Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Yellowstone Volcano Eruption: If Supervolcano Erupts, What Could People Do?
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsEpoch Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

This map from the U.S. Geological Service shows the range of the volcanic ash and debris that was deposited after the three large Yellowstone volcano eruptions over the last 2.1 million years. as well as the Mount St. Helens eruption. (USGS)

The possibility of the volcano under Yellowstone National Park erupting has increasingly caught the attention of people around the United States (and even other parts of the world), and a number of discussions have centered on potential action plans if an eruption does happen.

Note that these discussions are purely hypothetical and that most scientists have emphasized that the chances of Yellowstone having a major eruption again anytime soon are actually diminishing.

At the same time, several agencies and universities do constantly monitor signs from the caldera to be able to warn people if there is an eruption. And if an eruption did happen, it could cover half of North America in ash and debris, with winds possibly distributing it even further.

First, some survival blogs suggest stocking up on supplies if you live in an area that would be affected by a large eruption. Supplies include dust masks, goggles, non-perishable food, and drinking water.

Radios, flashlights, and extra batteries, as well as extra blankets and maps of potential places to evacuate to are also considered essential, as are huge tarps that could cover your home and vehicles. Duct tape would be good for sealing gaps between windows and walls, etc.

UNRWA Head to UN Security Council: Parties in Gaza Must Respect Sanctity of UN Premises
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

UNRWA head Pierre Krahenbuhl called on the sides in the fighting in Gaza to respect the sanctity of UN premises in a message that he delivered to the UN Security Council on Thursday.

Krahenbuhl said eight of his colleagues lost their lives in Gaza since the conflict began twenty-four days ago.  

"If we are not safe in an UNRWA school we are not safe anywhere," Krahenbuhl said Palestinians in Gaza have told him over the past days.

Krahenbuhl strongly condemned armed groups for putting weapons in UNRWA facilities but said that this did not justify Israeli attacks on the schools.

Son of Hamas Founder: They Consider Dying As a Form of Worship
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of Hamas's founders Sheikh Hassan Yousef, has said that the current conflict illustrates how the Islamist group's disregard for human life is central to its ideology.

"Hamas does not care about the lives of Palestinians, does not care about the lives of Israelis or Americans - they don't care about their own lives," he said in an interview with CNN. "They consider dying for the sake of their ideology as a way of worship."

Youssef - who left Hamas and converted to Christianity after becoming disillusioned and serving for a period as an Israeli spy - added that there was no way for Israel to reach any kind of compromise with Hamas, whose very charter calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and whose leaders have repeatedly called for the extermination of the Jewish people.

"Hamas is not seeking coexistence and compromise - Hamas is seeking conquest and taking over," Yousef insisted.

But he went further to describe Hamas as part of an imperialist force seeking to establish an Islamic super-state - much like the so-called "Islamic State", formerly known as ISIS, which seized control of much of Iraq and Syria.

"The destruction of the State of Israel is not Hamas's final destination. Hamas's final destination is building the Islamic khlifa (Caliphate) - which means an Islamic state on the rubble of every other civilization. These are the ultimate goals of the movement."

Yousef recalled how he was taught "since the age of five" that establishing an Islamic state couldn't be achieved "without shedding innocent blood", and expressed pity for the children of Gaza who, he said, have little choice but to follow Hamas.

Paul Singer: This Threat is 'Head - And-shoulders' Above All Others
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsCNBC
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Pixelparticle | iStock / 360 | Getty Images

Concept image of an electromagnetic field

Billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer has issued an unusual warning for investors, calling the threat of a widespread blackout from an electromagnetic surge the "most significant danger" in the world.

Called an "electromagnetic pulse" or EMP, the events can occur naturally from solar storms or artificially from a high-altitude explosion of nuclear weapons.

"While these pages are typically chock full of scary or depressing scenarios, there is one risk that is head-and-shoulders above all the rest in terms of the scope of potential damage adjusted for the likelihood of occurrence," Singer wrote to clients of his $24.8 billion Elliott Management on Monday in a standard investment update letter. "Even horrendous nuclear war, except in its most extreme form, can [be] a relatively localized issue, and the threat from asteroids can (possibly) be mitigated."

Obama Urged to Address LGBT Rights in Africa
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsTime
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Kenyan gays and lesbians and others supporting their cause wear masks to preserve their anonymity as they stage a rare protest, against Uganda's increasingly tough stance against homosexuality outside the Uganda High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya on Feb. 10, 2014. Ben Curtis—AP

Advocates issue report on the dreadful state of LGBT rights in Africa, as world leaders and leading figures from the continent prepare for the US-Africa Leaders Summit

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Human Rights First report contains some stark numbers. A total of 37 African nations currently criminalize same-sex relationships. Four countries—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—allow for the death penalty against LGBT people in parts or in all of the country. Cameroon arrests more people based on their sexual orientation than any other country in the world. Ghana treats same-sex relationships as a misdemeanor punishable by up to three years in prison. In Kenya, the sentence is up to 14 years. Only one country, South Africa, grants full marriage equality to LGBT citizens.

The U.S.—Africa summit, these advocates argue, is the perfect time for the White House to stand up for LGBT rights on the continent. Voices for equality on the ground deserve U.S. support, they say, and the U.S. should help create the political environment to ensure human rights are respected.

“The United States should demonstrate its firm commitment to upholding the fundamental principle that LGBT rights are human rights,” Ty Cobb, director of global engagement at the Human Rights Campaign, says. “This includes making clear that the United States will be a champion of LGBT rights abroad, and that we will not tolerate efforts to enact state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBT people in any country.”

