February 13, 2016

Senior U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia found dead at West Texas ranch
Associate Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead of apparent natural causes Saturday on a luxury resort in West Texas, federal officials said. Scalia, 79, was a guest at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a resort in the Big Bend region south of Marfa.  

Earthquake hits Big Island
HONOLULU (AP) - A magnitude-4.1 earthquake jolted the southern flank of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano Friday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey said that the quake was centered about 26 miles south of Hilo. It hit at 9:23 a.m.  

5.1 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Central, Northern Oklahoma
The 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck at approximately 11:07 a.m. Its epicenter was located 17 miles northwest of Fairview, 39 miles east of Woodward, and 44 miles west of Enid. It was less than a mile deep. Then around 11:17 a.m., a 3.9 magnitude struck in the same area.  

Latest undercover abortion video talks about 'group purchasing program'
National Abortion Federation members are shown in the video agreeing that payment for fetal parts would be a “win-win” for abortion clinics, “Yeah, it definitely sounds like something some of our members would be really interested in,” Sandy Fulkerson, Training and Education Coordinator at the National Abortion Federation  

Report: Russia, Israel, to Sign Free Trade Agreement
Russia and Israel are about to sign a free trade agreement in the very near future, Russian Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergey Levin told TASS on Friday after talks with his Israeli counterpart. “We’ve discussed the prospects of forming a free trade zone, which the government plans to put on paper within the shortest period of time,”  

Moderate earthquake, 5.2 mag strikes near Torata in Peru
A moderate earthquake with magnitude 5.2 (ml/mb) was reported 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Torata in Peru on Friday. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 114.36 km (71 miles) below the earth’s surface. Exact location of event, depth 114.36 km, -70.9129° West, -17.0108° South. The temblor was detected at 22:46:45 / 10:46 pm (local time epicenter). A tsunami warning has not been issued (Does not indicate if a tsunami actually did or will exist).  

World is fighting a new Cold War, Russia's Medvedev says
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the world was fighting a new Cold War, warning of grave consequences for the West if it didn’t cooperate with Russia in Syria and elsewhere. Medvedev cited the Syria conflict as an arena of much needed Russian-Western cooperation, especially on military issues.  

Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Pope hold historic meeting, sign call to end persecution of Christians
Patriarch Kirill, and Pope Francis signed a joint declaration after their first historic meeting in Havana, Cuba. They called on world leaders to prevent Christians in the Middle East from “being completely exterminated” and to help refugees from those regions. The declaration calls on the world to unite against terrorism and help free those who have been kidnapped by extremists.  

U.S. Defence Secretary says UK needs nuclear weapons for 'outsized' world role
Britain must renew its submarine-borne Trident nuclear weapons system if it is to maintain its "outsized" role in world affairs, U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said in comments published on Saturday. A decision on replacing the ageing fleet of four submarines which carry nuclear warheads is due to be made this year and while Prime Minister David Cameron is committed to renewal...  

Rare Biblical Redemption of Donkey Performed on Mt. Zion
Last Saturday night, a baby donkey was brought to the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion to be redeemed. What many consider an obscure agricultural ritual turned into a joyous celebration that ended with passionate cries for the coming of the Messiah.  

Venezuela Declares Another Emergency: It Has Run Out of Food
Venezuela’s opposition legislature has declared a “nutritional emergency,” proclaiming that the country simply does not have enough food to feed its population. The move comes after years of socialist rationing and shortages that forced millions to wait on lines lasting as long as six hours for a pint of milk, a bag of flour, or carton of cooking oil.  

US-South Korea missile defence system 'threatens China'
China's foreign minister says a planned US missile defence system to protect South Korea from North Korea could threaten Chinese security. Wang Yi told Reuters news agency that the system went "far beyond the defence needs of the Korean peninsula". The US and South Korea announced plans to deploy the system after the North fired a long-range rocket this month.  

Turkish FM: Russia targeting schools, hospitals in Syria
Turkey's foreign minister said on Friday that Russia was targeting schools and hospitals as part of its bombing campaign in Syria. Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Mevlut Cavusoglu put the blame squarely on Moscow for the wave of tens of thousands of people who have arrived at the Turkish border over the past week.  

Jerusalemites torn over Herzog's proposal to give up Arab neighborhoods
Less than 48 hours after Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog presented a diplomatic plan...to relinquish Arab neighborhoods in the capital to increase security...Israelis expressed conflicting opinions... “It begins with conceding sovereignty over neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city, continues with concessions in the Old City, and...a short path to conceding...the Western Wall, and indicating...we will concede all our rights to this land,” he said.  

Analysis: Moscow’s alliance with Iran and Hezbollah threatens strategic Israeli interests
GOVERNMENTS AND pundits were stunned last September when Russia sent an expeditionary force into Syria... On the face of it, Putin was challenging Western sanctions...But Russia’s interest in Syria goes much deeper. It is driven by a burning desire to reinstate its Middle Eastern presence and influence...and the great power status it lost with the crumbling of the Soviet empire.  

The Pentagon’s vile ‘divided loyalty’ rules for Jews
Congress is rarely called upon to dispel conspiracy theories. But it needs to teach the Pentagon to separate fact from fiction, because American Jews are routinely denied security clearances based on nothing more than a fear that they are Israeli spies.  

