Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Saudi Terror Cell, Possibly Al Qaeda, Behind Boston Marathon Bombings. Manhunt for Escaped Suspect
Apr 16th, 2013
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

FBI Special Agent Richard Deslauriers told reporters Tuesday, April 16, that the probe had no leads 18 hours after two explosions blew up at the annual Boston Marathon’s finishing line, killing three people and injuring 176 – 17 critically. debkafile’s counterterrorism sources can disclose however that the investigation has in fact homed in on a suspected terror cell of three Saudi nationals, very possibly tied to Al Qaeda.
The flat they share in the Revere, Massachusetts, near Boston, was searched after the questioning of one of the suspects, a Saudi student, who was hospitalized with badly burned hands. One of his flatmates was taken into custody over “visa problems.” A third is on the run. All three hail from a prominent Saudi family belonging to a tribe from the Asir province bordering on Yemen.

The search for the wanted man led to the grounding of a plane at Logan International Airport Tuesday. The investigation has meanwhile broadened out to places in and outside Boston in a search for the cell’s accomplices.

The origins of the Saudi cell, if confirmed, strongly suggest that Al Qaeda of Arabia – AQAP –succeeded in planting a cell in the United States for the bombing attack in Boston – and possibly more than one in other parts of the US. Asir Province is known as a hotbed of resistance to the Saudi throne in Riyadh.
US law enforcement authorities in charge of the probe are refusing to confirm any suspects are in custody, or even leads to whoever carried out the bombings. President Barack Obama said in his second statement in 24 hours: “…we don’t know if who was behind the bombings were foreign, domestic or individual.” The President was forced to admit for the first time that the FBI was investigating “an act of terror.”

debkafile earlier Tuesday was alone in reporting that the FBI Boston Marathon probe pointed to Mid-East terrorists with domestic support.
Read on:

The lack of adequate security jumps to the eye after twin bombings struck the high-prestige Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, killing three people, including an 8-year old boy and injuring 140 – seventeen critically.

This was the world's oldest annual marathon, with 28,000 runners representing athletes from every US state and more than 90 nations. Yet there was no sign of dogs along the route trained to sniff out explosives or a police helicopter overhead with sensors for detecting explosives or traces thereof on the person of anyone present around the finishing line after the blasts.
Tuesday morning, while interviewing witnesses and collecting photos taken by spectators, the Boston police and security officers announced they were seeking two wanted men: One was described as swarthy, speaking with a foreign accent, his face partially hidden by a hood, who was carrying a large backpack and kept on trying to enter a closed section near the finishing line. This was the first time an area was disclosed as having been closed to the public.

The second man was photographed by a spectator walking on a rooftop overlooking the finishing line after the second bomb exploded.
After the event, police searches turned up and defused another three explosive devices. Had that search taken place before the event, at least one of the lethal devices might have been discovered and the race aborted.
Tuesday, the FBI admitted “a potential terrorist inquiry” was underway, although President Barack Obama, when he pledged justice for “the perpetrators,” carefully skirted the term “terror.” This recalls his administration’s refusal to brand as an act of terror the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012, and the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens, although it was clearly the work of an al Qaeda element.
Counterterrorism experts are equally certain of the Middle East terrorist hallmarks on the Boston Marathon bombings, although it is too soon to say whether it was the work of Al Qaeda or an allied radical jihadi group such as the Ansar al-Shariah, which was responsible for the Benghazi consulate in conjunction with a clandestine al Qaeda command center in Cairo.
Here, too, initial investigation discloses the hand of al Qaeda or an affiliate.

Ahead of the London marathon scheduled for next week and the state funeral of the late UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Wednesday, April 17, a determined official effort is being made in Washington and London to present the Boston bombings as the work of a lone wolf.

However, experts experienced in these matters maintain that an attack on this scale and of this type would have required four or five bombers on the ground and a support team of about 10 spotters and accomplices familiar with the terrain, further back. They would have needed more than one vehicle and communications gear, in addition to mobile phones which are easily tracked.

