right, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told The Jerusalem Post this week that a “real and fair” accord with the Palestinians cannot include driving masses of Jews from their homes in settlement blocs beyond the Green Line.

Military jets escort plane to Seattle after security scare
Two U.S. fighter jets were scrambled on Thursday to escort a commercial airliner to Seattle after the FBI received an anonymous tip, apparently unfounded, that a hijacker was aboard, officials said. The plane, which originated in Hawaii, landed safely at about 7 p.m. local time at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where it was met by local law enforcement and FBI agents who interviewed the passenger in question, authorities said.

Russian Bolshoi arts director Filin hurt by acid attack
he artistic director of Russia's Bolshoi Theatre, Sergei Filin, is being treated in a Moscow hospital for severe burns to his face after a masked man threw acid in his face, police say. The attack happened late on Thursday as Mr Filin, an award-winning ballet star, was walking home in central Moscow.

Regional Vote to Offer Clues to Merkel Future
Chancellor Angela Merkel is riding high in polls as she seeks a third term at the head of Europe's biggest economy. But a major state election this weekend may lift her center-left rivals' hopes of defying the odds and ousting Germany's leader.

Pakistan cleric's party may take part in election
A cleric who has been pushing for electoral reforms in Pakistan will resort to street protests again if the government does not abide by an agreement that eased a political crisis, an aide said on Friday.

11 dead as floods swamp Jakarta
Floods in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta have left at least 11 people dead and two missing, authorities said yesterday as murky brown waters submerged parts of the city’s business district, causing chaos for a second day.

Hostages still held after Sahara assault
At least 22 foreign hostages remained unaccounted for on Friday after Algerian forces stormed a desert gas complex to free hundreds of captives taken by Islamist gunmen, an operation in which dozens of the hostages were killed.

No deal in U.N.-Iran nuclear talks, new meeting scheduled
U.N. nuclear inspectors returned from Iran on Friday without securing an agreement to investigate suspected atom bomb research, they said after two days of talks in Tehran. Herman Nackaerts, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said his inspectors had not been granted the access they have long sought to a military site and that further talks had been scheduled for February 12.

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'I am told I will hang for my faith in Jesus': American pastor faces death sentence in Iran
An American Christian pastor faces a possible death sentence in Iran after prosecutors accused him of harming national security on charges he and his supporters claim amount to religious persecution. Saeed Abedini, 32, who is Iranian born, is expected to go on trial next week before a revolutionary tribunal in Tehran in a hearing presided over by a judge blacklisted by the European Union for handing down harsh verdicts.

TSA to phase out Rapiscan 'naked scanners'
The US aviation security agency will stop screening travellers with scanners that show travellers' naked images, amid widespread privacy complaints. Scanner maker Rapiscan had been ordered to make its software function without screeners having to view naked images. But Rapiscan was to be unable to meet a June deadline to make the updates, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said.

Palestinians erect second outpost near Jerusalem
Palestinian activists erected a new tent outpost northwest of Jerusalem on Friday, in protest of Israeli settlement construction plans in the area, according to Palestinian news agency Ma'an. The outpost was the second of its kind in as many weeks, and could mark a new form of Palestinian protest against Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.

Syria crisis: Locals tell of Homs massacre
In every war, the battle to control the narrative can be as fierce as the conflict on the ground. That's been the story of Syria, and a growing war which has seen all too many horrific massacres. We've now seen evidence from the latest atrocity in the village of Haswiya on the edge of Homs.

Iran nuclear inspections remain stalled as latest talks with IAEA end
The UN nuclear watchdog and Iranian diplomats were unable to agree on how to allow inspections of the Parchin military base. New talks are set for Feb. 12.

Air Force Deploys Two Alpha Jets to Mali
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in continuation of its forces deployment to Mali has sent two Alpha Jets to strengthen the ECOWAS intervention force battling extremist rebel forces in Mali's northern flank. The fighter jets, which was authorized for combat operation by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, took off yesterday from the domestic wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The Air Component Commander, Air Vice Marshal Tayo Oguntoyinbo, led the Alpha Jet team and flew to Niamey, in Niger Republic, where they will be based during the Mali operations.

Algeria siege: Hostage nations concerned over situation
Nations with hostages being held by militants at an Algerian gas plant have expressed concern at the ongoing siege. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the situation as "extremely difficult and dangerous". While state media says hundreds of hostages have been freed at the remote In Amenas desert gas facility, about 30 foreigners are still unaccounted for.

America Should Declare Bankruptcy: Doug Casey
Casey points to the money America owes above and beyond the official $16 trillion in national debt, as the real issue. This includes the so-called unfunded liabilities from entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.

GOP official: House to vote to lift debt limit
The Republican-controlled House will vote next week to permit the government to borrow more money to meet its obligations, a move aimed at heading off a market-rattling confrontation with President Barack Obama over the so-called debt limit.

Defiant Netanyahu set to confound critics
A monumental banner of Benjamin Netanyahu hanging on a bridge over a busy intersection in Tel Aviv shows the Israeli prime minister standing next to Jerusalem’s Western Wall with the slogan: “A strong Netanyahu, a strong government.”



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Newsweek: Obama is 'The Second Coming'
How did the rest of the media miss this? According to the new issue of Newsweek online, President Obama, who this weekend begins his second term--the third president in a row to do so--is "The Second Coming."

Israel leader says Iran key issue, not settlements
Two days before Israeli elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is shrugging off international criticism of Israeli settlement construction, calling Iran's suspect nuclear program the real threat to regional security. Speaking to his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said he told a group of visiting U.S. senators that "the problem is not building ... The problem in the Middle East is Iran's attempt to build nuclear weapons ... This was, and remains, the main mission facing not only myself and Israel, but the entire world."

China's Buying A Fleet Of Russian Bombers Perfect For Taking On The US Navy
Chinese websites are again reporting that Russia has agreed to sell Beijing the production line for the Tupolev Tu-22M3 bomber at a cost of $1.5 billion. Once in service with the Chinese Naval Air Forces the Tu-22M3 will be known as the “H-10″.

NBC/WSJ poll: NRA more popular than entertainment industry
As Washington prepares for a political battle over the Obama White House's proposals to curb gun violence after the Newtown, Conn., shootings, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that the National Rifle Association is more popular than the entertainment industry.

Throw the bums out: 75 percent back Congress term limits
Sure, voters sent a majority of incumbent members of Congress back to Washington in November 2012. But a new Gallup poll finds that 75 percent of Americans support imposing term limits on lawmakers in D.C.

Syria crisis: Foreign Minister Muallem calls for talks
Syria's foreign minister has invited the "nationalistic opposition" to lay down its weapons and join talks to form a new government. Walid Muallem said any opposition group could join a new cabinet as long as they reject foreign intervention.

Israel election: Netanyahu 'will not dismantle settlements'
Israel's prime minister has said no Jewish settlements in the West Bank will be removed during his next term in office if he wins elections on Tuesday. Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel's Maariv newspaper: "The days when bulldozers uprooted Jews are behind us, not in front of us."

Islamists flee Malian town after French airstrikes
Burned out vehicles and scattered bullets dotted the streets of a central Malian town after radical Islamists retreated following days of French airstrikes, according to video obtained Sunday.

Rally in Athens against Greece's Golden Dawn
Some 3,000 people have taken part in a demonstration in the Greek capital Athens to protest against the rise of the neo-fascist party Golden Dawn.

Russia ‘Flexes Muscles’ in Mediterranean Amid Syrian Crisis
Russia has started the largest naval exercises in the past few decades in the Mediterranean and Black Seas as a civil war in Syria continues to gain momentum. The drills involve task forces from Russia’s Black Sea, Northern and Baltic fleets, strategic bombers, tactical aircraft, air defense units, paratroopers and naval infantry.

Al-Qaida-linked militants killed by drone strike in Yemen
At least three suspected al-Qaida militants have been killed by a drone strike in central Yemen, tribal sources and the Defense Ministry said on Sunday. Yemeni officials will not comment on who exactly carries out such drone attacks or on whose orders, but President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi spoken openly in favor of the strikes during a trip to the United States in September.

Islamists executed 9 Japanese in Algeria: witnesses
Islamists holding foreigners hostage at a gas plant in the Algerian desert executed nine Japanese captives during a 72-hour stand-off with the military, Algerian witnesses said on Sunday.

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Martin: Earthquake Watch ends on Wednesday
"I did notice a lull in the quake pattern as the ridge of high pressure built overhead," said Martin. "This clearly made sense to my theory on stable pressure acting as a lid on activity. As we move this ridge east of the area by Tuesday into Wednesday, activity will once again be on the rise in Western North America."

