Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Ukraine Fears Return to 'Full - Scale Fighting' As Russia Reinforces Rebels
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsCBC
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A ceasefire agreed by the pro-Russian rebels and government forces more than two months ago is now all but dead, and Western fears of a return to all-out conflict are growing.

U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said the alliance had seen Russian troops and tanks entering Ukraine in the past few days, confirming reports by international observers.

'Let me say very clearly: The only reason why the open war in the east of Ukraine hasn't started yet is because of Ukraine's restraint'- Yuriy Sergeyev, Ukrainian ambassador to the UN

"There is no question any more about Russia's direct military involvement in Ukraine," Breedlove said in Bulgaria.

A Russian Defence Ministry official, Gen.-Maj. Igor Konashenkov, said in Moscow that "there were and are no facts" behind such statements and Russia had given up paying attention to such accusations by NATO.

Security Council meets for 26th time

Just hours after Breedlove commented, the UN Security Council convened its 26th emergency meeting on the conflict in Ukraine and warned of a return to "full-scale fighting" in the coming weeks. 

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told the council that Russia "talks of peace, but it keeps fuelling war." The United States called the emergency meeting.

A convoy of unmarked military vehicles drove through the centre of Donetsk on Nov. 11, 2014. Moscow has denied the vehicles were Russian. (Mstyslav Chernov/Associated Press)

Russia's deputy representative, Alexander Pankin, began his remarks by warning that council meetings should not turn into farces and called the storm of criticism from fellow council members "yet another foray into propaganda with new flourishes."

Ukraine's ambassador, Yuriy Sergeyev, sounded his own warning: "Let me say very clearly: The only reason why the open war in the east of Ukraine hasn't started yet is because of Ukraine's restraint," he said.

'Prepare for military action'

Ukrainian Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak left no doubt that Kyiv was also no longer paying attention to Moscow's denials of providing the rebels with direct military support in the worst diplomatic standoff with the West since the Cold War.

"We are repositioning our armed forces to respond to the actions of the (rebel) fighters," Poltorak told a government meeting in Kyiv. "My main task is to prepare for military action."

He gave no details of the troop movements.

The ceasefire was agreed in the Belarussian capital of Minsk on Sept. 5 after weeks of fierce fighting between government forces and separatists who rebelled in mainly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine against the rule of Kyiv's Western-looking government eight months ago.

The truce has been violated daily, and increasingly since the rebels held what the West and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said were illegitimate leadership elections on Nov. 2. The death toll has passed 4,000 since the truce was agreed, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of sending more troops last week.

Donetsk, one of two rebel strongholds in the east, has experienced the most intensive shelling to date in the conflict within the last several weeks. 

Unidentified convoy, soldiers in Donetsk

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern about what he called a "significant military build-up".

"This is a severe threat to the ceasefire," he said. "I call on Russia to pull back its forces and equipment from Ukraine, and to fully respect the Minsk agreements."

President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of instigating a coup that ousted a Moscow-backed president in Kyiv in February after months of street protests, and of trying to use the crisis to prevent Russia's rise as a global power.

An amoured personnel carrier (APC) rolls on November 12, 2014 on a main road in rebel-territory near the village of Torez, east of Donetsk. A reported build up of military forces sparked the UN Security Council to convene its 26th emergency meeting on Ukraine on Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry by phone that the ceasefire deal must be upheld, rejecting accusations that Moscow is to blame for its collapse.

A Reuters reporter, however, saw unidentified military trucks in the centre of Donetsk on Wednesday, with soldiers in green uniform without insignia standing nearby. Russian soldiers spotted by local residents have often worn no insignia.

Kyiv's fear is that Putin, who annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in March, wants to expand the territory controlled by the separatists with another military push like the one that turned the tide in the rebels' favour in August.

War threatens Ukraine's economy

Moscow denied sending in troops and armour in August but said some Russians may have been there as volunteers during their holidays. A large number of Russian soldiers are among the dead in the conflict.

