Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Sectarian Violence Spirals in Guinea’s Volatile Southeast‏
Jul 31st, 2013
Daily NewsWorld Watch Monitor
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Judicial authorities in Guinea are investigating an outburst of deadly violence two weeks ago that left 95 people dead and 130 wounded. The murder of a suspected thief on July 14 in Koulé, a city 40 kilometres from Nzérékoré, the regional capital of Forested Guinea, has led to acts of retaliation and a wave of violence between members of Guerzé and Konianké ethnic groups.

Very quickly, the incidents became a sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims, with the destruction of a number of Christians’ properties, including several churches.

In Nzérékoré, about five churches, four houses of pastors, and an undetermined number of shops and properties were burned or looted, witnesses told World Watch Monitor. A mosque was also reported burned and one Muslim cleric killed. In Beyla city, 150 kilometres northeast of Nzérékoré, attacks targeting Christians were particularly violent, according to a Catholic priest contacted by World Watch Monitor.

PM 'promised 5,000 Homes' in Deal With Bayit Yehudi
Jul 31st, 2013
Daily NewsINN - Gil Ronen
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised the Bayit Yehudi party to approve construction of about 5,000 housing units in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, in exchange for the party's acquiescence regarding the release of 104 terrorists as a "gesture" to the Palestinian Authority, reported Maariv Wednesday.

The newspaper said that contacts regarding the deal, which has not been finalized, have been carried out by Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel and Netanyahu, by means of letters they have been writing and handing to each other personally, in order to preserve secrecy.

"Senior sources in Bayit Yehudi" who apparently decided to break that secrecy said that approvals for 1,000 housing units are expected soon, and that approvals for another 3,500 to 4,500 units are expected in the coming months.

The party's Knesset members were reportedly asked, in the faction meeting Monday, not to issue threats about possibly bolting the Coalition, because of the deal.

"The test will be if Netanyahu does not live up to the agreements on construction in the next few months," party sources were quoted as saying. "That is what we will look at, and that is the only thing we will base our decisions on in the future."

Far-left group Peace Now, which opposes Jewish life in Judea and Samaria, reportedly asked the attorney general to make public any deal that was struck with Bayit Yehudi, as a matter of good governance and transparency.

Maariv quoted reactions from Minister Ariel and the Bayit Yehudi that did not deny the existence of these agreements. It said that Netanyahu chose not to respond to questions on the matter.

Bayit Yehudi ministers and MKs have come under intense pressure ever since the vote to release 104 terrorist murderers as a "gesture" to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The move is opposed by an overwhelming majority of Jews, polls show. Bayit Yehudi voted against the release but did not leave the Coalition, as some expected.

The Labor party has said that if Bayit Yehudi leaves the Coalition because of "advances" in the "peace process," it will be willing to give the government a parliamentary "security net" to prevent it from being toppled. Labor has 15 Knesset seats, three more than Bayit Yehudi.

Lieberman: You Can't Make Peace With a Holocaust Denier
Jul 31st, 2013
Daily NewsINN - Elad Benari
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Peace Process

MK Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, predicted on Tuesday that peace with the Palestinian Authority will never be possible because of its leadership.

Speaking at a meeting of the newly founded Knesset Lobby to Combat Anti-Semitism which is headed by MK Shimon Ohayon (Yisrael Beytenu), Lieberman reminded participants that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is a Holocaust denier, whose doctoral dissertation was entitled “The Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement.”

"There cannot be true peace or a diplomatic process with someone who denies the Holocaust,” said Lieberman. “Abbas’s book in which he denies the Holocaust is on the bookshelf in my office. I do not recall that any of those who welcomed the peace process reminded Abbas of his denial of the Holocaust, which he continues to do in media interviews."

He added, "When I was Foreign Minister, every time a respected person would come to my office and tell me that Abbas wants peace, I would show him Mahmoud Abbas’s book in which he denies the Holocaust."