Investors are flooding into gold like it's the financial crisis all over again
Investors are flooding into precious metals as fears of a global slowdown grip markets and send people toward so-called safe-haven assets.  

Debate Rages Over Praying for Atheist Richard Dawkins After Stroke
Famed atheist Richard Dawkins suffered a recent stroke, forcing him to postpone his tours to Australia and New Zealand. His health crisis rapidly developed into a Twitter debate on if Christians should pray for his recovery.  

Assad vows to retake all of Syria, keep 'fighting terrorism'
President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture the whole of Syria and keep "fighting terrorism" while also negotiating an end to the war, as international pressure mounts for a ceasefire.  

Austrians Need Constitutional Right to Pay in Cash, Mahrer Says
Austrians should have the constitutional right to use cash to protect their privacy, Deputy Economy Minister Harald Mahrer said, as the European Union considers curbing the use of banknotes and coins.  

Israel Says EU Relations 'Friendly' Again After Label Spat
Israel's foreign ministry says relations with the European Union are "close and friendly" again after tensions arose last year over the bloc's decision to label West Bank exports. Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the sides had "overcome the crisis" after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini spoke Friday.  

February 12, 2016

Zero For 64: The U.S. Record On Prosecuting Palestinian Killers
Sixty-four American citizens have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists in Israel since the signing of the 1993 Oslo accords, including my daughter Alisa – yet the United States has not prosecuted even one of the killers. How is that possible? That was the question that set off heated exchanges between members of Congress and a Justice Department official at a Capitol Hill hearing on February 2.  

Congress Members Move to Shut Down PLO Office in U.S.
A proposed law will require the US President to certify the PLO is not engaging in specified activities or the PLO office in D.C. must close.  

Jordan king, Iraqi, Saudi officials expected at Munich meet
Jordan's King Abdullah, the Iraqi prime minister and Saudi Arabia's foreign minister are among those expected at a conference opening in southern Germany, after diplomats agreed to work toward a temporary "cessation of hostilities" in Syria's civil war.  

Russia's new Syrian strategy: Ethnic cleansing
Russia's new strategy to prop Assad up is to destroy rebels' power base through ethnic cleansing, forcing supporters to flee as refugees to neighboring countries and eventually Europe.  

Meeting of Pope and Patriarch may avert WWIII
The meeting of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Cuba on February 12 may turn out to be not only the most significant ecclesiastical event, but one of the most momentous political events in recent years. Since the schism of 1054 when the church separated into an Eastern and Western part, the differences have been irreconcilable and the two have not engaged in any dialogue.  

EARTH-DIRECTED FLARE (UPDATED)
Sunspot AR2497 erupted on Feb. 11th (2103 UT), producing a C9-class solar flare and hurling a coronal mass ejection (CME) in space. Newly-arriving images from SOHO show that the CME does have an Earth-directed component: NOAA analysts are working now to determine the arrival time and possible effect of the CME's impact. Stay tuned.  

Pushing the Outer Limits of Humanity and Its Bearing on Space Travel: The Trans-human Quest
“Jesus ‘became what we are so that we can become what he is’–an astronaut, an alien, a trans-human?”  

Several minor earthquakes rattle Maine, is a bigger one on its way?
Several small earthquakes have rattled Maine since the beginning of February, so does that mean a big one is on the way?  

Strong earthquake rocks eastern Indonesia
A strong undersea earthquake has hit off the coast of eastern Indonesia, but no injuries or serious damage was reported immediately. The Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the temblor Friday had a magnitude of 6.6 and was unlikely to trigger a tsunami.  

Obama to sign customs, trade enforcement bill into law: White House
U.S. President Barack Obama will sign into law a bill that will strengthen trade enforcement rules and provide new tools to address currency manipulation, the White House said on Thursday. The legislation, known as the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, was part of a package of trade legislation originally presented to Congress in June.  

Asian shares slide as bank fears add to global gloom
Asian shares slid on Friday as mounting concerns about the health of European banks further threatened a global economic outlook already under strain from falling oil prices and slowdown in China and other emerging markets. The prices of yen, gold and liquid government bonds of favored countries soared as investors rushed to traditional safe-haven assets.  

UN rights expert accuses Israel of excessive force against Palestinians
The UN human rights investigator for Gaza and the West Bank called on Israel on Thursday to investigate what he called excessive force used by Israeli security forces against Palestinians... Makarim Wibisono, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, also challenged Israeli authorities to charge or release all Palestinian prisoners being held under lengthy administrative detention...  

CIA director says IS group has used, can make chem weapons
CIA director John Brennan has said that Islamic State fighters have used chemical weapons and have the capability to make small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas, CBS News reported. "We have a number of instances where ISIL has used chemical munitions on the battlefield," Brennan told CBS News, which released excerpts of an interview to air in full on the "60 Minutes" news program on Sunday.  

Russia warns of 'new world war' starting in Syria
Russia warned of “a new world war" starting in Syria on Thursday after a dramatic day in which Gulf states threatened to send in ground forces. Foreign and defence ministers of the leading international states backing different factions in the war-torn country met in separate meetings in Munich and Brussels following the collapse of the latest round of peace talks.  