The prospect of all-out war returning to eastern Ukraine has piled pressure on the country's struggling economy, sending the hryvnia currency plummeting. The cost of insuring exposure to Ukraine's debt hit five-year highs on Wednesday, while its dollar bonds were sold off heavily.

Russia is also suffering an economic downturn aggravated by Western economic sanctions over the conflict, with the rouble falling nearly 30 per cent against the dollar this year.

But Putin has shown no sign of changing policy on Ukraine and the EU has signalled it will not ease sanctions on Russia when it meets to discuss them next week

U.S. Army Denies It is Buying Iron Dome Defense System
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iron Dome near southern Israeli city of Ashdod

Reuters

The United States Army is denying Israeli media reports that it has purchased Iron Dome - the US funded missile-defense system that boasted a 90-percent hit rate in the recent Gaza conflict, Operation Protective Edge.

“News reports about a sale of Iron Dome to the Army aren’t true,” Dov Schwartz of Army Public Affairs told Watchdog.org in an email. “The Army hasn’t purchased Iron Dome.”

Schwartz's statement came in response to a recent Arutz Sheva report, based on information from the Israel Defense website, that the US Army will acquire one Iron Dome Battery to test on their system, before deciding whether or not to purchase more units of the Israeli defense system.  

Arutz Sheva's report also noted that the deal would bring together Israel-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems – the company that developed Iron Dome with financial assistance from the United States – and the American company Raytheon to "develop Iron Dome on American soil.”

Neither company has made a comment on the deal that the Israeli website has confirmed and the US Army is denying. 

Despite their denials, though, the United States has good reason to want such a deal.

According to Rebeccah Heinrichs, a foreign-policy analyst and former manager of the House Missile Defense Caucus, US taxpayers “contributed about $720 million for the Israeli company Rafael to develop the system," not including the additional $225 million congress approved a few days later.

So taxpayers and army officials have a valid reason for wanting the technology for themselves. 

Additionally, while US has other anti-missile and defense system, Heinrichs argues those systems “cannot defend against a Chinese or Russian missile assault. They have more missiles than our system can handle, and Chinese and Russian missiles have countermeasures and decoys specifically designed to fool the US system.”

The deal would also be advantageous for Israel, paving a way for them to offer the system for sale to several other interested countries, such as India, Poland, Ukraine and South Korea.

An additional third-party victor of such a deal could be the Gulf states who wish to acquire Iron Dome technology while still maintaining a semblance of a boycott against Israel.

Indeed, Avnis Patel, a member of the British RUSI research institute, told Arutz Sheva, “Arab and Muslim countries – especially Gulf countries bordering Iran – would primarily benefit from the system, but many do not want to buy Israeli arms.”

Spreading Deflation Across East Asia Threatens Fresh Debt Crisis
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Telegraph
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Asia's currency skirmishes are happening in a region of festering grievances and territorial disputes, with no Nato-style security structure to dampen down fires

 

China has flirted with deflation before: during its banking crisis in the late 1990s, and again during the West's dotcom recession from 2001-2002 Photo: AFP

Spain to Vote on Recognition of 'Palestine'
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Spain (illustration)

Reuters

Spain is following in the footsteps of several other European countries, and its parliament plans to hold a vote next week on a resolution to recognize a Palestinian state, The Associated Press (AP) reported on Thursday.

The non-binding, largely symbolic resolution, presented by the Socialist opposition party, will be debated in parliament on Tuesday, and it appears the governing conservatives will support it.

It would follow moves in other European countries intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict.

British lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on October 13 in favor of a non-binding motion to "recognize the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution".

Sweden announced on October 30 it officially recognized the state of Palestine, a move criticized by Israel and the United States.

France, meanwhile, announced on Wednesday that lawmakers will vote on November 28 on a proposal by the Socialist Party urging the government to recognize Palestine as a state.

