December 31, 2009
In a television appearance shocking in its candidness, a leading Iranian ayatollah says that it would be far better for the Islamic Republic to simply murder those protesting against the regime, rather than arrest and beat them. Meanwhile, an unknown group claiming to represent Iranian soldiers threatens to take up arms against the regime. story
Bank loans and
the M3 money supply in the eurozone contracted at an accelerating pace
in November, raising the risk that a lending squeeze will choke the
region's fragile recovery next year. story
Investors now view Britain as a riskier lending proposition than Italy, with its cost of borrowing rising comfortably above the 4pc mark for the first time this year. story
Americans could be in for a rude awakening in coming months when they discover the true scope of the massive national debt racked up by the U.S. government. In fact, the $1.6 trillion deficit expected for 2010, which is above 10% of gross domestic product (GDP), is only the beginning. story
December 30, 2009
Report: Iran seeking to smuggle raw uranium Diplomats concerned about intelligence report that says Islamic Republic trying to import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan. story
Lebanese al-Nahar reports Ali Larijani said attack will focus on Israel, US bases in Gulf States. story
Iran hard-liners plan show of strength
Iranian hard-liners called a series of state-sponsored demonstrations on Wednesday in what they hoped would be a massive show of strength against the reformist movement, while the country's police chief threatened to show "no mercy" in crushing any new opposition rallies. story
The year 2010 will be the year of Iran. Granted, we have said the same thing every year since 2005. But stopping the Iranian nuclear program will continue to top Israel's priorities during the year that begins in two days' time. The major powers are expected to announce soon that diplomacy has failed to persuade Tehran to freeze its nuclear project. And Western intelligence services believe the Iranians have already accumulated enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb or two. story
On January 1, 2010, Spain will assume, for the fourth time, the Presidency of the European Union. It is a key moment, not only for Europe but for the whole international society. story
December 29, 2009
Kuala Lumpur Action can be taken against non-Muslim publications in 10 Malaysian states if they use four words related to Islam, including ‘Allah’. story
Analysts see Iran at breaking point amid protests
In the middle of a loud, violent brawl in Tehran, Iran, anti-government protesters manage to corner a handful of riot police who were sent to combat them.
As the crowd pushes the police against a wall -- with screams coming from all directions -- a protester points his finger at them. "Why are you doing this?" he yells. story
Fifty-two years of European Union history are set to come to an end on Friday as Sweden hands over the bloc's last full national presidency to its new full-time chairman and to Spain. story
December 27, 2009
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has rejected fears that Iran, which tested an upgraded version of its most advanced missile last week, posed any threat to Turkey, saying that Ankara enjoys trust and good relations with all its neighbors. story
Foreign minister addresses Israeli diplomats, calls on Syria to launch direct talks with Israel. Palestinian leadership not ready to sign peace agreement with Israel, he says. story
Iraqi and Iranian forces are dug in on either side of a disputed inactive oil well in the sensitive border area, with Iraqis vowing to fight if necessary to fend off another occupation of the well by Iranian soldiers. story
December 25, 2009
Middle East sources report that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf emirates and the Palestinian Authority are secretly drafting a UN Security Council motion granting Palestinian statehood within the pre-1967 war borders of the West Bank and Gaza Strip with Jerusalem its capital. This group is working under tight wraps, using diversionary tactics, to keep the US and Israel from discovering their scheme. story
Turkey has run afoul of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United States as a result of its defense of Iran's nuclear program and recent agreements on multi-billion dollar projects with Tehran. story
Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said China, with the world’s largest currency reserves of $2.3 trillion, may be poised to buy Canadian dollars as it seeks to shield its reserves against the U.S. dollar’s decline. story
December 23, 2009
Russia will work on a new generation of nuclear missiles to ensure its nuclear deterrent remains effective, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. story
An Israeli oil exploration company on Thursday announced that it had found a huge amount of oil and gas during drilling below the city of Rosh Ha'ayin this week. Givot Olam Oil Exploration Limited Partnership said that more than 60 percent gas was measured in the drill, indicating the first such find in Israel. story
If you send a letter to Santa Claus, it may or may not reach the North Pole. But if you address one to God, Jesus, the Queen of Sheba or King David, chances are it will wind up in a warehouse in Jerusalem.