Schengen zone: EU gives Greece deadline on borders
The European Union has given Greece three months to fix its border controls, in a move that could allow other Schengen zone states to maintain internal border controls. Two weeks ago, a draft report found that Greece had "seriously neglected" its obligations to control the external frontier of the border-free zone.  

Iranians mark anniversary of 1979 Islamic revolution holding 'Death to America, Israel' signs
As Iranians held reenactments of the captivity of US Navy soldiers by Iran last month, President Hassan Rouhani called for political unity in Tehran on Thursday marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. A video of a crowd burning US flags was posted on social media...NBC posted video of the main rally in Tehran’s Azadi Square, which included chants of “Death to America and Israel” and anti-Western signs.  

Solar cycle 24 activity continues to be lowest in nearly 200 years
r has been a couple of months since WUWT has checked in on the progress of solar cycle 24. Right now, the sun is in “cue ball” mode, with no large visible sunspots  

It's Official: Global stocks are in a bear market
On Thursday, the MSCI all-country world index closed down 20% from its recent high to meet that technical definition. The index tracks large and mid-cap stock performance across 23 developed and 23 emerging countries. It peaked last May but fell about 1% on Thursday.  

ISIS use 4-year-old British boy nicknamed 'Jihadi Junior' as brutal executioner in new video
ISIS terrorists have issued a video that shows a 4-year-old British boy nicknamed “Jihadi Junior” blowing up prisoners. Footage of the execution shows the little boy, named as Isa Dare, pushing a button on a remote control device seconds before a car explodes in a ball of flames.  

Nigerian suicide bomber gets cold feet, refuses to kill
A teenage girl tore off explosives and fled as two companions completed their grisly mission at Dikwa refugee camp in Nigeria and blew themselves up, killing 58 people. The girl's tearful account is an indication that at least some of the child bombers used by Boko Haram are aware that they are about to die...  

New data undermines story of Yellowstone's formation
The origins of the Yellowstone supervolcano remain controversial. The most popular theory is that the supervolcano formed from a mantle plume, a vertical column of hot rocks extending from the top of the earth's core, but a new computer model developed by scientists at the University of Illinois suggests otherwise.  

February 11, 2016

Investors 'go bananas' for gold bars as global stock markets tumble
Bullion dealers report record sales as buyers "queue round the block" to purchase the precious metal  

Cascadia subduction zone worse than San Andreas fault
Mother Earth slowly reveals her secrets, and this time, it's a fault line deep in the belly of the planet. Its name is a whopper: The Cascadia subduction zone.  

Russian engineers working with ISIS in Syria to produce gas
At the largest gas facility in Syria, the Tuweinan gas facility, Russian engineers are working together with ISIS forces to produce natural gas, according to reports from rebels and Turkish officials.  

Vatican: Bishops not required to report abuse
ROME, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A newly released Catholic church document tells bishops they don't have to report clerical child abuse accusations to the police.  

U.S. tells allies campaign to defeat Islamic State must be accelerated
The United States is pressing allies on Thursday to contribute more to a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State that it says must be accelerated, regardless of the fate of diplomatic efforts to end Syria's civil war.  

Russian Patriarch Kirill flies to Cuba for historic meeting with Pope Francis
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has started his journey to Latin America for a historic meeting with the Pontiff to discuss the persecution of Christians in conflict zones, in particular in the Middle East. The unprecedented meeting, which will take place at Havana's international airport, is expected to last as long as is necessary to agree on a joint declaration.  

Scientists to unveil proof of Einstein's theory of relativity
In a presentation set for Thursday at the Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, US researchers are expected to announce that they have detected gravitational waves for the very first time, a century after they were proposed by Albert Einstein. “Cornish will provide a status report on the effort to detect gravitational waves – or ripples in the fabric of spacetime – using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO),”  

Modern Sanhedrin and Ancient Jewish Sage Agree: UN, Ban Ki-Moon Cannot Deny the Jewish People’s God-Given Right to the Land
In response to Ban’s comments, the Nascent Sanhedrin recently issued a proclamation calling for the State of Israel to leave the UN. The dispute is not over a point of international law, or even a point in the Middle East peace negotiations. Rather, the Sanhedrin reasons that it is fighting for the essential identity of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish People. They feel that the UN and Ban Ki-Moon are rejecting the validity of the Biblical covenant, and perhaps of the Bible itself. In the words of the Sanhedrin:  

Top U.S. Intelligence Official Calls Gene Editing a WMD Threat
Genome editing is a weapon of mass destruction. That’s according to James Clapper, U.S. director of national intelligence, who on Tuesday, in the annual worldwide threat assessment report of the U.S. intelligence community, added gene editing to a list of threats posed by “weapons of mass destruction and proliferation.”  

North Korea to cut hotlines with South amid Kaesong shutdown
North Korea has vowed to cut two key communication hotlines with the South, amid rising tensions after Pyongyang's recent rocket and nuclear tests. It comes after Seoul suspended its operations at the jointly-run Kaesong industrial complex in the North. Kaesong is one of the last points of co-operation between the two Koreas and a key source of revenue for Pyongyang.  

