Ideas kicking around in a reflection group of select EU foreign ministers include merging the roles of the EU Council and European Commission presidents.
A senior EU source told this website following a meeting of the club in the Val Duchesse stately home in Brussels on Thursday (19 April) that the new supremo would have more power than either Herman Van Rompuy or Jose Manuel Barroso do today but also more "democratic legitimacy" because he or she would be elected by MEPs.
Editors note....The way is being prepared for the coming superman, the Antichrist.
Oklahoma earthquake surge reveals previously unknown fault line, state agency trying to connect dots
A day after 10 mid-scale earthquakes rocked central Oklahoma, a series of smaller quakes shook the area Wednesday, with more likely to come. The survey reports the earthquakes have occurred along a previously unknown fault. The agency also predicts the quakes aren't over. No injuries have been reported as a result of any of the quakes, but the recent surge has clearly gotten the attention of government officials.
North Korea Worries Israel
sraeli officials note there is strong evidence that the two rogue nations have been clandestinely working together to develop nuclear warheads for over a decade. Security analysts warn that if the United States becomes embroiled in a new war with North Korea, it might prod Tehran to order a massive rocket strike upon Israel.
US to deploy 200 troops to Jordan to curb Syria violence - Hagel
The Wednesday statement came from US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in Congress. He said the deployment will assist the efforts to contain violence on the Syrian border, as well as set the groundwork for combating any perceived threats of chemical weapons use in Syria.
China pulls back curtain on expanding massive military might, revealing in defence report it was 1.4 million members
China’s People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, has some 850,000 service members spread across seven regional commands, according to the defence report issued Tuesday. The navy and air force have 235,000 and 398,000 service members respectively. The paper also alludes to China’s powerful Second Artillery Force. Described as “the country’s core force for strategic deterrence,” it oversees China’s nuclear arsenal and is tasked with “deterring other countries from using nuclear weapons against China.”
Assad Claims West Is Backing Al Qaeda Rebels
The leader accuses the West of backing al Qaeda militants in the Syrian civil war and warns it will come back to haunt them.
Obama Throws Tantrum over Gun Control Defeat
Obama lashed out defiantly and viciously at political opponents who defeated his efforts to expand federal gun regulations today. The failure brought an end to four months of fervent campaigning by the president during which he used the Newtown disaster--or, in the eyes of many critics, exploited it--to make an argument about the urgent need for new laws, even if such laws would not have prevented the Newtown atrocity itself.
Japan island rocked by over a dozen quakes
More than a dozen earthquakes, one of them magnitude 6.2, rocked a volcanic island south of Tokyo Wednesday, the national meteorological agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage from any of the quakes and no risk of a tsunami, the agency said. The biggest tremor, with its epicentre located near Miyake Island some 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Tokyo, was registered at around 5:57 pm (0857 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
No poultry contact in some Chinese bird flu cases : WHO
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that a number of people who have tested positive for a new strain of bird flu in China appear to have had no contact with poultry, adding to the mystery about a virus that has killed 17 people to date.
Too soon for U.S. to declare oil independence
The discovery of tight oil has been a confidence booster for the United States, promoting talk of energy independence from the old, Saudi Arabia-centred oil establishment, as well as reduced need for Canada’s oil sands.
Iran and Oklahoma: Earthquakes 11-17 April 2013
The week of 11-17 April was one with a significant level of seismic activity. A total of 33 earthquakes of at least magnitude 5 (≥M5.0) appear on the United States Geological Survey’s real time earthquake map...
5.0-magnitude earthquake strikes China, 9 injured
A 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted southwest China’s Yunnan Province today, leaving nine persons injured. The epicentre of the quake, that struck the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in the province at 9:45 am, was located in the border area between Eryuan and Yangbi counties, with a depth of 11 km.
Rep. Lamar Smith: Immigration Bill 'Worse Than We Thought,' Legalizes Relatives and Previously Deported
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said today that the Senate immigration bill is even worse than feared, since it legalizes illegals' relatives and even those previously deported: "It's hard to believe, but the Senate immigration bill is worse than we thought. Despite assurances, the border is not secured before almost everyone in the country illegally is given amnesty.
China angered by Japan's increased jet scrambles
China on Thursday accused Japan of raising regional tensions with its...use of fighter jets to monitor Chinese aircraft that approach... islands claimed by both countries. The remarks from Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying came one day after Japan's Defense Ministry said it dispatched fighter jets in response to Chinese planes 306 times during the 12 months through March 2013, up from 156 the previous year.
Boston Bombing Culprits Identified?
FBI briefing on Boston bombings postponed. The FBI said it “needs more time to prepare” before speaking to the media. Struggling to get their narrative straight in the aftermath of numerous men with backpacks being identified? Photos collated on the 4chan website show numerous images of suspicious individuals wearing large backpacks present at the scene of the Boston Marathon bombings.
China pig and dog deaths prompt probe into factories
A Chinese village has closed nearby chemical plants after hundreds of pigs and dogs died mysteriously, sparking fears among local residents. A total of 410 pigs and 122 dogs were found dead in Dongtun village in Yanshi city, Henan province, officials said. The deaths were not caused by an epidemic or the new H7N9 bird flu strain, and nearby chemical factories were being investigated, they added.