The two explosions, 400 meters apart, were obviously coordinated and designed to cause maximum casualties. The ball-bearings scattered across the crime scene and found in the pockets of some of the casualties were familiar to Israelis and others and telling evidence of Middle East terrorist authorship.

The explosive device which caused such havoc and agony was small yet deadly – another pointer to the “professionalism” of the attackers. A similar device was discovered in time three years ago in a bomb-rigged car parked in Times Square New York and left there by the Pakistani student Faisal Shahzad.
Unlike the president, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee, had no compunctions about putting into words the general suspicion. Straight after the event, she said, “My understanding is that it’s a terrorist incident” - although it is too soon to say whether it was carried out by a foreign or domestic element.
Suspicion of a foreign hand was strengthened when the US media reported that a Saudi national suffering from severe burns was being questioned in hospital. The Boston Police Department denied the report and the FBI, now in charge of the case, said that no one has so far been taken into custody. They did not deny questioning “persons of interest.”

The first response to the explosions in Boston from Middle East itself came from Mohammad al-Chalabi the head of an extremist Jordanian Muslim Salafi group, who said he's "happy to see the horror in America…American blood isn't more precious than Muslim blood," he said. "Let the Americans feel the pain we endured by their armies occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and killing our people there."
A Mideast counterterrorism official based in Jordan said the blasts "carry the hallmark of an organized terrorist group, like al-Qaeda."

National Guard forces were streaming Tuesday into Boston in long convoys of armored Humvees.

Boston residents are in for upsets from the massive security measures that will continue throughout the week, as the area of the bombings is declared a crime scene and kept under lockdown; law enforcement officials patrol the streets and carry out random bag checks; and transport services are delayed.

Over a Billion Abortions Committed Worldwide Since 1970: Guttmacher Institute
Apr 16th, 2013
Daily Newslifesitenews.com
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

A new report by the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, entitled "Abortion Worldwide: A Decade of Uneven Progress," shows that over a billion abortions have been committed since 1970.

The report says that the annual number of abortions have declined over the period from 1995 to 2003. Nevertheless, in 2003 approximately 41.6 million abortions were committed worldwide.

On average, this works out to more than one death by abortion for each second of the year. Alternately, one might visualize the number of deaths occurring each year as a number significantly larger than the number of people who live in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose, Detroit and San Francisco.

"There simply isn't anything close," said Stephen Phelan of HLI. "Over the many years since this has become a practice, even legalized in many countries, you're over a billion."

"There's definitely nothing to compare," he continued. "The closest thing you'd get to it would be the atheist, socialist dictators of the 20th century; and even they, in their gruesome efficiency, were only able to kill somewhere between a hundred and a hundred-seventy million people. ... There's no comparison."

The Guttmacher Institute report also mentions the "high degree of safety" of abortions in communist China, but neglects to condemn China's one-child policy or the forced abortions that occur there. It nevertheless refers to the "woman's right to make her own childbearing decisions" and couches the report in the language of "choice." According to the report, 8.8 million "safe" abortions occur in China each year, approximately 1 in 5 of all abortions worldwide.

New Age Inroads Into the Church
Apr 16th, 2013
CommentaryDave Hunt - July 1 1989
Categories: Exhortation

In August it will be four years since the publication of The Seduction of Christianity . Through that book, thousands of people have had their eyes opened and have been set free from false teachings. Sadly, those we named in Seduction have refused to discuss the issues with me publicly so that a wider segment of the church could hear both sides. Moreover, I have been banned from many radio and TV programs, stations and networks in a planned censorship of my ministry. Instead of repenting, those who have been leading millions astray have actually hardened their position.

Let the Headlines Speak
Apr 16th, 2013
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Boston Marathon bombs: Muslim extremist 'happy' about US attack
The head of an extremist Jordanian Muslim Salafi group has said that he was "happy to see the horror in America" after the explosions in Boston. ..."Let the Americans feel the pain we endured by their armies occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and killing our people there," he said early on Tuesday.