Emerging split within Hamas' military wing following member's execution
A split began to emerge in the ranks of Hamas’ military wing in recent days after the group executed one of its own members, signaling growing tensions between the organization’s local leadership in Gaza and its leadership abroad. On Monday, Hamas posted on one of its social media accounts that its military wing had executed Mahmoud Rashid Eshtaiwi, for ''behavioral and ethical excesses."  

Next Big Future: Russia and Iran appears close to handing a military victory to Assad in Syria
Days of intense bombing that could soon put the critical city of Aleppo back into the hands of Syrian President Assad’s forces. The USA says there could be no military solution to Syria. The Russians may be proving the United States wrong. There may be a military solution, one senior American official conceded Wednesday, “just not our solution,” but that of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.  

NYPD reshuffles forces to focus on gang violence, will dismantle Organized Crime Bureau
The NYPD is launching a major reshuffling of its investigative forces, consolidating several in an effort to tackle the city's biggest crime problem — violence by gangs and youth crews.  

FBI closes in on last Oregon refuge occupiers
The FBI appears to be closing in on the last of the occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Details of exactly what was happening remained unclear late Wednesday. Some of the occupiers were on the phone with a Nevada state assemblywoman, Michele Fiore, on a livestream on YouTube, saying they feared an armed assault by agents was imminent, though there was no confirmation of that.  

Senate passes bill to hit North Korea with harsher sanctions
Seeking to derail North Korea’s drive for nuclear weapons, Republican and Democratic senators set aside their partisan differences Wednesday to unanimously pass legislation aimed at starving Pyongyang of the money it needs to build an atomic arsenal.  

With fewer U.S. troops in Afghanistan, pressure grows for more air strikes
Pressure is growing on the U.S. military to do more to help Afghan forces repel the threat posed by Taliban militants, and commanders in Washington and Kabul agree that enhanced air power may be where it can make the most difference.  

Damascus expects tough but short battle for Aleppo
The Syrian government expects a tough battle for Aleppo, the city that has become the focal point of the country's long civil war, but is confident of victory and says it won't be a long fight.  

Female suicide bombers kill over 60 people in northeast Nigeria: officials
Two female suicide bombers killed more than 60 people at a camp for people displaced by an insurgency of the jihadist Boko Haram group in the northeast Nigerian town of Dikwa, military and emergency officials said on Wednesday.

February 10, 2016

Historian rejects Obama’s mosque portrayal of Islam
It’s a great paradox of American progressivism: Leftists who normally crusade against the Founding Fathers switch gears and suddenly appeal to the memory of men like Thomas Jefferson when it helps advance a progressive agenda. Historian David Barton says that’s exactly what President Barack Obama is doing when it comes to Islam.  

China is on a massive gold buying spree
The Chinese are on a massive gold shopping spree. China's government doesn't share exact figures, but the vast majority of gold heading into mainland China passes through Hong Kong, which does make its records public. Gold imports to China have surged over 700% since 2010, according to the latest data from Hong Kong.  

London on emergency flood alert as Thames Barrier is raised to protect capital
Storm Imogen has seen heavy rain lash the country causing river levels to rise dramatically. The high river flow coupled with rising tide has forced the Environment Agency to shut the barrier today. Tide alerts have been issued for riverside properties and it is expected to remain high all week.  

A Seat at the Table: Kurds Could Participate in Syrian Peace Talks
There is a great probability that Syrian Kurds will take part in the next round of Geneva peace talks on Syria’s reconciliation, Syrian opposition figure Qadri Jamil said Wednesday.  

Hawaii's Big Island declares emergency over dengue fever infections
The mayor of Hawaii's Big Island declared a state of emergency on Monday to deal with a growing outbreak of dengue fever...with 250 cases confirmed over the past four months. As a result of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi's order people on the Big Island will be allowed to resume disposing of old tires in landfills, since tires which are left lying around are a known breeding spot for mosquitoes.  

Obama climate initiative: Supreme Court calls halt
President Barack Obama's plans to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide from US power plants have been stalled by the US Supreme Court. The court ruled that the president's Clean Power Plan could not go forward until all legal challenges were heard. Designed to cut US emissions by 32% by 2030, the scheme put huge emphasis on a shift to renewable energy.  

‘End of Europe’: Trump slams Merkel’s refugee policy, wants good relations with Russia
Donald Trump lambasted German Chancellor Angela Merkel for allowing thousands of migrants into Germany, saying this could be “the end of Europe.” Trump also said the US could have “very good relations” with Russia. "If you don't treat the situation competently and firmly, yes, it's the end of Europe. You could face real revolutions," Trump was quoted as saying, as cited by Reuters.  

Russia has offered US ‘concrete plan’ to end Syrian crisis – Lavrov
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has revealed the US is studying Moscow's “concrete” plan to end the war in Syria, while expressing concerns that rhetoric over the humanitarian issue is hindering efforts to resolve the crisis in the Arab country.  

French parliament approves stripping citizenship from terrorists
Lawmakers in France's lower house of parliament on Tuesday night narrowly voted to pass a highly controversial proposal to amend the constitution to strip people convicted of terrorist offences of their French nationality, AFP reported.  