The Palestinian Authority estimates that 134 countries have now recognized Palestine as a state, although the number is disputed and several recognitions by what are now European Union member states date back to the Soviet era.

Russia Says Ukrainian Forces Concentrate Along Front Line
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsSputnik News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Let the Headlinews Speak
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Obama Admits ISIS Strategy About Deposing Assad
The new strategy formed by Obama’s national security team ignores the fact al-Assad and the Syrian military represent the only tenable opposition to the Islamic State and other Islamist groups funded and trained by the United States and its partners, most notably Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.  

Australia Monitoring Heavily-Armed Russian Warships Nearing Its Northern Shores Ahead Of G20 Summit
Australia said Wednesday that it is constantly monitoring a convoy of four heavily-armed Russian warships, including at least one powerful missile cruiser, that are approaching its waters to the country’s north. According to the Australian Defence Force, or ADF, the Russian vessels are currently sailing in international waters.  

War on Christmas Takes on Muslim Twist
That's bad news for all you Jews and Gentiles out there. As of next year, all Christian and Jewish holidays will be removed from the calendar. That means no more Christmas, no more Easter and no more Yom Kippur.  

'December surprise' for next presidential race
Rob Richie, executive director of the electoral reform group FairVote, and FairVote democracy fellow Claire Daviss, urged Pennsylvania and Michigan to join the interstate pact to usurp the Electoral College. Their piece was titled “December Surprise? States May Change The Electoral College System Before 2016.”  

IDF Central Command Head Says Unrest Will Get Worse
General Alon cautioned community leaders that the current escalation would get worse, but assured them it would not reach the levels of violence seen in 2000, when the so-called Second Intifada broke out.  

Kerry Meets Abbas in Jordan as Unrest Continues
Kerry met Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan on Thursday for talks aimed at calming a wave of violence gripping Israel.  

OLD SUNSPOT RETURNS
Late last month, the biggest sunspot in nearly 25 years crossed the face of the sun, blasting Earth's upper atmosphere with dozens of solar flares. Its name was AR2192, and now it's back.  

Mali quarantines dozens as second Ebola outbreak spreads in country
More than 90 people including U.N. peacekeepers were quarantined across Mali's capital on Wednesday after a 25-year-old nurse died of Ebola having treated a Guinea man who succumbed with Ebola-like symptoms that were not recognized.  

Earthquake shakes Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas
People reported feeling the ground shake Wednesday afternoon in Rogers, Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Little Rock, Bentonville and East Siloam Springs. The National Weather Service in Tulsa reported an earthquake was felt in its office. There were some reports of damage.  

House, Senate to vote on Keystone XL pipeline
For the first time in the six-year fight over the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, both houses of Congress will hold a vote on the proposed project, giving each side in a Louisiana Senate election a chance to boost its candidate.  

Syrians have 'no escape' from war
Beirut - Syrians are increasingly unable to escape their country's war as tougher policies in potential host nations are preventing them from taking refuge in the region and beyond, a report said Thursday.  

Will Congress kill an Iran nuclear deal? Two key senators warn Obama
Two key senators – one a Republican, one a Democrat – are putting President Obama on notice concerning the nuclear deal his administration is trying to reach with Iran by the end of the month. Either accept only a deal that dismantles – instead of merely stalling – Iran’s nuclear program, the senators say in a statement issued Wednesday, or Congress will push ahead with a new round of tough sanctions on Tehran.  

Congressman: Obama disarming Border Patrol
the Obama administration is disarming agents ahead of the president’s planned executive order granting amnesty to illegal aliens, according to a congressman. Customs officials claim a large number of M4s were being taken from Border Patrol agents because the weapons were found to be unserviceable and posed safety concerns. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, doesn’t buy the claim. “There’s no more reliable weapon in the world,” he laughed.  

Conservatives threaten immigration showdown
"Congress appropriates the money," Sessions told reporters Wednesday. "That's a clear constitutional power. If Congress disapproves of the president providing ID cards for people who've been in the country illegally, then it should not appropriate money to fund it."  

4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Northern Nevada
An earthquake registering a magnitude of 4.1 struck the northwest corner of Nevada near the borders of Oregon and California Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s automated seismograph alert network.  

Earthquake rattles Oklahoma City
An earthquake shook downtown Oklahoma City Wednesday afternoon and possibly stretched as far as Norman and Tulsa.  

4.8-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Parts of Kansas
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake hit a part of Kansas this afternoon near the city of Conway Springs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center. A spokesman for the Sumner County Emergency Management in Kansas told ABC News that he received no reports of major damage.  

Obama seeks review of Syria strategy, sees Assad removal as necessary
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama wants his advisers to review the administration's Syria policy after determining it may not be possible to defeat Islamic State militants without removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.  

U.S. says 'deeply concerned' about Israeli settlement decision
WASHINGTON - The United States said on Wednesday it was "deeply concerned" about an Israeli decision to approve construction of 200 new homes in East Jerusalem.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the decision impeded attempts to reach a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians.  

School Dumps Christmas, Easter
There’s a new battleground in the war on Christmas – the suburbs of our nation’s capital. The school board in Montgomery County, Maryland has decided to appease Muslims families by making the school calendar — religious neutral. That’s bad news for all you Jews and Gentiles out there.  

Iranian general: Palestinians have longer-range missiles
A top Iranian military commander announced Wednesday that Palestinian terrorist groups and Hezbollah received Fateh-class missiles that are able to attack any target in Israel.Tehran has also provided Hezbollah and Hamas with advanced rocket training, Revolutionary Guard Brigadier General Sayed Majid Moussavi said according to the Fars News Agency. If true, this would be the first public revelation by Iran that the Palestinians are in possession of Fateh missiles that have a range of 200 kilometers, according to the Israel Missile Defense Association.  

Collapsing America
I’m sure no one is terribly surprised at the recent revelations that the much-hyped “Affordable” “Care” Act was passed on the basis of lies and deceit. Or as its architect, economist Jonathan Gruber gleefully told a group of health economists, ignorance afforded a political advantage and the bill was passed because of “the stupidity of the American voter  

ISPs: Obama’s ‘Onerous and Possibly Conflicting’ Internet Regs ‘Will Be Especially Ruinous’
Internet Services Providers (ISPs) are denouncing Pres. Obama’s plan to have the FCC turn the Internet into a utility under Title II of an arcane 1934 communications law passed when rotary phones were cutting-edge technology.  

Second Grade Student Asks that Federal Court Protect His Religious Speech this Christmas Season
WEST COVINA, Calif.,—Advocates for Faith & Freedom has filed a request for a preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Wednesday, November 12th 2014. The injunction, if granted, will prohibit the West Covina Unified School District from stopping seven-year-old Isaiah Martinez from passing out candy canes to his classmates with the candy cane legend attached during the Christmas season.  

Israeli gives initial approval for 200 new homes in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM - Israeli authorities gave initial approval on Wednesday for the construction of 200 new homes in an urban settlement in Jerusalem, a move that could aggravate tensions with Palestinians that Washington is trying to lower.  

Israel says won't cooperate with UN Gaza inquiry
Jerusalem - Israel will not cooperate with a United Nations inquiry into its 50-day war with rocket-firing militants in Gaza this summer, a government spokesman said Wednesday.  

Kerry and Netanyahu to Meet in Jordan
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Netanyahu meets Kerry in Jerusalem on March 31, 2014

Flash 90

US Secretary of State John Kerry will hold three-way talks with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II Thursday night to discuss growing unrest in Jerusalem, officials said.

"They will focus on ways to restore calm and de-escalate tensions in Jerusalem," Kerry's deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said. The talks will follow a meeting earlier Thursday between the top US diplomat and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

It came hours after fresh clashes broke out in Jerusalem where Israeli police fired tear gas, percussion bombs and rubber bullets to disperse Arab rioters in the Issawiya neighborhood in northeastern Jerusalem.