Obama-Netanyahu relationship is ‘most dysfunctional’ ever
US president and Israeli prime minister have never been as deeply at odds and for so long, says former top US diplomat.

Gimpel has said Dome of the Rock ‘doesn’t belong there,’ but not that it must be blown up
Fending off a frenzy of political criticism over a 2011 speech in which he appeared to speak with relish of the theoretical prospect of the Dome of Rock being “blown up” and a new Jewish Temple being built in its stead, prospective MK Jeremy Gimpel claimed in a TV interview on Sunday that he had actually been telling a joke meant to “parody” the extremists who want to destroy the 1,300-year-old Muslim shrine.

Pastor Leads 'Forward' Chant at Obama Pre-Inauguration Church Service
it wasn’t enough to compare Obama with the founder of Judaism and the prophet of the Bible. Braxton added that Obama’s opponents were like the Biblical enemies of Moses, and that Obama would have to enter the battle because “sometimes enemies insist on doing it the hard way.”

Severe Climate Jeopardizing Amazon Forest, Study Finds
An area of the Amazon rainforest twice the size of California continues to suffer from the effects of a megadrought that began in 2005, finds a new NASA-led study.

Earthquakes in the world on January 20, 2013 (M4.5 or more)
Worldwide earthquakes M 4.4 or higher.

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes northeastern Taiwan
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolted northeastern Taiwan early Monday, but there were no reports of casualties or damage, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). The earthquake hit at 03:09 a.m., centered off the notheastern Taiwan coast 80.6 kilometers east of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 105.6 km beneath the seabed, the CWB's Seismology Center said.

Magnitude 3.7 earthquake shakes sections of the BVI
The report indicated that the epicenter was located near 19.66 north latitude and 64.41 west longitude, or 103 Km North of Anegada. No Tsunami Warning or Watch was issued. Communities affected included Settlement on Anegada, Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda, and East End-Long Look on Tortola. Several people in Road Town, stretching back to Pockwood Pond and West End also reported feeling the major tremor.

German Patriot missile troops arrive inTurkey
Germany has sent 240 soldiers to southern Turkey as part of a NATO mission using Patriot missiles to deter cross-border airstrikes from war-torn Syria. Units are also being provided by the Netherlands and the US.

Wanted: 'Adventurous woman' to give birth to Neanderthal man - Harvard professor seeks mother for cloned cave baby
Professor George Church of Harvard Medical School believes he can reconstruct Neanderthal DNA and resurrect the species which became extinct 33,000 years ago.

China rebukes Clinton for comments on disputed islets
China rebuked U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday for her public backing of Japan's administration over a string of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea which are at the centre of a messy dispute between China and Japan. Clinton, speaking after meeting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, repeated the long-standing U.S. position that Washington acknowledged the islands were under Japan's administration, raising China's ire.

NY Democrat pleads with Republican not to share document proposing confiscation of guns
Republican Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin... has shared the information of a 'secret' Democrat proposal not simply to make the purchasing of the crudely monikered 'assault weapons' illegal in New York, but also to engage in a mass confiscation programme, removing Americans' weapons from their possession. This bill was an attack on the 2nd amendment and the Democrats clearly wanted to dismantle the work of the Founding Fathers.

Utah sheriffs write letter to Obama opposing executive order on guns
"No federal official will be permitted to descend upon our constituents and take from them what the Bill of Rights — in particular Amendment II — has given them," it states.

The Earth's Magnetic Field
Another doomsday hypothesis about a geomagnetic flip plays up fears about incoming solar activity. This suggestion mistakenly assumes that a pole reversal would momentarily leave Earth without the magnetic field that protects us from solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun. But, while Earth's magnetic field can indeed weaken and strengthen over time, there is no indication that it has ever disappeared completely. A weaker field would certainly lead to a small increase in solar radiation on Earth – as well as a beautiful display of aurora at lower latitudes -- but nothing deadly. Moreover, even with a weakened magnetic field, Earth's thick atmosphere also offers protection against the sun's incoming particles.

Snowpocalypse Russia: 'Snow tsunami' swallows streets, cars, buildings
While the snowstorms have caused inconvenience for large population centers in western Russia, they have been life-threatening further east in the country. The polar circle city of Norilsk has been buried under 10 feet of snow – entire apartment blocks, markets, stores and offices were buried under snow overnight. Banks of snow were as high as two people put together, reaching the second-story windows of some apartment buildings. Cars, stores, garages were blocked. Norilsk metropolitan workers were forced to dig passageways through the snow banks to create access between the outside world and the barricaded city.



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Earthquake hits Iran oil, petchem town, no damage seen
The 3.4-magnitude earthquake struck at 3:55 p.m. (1225 GMT) near Assaluyeh and surrounding villages, the Fars news agency reported. Many residents left their homes for fear of aftershocks

Hope starts to re-emerge at the 2013 Davos World Economic Forum
The Davos World Economic Forum is gearing up with, apparently, more world leaders attending than in recent years: there are some 50 heads of state and gov't expected. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is to open the forum, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian PM Mario Monti and British PM David Cameron are all said to be coming. - the mood this year is a little more optimistic. Setting the tone a few weeks ago, Professor Klaus Schwab, the founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF, published an e-book entitled, “The re-emergence of Europe.”

Is martial law imminent?
A somewhat disturbing ad recently appeared on internet employment sites, the ad in question was placed by the National Guard. Apparently, the Guard is now looking for people to work at internment camps. Here is the ad as it appeared: “As an Internment/Resettlement Specialist for the Army National Guard, you will ensure the smooth running of military confinement/correctional facility or detention/internment facility, similar to those duties conducted by civilian Corrections Officers. This will require you to know proper procedures and military law; and have the ability to think quickly in high-stress situations.

Inauguration posters liken Obama to Jesus
Street vendors and souvenir stores across Washington, D.C. are selling posters depicting President Obama as Jesus Christ — and one national news publication called him the “Second Coming.” The poster, which does not have the official endorsement of the White House, features an image of the president in prayer with the headline, “Prophecy Fulfilled.”

Vigilante groups spring up in Mexico in fight against cartels
Now he has joined hundreds of other men in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero who have taken up arms to defend their villages against drug gangs, a vigilante movement born of frustration at extortion, killings and kidnappings that local police are unable, or unwilling, to stop. Vigilantes patrol a dozen or more towns in rural Mexico, the unauthorized but often tolerated edge of a growing movement toward armed citizen self-defense squads across the country

40th anniversary: Remember the children
On this 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, the Republican Coalition for Life is sending people to abortion clinics to remember the day in a special way.

Russians leaving Syria cross into Lebanon
Four buses carrying Russian citizens escaping the Syrian civil war have crossed into Lebanon. A Russian embassy official traveling with the group on Tuesday says about 80 people, mostly women and children, are on the buses. Several men also have been seen in the first group of Russian citizens being evacuated from Syria.

Scientists Describe a 'New' Type of Volcanic Eruption
But now, in research published this month in Nature Geoscience, researchers at Victoria University, Wellington and the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton have uncovered a previously undocumented type of eruption in underwater volcanoes -- by looking at tiny original bubble spaces trapped in volcanic rock.

Voters across Israel cast their ballots
Polling stations across Israel opened Tuesday morning as Israeli citizens are able to exercise their democratic right to vote in the elections for Israel's 19th Knesset. Polls will close at 10 pm. Polls at small communities will open at 8 am and will close at 8 pm.

David Attenborough - Humans are plague on Earth
“We are a plague on the Earth. It’s coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so. It’s not just climate change; it’s sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde. Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us, and the natural world is doing it for us right now,” he told the Radio Times. Sir David, who is a patron of the Optimum Population Trust, has spoken out before about the “frightening explosion in human numbers” and the need for investment in sex education and other voluntary means of limiting population in developing countries.

Obama only wants military leaders who 'will fire on U.S. citizens'
“The new litmus test of leadership in the military is if they will fire on US citizens or not.” Those who will not are being removed.

Obama's Inaugural: If God 'Truly' Created Us Equal, Homosexual ‘Love’ is Equal as Well
Obama opened his second inaugural address by quoting the statement from the preamble to the Declaration of Independence that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." He then went on to say that if men were in fact created equal, then homosexual “love” must be equal as well.

Report: U.S. policy goal was to retain military ties with Cairo’s new Islamist government
The Congressional Research Service asserted that the administration of ...Obama and Congress have been closely monitoring the massive protests against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and the ruling Muslim Brotherhood. In a report, CRS said Washington has set military cooperation as a priority in relations with Cairo.

Indonesia floods kill 15; thousands flee raging waters in capital
Heavy flooding in the Indonesian capital this week has killed 15 people, driven thousands from their homes and paralyzed the sprawling city -- and officials are warning that more water is on its way. Caused by unusually strong monsoon rains, the flood waters -- often carrying trash and human waste -- have inundated the city's central business district, closed schools and offices, and entered the presidential palace.