Ignoring Obama, Iran upgrades its nuclear-capable Emad missile
n open defiance of recent US sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan on late Tuesday told local media that Tehran will soon be rolling out an upgrade of its nuclear-capable medium-range Emad missiles.  

U.S. & India consider joint patrols in South China Sea - U.S. official
The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a U.S. defense official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway.  

Why the West is standing by amid Russia's campaign in Syria
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is “horrified” by the impact that Russia’s relentless airstrikes on Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, are having on civilians.  

Chile earthquake: Strong tremor strikes near Tongoy and La Serena
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 has struck off the coast of central Chile, centered off Tongoy and La Serena, seismologists say. No tsunami warnings have been issued.  

When Maine Required Childless Adults to Work to Get Food Stamps, Guess What Happened
One trillion dollars—that’s how much the government spent last year on means-tested welfare aid, providing cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and low-income individuals. The food stamp program is the nation’s second largest welfare program.  

Strong earthquake hits Solomon Islands
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit the Solomon Islands at 12.19am today, according to the Malaysian Meterological Department.  

February 9, 2016

Lyme disease: CDC discovers new cause, new symptoms for life-threatening disease
“The new bacteria is related to a strain that has long been linked to the disease and was thought to be the only cause of lyme in the U.S. Researchers came across the new bacteria after lab tests from six people with suspected Lyme came back unusual. The bacteria was genetically distinct from the usual suspect.”  

Dragon + Bear: China seeks Russia's help in mastering Arctic, sets sights on Antarctic
China wants to further explore the Antarctic and Arctic, according to the Chinese State Oceanic Administration. Deep-sea mining and deep-sea space stations are on the agenda, while Beijing wants to arrange a joint Arctic expedition with Russia.  

MINOR CME IMPACT POSSIBLE TODAY
NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of minor geomagnetic storms today, Feb. 9th, when a CME could deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magetic field.  

5.7-magnitude earthquake felt in New Zealand capital
New Zealand's capital city Wellington was rocked by 5.7-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday (Feb 9), according to the country's earthquake monitoring service. The quake's epicentre was 35km southeast of St Arnaud, a small town in the north of the country's South Island, at a depth of 62km, according to Geonet's website.  

Report: Bloomberg confirms he is considering 2016 presidential run
Bloomberg, a billionaire media magnate who served three terms as New York mayor, said for the first time that he was seriously thinking about throwing his hat in the ring in an interview with the Financial Times published on its website Monday evening, hours before the first U.S. primary election in New Hampshire.  

Arabs responsible for 59% of all murders in Israel
According to the statistics that the police have, 21 percent of the Israeli population is Arab, however their involvement in criminal activities stands at 59 percent, which is an unprecedented statistic," he said.  

The Islamic Rape and Murder of Christian Boys
A group of Muslim men recently went into a Christian district in Pakistan, abducted a 7-year-old boy, and took turns gang raping him before finally strangling him to death with a rope. Locals found the child’s body dumped in a field the next day:  

Massive earthquake hits near Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit near the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville early on Tuesday morning. The undersea quake struck at 3.19am local time (5.19am NZ time), at a depth of 30.6 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.  

Zika prompts urgent debate about abortion in Latin America
Across Latin America, calls to loosen some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world in the face of the Zika virus outbreak are gaining momentum but encountering strong and entrenched opposition. In El Salvador, where abortions are banned under any circumstance, the health minister has argued for a revision of the law because of the dangers the virus poses to fetal development.  

Americans are ‘being betrayed by their own president’
The Obama administration is ordering Border Patrol agents to release illegal immigrants without making them appear in court or keeping track of their whereabouts, and it’s also dramatically rolling back aerial surveillance along the southern border, leading a senior congressman to suggest the public is unaware it is being “betrayed” by its commander in chief.  

More than 1 million are besieged in Syria, new report says
NEW YORK — More than one million Syrians are trapped in besieged areas, a new report says in a challenge to the United Nations, which estimates just half that amount and has been accused by some aid groups of underplaying a crisis.  

Iraqi woman charged with role in Kayla Mueller's death
WASHINGTON -- The wife of a senior Islamic State leader who was killed in a U.S. raid last year has been charged in federal court with holding American Kayla Mueller hostage and with contributing to the aid worker's death, the Justice Department said Monday.  

Russians Arrest 7 in Alleged ISIS-Related Terror Plot
Russian security services have arrested seven people accused of plotting terror attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in major Russian cities, the country’s FSB intelligence agency said today. The arrests were made in the city of Ekaterinburg, located in the Urals region on the edge of Siberia, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation said in a written statement.  

Zika Virus Outbreak Prompts CDC to Activate Highest Emergency Ops Level
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emergency Operations Center has been moved to Level 1, the agency's highest level, due to the risk of Zika virus transmission in the U.S., officials said today. The Level 1 activation is "reflecting the agency’s assessment of the need for an accelerated preparedness to bring together experts to focus intently and work efficiently in anticipation of local Zika virus transmission by mosquitoes," the agency said in a statement.  