Jordan recently pulled its ambassador to Israel over ongoing clashes at the Temple Mount, after Israeli police entered the Al Aqsa mosque to combat armed rioters who had barricaded themselves inside.

Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials have repeatedly assured Jordan that there are no plans to change the "status-quo" - a reference to the ban against Jewish worship on the Temple Mount, which is Judaism's holiest site - as Islamist groups continue to react violently to Jewish visits.

Meanwhile, following a spate of deadly attacks by Palestinian terrorists, Israel's Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich warned more attacks could follow. Indeed, on Wednesday night alone security forces foiled two separate stabbing incidents.

"I assume there will be more attacks and incidents in the near future," Aharonovich told the crowd at the inauguration ceremony of the new Jerusalem District Commander.  
 
"I have noticed though a decrease in the number of incidents. The Temple Mount is the key source of the tension and on the Temple Mount there will be no compromises," the minister stressed.

"We will maintain the status quo - everyone will pay, Jews and Muslims. Muslims on the Temple Mount, Jews at the Western Wall," he concluded.

Sources say the meeting with Netanyahu will also focus on efforts to combat the rise of the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS. Although Israel is not playing any direct role in the anti-ISIS operation in Iraq and Syria, Israeli intelligence services have been providing support.

Jordan is seen as particularly vulnerable to ISIS, with several Jordanian jihadis threatening to return and overthrow the Hashemite royal family. ISIS enjoys significant support in Jordan as well, with thousands turning out at regular rallies supporting the radical Islamist group.

Israel and the US have both reportedly pledged to aid the Jordanian government if the threat materializes.

Jabhat Al - Nusra and ISIS Reach Agreement in Syria
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

“Islamic State” (ISIS) leaders together with those of the  Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra convened last week at a farmhouse in northern Syria to form an agreement on a plan to stop fighting each other and to join forces against their opponents, according to what a high level Syrian opposition official, together with a rebel commander, told to the Associated Press.

An accord between the two could present new challenges in Washington’s strategies against the ISIS.

Islamic State Terrorists Posing As Refugees Being Smuggled Into Western Countries
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Washington Free Beacon
Categories: Today's Headlines;War

According to BuzzFeed writer Mike Giglio, “tens” of ISIS extremists have posed as Syrian refugees to make their way into Europe, where they plan to attack government targets.

These fighters are said to have been smuggled into Europe on boats to such destinations as Greece, Cyprus, and Italy, but have also crossed mainland Turkey and Bulgaria.

Smugglers who are also ISIS sympathizers have helped these fighters mix in with other refugees so as to avoid suspicion.

Giglio interviewed one such smuggler, who was directly approached by an ISIS member and revealed his intention to mount an attack in Europe.

ISIS and Al - Nusra Front Agree to Work Together
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;War;Contemporary Issues

Al-Nusra Front terrorists

Reuters

The leaders of the Islamic State (ISIS) and Syria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, have agreed on a plan to stop fighting each other and work together against their opponents, The Associated Press (AP) reported on Thursday.

A high-level Syrian opposition official and a rebel commander told the news agency that the agreement was made in a gathering at a farm house in northern Syria last week.

Such an accord could present new difficulties for Washington's strategy against ISIS, according to AP. While warplanes from a U.S.-led coalition strike terrorists from the air, the Obama administration has counted on arming "moderate" rebel factions to push them back on the ground.

Those rebels, already considered relatively weak and disorganized, would face far stronger opposition if the two heavy-hitting militant groups now are working together.

ISIS and Al-Nusra Front have fought each other bitterly for more than a year to dominate the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Powerful jihadist rebel groups in Syria, including the Islamic Front and Al-Nusra Front, became locked in fierce fighting with ISIS last January.

The fighting broke out after allegations that ISIS brutally abused civilians and other opposition fighters battling to topple Assad.