1 dead, 7 injured in Indonesia earthquake
The 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck 37 kilometers (23 miles) under Aceh province, and a 4.7-magnitude aftershock followed 26 minutes later, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

PNG’s erupting Tavurvur volcano affects Tokua airport
Eruptions of Papua New Guinea’s Mt Tavurvur have forced some flights in and out of New Britain to be cancelled. The ash and vapour blowing from the volcano affected flights to Tokua Airport. Air Niugini says the flight suspension came into effect on Monday and will continue for an indefinite period.

Volcano activity of January 21, 2013
Seismicity continues at Alaskan volcano Mount Spurr (station CKT) and Tanaga (station TAZE). A magnitude M5.1 earthquake struck 30 km southwest of Tanaga (large event with aftershocks on TAZE record) early this morning. Perhaps Tanaga volcano was trying to tell us something with its recent period of unrest?

Israel election: Benjamin Netanyahu expected to hold on for win
Many voters have said they will cast ballots for Mr Netanyahu because they see no viable alternative. Polls suggest hawkish and religious parties that have been his traditional allies will form the core of his next coalition government. The big question is whether he will be able to woo centrist parties with more moderate positions on peacemaking into his governing coalition...

Russians flee Syrian conflict on planes from Beirut
Scores of Russians are to be flown home after fleeing the violence in Syria - but Russia insists it is not the start of a mass evacuation. Up to 150 people, who have left Syria for neighbouring Lebanon, are expected to board two flights from the Lebanese capital Beirut, starting on Tuesday. Moscow has been one of President Bashar al-Assad's closest allies during the conflict in Syria.

Meningitis B vaccine gets European licence
A vaccine to protect children against one of the most common and deadly forms of meningitis has been licensed for use in Europe. The 4CMenB vaccine licensed by the European Commission is the first to cover meningococcal B meningitis - until now vaccines had protected against only some of the bacterial types involved.

Japan agrees 2% inflation target and asset purchases
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) has agreed to double its inflation target to 2% and ease monetary policy, meeting key demands of Japan's new government. Japan's central bank has guarded its independence and there were fears it may resist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's calls for it to do more to help growth.

Merkel and Hollande dream of EU 'utopia'
The leaders of Germany and France encouraged young people to be "utopian" and dream of a European federal state with common taxation, on the eve of festivities on Tuesday (22 January) marking the 50th anniversary of the Elysee peace treaty. "When the Elysee treaty was signed, 50 years ago, we were both eight years old. I was in East Germany at the time and who would of thought we will be here one day,"


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Iran, Russia sign security agreement
Iran and Russia have signed a joint security agreement today in Tehran, Mehr news agency reported. The agreement was signed by Iran's Intelligence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Kolokoltsev. Kolokoltsev arrived in Tehran on Sunday, leading the Russian delegation of official diplomats.

'Harbinger' author pleads for return to God
“What we once knew to be immoral, we celebrate,” he said. “What we once knew to be right, we war against.” And he warned that no level of political correctness will change right and wrong. “A thousand apostate ministers swearing on a thousand Bibles will not change one jot or tittle of the word of God,” he said.

Ted Nugent Suggests He's Ready For Armed Revolt Against 'Evil, Dangerous' Obama
"I'm part of a very great experiment in self-government where we the people determine our own pursuit of happiness and our own individual freedom and liberty, not to be confused with the Barack Obama gang who believes in we the sheeple and actually is attempting to re-implement the tyranny of King George that we escaped from in 1776,"

Russia warns Israel, West against attack on Iran
Russia warned Israel and the West on Wednesday against any military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities but suggested Tehran should be quicker to cooperate over inspections of its nuclear sites.

Comet Ison, Celestial Events & The Return Of Christ
ISON might not be the only spectacular comet visible soon. Another comet, called 2014 L4 (PanSTARRS), was discovered last year, and in March and April it could also be a magnificent object in the evening sky. Comets and other celestial objects have often been regarded as harbingers of events on Earth.

3.0-magnitude earthquake rocks North Texas
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 3.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Irving Wednesday night. The quake hit at 10:16 pm., with the epicenter in Irving just south of the intersection of the Bush Turnpike and Highway 114 and 3.5 miles east of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Immune Cells Engineered in Lab to Resist HIV Infection
A new study describes the use of a kind of molecular scissors to cut and paste a series of HIV-resistant genes into T cells, specialized immune cells targeted by the AIDS virus. The genome editing was made in a gene that the virus uses to gain entry into the cell. By inactivating a receptor gene and inserting additional anti-HIV genes, the virus was blocked from entering the cells

White Island volcanic activity concern
The volcano, off the Bay of Plenty coast, is the country's most active and showed heightened signs of unrest last year. But it is the increased hydrothermal activity in the last three weeks which is of "significant concern", GNS vulcanologist Brad Scott says. "I don't think I've seen anything this strong since the late 90s and 2000s." The activity then led to a large eruption in July, 2000.

Stratospheric Phenomenon Is Bringing Frigid Cold to U.S
An unusual event playing out high in the atmosphere above the Arctic Circle is setting the stage for what could be weeks upon weeks of frigid cold across wide swaths of the U.S., having already helped to bring cold and snowy weather to parts of Europe.

Israel's top priority is stopping Iran gaining nuclear weapons says Netanyahu
THE top priority of the new Israeli government will be to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said shortly after his Likud-Beitenu list won a narrow election victory. In a stunning setback, Mr Netanyahu's hard-line bloc fared worse than expected in a parliamentary election, exit polls showed, possibly forcing the incumbent Israeli leader to...soften his line toward the Palestinians.

Tensions mount on the Syrian-Jordanian border
Tensions on the Syrian-Jordanian border are rising as the conflict in Syria plays out dangerously close to its neighboring country. The Jordanian border is only 70 kilometers from the Syrian capital Damascus. This explains why Bashar al-Assad’s regime is making sure the area remains tightly secured.

Bishop apologizes for role in hiding priest abuse
Prosecutors who have been stymied for years...to build a criminal conspiracy case against retired Los Angeles Archdiocese Cardinal Roger Mahony and other church leaders said Tuesday they will review newly released priest files for additional evidence....The top aide, then-Monsignor Thomas J. Curry, is now an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese's Santa Barbara region. He issued a public apology Tuesday, echoing a similar statement from Mahony a day earlier.

Jordan election: polls open in boycotted vote
Polling stations across Jordan have opened in a vote boycotted by Islamists behind strident pro-reform protests who have already labelled as illegitimate what is expected to be an opposition-free parliament. ...The monarch, whose throne is not seriously thought to be under threat, is hoping that the election will produce a new crop of strong MPs who will work efficiently to jump start reform.

Israel coalition talks to begin after election deadlock
Coalition talks are set to begin in Israel after general election results predicted right-wing and centre-left blocs tied on 60 seats each. President Shimon Peres is expected to ask Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attempt to form a new government. His Likud-Beitenu alliance lost a quarter of its seats in parliament, but remains the largest grouping with 31.

North Korea in nuclear warning after UN rocket resolution
North Korea has reacted angrily to a UN resolution condemning its recent rocket launch, pledging to strengthen military and nuclear capabilities. The Security Council unanimously passed the resolution, which also expanded existing sanctions, on Tuesday. North Korea, in a statement early on Wednesday, pledged to bolster its "nuclear deterrent" and ruled out denuclearisation talks.

Boko Haram militants suspected of deadly attacks in Nigeria
Suspected Islamists have been blamed for the deaths of at least 23 people in separate attacks in north-eastern Nigeria. Witnesses say gunmen apparently targeted hunters selling bush meat in Damboa on Monday, killing 18 people. Another five people died on Tuesday when a group of men playing draughts was attacked in Kano.

Hillary Clinton to testify on Benghazi embassy attack
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to testify to Congress over the deadly attack on a US mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year. Mrs Clinton will face questions about security failures that led to the attack before the foreign relations committees of the Senate and the House. She had been due to testify late last year but fell ill.

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Let elderly people 'hurry up and die', says Japanese minister
Japan's new government is barely a month old, and already one of its most senior members has insulted tens of millions of voters by suggesting that the elderly are an unnecessary drain on the country's finances. Taro Aso, the finance minister, said on Monday that the elderly should be allowed to "hurry up and die" to relieve pressure on the state to pay for their medical care.

Antibiotic-resistant diseases pose 'apocalyptic' threat, top expert says
Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, said the threat from infections that are resistant to frontline antibiotics was so serious that the issue should be added to the government's national risk register of civil emergencies. She described what she called an "apocalyptic scenario" where people going for simple operations in 20 years' time die of routine infections "because we have run out of antibiotics".