Suspected Bomb Hand-Off Caught on Camera Before Ill-Fated Flight
Authorities in Somalia have released video footage from inside Mogadishu’s airport that they say shows a laptop packed with explosives being handed to a passenger before the mid-air explosion that forced a Daallo Airlines flight to make an emergency landing last week.  

TED CRUZ, COMMON CORE, HOMESCHOOLING AND HIS PROPOSED S-306 BILL
His Scary Federal Education “Choice” as a Civil Right, His Fake Repeal of Common Core, and His Phony Support of Homeschools Revealed. Ted Cruz forces Common Core onto every private, religious, and homeschool in his proposed S 306 with Federal Choice (which is NO choice at all). Explaining the Disastrous Impact of Ted Cruz's S 306 and His Federal Choice. Sen. Ted Cruz redefines a homeschool as a private school, thereby forcing homeschooled children to come under the federal Title I net which mandates Common Core.  

Saudi offer to send troops to Syria comes with uncertainty
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia's offer to send troops to fight Islamic State in Syria is as much about the kingdom's growing determination to flex its military might as it is about answering U.S. calls for more help from its allies in the Middle East.  

ISIS: The Latest Phase of the Jihad
The best way to understand the Islamic State (ISIS) is to see it as the next phase of al-Qaeda. All Sunni Islamic jihadi groups—Boko Haram, ISIS, Taliban, al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda, even Hamas—share the same motivations based on a literal and orthodox reading of Islamic history and doctrine: resurrecting a caliphate (which existed in various forms from 632 to 1924) that implements and spreads the totality of sharia, or Islamic law.  

Liberty Counsel Moves to Dismiss a Suit to Silence Pro-Life Sidewalk Counselor
Washington, DC - Liberty Counsel filed a motion over the weekend to dismiss a legal complaint from Two Rivers Public Charter School against veteran pro-life advocate Larry Cirignano for his peaceful, lawful, constitutionally protected speech for unborn children.  

Ted Cruz needs an intervention
It is no disgrace to lose a presidential primary. Many distinguished people have run for president, and the vast majority of them have lost, many of them badly. Howard Baker, Jack Kemp, George H.W. Bush (1980) and Ronald Reagan (1976) all lost a run for the presidency; some never made it. Sometimes a candidate is not ready, and sometimes the electorate is not ready to hear the message (e.g., Reagan in ’76). But it is quite another thing to lose because you, throughout your life, have been hated if not uniformly, then widely and passionately.  

Russian firepower helps Syrian forces edge toward Turkey border
The Syrian army advanced toward the Turkish border on Monday in a major offensive backed by Russia and Iran that rebels say now threatens the future of their nearly five-year-old insurrection against President Bashar al-Assad.  

North Korea rocket launch may spur U.S. missile defense buildup in Asia
North Korea's latest rocket launch might kick off a buildup of U.S. missile defense systems in Asia, U.S. officials and missile defense experts said, something that could further strain U.S.-China ties and also hurt relations between Beijing and Seoul.  

Canada to end bombing missions in Iraq and Syria
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday Canada would pull out six jets that have been bombing targets in Iraq and Syria, ending a controversial combat role in the fight against Islamic State.  

Iraqi woman charged with role in Kayla Mueller's death
The wife of a senior Islamic State leader who was killed in a U.S. raid last year has been charged in federal court with holding American Kayla Mueller hostage and with contributing to the aid worker's death, the Justice Department said Monday.  

February 8, 2016

Strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes off Papua New Guinea
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 has struck off the town of Panguna in Papua New Guinea, seismologists say, but no tsunami warnings have been issued.  

ISIS Playbook - Look Like Western Christians
Samuel Smith for the Christian Post reported that a detailed Islamic State "secret agent" training manual had been distributed on the Internet. It was designed to provide prospective ISIS supporters in Western nations with ways to disguise themselves and their motives when trying to plan and carrying out "lone wolf" attacks and espionage missions. Things to do include: wearing necklaces with a cross - but only those without Arabic names on their passports because "it may look strange".  

Protesters use 'WW2 tank’ to demonstrate against migrant crisis during carnival
GERMANS used weekend carnival processions as a platform to protest against asylum seekers - including a WW2 lookalike tank emblazoned with the word "asylum defence" near to an Iron Cross emblem. The panzer float in the procession in the town of Steinkirchen in Bavaria drew cheers from some onlookers and boos from others.  

FINALLY! UAE and Saudi Arabia join fight against ISIS and WILL put boots on the ground
On Sunday, the UAE, said it stands ready to supply ground troops to support and train international coalition soldiers in the war-ravaged country. Saudi Arabia has also said it is prepared to take part in ground operations in Syria if the US-led coalition decides to go in that direction.  

'Me or terrorists?' Furious Erdogan tells US to choose between Turkey and Syrian Kurds
Riled by a meeting between a US official and members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which controls the Syrian town of Kobane, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Washington to choose between Turkey and, as he put it, the “terrorists.”  

Herzog calls to unilaterally divide Israel to avoid 'Israestine'
Opposition head and Zionist Union chairperson MK Yitzhak Herzog took part on Monday morning in Arutz Sheva's Jerusalem Conference, where he presented his "separation plan" from the Palestinian Arabs involving a unilateral division of Israel.  