"Modern anti-Semitism today is in the Palestinian Authority," Lieberman stated. “You should see the PA’s textbooks that do not teach the next generation, the so-called generation of peace, about the Holocaust. These are our so-called partners for peace...”

As Israel and the PA prepare to sit down yet again for another round of talks, PA television has been continuing to broadcast anti-Israel and anti-Semitic programs and songs.

In a “music video” first released in 2011 and re-released over the past several days, Israel is called “the snake's head” which needs to be crushed by Arab rifles. It comes only days after another PA program honored arch-terrorist Abdallah Barghouti for his role in the murder of 61 Israelis in a string of atrocities.

On Monday, Abbas presented a racist and hateful vision of a future Palestinian state, when he said in Cairo that “Palestine” would not have “a single Israeli – civilian or soldier.”

Arab affairs expert Dalit Halevi explained that when Abbas spoke of “Israelis”, he in fact meant “Jews." She pointed out that the PA refers to all of the Arabs who live in what they term “Palestine” – including “Israeli Arabs” – as Palestinians. There is, therefore, no distinction in the PA's approach between “Palestinians” and “Arabs,” and similarly no distinction between “Jews” and “Israelis,” when speaking of residents of the territory of the Land of Israel (“Palestine”).

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 31st, 2013
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Chunk of Sun Headed Toward Earth at 2 Million Miles an Hour
Corey Powell, Editor of Discover Magazine, joined Bill Hemmer on America’s Newsroom this morning to explain the giant black hole, and what it means for us here on Earth. “The reason it’s dark is that whole chunk of the sun basically ripped off, blew out and is coming our way at about two million miles an hour,” said Powell. Well, that doesn’t sound good. Powell explained that this phenomenon happens frequently, but we don’t often see something this large.  

Devious election plot bypasses Constitution
The National Popular Vote effort, which could see only 14 states – those with the largest populations – decide the presidency for voters in all 50 states, is fully partnered with a George Soros-funded election group. The group, the Center for Voting and Democracy, received original seed money in 1997 from the Joyce Foundation, a non-profit that boasted President Obama served on its board at the time of the grant. Obama was a board member from July 1994 until December 2002.  

U.S. intelligence: Al Qaida plotting attacks on U.S. civilian jetliners    Officials said the intelligence community has traced a plot by Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to blow up a commercial airliner or cargo plane. They identified the AQAP planner as Ibrahim Hassan Al Asiri, believed to have taken over the Al Qaida network in Saudi Arabia and Yemen in wake of the U.S. assassination of Said Al Shihri, deemed the deputy commander of the insurgency movement.  

Washington D.C. is least honest city in America, study says
For the second year in a row, residents of our nation’s capital have proven themselves the most likely to steal a dollar from your pocket. At least, that’s according to one unusual new study, which found Washington, D.C. to be the least honest city or state in the nation.  

'Comet of the Century' already may have fizzled out
"The future of comet ISON does not look bright," astronomer Ignacio Ferrin, with the University of Antioquia in Colombia, said in a statement on Monday. Ferrin's calculations show the comet, which is currently moving toward the sun at 16 miles per second, has not brightened since mid-January. That may be because the comet is already out of ice particles in its body, which melt as the comet moves closer to the sun, creating a long, bright tail.  

Mexico keeps constant eye on Popocatepetl volcano
Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center laboratory keeps a round-the-clock watch on Popocatepetl, with anywhere from six to 15 technicians analyzing data for signs of a full-scale eruption, which they can never fully anticipate. Though lava or glowing rock would only travel so far, an explosion could be deadly for 11,000 people in three farming villages within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of the base because of landslides and hot gas.  

What role for US in new Israel-Palestinian peace talks?
With Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat at his side, Secretary of State John Kerry announced at the State Department Tuesday that all of the so-called final-status issues that stand in the way of settlement of the decades-old Mideast conflict will be on the table when talks resume in either Israel or the Palestinian territories in two weeks.  

