Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

U.S. Vows More Sanctions on Russia Unless Ukraine Tensions Ease
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily Newscnbc.com
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a telephone call on Tuesday that Washington would impose more sanctions on Russia if tensions did not de-escalate in eastern Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said.

The official said Kerry talked to both Lavrov and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk.

“With Foreign Minister Lavrov, the secretary expressed deep concern over the lack of positive Russian steps to de-escalate, cited mounting evidence that separatists continue to increase the number of buildings under occupation and take journalists and other civilians captive,” he said.

“He urged Russia to tone down escalatory rhetoric, engage diplomatically in the east with the OSCE and Ukrainian government, and…”

The Rapid Militarization of Small Town America
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

37% of likely U.S. voters now fear the federal government, and an additional 17% are not sure if they should or not, according to a new survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports on April 15-16.

The survey of one thousand likely voters also revealed that 42% who own guns that are kept in their homes, fear the federal government, compared to 30% who do not keep guns at home. 52% of union members versus 35% of non-unionized voters share that fear.

One might ask, who is afraid of whom? Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Washington-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, said, "We're seeing a highly unusual amount of ammunition being bought by the federal agencies over a fairly short period of time. To be honest, I don't understand why the federal government is buying so much at this time."

"I don't believe in conspiracy theories,” he continued, “but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The amount of ammunition they're buying up far exceeds their needs. It far exceeds what they'll use — they'll never use it all."

Erich Pratt, communications director for Gun Owners of America, stated, "We realize that the House is still investigating the ammo purchases by the administration, but from what we've seen so far, most representatives don't seem alarmed.”

According to Newsmax, an impressive list of federal agencies are actively acquiring disturbingly massive quantities of ammo. Earlier this year, the U.S. Postal Service, under the heading "Assorted Small Arms Ammunition," posted this notice on its website: "The United States Postal Service intends to solicit proposals for assorted small arms ammunition. If your organization wishes to participate, you must pre-register. This message is only a notification of our intent to solicit proposals."

Just over a year ago, the Social Security Administration put in a request for 174,000 rounds of ".357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacketed hollow-point" bullets.

A while back, the Department of Agriculture requested 320,000 rounds and more recently, the Department of Homeland Security caused a stir with its request for 450 million rounds. About the same time, the FBI independently pursued the acquisition of 100 million hollow-point rounds. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also requested 46,000 rounds.

Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League questioned why a weather service would need ammunition. “One just doesn't know why they're doing this," he said. "The problem is, all these agencies have their own SWAT teams, their own police departments, which is crazy.”

Theoretically, Van Cleave maintains it should be the U.S. marshals that represent the armed branch of the federal government. “Do we really need this?” he asks. Referring to the expansion of police forces throughout all levels of government, Van Cleave continues, “That was something our Founding Fathers did not like and we should all be concerned about."

During Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s standoff, many Americans were shocked to see TV images of an armed-to-the-teeth paramilitary wing of the BLM deployed around Bundy’s ranch. According to the National Review, they shouldn’t be. Many federal agencies now have Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams to expand the definition of their missions.

Americans can accept that the Secret Service and the Bureau of Prisons have them. But it becomes more controversial when we discover that the Department of Agriculture, the Railroad Retirement Board, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Office of Personnel Management, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also have SWAT units.

The worrying trend towards militarization of our federal agencies is well under way, not to mention local police forces.

In his 2013 book entitled Rise of the Warrior Cop, journalist Radley Balko writes, “The war on drugs and, more recently, post-9/11 antiterrorism efforts have created a new figure on the U.S. scene: the warrior cop — armed to the teeth, ready to deal harshly with targeted wrongdoers, and a growing threat to familiar American liberties.”

As these paramilitary federal SWAT teams proliferate, so do the abuses that have little to do with drugs or terrorism. Many of the raids these units conduct are against harmless, often innocent Americans typically accused civil or administrative violations that are non-violent.

In June of 2011 for example, Kenneth Wright of Stockton, California was “visited” by a SWAT team from the U.S. Department of Education. At 6:00 a.m., agents busted down the door at his home, dragged him outside in his boxer shorts and handcuffed him. His three children (ages 3, 7, and 11) were placed in a police car for two hours while his home was searched, allegedly to uncover information on Wright’s estranged wife Michelle, who was suspected of college financial-aid fraud but who had not been living with him.