Tensions were further exacerbated when Al-Nusra and other rebel factions accused ISIS of killing Islamist Front commander Abu Khaled al-Suri in a suicide car bomb attack in February.

The latest clashes come even after Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the Al-Nusra Front to halt fighting against ISIS.

AP reported late last month on signs that the two groups appear to have curtailed their feud with informal local truces. Their new agreement, according to the sources in rebel groups opposed to both ISIS and Al-Nusra Front, would involve a promise to stop fighting and team up in attacks in some areas of northern Syria.

A U.S. official with access to intelligence about Syria said the American intelligence community has not seen any indications of a shift in the two groups' strategy, but added that he could not rule out tactical deals on the ground.

The official insisted on anonymity because he said he was not authorized to speak publicly about the subject.

Hamas: 'We Have No Faith in Unity Government, We Need Elections'
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A leader of Hamas's political bureau, Khalil al-Haya said today (Thursday) in a press release that the organization has no faith in the Unity Government, according to reports in the Palestinian media. In addition, al-Haya called for general elections to be held as quickly as possible.

"The optimal solution to the situation is to hold elections," al-Haya stated, adding "The Unity Government failed in bringing in the UN and Israel to rebuild the Gaza Strip following the war in the south. The Unity Government, which was formed in early June, was with an understanding between Fatah and Hamas that elections would be held within six months, and then additionally decided to reconstruct the Gaza Strip."

Hamas Threatens Violence Unless Gaza is Rehabilitated
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas terrorists in Gaza

Reuters

The so-called “military wing” of the Hamas terrorist group warned Thursday of renewed violence unless Israel allows the reconstruction of Gaza, AFP reported.

"We are saying to all sides  -- if the siege on Gaza and the obstacles for reconstruction remain, there will be a new explosion," said Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

The United Nations brokered a deal allowing the delivery of construction materials to Gaza by ensuring they will not be diverted by Hamas.

Last week, the UN announced the temporary reconstruction mechanism was to be launched under the auspices of a newly-formed Palestinian unity government.

"We hold the enemy fully responsible for an explosion if the reconstruction does not begin," Abu Obeida said at a rally in Gaza City, warning that "the fight is not over."

Hamas official Khalil al-Haya, also speaking at the rally  attended by dozens of gunmen and around 1,500 people, called for renewed dialogue between his movement and rival faction Fatah.

Hamas and Fatah earlier this year signed a reconciliation deal to end seven years of bitter and at times bloody rivalry, but Fatah leader, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas accused Hamas of trying to destroy unity efforts after a series of bombings last week targeting Fatah property.

Haya, whose movement has denied any link to the blasts, urged Abbas not to use the attacks as "a means to evade reconciliation" and called on Fatah "to return to a partner-based dialogue."

The instance marks yet another crack in the facade of the Hamas-Fatah "unity government," which has been slowly crumbling over the past several months - despite recent efforts to present a "united front" to the international community. 

The IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) several months ago exposed a large-scale coup had been planned by Hamas in Judea and Samaria to overthrow the PA and Abbas's Fatah party, under orders given from Hamas officials abroad. 

Since then, Hamas has also refused the PA's demands that it let it supervise rebuilding in Gaza - furthering sowing discord between the two factions. It was also Fatah who exposed Hamas's human trafficking operation of Gaza residents to Europe in October.

Hagel: U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS will Intensify
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;War

US Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, today (Thursday) said that the US-led airstrikes against the “Islamic State” will only intensify as Iraqi ground forces become more proficient and effective, Reuters reported.

At a hearing of the House of Representatives, Hagel where Hagel was defending  US strategy, he commented, "As Iraqi forces build strength, the tempo and intensity of our coalition's air campaign will accelerate in tandem."

France: Questions Remain About Iran's Nuclear Program
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Laurent Fabius

Reuters

France said on Thursday that important questions still needed to be resolved regarding Iran's nuclear program but that it hoped to reach an agreement by the November 24 deadline that was imposed by Iran and the six world powers.