Woman who accused Bill Clinton of assault to campaign against Hillary presidential run
Kathleen Willey, a former White House volunteer who says Bill Clinton groped her in an Oval Office hallway in 1993 when she came to him tearfully seeking a paid job, said she had agreed to become a paid national spokeswoman for a group being created by Roger Stone.  

Earth changes intensifying: Volcanoes across the globe go ballistic as 2016 arrives
A volcano eruption in western Mexico has sent a spectacular plume of smoke and ash high into the air. Colima volcano is one of three that make up the Colima Volcanic Complex, near the west coast of Mexico. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the country and has erupted more than 40 times, including several times in the past few years.  

European stocks plunge as Lunar New Year offers no cheer
European shares plunged to 16-month lows on Monday, extending a aggressive sell-off, while bond yields and oil also fell as investors shed risky assets on persistent concern over the pace of global growth. Data over the weekend showing China's foreign reserves fell for a third straight month in January, as dollars were dumped to defend the yuan and curb capital outflows, did nothing to calm investors.  

Migrant crisis: '33 dead' off Turkey as two boats sink
At least 33 migrants have drowned near Turkey after their boats capsized on the way to Greece, Turkish media say. Both the Anadolu and Dogan agencies reported that 22 people died close to the Greek island of Lesbos. Dogan said another 11 people died in a separate incident further south, near Dikili in Turkey.  

'Somalia plane bomber given bomb in laptop' on CCTV
Somali intelligence officials have released a video showing a passenger being given a laptop they say contained a bomb that blew a huge hole into a passenger plane last Tuesday. More than 20 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, a government spokesman told BBC Somali.  

Turkey looking to warm ties with Egypt after trying with Israel
Turkey is looking to upgrade diplomatic ties with Egypt, after relations became strained when President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, Turkish media reported on Sunday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would allow ministerial-level talks between the two countries, but ruled out meeting with the Egyptian president.  

'ISIS operatives in Sinai are receiving medical treatment at Hamas hospitals in Gaza'
Islamic State terrorists in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula have received medical treatment in Gaza Strip hospitals, Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, charged in an interview with online Arabic newspaper Elaph on Monday. "We have received authenticated reports that ISIS members in Sinai entered the Gaza Strip through tunnels in order to receive treatment at Hamas hospitals," Mordechai said.  

Another Exponential Chart: Record Numbers Renounce Their U.S. Citizenship In 2015
Another year, another record number of Americans willing to not only pay the $2,350 fee, but also appear in the US Treasury's "name of shame" list published every, quarter which reveals all the now-former US citizens who have decided to hand over their US passport back to Uncle Sam and expatriate.  

Professor Who Said Christians, Muslims Share A God Is Leaving Christian College
A professor at an evangelical Christian college who was suspended for saying Christians and Muslims worship the same God will no longer be teaching at the school. As we've reported, Larycia Hawkins, an associate political science professor who had tenure at Wheaton College in Illinois, was suspended from her job in December. She was put on paid administrative leave after vowing to wear a hijab for Advent in solidarity with Muslims — not because of the headscarf, but because of a Facebook post about her decision where she wrote about the relationship between Islam and Christianity and said, "as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.  

Russia having success in hybrid war against Germany
Now, as the German chancellor flounders domestically because of her open-door refugee policy, she has made herself vulnerable to attack. “I’ve never seen so much glee from the Russians as during Germany’s refugee crisis,” said a diplomat in Berlin.  

Zika virus discourages many Americans from Latin America travel
The rapidly spreading Zika virus is discouraging many Americans from traveling to Latin America and the Caribbean, with 41 percent of those aware of the disease saying they are less likely to take such a trip, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows.  

10-Year Old Austrian Boy Raped By Iraqi Refugee Due To "Sexual Emergency"
The refugee - who at that point had gone back to swimming and diving - was arrested on the spot and taken into custody where he told police that he was experiencing a "sexual emergency."  

Chelsea Clinton accidentally calls Bernie 'President Sanders'
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Chelsea Clinton, campaigning for her mother in Eden Springs, Minn., made a verbal slip at a town hall, accidentally calling Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders "President Sanders."  

Hamas kills its own commander for unnamed 'violations'
Hamas says it has killed one of its own commanders over unnamed "moral and behavioral violations." The Islamic militant group, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, said in a short Twitter statement Sunday that Mahmoud Eshtewi was killed after he confessed.  

UN Security Council calls emergency meeting after North Korea rocket launch
North Korea fired a long-range rocket and placed a satellite into space Sunday morning, an act immediately condemned internationally.  

February 7, 2016

Indian man could be first recorded human fatality due to a meteorite
Indian officials say a meteorite struck the campus of a private engineering college on Saturday, killing one person. If scientists confirm the explosion was due to a meteorite, it would be the first recorded human fatality due to a falling space rock.  

Debt, defaults, and devaluations: why this market crash is like nothing we've seen before
A global recession is on the way. This truism of economics holds at any point in which the world is not in the grips of a contraction. The real question is always when and how deep the upcoming downturn will be. “The crash will come, but it would be nice if it came two years from now”, Thomas Thygesen, head of economics at SEB told over 200 commodity investors and analysts in London last month.  