Broad risk flight; gold eyes worst two days since 1983
Gold headed for its biggest two-day drop in 30 years on Monday and oil, copper and grains prices also tumbled as investors fled most financial markets after disappointing Chinese economic data... With U.S. stocks on...first two-day losing streak in a month and Treasuries prices near flat, few assets appeared to be taking in new money amid growing caution the world economy was headed for another recession.

Blazar Markarian 421's flare-up is cosmic coincidence
The skies are currently being flooded with the brightest display of gamma rays - the Universe's highest-energy light - ever seen by astronomers. The culprit is a staggering flare-up of Markarian 421, a "blazar" that hosts a supermassive black hole. By sheer coincidence, a programme to study it had just begun, so dozens of the world's telescopes - from visible to radio to gamma-ray - were watching.

Syria crisis: UN issues rare joint appeal for action
The heads of five major UN agencies have issued a rare joint appeal to the international community to do much more to end "cruelty and carnage" in Syria. In a statement, the chiefs of the WHO, Unicef, Ocha, WFP and UNHCR urged political leaders to use their influence to solve the crisis. They said they were appealing for "something more important than funds".

EU to approve new banking rules including bonus cap
New rules on bankers' bonuses and the amount of capital that banks must hold as a buffer are expected to be approved by the European Parliament shortly. The package has been agreed with EU governments and most of it is likely to take effect on 1 January 2014. The EU plans to cap bonuses at 100% of a banker's annual salary, or 200% if shareholders approve.

S Korea in $15.3bn stimulus bid to spur economic growth
South Korea is the latest Asian country to try and boost economic growth by spending hard, unveiling a 17.3tn won ($15.3bn; £9.2bn) stimulus plan. The funds will be used to help small and medium-sized exporters, create jobs, boost a stagnant property market and cover a shortfall in tax revenue. South Korea has been hurt by weak exports and subdued domestic demand.

China 'reveals army structure' in defence white paper
China has revealed the structure of its military units, in what state-run media describe as a first. The army has a total of 850,000 officers, while the navy and air force have a strength of 235,000 and 398,000, China said in its defence white paper. The paper also criticised the US's expanded military presence in the Asia Pacific, saying it had exacerbated regional tensions.

Commission: €11bn extra or we could halt EU payments
The EU would have to halt multi-billion-euro payments to the bloc's poorest regions without an extra €11 billion for the EU budget, MEPs were told Monday (15 April). Speaking at a hearing of the European Parliament's budget committee in Strasbourg, Polish budgets commissioner Janusz Lewandowski, admitted that the the commission had "cashflow problems" and would struggle to make cohesion payments in the second half of 2013.

The Goal Is To Destroy All Constitutional Culture
Every time a smaller attack on liberty is exposed or openly announced by the cult of statism, elitists invariably respond with a false face of rationality and common sense. They claim that they respect the line. They claim that they will take only the minimum. They claim that they are pursuing only a reasonable compromise.

Series of earthquakes shakes Oklahoma
A magnitude-4.3 earthquake shook Oklahoma early Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey reported. The quake struck at 12:56 a.m. local time (1:56 a.m. ET) around 30 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. It was measured at a depth of 3.1 miles, the USGS said. A small earthquake of magnitude 3.0 preceded the temblor, and two small tremors with magnitudes of 2.8 and 3.3 rattled nearby within 20 minutes of the initial quake.

Saudis shudder over Boston report
Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya interviews a Saudi student in Boston who reports that “100,000 Saudis in the US shuddered” as they read the news in The New York Post that a Saudi man was being interrogated on suspicion of involvement in the blast.

Police Identify Saudi Muslim Terror Suspect In Boston Bombing
Investigators have a suspect — a Saudi Arabian national — in the horrific Boston Marathon bombings, The Post has learned. Law enforcement sources said the 20-year-old suspect was under guard at an undisclosed Boston hospital. It was not immediately clear why the man was hospitalized and whether he was injured in the attack or in his apprehension. The man was caught less than two hours after the 2:50 p.m. bombing on the finish line of the race, in the heart of Boston.

Strong 8 magnitude quake hits Iran
A strong 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Iran, near the border with Pakistan, at 10:44 GMT on Tuesday at a depth of 73 miles, The US Geological survey said.