"I hope that we will be able to achieve an agreement but there are still key questions to resolve," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said at a news conference with Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni, according to the Reuters news agency.

"I can't make any predictions at this time. I think it will only be on the day of the 24th that we'll be able to make an assessment," Fabius said.

He added that he was setting aside a couple of days and nights to go to Vienna if needed for the end of the Iran talks, which are due to run from November 18 to 24.

The negotiations are aimed at turning an interim deal which was signed last year into a permanent accord.

Despite assurances it is confident of reaching a deal on November 24, Iran, has been toughening its stance in recent weeks. Iran’s chief negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, recently said he sees no prospect for a deal unless the other side abandons its “illogical excessive demands”.

A senior Iranian official followed those comments by declaring that Iran will demand that all Western sanctions be lifted as part of a final deal, rejecting an American proposal of a gradual lifting of sanctions.

U.S. President Barack Obama admitted on Sunday that there was a “big gap” between Iran and the six world powers, telling CBS News, “We may not be able to get there”.

Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart met for two days of talks this week in Oman, but Araqchi later said there was no progress in the talks.

Big Banks are Fined $4.25 Billion in Inquiry Into Currency - Rigging
Nov 13th, 2014
Daily NewsThe New York Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Members of the Financial Conduct Authority at a news conference in London on Wednesday, when some of the world’s biggest banks were fined.

Updated, 9:11 p.m. | The traders called themselves “the players” and “the three musketeers” as they joined forces and shared information to “double team” their clients and manipulate currency rates.

“He’s sat back in his chair … announcing to desk …that’s why I got the bonus pool,” said one trader to a rival after they colluded on a rate, earning, according to regulators, a profit of $513,000 on the trade.

Citing chat room messages like these, replete with typos, jargon and vulgarities, United States, British and Swiss regulators on Wednesday fined some of the world’s biggest banks a combined $4.25 billion, accusing them of conspiring to manipulate the foreign currency markets.

The fines pose no risk to the health of the banks that settled — UBS, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland — nor were any traders or executives charged with wrongdoing. And yet the settlements on Wednesday closed only the first chapter of what is shaping up to be a more damaging story for the banks.

The Justice Department is investigating criminal misconduct by banks and their employees, people briefed on the matter said, an inquiry that appeared to heat up this month when JPMorgan Chase’s lawyers met with prosecutors in Washington to open discussions about the case. Citigroup is also expected to have a preliminary meeting with prosecutors in the coming weeks, the people said. And Barclays, which withdrew from Wednesday’s settlement at the last minute over concerns that it would resolve only a fraction of their liabilities in the case, has a meeting scheduled for later this month.

While settlement talks are not on the agenda — and any potential punishments, including guilty pleas and big fines, are likely to wait until next year — the meetings signal a new stage of the investigation. The meetings also provide an opportunity for the Federal Reserve and Department of Financial Services in New York, two regulators that sat out Wednesday’s deal, to join the meetings and extract their own huge penalties for currency manipulation.

The currency case is the latest scandal to threaten the integrity of the markets, an epilogue to the billions of dollars in payouts for abuses in interest rates benchmarks, mortgages and other markets. But with about $5.3 trillion traded every day, the market for the world’s currencies is the biggest and the most interwoven one of them all.

On Wednesday, the Financial Conduct Authority of Britain said that it had reached a settlement worth a combined 1.1 billion pounds, or more than $1.7 billion, with five banks: UBS of Switzerland, HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland of Britain, and JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup. The British regulator said that it would not pursue any institution other than Barclays over foreign exchange abuses.

“The banks’ failures to establish adequate systems and controls are what allowed the traders to manipulate the fixed rate across the world’s largest currencies,” Martin Wheatley, the chief executive of the British regulator, said on Wednesday. “And, failings, like this, seriously undermine confidence in the market and undermine the attempts to genuinely reform the banking culture.”