The authors of the report aren’t alone. Representatives from the Council for Global Equality, Advocates for Youth, Amnesty International, GLAAD, and a dozen other organizations wrote a letter to President Barack Obama on July 25 urging “particular attention” at the summit to the rights of the next generation of LGBT Africans.

“We are confident that with your support, and the robust contribution of civil society, the summit will provide a unique opportunity to emphasize that LGBT and other marginalized communities suffer disproportionately from governance deficits, and that too many governments scapegoat LGBT individuals to distract public attention away from those structural failures,” they wrote. “The economic themes of the conference also provide an opportunity to emphasize that homophobia, transphobia and related forms of intolerance have economic costs, including to the trade and investment environments in emerging markets.”

Activists also note that the moment has particular importance as some African countries are taking more steps toward equality. “There are reports that Malawi will stop arresting LGBT people and review its laws,” Shawn Gaylord, advocacy counsel for Human Rights First, explains. “A move to pass new anti-gay legislation (and hold a massive anti-gay rally) was stalled in Ethiopia this year. Two young men were just acquitted in Cameroon. It’s too early to say if this is part of a larger trend or just a few independent rays of hope but it’s a trend we should watch and support.”

The Obama administration has already reacted to anti-LGBT legislation in Africa. Last month, the White House increased sanctions against Uganda for its anti-gay law signed in February, which made certain homosexual acts punishable by life imprisonment. The summit will give the president an opportunity to make the case in person, if he chooses. Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni is slated to attend, as is Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, who also signed an anti-homosexuality law this year.

“This summit is a unique opportunity to tell the story of how our nation and every nation grows stronger and more prosperous when all citizens—including LGBT people—are accepted by society and provided equal treatment under the law,” Cobb says. “Every citizen must be empowered to reach their maximum potential, and we should urge these nations to reject laws, policies, and practices that discriminate against LGBT people.”

National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price tells TIME that LGBT equality in Africa will be on the table at the summit. “The Obama Administration has long spoken out—including with our African partners—in support of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals,” he says. “We expect the Summit will provide an opportunity to continue these conversations.”

MK Levin Calls to Flatten Entire Regions in Gaza
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

MK Yariv Levin (Likud) said on Wednesday that despite IDF successes in Gaza, the operation is far from over.

“We must move on to massive military activity and flatten entire regions from within which rockets are being launched. We must also place pressure on the civilian population. It is good that the electricity was disconnected and it is a shame that it was not done earlier,” the MK said.

Mashaal: We Fight the Occupiers, not the Jews
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Khaled Mashaal

Reuters

Hamas is willing to live together with Jews but not with “the occupiers”, its leader Khaled Mashaal said Sunday.

Speaking with Charlie Rose of CBS News, Mashaal said, “We are not fanatics. We are not fundamentalists. We do not actually fight the Jews because they are Jews, per se. We do not fight any other races. We fight the occupiers.”

“On the contrary, we actually respect the religious people,” he continued. “We ask for tolerance, for coexistence. The Buddhists, the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims, as you know, God created us as nations. We are different. And the Koran says that in order for the nations to live together and coexist......without occupation and without any blockade.”

Rose asked Mashaal “what does Hamas want?” to which the leader said, “The war in Gaza sends two messages, to the world. The first message, it is high time to lift the siege on Gaza.”

“Since 2006, when the world refused the outcomes of the elections, our people actually lived under the siege of eight years. It is -- this is a collective punishment. We need to lift the siege. We have to have a port. We have to have an airport,” he continued.

“This is the first message. The second message, in order to stop the bloodletting, we need to look at the underlying causes. We need to look at the occupation. We need to stop the occupation. [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu doesn't take heed of our rights,” claimed Mashaal.

“[U.S. Secretary of State] Kerry months ago tried to find a window through the negotiations in order to meet our target, to live without occupation, to reach our state. Netanyahu has killed our hope or killed our dream. And he killed the American initiative,” he charged.

Asked if he believes coexistence of between Palestinian Arabs and Israelis in the Middle East was possible, Mashaal replied, “I can't coexist with occupation.”

“I'm ready to coexist with the Jews, with the Christians and with the Arabs and non-Arabs and with those who agree with my ideas and those who disagree with them,” he added. “However, I do not coexist with the occupiers, with the settlers

Mashaal said recently that Israel's ground operation in Gaza was destined to fail.

"What the occupier Israel failed to achieve through its air and sea raids, it will not be able to achieve with a ground offensive. It is bound to fail," he declared.

He further said Hamas has "clear demands", including an end to "the aggression and collective punishment against our people...as well as the lifting of the Gaza siege."

Last week, Mashaal stated that Israel must accept his list of unprecedented conditions for a ceasefire in order for any truce to be implemented. Many of the demands include, effectively, lifting all travel and import restrictions in Gaza and re-releasing arrested terrorists.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Papal first: Francis visits Pentecostal church
Pope Francis has become the first pope to visit a Pentecostal church, pressing his outreach to evangelicals who represent Catholicism's greatest competition for Christian souls around the globe. Francis flew by helicopter Monday to visit the under-construction Evangelical Church of Reconciliation in the southern city of Caserta. He met privately with Pentecostal preacher Giovanni Traettino, an old friend.  

PENTAGON OFFICIAL: America’s Failure Is Hillary Inc’s 2016 Politics
Clinton advised President Barack Obama to enter the United States into an untenable situation. He listened; she left; and he failed. The effects of the U.S. departure from Libya are both tangible and symbolic, and are indicative of a failed U.S. policy toward that country and the Arab Spring movement on a whole.  

Son of Hamas Founder: They Consider Dying as a Form of Worship
Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of Hamas's founders Sheikh Hassan Yousef, has said that the current conflict illustrates how the Islamist group's disregard for human life is central to its ideology.  

Moscow: US will feel ‘tangible losses’ from ‘destructive, myopic’ sanctions
“Washington will gain nothing from such decisions except for further complication of Russian-American relations and the creation of an unfavorable atmosphere in international affairs, where the cooperation between our countries often plays a key role,” the statement by the ministry reads.  

Report: U.S. Lawyers Fear NSA Spying
Researcher finds an ‘erosion of the right to counsel.’ Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union compiled the report, titled "With Liberty to Monitor All," to document how National Security Agency programs exposed by exiled whistleblower Edward Snowden impact journalists and lawyers.  

Feds doled out millions towards Tor online anonymity tools
The National Security Agency may be working to crack the anonymous Tor browser, but the US government actually donated close to $2 million to the project in 2013. In fact, the large majority of the money gifted to the Tor Project has its origins in the State Department and the Department of Defense.  

Excerpts: Rapid transformation of ISIS July 29, 2014
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has probably undergone the quickest transformation to statehood in modern history. In less than two months, it has gone from a militia to a self-proclaimed caliphate.  

ONE WEEK TO THE ROSETTA COMET
In only 7 days, Rosetta will reach the comet's core and go into orbit around it.  

Europe launches last resupply ship to space station
The ISS will continue to be resupplied by Russia's Progress freighter and the Dragon and Cygnus craft built by two NASA-contracted private American firms—Space X and Orbital Sciences.  

Volcanic activity worldwide 29 Jul 2014: Tungurahua
Following more than 2 months of calm, the volcano is probably about to enter a new eruptive phase, a special bulletin of Ecuador's Geophysical Institute (IGPEN) informs.  

Japan heat wave kills more than a dozen
After setting records for high temperatures last summer, Japan is experiencing another brutal heat wave that has killed at least 15 people in the last week, according to reports.  

Surviving Ebola: For those who live through it, what lies ahead?
Medical experts say most people who manage to recover from an acute Ebola infection will likely be able to return to their life and resume normal activities. But unfortunately, Ebola survivors do often develop certain chronic inflammatory conditions that affect the joints and eyes, problems that can follow a survivor through the remainder of their life.  

Somali woman killed for not wearing veil, relatives say
The militants had ordered her to put on a veil, and then killed her after returning and finding she was still not wearing one, the relatives said.  

One dead as 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattles Mexico
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattled Mexico on Tuesday, killing an elderly woman who fell as she fled her home and injuring another woman who evacuated from a hospital. The epicentre was in the east coast state of Veracruz, where residents and tourists fled homes and hotels.  

Japan factory output falls fastest since 2011 earthquake
It is the biggest decline in output since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Japan raised its sales tax, also known as consumption tax, from 5% to 8% in April this year.  

Obama: Muslims Built 'The Very Fabric of Our Nation'
On Sunday, President Obama and First Lady Michelle released a statement thanking Muslim Americans for their many “achievements and contributions… to building the very fabric of our nation and strengthening the core of our democracy.” The comments were made to mark the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr, a time of spiritual renewal for Muslims which comes at the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.  

Israel knocks out Gaza power station as strikes escalate
Israel bombed the Gaza Strip's only power plant Tuesday in a further sign that its military campaign against Hamas is showing few signs of slowing down as the conflict enters its fourth week. In a separate development, a cease-fire proposed by a senior official from the Palestine Liberation Organization was later contradicted by Hamas.  

Israeli Official To Obama: ‘Leave Us Alone’
A top Israeli official wants President Barack Obama to stop meddling with the Jewish state during its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. ...Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel criticized Obama telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there should be an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. “Leave us alone,” Ariel told Army Radio, directing his words at Obama. “Go focus on Syria.”  

Argentina hours away from bond default
Argentina's economy minister is expected to return to the negotiating table on Wednesday in a last-ditch attempt to prevent the country defaulting on its bonds. Axel Kicillof's talks with "hold-out" investors ended late on Tuesday night in New York without agreement. They are demanding a full pay-out of $1.3bn (£766m) on the bonds they hold.  

'Dozens trapped' by Indian landslide
At least 40 houses have been buried and up to 150 people are feared trapped after a landslide hit a village in western India, officials say. Teams of rescue workers are on their way to the village of Malin of Pune district in Maharashtra state where the incident happened. An official said residents had already begun clearing the debris to look for survivors.  

France evacuates French and British expats from Libya
The French government says it has evacuated French and British nationals from Libya, as battles rage between government forces and militias. A French diplomatic source said 40 French nationals, including the ambassador, had been evacuated by ship along with seven British nationals. France's embassy in Tripoli has been closed temporarily, the French foreign ministry said on its website.  

Ebola virus a threat to UK, Philip Hammond warns
The Ebola virus, which has killed more than 670 people in West Africa, poses a threat to the UK, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told the BBC. He said he would chair an emergency Cobra meeting on the issue later. Mr Hammond said no Britons had been affected so far and there were no cases in the UK, but the government was viewing the outbreak very seriously.  

US joins EU on Russia economic sanctions
The US on Tuesday (29 July) announced a widening of its own Russia sanctions to match the EU's economic sanctions adopted just a few hours previously. "Today, and building on the measures we announced two weeks ago, the United States is imposing new sanctions in key sectors of the Russian economy: energy, arms, and finance," US President Barack Obama said at a press conference in Washington.  

IDF accuses Palestinians of firing from vicinity of UNRWA school, says probing deaths
The Israeli military, in an initial response to the killing of at least 19 Palestinians in a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Wednesday, said militants near the facility had fired mortar bombs and Israeli forces had shot back. "Earlier this morning, militants fired mortar shells at (Israeli) soldiers from the vicinity of the UNRWA school in Jabaliya (refugee camp). In response, soldiers fired towards the origins of fire...  

Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei Calls For Arming Gaza To Fight Israel
Iran's supreme leader on Tuesday called on Muslims from around the world to help arm Gaza Palestinians in their fight against Israel. The call by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was his latest such message during the ongoing war between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel.  

Islamic State video wages psychological war on Iraqi soldiers
Islamic State, the al Qaeda spin-off that seized wide swathes of Iraq almost unopposed last month, has released a video warning Iraqi soldiers who may still have some fight in them that they risk being rounded up en masse and executed.  

In rare move, Canada accuses Chinese of trying to hack govt network
Canada on Tuesday took the unusual step of singling out Chinese hackers for attacking a key computer network and lodged a protest with Beijing, raising tensions at a time when Ottawa wants to boost oil sales to China.  

Russia Sanctions Spread Pain From Putin to Halliburton
U.S. and European Union sanctions against Russia’s Vladimir Putin threaten to shut off some of the world’s largest energy companies from one of the biggest untapped energy troves on the planet.  

U.S. nuclear negotiator declines setting deadline on Iran deal
The lead U.S. nuclear negotiator declined to give a final deadline on Tuesday for negotiating a final nuclear agreement with Iran, but said participants mean to finish the international talks at the end of the current four-month extension.  

U.S. judge says cannot seize Kurdish crude for now
A high-stakes dispute over a tanker carrying $100 million in Iraqi Kurdish crude took a surprising turn on Tuesday when a U.S. judge said she lacked jurisdiction given the ship's distance from the Texas shore and urged that the case be settled in Iraq.  

Putin may have passed point of no-return over Ukraine
Vladimir Putin risks becoming an international pariah over the Ukraine crisis but the Russian president is battening down the hatches for the gathering economic and political storm.  

IDF Launches New Offensive Into North, Central Gaza
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Tanks: Op. Protective Edge, Day 18

Flash90

The Israel Defense Force began to advance toward “new targets” in the Gaza Strip Wednesday morning, ignoring US President Barack Obama's reported attempt to strongarm Israel into an immediate ceasefire.

IDF Radio, which reports the military advance, said that “it can be estimated that the IDF received permission from the political echelon to advance forward in various sectors in northern and southern Gaza."

The advance is into more densely populated areas, it said, and the movement is being accompanied by fire, and receiving close air support from aircraft. Two soldiers have been lightly injured, so far, from antitank fire, and a explosive charge was also activated against a tank. No one was hurt.

The IAF struck dozens of terror targets in north and central Gaza overnight.

The IDF struck over 80 targets in Gaza overnight. These included two mosques that served senior Hamas terrorists for observation and other terror-related purposes.

Hamas Rejects Israel Four - Hour Humanitarian Truce 15:00-19:00
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas Intensifies Barrage As Israel Agrees to 4 - Hour Ceasefire
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israeli soldiers at the border with Gaza

Flash 90

The Israeli government has agreed to a temporary humanitarian ceasefire starting at 15:00 today (Wednesday).

"The IDF (army) has authorized a temporary window in the Gaza Strip. The window will commence today between 15:00-19:00 (1200 - 1600 GMT)," it said.

But the lull would not apply in areas where ground troops were "currently operating", it said.

The four-hour ceasefire was declared as the Security Cabinet meets at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv to discuss whether to expand or end Operation Protective Edge, after 23 days of fighting in Gaza.

It comes as the IDF has stepped up its operations against Islamist terrorists, launching a fresh offensive into more densely-populated regions of northern and central Gaza to root-out rocket-launchers and "terror tunnels" into Israel.

At roughly the same time as the temporary truce was announced terrorists fired a salvo of rockets at communities in southern Israel. The Iron Dome intercepted two rockets over Israeli population centers, while several others struck in open areas.

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri officially rejected the ceasefire shortly thereafter, according to Yediot Aharonot, as “meaningless, since it doesn’t include the hot areas on the border of the Gaza Strip,” and that Israel's participation is a "media ploy." 

Meanwhile, sources inside Gaza have reported heavy exchanges of fire in Khan Younis, with Hamas suffering an undisclosed but reportedly "heavy" number of casualties in the fighting. Hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters have been killed since the start of the operation.

Four IDF soldiers received treatment under fire, after being lightly wounded in battle.

Soldiers from the Givati infantry brigade together with IDF Engineers destroyed several more "terror tunnels" from Gaza into Israel this morning. IDF forces also located several additional tunnels on Wednesday; in one incident soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade killed two terrorists as they emerged from a tunnel.

In another incident, Givati soldiers and IDF Engineers encountered a cell of 10 terrorists, who opened fire on them with heavy weapons, including an antitank missile. The soldiers engaged with the terrorists, and after identifying the source of fire Israeli Air Force jets carried out a pinpoint strike, eliminating the terror cell.

Two soldiers were lightly wounded in that exchange.

On Wednesday morning the IAF targeted some 40 terror targets in Gaza, including rocket launchpads and command and control centers. Five terrorists were killed in one strike as they attempted to place a bomb targeting IDF forces in southern Gaza.

General: Operation in Gaza 'A Few Days from Completion'
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Benny Gantz, Southern Commander Sami Turgeman

Flash 90

The GOC of the Southern Command, Major General Shlomo Turgeman, gave a detailed update on Operation Protective Edge Wednesday, as Cabinet ministers debate on the future of the operation. 

"Fighting against Hamas persists continuously and intensely," Turgeman stated. "We have killed hundreds of Hamas terrorists, dozens of them in terrorist 'special forces.'"

"We have attacked hundreds of safe houses and war rooms, destroyed infrastructure, struck a number of senior commanders of terrorist organizations," he added. 

According to Turgeman, the war is progressing well. 

"As every day passes, we continue to get closer to achieving our goals - destroying the terror tunnels, both those we knew about and those we are finding in the midst of the operation," he stated. "These tunnels are tens of meters underground."

He noted that at least four tunnels had been destroyed in the last 24 hours alone - and that the IDF is gaining ground.

"We are approaching the completion of the mission," he said, noting that most or all of the tunnels the IDF knew about before launching the operation had been destroyed. "I can promise that we will also destroy all of the tunnels we are finding during the operation."

"This is a significant operational and engineering challenge," he said. "Hamlet invested in tunnels what could have built two hospitals, twenty clinics, twenty schools and one hundred kindergartens." 

"We managed to destroy four years of Hamas's work in two weeks," he added. "Hamas leaders are now hiding in safe-houses and sensitive areas. Their leaders are hiding in the basements of hospitals." 

Turgeman also spoke, at length, about the expansion of the operation throughout new areas of Gaza. 

"Yesterday, we expanded operations throughout central and southern Gaza," he said. "We are hitting wherever we identify tunnels and where Hamas terrorists operate."

"We have a defined mission: destroy the tunnels," he continued. "But wherever there are tunnels, it is inevitable that there will be shooting there too." 

"In every area we have fought, there has not been an instance where we have not overcome the enemy," he added. "We are within a few days of completing the mission." 

Regarding the attempted infiltration of Hamas terrorists into Jewish communities near Gaza, Turgeman said that "we expect soldiers to work even harder" during these incidents - and that casualties, unfortunately, are part of the war. 

"You must remember: this is a war," he said. "There are incidents that are successful and some that are less successful."

EU Joins U.S. in Escalating Pressure on Russian Economy
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsBloomberg
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The U.S. and European Union sought to put more pressure on Russia’s stumbling economy by targeting banking, energy and defense industries for sanctions in another attempt to get President Vladimir Putin to back down in Ukraine.

EU governments agreed yesterday on their most sweeping sanctions against Russia to date, barring state-owned banks from selling shares or bonds in Europe, restricting the export of equipment to modernize the oil industry and barring export of equipment with military uses.

That was followed hours later by U.S. penalties against three Russian banks and a state-owned shipbuilder, adding to sanctions announced two weeks ago.

The confrontation with Russia is “not a new Cold War,” U.S. President Barack Obama said at the White House. “What it is, is a very specific issue related to Russia’s unwillingness to recognize that Ukraine can chart its own path.”

The EU sanctions now align the 28-member bloc with the actions taken by U.S. With many European countries reliant on Russian oil and natural gas, the sanctions stopped short of the full-scale commercial warfare that could damage the European economy, which is still shaking off the euro debt crisis.

Investors are signaling concern about the impact of sanctions on Russia’s $2 trillion economy with government bonds headed for their worst monthly losses since May 2009.

Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

Growth Forecast

The International Monetary Fund last week lowered its forecast for Russian economic growth this year to 0.2 percent from 1.3 percent, citing capital flight triggered by the country’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

The Micex Index (INDEXCF) has dropped 5 percent since Russia’s March incursion into Crimea and the central bank on July 25 unexpectedly raised interest rates for the third time this year as the crisis undercut the ruble.

Photographer: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP via Getty Images

“Because we’re closely coordinating our actions with Europe, the sanctions we’re announcing today will have an even bigger bite,” Obama said. “Russia’s energy, financial, and defense sectors are feeling the pain. Projections for Russian economic growth are down to near zero.”

The EU action move was “inevitable,” and “additional steps are possible,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement. “It’s now up to the Russian leadership to decide if it wants to follow the path of de-escalation and cooperation.”

Banks Targeted

The new U.S. sanctions target VTB Bank, Bank of Moscow and the Russian Agricultural Bank, as well as United Shipbuilding Corp. The U.S. also is suspending government-backed financing for new deals in Russia and prohibiting export of some equipment used for oil exploration and production.

Along with the sanctions on Russian banks, energy companies and defense firms announced two weeks ago, the U.S. penalties now are affecting institutions holding 30 percent of total assets in the Russian financial sector, according to an Obama administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.

That includes five of the six largest Russian state-owned banks. The three banks added to the sanctions list today have as much as 100 percent of their long-term debt in dollars, according to the administration.

Futures contracts on VTB Bank (VTBR)’s Moscow-listed shares tumbled after the U.S. announcement, falling 2.9 percent.

The EU is set to announce today the names of eight more people and three organizations being blacklisted in earlier sanctions.

Economic Impact

This round of sanctions won’t have any noticeable impact on the U.S. economy and only limited impact on Europe and Russia, Stephen Myrow, managing partner at Washington-based Beacon Policy Advisors LLC and a former Treasury official, said in a phone interview.

“As long as Russia’s gas exports are not affected and major Russian banks are still able to transact business globally, these sanctions will not have a sufficient direct economic impact on Russia to alter its behavior,” Myrow said. “Rather, the West hopes to create as much political risk as possible to increase Russia’s cost of capital and exacerbate its capital outflows.”

Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, speaking to reporters yesterday in Riverdale, Iowa, said U.S. sanctions are designed to maximize the economic pain on Russia while minimizing the damage elsewhere.

“Russia is barely growing now,” Lew said. “With these increased sanctions, it’s going to grind Russia into either a flat or a negative economy.”

Escalating Conflict

The allies were moved to act after pro-Russian separatists continued to impede an investigation into the July 17 downing of a Malaysian airliner by a surface-to-air missile over territory held by the rebels in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. also says Russia continues to provide arms to the rebels and has fired artillery into Ukraine from Russian territory, escalating the conflict.

EU attitudes were hardened by the airplane disaster, which killed all 298 people aboard, the majority from the Netherlands. A key U.S. and EU demand is unfettered access to the rebel-controlled crash site. Dutch forensic workers failed in an attempt to reach the location yesterday.

Diplomatic Source: IDF Directed to Continue Forceful Action in Gaza
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A senior diplomatic source said after Wednesday's security cabinet meeting that the IDF has been directed to continue forceful action in the Gaza Strip and complete neutralizing tunnels.

Earlier on Wednesday, OC Southern Command Major-General Sami Turgeman said that the mission of destroying the tunnels would be completed "in a matter of days."

Deputy Minister Urges Israel to Finish Operation 'Decisively' 'We Must Beat Hamas'
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin

Flash 90

Deputy Foreign Minister MK Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) slammed Israel's 'humanitarian ceasefires' in Gaza on Wednesday, noting that they are causing 'great damage' to Israel. 

"All this walking towards [these] humanitarian ceasefires - or not - is a big mistake," Elkin said, in a special interview with Arutz Sheva. "Last weekend we were already in a state that Hamas was on the verge of breaking, we saw large groups of Hamas members who turned themselves in - and it happened because we attacked them without stopping."

"The rule against terrorism is that if you do not pursue terrorism, terrorists will pursue you," Elkin added. "Therefore this method of 'humanitarian ceasefire' breaks - even if they come under international pressure - is problematic. Hamas exploits the interval to organize itself and to continue its attacks." 

According to Elkin, investigations into the handling of incidents in Gaza must wait until after the operation ends.

In the meantime, he said, Operation Protective Edge in Gaza must continue until the mission of destroying terror tunnels is complete.

"We need to do a thorough cleaning of Gaza and stop Hamas firing [rockets]," he urged. "We're far from achieving that, because Hamas feels stronger."

"We must not end this while Hamas feels like it's accomplished something," he emphasized.

Elkin also criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for acceding to world opinion in the touch-and-go ceasefire policy. 

"It was expected that our reputation would diminish [due to the operation], but that should not be taken into consideration by the decision-makers," he said. "We have a strong nation and the [bereaved] families themselves call not to stop." 

"We currently have two options," he continued. "We can either take the initiative and increase pressure on Hamas - and beat it until it begs for a ceasefire - or continue this on-and-off process and slowly fight it out."

"The first option is effective - we must continue until Hamas waves a white flag," he declared. "We have to finish this decisively because otherwise we will live in a very dangerous reality." 

Elkin concluded with a warning that Israel, not the international community, needs to directly demilitarize Gaza. 

"Anyone who thinks the international community needs to demilitarize Gaza lives on another planet," he said. "I mentioned this to the UN Security Council at the end of the Second Lebanon War [in 2006], and we all know what happened in reality." 

"Today they have 100,000 rockets, ten times what they had before," he said. "You cannot rely on international forces."

Coordinated Sanctions Aim At Russias Ability to Tap Its Oil Reserves
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsThe New York Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Obama Announces New Russian Sanctions

The president, speaking from the South Lawn of the White House, discussed new economic sanctions against Russia amid unrest in neighboring Ukraine.

 

WASHINGTON — The United States and Europe kicked off a joint effort on Tuesday intended to curb Russia’s long-term ability to develop new oil resources, taking aim at the Kremlin’s premier source of wealth and power in retaliation for its intervention in Ukraine.

In announcing coordinated sanctions, American and European leaders went beyond previous moves against banking and defense industries in an effort to curtail Russia’s access to Western technology as it seeks to tap new Arctic, deep sea and shale oil reserves. The goal was not to inhibit current oil production but to cloud Russia’s energy future.

The new strategy took direct aim at the economic foundation of Russia, which holds the largest combined oil and gas reserves in the world.

The growth of the oil industry in the last two decades has powered Russia’s economic and geopolitical resurgence since the collapse of the Soviet Union and enriched allies of President Vladimir V. Putin. Russia pumps about 10.5 million barrels of oil a day, making it among the largest producers.

Ukraine Crisis in Maps

“The biggest edge that Western energy companies still have is their technological edge — that’s why these sanctions have the potential to have significant impact,” said Michael A. Levi, an energy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Chinese companies can’t step in and provide shale technology where U.S. companies are blocked. They can provide capital; they can provide people. They can’t fill in on the technology front.”

The technology cutoff could be important because Russia is only now at the early stages of developing new Arctic, deep sea and shale resources. Most of its current production comes from depleted Siberian deposits that will eventually run out. And several Western oil companies have been working with Russia to expand their resources.

ExxonMobil has a joint venture with Rosneft, the state-owned oil giant, to develop Arctic oil, and is scheduled to start drilling in the Kara Sea within weeks. BP, which owns 19.75 percent of Rosneft, just signed a joint venture with the Russian firm in May to search for shale oil in the Volga-Urals region.

How the E.U. Signed On to Sanctions

Even though BP announced higher quarterly profits on Tuesday, its stock was hammered by the sanctions news, falling 3 percent. BP warned investors bluntly that further sanctions “could adversely impact our business and strategic objectives in Russia.”

Dan Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, said the new energy measures underscored how much ties had deteriorated. “A year ago, Western collaboration with Russia’s energy sector was one of the bright spots in what had become a dour relationship,” he said. “No longer.”

The carefully orchestrated actions on both sides of the Atlantic were intended to demonstrate solidarity in the face of what American and European officials say has been a stark escalation by Russia in the insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Until now, European leaders had resisted the broader sorts of actions they agreed to on Tuesday, and their decision to pursue them reflected increasing alarm that Russia was not only helping separatists in Ukraine but directly involving itself in the fighting.

Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, called sanctions a “warning.” Credit Julien Warnand/European Pressphoto Agency

They are “meant as a strong warning,” Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, said in a statement on Tuesday that was joined by José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission. “Destabilizing Ukraine, or any other Eastern European neighboring state, will bring heavy costs,” the statement said.

President Obama said Russia’s economy would continue to suffer until it reversed course. “Today is a reminder that the United States means what it says, and we will rally the international community in standing up for the rights and freedom of people around the world,” he told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House.

Mr. Obama said the fact that Europe was now joining the United States in broader measures meant the moves would “have an even bigger bite,” but in response to reporters’ questions, he said it was “not a new Cold War” between the two countries. He also made clear he was not considering providing arms to Ukraine’s government, as some Republicans have suggested, as it tries to put down the pro-Russian insurgency.

Obama Says It’s Not a New Cold War

“They are better armed than the separatists,” he said. “The issue is, ‘How do we prevent bloodshed in eastern Ukraine?’ We’re trying to avoid that. And the main tool that we have to influence Russian behavior at this point is the impact that it’s having on its economy.”

The American and European actions were intended to largely, though not precisely, match each other. The United States cut off three more Russian banks, including the giant VTB Bank, from medium- and long-term capital markets and barred Americans from doing business with the United Shipbuilding Corporation, a large state-owned firm created by Mr. Putin. The Obama administration also formally suspended export credit and development finance to Russia.

The European Union adopted similar restrictions on capital markets and applied them to Russian state-owned banks. It imposed an embargo on new arms sales to Russia and limited sales of equipment with both civilian and military uses to Russian military buyers. Europe also approved new sanctions against at least three close Putin associates, but did not identify them publicly.

Play Video|2:10

Kerry Meets Ukraine’s Foreign Minister

European governments moved ahead despite concerns that Europe would pay an economic price for confronting the Kremlin more aggressively. While their actions went far beyond any previously taken against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, they were tailored to minimize their own costs. The arms embargo, for instance, applies only to future sales, not to the much-debated delivery by France of Mistral-class helicopter carriers that resemble bigger aircraft carriers. And the energy technology restrictions do not apply to Russian natural gas, on which Europe relies heavily.

The new sanctions could take effect as soon as Friday, though the necessary legal formalities would most likely to take longer to complete, officials said.

On Twitter, the president of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, praised the decision “on a wide range of sanctions on Russia.” But she expressed unease that France would be able to maintain its naval deal with Moscow. “Unfortunately, nothing to stop the deal of Mistral yet,” she wrote. Lithuania is one of five European Union states that are close to or border Russia.

Mr. Van Rompuy departed from the usual cautious language of Europe’s declarations by condemning Russia for actions that “cannot be accepted in 21st-century Europe,” including “illegal annexation of territory” — a reference to Crimea — “and deliberate destabilization of a neighboring sovereign country.” He also cited the “anger and frustration” over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over rebel-held territory on July 17 and “the delays in providing international access to the site of the air crash, the tampering with the remains of the plane, and the disrespectful handling of the deceased.”

Although European commerce with Russia will probably decline because of the sanctions, where the measures are expected to more severely affect Russia are the restrictions on the ability of Russian banks to raise money in Europe and the United States. “These sanctions can have quite a substantial chilling effect on the Russian economy,” said Adam Slater, a senior economist at Oxford Economics in London. “That is probably a quite effective way to put pressure on Russia.”

Still, it could take time for the effects to be felt by ordinary Russians, and some analysts expected the Kremlin to shrug them off, at least publicly.

China Ramping Up Persecution of Christians
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Washington Free Beacon
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

In this photo taken July 16, 2014, a church member of Zengshan Village Christian Church stands near rocks piled up in front of the gate to prevent government workers from moving in equipment to demolish the cross / AP

Chinese authorities are ramping up their persecution of Christian churches in response to what they perceive as an emerging threat to the communist regime, according to reports.

Public security officials in recent days forcibly removed crosses from two churches in the southeastern coastal province of Zhejiang, the New York Times reported. Authorities have now issued orders to demolish more than 100 churches in the province—most of them state-approved, as opposed to the illegal underground communities suppressed by officials.

Additionally, government officials have disrupted services, confiscated and destroyed church property, and in some cases detained members in the capital in Beijing, the eastern coastal province of Shandong, and the autonomous Xinjiang region in the northwest.

At the Wenling Church in the coastal city of Taizhou, congregants told the Times that as many as 4,000 officers removed two crosses from the building on Friday and detained as many as 40 people—while most of the members sang hymns.

“Some wore police uniforms, with helmets and shields, some were plainclothes police and some wore red armbands—just like the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution,” one congregant said.

While some of the church members have not resisted the authorities, other clashes have turned violent. Fourteen members of the Wenzhou-based Salvation Church in Zhejiang province were seriously injured last week when paramilitary police broke through a wall of congregants at the door and beat them.

Chinese authorities claim that the churches violate zoning laws. However, an internal government document obtained by the Times earlier this year suggested that officials should cite “illegal construction” as a cover to avoid international scrutiny.

“This is crucial to investigate and prosecute from the perspective of laws and regulations to avoid inviting heavy criticism,” the paper said.

Renee Xia, international director for the activist group Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), said in an email that the government’s appeal to zoning regulations rings hollow.