IRS remains mum on taxpayers' e-mail privacy rights
The IRS is not answering questions about internal documents showing the agency believes Americans have "generally no privacy" in their e-mail, Facebook chats, and Twitter direct messages.

Foreign holdings of U.S. debt at all-time high
The Treasury Department said Monday that foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities increased 0.3% in February from January to a record $5.66 trillion. It was the 14th straight monthly increase.

Panic selling triggers biggest gold price drop in 30 years
The further sharp drop in the price on Monday after Friday’s losses took gold to two-year lows, prompting calls of end to the metal’s “era” after a spectacular 12-year bull run.

New case of bird flu in China as death toll rises to 14
A new case of bird flu in China's capital, a 4-year-old boy who displayed no symptoms, is adding to the unknowns about the latest outbreak that has caused 63 confirmed cases and 14 deaths, health officials said Monday.

Gen. Hayden: Boston - Style Attacks May be ‘the New Normal’
Apr 16th, 2013
Daily NewsRetired Gen. Michael Hayden, former Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency Directo
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

The Boston marathon bombing may not represent the work of al-Qaida, but still could be a harbinger of future attacks targeting Americans in their own country, warns Gen. Michael Hayden, the retired four-star general and past director of both the National Security Agency and the CIA.

In an exclusive interview, Hayden told Newsmax that the attack may be an act of domestic terrorism, or could be the act of an al-Qaida inspired, lone wolf. Either of those scenarios would account for the fact that al-Qaida and its affiliates have yet to claim credit for the two bombs that went off almost simultaneously near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday.

But he said the bombing could foreshadow future attacks on the U.S. homeland, even if al-Qaida was not involved.

“As we move into this next phase of this war with al-Qaida,” said Hayden, “and their ability to conduct massive-casualty attacks against iconic targets of the spirit of 9/11, these are probably the kinds of attacks that they would then resort to, in order to try to achieve their objectives.”

Among the hallmarks of this new era of terrorism, he said, is that the attacks “are not overly complex, or at least not complex in the way that it requires a massive cell of people to be involved.”

Hayden said the ultimate evaluation of the level of sophisticated involved in the bombing will “come down to the weapon, how complex that was, how reliable it was, and whether the reports were true that there were other weapons out there as well.”

The former CIA chief said he has long feared that more numerous, less sophisticated attacks against the United States may be inevitable.

“This regrettably, if it does turn out to be al-Qaida based terrorism, might be the new normal,” said the intelligence expert who led the U.S. intelligence apparatus under former President George W. Bush. “I’ve been fond of saying that because of all the things that we’ve done well since 9/11, future attacks against the United States will be less complex, less likely to succeed, less lethal if they do succeed — but they’re just going to be more numerous.

“And this may just be an example of one of those more numerous, less complex attacks succeeding,” he said, quickly adding, “But we don’t know that yet . . . we’ve just got to let the facts take us where they will.”

Asked to comment on the response that led FAA officials to close Boston airspace, and to tighten security in New York and Washington, Hayden said this too was a sign of the times.

Gantz: Syria Rebels will Turn Against U.S.
Apr 16th, 2013
Daily NewsINN - Gil Ronen
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz estimates that after Bashar Assad's fall, Syria rebels will fight each other and also fight Israel.

Speaking on IDF Radio, Gantz described the scenario for what he called "Round B" of fighting in Syria.

"You can see that the rebels in Syria are fighting the army and the Assad regime," he said, "but it is clear that there will be another war there. It could be between themselves, but also could be turned against us. I have the impression that we will see both."

Gantz also took part Tuesday in the "Singing Independence" celebration for the IDF's best soldiers at President's Residence.

He told the soldiers, "Thanks to you, this truly is a happy Independence Day. An entire nation looks at you and is reminded that it really does have people it can trust; that it has people it can lean on."

Gantz: Idf Can Attack Iran Nuke Sites on Its Own
Apr 16th, 2013
Daily NewsJpost.com
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

The IDF has the ability to attack the Iranian nuclear sites without help from other nations, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz told Israel Radio in a lengthy interview aired Tuesday.