“I don’t want to sit here, frankly, in two years’ time or three years’ time with another press conference with another major failing in the market. The industry needs to get it right and needs to get it right quickly.”

The Swiss bank UBS; the British lenders HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland; and the American banks JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.Credit Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Many of the banks have already made changes. About 30 traders have been suspended or fired following internal inquiries. Several of those traders could face individual charges.

In the United States, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission imposed $1.4 billion in penalties against Citigroup, HSBC, JPMorgan, R.B.S. and UBS. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency fined Citigroup, JPMorgan and Bank of America a combined $950 million for what it said were “unsafe and unsound practices” in their currency trading businesses. And regulators in Switzerland penalized UBS about $138 million.

The Financial Conduct Authority accused the lenders of failing to have proper controls in place to prevent misconduct in the trading of currencies of the so-called Group of 10 nations, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission accused traders at the banks of trying to more broadly manipulate foreign exchange benchmark rates. The settlement with the trading commission is the first large enforcement action under its new chairman, Timothy G. Massad, and its enforcement director, Aitan D. Goelman.

Many of the banks had signaled in recent weeks that a settlement was coming, with several setting aside money for fines and other charges, or revising their third-quarter results to reflect the impact of a potential deal.

The documents that the American and British regulators released on Wednesday offered a rare glimpse at a brash culture of rampant profit-seeking in the foreign exchange market.

They show traders forming groups at the banks with names like “the players,” “the three musketeers,” “one team, one dream,” “a cooperative” and “the A-team.” Using code names to identify clients, the groups shared private information about clients including pension funds, hedge funds and big asset management firms.

One document showed a conversation among three traders — at JPMorgan, Citibank and UBS — discussing whether to let a fourth into their group. “Will he tell rest of desk stuff,” asked one trader, indicating concern about whether the new participant could be trusted.

Another answered that it was a good question because they did not want “other numpty’s in mkt to know.”

In another example, the F.C.A. said that a Citigroup trader was able to generate a profit of $99,000 for the firm by colluding with other brokers and engaging in a series of trades over a period of 33 seconds ahead of a daily setting, known as the fix, for the euro against the United States dollar.

The regulator said the trader manipulated the 1:15 p.m. fix for euros to dollars as determined by the European Central Bank, by seeking out other traders who were planning to trade in the same direction and building a large book of orders to influence the price, a process known in trader speak as “giving you the ammo” or “building.”

Citigroup was then able to profit by pushing the price at the fix higher than the average price it had paid throughout the day for euros in the open market, the F.C.A. said.

In this example, several firms agreed to transfer their buy orders to Citigroup, so that the trader could put in a large series of orders ahead of the fix, according to the British regulator. One trader at another firm also matched his net sell orders with buy orders from another trader in the chat room, avoiding a conflict with the Citi trader’s plans.

The trader told the Citigroup trader in the chat room, “u shud be nice and clear to mangle,” or manipulate the fix.

Bank Fines for Currency Manipulation, in Millions

In a 33-second period ahead of the fix that day, the Citigroup trader placed four orders for €575 million, all above the prevailing market rate, the regulator said. Citigroup ultimately accounted for 73 percent of the purchases ahead of the fix, driving the prevailing rate up, the British regulator said.

The banks on Wednesday condemned the activity highlighted in the settlements.

A Citigroup spokesman said that the bank had acted quickly after becoming aware of the issues and that it had already made changes to guard against improper behavior.

In a conference call with reporters, Ross McEwan, chief executive at R.B.S. said “we are very angry about this situation.” A JPMorgan spokeswoman called the trader conduct described in the settlements as “unacceptable” and said the bank was continually improving systems and controls.

“Today’s resolutions are an important step in our transformation process and towards closing this industrywide matter for UBS,” said Sergio P. Ermotti, the Swiss bank’s chief executive.

HSBC said it did “not tolerate improper conduct, and will take whatever action is appropriate.”