Obama: Top Tax Rate Should Be 28% for Corporations, 40% for Small Business
The New York Times reports that President Obama is reviving an old proposal to lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent (and 25 percent for manufacturers). Obama's push to lower the corporate tax rate to 28 percent comes less than a year after he raised the top individual income tax rate, paid by many small businesses, to 39.6 percent.  

7 reasons the Americans think this time will be different
Undeterred by widespread Israeli and Palestinian skepticism, John Kerry is convinced he can broker a permanent accord. What does he know that we don’t? Here are 7 reasons the Americans, if not too many others, believe this time could be different.  

China issues heat alert as 'hottest July' hits Shanghai
Temperatures in parts of China have hit record highs, prompting an emergency level-two nationwide heat alert for the first time. In Shanghai, at least 10 people have died from heatstroke, as the city experiences its hottest July in 140 years, reports say. Local journalists have demonstrated the heat by frying meat on the pavement.  

‘PM cuts secret deal with Jewish Home on settlements’
According to the report, members of the religious-nationalist Jewish Home party were convinced to swallow what they saw as the bitter pill of the prisoner release — and not threaten to walk out of the government — for the sake of furthering their cause of fortifying the settlement enterprise.  

Honduras declares state of emergency over dengue fever
Honduras has declared a state of emergency after an outbreak of dengue fever which has killed 16 people so far this year. More than 12,000 people have been diagnosed with the disease, which causes high fever and joint pains. Officials say that in more than 1,800 cases, there is a risk of internal bleeding and death.  

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FINALLY OPEN COFFIN FOUND NEAR RICHARD III’S BURIAL SITE — AND ARE SURPRISED AT WHAT THEY FIND
Scientists think the lead coffin – which has a hole through which the deceased’s feet can be seen – could contain one of the friary’s founders, a medieval monk, or the remains of a 14th-century medieval knight, Sir William Moton.  

France and Germany seek to revive EU defence policy
The EU needs to do more for international security France and Germany have said as they call for improved battlegroups and the use of drones in civilian airspace. In a joint letter and ideas paper, dated Friday (26 July), the foreign ministers of both countries say that amid "asymmetrical threats" the EU needs to "assume increased responsibility for international peace and security."  

Analysts predict Iran able to produce atom bomb by mid-2014
Iran is expected to achieve a "critical capability" to produce sufficient weapon-grade uranium by mid-2014, without being detected, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said in a report on Tuesday. According to the Washington-based think tank, Iran would achieve this capability by implementing its existing plans to install thousands more IR-1 centrifuges at its declared Natanz and Fordow centrifuge sites.  

San Antonio Proposal Could Bar Christians From City Council
Churches across San Antonio are expressing outrage over a proposed anti-discrimination law that would protect LGBT workers but would not provide a religious exemption and would effectively prohibit anyone who opposes homosexuality from holding public office or getting a city contract.

Anti - Semitism in Sweden Forces Jews to Question Their Future
Jul 31st, 2013
Daily NewsINN - Ari Sofer
Categories: Today's Headlines;Antisemitism

Attacks against Jews in Malmoe, Sweden's third largest city, have left members of the community questioning their future in a place known for its "multiculturalism."

Jewish people have lived in Malmoe for over two centuries, often arriving in the south Swedish port city - a safe haven for generations - after fleeing persecution and intolerance in other parts of Europe.

But though waves of immigration over the past two decades have made the area more diverse, hate crimes appear to be on the rise and many people -

paradoxically - say they feel less secure.

Highlighting a problem many Swedes had thought long relegated to history, the US special envoy for anti-Semitism even visited Malmoe last year.

Typically, but not exclusively, the perpetrators of anti-Semitic hate crimes are "young men with roots in the Middle East", according to Jehoshua Kaufman, a member of Malmoe's Jewish congregation.

Parents are especially worried about their children being subjected to abuse at school.

