Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Type 052d Destroyer Can Carry China's Supersonic Anti - Ship Missile
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsWant China Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Kunming, the PLA's first Type 052D guided missile destroyer. (Internet photo)

The PLA's Type 052D guided missile destroyer, the most advanced class of China's destroyers, is capable of carrying supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles with capabilities similar to the Russian-built C-Club-N missile, according to the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review.

The Type 052D has various disadvantages caused by the DN/DA80 gas-turbine introduced from Ukraine, however, which limits the speed of the hefty destroyer. The turbine is used in Russia and India to power merchant vessels rather than warships because it is a gas guzzler.

Without proper support from Ukraine, China is unable to carry out maintenance and overhaul operations for the turbine. Like the Chinese fighters which still rely on the engines imported from Russia, PLA Navy warships need turbines from Russia and Ukraine but the conflict in the region has cut off access to Ukrainian personnel able to maintain the turbines.

Chinese engineers have designed various advanced missiles for the Type 052D destroyers to carry, according to the report. Using its active scanning array radar system that has seen it dubbed the Chinese Aegis, the Type 052D can still be considered a deadly threat to US forces in the Western Pacific. One anti-ship missile on board is almost identical to the C-Club-N supersonic cruise missile designed by Russia.

The attack range of the Russian missile is 220 kilometers and it is difficult to intercept because of its supersonic speed. Meanwhile, the ship's HQ-9 air defense missile gives it protection against air attack. It is still not known whether the vessels are able to launch the more advanced HQ-16 but in any case the Type 052D will continue to play an important role in the formation of future PLA carrier battle groups.

The Very Stones Cry Out
Oct 7th, 2014
Commentarycreationmoments.com
Categories: Creation - Evolution

Fossils are a witness not only to the creative power of God, but they are also a witness to God’s judgment on sin.  The fossil record has preserved the forms of plants and animals from an earlier period of earth’s history, and has shown us that there were many more different kinds of plants and animals than there are now, and that they were often larger and stronger than they are today.  As much as the great variety of creatures we see on earth today shows the scope of God’s perfect creativity, they do not represent the full range of what He did in the six days of creation.

Fossil Record Supports Creationism

In this way, the fossil record is a witness which speaks of the design, variety and creative intelligence behind the creation.  No evolutionist would suggest that any of the ruins found in various parts of the world are a result of time and chance, even though we know nothing of the people who built them.  The design is evident, even if we cannot always tell what a particular design was used for.  Yet when the evolutionist finds a living or fossilized creature, much more intricate in design and with obvious intelligent purpose, he supposes that the creature is a result of time and chance.

While no thinking person would ever insult the intelligence of society by suggesting that the Easter Island images are a result of time and chance erosion, evolutionists are insulting the academic world by claiming that the real living things after which the simpler images are fashioned resulted from time and chance.  Even when the fossil record shows millions of different forms appearing in the wink of an eye, geologically speaking, and arriving on the scene fully formed and complete, the evolutionist insists that there could not be a Creator who formed these creatures rapidly.  The fossils are a witness, and their witness is great, but their witness is not perfect, for men who want to find another understanding for them always will!

The witness of natural revelation, the “fingerprints” of God in creation, is not enough.  The knowledge of salvation can never result from the witness of the natural world.  This is why God has commanded us to take the revealed knowledge of God, found in the Bible, to all people.  In the Scriptures we learn of God’s personal saving love for us in the work of Jesus Christ.

It is a shame that the rocks often cry out with a greater witness than many Christians.  The missionary zeal of many Western Christians has not been great enough to overcome the fear that the natural man has to witness about the Savior.  In Luke 19:40, we read that when the Pharisees complained about the witnessing of the disciples, Jesus told the Pharisees that if the disciples were silent, the very stones wou1d cry out. 

The Stones Cry Out Against Evolution

It is important for us to realize that most of the witnessing activities of the disciples and Apostles was not considered acceptable behavior in polite society.  And things really haven’t changed much today.  The argument that witnessing for Christ is not done in polite society today has probably stopped more Christian witnessing than all the persecution which is going on today in the world.  As a result, the stones themselves, in the form of fossils, often offer more of a witness to the creativity and judgment of God for sin than many modern followers of Christ do.  We must remember, however, that the saving message of God’s love in the Gospel is not evident in the fossils, although most of the fossils were buried in the Flood, so Noah found grace in God’s eyes through his faith in God’s promised Savior.

In Habakkuk 2:9-11, we read about another witness of the stones.  This passage talks about the stones, and also the rafters of a house, witnessing against someone who deals dishonestly.  While these words appear, from the context, to be more figurative, there is a very real truth here.  The stones themselves cry out against immorality, as indeed the entire creation groans under the burden of sin, waiting to be delivered (see Romans 8:18-21).  And the fossils that resulted from creatures killed in the Flood are a witness of judgment against immorality, a fruit of unbelief.  Why can evolutionists accept the Easter Island statutes as designed and made, even though we don’t know how they were erected, nor do we know who would do it, yet fail to accept God’s creative work or the worldwide Flood?

The answers to these questions are very simple.  There is no philosophical cost to evolution in accepting the obvious in the case of the Easter Island statues.  But the cost to the evolutionist in accepting the obvious Creator God, who judges personal sin, is the personal cost of admitting that one has sinned and is responsible for it.  This is what the individual who chooses evolution hopes to avoid by explaining the creation as the product of time and chance. Evolution, then, is an alternate faith to creation which, as many evolutionists have pointed out, cannot be compromised with Biblical Christianity.

Our lesson from Scripture, then, is that just as we have more talents and abilities than rocks, God is expecting us to do that much more than the rocks do in witnessing to His creative work, His judgment of sin, and His grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  He does not ask us to tell others what we do not know.  What He asks us to tell others is in Acts 4:20 “...what we have seen and heard.”  Every Christian has a firsthand knowledge of God’s love and grace in Christ in his life.  And this witness of God’s personal care and love is the most powerful witness we have.

Let us resolve to witness better than the rocks, that do cry out with their own witness.