NY to probe 'radioactive' water leak at Indian Point
ALBANY - New York will investigate the Indian Point Energy Center after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he learned that "radioactive tritium-contaminated water" leaked into the groundwater at the nuclear facility in Westchester County. Cuomo...called for the probe after he said Entergy Corp., the Buchanan plant's owner, reported "alarming levels of radioactivity" at three monitoring wells.  

Migrants should be rounded up and put into detention centres, urges Government politician
MIGRANTS should be put in closed detention centres and be banned from obtaining permission to remain in the country, a politician has said. At a party conference the Oslo delegation passed several policies, including deporting youth migrants when they reach 18 and banning migrants from obtaining leave to remain in the country. The delegation also called for the Schengen agreement to be scrapped and for Norway to leave the Refugee Convention's additional protocol of 1967 meaning migrants from Africa, Asia, and South-America would no longer have the right to apply for asylum.  

China's currency reserves plunged in January
China's foreign currency reserves plunged by $99.5bn in January, the People's Bank of China reported. China has been running down its vast foreign currency reserves in an attempt to boost the value of its own currency and stem a flow of funds overseas. At $3.23 trillion, China still has the world's biggest reserve of foreign currency holdings.  

North Korea rocket launch: UN Security Council to meet
The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting later following North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket. The meeting was requested by South Korea, Japan and the US to agree on a collective response to the launch. Pyongyang said it fired the rocket to place a satellite in orbit, but critics believe the real purpose was to test a ballistic missile.  

Tunisia builds anti-terror barrier along Libya border
Tunisia says it has completed the first part of a 200km (125-mile) barrier along its border with Libya, designed to deter terrorism. The barrier is made of sand banks and water trenches. It was announced last summer after 38 people were killed on a beach by a gunman said to have trained in Libya.  

Senior PA official: 'Do we have to hijack planes for you to care about our cause?'
A senior Palestinian Authority official has suggested that the West ignores the Palestinians when they maintain security, rhetorically asking if they have to resort to "hijacking planes" and "destroying airports" to garner Western support for the Palestinian cause. In an interview translated by MEMRI on the PA-backed station Awdha TV last week, Nabil Sha'ath asserted that being moderate does not turn heads.  

Next time it’ll be 100,000: UK and EU cities see day of co-ordinated anti-Islamic rallies
UK PEGIDA has warned there will be "100,000 Britons marching on the streets against Islam" by the end of the year after a day of sometimes violent anti-Islamic migrant protests were staged across Europe.  

Growing support for an OPEN FIRE border policy on illegal refugees in Germany
This, say observers, is proof of the greatest fear among liberal politicians - citizens pushed into the embrace of the far-right and its intolerant attitudes which brought Hitler to power in the 1930's.  

Swine flu to KILL OFF ISIS: Panicked Daesh issues urgent health warning after dozens die
The reported death toll, which rose to "around 20 people" this week, has put the panicked terrorists on edge and prompted a desperate health shut down. According to watchdog Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RIBSS), the epidemic had triggered "panic among civilians" and taken the lives of at least two children so far.

Brink of WORLD WAR 3? US threatens SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES after North Korea launches ROCKET
NORTH Korea has vowed to launch more long-range rockets after successfully firing a satellite into space. Pyongyang claimed the latest rocket launch, which was fired from a launch pad on the west coast between 9.30am and 9.35am local time, had successfully delivered a satellite into orbit and vowed to continue launching satellites in future.  

'Astonishing': CNN rips into Ted Cruz for 'categorically false' characterization of Iowa controversy
"What Senator Cruz said tonight in the debate is categorically false," the statement read. "CNN never corrected its reporting because CNN never had anything to correct. The Cruz campaign's actions the night of the Iowa caucuses had nothing to do with CNN's reporting. The fact that Senator Cruz continues to knowingly mislead the voters about this is astonishing."  

Somali officials: Suicide bomber may have blown hole in jet
A suicide bomber is suspected to have set off the explosive that blew a hole in a jetliner, sucked the man out of the plane and forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing on Tuesday in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, Somali officials said Saturday.  

Turkey must cut migrant flows to Europe, top EU official says
Europe needs Turkey to dramatically cut the number of migrants reaching Greece within weeks or the pressure for more border closures and fences will grow, the EU's top official in charge of ties with Ankara warned on Saturday.  

8 dead after explosive-laden motorcycle rams Pakistani security forces vehicle
A man rammed his explosive-laden motorcycle into a Pakistani security forces' vehicle, setting off a blast that killed at least eight people and injured about 20 others, officials said.  

Taiwan Quake Kills at Least 18 as Search for Missing Continues
A strong earthquake rocked a region of Taiwan that’s a hub for chipmaking suppliers to the likes of Apple Inc. and Qualcomm Inc., killing at least 18 people and forcing rescuers to pull hundreds from the rubble of collapsed buildings.  

N Korea launches long-range rocket despite warnings
North Korea has launched a long-range rocket, violating UN resolutions and doubling down against an international community already determined to punish Pyongyang for a nuclear test last month.