North Korea lists terms for talks with US and S Korea
North Korea has said it is ready to talk if UN sanctions against it are withdrawn and the US and South Korea put an end to joint military drills. The conditions for dialogue were outlined in a statement from the North's National Defence Commission and carried on official news agency KCNA. But South Korea's Foreign Ministry brushed off the North's demands, calling them "incomprehensible".
Obama attacks senators who rejected gun sale checks
President Barack Obama has lashed out at senators who blocked a bipartisan plan to support expanded background checks on firearms. "This was a pretty shameful day for Washington," Mr Obama said at the White House. "But this effort is not over." The plan was blocked on a 54-46 vote, six votes short of the 60-vote hurdle needed to clear the chamber.
Bundesbank chief: Eurozone crisis could last 10 years
Germany's central bank chief Jens Weidmann has said the eurozone crisis may take ten years to overcome, just as top euro officials claimed their response to the crisis is working. "Overcoming the crisis and the crisis effects will remain a challenge over the next decade," Weidmann told Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Wednesday (17 April).
PM: Israel ready to defend against Syrian WMDs
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the BBC on Wednesday that Israel is prepared to defend itself should Syrian President Bashar Assad's chemical weapons and anti-aircraft weapons fall into the wrong hands. "The main arms of concern to us are the arms that are already in Syria - these are anti-aircraft weapons, these are chemical weapons and other...dangerous weapons that could be game changers," he said in an interview with the BBC.
Stephen Hawking: So here's how it all happened without God
In a speech in Pasadena, Calif., the famed physicist wonders what God was doing before the universe was created and says he's grateful that he wasn't subject to a church inquisition.
Al-Assad to Western nations: Syrian rebels will turn on you
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned Western nations against supporting rebel groups battling his armed forces, predicting the militants will one day strike against the United States and others. In an hourlong interview with Syria state TV network al-Ikhbariya, al-Assad claimed the West is supporting al Qaeda sympathizers in Syria as he says they did during the Libyan uprising.
'Like a nuclear bomb': Deadly fertilizer plant blast devastates Texas town
The full extent of the devastation will have to wait until the light of day Thursday. But residents of the small Texas town of West already know what to expect. "There are a lot of people that got hurt," West Mayor Tommy Muska forewarned Wednesday night. "There are a lot of people that will not be here tomorrow."
North Korea demands end of sanctions if U.S. wants dialogue
North Korea offered the United States and South Korea a list of conditions for talks, including the lifting of U.N. sanctions, signaling a possible end to weeks of warlike hostility on the Korean peninsula.
USPS losing $25 million daily with ‘broken business model’
The U.S. Postal Service could become “a significant burden to the taxpayer” if it does not get needed flexibility to change its business operations, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe told Congress Wednesday.
NICOSIA — Iran claims to have reached the capability to destroy Israeli cities.
Officials said the Iranian military has enhanced its ballistic missile arsenal that could target major Israeli cities. They said Teheran has tested indigenous missiles and rockets with enhanced guidance systems.
“We enjoy the needed level of preparedness to put this statement into action in the shortest time possible if the enemy makes a foolish move,” Iranian Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Mohammed Hejazi said in a briefing on April 15, Hejazi, in charge of defense research, said Iran could fire missiles that could destroy Haifa and Tel Aviv. He said
Iran’s military has deterred Israel and the West from attacking Teheran’s nuclear facilities.
Hejazi was speaking as Iran tested several indigenous missiles and rockets, including an enhanced variant of the Fajr-5. Fajr-5, with a range of nearly 80 kilometers, was fired by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in attacks on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in November 2012.
“Israel’s leaders sometimes threaten Iran, but they know that if they do a damn thing, the Islamic republic will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground,” Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei said.
A senior Chinese auditor has warned that local government debt is “out of control” and could spark a bigger financial crisis than the US housing market crash.
Zhang Ke said his accounting firm, ShineWing, had all but stopped signing off on bond sales by local governments as a result of his concerns.
“We audited some local government bond issues and found them very dangerous, so we pulled out,” said Mr Zhang, who is also vice-chairman of China’s accounting association. “Most don’t have strong debt servicing abilities. Things could become very serious.”
The International Monetary Fund, rating agencies and investment banks have all raised concerns about Chinese government debt. But it is rare for a figure as established in the Chinese financial industry as Mr Zhang to issue such a stark warning.
New Zealand’s parliament voted in favour of allowing same-sex marriage on Wednesday, prompting cheers, applause and the singing of a traditional Maori celebratory song from the public gallery.
Seventy-seven of 121 members of parliament voted in favour of amending the current 1955 Marriage Act to allow same-sex couples to marry, making New Zealand the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to do so.
“Two-thirds of parliament have endorsed marriage equality,” Louisa Wall, the openly gay opposition Labour Party MP who promoted the bill, told reporters after the vote. “It shows that we are building on our human rights as a country.”
The bill was widely expected to pass, given similar support for the change in a preliminary vote held last month. It will likely come into effect in August.