When asked if the IDF has the capabilities to attack alone in Iran, Gantz answered "unequivocally, yes."

"The Iranian challenge is a meaningful one. We must look at it strategically long-term. We will do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done," he said.

Gantz told Israel Radio that the top political and military officials discussed a possible strike in Iran, but denied reports that there were arguments on the topic. "There are long, continuous discussions, and I presume we'll have more of those in the future."

On the northern front, Gantz assured that the IDF is ready for a possible military confrontation with Syria and with Lebanon. "We are ready, at any given time, and in an immediate manner, for a war with Syria, both on the defense and on the offense. I don't see it happening tomorrow morning, but despite that we are ready."

On the southern front, Gantz discussed the achievements of Operation Pillar of Defense last November, saying the relative quiet that has been maintained since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas at the end of the Operation is a testament to the deterrence Israel established.

"There were several isolated incidents lately that were made to appear more prominent because of the relative quiet, and rightfully so. We have no intention to go back to the situation that was before Pillar of Defense. If this quiet continues [and no rockets are fired], there will be quiet in the Gaza Strip. If the quiet does not continue, there will be no quiet in the Gaza Strip and it will be very painful [for the Hamas leadership] and we will not be afraid to resume our operations in the Strip and even extend them," he said.

"We must not forget that the Hamas holds full and direct responsibility to everything that happens in the Gaza Strip. If rockets are fired from [the Strip], it's either because Hamas allows it or because it doesn't control the Strip. It is [Hamas'] responsibility and we will demand that of it," he added.

The chief of staff also said the situation in the West Bank is not as grave as it was prior to the outburst of the first and second intifada, and asserted he does not think a third intifada is currently on the horizon. Regardless, Gantz assured that the IDF is ready for any possible escalation.

Does Jesus Care Whether I Attend Church?
Apr 16th, 2013
Daily NewsDan Delzell
Categories: Commentary

If you identify yourself as a Christian, then I assume it really matters to you whether or not Jesus wants you to attend church. After all, He is your King….not just your advisor….or your buddy….but your Lord….and your God. Right?

We live in a day where many professing believers are being tempted to ditch the whole "church thing." In some cases, it's because they had a bad experience in a church. That is understandable….because it happens. Just as divorce takes place in marriages, pain is also experienced in certain church situations. So what's the solution? Should you dump church…or instead, get connected to one where you will grow?

Here is what the New Testament church did from its very inception. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts:2:42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.) If you don't realize how badly you need each one of those things, then you don't understand the New Testament….and you don't understand spiritual growth.

Some people who leave a church never end up in another church….they remain spiritually homeless. And many of them quickly begin to lose whatever spiritual vitality they had been experiencing.

We can all tell ourselves "it won't happen to me," but that is often not how it plays out. When Christians attempt to remain strong in the Lord outside of His family gatherings, it usually doesn't work. That's because Jesus instituted His church for many important reasons, and not one of us is smarter than Jesus.

And so "yes," Jesus cares deeply about whether or not His followers attend church. But it's not just a matter of "attending church." It's really about belonging to a fellowship of believers….where you are fed….and you grow….and you serve….and you are encouraged….and you encourage others….and you pray with each other….and celebrate the Lord's Supper together....and you experience God's power and grace.

What's that? You thought the church was there primarily to meet your needs? Well who did you think was going to help do that? It takes people to care for other people. It takes you to be a blessing to others. Have you come to understand yet how important your place is in the family?

Some Christians "young in the Lord" still have a "consumer mentality" about church, "What's in it for me?" But just watch…as you grow in the Lord, you will begin to concentrate on…"Who can I bless? Who can I serve? What gifts has the Lord given me to help others know Him and grow in Him?"

Have you reached that point yet in your walk with Christ, or do you still just tend to think that the church is primarily there to meet your needs? That's the life of a child…and while we thank the Lord for children, we also recognize that children need to grow into mature adults. It's that way in the family….and it's that way in the Lord's church.

Canadian Babies Born Alive and Left to Die!
Apr 16th, 2013
Daily NewsJim Hnatiuk
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues