Barren Island volcano erupts again in Andaman Sea
India’s only active volcano in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is
erupting once again. The Barren Island volcano, located about 140km
northeast of Port Blair, started erupting in 1991 after a dormant phase
of over 150 years and has shown intermittent activity since then. A team
of scientists led by National Institute Of Oceanography’s Dr Abhay
Mudholkar said that the volcano is active and spewing smoke and lava
once again.
Woolly mammoth will be back from extinction within two years, say Harvard scientists
“De-extincting” the mammoth has become a realistic prospect because
of revolutionary gene editing techniques that allow the precise
selection and insertion of DNA from specimens frozen over millennia in
Siberian ice.
Netanyahu: Trump meeting ‘historic’, we see eye-to-eye
Prime Minister says Trump administration ‘a new age’ in US-Israel
relations, says he and the president have same views on the region. “I
think it was a historical meeting,” said Netanyahu. “It was a meeting of
the minds and a meeting of the hearts.”
Trump Signs Bill Repealing Another Obama-era Environmental Regulation
President Trump on Thursday signed a bill getting rid of an
Obama-era coal mining rule, the second environmental regulation he nixed
from the previous administration this week.
Comment: How Trump and Netanyahu resurrected the two state solution
…While it is true that Trump said he was open to two states or one
state…he said the word “deal” in the Israeli-Palestinian context a dozen
times at the press conference. A “deal,” if we consider the
Palestinian’s position, removes the possibility of a one state…that
leave us with…A two-state solution. Add to this what both leaders said
about a larger-scale regional deal – what Trump called a “terrific
thing” – that would include the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and
Jordan, and not just the Palestinians.
Nasrallah warns: Hezbollah’s missiles can hit Israel’s nuclear reactor
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on Israel to dismantle its
nuclear reactor in Dimona on Thursday, warning that it poses a threat to
Israel’s existence should it be hit by one of Hezbollah’s missiles.
Nasrallah made a similar threat against Haifa’s ammonia tank last year,
saying that a missile hitting the facility could have the affect of a
nuclear bomb. Last week, a Haifa court ordered the tank closed, citing
the security threat.
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine attack prompts Pakistan security crackdown
Pakistan says dozens of militants have been killed in a security
crackdown following Thursday’s attack on a shrine that left at least 80
people dead. Some 18 militants were killed in southern Sindh province,
where the Sufi shrine is located, and another 13 in the north-west,
officials said. A suicide bomber blew himself up among devotees at the
Sufi shrine in the town of Sehwan.
Baghdad car bomb kills at least 48
At least 48 people have been killed in Baghdad in the third blast in the
Iraqi capital in three days, security and medical sources say. A car
packed with explosives blew up near car dealerships in the Shia area of
Bayaa in the south of the city. More than 50 people were injured. The
Islamic State (IS) group claimed the attack, saying it targeted “a
gathering of Shias”.
Israel-Palestinian conflict: US ‘thinking outside box’
The US ambassador to the UN has said her country “absolutely” supports
the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. But
Nikki Haley also said the Trump administration was “thinking outside
the box as well”, suggesting it was open to other possible solutions.
For many years, the US has advocated the establishment of a Palestinian
state next to Israel.
Facebook algorithms ‘will identify terrorists’
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has outlined a plan to let artificial
intelligence (AI) software review content posted on the social network.
In a letter describing the plan, he said algorithms would eventually be
able to spot terrorism, violence, bullying and even prevent suicide. He
admitted Facebook had previously made mistakes in the content it had
removed from the website.
Richland florist discriminated against gay couple by refusing service, state Supreme Court rules
A Richland florist who refused to provide flowers to a gay couple for
their wedding violated anti-discrimination law, the state Supreme Court
ruled Thursday. The court ruled unanimously that Barronelle Stutzman
discriminated against longtime customers Rob Ingersoll and Curt Freed
when she refused to do the flowers for their 2013 wedding because of her
religious opposition to same-sex marriage.
Atmospheric River taking aim on beleaguered #OrovilleDam
We’ve already had two big events like this so far this year, now
forecasts show a clear pattern of a heavily moisture laden “atmospheric
river” taking aim directly onto the Oroville Dam watershed over the next
week. Accumulated precipitation forecasts show that the Lake Orovile
watershed will score a direct hit with the maximum amount of
precipitation over the next 10 days…
Europe must not bow to U.S. spending demands on NATO: EU’s Juncker
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday that
Europe must not cave in to U.S demands to raise military spending,
arguing that development and humanitarian aid could also count as
security. U.S. President Donald Trump has raised questions about his
commitment to the NATO defense alliance if European countries do not
raise defense spending to 2 percent of economic output. The United
States puts up 70 percent of alliance funds.
Over 9,000 People Sign Petition Urging Trump to Expel Soros From US
George Soros is a billionaire as well as the founder of the Open Society
Foundations philanthropic organization, which “supports democracy and
human rights in more than 100 countries.” Opponents of Soros accuse him
of interfering in internal relations of foreign countries and supporting
revolutions there.
Mark Zuckeberg Rejects “America First”, Calls For Global Community
Hot on the heels of retailers who have halted sales of Ivanka Trump’s
clothing line in protest against Trump (and free marketing buzz), the
tech “resistance” against Trump got its lead from Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckeberg who on Thursday posted a lengthy note “rebuking isolationist
“America First” sentiment, and touting the merits of globalization and a
“global community” working for innovation and progress.”
Russia violated a ‘key cornerstone’ of arms control — and it may cause a nuclear arms race
(A Russian serviceman walks past Russian Iskander-M missile launchers
before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Moscow.Thomson Reuters)
Prominent US senators and defense analysts are calling for the US to
respond to Russia’s recent deployment of nuclear cruise missiles by
deploying missiles of its own to Europe.
Islamic State suicide bombing at Pakistan shrine kills 75
An Islamic State suicide bomber struck inside a famed shrine in southern
Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 75 people in the deadliest
attack in the country in more than two years.
There’s a Wire Above Manhattan That You’ve Probably Never Noticed
It’s hard to imagine that anything literally hanging from utility poles
across Manhattan could be considered “hidden,” but throughout the
borough, about 18 miles of translucent wire stretches around the
skyline, and most people have likely never noticed. It’s called an eruv
(plural eruvin), and its existence is thanks to the Jewish Sabbath.
102 ‘Lost’ Indian Jews Immigrating to Israel This Week
One-hundred and two members of India’s Bnei Menashe community are
arriving in Israel this week, marking the latest group of so-called
“lost” Jews to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel).
New video details how Amazon.com SPIES on your most private thoughts, fetishes
Amazon.com isn’t merely a massive retailer; it’s also a dangerous spy
machine that collects detailed profiles of your most private thoughts,
fetishes and conversations.