A SWAT team from the Food and Drug Administration raided the farm of Dan Allgyer of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2010. His crime? Shipping unpasteurized milk across state lines to a cooperative of young women with children in Washington, D.C., called Grass Fed on the Hill. Although raw milk can be sold in Pennsylvania, it is illegal to transport it across state lines. The SWAT raid subsequently forced Allgyer to close down his business.

The feds have encouraged local police departments to purchase surplus military hardware and form their own SWAT units since 9/11, issuing an abundance of homeland-security grants. By 2005, at least 80% of towns with a population ranging between 25,000 and 50,000 people had their own SWAT team. National Review reports that the number of raids conducted by local police SWAT teams has increased from 3,000 per year in the 1980s to over 50,000 per year today.

Even the tiniest towns in America have acquired an MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected armored personnel vehicle), which are typically used for war!

For the past few years, the Pentagon has been dispersing these vehicles to police departments across the country, offering no training on their use. That’s rather peculiar, since these bulky war machines are designed for use on a battlefield and have little real application in domestic police work.

The trend toward more militarized domestic police forces is clear, and it’s been happening since the early 1980s.

In the Washington Post’s “The Watch” – an opinion blog on civil liberties and the justice system – Radley Balko (author) provides a short and incomplete list of 21 small towns that have recently required an MRAP from the Defense Department. All but one have populations ranging from 12,000 to 91,000, with the leading ‘tiniest town’ contender so far being Dundee, Michigan, which boasts a population of a mere 3,900 people.

In a previous PNW article published in February, we highlighted that in early 2014, the resilient theme of internment camps in America resurfaced once again—with vigor—when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, speaking to a class of law students at the University of Hawaii law school in Honolulu, stated that the nation’s highest court was wrong to have upheld the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II but that he would expect a similar ruling in the event of a future conflict.

A retired Army Colonel in 2012 penned an academic study about the future use of the military as a peacekeeping force within the U.S., incorporating a shocking scenario in which the U.S. Army attempts to restore order in a town that has been seized by Tea Party “insurrectionists”.

A leaked U.S. Army manual disclosed plans for “Civil Disturbance Operations” to be used during periods of mass civil unrest in America, where troops are deployed domestically to quell riots, confiscate firearms and even kill Americans.

Additionally, the manual describes how prisoners will be processed through temporary internment camps under the guidance of U.S. Army FM 3-19.40 Internment/Resettlement Operations, with the intent of “reeducating” internees so they develop an “appreciation of U.S. policies” while they are incarcerated in prison camps on U.S. soil.

We also reported in a March PNW article that Americans now believe police are overstepping their bounds, both morally and constitutionally, as many departments have transformed themselves into soldier-like special-ops mercenaries, wearing black tactical pants, combat boots, black Under Armour brand shirts, dark ballistic eye protection, and black beanies or skull caps. They seem to be dressing more to prepare for a firefight with insurgents than to do public service duties such as helping someone with a flat tire, assist in a car accident, or writing a speeding ticket.

What exactly is the federal government preparing for? And why are they going to such great lengths to fortify small town law enforcement all over the country with SWAT units and rugged battlefield artillery vehicles? What plans are about to be implemented by the U.S. government that it believes will cause a grand scale uprising of violence and anger, enough to warrant the kind of internal military build-up we’re witnessing now that was once reserved for foreign archenemies of the U.S.?

Obama Says Disputed Islands Within Scope of U.S. - Japan Security Treaty
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

U.S. President Barack Obama has assured Japan that tiny islands in the East China Sea at the heart of a territorial row with China are covered by a bilateral security treaty that obligates America to come to Japan’s defense.

Obama gave the assurance in remarks published by the Yomiuri newspaper on Wednesday, hours before he was due to arrive in Tokyo for a visit aimed at reaffirming strong U.S.-Japan ties in the face of rising tensions over China and North Korea.

“The policy of the United States is clear – the Senkaku islands are administered by Japan and therefore fall within the scope of … the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security,” Obama said, referring to the disputed islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

“And we oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan’s administration of these islands,” he said.

Massive Volcanic Eruptions Wreaking Havoc on the World
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsKing World News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Let the Headlines Speak
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

‘Editing DNA’ to eliminate genetic conditions now a reality
Scientists have employed a revolutionary genome-editing computer technique that accurately identifies one faulty genetic “letter” among billions and effortlessly repairs a genetic condition in animals, paving way for human trials. The success, by MIT in Boston, is the latest achievement in the field of genome editing that has been catapulted into the spotlight through a technology that can pinpoint genetic faults in chromosomes and literally fix them by changing tiny segments.  

Antibiotic-Resistant MRSA 'Superbug' Spreading Into US Homes
An anti-biotic resistant “superbug” that has long affected hospitals and other health care locations around the world has now found a new “reservoir” location: inside U.S. homes.  

Obama: U.S. will defend Japan if China seizes Senkaku Islands
Obama—for the first time as an incumbent U.S. president—clearly stated the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture are subject to Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, in a written reply to questions submitted by The Yomiuri Shimbun. “The policy of the United States is clear—the Senkaku Islands are administered by Japan and therefore fall within the scope of Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.  

When government looks more like foe than friend
Feds who send arms against ranch families betray American values.  

Massive Volcanic Eruptions Wreaking Havoc On The World
As the world seems to hurdle from one crisis to another, today a 43-year market veteran warned King World News that massive volcanic eruptions are now wreaking havoc on the world. Jeffrey Saut, Chief Investment Strategist at Raymond James, also warned this trend is going to continue for many years, even though no one in the mainstream media is talking about this.  

'Obama eligibility source' could 'embarrass' U.S., U.K.
Self-proclaimed international intelligence expert Michael Shrimpton plans to launch a vigorous defense on charges of making false claims to British government officials that a terrorist nuclear attack was under way during the 2012 Olympics in London, raising the possibility documents and testimony he plans to subpoena will embarrass the U.K., German and U.S. governments.  

Israeli army to start calling up Christians
Israel is to start sending call-up papers to all Christian Arabs of military service age, the army said on Tuesday, angering Arab MPs who accused the government of seeking to divide Christians from Muslims. Military service will remain voluntary for Israel's 130,000 Christian Arabs as it is for its more than 1.3 million Muslim Arabs but only Christians will receive the call-up papers, an army spokesman said.  

Saudi opposition reports King Abdullah has terminal lung cancer
The Washington-based Institute for Gulf Affairs, quoting sources in Saudi Arabia and the United States, said Abdullah was told he could be dead by the end of 2014. “The king has been told by his medical team he may have as little as six months left to live,” the institute said.  

U.S., Yemen attacks kill 55 'leading and dangerous elements' of Al Qaida
Yemen and the United States have launched intense air strikes on Al Qaida. Officials said up to 55 Al Qaida fighters were killed in U.S. and Yemeni air strikes on insurgency camps in the Arab state.  

'Abbas Can Have Peace with Israel or Hamas - Not Both'
Binyamin Netanyahu addressed flailing attempts to rekindle peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) Wednesday, during a meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz. "You're coming at an important time," he told Kurz. "We're trying to re-launch the negotiations with the Palestinians."  

Steyn: Hitler, Stalin and Mao Are in Hell Laughing at 'Big Government' Global Warming Efforts
conservative commentator Mark Steyn criticized the global warming movement, including the hypocrisy of its leaders and the idea of a so-called bovine flatulence tax. “Barbra Streisand she took her Gulfstream to fly into Washington to chew over climate change with the president. And that's fine if Barbra Streisand and Al Gore does it,” Steyn said. “But the rest of us -- we are supposed to be beating our clothes with the native women down by the river  

Terror wing reactivated as peace talks collapse
The Palestinian Authority is engaged in a multi-pronged effort to press the U.S. to continue talks to create a Palestinian state beyond Secretary of State John Kerry’s deadline for momentum at the end of this month. According to informed Middle Eastern security officials, the PA pressure tactics include re-establishing its terrorist group, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.  