“Nobody has any illusions that citing zoning law is nothing but looking for an excuse for the current wave of clamping down on Christian churches,” she said. “This is one example of the government’s sophisticated management of international opinion. There are other examples, such as using the crime of ‘disturbing public order’ to persecute rights activists.”

Chinese officials appear to be acting on concerns that the growing Christian movement could soon rival the influence of the 86 million members of the Communist Party. A 2011 Pew Research report estimated that China has 67 million Christians, about 5 percent of its population.

Xia said the confrontation between the party and Christians “has been going on for decades and will continue.”

“The number does matter, but more importantly, the authoritarian police state cannot possibly tolerate a faith that preaches dissent from the regime’s one-party rule,” she said. “As the new President Xi Jinping re-asserted the Communist Party’s absolute rule and is reining in any potential threat, religious persecution of Christians and others (Tibetan Buddhism, Muslims in Xinjiang, Falun Gong, etc.) is likely to escalate.”

Pastor Bob Fu, founder and president of the organization ChinaAid that promotes religious freedom in China and works with house church leaders there, said in an email that Chinese officials have been the aggressors in the conflict.

“The conflict is not invited though by the peaceful churches,” he said. “Remember there are no church-organized resistant forces inside China such as the Poland Solidarity movement during the Communist time. Almost all of the churches, both government-sanctioned and independent House churches are very apolitical and extremely peaceful.”

Fu, a former house church leader himself before he was imprisoned and fled from China in 1996, has been raising awareness about the case of imprisoned Pastor Zhang Shaojie. Shaojie was sentenced to 12 years in jail this month in the central province of Henan on charges of fraud and gathering crowds to disturb public order.

Fu recently helped Zhang’s daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter secure asylum in the United States and escape from China, where authorities were reportedly harassing his family and blocking them from leaving.

The U.S. State Department raised a number of concerns about China in its annual international religious freedom report, released Monday. The report said that in addition to Christians, Chinese officials persecuted Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and Muslim Uighurs.

Tom Malinowski, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, said on Monday that he was aware of the reports of Chinese authorities toppling crosses from churches.

“There have been cases like that, and we’re aware of the most recent one that you just mentioned and absolutely are concerned about it,” he said in response to a question from a reporter. “People should have a right to express their religious beliefs, and that’s a value that we will continue to stand up for, even in cases of countries like China, where we have broad and complex relationships.”

The Chinese government’s campaign against churches comes amid a wider crackdown on dissent by President Jinping. Activists have condemned the Communist Party’s detention of dissidents and use of involuntary psychiatric confinement.

Big Brother Airport Installs Worlds First Real - Time Passenger Tracking System
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Telegraph
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Civil liberty groups criticise a new tracking device at Helsinki Airport that can monitor passengers’ footsteps, from arrival at the car park to take-off

The new tracking system at Helsinki Airport could enable shops to specifically target passengers that are within their vicinities Photo: Alamy

Admiral: World Getting 'Numb' to NKorean Missiles
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsABC News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Amid concerns about its development and testing of nuclear weapons, North Korea may be lulling the world into largely accepting its advances in missile technology, the admiral in charge of American forces in Asia and the Pacific said Tuesday.

Adm. Samuel Locklear told a Pentagon news conference that he is concerned by North Korea's frequent testing of ballistic missiles. Locklear heads U.S. Pacific Command, and his responsibilities include military relations with longtime U.S. ally South Korea.

North Korea often test-fires missiles, artillery and rockets, but the number of weapons tests it has conducted this year is much higher than previous years.

"Every time they do something that the international community has told them not to do, particularly as it relates to missile technology or nuclear technology, you have to assume that it's a step forward in technology," Locklear said. "Otherwise, they probably wouldn't be doing it."

Locklear said he worries that "you become somewhat numb" to reports of another North Korean missile test, adding, "you start to say, well, it's not such a big deal."

In the latest signs of international concern, a U.N. Security Council committee on Monday imposed sanctions on a North Korean shipping company that operates a ship seized last year by Panama for carrying undeclared military equipment from Cuba.

The North Korean company is suspected of helping arrange the shipment of arms in violation of a U.N. arms embargo imposed against Pyongyang in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Locklear said this and other recent developments highlight the importance of partnering with other countries to counter illicit North Korean weapons activities.

The admiral referred to a counter-proliferation exercise, dubbed Fortune Guard 2014, that is scheduled to take place Aug. 4-7 in and around Hawaii. Portions of the exercise will be at sea, including a role-playing event involving service members boarding a vessel as an interdiction rehearsal.

It is the first such exercise hosted by the U.S. in the Pacific. The U.S. has invited 35 nations to participate, including China, and18 countries have agreed. Confirmed participants include Australia, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Canada, India, Indonesia and Thailand.

Exercises of this type are aimed at deterring or stopping the spread of a variety of weapons and weapon technologies in the Pacific, but the biggest concern is nuclear weapons and one of the most targeted violators is North Korea.

U.S. officials say efforts to secretly move weapons of mass destruction have become more sophisticated, often breaking the weapons into pieces in order to better camouflage their delivery.

A senior defense official said the weapons parts are more frequently being moved by commercial air and ground transport rather than by ship, which had been the most prevalent method in the past. And weapons proliferators are often using multiple pathways and transit routes to evade detection.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence-related details about U.S. efforts to counter the spread of illicit weapons.

6.3 Magnitude Earthquake Felt in Southwestern Mexico
Jul 30th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake was felt on Tuesday in southwestern Mexico, an American geological service reported.

The earthquake was also sensed in the country’s capital of Mexico City. No further information is available at this time.