The Divine Right Of Obama
Obama, who has made it clear that he thinks as highly of the Constitution as I do of The New York Times, placed his hand on not one but two copies of the Bible — one belonging to Martin Luther King Jr. and the other belonging to President Abraham Lincoln.

Jefferson Bible Published, Humanist group gives copy to president, congress
The American Humanist Association (AHA) has created A Jefferson Bible for the Twenty-First Century by deciding which religious passages are or are not worthy of inclusion. Copies of the book were recently sent to the president and current members of congress by the publisher, Humanist Press of the AHA.

North Korea plans new nuclear test, threatens to target US
"We are not disguising the fact that the various satellites and long-range rockets that we will fire and the high-level nuclear test we will carry out are aimed at the United States," North Korea's National Defense Commission says.

At least 50 African children paralyzed after receiving Bill Gates-backed meningitis vaccine
But rather than try to meet these basic needs, the multi-billionaires and their many allies have instead thrust vaccines on indigenous populations as the solution, which has in turn sparked a wave of paralysis among Africa's younger populations.

Ad in Kashmir advises people to prep for nuclear war
The State Disaster Response Force, in a notice this week, urged people to build shelters to prepare for a potential nuclear conflict. The last few days have seen high tension along the Line of Control in Kashmir. Two Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistani troops who crossed over; one of the bodies was found beheaded. Pakistan says India has killed two of its soldiers in cross-border raids and firing.

Russia says West to blame for arms used by Mali rebels
Russia said on Wednesday the rebels fighting French and African troops in Mali are the same fighters the West armed in the revolt that ousted Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. An Islamist alliance of al Qaeda's North African wing AQIM and home-grown Malian groups captured northern Mali last year, armed with weapons seized from Libya after the fall of Gaddafi.

Reventador volcano (Ecuador) enters new eruption with lava flows and explosions
The volcano has now entered a full-scale eruption. Lava flows descending on the flanks and glow at the summit were observed. A tall steam and ash plume rises 1.5 km above the volcano and drifts west. Additionally explosions have been reported which were heard in the sector of Reventador. Seismic activity is strong and characterized by strong tremor and explosion signals.

10 volcanic quakes rock Taal Volcano
THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Tuesday the seismic activity of Taal Volcano in Batangas province has increased in the past 24 hours. Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum, Jr. said the agency has recorded 10 volcanic quakes from 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday.

3.9 earthquake strikes Paradox Valley, south of Grand Junction
The Earthquake Information Center in Golden originally reported the quake registered a magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter scale with an epicenter 58 miles south-southwest of Grand Junction, 35 miles southeast of Moab, Utah and 24 miles west of Nucla, Colo. The earthquake was later downgraded to magnitude 3.9.

Earthquake: 4.0 quake strikes 30 miles south of Lake Tahoe
A shallow magnitude 4.0 earthquake was reported Thursday morning 13 miles from Markleeville, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 12:21 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 8.1 miles.

Iran’s Agenda: Why Tehran Plays Hard to Get on Nuclear Diplomacy
Despite Iranians’ suffering under the burden of ever-tightening Western sanctions, analysts believe Tehran has been evading a new round of nuclear talks with the P5+1 — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany — because it believes Western powers don’t plan to offer substantially more than the package rejected by Iran at the previous round of talks in Moscow last June.

Women in combat: Pentagon to overturn military ban
Women could assume combat roles in the US army for the first time as early as this year, following a landmark decision by defense secretary Leon Panetta to lift a military ban on women serving on the frontline. The groundbreaking move could open up hundreds of thousands of frontline positions, and could see women working in elite commando units.

Calif. couple sues over donations to Scientology
Two former members of the Church of Scientology claimed in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that the church and its affiliates deceived members into donating millions of dollars to misrepresented causes.

LA teacher accused of sex abuse of up to 20 kids
Los Angeles police say a fourth-grade teacher in the classroom for nearly 40 years has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing 20 students and one adult. Police said in a statement that Robert Pimentel of Newport Beach, a teacher at George De La Torre Jr. Elementary in the Wilmington area, was arrested Wednesday and was being held on $12 million bail. Police say he's been charged with 15 felonies, and is expected to be charged with misdemeanors for the remaining incidents.


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Violence flares on anniversary of Egypt uprising
Hundreds of youths clashed with Egyptian police in Tahrir Square on Friday in a violent start to the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak and led to the election of an Islamist president who is now the focus of protester rage. Opponents of President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood allies are expected to mass in Tahrir Square later on Friday to revive the demands of a revolution that they say has been betrayed by the Islamists.

Abdullah: Two state solution's only as long as Obama's term
"The time to take action in the Middle East is now," was the resounding message of Jordanian King Abdullah II's speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday. "If we're not too late... the two state solution will only last as long as [US President Barack] Obama's term," he warned. "If it doesn't happen by then I don't think it will happen.

Earthquake in China Linked to Notions of Divine Retribution
An earthquake that struck close to the site of a known concentration camp in China was seen by netizens as having possible divine portent—given the ancient Chinese notion that misdeeds by rulers are punished by heaven.

HIV-Like Viruses in Non-Human Primates Have Existed Much Longer Than Previously Thought
HIV-1, the virus responsible for AIDS, infiltrated the human population in the early 20th century following multiple transmissions of a similar chimpanzee virus known as SIVcpz.

Earthquake shakes East Texas overnight
The U.S. Geology Survey confirms a 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit East Texas around 1:01 a.m. Friday morning with an epicenter 2 miles from Timpson, Texas.

Egypt: Violence in Tahrir Square on anniversary of Mubarak's fall
Opponents of President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood allies are expected to mass in Tahrir Square later on Friday to revive the demands of a revolution that they say has been betrayed by the Islamists. The square was calm by daybreak, following early morning battles between police and protesters who threw petrol bombs and firecrackers as they tried to approach a wall blocking access to government buildings near the square.

Google Earth exposes North Korea's secret prison camps
Rights groups are pushing the United Nations high commissioner for human rights to open an international investigation into Pyongyang's "deplorable" record on its citizens' rights, including a system of political prisons that has operated for more than 50 years. Pyongyang insists that the camps do not exist...but the advent of...free images from outer space has disproved that claim.

Fed’s Holdings of U.S. Gov't Debt Hit Record $1,696,691,000,000; Up 257% Under Obama
In data released Thursday afternoon, the Federal Reserve revealed that its holdings of U.S. government debt had increased to an all-time record of $1,696,691,000,000 as of the close of business on Wednesday. The Fed's holdings of U.S. government debt have increased by 257 percent since President Barack Obama was first inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2009, and the Fed is currently the single largest holder of U.S. government debt.

US hit by new stomach bug spreading around globe
A new strain of stomach bug sweeping the globe is taking over in the U.S., health officials say. Since September, more than 140 outbreaks in the U.S. have been caused by the new Sydney strain of norovirus. It may not be unusually dangerous; some scientists don't think it is. But it is different, and many people might not be able to fight off its gut-wrenching effects.

UN launches probe into drone strikes
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched an investigation into drone strikes and will review resultant civilian casualties to determine whether the attacks constitute a war crime. Ben Emmerson, a UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, formally launched the inquiry on Thursday, in response to requests from Russia, China and Pakistan.

Number Of Nation's Sheriffs Refusing To Enforce Unconstitutional Gun Laws Snowballs
From Florida to California, a growing number of the nation's sheriffs are standing up to gun control measures proposed by both the administration and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Many law enforcement officials have written letters to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden voicing their concerns over what they believe is an effort to infringe upon the Second Amendment.

Japan envoy meets Chinese leader amid islands dispute
An envoy for Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has met China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, amid a growing territorial dispute. Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of the junior party in Japan's ruling coalition, handed Mr Xi a letter from Mr Abe - its contents have not been disclosed. Mr Yamaguchi said the two had agreed it was important to maintain a dialogue.

North Korea warn South over UN sanctions
North Korea has issued another warning, a day after announcing plans for a third nuclear test. In a statement, Pyongyang pledged "physical counter-measures" against South Korea if it participated in the UN sanctions regime. The threat came 24 hours after North Korea said it would proceed with a "high-level" nuclear test in a move aimed at "arch-enemy" the US.

Mali crisis: US admits mistakes in training local troops
The US military commander in Africa says the Pentagon made mistakes in its training of Malian troops now trying to oust Islamists from the north. Gen Carter Ham of United States Africa Command (Africom) said its forces had failed to train Malian troops on "values, ethics and a military ethos". He was speaking after reports of abuses by Mali government troops taking part in the French-led counter-offensive.

UK GDP: Economy shrank at end of 2012
The UK economy shrank by 0.3% in the last three months of 2012, further fuelling fears that the economy could re-enter recession. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the fall in output was largely due to a drop in mining and quarrying, after maintenance delays at the UK's largest North Sea oil field.

Pentagon ends ban on women in frontline combat
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has lifted the military's ban on women serving in combat roles, potentially opening hundreds of thousands of frontline positions to women. The ruling, officially announced on Thursday, overturns a 1994 rule barring women from small ground-combat units. But the military will have until 2016 to argue for any specific posts they think should remain closed to women.

John Kerry eyes revival of Middle East peace talks
US Senator John Kerry has warned that a failure of a two-state solution in the Middle East would be "disastrous", at his confirmation hearing as secretary of state. But Sen Kerry said he believes there is a "way forward" on peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. US-brokered peace talks in the Middle East broke down in 2010.

Syrian rebels detonate car bomb near Israeli border
Eight members of Syria's military intelligence were killed by an Islamist militant car bomb on Thursday night near the southern frontier with the Golan Heights, opposition activists and a violence monitoring group said on Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bomb was planted by Al-Nusra Front, a rebel unit fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad that the United States has labelled a terrorist group.

IAEA to Israel: Iran nuclear row must be solved peacefully
The UN nuclear watchdog chief has underlined to Israel's president the need to resolve differences with Iran diplomatically, Yukiya Amano's office said on Friday, rather than war as Israeli leaders have mooted. Israel, widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, has threatened possible military action if diplomacy and sanctions fail to prevent arch-adversary Iran from developing nuclear weapons.



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White House, senators launching immigration push
President Barack Obama will launch a campaign next week aimed at overhauling the nation's flawed immigration system and creating legal status for millions, as a bipartisan Senate group nears agreement on achieving the same goals. The proposals from Obama and lawmakers will mark the start of what is expected to be a contentious and emotional process with deep political implications.

Italy: Earthquake hits near Bologna
An earthquake has shaken parts of northern Italy, forcing some residents onto the streets. The magnitude-4.8 quake struck at a depth of 15.5km (9.6 miles) 35km north of the city of Lucca, officials said. The tremor was felt as far away as Milan and Florence, Italian media say. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

'Iran would definitely use nuclear weapon on Israel'
If Iran makes a nuclear bomb "it would definitely use it against Israel or against any other enemy state," a former representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry said... "The [Iranian] regime thinks that if it has several atom bombs, it will grant it an insurance policy," Mohammed Razza Hidari said. "They believe that if [they have a nuclear weapon], the world would treat them the way it treats North Korea."

Syrian army steps up assault on Homs
The Syrian army has intensified its offensive on Sunni strongholds and opposition forces are fighting fire with fire. Amateur footage posted online shows violent clashes in and around the central city of Homs, with activists reporting aerial bombing and artillery fire.

Israel Ultra-Orthodox unite to foil centrists joining coalition
Israeli Ultra-Orthodox parties said on Friday they would band together to fight for inclusion in any coalition government forged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his rightist Likud party's narrow win in a January 22 parliamentary election.

More signs al Qaeda in Mali orchestrated Algeria attack
The Obama Administration now believes the attack and hostage-taking at a natural gas plant in Algeria last week is the work of al Qaeda operatives based out of northern Mali. U.S. officials say al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) was behind the attack and may also have operated a communications network from northern Mali. Despite the recent French intervention, large areas of Mali remain in the hands of jihadist groups.

After threats against U.S., North Korea turns ire to South
"Troubling and counterproductive" rhetoric from North Korea is inflaming tensions on the Korean peninsula, but ultimately, "we will judge North Korea by its actions, not its words," the U.S. envoy to North Korea said Friday.

Report: Prison riot kills dozens in Venezuela
A riot at a Venezuelan prison left 50 people dead and dozens injured, CNN affiliate Globovision reported, the latest in a series of violent incidents in the nation's crowded detention system.

Judge sentences 21 people to death for roles in Egyptian football riot
An Egyptian judge sentenced 21 people to death Saturday for their roles in a riot at a football game in Port Said that left 74 people dead and more than a 1,000 wounded. The sentences were handed down in a packed courtroom in Cairo, where family members of the victims and those convicted cried out over the ruling.

Court says Obama exceeded authority in making appointments
resident Obama exceeded his constitutional authority by making appointments when the Senate was on a break last year, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The court’s broad ruling would sharply limit the power that presidents throughout history have used to make recess appointments in the face of Senate opposition and inaction.

Fox News, Palin cutting ties
Fox News Channel is parting ways with former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, ending her three-year tenure as a contributor on the network.

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British cocaine users helping fund Islamic terror groups behind Algerian siege and Mali conflict
Cocaine snorted in the pubs and clubs of Britain is helping finance the al-Qaeda factions behind the Algerian hostage siege and the Islamist takeover of northern Mali, The Sunday Telegraph has been told. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and allied terrorist groups are thought to be raking in millions of dollars every year by providing armed "escorts" for traffickers smuggling the drug across the Sahara.

Communists Cheer On Obama’s Gun Grab
It should come as no surprise that the Communist Party USA is on board with President Obama’s plan to attack Americans’ right to keep and bear arms as a means to “end gun violence.” A cardinal feature of communist regimes, like all dictatorships, is the prohibition of private ownership of arms, creating a monopoly of force in the hands of the State.

Indonesia landslides leave several dead
At least 11 people have died and several others have been injured in two separate landslides in western Indonesia, officials have said. In Agam district, in West Sumatra province, 15 houses were buried beneath mud and rocks, killing seven. Hundreds of people were forced to flee their homes on the mountainside.

Clashes continue in fourth day of violence in Egypt
Police fired tear gas at dozens of stone-throwing protesters in Cairo on Sunday in a fourth day of street violence that has killed at least 41 people. Although scuffles continued on Sunday morning in Cairo, there was no immediate sign of the kind of deadly escalation of previous days in the capital or elsewhere.

Global Warming Downgraded To Sultry Afternoon
Global warming is likely to be less extreme than claimed, researchers said yesterday. The most likely temperature rise will be 1.9C (3.4F) compared with the 3.5C predicted by the Intergovern­mental Panel on Climate Change. The Norwegian study says earlier predictions were based on rapid warming in the Nineties. But Oslo University’s department of geosciences included data since 2000 when temperature rises “levelled off nearly completely”.—John Ingham, Daily Express, 26 January 2013.

French Capture Strategic Airport in Move to Retake North Mali
French special forces took control of the airport in the Islamic rebel stronghold of Gao, the French government said Saturday, meeting “serious resistance” from militants even as they pressed northward.

North Korean Leader Vows ‘High-Profile’ Retaliation
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has vowed to take “substantial and high-profile important state measures” and ordered his top military and party officials of what to do to retaliate against American-led United Nations sanctions on the country, the North’s official media reported on Sunday.

Anonymous Hijacks Federal Website Over Aaron Swartz Suicide
Activists from the hacker collective known as Anonymous assumed control over the homepage of a federal judicial agency this morning. In a manifesto left on the defaced page, the group demanded reform to the American justice system and what the activists said are threats to the free flow of information.

Friar accused of abuse in 2 states kills self
A Franciscan friar accused of sexually abusing students at Catholic high schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania killed himself at a western Pennsylvania monastery, police said Saturday. Brother Stephen Baker, 62, was found dead of a self-inflicted knife wound at the St. Bernardine Monastery in Hollidaysburg on Saturday morning, Blair Township Police Chief Roger White said. He declined to say whether a note was found.

Iran issues threatening warning against attack on Syria
Any foreign attack on Syria would be considered an attack on Iran, a senior Iranian official warned Saturday as the first Patriot missile batteries were declared operational along Turkey's tense border with Syria. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's decision to deploy six Patriot missile batteries in Turkish borderlands has rankled the Syrian government and its chief allies, Iran and Russia.

Third bomb attack in 24 hours kills eight Afghan police
A roadside bomb killed eight policemen in Afghanistan's volatile southern province of Kandahar, police said on Sunday, the third deadly attack by insurgents against police in 24 hours.

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Kazakhstan's largest city shaken by earthquake measuring 6.0 on Richter scale
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has hit southeastern Kazakhstan, causing apartment buildings to sway in the country's largest city, Almaty. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the temblor hit at 22:38 p.m. local time (1638 GMT; 11:38 a.m. EST) Monday and that the epicenter was in a remote mountainous area near the border with Western China and Kyrgyzstan.

3,000 Gaza teens graduate Hamas terror school
More than 3,000 Palestinian teenagers on Thursday graduated from the ruling Hamas terror group’s first high school military training program in the Gaza Strip, displaying mock weapons, crawling commando-style on the ground and taking up fighting positions for thousands of cheering supporters.

Beam me up, Scotty! Real-life Star Trek tractor beam created by scientists at University of St Andrews
A real-life miniature version of the "tractor beam" featured in the Star Trek series has been created by a team of scientists which could be used in medical testing. Although light manipulation techniques have existed since the 1970s, researchers said this is the first time a light beam has been used to draw objects towards the light source, albeit at a microscopic level.

Gallup Poll: Americans Most Negative On the Nation And Economy In 30 Years
I guess Americans just haven’t heard of a little something called the stock market. Isn’t that right Bernanke? Wasn’t the stock market rally you engineered supposed to make everyone feel all nice and confident? Well the great middle class squeeze continues, as the stock market is for the 1% what food stamps are for the poor.

Deadly GM flu research that could 'wipe out significant portion of humanity' set to resta
Research into H5N1 transmission stopped a year ago amid fears information about how to create potentially dangerous viruses could be used for bioterrorism. The self-imposed moratorium came after two teams independently discovered how to mutate the virus so that it could be transmitted through the air between humans.

Cyber Threat Looms
The United States is facing a catastrophic cyber attack by nations or non-state groups that could cripple the country’s economy, a former high-ranking U.S. intelligence official said on Thursday.

World Bank says Red-Dead project feasible
Project meant to connect Red Seas with Dea Sea gets financial thumbs up, but green groups warn it may spell an environmental disaster.

Plans For "Sweeping" Changes To U.S. Immigration Law To Be Unveiled Today
A group of leading senators from both sides of the House have formulated a plan to re-write U.S. immigration laws which is expected to be formally released at a press conference today. The eight senators expected to announce the proposals today are Democrats Charles Schumer, Dick Durbin, Robert Menendez and Michael Bennet; and Republicans John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio and Jeff Flake.

Mohamed Morsi declares emergency in three Egyptian cities
Port Said, Suez, and Ismailiya – the cities most affected by the violence – will be subject to a 30-day curfew lasting from 9pm to 6am every night, Morsi said in a surprise televised speech.

Earthquake felt throughout Solano County
According to the USGS website, the earthquake caused no damage, but was felt as far away as Vacaville, Suisun City, Benicia, Vallejo, Deer Park, Pleasant Hill, Sacramento, Roseville, Petaluma and Nevada City.

Earthquake (aftershock) in East Azerbaijan, Iran injures at least 34 people
A moderate earthquake struck Iranian Province East Azerbaijan this afternoon (Saturday). USGS gives M 4,8 and a depth of 18 km for this quake. The epicenter lays 66 km northeast of Tabris, where two devasting earthquakes on August 11th 2012 killed more than 300 people.

2 Iron Dome batteries deployed in north Israel
Two Iron Dome batteries have been deployed in northern Israel over the past few days, the IDF said on Sunday. One battery of the missile-defense system was deployed in the Krayot area, while the other was installed in the Galilee region. Additional, fully operational batteries have already been deployed in the Haifa are and in other locations.

China, U.S. conduct missile defense tests
China on Sunday conducted the second test of a new anti-ballistic missile defense interceptor that United States officials say is directly linked to Beijing’s secret anti-satellite weapons program. Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Sunday announced it conducted a successful test of a long-range anti-missile interceptor.

Pentagon to boost cybersecurity force
The Pentagon has approved a major expansion of its cybersecurity force over the next several years, increasing its size more than fivefold to bolster the nation’s ability to defend critical computer systems and conduct offensive computer operations against foreign adversaries, according to U.S. officials. ...The command, made up of about 900 personnel, will expand to include 4,900 troops and civilians.

Ahmadinejad: Muslims should mobilize resources to uproot Zionism
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that all Muslims should mobilize their resources to uproot Zionism... He said that the prime goal of the Muslims should be terminating the issue of Zionism. ''World Muslims should forge unity in their struggle with bullying powers and by the time that the Zionist usurpers commit crimes through occupation and vandalism. It is not advisable to sit idle and take no action.''

Senators reach agreement on immigration reform
A bipartisan group of leading senators has reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws. The deal, which was to be announced at a news conference Monday afternoon, covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country.

Egypt's Morsi calls crisis talks as emergency declared
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has urged leading opposition figures to attend a "national dialogue" meeting following four days of deadly violence. Dozens of people have died since a court sentenced 21 people to death over football riots. Anger over Mr Morsi's rule has fuelled unrest elsewhere. Mr Morsi declared a state of emergency in Port Said, Suez and Ismalia, and a 21:00 to 06:00 curfew from Monday.

Security chief heads to Russia amid Syria concerns
National Security Council head Yaakov Amidror was set to fly to Russia on Monday to discuss the Syrian crisis, Army Radio reported. According to the report, Amidror plans to discuss the issue of Syrian chemical weapons with officials in the country. The fighting and instability in Syria and the uncertainty over the security of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal has been a cause of ongoing concern for Israel's decision makers.

Ex-CIA man: Iran blast largest sabotage case in decades
Iranian dissident-turned CIA operative Reza Kahlili told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that an alleged blast at the Fordow nuclear installation in Iran is "the largest case of sabotage in decades." Although it has not yet been verified, a report by Kahlili, according to which a massive blast rocked Iran's key Fordow nuclear installation last week, continued to spread on Monday.

North Korean parents 'eating their own children' after being driven mad by hunger in famine-hit pariah state
A starving man in North Korea has been executed after murdering his two children for food, reports from inside the secretive state claim. A 'hidden famine' in the farming provinces of North and South Hwanghae is believed to have killed up to 10,000 people and there are fears that incidents of cannibalism have risen.

French-led troops 'have control of Timbuktu airport'
French-led troops in Mali have taken control of the airport in the key northern city of Timbuktu, French military officials say. The troops encountered no resistance as they headed towards the city, a senior officer with the Malian army told AFP news agency.

Tens of thousands march in support of gay marriage in Paris
Tens of thousands of people marched through Paris on Sunday to support the French government's plan to legalize gay marriage and adoption, but the turnout fell well short of a mass demonstration against the project two weeks ago.

U.S. condemns sentencing of American pastor in Iran
The U.S. State Department on Sunday condemned an Iranian court for sentencing an Iranian-American Christian pastor to eight years in prison. The State Department said it had confirmed reports of Saeed Abedini's sentencing with the family's attorney and called for his release.

Israel warns of attack on Syrian chemical weapons
Israel could launch a pre-emptive strike to stop Syria's chemical weapons from reaching Lebanon's Hezbollah or al-Qaida inspired groups, officials said Sunday.

Australia floods leave hundreds stranded in Bundaberg
Helicopter rescue crews are trying to reach hundreds of people trapped by rising floodwaters in Bundaberg in the Australian state of Queensland. Many people are trapped on roofs, but there are fears homes could be washed away by fast-moving waters after the Burnett River burst its banks.


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Kazakhstan's largest city shaken by earthquake measuring 6.0 on Richter scale
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has hit southeastern Kazakhstan, causing apartment buildings to sway in the country's largest city, Almaty. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the temblor hit at 22:38 p.m. local time (1638 GMT; 11:38 a.m. EST) Monday and that the epicenter was in a remote mountainous area near the border with Western China and Kyrgyzstan.

3,000 Gaza teens graduate Hamas terror school
More than 3,000 Palestinian teenagers on Thursday graduated from the ruling Hamas terror group’s first high school military training program in the Gaza Strip, displaying mock weapons, crawling commando-style on the ground and taking up fighting positions for thousands of cheering supporters.

Beam me up, Scotty! Real-life Star Trek tractor beam created by scientists at University of St Andrews
A real-life miniature version of the "tractor beam" featured in the Star Trek series has been created by a team of scientists which could be used in medical testing. Although light manipulation techniques have existed since the 1970s, researchers said this is the first time a light beam has been used to draw objects towards the light source, albeit at a microscopic level.

Gallup Poll: Americans Most Negative On the Nation And Economy In 30 Years
I guess Americans just haven’t heard of a little something called the stock market. Isn’t that right Bernanke? Wasn’t the stock market rally you engineered supposed to make everyone feel all nice and confident? Well the great middle class squeeze continues, as the stock market is for the 1% what food stamps are for the poor.

Deadly GM flu research that could 'wipe out significant portion of humanity' set to resta
Research into H5N1 transmission stopped a year ago amid fears information about how to create potentially dangerous viruses could be used for bioterrorism. The self-imposed moratorium came after two teams independently discovered how to mutate the virus so that it could be transmitted through the air between humans.

Cyber Threat Looms
The United States is facing a catastrophic cyber attack by nations or non-state groups that could cripple the country’s economy, a former high-ranking U.S. intelligence official said on Thursday.