NASA's new mission: Warbots?
While the federal government’s increased use and advocacy of drones over U.S. skies is widely known, its promotion of another technological advancement has received less attention: the accelerated deployment of “humanoid robots” into American society.  

Study: Antibiotic-Resistant MRSA ‘Superbug’ Found In US Homes
An anti-biotic resistant “superbug”... has now found a new “reservoir” location: inside U.S. homes. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacteria that is resistant to many of the strongest antibiotics... a new study of 161 New York City residents who contracted the MRSA infections finds that the these people’s homes were “major reservoirs” for the bacteria strains, HealthDay reports.  

China Challenges Obama’s Asia Pivot With Rapid Military Buildup
President Barack Obama’s trip to Asia this week will be dominated by a country he’s not even visiting: China. Each of the four nations on the president’s itinerary is involved in territorial disputes with an increasingly assertive China...years of military spending gains have boosted the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army faster than many defense analysts expected...  

Obama pledges Japan islands support as Asian tour begins
US President Barack Obama has assured Japan that islands at the centre of its territorial dispute with China are covered by a bilateral defence treaty. In an interview ahead of his Asian tour, Mr Obama said the US would oppose any attempt to undermine Japan's control over the islands. US officials have made such comments in the past, but this is the first time Mr Obama has given such explicit support.  

EU elections may strengthen Putin in Europe
Far-right parties are set to do well in next month’s elections to the European Parliament, a fact that has thrown a spotlight on their links with the Kremlin. A recent study by the Budapest-based Political Capital Institute documents the support that far-right parties in the EU have given to Russian President Vladimir Putin, particularly throughout the Ukraine crisis.  

Abbas sets conditions for extending talks with Israel
...Speaking to a group of Israeli journalists in Ramallah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas laid out his three conditions for continuing talks with Israel: that Israel release the fourth batch of Palestinian security prisoners, including Israeli-Arabs, and that none of them be deported; that Israel freeze all settlement construction; and that the first three months of the extended talks deal with the borders of a future Palestinian state.  

Israel's Air Force Chief Warns of 'Sudden' War
Israel could be in for a surprise war, Israel's air force chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel warned. Eshel's comments come as tensions are increasing along the Israeli-Syrian border. Eshel says the threat of a sudden war erupting on multiple fronts is much more relevant today.  

Missouri executes inmate convicted of killing farming couple in 1993
Missouri has executed an inmate convicted of murder in the 1993 deaths of a farming couple. Missouri Department of Corrections spokesman Mike O'Connell says William Rousan was declared dead at 12:10 a.m. Wednesday. He was put to death by lethal injection at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.  

South Korea: North Korea could launch nuclear missile tests 'at any moment'
North Korea could be preparing for its fourth nuclear test in seven years, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Defence. A spokesman from South Korea’s Ministry of Defence said that the country’s intelligence agencies have detected a lot of activity in the Punggye-ri area of the country, the place where North Korea’s nuclear test site is situated.  

Yemen identifying 'militants' killed in air strikes
Yemeni officials are working to identify some of the dozens of suspected militants killed in a series of air strikes in recent days. DNA tests are being carried out to establish whether two senior figures in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - its leader Nasser al-Wuhayshi and bombmaker Ibrahim al-Asiri - are among them.  

Russia risks further US sanctions over Ukraine, says Kerry
The US Secretary of State has warned of further sanctions on Russia if it does not de-escalate tensions in Ukraine. In a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, John Kerry expressed "deep concern over the lack of positive Russian steps". Russia blames Kiev's leaders for the collapse of last week's Geneva accord.  

'Piles and piles' of bodies in S. Sudan slaughter
The U.N. says hundreds of civilians were killed in the massacre last week in Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan's oil-producing Unity state, a tragic reflection of longstanding ethnic hostilities in the world's newest country.  

Israel is Destroying Al - Aqsa Mosque for Alleged
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsINN
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has been stepping up its libel that Israel is “destroying” the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, in order to build the “alleged” Temple.

The highest PA religious authority, Mufti Muhammad Hussein, asserted in late March that Israel was making an “attempt… at lay[ing] hands on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque… [and] in addition to the threat of destroying the Al-Aqsa Mosque to establish the alleged Temple on its ruins.”