Swedish Recognition of 'Palestine' - A Sign of Things to Come?
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

PA President Mahmoud Abbas

Reuters

Sweden's decision to recognize a "Palestinian state" - and similar noises being made elsewhere in Europe - does not pose a direct diplomatic or legal threat to Israel, but could be a sign of a shift towards a "more unconditional" position in support of the Palestinian position in Europe in general, according to an expert on European Middle East policy.

Dr. Jonathan Rynhold, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, emphasized that although the move was purely symbolic it gave a glimpse into what the Palestinian Authority hoped to achieve with its current unilateral diplomatic strategy - which its leader Mahmoud Abbas has termed a "political war".

"In of itself it's not a game changer," he said of the Swedish decision, "but it is part of a Palestinian strategy to obtain statehood along the '67 lines without having to make concessions to Israel on security, refugees and other issues that would be required in negotiations. 

"The key group of states that will count in terms of making recognition credible is the European states - who don't normally recognize 'Palestine' as a state, but do call for the creation of a Palestinian state through negotiations."

The PA knows the US will almost certainly veto any direct attempt at unilateral statehood via the UN Security Council, so is attempting to cultivate an international political environment which would enable them to gain statehood through the back door - without having to make any concessions of their own. That would mean altering the still-prevalent discourse within Europe of "land for peace and security" as the only legitimate way to achieving peace.

Part of that strategy will likely involve applying to join the International Criminal Court in the Hague (ICC) - although some (including the PA's own UN human rights envoy) have warned that move could prove a double-edged sword, and leave Palestinian factions open to Israeli prosecution for war crimes as well.

"The ultimate goal of all of this is to get to a position where you can put sanctions and pressure on Israel," Rynhold explained.

The Swedish move set a "precedent for other European states," he added, and predicted similar moves could follow. "I think there's a reasonable chance that other states in Europe will follow suit."

Nevertheless, Rynhold noted that the propensity for a European state (or any other) to take such a course of action was inversely proportionate to its actual political clout. Smaller states - particularly those with left-wing governments and with less friendly relations with Israel to begin with - have less to lose in making these kinds of radical statements. More powerful and influential countries - like Britain and France - were prone to acting "more responsibly".

"The key question for Israel is: are we going in a direction here that the Europeans are saying 'we don't care any more about negotiations, we just want a Palestinian state - and if not, we'll support sanctions'?" he asked rhetorically. "Right now my sense is that the Europeans very much prefer negotiations and that this may just be a way of pressuring Israel to get back to negotiations."

But he cautioned that there is a real chance that the move "is part of a process in Europe to move towards less conditional support for Palestinian state and put pressure on Israel" with or without Palestinian concessions.

Dr. Rynhold cautioned, however, that developments in perceptions of the conflict were not a one-way street.

For example, he cited PA president Mahmoud Abbas's recent speech at the UN, in which he accused Israel of "genocide", as an example of why European attitudes - though broadly pro-Palestinian - are more nuanced.

"Overstatements by Abbas" and others "make them think twice" about going down the unilateral route.

The kind of exaggerated and even blatantly false rhetoric so common among PA spokespeople "may go down well in the Arab world, but it doesn't go down well in Europe"

Outside of the far-left and other radical elements in Europe, "even if they get angry with Israel, governments are much more sober" and try to steer clear of such extreme positions.

Is there a way for Israel to reverse the trend?

According to Rynhold, given the general consensus in Europe for a "Two-State Solution" with a Palestinian Authority-ruled state in Judea and Samaria, if Israeli policy-makers want to prevent other countries from following suit "they need to be seen to be credible about negotiations."

He accepts, however, that the current diplomatic impasse which has triggered European frustration is not down to Israel alone.

"Of course, this doesn't just depend on Israel, but perceptions of Israel's credibility are what is most important here."

Second Temple Period Mikveh Unearthed in Valley of Elah
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Archaeology

Second Temple period mikveh

Assaf Peretz, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority

Israel Antiquities Authority excavations in the Valley of Elah's Tzomet Haelah, funded by the Netivei Israel state transportation company, made a rare discovery recently in unearthing a mikveh (ritual Jewish bath) from the Second Temple period.

In an interesting intertwining of time periods, on the roof of an adjacent massive water cistern inscriptions were found, made in the rock by Australian soldiers who were on the site during World War II.

The 1,900-year-old mikveh and 1,700-year-old water cistern were unearthed in explorations ahead of the construction of Highway 38.

"We found a mikveh with five steps quarried into the rock, with the fifth step serving as a bench to sit on the lip of the ritual immersion pool," said Yoav Tsur, the Authority's director of excavations.

Elaborating on the find, Tsur noted "at the site we found intricate pottery shards from the second century CE, including candles, red burnished vessels, a jug and cooking pots. It appears that during the second century CE the mikveh fell out of use, possibly in light of the events of the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 CE)."

"South of the mikveh, an entrance carved in the rock was found that apparently served as an entrance to an expansive water reserve," continued Tsur.

"It seems that in an early period, the reserve was smaller, and served as an otzar (water collecting vat) for the mikveh. When the mikveh stopped serving its original function, the reserve cavity was widened to its larger dimensions, and next to it was built a wide space to make water drawing easier," noted the archaeologist.

During the excavation, researchers were surprised to discover more modern finds - namely the Australian soldiers' inscriptions on the reserve's ceiling, showing that the site was known of in the 1940s.

Wall inscriptions from World War II Assaf Peretz, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority

The inscriptions were deciphered by Assaf Peretz, an archaeologist and historian of the Authority.

"Among other things, two names were identified inscribed into the rock in English: Cpl Scarlett and Walsh," said Peretz. "Adjacent to the names, the abbreviation RAE was carved with two numbers, NX9168 and NX7792. Under the writing appears the date 30/05/1940."

Explaining the inscriptions, Peretz noted they realized they were made by soldiers since Cpl stands for Corporal, with the numbers being their military identity numbers, and RAE standing for Royal Australian Engineers.

By searching the Australian government archives, the Authority located Corporal Philip William Scarlett, born in Melbourne in 1918 who served in the war and died in 1970, and Patrick Raphael Walsh, who was born in Cowra in 1910 and died in 2005.

Apparently the two were part of the Australian Sixth Division stationed in Israel during the British Mandate to undergo training before joining the combat in France, although France's early surrender had them sent to Egypt in October 1940.

"If the relatives of these people are acquainted with the story, we’ll be happy if they contact us and we’ll share with them the warm greetings left behind by Scarlett and Walsh," the Israel Antiquities Authority released in a statement.

In another discover on the site, Peretz noted "the fins of British mortar bombs were found while searching the site, as were twenty-seven rifle cartridges, six of which were manufactured in Australia and fired in the region."

Tsur summarized the finds, saying they "allow us to reconstruct a double story: about the Jewish settlement in the second century CE, probably against the background of the events of the Bar Kokhba revolt, and another story, no less fascinating, about a group of Australian soldiers who visited the site c. 1,700 years later and left their mark there."

Pablo Betzer, the Authority's district archaeologist for the Judah region, stated that in light of the discoveries, it was requested that Netivei Israel change the route of the highway around the junction to preserve the finds, a proposal that the company agreed to.

Russias Deployed Nuclear Capacity Overtakes U.S. for First Time Since 2000
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsRT
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The nuclear submarine (APL) "Vladimir Monomakh" in the 55th Northern Machine Building Enterprise (FSUE) workshop "Sevmash" before being launched into the water in Severodvinsk.(RIA Novosti / A. Petrov)

Russia has 1,643 nuclear missiles ready to launch – one more than the US – according to an official State Department report. Both countries have been upgrading their active nuclear arsenals since the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict.

The US report is based on official figures exchanged between the two countries as part of the New START disarmament treaty, and includes missiles deployed before September 1. The numbers show a significant increase from March, when data showed that Washington had a capacity of 1,585 payloads, and Moscow 1,512.

The current figures are in violation of the New START treaty, signed in 2010 by Barack Obama and then-President Dmitry Medvedev, during the short-lived reset in relations between the two states, which prescribe a limit of 1,550 deployed warheads.

Overall, the authoritative Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation believes Moscow has more than 8,000 warheads, and Washington over 7,000, although not all of them can be allocated to efficient delivery systems.

Russia recently announced a planned overhaul of its entire nuclear arsenal by 2020, as part of a wider rearmament program that has been budgeted at $700 billion.

Although Moscow has not provided a detailed breakdown of how it achieved the upgrade of nuclear capacity over the past months, experts on both sides of the Atlantic have speculated that the rise has been due to the armament of one – or possibly two – Borei-class nuclear submarines.

The Yars land-based mobile missile system.(RIA Novosti / Vadim Savitskii)

Those are equipped with Bulava missiles – widely considered one of the most expensive projects in Russia’s military history – which, after problem-plagued gestation, have finally been deemed ready for deployment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently boasted that the supersonic missiles, which can rapidly change their trajectory, cannot be shot down by any missile defense system in the world, however sophisticated.

Russia has also invested in mobile Yars systems, and there are plans to revive the nuclear missile trains common in Soviet times.

Washington has expressed increasing alarm at the Kremlin’s rearmament drive, with emotions running high after the Obama administration accused Moscow of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in July, with its Iskander class missiles, prompting sharp denials and counter-accusations from Moscow.

“The Russian deception of negotiating a nuclear arms reduction while building up nuclear arms poses a direct threat to the United States,” Jim Inhofe, a member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, wrote in an editorial last month, accusing the US of reducing its nuclear forces as Russia races ahead.

“It is too late to negotiate the Russians back into compliance. They have tested this capability and we have no way to know for certain whether they will deploy these systems.”

While the figures may look alarming, the total numbers for both countries remain far short of their 1980s peaks, when the Soviet Union alone possessed over 40,000 warheads.

“I don’t think we are on the verge of a new arms race. At least, Russia definitely won’t be part of it,. In our case, it’s just that the time has come for us to modernize our nuclear and conventional arsenals,” Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told RT last month.

Rulings Mean All But 14 States Likely to Allow Same - Sex Marriages
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Los Angeles Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down all the pending state appeals in gay-marriage cases, leaving intact rulings in five more states that said gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry. (Karen Bleier / AFP/ Getty Images)

The number of states still prohibiting same-sex marriage probably will dwindle to 14 within a few weeks as a result of the Supreme Court’s refusal to take up the issue Monday, a legal and political reversal of nearly unprecedented proportions.

Just over 10 years ago it was impossible for a same-sex couple to get married anywhere in the U.S. But by Monday more than half of Americans lived in a state with the immediate prospect of what supporters refer to as “marriage equality.”

The three appeals court rulings that the Supreme Court left standing Monday immediately affected Virginia, Oklahoma, Indiana, Wisconsin and Utah. But because the rulings are binding precedents throughout the regions where those three federal judicial circuits have jurisdiction, they will also apply to laws in six more states: North and South Carolina, West Virginia, Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming.

More shoes are about to drop as well.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is expected to rule any day in favor of gay marriage, which would add Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, Montana and Nevada to the marriage column.

At that point only 14 states in the South and Midwest would still have enforceable laws upholding the strongly held belief that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

At that point, however, the momentum could slow considerably.

Based on the tone of oral arguments in August, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio was expected to issue a ruling soon upholding bans on gay marriage that would affect Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan.

Less far along and less predictable is the 8th Circuit in St. Louis, covering the upper Midwest plus Arkansas and Missouri.

If one of those appellate courts upholds a ban on same-sex marriage, creating a division of opinion among the federal circuits, the Supreme Court would be likely to hear an appeal. Today’s action indicated that the result would be to uphold same-sex marriage nationwide.

But gay marriage groups are concerned that such a final ruling might not come until June 2015, leaving thousands of gay couples in two regions of the country in the lurch.

“Justice delayed is justice denied to thousands of gay couples across the country to whom the hand of justice did not extend today,” said Fred Sainz of the Human Rights Campaign in Washington.

“Today was not so much a victory as halftime, and we’re ahead,” Sainz said. “I have no doubt that our opponents will continue to fight.”

Indeed, Ralph Reed, long an influential conservative activist, vowed to do just that and predicted his view of marriage would eventually prevail. In the meantime, he said the court’s actions would help Republicans in the coming midterm congressional elections.

“We’re going to be in this fight for a long time,” said Reed, who is based in Atlanta. “In this case there were five states which all defined marriage as between a man and a woman and the Supreme Court would not lift a finger to defend those states laws.”

Rivlin: Jerusalem is Our Capital, the World Must Understand That
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Netanyahu and Rivlin

Haim Zach, GPO

The world needs to understand that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, President Reuven Rivlin said on Monday.

Rivlin received Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the President's Residence for a private meeting to receive an update following the Prime Minister’s return from the United States.

The two spoke about the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States, his address to the UN General Assembly, and his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.

"The region is currently engaged in a very difficult struggle against terrorism, we struck hard against this terror this summer in the south, the United States is leading the global fight against the Islamic State forces, and we are supporting this fight in all that is asked of us, and we also extended our hands in peace to all of our neighbors who want peace, and I think these are the things that express the great partnership and the unity of the people that you express so well," Netanyahu said at the start of the meeting.

President Rivlin responded to the Prime Minister’s words and said, “One of the more significant elements of our national unity, is the general agreement on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the world needs to understand that, Jerusalem is our capital and as our capital, we need to allow the residents of the city to live and reside in it.”

Netanyahu added, "When this happens in the capital of Israel, do we have to apologize? Or to cancel it? Not in my opinion, not in your opinion, and not in the opinion of any sensible Jew or indeed any reasoned and fair-minded person.”

The comments follow a spat between the U.S. and Israel over Israeli plans to build 2,610 new homes in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Hamatos. The housing units were slated for construction since 2012 and were given final approval last week.

The U.S. criticized the move, with State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki using unusually harsh language in doing so and saying the step would “poison the atmosphere”.

Netanyahu later fired back at the United States’ criticism, telling NBC News' Andrea Mitchell that the U.S. should study the facts before it criticizes Israel over its construction.

In another interview which aired Sunday, this time on CBS, Netanyahu said  that the White House’s rebuke of Israeli construction in Jerusalem goes “against American values”.

“It’s against the American values. And it doesn’t bode well for peace,” Netanyahu said. “The idea that we’d have this ethnic purification as a condition for peace, I think it’s anti-peace.”

The comments elicited a response from the White House, whose spokesman Josh Earnest said on Monday that the criticism of America for its concern over Israel's construction in Jerusalem was “odd”.

“When it comes to American values, it’s American values that led to this country’s unwavering support of Israel,” Earnest said. “It’s American values that have led us to fund an Iron Dome system” which protected Israeli cities from attacks by Hamas terrorists during Operation Protective Edge.

Netanyahu Demands End to Jerusalem Riots
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Arab rioters in Jerusalem

Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu convened a high-level meeting Tuesday to discuss the ongoing rioting in eastern, southern and northern Jerusalem.

Participating in the discussion were Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovich, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Yohanan Danino, Jerusalem District Commander Major General Yossi Parienti, Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet) Head Yoram Cohen, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, and State Attorney Shay Nitzan.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Netanyahu instructed security forces to beef up their presence in the areas of confrontation, and act with severity against rioters. The present situation must not be allowed to turn into a norm, he explained.

At the beginning of the debate, he said: "There have been events involving rock throwing, riots and violence of late. I think we have to take care of this, not just ahead of the holidays but in a thorough way.”

"The purpose of this meeting is to do it thoroughly. To see what forces, what abilities and what steps we need to take in order to safeguard the peace of Jerusalem,” he said.

Since July's murder of a Palestinian teen by Jewish extremists, carried out in revenge for the murder of three Jewish teens, and the start of counter-terror offensives in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, Arab youths have been almost constantly on the streets of Jerusalem throwing rocks and fire bombs at police, motorists and public transport.

The violence has gotten so bad - sometimes even involving live gunfire - that many Jerusalem residents now refer to it as the "silent intifada".

Police said three officers were slightly injured Tuesday by rocks and bottles hurled by Arabs in eastern Jerusalem's walled Old City.

Police say they have arrested more than 700 Arab Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem since July, including at least 250 minors.

Police in the city are already out in numbers ahead of the week-long holiday of Sukkot, starting Wednesday evening, which swells the number of Jewish visitors to the Old City.

NATO Has Strategy to Defend Turkey, Says Defence Minister
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Sydney Morning Herald
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

An officer directs operations as Turkish tanks deploy on the Syrian border. Photo: AFP

Ankara: The NATO alliance has drawn up a strategy to defend Turkey if it is attacked along its border with Syria, a Turkish official says.

Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz, whose country is a NATO member, said the alliance did that at his government's request as Islamic State militants, who have captured a large swath of Iraq and Syria, are trying to take the Syrian town of Kobane near the Turkish border.

"If there is an attack, NATO's joint defence mechanisms will be activated," Mr Yilmaz told reporters.

Turkish tanks line up on a hill overlooking the Syrian city of Kobane, near the Turkish border. Photo: AFP

"From the moment the incidents relating to Syria first started, we asked NATO to prepare for possibilities to make plans. NATO prepared a plan taking various alternatives into account.

"Therefore, if there is an attack on Turkey, NATO will bring about the provisions of Article 5 of the Washington Convention."

Article 5 states that an attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against all members.

A Kurdish man watches fighting in Kobane. Photo: AFP

NATO's new Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, appeared to confirm what Turkey was saying during a news conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday.

After expressing concern about the violence in Syria and the fact that it had spilled over into Iraq, he said: "The main responsibility for NATO is to protect all allied countries".

"Turkey is a NATO ally and our main responsibility is to protect the integrity, the borders of Turkey, and that's the reason why we have deployed Patriot missiles in Turkey to enhance, to strengthen their air defence of Turkey.

"And Turkey should know that NATO will be there if there is any spillover, any attacks on Turkey as a consequence of the violence we see in Syria."

Kurdish forces are defending Kobane, but two banners of the Islamic State group were raised over a building and a nearby hill on Monday, suggesting that the militants may have broken through the Kurdish perimeter.

Let the Headlines Speak
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Earthquake in Chile felt in Peru´s southern region Tacna
The earthquake registered a 6.0 on the Richter scale. Just after midnight, at 00:08 in the morning on Tuesday, an earthquake struck Chile. According to Peru´s Geophysical Institute (IGP) the epicenter was located 197 kilometers south of Tacna, landing in the territory of Chile.  

DHS to intensify attacks on freedom oriented citizens
The source indicated that the those within DHS and the rest of the Obama Administration who support a massive crackdown on the liberties of citizens are ready to make a dramatic move once the midterm elections in November are over.  

NASA Scientists Puzzled by Global Cooling on Land and Sea
The deep ocean may not be hiding heat after all, raising new questions about why global warming appears to have slowed in recent years, said the US space agency Monday.  

Obama Official Praises Mosque Of Oklahoma Beheader Alton Nolen
An Obama administration official traveled to Oklahoma City Saturday to offer words of praise to congregants at the mosque attended by Alton Nolen, the recent Muslim convert who beheaded a co-worker last month.  

Rare eclipse Wednesday will show darkened moon and rising sun together
A total eclipse of the moon on Wednesday will offer stargazers a rare chance to see both an eclipsed moon and a rising sun at the same moment, thanks to an optical trick played by the earth’s atmosphere. The upcoming eclipse will be the second this year and part of a series of four total lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015.  

Pedophilia Deserves Civil Rights, Says New York Times’ Op-Ed
The nation’s tough anti-pedophilia laws are unfair to pedophiles, according to an op-ed published by The New York Times’ editors. “One can live with pedophilia and not act on it,” says Margo Kaplan, an entrepreneurial assistant law professor at Rutgers University, and a former lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union.  

Husband of Spanish nurse with Ebola has been quarantined
"The husband is already in hospital and is being monitored so that he can have a quarantine situation with better monitoring," the civil servant in charge of Spain's health service, Mercedes Vinuesa, told a parliamentary committee.  

Weak German output numbers send Europe into reverse
A second day of weak German data sent European markets into retreat on Tuesday with stocks, the euro and periphery euro zone government debt all knocked by the mounting evidence of an abrupt slowdown in the bloc's economic engine room.  

US uses helicopters for first time to hit Islamic State
US troops flew helicopters against Islamic State fighters on Sunday and again on Monday as they struck at mortar teams and other units near Fallujah, said a spokesman for Central Command, which is responsible for US forces in the Middle East. "This was the first time rotary wing aircraft were used in coordination with and in support of ISF (Iraqi Security Force) operations," Army Major Curtis Kellogg said.  

Marijuana and Your Health: What 20 Years of Research Reveals
People who drive under the influence of marijuana double their risk of being in a car crash, and about one in 10 daily marijuana users becomes dependent on the drug, according to a new review. Adolescents who use cannabis regularly are about twice as likely as their nonuser peers to drop out of school, as well as experience cognitive impairment and psychoses as adults.  

Bárðarbunga Volcano Keeps Shaking
Almost 30 earthquakes have occurred in and around Bárðarbunga volcano under Vatnajökull glacier since 7 pm yesterday, according to the Icelandic Met Office’s update this morning. Three quakes were larger than magnitude 4.0—a magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit at 3:52 am.  

Obama's new airport screening plan uses CUSTOMS AGENTS to spot Ebola as president concedes 'we don't have a lot of margin for error'
President Barack Obama announced on Monday that the United States will soon implement a new set of protocols to screen suspected Ebola patients so they can't get off airplanes and enter American airports. The same Customs and Border Patrol Agents who sift through cargo and luggage for contraband will be the first line of defense, inspecting passengers who arrive from Ebola-ravaged countries...  

DHS No Longer Needs Permission Slips to Monitor Other Agencies' Networks for Vulnerabilities
The Department of Homeland Security has spelled out its intentions to proactively monitor civilian agency networks for signs of threats... Annual rules for complying with the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act released Friday require agencies to agree to proactive scanning. The regulations also contain new requirements for notifying DHS when a cyber event occurs.  

Report: Two dead after explosion in Iranian nuclear facility
Two workers were killed in an explosion that took place at a military explosives factory southeast of Tehran, near the suspected nuclear reactor in Parchin, IRNA, the official Iranian news agency, reported Monday. The agency quoted Iran’s Defense Industries Organization, which said a fire occurred Sunday night, killing two people. The agency did not provide additional information.  

US rebuff to gay marriage opponents
The US Supreme Court has rejected appeals against gay marriage in five states - Indiana, Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin. The move increases the number of states where same-sex marriage is legal to 30, plus the District of Columbia. By declining to hear the appeals, the court left intact lower court rulings that had struck down those state bans.  

EU puts pressure on Serbia to stop South Stream gas pipeline
The European Commission is to tell Serbia its accession prospects will suffer if it builds South Stream, a Russian gas pipeline. It says in its annual enlargement report, out on Wednesday (8 October), that “the intergovernmental agreement signed between Serbia and Russia to build the South Stream pipeline is not compatible with the acquis [EU laws]”.  

Dozens of Islamic State flags found in Upper Nazareth
Municipal workers in Upper Nazareth found on Tuesday some 25 Islamic State flags in the city's industrial zone. ...Last week, police detained for questioning a 24-year-old teacher from Kfar Kara on suspicion of association with a terror organization after a search of his home resulted in the seizure of computers, other electronic devices, an Islamic State flag and various literature on the subject of jihad.  

German Industrial Production Plunges
German industrial production dropped 4% from July to August, versus an expected decline of 1.5%. This is the biggest month-on-month drop in five years. The figure represents a 2.8% drop on the same month last year.  

Iran's Mysterious Elite General in Rare Iraq Picture
Iranian television published a rare picture Monday of its elite Quds Force chief in Iraq that was widely circulated online, puncturing the mystique of one of the region's most powerful men. The image of Major General Qassem Suleimani purportedly showing him on an Iraqi battlefield was published on the website of IRINN state television, and repeatedly shared on Twitter.  

Kobane: Civilians flee IS street-to-street fighting
slamic State (IS) militants have entered the key Syria-Turkey border town of Kobane and taken control of three districts after street-to-street fighting with Syrian Kurd defenders. IS fighters entered the eastern districts on Monday, raising their black flag on buildings and hills.  

Ukraine and Nato demand Russia and rebels respect truce deal
Kiev and Nato have urged Moscow to do more to help establish a genuine ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, where fighting is still raging around Donetsk airport and shelling and shooting continue to kill and injure civilians.  

White House rejects Netanyahu's criticism with withering response
The White House rejected criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a withering response on Monday, accusing him of refusing to acknowledge how much help the United States has been to Israel over the years.  

Rush Limbaugh: Obama Wants Americans To Get Ebola As Payback For Slavery"
Radio host Rush Limbaugh suggested on Monday that President Barack Obama is refusing to divert flights from Ebola-infected countries and close down America's borders because he believes that the nation "deserves" to be infected with the virus given its history of perpetuating slavery.  

North, South Korea naval patrol boats exchange fire
North and South Korean naval patrol boats briefly exchanged warning fire on Tuesday near their disputed Yellow Sea border which has been the site of numerous clashes in the past, the South's defence ministry said.  

Spanish nurse is suspected of Ebola infection
In what is the first reported incident of Ebola transmission outside Africa, a Spanish nurse who treated a missionary for the disease at a Madrid hospital tested positive for the disease, Spain's health minister said Monday. The female nurse was part of the medical team that treated a 69-year-old Spanish priest who died in a hospital last month after being flown back from Sierra Leone...

Kerry to Participate in Gaza Rebuilding Conference
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

John Kerry

Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will take part in a conference on rebuilding Gaza following this past summer’s war with Israel earlier this year, a U.S. official said Monday, according to AFP.

Kerry "will be attending the conference" to be held in Cairo on October 12, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) unity government last week released a reconstruction plan for Gaza ahead of the donor conference, in which it called for international donors to fork over $4 billion to rebuild after the terror war launched by Hamas.

The 76-page report said $4 billion would be needed for the "direct costs" of rebuilding the terrorist enclave.

The priority will be to remove rubble and unexploded shells, while also repairing Gaza's power station and improving access to water, health care and education.

The PA’s demand came despite several reports that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists have already started rebuilding terror tunnels used to attack Israel, which were built from materials brought in previously for supposed civilian needs.

Last month, the U.S. unveiled an additional $71 million in emergency aid to Gaza, highlighting that "more than 580,000 people are still sheltering in United Nations facilities."

It brought the U.S. total funding since the start of the war to more than $118 million.

Israel Struggling to Sell Iron Dome
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Iron Dome (file)

Flash 90

The Iron Dome has proven to be an effective weapon against rockets fired from Gaza, Lebanon and the Sinai desert, with a success rate of about 90% in intercepting projectiles - and its unrivaled capabilities have no competition in the global arms market.

But despite the Dome's boon for international security and trade, industries from around the world are reluctant to purchase the defense system from Israel for both practical and political reasons, a defense expert said Tuesday.

"The Iron Dome is tailored to meet the challenge of Israel's short-range rocket threat and missile threats from guerilla organizations," Avnis Patel, a member of the British RUSI Research Institute which organizes the annual ballistic missile defense conference, told Walla! News.

As such, Patel said, the system's needs are too specific for many countries, who face broader threats or more long-range rockets. 

In addition, restrictions on the political reality of the potential target audience further reduces the possibility of selling the system, Patel said. Arab and Muslim countries - especially Gulf countries bordering Iran - would primarily benefit from the system, but many do not want to buy Israeli arms. 

Despite this, Israel has made at least one successful sale to another country, whose identity is kept under wraps due to mutual agreement from both parties.

Yossi Drucker, the Vice President of the Rafael Armament Development Authority which produces the Dome, explained that the company is happy with this situation - since there is a much smaller potential for classified information and technology leaks. 

Drucker did hail the lone buyer, however, noting that the sale keeps the company afloat. He said "Rafael has invested many millions of shekels in the system's development. We could not afford it without selling abroad." 

Israel's defense industries export about 80% of its production, he said, which brings to the state about $6.5 billion each year. 

Cost a deterrent

The system's development was completed following the heavy bombing by Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and the first successful live test fire was held in 2009.

According to a security source who attended the trial launch, Israel relied on the ability to export the "Iron Dome" from the beginning, adding that officers from foreign countries also were among those present at the experimental test. 

America's involvement in the development and funding system is known and recognized.

Washington has invested more than a billion dollars to ensure Israel can deploy the "Iron Dome" for its self-protection - and made waves for citing that fact as a means of gaining political leverage on Monday - but has refused to buy it for its own troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Riki Ellison, President of the US Pact to Promote Missile Defense, explained that one of the objections presented by the Pentagon is the cost of the system. He noted the need to lower the cost of each "Tamir" radar-guided interceptor missile, which is close $100,000.

Likewise, the Department of Defense does not want to use system, because it does not provide protection against mortars.

"The Iron Dome protects against mortar fire from a short distance, and the cost of acquiring the system for that alone is simply not feasible," Ellison stated. 

Rafael is currently working to develop an "Iron Beam" which will expand its mortar shell deterrence, by using lasers to explode the bombs mid-air.

Nevertheless, Drucker stated that current incarnations of the Iron Dome can work against mortar shells - but that Israel did not use it for this purpose during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. 

"From the beginning, we have built the system with maximum attention to design versus cost," Drucker said. "We did not put a single screw with cost in mind until the system was tested."

He said the missile cost will be reduced if they are mass produced or if the company enters in a partnership with American defense corporation Raytheon. Until then, the $50 million battery cost will probably defer potential buyers. 

US investment, global potential

Israel's fishing for buyers for the Iron Dome system may concern Washington, Drucker suggested, as it could alert rivals China and Russia as well.

Rafael has held discussions with South Korea and India regarding potential purchases, he noted - Seoul keeping abreast of developments with North Korea and India having been well-invested thus far in various Israeli defense technologies. 

But the possibility of either country buying the Dome is slim, experts say. 

"South Korea will have to spend a considerable sum to buy the system," Patel said, noting they would need several batteries to "divert the more extensive threat from a country like North Korea." 

India may be more keenly interested, according to Jeremy Bini, news desk editor Jane's Defense Weekly - not against regional threats from Pakistan, but to protect its interests in key areas. 

"I know that the Israelis have already implemented many safeguards around [India's assets]," Bini noted. "India wants to place Iron Dome batteries around its strategic assets to protect them as well."

ISIS Flags Found in Nazareth Illit
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Jihadis from ISIS in Mosul, Iraq

Reuters

Twenty-five Islamic State (ISIS) flags were found in Nazareth Illit, Walla! News reports Tuesday, giving further rise to concerns over the jihadist terrorist group's popularity with Arab citizens of Israel.

City employees found a bag filled with the tiny black flags on the side of a highway, according to the daily, and turned it over to the local police.

An investigation has been launched into the incident. 

News of the find surfaces just two days after an Israeli Arab teacher was sentenced to one week of house arrest and a 5,000 shekel (approximately $1,350) fine for possessing ISIS materials.

Both the teacher, 24-year-old Saladin Mahmeed, and his legal representation, insisted after the ruling that the materials are simply "Islamic textbooks" and "Muslim symbols" and that the trial was a "setup by Israel and the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency)." 

Mahmeed was not the first to be arrested for involvement with ISIS, however; last month, an Umm Al-Fahm resident was convicted for exiting the country and joining the terror group in Syria. 

Concerns over ISIS's influence in Israel were raised over the summer, after members of the terrorist group released a video showing how they took part in the recent war against Israel in Gaza. At least one former ISIS jihadist was killed in the Gaza fighting.

There has also been an alarming amount of support for the group among regular Arab citizens of Israel, including some flying ISIS flags and posting praise for the group on Facebook and other social media sites.

Internet Turned Into Giant Surveillance Platform By NSA
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Irish Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Not yet categorized

Bruce Schneier tells Dublin audience secure web is in everyone’s interest

Revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden of large-scale surveillance by the NSA showed that we were living in a ‘golden age of surveillance,’Bruce Schneier said. Photograph: Glenn Greenwald/Laura Poitras/Courtesy of The Guardian/Handout via Reuters

The US National Security Agency (NSA) has turned the internet into a “giant surveillance platform,” a leading security specialist has said.

Bruce Schneier, who has written extensively on digital security and privacy, told an audience in Dublin tonight that the revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden of large-scale surveillance by the NSA showed that we were living in a “golden age of surveillance.”

In a lecture for the human rights group Front Line Defenders, Mr Schneier said the NSA’s role changed completely after the 9/11 attacks, when US intelligence agencies were given “an impossible mission: never again.” “The only way to ensure something doesn’t happen is to know everything that is happening,” he said.

This desire to “collect everything” coincided with changes in technology, notably the spread of smartphones, the rise of cloud storage and the fact that it became cheaper for individuals to store data and thereby leave deeper digital footprints for the state to pursue. “The NSA has turned the internet into a giant surveillance platform,” he said.

It did this largely by “piggybacking” on corporate capabilities, and in an environment where the public largely acquiesced. “If the government said ‘you have to carry a tracking device with you 24/7, we would never agree to that. Every morning we put a cellphone in our pocket, which tracks us 24/7. If you were told, ‘every time you make a new friend, you have to inform the police’, you would laugh. But you do that on Facebook. ”

Mr Schneier warned that by making the internet less secure, states were making it easier for criminals and hackers to compromise systems using similar methods. And while the US was in a privileged position, as a hub for internet communications and home to a large number of technology firms, “similar things” were being done in countries such as China and Russia. “We have to make a choice here. We have built an insecure internet. We have enabled everyone to spy... We have broken the fabric of trust on the net.”

Human rights organisations feared that nothing could be done to counteract state surveillance, but this wasn’t true, Mr Schneier said. “There is a lot that can be done, technically, to make ourselves safer from all attackers, all eavesdroppers. But this is a political problem, because we are building an infrastructure where surveillance is possible. We need everyone to realise that a secure internet is in everyone’s interest.”

Financial Giant Swift Rejects Israel Sanctions Call
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Anti-Israel boycott movement (file)

Reuters

SWIFT, the Belgium-based financial transfer services giant, announced on Monday that it has received calls to disconnect Israel from its network - calls by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which it will ignore.

The massive system, whose name stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, and which connects over 10,500 banks, financial institutions and corporations in over 200 countries, addressed the issue in a statement on its website Monday.

"SWIFT and its stakeholders have received calls to disconnect institutions and entire countries from its network - most recently Israel and Russia," read the message.

The financial giant stated it "is a neutral global cooperative company set up under Belgian law," and therefore "will not make unilateral decisions to disconnect institutions from its network as a result of political pressure."

The statement added "SWIFT regrets the pressure, as well as the surrounding media speculation, both of which risk undermining the systemic character of the services that SWIFT provides... As a utility with a systemic global character, it has no authority to make sanctions decisions."

"SWIFT will not respond to individual calls and pressure to disconnect financial institutions from its network," emphasized the group.

BDS, as a global movement against Israel, has called far and wide for the cutting of all ties with the Jewish state, particularly in Judea and Samaria. That is despite the fact that Israel's presence in the area is legal under international law, and that even the Palestinian Authority (PA) has admitted Arab workers enjoy better pay and conditions under local Jewish businesses.

The statement added that as a service based in the European Union (EU), SWIFT's policy is compliant with European law, meaning that "any decision to impose sanctions on countries or individual entities rests solely with the competent government bodies and applicable legislators."

EU's policy led SWIFT to impose sanctions in the past, namely against Iran in March 2012, as part of the global sanctions pressure to encourage the Islamic regime to drop its nuclear program. That result has yet to be achieved, with talks continuing ahead of a November 24 deadline.

As for SWIFT's mention of Russia alongside Israel, that refers to calls to boycott the country which gained momentum in August as a means of imposing sanctions for Russian actions in Ukraine.

Combat Mission Debate: Canada Has Moral Obligation to Strike in Iraq, Says John Baird
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Star
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Those were the sentiments that emerged from a divided Commons Monday as Liberal and NDP MPs lined up to oppose the Conservative decision to go to war, unmoved by arguments that the combat mission was vital for Canada’s place in the world and the safety of Canadians.

In an afternoon-long discussion, MPs debated the Conservative decision to dispatch six CF-18 fighter jets, along with support aircraft and 600 military personnel, to join in coalition air strikes against terror targets in Iraq and possibly Syria. The initial deployment would be for six months.

MPs will vote Tuesday on the motion to join combat operations against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIL. However, the vote is certain to pass because of the Conservative majority.

Already, a small team of military planners is in the Middle East, scouting undisclosed locations to serve as bases for the Canadian aircraft, which are expected to arrive in the region within three weeks.

“This is not just another conflict. The struggle is not against a state or even a foreign dictator. This is a struggle against a group of terrorists that rape and pillage, and slaughter anything and anyone that stands in their way,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a speech that kicked off the debate.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird pledged $10 million to help the victims of sexual violence in Syria and Iraq during debate in the House of Commons on Monday.

“My Canada heeds the call. My Canada protects the vulnerable. It challenges the aggressor. My Canada does not leave all the heavy lifting to others,” Baird told MPs.

As he detailed the “depravity and brutality” conducted by Islamic State extremists, Baird pledged $10 million to help victims of sexual violence in Syria and Iraq and investigate those crimes and other serious human rights abuses.

“Sexual violence and conflict is a despicable crime that targets the most vulnerable,” Baird said.

But opposition MPs across the aisle were not swayed by the government’s warnings that Islamic State, an Al Qaeda splinter group that has claimed vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, could bring a “tidal wave of fundamentalist rule” to the Middle East.

Instead, Liberal and NDP MPs claimed the government failed to make a compelling case for war and charged that the Conservatives had gone out of their way to keep them in the dark about the mission.

“The prime minister is taking us across the Rubicon by deciding on a combat mission. Once a country makes that decision, there is no turning back the clock,” Liberal MP Marc Garneau said.

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair had sharp words for Harper’s pledge to strike at Islamic State targets in Syria, if the government of President Bashar Assad makes the request.

Mulcair said such a possibility shows a “lack of ethics” and a “lack of rigorous thought” by the Conservatives.

“He is a genocidal maniac, and we should not be giving him any credibility at all,” the NDP leader said of Assad.

Mulcair warned that the United States has been fighting ISIL in one form or another for more than a decade in the region, without success, including the ill-fated invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“When we realize that everything that is unfolding before our eyes is a direct result of the wrong-headed mission in 2003, we know that more bombing is not the answer,” Mulcair said.

“Military force is not our only option.”

But Baird took aim at opposition MPs, who said Canada should contribute in other ways to ease the crisis, such as humanitarian aid, airlifts and medical assistance.

“Sending someone a doctor, lawyer or aid worker is great, but it will not stop the people who are trying to help from getting slaughtered in the first place, or stop this humanitarian crisis from growing,” Baird said.

There have been more than 300 strikes since the air campaign began, but Islamic State fighters are now changing their tactics in response to the attacks. That could make it tougher for Canadian fighter pilots, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. defence department.

“They, not surprisingly, have gotten better at concealment,” Rear Adm. Rear Adm. John Kirby told a briefing.

“Before the airstrikes happened, . . . they pretty much had free rein. They don’t have that free rein anymore, because they know we’re watching from the air,” he said.

Coalition Airstrikes Hit 'Islamic State' Positions West of Kobani
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Fighter jets from the US-led coalition which is fighting the “Islamic State” (IS) terror group was reported today (Tuesday) to have struck Syrian targets close to the Turkish border in support of Kurdish forces struggling for control of the town of Kobani.

A report in the New York Times states that though the fight has been going on in full view of Turkish troops with massed tanks, and cannons pointing toward Syria, they have not as yet opened fire or intervened in any way.

Though the US Central Command did not confirm reports it had received from journalists located near the border, today’s news reports stated that allied warplanes had hit IS positions just to the west of Kobani.

Clinton: Airstrikes 'Critical' But not Sufficient Against ISIS
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;War

Hillary Clinton

Reuters

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday said that military action is "critical" to the U.S.-led fight against the “Islamic State” (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, but is "not sufficient" on its own.

"I think military action is critical. In fact, I would say essential to try to prevent their further advance and their holding of more territory," Clinton told an audience at the Canada 2020 conference in Ottawa, and was quoted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

"Military action alone is not sufficient," Clinton quickly added, describing the fight against Islamic jihadists as "a long-term commitment."

"We have to fight an information war as well as an air war," she said, according to the CBC, noting it was "a very attractive cause for alienated young people" — in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere — who have taken up arms alongside the violent extremists.

"We turn away from it at our peril," she cautioned.

Clinton said she was aware of the debate Canadian politicians were having in Parliament, just a couple blocks away, over Canada's additional contribution to the U.S.-led mission.

"The United States, I'm sure, will welcome and respect whatever level of support Canada decides is appropriate to help meet this shared challenge," said Clinton.

While Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he intends to join American airstrikes on ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq, the move was met by sharp criticism from Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau acknowledged that ISIS is a "threat to regional and global security" in his speech Thursday at the Canada 2020 conference, but added, "Mr. Harper has made no effort to build a non-partisan case for war," claiming a parallel to the 2003 Iraq war he termed the "Iraq fiasco."

Clinton described Canada as "an exceptional partner" in the U.S. effort toward global peace and prosperity.

"As two close friends, we will not always agree on every issue, but the core values that unite us are unshakable," she said.

China's Passive Radar Can Detect U.S. Stealth Fighters: Russian Expert
Oct 7th, 2014
Daily NewsWant China Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

China's DWL002 radar system was shown to the public for the first time in May this year. (Internet photo)

China's DWL002 passive-detection system is capable of directing Chinese air defense systems against enemy stealth fighters, Vassily Kashin, a senior research fellow from the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, told the Voice of Russia on Oct. 1.

China has devoted huge resources to develop radar systems with the capability to intercept aircraft like the US F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters. The DWL002 was revealed to the public for the first time at the Ninth China International Defence Electronics Exhibition in Beijing in May. The system has a range of 500 kilometers and can detect, locate and track air, sea and ground radiation.

The Global Times, a tabloid published under the auspices of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily reported that the DWL002 will be used for air defense and coastal surveillance in complex electromagnetic environments. The passive radar can track all types of aircraft through low-frequency radio waves without pilots knowing they are being observed or targeted. Kashin said moreover that the DWL002 may have been deployed to frontline units already.

The United States and other Western countries discontinued the development of passive-detection radar systems considering them too large and with questionable accuracy. Russia and China however are among the nations to persevere with the technology. The DWL002 system is designed with technology China acquired from Ukraine.