World Bank says Red-Dead project feasible
Project meant to connect Red Seas with Dea Sea gets financial thumbs up, but green groups warn it may spell an environmental disaster.

Plans For "Sweeping" Changes To U.S. Immigration Law To Be Unveiled Today
A group of leading senators from both sides of the House have formulated a plan to re-write U.S. immigration laws which is expected to be formally released at a press conference today. The eight senators expected to announce the proposals today are Democrats Charles Schumer, Dick Durbin, Robert Menendez and Michael Bennet; and Republicans John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio and Jeff Flake.

Mohamed Morsi declares emergency in three Egyptian cities
Port Said, Suez, and Ismailiya – the cities most affected by the violence – will be subject to a 30-day curfew lasting from 9pm to 6am every night, Morsi said in a surprise televised speech.

Earthquake felt throughout Solano County
According to the USGS website, the earthquake caused no damage, but was felt as far away as Vacaville, Suisun City, Benicia, Vallejo, Deer Park, Pleasant Hill, Sacramento, Roseville, Petaluma and Nevada City.

Earthquake (aftershock) in East Azerbaijan, Iran injures at least 34 people
A moderate earthquake struck Iranian Province East Azerbaijan this afternoon (Saturday). USGS gives M 4,8 and a depth of 18 km for this quake. The epicenter lays 66 km northeast of Tabris, where two devasting earthquakes on August 11th 2012 killed more than 300 people.

2 Iron Dome batteries deployed in north Israel
Two Iron Dome batteries have been deployed in northern Israel over the past few days, the IDF said on Sunday. One battery of the missile-defense system was deployed in the Krayot area, while the other was installed in the Galilee region. Additional, fully operational batteries have already been deployed in the Haifa are and in other locations.

China, U.S. conduct missile defense tests
China on Sunday conducted the second test of a new anti-ballistic missile defense interceptor that United States officials say is directly linked to Beijing’s secret anti-satellite weapons program. Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Sunday announced it conducted a successful test of a long-range anti-missile interceptor.

Pentagon to boost cybersecurity force
The Pentagon has approved a major expansion of its cybersecurity force over the next several years, increasing its size more than fivefold to bolster the nation’s ability to defend critical computer systems and conduct offensive computer operations against foreign adversaries, according to U.S. officials. ...The command, made up of about 900 personnel, will expand to include 4,900 troops and civilians.

Ahmadinejad: Muslims should mobilize resources to uproot Zionism
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that all Muslims should mobilize their resources to uproot Zionism... He said that the prime goal of the Muslims should be terminating the issue of Zionism. ''World Muslims should forge unity in their struggle with bullying powers and by the time that the Zionist usurpers commit crimes through occupation and vandalism. It is not advisable to sit idle and take no action.''

Senators reach agreement on immigration reform
A bipartisan group of leading senators has reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws. The deal, which was to be announced at a news conference Monday afternoon, covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country.

Egypt's Morsi calls crisis talks as emergency declared
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has urged leading opposition figures to attend a "national dialogue" meeting following four days of deadly violence. Dozens of people have died since a court sentenced 21 people to death over football riots. Anger over Mr Morsi's rule has fuelled unrest elsewhere. Mr Morsi declared a state of emergency in Port Said, Suez and Ismalia, and a 21:00 to 06:00 curfew from Monday.

Security chief heads to Russia amid Syria concerns
National Security Council head Yaakov Amidror was set to fly to Russia on Monday to discuss the Syrian crisis, Army Radio reported. According to the report, Amidror plans to discuss the issue of Syrian chemical weapons with officials in the country. The fighting and instability in Syria and the uncertainty over the security of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal has been a cause of ongoing concern for Israel's decision makers.

Ex-CIA man: Iran blast largest sabotage case in decades
Iranian dissident-turned CIA operative Reza Kahlili told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that an alleged blast at the Fordow nuclear installation in Iran is "the largest case of sabotage in decades." Although it has not yet been verified, a report by Kahlili, according to which a massive blast rocked Iran's key Fordow nuclear installation last week, continued to spread on Monday.

North Korean parents 'eating their own children' after being driven mad by hunger in famine-hit pariah state
A starving man in North Korea has been executed after murdering his two children for food, reports from inside the secretive state claim. A 'hidden famine' in the farming provinces of North and South Hwanghae is believed to have killed up to 10,000 people and there are fears that incidents of cannibalism have risen.

French-led troops 'have control of Timbuktu airport'
French-led troops in Mali have taken control of the airport in the key northern city of Timbuktu, French military officials say. The troops encountered no resistance as they headed towards the city, a senior officer with the Malian army told AFP news agency.

Tens of thousands march in support of gay marriage in Paris
Tens of thousands of people marched through Paris on Sunday to support the French government's plan to legalize gay marriage and adoption, but the turnout fell well short of a mass demonstration against the project two weeks ago.

U.S. condemns sentencing of American pastor in Iran
The U.S. State Department on Sunday condemned an Iranian court for sentencing an Iranian-American Christian pastor to eight years in prison. The State Department said it had confirmed reports of Saeed Abedini's sentencing with the family's attorney and called for his release.

Israel warns of attack on Syrian chemical weapons
Israel could launch a pre-emptive strike to stop Syria's chemical weapons from reaching Lebanon's Hezbollah or al-Qaida inspired groups, officials said Sunday.

Australia floods leave hundreds stranded in Bundaberg
Helicopter rescue crews are trying to reach hundreds of people trapped by rising floodwaters in Bundaberg in the Australian state of Queensland. Many people are trapped on roofs, but there are fears homes could be washed away by fast-moving waters after the Burnett River burst its banks.


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Krugman: ‘Depression Conditions’ Continue in the US
“Almost 4 million workers have been out of work for more than a year,” he tells Yahoo. “We haven't had anything like that since the 1930s,” he adds. “If the Fed can convince people that it‘s going to keep the pedal to the metal … that still has some leverage on the economy,” While many cite the possibility that the Fed's policy may spark inflation, Krugman notes that inflation of 3 or 4 percent could be helpful.

Time has come for 2 states
The issue of Israel's borders is the most important of all. Israel must separate itself from the Palestinians and determine borders that will secure a democratic, egalitarian, legitimate and just state that will maintain a Jewish majority for generations to come.

Ariel Sharon showing brain activity seven years into comatose state
A team of Israeli and US scientists say new tests on comatose former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon show significant brain activity. Ben-Gurion University on Sunday said Sharon responded to external stimuli at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. He was shown pictures of his family and listened to recordings of his son's voice while undergoing a special brain imaging scan. The university said "significant brain activity was observed ... indicating appropriate processing of these stimulations."

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicates in favour of son
After 33 years on the throne following her mother's abdication in 1980, Beatrix said she would relinquish the crown at the end of April, leaving the monarchy to Crown-Prince Willem-Alexander, the oldest of her three sons. She is also said to be a member of the Bilderberg Group and is ranked among Europe's wealthiest royals.

Egypt's armed forces chief warns unrest could cause collapse of state
In an ominous warning, the head of Egypt's armed forces has said that continuing civil unrest may soon cause the collapse of the Egyptian state. Parts of Egypt are in turmoil following five days of rioting in which 52 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured after protests against President Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood and police brutality turned violent. The unrest comes two years after the start of the 2011 revolution that toppled the former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Netanyahu would agree to interim Palestinian state, ex-minister claims
Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to agree to the creation of a Palestinian state in provisional borders, even before his conditions for a final-status agreement are met, former minister and veteran peace activist Yossi Beilin said. “I don’t think that Netanyahu, who is far from being a warmonger — he’s a very cautious person — [is ready to commit to] a permanent solution. Not because he doesn’t want it — all of us want it — but because he’s not ready to pay the price,” Beilin said Monday night. “But to speak about a provisional border with the Palestinians, this is something that I heard from him that we would be ready to do it.”

Pentagon Plans Five-fold Increase In Cybersecurity Staff
The Pentagon plans to increase the size of its cybersecurity force more than fivefold over the coming years to combat threats to the nation’s critical computer systems and conduct offensive operations against foreign adversaries, according to reports citing several Defense Department officials.

N. Korea playing 'dangerous game of risk': US envoy
The comments from Glyn Davies come as North Korea threatens daily that it is preparing its third nuclear test in response to UN sanctions imposed on Pyongyang for a long-range rocket launch in December. Davies, who was in Tokyo to meet with his Japanese counterpart after visiting Seoul and Beijing, said Pyongyang's sabre-rattling showed it was "bent on playing a game of risk", adding: "This is very dangerous."