Palestinian Media Watch translated the comments, which were made by the same mufti who in 2012 publicly called for the genocide of the Jewish people.

The comments were made ahead of the recent series of Arab riots on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem raging since last week, in which Israeli police have been attacked by rocks and firebombs, and limits have been placed on Muslim visitors as well as Jewish visitors.

Fatah - Hamas Unity Government in Five Weeks?
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsINN - Ari Yashar
Categories: Today's Headlines;Peace Process

Representatives of Fatah and Hamas have reportedly decided to form a unity government within the "next five weeks" according to officials from the groups on Wednesday.

The agreement was made during a meeting in Gaza on Tuesday between Hamas and members of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, the main component of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). 

In the talks, which were set to continue into Wednesday, "there has also been progress on the holding of future elections and the composition of the PLO," a PLO official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

However there is room to doubt whether the agreement between the rival groups of Fatah and Hamas will hold; in 2011 the two signed a reconciliation accord in Cairo which has yet to be implemented.

Nevertheless, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called for reconciliation earlier on Tuesday "in order to form one government, one political system and one national program."

Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior member of Fatah representing the faction in the talks, responded by saying "I am happy that the time has come to end divisions."

Moving away the peace talks and towards Hamas?

The new moves come as the peace talks are fast approaching their April 29 deadline.

Abbas on Tuesday reiterated his threats on Israel that he would disband the PA if the talks didn't continue, and set a three-month building freeze on Judea and Samaria as a condition for extending the talks.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has criticized the PA for turning towards the PA and endangering the peace talks.

"The Palestinian Authority, which yesterday was talking about its dismantlement, is today talking about unity with Hamas," which fiercely opposes any peace talks with Israel and calls for its destruction, Netanyahu said.    

"They need to decide... Do they want to dismantle themselves or to unite with Hamas? When they want peace (with Israel), they should let us know."

Billionaire Gop Donor Aims to Convince Party to Push Homosexual Rights
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsLifeSiteNews
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Billionaire Republican donor Paul Singer, long known for opposing legislation that increases the regulatory burden on American businesses, has brought together a bipartisan coalition that aims to move the GOP to push homosexual “rights.”

Singer, who backs same-sex “marriage” and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), helped form two organizations in the last year that have donated to Republicans that share their support for comprehensive immigration reform, same-sex “marriage,” and Israel.

Working with groups like the ACLU, SEIU, and Human Rights Campaign, Singer has donated $10 million over the last several years to pro-same-sex “marriage” efforts in New Hampshire, New York, and Maryland. He has been inspired by his openly homosexual son, according to media reports.

Singer has donated $375,000 to help pass ENDA in Congress, telling USA TODAY, “America is a place where the freedom to be who you are shouldn’t be a barrier to your ability to get a job and provide for your family.” ENDA would prevent so-called “workplace discrimination” against employees for their sexuality.

Are You Ready for a EMP Event?
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

The catastrophic effects of an electromagnetic pulse-caused blackout could be preventable, but experts warn the civilian world is still not ready.

Peter Vincent Pry, executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security and director of the U.S. Nuclear Strategy Forum, both congressional advisory boards, said the technology to avoid disaster from electromagnetic pulses exists, and upgrading the nation’s electrical grid is financially viable.

“The problem is not the technology,” Pry said. “We know how to protect against it. It’s not the money, it doesn’t cost that much. The problem is the politics. It always seems to be the politics that gets in the way.”

He said the more officials plan, the lower the estimated cost gets.

“If you do a smart plan — the Congressional EMP Commission estimated that you could protect the whole country for about $2 billion,” Pry told Watchdog.org. “That’s what we give away in foreign aid to Pakistan every year.”

In the first few minutes of an EMP, nearly half a million people would die. That’s the worst-case scenario that author William R. Forstchen estimated in 2011 would be the result of an EMP on the electric grid — whether by an act of God, or a nuclear missile detonating in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic energy strong enough to disable, and even destroy, nearby electronic devices.