The world's mailmen, it seems, ascribe divine power to this city. So it's not surprising that God has his own mailbox here. story
In a SPIEGEL interview, London banker and lay preacher Stephen Green, group chairman of HSBC, discusses the divide between his Christian faith and the pursuit of profit, the morality of being involved in the subprime mortgage business and whether he and his fellow bankers have learned anything from the financial crisis. story
The contraction of bank lending and the M3 money supply in the US and Europe over recent months has become a serious concern and raises the risk of a slide back into recession, according to one of Britain's most celebrated economists. story
December 22, 2009
Intelligence officials from Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the U.S. held a meeting last week to discuss specific responses to Iranian retaliatory attacks during a potential war with Tehran. story
Military force would have only limited effect in stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons but must remain an option, the top U.S. military officer said Monday. story
Iran's president has dismissed a year-end deadline set by the Obama administration for Teheran to accept a UN-drafted deal to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. story
Russia has not given up the idea of holding a Middle East peace conference in Moscow and hopes that favorable conditions will aid in its convocation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said on Tuesday. story
Yahoo.com is allegedly spying on its customers and acting as a proxy for U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
According to Wired.com, Yahoo also charges the agencies for the information. That means U.S. citizens' tax dollars are being used by federal agencies to pay for information gathered in Yahoo's spying. story
December 21, 2009
There is scope for debate – and innumerable newspaper quizzes – about who was the most influential public figure of the year, or which the most significant event. But there can be little doubt which word won the prize for most important adjective. 2009 was the year in which "global" swept the rest of the political lexicon into obscurity. There were "global crises" and "global challenges", the only possible resolution to which lay in "global solutions" necessitating "global agreements". story
Iran's president is dismissing a newly revealed secret document that purportedly shows Iran has been trying to develop a crucial component of a nuclear bomb, calling it a fabrication concocted by the U.S. government.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad refused to look at a copy of the document, waving it away. story
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has announced that he has requested the right to send troops into other countries in cases of emergency without consulting parliament. The proposed plan is causing regional concern. story
"It is difficult to rule out the possibility of a new Intifada with a focus on terrorist attacks. This would be deplorable and against the interests of all states, including Russia. However, this scenario is possible, if the peace process is frozen," Yevgeny Primakov said. story
Israeli archaeologists said Monday that they have uncovered remains of the first dwelling in the northern city of Nazareth that can be dated back to the time of Jesus. story
December 20, 2009
It is
getting harder for governments to buy United States Treasuries because
the US's shrinking current-account gap is reducing supply of dollars
overseas, a Chinese central bank official said yesterday.
story
The
German Interior Ministry confirmed on Monday that new identification
cards containing radio-frequency (RFID) chips will be introduced
starting November 1, 2010 - but some data protection experts are
critical of the decision.
story
The close relationship between Syria and Lebanon strengthens both countries and reinforces the united Arab stance against Israel, which continues to violate Arab rights, Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri said Saturday during a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad. story
The Spanish Foreign Minister said on Friday that Spain, as the next European Union president, intends on working towards a Palestinian state in 2010.
Spanish Foreign
Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told a news briefing in Brussels on
Friday that his country, which takes over the EU presidency for six
months in January, would strive for quick talks.
story
Support for a United Nations proposal that critics contend would be used to ban criticism of Islam, censor the message of Jesus Christ and attack and kill Christians and members of other faiths is plunging, according to the newest vote totals. story
December 18, 2009
Iran's nuclear chief said Friday the country has started making more efficient centrifuge models that it plans to put in use by early 2011 - a statement that underscores Teheran's defiance and adds to international concerns over its nuclear ambitions. Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, said Iranian scientists are still testing the more advanced models before they will become operational at the country's enrichment facilities. story
A German company that worked with Iraq in the development of its weapons of mass destruction under Saddam Hussein now may be concentrating its technology and efforts in assisting Iran in its ballistic missile program, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story
A giant pyramid which appears to be a UFO hovering over the Kremlin has caused frenzied speculation in Russia that it is an alien spacecraft. story
Muslim business leader: 'This has hand of the divine written over it'. story
It is possible that years ago, the problem of Iran's nuclear project could have been solved by one tough blow and with relatively minimal risk. At that time, the project was dependent on one facility: the uranium conversion plant in Isfahan. story
Appearing at a meeting with Syrian journalists and media, including SANA, on Wednesday in Ankara, Erdogan said "Syrian-Turkish relations have stepped up remarkably on all levels and they are on the track heading for highest levels." story
December 17, 2009
Gulf petro-powers to launch currency in latest threat to dollar hegemony
The Arab states of the Gulf region have agreed to launch a single currency modelled on the euro, hoping to blaze a trail towards a pan-Arab monetary union swelling to the ancient borders of the Ummayad Caliphate. story
Game of chicken for bond spreads: Will E.U. honor 'no bailout' clause? story
Officers
for Britain's Security Service, MI5, have discovered that a top
al-Qaida terrorist in Pakistan has been using invitations to Muslim
weddings as a code to launch attacks. story
In an interview published in the International Herald Tribune on Wednesday, Prince Saud said: “Absolute US backing ... has made Israel see the option of living in the area without the acceptance of the people of the area. This has led to many years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.” story
U.S. President Barack Obama has warned his Chinese counterpart that the United States would not be able to keep Israel from attacking Iranian nuclear installations for much longer, senior officials in Jerusalem told Haaretz. story
Iranian purchasing networks newly exposed in Taiwan testify to two seemingly contradictory trends. Iran is energetically seeking materials for its military nuclear program, even though it must go afar because of the increasing difficulty of making purchases in Western Europe or North America, where it is suspected of malice aforethought. story
So ominously began an editorial in Sunday's New York Times. Those with accounts at such websites should pay attention, for according to the Times, and other sources, Big Brother is watching you. story
The cat is out of the bag: Palestine, all of Palestine. Standing before 100,000 people in the center of Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh this week declared the objective of the Hamas movement. The moderate prime minister of the moderate faction of the Palestinian religious movement publicly announced the peace solution for which his government is aiming. story
The creation of a regional currency among Latin American countries drew closer over the weekend as Cuba agreed to pay for a shipment of Venezuelan rice in sucres – the new ALBA (Alternativa Bolivariana para las Américas) currency. story
December 16, 2009
Iran announced Wednesday it has successfully test fired an upgraded version of its longest-range, solid-fuel missile which it said is faster and harder to shoot down. story
A top Pentagon official said Monday that a US missile defense drill would simulate an Iranian attack - a departure from the usual scenario of a North Korean attack - according to Reuters. story
The EU's new foreign relations chief, Catherine Ashton, criticised Israel in her first speech on the Middle East and unveiled plans to visit the region in the New Year. story
Islamist militant groups will fight alongside Iran if the country is attacked by Israel, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on Tuesday. story
Gulf Arab nations put into force a monetary pact Tuesday, moving a step closer toward the elusive goal of a single regional currency and greater integration between the mainly oil-rich states. story
December 14, 2009
Confidential intelligence documents obtained by The Times show that Iran is working on testing a key final component of a nuclear bomb. story
PLO Central Committee convenes in Ramallah to discuss plan aimed at resolving its political crisis. Palestinian president clarifies he will not seek another term and slams building freeze, which he says 'is not considered a halt of settlement activity
Abbas demanded that the international community recognize the 1967 borders as the borders of a new Palestinian state, and stated that this was a condition for the resumption of peace talks with Israel. story
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday afternoon rejected Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud Abbas's statement that negotiations would only resume after Israel stops settlement construction and recognizes the borders of a future Palestinian state, saying that Jerusalem would not accept any preconditions for peace talks.
"Israel will not accept any preconditions for resuming peace negotiations," the foreign minister said, adding that the government has agreed to hold direct contact without preconditions. "Anyone who sets such conditions is just trying to escape reality and avoid negotiations and a peaceful solution," Lieberman claimed. story
Russia coming to Iran's defense
As the United Nations prepares to consider increased sanctions against Iran due to its refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program, Russia has sent signals that it may take Iran's side against sanctions as the two nations expand energy cooperation, including nuclear development, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story
Greece's prime minister announced a barrage of spending cuts Monday, promising to control a ballooning government budget deficit and warning that the country risked drowning in debt. story
As we approach 2010, what is the future of the dollar, and what are the implications for the asset prices that move inversely to it? What does it all mean when it comes to rebalancing the global economy and our economic relationship with China?
For some insight on all this, I spoke with the man who had the foresight to call the financial meltdown in 2006: Peter Schiff, president and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital and author of the newly updated book Crash Proof 2.0. story
Military Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin said Tuesday that Iran has over the last year accumulated enough materials to create a nuclear bomb and warned: "The technological clock has almost finished winding." story
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of preventing the renewal of Middle East peace negotiations by violating Israel's obligations as spelled out in the road map. story
With a human-implantable microchip maker now running a credit-scoring and identity-theft-protection website, privacy activists are worried again. story
December 11, 2009
EU leaders on Friday urged international action against Iran because of its refusal to cooperate over its nuclear program, as the threat of new sanctions looms. story
The
Palestinian Authority has been negotiating an understanding with the
Obama administration regarding a Palestinian threat to unilaterally ask
the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state outside of
negotiations with Israel, WND has learned. story
Going to church this Sunday? Look around. The chances are that one in five of the people there find "spiritual energy" in mountains or trees, and one in six believe in the "evil eye," that certain people can cast curses with a look — beliefs your Christian pastor doesn't preach. story
Democrats to lift debt ceiling by $1.8 trillion, fear 2010 backlash
In
a bold but risky year-end strategy, Democrats are preparing to raise
the federal debt ceiling by as much as $1.8 trillion before New Year’s
rather than have to face the issue again prior to the 2010 elections.
story
Police and hired thugs have descended upon a church capable of housing nearly 50,000 worshippers in a violent protest against Christianity. story
December 10, 2009 PA official says U.S. won't counter proposal giving Temple Mount to Palestinians
Members of the Obama administration recently assured the Palestinian Authority that most Jewish communities in the strategic West Bank will be evacuated, a top PA official told WND yesterday. The official also said Obama will soon offer the Palestinians a public pledge that a Palestinian state will encompass most of the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem . story
EU warns Israel not to divide bloc over Jerusalem
The European Union says Israel must not play "divide and rule" with the 27-member bloc over a recent resolution calling for Jerusalem to become the shared capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state following negotiations. story
Israel is likely to face advanced Iranian weaponry, long-range rockets, large missile silos and dozens of kilometers of underground tunnels connecting open fields with urban centers in the event of a future conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest Israeli assessments. story
A Messianic Jewish leader is encouraged by the effort of the Israeli Parliament to mandate that the Israeli people must approve any deal giving away the Jewish state's covenant land. story
If Israel were to violate Turkish airspace in order to conduct reconnaissance operations on Iran, Ankara's reaction would resemble an "earthquake," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with Egyptian journalist Fahmi Huwaidi published Thursday morning. story
Iran would strike back at Israeli weapons manufacturing sites and nuclear installations if Israel attacks the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying on Wednesday. story
On Tuesday, credit-rating agency Moody's Investor Services warned the U.S. and Britain may lose their AAA sovereign credit ratings due to deteriorating finances, according to a report by Dow Jones Market Watch. story
Florida school teachers say they are being forced to hide in closets to pray after a controversial court ruling. story
Greece downgraded over high debt
Greece was jolted on Tuesday by the downgrading of its debt rating to the lowest level in the euro zone as worries grow about its public finances, driving bank shares, bonds and the euro down in its wake. story
Dubai World's investment arm, Istithmar, lost ownership of the W Union Square New York hotel in a foreclosure auction Tuesday. story
In October and November, the government spent $292 billion more than it took in, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said.
