Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Will Google Robot Ultimately Defy the Word of God?
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsCharisma News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Technicians put Google's Atlas robot through its paces. (CharismaNews file)

Google's humanoid robot, Atlas, is wowing techies everywhere with its new moves—able to flex its virtual muscles in sync better than even some humans can.

That might not seem like a groundbreaking advance to most, but the technology, programming, algorithms and software necessary to make a robot move just like a human definitely have scientific, technological and ethical implications.

Last year, IHMC Robotics, one of the groups using Atlas at the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge, came in second by proving the robot could accomplish many of the same tasks as first responders in emergencies and disasters. Many think IHMC could place first this year with its new advancements for Atlas, which include performing the very difficult "Crane Kick" featured in the movie The Karate Kid.

Dr. Richard Land, President of Southern Evangelical Seminary, says the recent advancements in robotics raise several ethical concerns, such as the use of robots in the military. For example, projects submitted for the DARPA contest could eventually be used by the U.S. Armed Forces.

"That God has given man intelligence to create and advance these technological wonders is certainly a blessing. But we must be mindful of the power that technology can exert over our everyday lives. Here at Southern Evangelical Seminary, we're researching the ethics of robotics, asking questions about whether robots can do the important jobs of humans, whether they are equipped for human touch and human care, and if relying on robots to do our work is ethical," he said.

"For example, humans regularly make moral determinations in carrying out tasks. With whose 'morality' will robots be programmed? These are questions that deserve answers, and our faculty and students are delving into these considerations from the basis of God's eternal and unchanging truth."

Last winter, SES unveiled its own NAO humanoid robot, D.A.V.I.D.—"Digitally Advanced Virtual Intelligence Device"—which features face, object and speech recognition, text-to-speech capabilities in seven languages and whole body motion. D.A.V.I.D. is being used by faculty and students on the SES campus to explore the ethical questions surrounding the use of technology in our everyday lives.

Dr. Kevin Staley, associate professor of Theology, who is leading the research, is an expert in the application of a biblical worldview to moral issues involving advanced technologies. Specifically, his specialty lies in investigating the ethical issues that surround robotics, artificial intelligence and human enhancement technologies.

"Today, technology plays such a crucial role in our everyday lives that we can't help but consider how it will affect how we make decisions, how we handle ethical dilemmas and how we interact with others on a daily basis," said Staley, who wrote his thesis on the topic of "Imago Dei in Machina? A Theological Reflection on the Ethics of Man and Machine in Communion." 

"We are finding that there are technological influences on daily interactions that they never considered before. For example, is it ethical to allow our electronic devices, from our phones to our tablets, to make decisions for us, interact for us and do work for us? Likewise, is it ethical for robots to perform the tasks once assigned to human beings, and if so, how far should we allow those robots to go?"

U.S. Congressman Introduces Legislation to Stop Funding of PA, UNWRA
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Congressman Steve Stockman Tuesday introduced legislation to stabilize the Middle East by terminating US funding to certain Palestinian and United Nations groups, expressing US support for greater Israeli control over its territories. Under the “Right of Return Act”, the US would cease funding the Palestinian Authority, as well as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), whose facilities have been used to launch rocket attacks on Israel.

According to the proposed legislation, the State Department would also call for Israel to be allowed to extend its sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, and for the Arab residents currently residing in those areas to be repatriated and granted citizenship in Jordan, The bill, number H.R.5734, has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Three French Isis Jihadis Burn Their Passports and Urge Others to Poison Non - Believers Food
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsMail Online
Categories: Today's Headlines;Today's Headlines

They urge Muslims to slay non-believers at home if they can't travel to Iraq The men claim ISIS has weapons and cars in France - and a list of targets  They call on French Muslims to attack 'the enemies of Allah' with poison The video also said pregnant women were moving to Syria and Iraq  One of the fighters is seen holding a US-made assault rifle 

In the seven-minute long video, the men symbolically burn their French passports. They appear bearded and without masks, clutching assault rifles and long-bladed knives.

Addressing the camera in French, one of the jihadis exhorts French Muslims to fight unbelievers at home in France if they are unable to travel to Iraq or Syria, saying they have 'cars and weapons available'. The video says it is also possible to kill using poison in either water or food.

Three French jihadis burned their passports in the latest ISIS propaganda video released on the internet

The first unmasked terrorist, described as Abu Osama al-Faranci, addressed the camera holding a rifle

His comrade Abu Maryam al-Faranci, warned the people of France he would cut off their heads 

The video, which has high production values, is subtitled in both Arabic and English.  

The burning of a passport is a common ritual ceremony practiced by new foreign fighters who have left their homelands and travelled to fight for ISIS. It is seen as a sign of loyalty to the group and a renouncement of their nationality and old identity.

Thousands of foreigners are believed to have travelled Iraq and Syria to join ISIS, the militant group also known as Islamic State that has captured a huge area along the borders of the two nations and is imposing brutal rule.

Military forces fighting the militants are being supported by bombing raids by British, US, French and other countries forces. ISIS regularly issues chilling videos showing beheadings of captured prisoners, foreign aid workers and journalists and other atrocities. The videos condemn governments and urge Muslims to follow their extreme version of the religion.

The latest video opens with a masked fighter speaking in fluent French, praising the Muslims who have travelled to Syria and Iraq and denounced the Western ideas of democracy and nationalism.

The camera shows a small group of ISIS fighters standing in a circle around a fire. They smile as they throw their passports into the fire.

Some of the men take their time to slowly place their passport in the fire, while others simply throw their identity documents into the flames. Only four don’t have their faces covered with a scarf.

The French speaking masked fighter declares: 'You have oppressed us, fought our religion and insulted our Prophet (peace be upon him.) And today, we disbelieve in you and your passports, and if you come here we will fight you.'

French ISIS militants BURN their passports on camera

Abu Salman al-Faranci, centre, warned that people living in France were not safe from ISIS

He urged French Muslims to poison the water and food 'of at least one of the enemies of Allah' 

The group are then shown sitting down, with the three unmasked French men positioned in the middle.

The three French men take it in turns to urge Muslims in France to travel to Syria and Iraq and fight for ISIS.

According the video, which was released by the ISIS propaganda unit Al Hayat Media Center, the men are called Abu Osama al-Faranci, Abu Maryam al-Faranci and Abu Salman al-Faranci.

Abu Osama al-Firanci declares that jihad is 'the path of Allah' and questions why all French Muslims haven’t joined ISIS.

'What are you waiting for?' he says. 'Why do you not perform Hijra? How do you accept to work in the land of Kufr (disbelievers) when Allah has opened a door for you to perform the best of deeds.'

He continues to berate French Muslims for paying taxes and strengthening the economy, insisting the French government use the money to 'fight us, and kill our sisters, our women and our children'.

He urges Muslims to leave France, warning that 'a day may come when the borders will be closed and you will be left only with tears and regret'.

He goes on to praise the French nationals who have travelled to Syria, particularly the pregnant women who have made the dangerous journey. He added: 'The road is easy so there are no excuses for you.'

He even claimed they should 'kill them and spit in their faces and run over them with your cars'

He warned that ISIS had weapons and cars available in France along with potential targets 'ready to be hit'

Another French speaker, Abu Maryam al-Faranci, holding a large sword and an AK-47 assault rifle, boasts that ISIS fighters 'will not hesitate to cut your heads' if the French government keeps bombing Iraq and Syria. He warns that French civilians 'will even fear travelling to the market'.

Abu Maryam calls on French Muslims to wage jihad. He refers to the banning of the niqab in France, declaring 'What are you waiting for? Do you not look around you?'

He claims the Islamic State is 'ruled by the Shariah of Allah and gives every Muslim his due rights.'

The final French fighter, referred to as Abu Salman al-Faransi, urged any French Muslim who cannot travel to Syria to wage jihad at home.

Abu Salman says Muslims in France should target civilians on the streets and to use any means possible to cause maximum suffering.

'Terrorise them and do not allow them to sleep due to fear and horror. There are weapons and cars available and targets ready to be hit. Even poison is available, so poison the water and food of at least one of the enemies of Allah,' he says.

He said: 'Kill them and spit in their faces and run over them with your cars. Do whatever you are able to do in order to humiliate them, for they deserve only this.' 

He ends the video by ordering women and children to come and live under Islamic State, vowing there will be 'generations who will fight you O crusaders.'

One of the fighters in the video is seen brandishing a US-made AR-15 assault rifle. 

The video comes just days after a two French nationals were shown on video taking part in a mass systematic execution of 18 Syrian air force soldiers at an unknown site believed to be in the swathe of territory in northern Iraq and Syria captured by ISIS militants.

Police Seize Massive Weapons Shipment Headed for Jerusalem
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Israeli police seized a massive shipment of firecrackers, swords, tasers and other weapons at Ashdod port Thursday - a potentially deadly arsenal which was set to be delivered to Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

Two containers intercepted by authorities at the southern port were packed with 18,000 fireworks, 5,200 commando knives, 5,500 tasers, 4,300 tasers concealed in flashlights, 1,000 swords and several thousand other "cold" weapons.

The lethal cargo was hidden under a layer of Christmas decorations, and had been shipped in all the way from China.

The weapons were in all likelihood destined to be used against police and Jewish residents of Jerusalem by Arab extremists, who have been rioting and carrying out a series of deadly attacks since the summer. Fireworks in particular have become a weapon of choice among Arab rioters, prompting a controversial decision to temporarily ban the importation of certain types of fireworks.

Several suspects, including a number of residents of northern Israel, have been arrested in connection with the shipment.

Police say it is the largest such seizure of weaponry in recent memory.

Open Rebellion: Chaos If Republicans Dont Withhold Funding for Obama Executive Amnesty
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsBreitbart
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

They warn that chaos is around the corner if that’s how it goes down, even though they’d much rather have Republican leaders fight the president alongside them.

“Fight or be complicit in lawlessness,” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told Breitbart News, is the message to congressional GOP leaders on Obama’s amnesty.

If Republicans move forward with the plan from House Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) to fund the entire government—including Obama’s executive amnesty, which the president is set to announce on Thursday night—in an omnibus spending bill, a Senate GOP aide told Breitbart News conservatives will spread chaos across Washington.

“If Obama announces executive amnesty and the House passes an omnibus with no language blocking it, there will be no Senate vote, because conservatives will burn down the Capitol,” the aide said. When asked to clarify if he was serious they’d burn the building to the ground—or if he was speaking metaphorically—the aide said “open rebellion.”

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), one of many Republicans conference-wide who will be helping lead the charge to force Boehner to stop Obama, told Breitbart News that Republicans must stand and fight—and that they can and must win.

“Even though around three-quarters of voters this year opposed the idea of executive amnesty, President Obama is apparently going to announce his new royal amnesty decree before going to Las Vegas to promote it,” Gohmert said, adding:

Perhaps ‘Caesar’s Palace’ is an appropriate venue for the American Caesar’s regal proclamation that gambles away jobs for Americans. As an equal branch of government where legislation must originate, Congress must either fight it or we will be complicit in this amnesty as royal subjects and the democratic republic will be gone. Now is the time that Republicans need to stand strong for the principles for which the majority of American voters sent them to Washington. Dissatisfaction with the White House and Senate over amnesty issues was a significant reason the American people added Republican seats in the House and Republican control of the Senate. Congress must protect the Constitution and the American public from such a decree from Mt. Olympus that declares a state of lawlessness in America.

Elsewhere, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) wrote for Politico that Obama is “not a monarch” and Congress can’t allow him to succeed:

The Constitution designs a system of checks and balances for our nation, and executive amnesty for immigrants here illegally unilaterally decreed from the White House would seriously undermine the rule of law. Our founders repeatedly warned about the dangers of unlimited power within the executive branch; Congress should heed those words as the President threatens to grant amnesty to millions of people who have come to our country illegally.

Incoming Senate Budget Committee chairman Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said that Congress should fund the government while blocking funding for this “unconstitutional” act by Obama:

President Obama previously said he could not issue an executive amnesty because ‘I’m the President of the United States, I’m not the emperor of the United States. My job is to execute laws that are passed.’ Well, apparently we now have an ‘Emperor of the United States.’ President Obama’s immigration order would provide illegal immigrants with the exact benefits Congress has repeatedly rejected: Social Security numbers, photo IDs and work permits—which will allow them to now take jobs directly from struggling Americans in every occupation. Congress must not allow this unconstitutional action. That means Congress should fund the government while ensuring that no funds can be spent on this unlawful purpose.

George Rasley, the editor of Viguerie’s ConservativeHQ, told Breitbart News Republicans have a mandate from the voters to stop Obama.

“Obama’s extra-constitutional attempt to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens flies in the face of the results of the 2014 wave,” Rasley said. “If the Nov. 4 election was a demand for anything, it was a demand by grassroots American voters for a return to constitutional government.”

Heritage Action spokesman Dan Holler told Breitbart News that any long-term funding bill is a “blank check” for Obama’s amnesty.

“Heritage Action welcomes creative thinking from congressional Republicans so long as creativity is not a synonym for inaction or delay,” Holler said. “Congress must use every tool at their disposal to block the President’s executive amnesty. A long-term funding bill is little more than a blank check for amnesty.”

Glyn Wright, the executive director of Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum, told Breitbart News that since immigration is such an important issue Republicans need to fight this and block Obama. “Immigration is the issue that defines all other issues, and the American people know it,” Wright said. “That’s why the President waited until after the midterm elections to take this action, and why voters gave the GOP a historical majority in the House and control of the Senate. If the Republicans want to be seen as viable and worthy of the power they have been given, they must stop this unprecedented and lawless act.”

Schlafly herself added that Obama is offending Americans with the executive order.

“Every action Obama is taking on amnesty is illegal, unconstitutional and offensive to the majority of the American voters,” Schlafly said.

A letter being circulated around the conservative movement and sent to all Republican members of Congress—signed by top conservative luminaries, including Ronald Reagan’s Attorney General Ed Meese, former Rep. David McIntosh, and more—calls on Republicans to use the power of the purse to block Obama’s amnesty. Other signers of the letter include Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, ForAmerica chairman Brent Bozell, RedState’s Erick Erickson, Marjorie Dannenfelser of Susan B. Anthony List, former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli of the Senate Conservatives Fund, Tea Party Patriots’ Jenny Beth Martin, Let Freedom Ring’s Colin Hanna, Eagle Forum’s Phyllis Schlafly, ConservativeHQ’s Richard Viguerie, Conservative Leadership PAC’s Morton Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, former Reagan advisers Becky Norton Dunlop and Kenneth Cribb, Jr., Al Regnery, former Rep. Bob McEwen, and others.

“Passage of a long term Continuing Resolution (CR) would rob newly elected members of the ability to begin making spending decisions and would remove a key leverage point they will have with President Obama to further pursue our agenda,” they write.

“Conservatives will be watching these next few weeks very closely,” they add. “We urge you to begin earning the trust placed in you by passing a short term CR, stopping President Obama’s planned executive amnesty, going home, and returning in January to pursue the agenda that the American people sent you here to enact.”

Blackwell, the former Ohio Secretary of State, and others from that group have drafted a one-page resolution they hope the House will pass this week condemning Obama’s amnesty plans.

The Concurrent Resolution Of Congress they are pushing for a vote on cites Article I, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution which reads: “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.” The resolution reads:

And whereas it is the Constitutional right and duty of the Congress of the United States to exercise vigilance in protecting this sovereign legislative power from any encroachments by other branches of government or any other source whatsoever; And whereas Barack Obama, the President of the United States, may issue a purported Executive Order that has the effect of changing the law and policy of the United States relative to the status of millions of illegal aliens currently residing within the United States; And whereas his argument that he must act because the Congress has not acted regarding the status has no valid standing in law under the Constitution.

The resolution concludes by saying that Congress considers whatever executive action about to be taken “null and void.”

“It is the sense of Congress that this purported Executive Order is a usurpation of the legislative power vested solely in the Congress of the United States and, as such, is null and void,” the resolution says. “And be it further resolved that the Congress of the United States will use all of its Constitutional powers, particularly the power of the purse, to prevent the implementation of the provisions of said Executive Order.”

Gaston Mooney, the executive director of the Conservative Review, told Breitbart News that when Obama does the executive order, Republicans should not allow a single dime of taxpayer money to be spent implementing it.

“Republicans campaigned and overwhelmingly won on the promise to stop Obama’s agenda; now we will see whether or not they will make good on that promise or if they try and propose a bait and switch, hoping the American people won’t notice,” Mooney said in an email. “Stopping Obama’s lawless amnesty starts first with Republicans standing up.”

The three things Conservative Review is working to ensure happen are that Republicans use the upcoming budget fight—and they believe that there shouldn’t even be a short-term continuing resolution that funds the executive amnesty until the newly elected Senate GOP majority takes over—to stop him, that they block his judicial nominations and they fight him from governorships across the country.

Conservatives are making headway in this battle to get Republicans to fight Obama over this. On Wednesday, Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Mike McCaul (R-TX)—the chairmen, respectively, of the House Judiciary and House Homeland Security committees—wrote to Obama promising Republicans will use every power they have to stop this if he goes through with it. They write:

Instead of proceeding with ill-advised executive action, we implore you to work with Congress to enact legislation to address our broken immigration system. We strongly urge you to respect the Constitution and abandon any unconstitutional, unilateral executive actions on immigration. Let’s secure the border, enforce our immigration laws in the interior of the United States, and build a broad consensus for immigration reform. Otherwise, as the chairmen of the committees with oversight over border security and our nation’s immigration laws, we will be forced to use the tools afforded to Congress by the Constitution to stop your administration from successfully carrying out your plan.

McConnell has said that “it’s always appropriate” for Congress “use the power of the purse.” He adds he expects House Republicans to soon deliver a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government until early next year when his Senate Republicans take over.

“Yeah, we expect the House to go first,” McConnell said. “And I anticipate supporting whatever the House sends over. And so, I think we’re going to wait and see how the House handles this…But our goal is to fund the government.”

Even Boehner has gotten a bit tougher with his rhetoric, though he’s still not committing to using all options–such as blocking funding—to stop Obama.

“If ‘Emperor Obama’ ignores the American people and announces an amnesty plan that he himself has said over and over again exceeds his Constitutional authority, he will cement his legacy of lawlessness and ruin the chances for Congressional action on this issue – and many others,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in an email to reporters on Wednesday that circulated a post on the Speaker’s website that references 22 separate times Obama himself said he doesn’t have the authority to do this.

MK Hotovely: Our Flag Flies Throughout Israel, Including Sakhnin
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Deputy Minister of Transportation Tzipi Hotovely turned to Minister of Culture and Sport Limor Livnat with the demand that respect for all national symbols be shown in every sports stadium in Israel, including Sakhnin.

"B'nei Sakhnin's refusal the Israeli flag to be displayed at their soccer games indicates yet another rift with Israeli Arabs, who see the displaying of an Israeli flag as a political act and cannot live under it, and they are unworthy of having Israeli citizenship," Hotovely said.

Let the Headlines Speak
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

'The Muslims Don't Understand - We Don't Want Al-Aqsa'
Ramat Gan Chief Rabbi explains Al-Aqsa Mosque is outside the Temple boundaries, but Islam's focus on force prevents coexistence.  

New ISIS Video Released Showing French Jihadists Burning Passports, Calling For Terror In France
A new video released by the Islamic State group shows four foreign fighters, purportedly from France, burning French passports and urging fellow citizens to inflict terror at home. Earlier in the week, France identified two of its citizens featured in a video showing the execution of U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig and several Syrian soldiers.  

Sheriffs against amnesty to march on Washington
The Dec. 10 rally in Washington, D.C., is being organized by two sheriffs from Massachusetts – Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson and Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald. They have challenged America’s other sheriffs, asking for at least 200 of them to join in paying a visit to the Capitol to make a stand against amnesty and plead for Congress and the president to secure the border.  

Futures drop as weak China, Europe data spurs growth worries
U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday as concerns over global growth reemerged after weak business data out of the euro zone and a loss of momentum in Chinese factories.  

Bill to have all Russians fingerprinted and DNA profiled submitted to parliament
MPs from the populist nationalist party LDPR have prepared and drafted a motion requiring universal fingerprinting and DNA profiling of all Russian citizens for reasons of security.  

Internet giants gather for world conference
China's first World Internet Conference opened Wednesday in the ancient town of Wuzhen in Zhejiang Province, bringing together top Chinese Internet executives to discuss where the Internet is heading, how it shapes people's lives and how to better manage the Internet.  

Senior diplomat: Ukraine peace outlook is bleak
Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group that includes senior representatives from Ukraine and Russia, said there was no alternative to peace accords signed in Minsk in September, no matter how dire the situation.  

Second earthquake in 10 days hits near Malta
A minor earthquake has been registered to the west of Malta and Gozo yesterday just after 1pm. This was the second earthquake to hit in the vicinity of Malta, 10 days after one was registered in the channel between Malta and Sicily.  

Magnitude 4.6 Earthquake near Salinas
This earthquake is expected to have a low humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.  

Aide: Obama open to limits in war authorization
The Obama administration is open to limits on the duration of its military efforts in Iraq and Syria and on the potential use of ground forces in a new war authorization against the Islamic State, a top presidential adviser said Wednesday. Tony Blinken, currently President Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser, said discussions would continue with Congress on updating the legal basis for the U.S. intervention.  

CME IMPACT EXPECTED
A CME is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field today.  

‘Open Rebellion’: Chaos if Republicans Don’t Withhold Funding for Obama Executive Amnesty
“If Obama announces executive amnesty and the House passes an omnibus with no language blocking it, there will be no Senate vote, because conservatives will burn down the Capitol,” the aide said. When asked to clarify if he was serious they’d burn the building to the ground—or if he was speaking metaphorically—the aide said “open rebellion.”  

Earthquakes recorded in northwest Oklahoma
More earthquakes have been recorded in northwest Oklahoma.  

Earthquake hits northern Japan, no tsunami warning issued
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 hit northern Japan on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said. A tsunami warning was not issued after the quake, which struck off the cost of Fukushima prefecture, NHK said.  

Rich countries to discuss Green Climate Fund in Berlin
Rich countries are set to meet in Berlin to pledge cash to smooth the way for a global climate change deal. The Green Climate Fund is designed to help poor nations adapt to climate extremes like droughts and floods and to buy low-carbon energy sources. Rich nations previously vowed that by 2020, developing countries would get $100bn (£64bn) a year from such a fund.  

Northern US braced for more snowstorms after seven die
Another 3ft (1m) of snow is expected to hit parts of north-eastern US after a massive snowstorm left at least seven dead in New York state on Wednesday. Weather-related deaths were also reported in New Hampshire and Michigan. Parts of the city of Buffalo are already under 5ft of snow. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the snowstorm a "historic event".  

Supra-national border guard system on EU radar
The European Commission is looking into long-term plans to create an entirely new EU border guard service with an independent command and control centre. While details are scant, a EU source said setting up such a supra-national border agency that goes beyond the remit of the current EU border agency Frontex would be twenty years in the making.  

IDF identifies four rocket launch tests from Gaza into sea in past 24 hours
The IDF said it identified on Thursday morning a rocket launch from the central Gaza Strip into the Mediterranean Sea. This was the fourth such launch from the coastal territory in the past day the IDF spokesperson said. The army said that the launches suggest that "Gaza terrorists are experimenting in order to increase rocket launching capabilities."  

Utah revives plan for executions by firing squad
Ten years after banning the use of firing squads in state executions, Utah lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a proposal to allow the practice again to avoid problems with lethal-injection drugs.  

Egypt radio bans popular singer Hamza Namira for 'critical' songs
Egyptian state radio has banned the songs of popular singer Hamza Namira from its airwaves, officials say, because they criticise the authorities. Human rights activists have denounced the move as part of a systematic campaign to stifle dissent.  

New Kurdish offensive targets Islamic State
Kurdish forces, backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, launched a new offensive Wednesday targeting the Islamic State in areas of Iraq that the extremist group captured in the summer.  

Epic snowstorm on track to set a record in Buffalo
Buffalo's first snowstorm of the season could give the area a year's worth of snow — around 8 feet — in just three days. More than 5 feet of snow was already on the ground Wednesday, and another round of lake-effect snow is forecast to bring an additional 3 feet of snow to the Buffalo area on Thursday and Friday. The average snowfall for an entire year: 93.6 inches, or close to 8 feet.  

Indonesia, New Zealand and the US: Earthquakes 13-19 November 2014
For some reason — almost certainly nothing more sinister than statistical variation — the United States Geological Survey’s real time earthquake map showed an unusually high number of earthquakes in the week of 13-19 November 2014.  

Ruble's Collapse Inflicts Sticker Shock on Ordinary Russians
While President Vladimir Putin boasts of how his government has been cautious about spending its foreign reserves to defend the ruble, the decision not to pursue a more active approach is adding to the inflation surge that's throttling the Russian economy.  

Iran, US go face-to-face in crunch nuclear talks
Iran and the US held one-on-one talks Wednesday as a deadline loomed to reach a mammoth nuclear deal, seeking common ground on the two crucial remaining issues: uranium enrichment and sanctions relief.  

Israeli Envoy Says Deal on Table Allows Iran to Retain Nuclear Capability.
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Demonstrators protest against Iran's regime opposite Coburg Palace, the venue of talks on Iran's disputed nuclear programm in Vienna November 19, 2014..

WASHINGTON – World powers are waiting for Iran to respond to a proposed deal on its nuclear program requiring more concessions than Tehran has accepted so far, and fewer than those sought by Israel.

But just five days away from a self-imposed deadline on negotiations, Iranian officials continued to pour water over the prospect of dismantling much, if any, of its nuclear infrastructure.

Western powers accuse Iran of building a nuclear program far beyond its stated civilian purposes.

“Reaching a deal depends on the political will of the other side,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the country’s state-run news agency, IRNA.

Iran would resist Western pressure to make what it considers to be excessive concessions in the talks for a comprehensive deal, the report said. And, after nearly a year of negotiating, it also remains unclear whether any deal reached by diplomats based in Vienna will be accepted by the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“We all knew that tough decisions – the toughest decisions – would not be taken till the end,” one senior Obama administration official said this week. “And that is likely to be the case, if they can be taken at all.”

From London, after hosting US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the progress of talks, British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond suggested the deadline might be met with an agreement.

“I believe a deal can be done,” Hammond said. “But we will not do a bad deal. These negotiations are extremely tough, and Iran needs to show more flexibility if we are to succeed.”

Standing beside Hammond, Kerry said the parties, including the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany, faced a “critical week” ahead.

An interim deal agreed upon last year, and set in motion in January of 2014, grants the parties a year to negotiate. An extension of the talks likely would require the parties to renegotiate the interim pact.

Speaking to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday on the situation in Jerusalem, Israel’s ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said the deal on the table would allow Iran to retain “nuclear weapons capability” – the ability to produce bombs in several months time – should the country’s political elite choose to break the agreement.

The point of sanctions was not to freeze the program, Dermer said, but to force Iran into a position to choose between keeping the program or an open economy. The Israeli government seeks the full dismantlement of the program, and disagreed with the US in its decision to grant Iran the right to enrich on its own soil.

One official told The Jerusalem Post last week that Israel expects “generous concessions” to be included in any agreement, one that is more likely than not to close in the coming days.

The current deadline on talks is November 24.

Al - Sisi: Egypt will not Allow Sinai to be Base for Attacks Against Israel
Nov 20th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

In an interview today (Thursday) with France 24, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he would not permit the Sinai to “become a base for attacks against Israel.”

Al-Sisi also said that Israel must also give hope to the Palestinians that they will reach statehood. “This will solve many problems,” the Egyptian President commented.