The scenario sounds like something in a Hollywood film, but the U.S. military has been preparing its electronic systems for such an event since the Cold War. The protective measures taken to harden facilities against a nuclear attack also help in some cases to protect against EMPs.

The civilian world is another story.

States have been working to fill in the legislative and regulatory gap left by Congress, as previously reported by Watchdog.org, and private companies have been developing technologies that would protect against EMPs.

In 2011, state utilities commissioners recognized the need to invest in equipment that could help protect the power grid, but experts continue to warn that time to do so is running out.

Much focus during the past several years has been placed on society’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Sophisticated computer hackers working in secret, most likely sponsored by nation-states, can steal identities, money and even potentially hijack airplanes.

National Geographic, in the movie American Blackout, explored the catastrophic effects a cyberattack on the grid would have on society.

The movie premiered in October 2013 at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., accompanied by a panel of national security experts from the U.S. intelligence community.

Cyberattacks against the grid are possible. Stuxnet, the computer virus developed by the United States and Israel to sabotage Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, demonstrated that such an attack is not only possible, it can be done.

Computer viruses are software programs designed to attack specific entities. But even computers need electricity, otherwise they are little more than expensive paper weights.

Electricity is the lifeblood of the modern world. Food, transportation, medical facilities and communication systems all need it to function.

An EMP attack from a nuclear missile launched by a country like North Korea, on the other hand, would indiscriminately cripple whole regions.

Unlike nation-states, which can be deterred through diplomacy and force, however, the universe acts of its own accord.

An EMP from a super solar flare would behave similarly to one generated by a nuclear missile that detonated in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Solar flares are explosions on the surface of the Sun; coronal mass ejections (CME), a solar flare’s accompanying EMP, can disturb the space weather around the Earth and affect communications signals traveling through the upper atmosphere.

On multiple occasions during the past 155 years, large enough CME’s have disrupted electrical systems on Earth. One of the largest recorded solar flares happened in 1859. The CME, called the Carrington Event, disrupted telegraph systems in Europe and North America, and lit up the evening sky.

A solar flare in 1989 caused a blackout in Quebec that lasted more than nine hours, and systems as far away as New Jersey were also damaged. In 2013, Space.com ranked the solar storm that caused the blackout as the fourth worst in history.

Space.com ranked a solar storm in December 2006 as the worst, and U.S. government officials reported that the event disrupted satellite communications and GPS signals for about 10 minutes and damaged the satellite that took the picture of the storm.

A joint study published in 2013 by researchers at Lloyd’s of London and Atmospheric and Environmental Research found that a similar event today would cost the world economy $2.3 trillion.

Risk of another Carrington-class solar flare is expected to peak by early 2015. In the summer of 2012, Earth narrowly missed one estimated to have been more powerful than the Carrington Event and 35 times the size of Earth.

Abbas Can Have Peace With Israel or Hamas - not Both
Apr 23rd, 2014
Daily NewsINN - Tova Dvorin
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed flailing attempts to rekindle peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) Wednesday, during a meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz.
"You're coming at an important time," he told Kurz. "We're trying to re-launch the negotiations with the Palestinians."

"Every time we get to that point, [PA Chairman Mahmoud] Abbas stacks on an additional condition which he knows that Israel cannot give," he explained. "So instead of moving toward peace with Israel, he's moving toward peace with Hamas."

"He has to choose," Netanyahu mused. "Does he want peace with Hamas or peace with Israel? You can have one but not the other. I hope he chooses peace, [but] so far he hasn't done so."

After torpedoing peace talks by applying to 15 international conventions, threatening to disband the PA, and approaching Hamas for a unity pact, Abbas reiterated more demands to Israel on Tuesday - this time insisting on a three-month construction freeze in Judea and Samaria prior to renewing peace talks.

The move sparked outrage among several ministers, including Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis, who declared "Abbas is (former PA Chairman Yasser) Arafat in disguise."
"The Palestinian leadership under Abbas just changed its tone and not its essence," he argued. "Under the honey-coated words and diplomacy is hiding an extremist leadership which is not interested in peace or an agreement, but rather in endless extortion of terrorist releases, concessions and withdrawals by Israel - just as a condition to have peace talks."