That was even worse than the same period last year, when the government was on its way to posting a record $1.4 trillion deficit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. story
European Union foreign ministers discuss proposal for 27-nation bloc to recognize J'lem as capital of both Israel, Palestinian state. 'If there is to be (peace) a way must be found to resolve status of Jerusalem as capital of two states', document says. story
A resolution passed by European Union foreign ministers Tuesday to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and a future Palestinian state "ignores the primary obstacle to achieving a resolution between Israel and the Palestinians," according to a Foreign Ministry statement released after the vote. story
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Sunday praised the European Union's endeavour to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state. story
An underground Iranian activist has told Israel National News that the country's highest official -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei -- was spirited to a "secret place" for his own safety and that the nation's religious leaders are "scared." The source - an activist in the global Iranian pro-democracy movement who is involved in assisting a group of some 30,000 students located in Tehran and several other major cities - said Khamenei has disappeared. It is the Supreme Leader who controls Iran's foreign policy, and specifically its decisions regarding its nuclear development activities. story
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel had benefited from what he called the Iranian government's loss of legitimacy, both among other states and with its own people. story
Moody’s Investors Service said its top debt ratings on the U.S. and the U.K. may “test the Aaa boundaries” because their public finances are worsening in the wake of the global financial crisis. story
December 7, 2009
Ahmadinejad reportedly claims he has documented evidence that the U.S. is blocking the return of Mahdi, the Imam believed by Muslims to be the savior. story
December 6, 2009
A senior official in the Obama administration described the UN nuclear watchdog inspectors' discovery of traces of highly processed plutonium at the bombed Syrian-North Korean facility at Dir a-Zur as a "smoking gun" - evidence of Iran's covert nuclear activities and proliferation, DEBKAfile's Washington sources report. story
Israel and the Palestinian Authority are each lobbying European Union foreign ministers to adopt its respective position on Sweden's initiative to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and Palestine. The proposal is to be discussed Sunday in Brussels at the meeting of foreign ministers of EU member states. story
Jordanian foreign minister says steps taken by Israel are illegal, violate international law. story
Iran warned Switzerland on Saturday of “consequences” over a referendum banning the building of new mosque minarets and urged Bern not to enforce the ban, the official IRNA news agency reported. story
Iranian supreme leader says Americans lead list of Islamic republic's enemies, while British are 'most awful of them'. story
In response to Sweden's proposal last week to recognize east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in a statement Sunday, "The Europeans should not dictate the outcome of negotiations in advance. This declaration is a dangerous initiative that could hurt efforts to resume negotiations between the parties and will harden the Palestinian position." story
December 5, 2009
We live at a time when the signs of the last days are literally being fulfilled right in front of our eyes. One of the most exciting signs that Bible prophecy students love to keep an eye on are preparations for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. In a previous article, we discussed how the Temple Institute in Jerusalem took a giant step towards the rebuilding of the Temple by beginning to rebuild the sacrificial altar. story
Al-Ahram reports Israel willing to accept Turkey as mediator despite recent claims regarding its bias. story
The union must stop free-riding on US policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict – offering both sides membership could be key. story
On Jan. 1, 2010, Hezbollah and its de-facto ruler Iran could have a direct line to the Security Council and gain access to all the confidential information to which Security Council members are privy. story
Israel, through Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman's current travels, is shopping the issue of Iran among the world powers, trying to obtain action on the surging effort in the Muslim nation to obtain nuclear power. story
Putin's pledge to visit the Jewish state came during a meeting in Moscow with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who told him: "We would be happy to see you in Israeli in 2010."
"Thank you very much for the invitation. I will definitely come," replied Putin, who also said: "Israel is one of our highest-priority partners in the Middle East." story
WITHIN the next two years, you may be able to leave the house without any money, yet travel, shop and eat, just using your ez-link or Nets FlashPay card. To bring Singapore one step closer to becoming a cashless society, the Government announced yesterday a $16- million move to grow the number of places where consumers can use contactless stored-value cards to pay for purchases. story
Within the next 12 months, the U.S. Treasury will have to refinance $2 trillion in short-term debt. And that's not counting any additional deficit spending, which is estimated to be around $1.5 trillion.
Put the two numbers together. Then ask yourself, how in the world can the Treasury borrow $3.5 trillion in only one year? That's an amount equal to nearly 30% of our entire GDP. And we're the world's biggest economy. Where will the money come from? story
December 4, 2009
According
to a centuries-old rabbinical prophecy that appears to be coming true,
on March 16, 2010, Israel will begin construction of the Third Temple
in Jerusalem. story
German intelligence reports that Iranian scientists have successfully simulated the detonation of a nuclear warhead in laboratory conditions, in an effort to sidestep an underground nuclear test like the one that brought the world down on North Korea's head earlier this year. DEBKAfile's Iranian and intelligence sources report that this development is alarming because detonation is one of the most difficult technological challenges in the development of a nuclear weapon. Mastering it carries Iran past one of the last major obstacles confronting its program for the manufacture of a nuclear warhead. story
"I will think about it," said Mr Putin during an annual Q&A session with Russian citizens. He served as Russia's president from 2000 to 2008. story
The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence has confirmed that Iran can shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz through which more than 30 percent of the world's oil supplies pass, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story
Iran will inform UN nuclear inspectors where 10 planned installations are only six months before they become operational, Tehran has said. story
The Obama administration in recent weeks has stepped up its monitoring of Jewish construction projects in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. story
A judge has attacked parents, suggesting they are bigots for seeking to opt-out their elementary-age children from a mandatory controversial pro-homosexual curriculum.
The parents were represented in California's Alameda Superior Court by Pacific Justice Institute. On Dec. 1, Judge Frank Roesch denied a motion to allow them to have their children excused from the lessons. story
Republican Senator Jim DeMint, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said on Thursday he would oppose Ben Bernanke's nomination for a second term as Federal Reserve Chairman. story
Ben Bernanke on Thursday urged Congress not to take away the Federal Reserve’s bank supervision powers or curtail its independence even as he admitted that the US central bank had made regulatory mistakes in the run-up to the crisis. story
December 3, 2009
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in power for over 10 years, ruled out a departure from politics on Thursday, telling a questioner: "Don't hold your breath." story
Russia has no evidence that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. story
Chaos reportedly erupted in North Korea on Tuesday after the government of Kim Jong Il revalued the country's currency, sharply restricting the amount of old bills that could be traded for new and wiping out personal savings. story
North Korea has supplied Iran with nuclear components to keep an enriched uranium operation near the holy city of Qom "on target to go on line," intelligence reports confirm, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story
Iran said Wednesday it will enrich uranium to a higher level on its own, the latest indication the country was rejecting a UN-backed proposal aimed at thwarting any effort by Teheran to make material for a nuclear weapon. story
"The Zionist regime (Israel) and its (western) backers cannot do a damn thing to stop Iran's nuclear work," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the central city of Isfahan. story
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah this week announced the publication of a new political manifesto, outlining the goals of his movement. The document is the successor to Hizbullah's first manifesto, published in 1985, and many regional analysts have hailed it as reflecting the group's "Lebanonization." story
France has "several strong reservations" about a draft resolution on the Middle East put forward by Sweden that would recognize east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, French Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday. story
A classified report drafted by European consuls in East Jerusalem and Ramallah slams Israeli policy in East Jerusalem and recommends that the European Union take steps to strengthen the Palestinian Authority's status in the city. It also advises taking various measures to protest Israeli policy in the city, as well as sanctions against people and groups involved in "settlement activity" in and around it. story
Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister whose country holds the rotating EU presidency until the end of the year, said: "A new era of European co-operation beings today ... today the EU is a force to be reckoned with, both economically and politically." story
October 30, 2009
Israel may strike Iran should the United States fail to take prompt action to curb Tehran's nuclear program, Rep. Dan Burton said Wednesday. story
Syrian-Turkish relations are based on joint history, mutual trust, and relentless efforts of both countries to consolidate bilateral cooperation on all levels. story
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Sudanese Defense Minister Abd Al-Rahim Muhammad Hussein met in Damascus yesterday to discuss tightening cooperation between their two countries' armies. story
Europe is to breathe life into the faltering search for a new global deal on climate change by pledging billions of pounds in financial support for poor countries, the Guardian can reveal. story
SECRET plans to seize more than £4billion a year from Britain and make its citizens pay taxes direct to Europe emerged last night. story
The liquidity tide is turning. Authorities across large parts of the world have either begun to tighten the spigot or are taking steps to wean their economies off emergency stimulus. This is a treacherous moment for markets. story
It's a big about-face for a retailer that has catered to bargain-hunting but affluent shoppers, and it's a sign of the grim reality facing retailers and their customers. story
October 29, 2009
ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey is switching to national currencies in trade with Iran and China, ending dependence on the U.S. dollar and the euro for about 20% of its commodity turnover, local media reported on Wednesday. story
Russia is ready to consider using the Russian and Chinese national currencies instead of the dollar in bilateral oil and gas dealings, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. story
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday decided to drop the widely used West Texas Intermediate oil contract as the benchmark for pricing its oil, dealing a serious blow to the New York Mercantile Exchange.