The perfect solar storm? Sun eruptions to peak in 2013
Sunny, with a mild chance of catastrophe? A massive solar storm, like the one that knocked out radio communications all over the U.S. in 1958, is coming, and this time the devastation could total as much as $2 trillion, experts told FoxNews.com. Call it the perfect solar storm.

US Congress: Senate Poised To Extend Debt Ceiling Until May 19
-Senate Expected To Vote This Week To Extend Debt Ceiling -Democrats, Republicans Begin To Hone Fiscal Arguments -House Is Not In Session This Week

RECORD-SETTING ASTEROID FLYBY
Talk about a close shave. On Feb. 15th an asteroid about half the size of a football field will fly past Earth only 17,200 miles above our planet's surface. There's no danger of a collision, but the space rock, designated 2012 DA14, has NASA's attention.

Starving North Koreans 'are forced to eat their children’
HUNGRY parents in North Korea have been caught eating their CHILDREN to avoid starvation, according to reports.

Horrific Reports of People Cooking & Eating Their Children
While it’s certainly not the first allegation of cannibalism to come from North Korea, it’s...as disturbing as those that preceded it. Troubling reports of a rise in starvation — and cannibalism — have emerged inside of a nation that continues to be intensely-secretive and shut off from the wider global community. According to...Asia Press, North Koreans are so desperate that they are increasingly turning to corpses and even murdering their own children for food.

Obama Secretly Pledges to Divide Jerusalem
The negotiator said top members of the Obama administration told the Palestinians the U.S. president will renew talks aimed at creating a Palestinian state in the so-called 1967 borders—meaning in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and, notably, eastern Jerusalem.

US takes war on al-Qaeda to N. Africa
The US military is considering setting up drone bases in northwest Africa, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Washington aims to use the bases to bolster surveillance of al-Qaeda's operatives and affiliates in the region, as well as on other Islamist extremists, in a bid to fight terrorism's grip on the region.

Netanyahu would agree to interim Palestinian state, ex-minister claims
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to agree to the creation of a Palestinian state in provisional borders, even before his conditions for a final-status agreement are met, former minister and veteran peace activist Yossi Beilin said. “I don’t think that Netanyahu, who is far from being a warmonger — he’s a very cautious person — [is ready to commit to] a permanent solution.

Australia battles floods in two states
Australia is battling flooding in two states, as rescue teams worked to evacuate people from inundated areas. In Queensland, more than 1,000 people were plucked to safety in the city of Bundaberg as the Burnett River burst its banks, flooding 2,000 homes. In New South Wales there are concerns that the Clarence River, at a record high, could flood the city of Grafton.

Boy Scouts of America considers end to gay-member ban
The Boys Scouts of America has said it may overturn its ban on gay members and leaders, and allow local units to choose their own policies on the issue. The policy reversal could come once the national board meets next week. Only last year, the Boys Scouts of America (BSA) reaffirmed its ban on gay members, after a two-year review.

Immigration reform: US senators in bipartisan deal
A bipartisan group of US senators has unveiled a plan for sweeping reform of the immigration system this year. The framework calls for a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US, while tightening border security. The eight senators promoted their proposals a day before President Barack Obama presents his own blueprint.

US free to grab EU data on American clouds
An obscure section in a US law is said to entitle authorities to access, without a warrant, data stored by any EU citizen on clouds run by American companies. Although highly controversial for its indirect effects on Americans, the impact of the law appears to have been overlooked by its intended target - everyone else.

Egypt army chief warns: Political unrest could topple state
The head of the Egyptian military warned political conflict could lead to the collapse of the state and said protecting the Suez Canal was one of the main objectives of the army deployment to nearby cities shaken by violence. Protesters defied a curfew...attacking police stations after President Mohamed Morsi imposed emergency rule to end days of clashes that have killed at least 52 people.

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Israel conducts airstrike on Syria
Regional security officials say Israel conducted an airstrike inside Syria overnight near the border with Lebanon. The two officials did not say what the target was. But they said Wednesday that Israel had been making plans in the days leading up to the airstrike to hit a shipment of weapons bound for the anti-Israel militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran’s Underground Nuke Site Struck?
The biggest blow in the covert campaign against Iran’s nuclear program may have just been delivered. It is reported that a mysterious explosion was set off inside the underground enrichment site at Fordo on Monday. The Iranian regime predictably denies the report. Anonymous Israeli officials have confirmed that an explosion took place, but the White House says it doesn’t believe the report is credible.

Morsi aide: Holocaust a US hoax
A key figure in Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's government called the Holocaust a hoax cooked up by US intelligence operatives and claimed the 6 million Jews who were killed by Nazis simply moved to the US, FoxNews reported Tuesday.

N. Korea threat 'merciless' retaliation on South
The perennially tense situation on the Korean peninsula has been stretched to its limit in the past week, with almost daily threats from the North that it is preparing to conduct a nuclear test as a riposte to the expanded sanctions. A lengthy commentary published Tuesday by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reiterated that the sanctions resolution passed by the UN Security Council was tantamount to a "declaration of war".

Bush, too, followed Isaiah 9:10 pattern
Not mentioned in the book or the No. 1 faith movie of 2012 and 2013, “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,” is that President George Bush also hit on the “We will rebuild” theme just none days after the attack in a joint session of Congress. “As a symbol of America’s resolve, my administration will work with Congress and these two leaders to show the world that we will rebuild New York City,” he said.

US debt headed toward 200 percent of GDP even after 'fiscal cliff'
The nation's long-term fiscal outlook hasn't significantly improved following the recent agreement between Congress and the White House over tax and spending issues, according to a new analysis. The "fiscal cliff" deal, combined with the debt-limit agreement of August 2011, only slightly delays the United States reaching debt-to-gross domestic product levels that would damage the economy and risk another fiscal crisis...

Islam and Cannibalism
In the future, the Egyptian Islamists will not only be conducting systematic violence, but cannibalism against Christians and moderates.

NRA chief: Gun owners will resist new laws
The nation’s gun owners will resist any attempt by lawmakers to pass new gun-control legislation, one of the nation’s leading gun advocates is expected to tell lawmakers Wednesday.

Israel boycotts UN rights council in unprecedented move
Israel has boycotted a regular review by the UN Human Rights Council, the first time any country has done so. The move was expected as Israel has long been angered by what it claims is unfair criticism from the body. A decision last year to investigate Jewish settlements in the West Bank prompted Israel to announce it would no longer co-operate with the council.

'France is totally bankrupt': French jobs minister Michel Sapin embarrasses Francois Hollande with shocking statement on state of the country&
France’s employment minister Michel Sapin has admitted the country is “totally bankrupt”. The unexpected news came during a radio interview yesterday and is thought to have sent the country’s business leaders into a state of shock.

Russia scraps US anti-drug accord after 10 years
The Russian government has abandoned an agreement with the US on fighting crime and the drugs trade, in an apparent sign of worsening relations. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the decade-long agreement no longer addressed "realities" and had "exhausted its potential". The agreement saw the US funding anti-crime projects in Russia.

USGS: 5.5 MW earthquake off Oregon coast
The United States Geological Survey is reporting that a 5.5 MW earthquake was detected off the Oregon Coast Tuesday evening. The quake located approximately 170 miles west of Coos Bay at a depth of 22 miles deep.

US Senate approves John Kerry as secretary of state
The US Senate has approved Senator John Kerry's nomination as secretary of state, after he was backed unanimously by the foreign relations committee. His confirmation after a 94-3 vote was met with applause on the Senate floor. President Barack Obama chose the Massachusetts Democrat to succeed Hillary Clinton, who is stepping down after four years, as his top diplomat.

DARPA’s big eye: 1.8-gigapixel camera for air surveillance unveiled
DARPA has revealed the ARGUS-IS its mega digital camera – with a 1.8-gigapixel resolution. The camera is expected to take clear images of objects as small as 15 centimeters from an altitude of six kilometers.

U.S. 'backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad's regime'
Leaked emails have allegedly proved that the White House gave the green light to a chemical weapons attack in Syria that could be blamed on Assad's regime and in turn, spur international military action in the devastated country.

Lebanon says Israeli warplanes violated its airspace
Lebanon said Wednesday that Israel Air Force jets entered its territory overnight, part of apparently increased air activitythat comes as Israel has repeatedly expressed concern about chemical weapons in neighboring Syria falling out of government control. A Lebanese army statement said that four IAF warplanes entered Lebanese air space at 4.30 p.m on Tuesday.

Fire is bursting up through the streets of Omaha
If you happen to be in the Omaha, Neb., area, take care and be mindful of the flames shooting up through the city's manholes. A sewer fire has caused power outages in one section of town and also created the perfect circumstances for dramatic pictures of fire erupting through from the ground up like hellfire..

http://www.raptureready.com/rapnews_db.php