Bullying has been a problem "not for everyone, not always, but very often", said Kaufman, as he took part in a regular march known as the "kippah walks"

- referring to the Jewish skullcaps worn by the demonstrators - organised to battle anti-Semitism.

Around a third of Malmoe's 310,000 residents were born abroad, with the largest minorities coming from the Balkans, Iraq and neighbouring Denmark.

The total number of Jews in the city is estimated to be around 2,000, with around 600 that are members of its synagogue.

In 2012, 66 anti-Jewish hate crimes were reported, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.

According to figures from Malmoe police, 60 reports were made, compared with just 31 in Stockholm, with more than three times the population. Thirty-five have already been reported in Malmoe so far this year.

The figures seem to be on the up -- in 2010 and 2011, a total of 44 reports were made over the two years combined.

Shneur Kesselman, a US-born orthodox rabbi, has had insults and objects hurled after him on the streets of Malmoe more times than he can remember.

With his traditional Hasidic black clothing, redora hat and beard, he cuts an incongruous figure in the traditionally working-class, immigrant-heavy eastern half of the city.

But he insists on staying. "It's a little hard to explain. My wife and I have made Malmoe our project. We feel a sense of responsibility for Jewish life here," he said.

The response by local authorities has been patchy at best.

Malmoe's former mayor, Ilmar Reepalu, gained notoriety after suggesting members of the Jewish community had themselves to blame when a rally they organised during the 2008-2009 Gaza War was attacked with bottles and eggs.

"I wish the Jewish congregation would distance itself from Israel's violations of the civilian population in Gaza," Reepalu told a local newspaper.

Last year, the social democratic mayor courted more controversy by saying the Jewish community had been "infiltrated" by the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats - a claim he later retracted.

The Sweden Democrats have sought to use the attacks on Malmoe's Jews for political gain, framing them as a by-product of Sweden's generous immigration laws.

"It's clear that misguided skinheads aren't the major threat against Jews in Sweden today, but the imported anti-Semitism from the Muslim group," parliamentarian Kent Ekeroth wrote in an op-ed.

Taking action

But members of Malmoe's Jewish community say that anti-Semitism is not just the preserve of immigrants.

In an incident in 2010, local youths in Vellinge, a middle-class town with few immigrants on the outskirts of Malmoe, shouted Nazi slogans at people

attending a weekend event for children at a Jewish recreation centre and threw eggs at the building.

"But in Malmoe it's the young Muslim guys that are the problem, that has to be said. They come from countries where there are racist, anti-Semitic TV programmes," said Barbro Posner, a member of the Jewish community.

The authorities not appear to be addressing the problem. Ilmar Reepalu's replacement Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, who assumed the mayorship this month, told APF the city's schools were trying to combat racism by providing special training for teachers.

The city has also invited community leaders to a "dialogue forum" tasked with "combating religious and ethnic discrimination".

Ala-Eddin Al-Qut, head of the local chapter of Sweden's Islamic Association, said the group had been able to change people's attitudes after getting Muslim organisations to address anti-Semitism in their Friday sermons.

The Malmoe Palestine Network had also banned some signs and slogans from its anti-war demonstrations, he said.

"You have to distinguish between Jews and Israelis," Al-Qut said - though such a sweeping comments about "Israelis" is hardly likely to reassure local Jews either. 

Sofia Nerbrand, co-founder of the kippah walks, said the rest of Sweden viewed Malmoe as a litmus test for whether multiculturalism could work in the

once homogenous country, especially in the wake of a series of gang-related shootings involving immigrants.

In late 2011 and early 2012, five people were shot dead in Malmoe in less than six weeks. At least some of the killings appeared to be linked to

organised crime, prompting Reepalu to call for stricter gun laws.

"If we fail here, people will say: 'Look what happens when you bring in too many Muslims'," said Nerbrand.

Jehoshua Kaufman said the racism he and other Jews had encountered was not limited to just Malmoe but simply more visible there than in places like

Stockholm due to the city's compact and less segregated centre.