he decision by the world's biggest oil exporter could encourage other producers to abandon the benchmark and threatens the dominance of the world's most heavily traded oil futures contract. It is the main contract traded on Nymex. story
Brown fails to sway Brussels socialists in stormy meeting. story
Almost two weeks after starting negotiations with the US, France and Russia over the draft, Iran finally delivered its response to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. The agency said last night it was negotiating with Iran and other parties over the accord, but western diplomats suggested Tehran’s demands were unacceptable. story
A resolution pending in the United Nations in one form or another since 1999 is being pushed again by the Islamic nations that originally proposed the plan they called "Defamation of Islam," which would ban criticism of the beliefs of Muhammad worldwide. story
Petition against UN resolution: Link
Jerusalem must be capital of both Israel and Palestine, UN chief says
Jerusalem must be the capital of two States -- Israel and Palestine -- living side-by-side in peace and security, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all, if peace in the Middle East is to be achieved, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Wednesday. story
New fundamentalist movements on the rise in Gaza
These are groupings committed to the rigorous, apocalyptic version of Sunni Islamism associated with the al-Qaida network. story
Ahmadinejad said the West has moved "from confrontation to interaction" with Iran over its uranium enrichment program, which he called an "inalienable right of the Iranian nation." story
The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened "crushing" retaliation against the United States and Pakistan for supporting a terrorist group in an attack on Iran and has accused Israeli intelligence of being behind the event, declaring that Iran "must pay (the Israelis) back to punish them," according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story
Many of the cities that have been hit hardest in the mortgage crisis are seeing a slowdown in the rate of foreclosures, but other metropolitan areas are just starting to feel the sting of foreclosures. story
Bank lending to firms and households in the eurozone has fallen for the first time, raising fears of an economic relapse and a slide into deflation next year. story
Turkey underlines Iran role in Mideast peace
Amid western accusations that Iran is playing a destabilizing role in the Middle East, Turkey's premier says the Tehran government has always contributed to regional peace. story
Meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres last week, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic offered his government's help in restarting negotiations between Israel and Syria and suggested that his country's Brijuni Islands be used as the site for talks. story
A bill that enjoyed wide support under the Olmert administration encountered difficulties in Netanyahu's era. The Knesset plenum was slated to vote Wednesday on a bill drafted by MK Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi) that asked that Jerusalem be recognized as the capital of the Jewish people by law and not just as the capital of Israel.
The bill was listed on the Knesset agenda distributed at the beginning of the week to be put up for a preliminary reading. However, the bill mysteriously "disappeared" from the revised agenda on Wednesday and ultimately will not be voted on. story
October 28, 2009
In a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here on Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is determined to enhance its ties with Iran. story
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will arrive in Israel on Saturday night for her first official visit since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was sworn in. story
The director of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization has said the Fordo uranium enrichment facility is protected against any possible military strike. story
Yemenis intercept 'Iranian ship'
A boat carrying Iranian weapons destined for Yemeni rebels has been intercepted in the Red Sea, local Yemeni officials have said. story
Jerusalem followed with concern on Tuesday reports that the lower house of the Bahrain parliament had passed legislation banning any contact with Israelis, with one source saying this was a direct result of the viciously hostile anti-Israel mood in the Arab world following the Goldstone Report and confrontations over the Temple Mount. story
Blair EU candidacy on menu of Merkel-Sarkozy dinner
A working dinner in Paris between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday (28 October) night is likely to include the issue of the next EU president, with the British government still pressing for Tony Blair. story
October 27, 2009
The US Congressional Research Service reveals that Iran has helped Syria obtain "various forms of weapons of mass destruction" and missiles, as well as buying midget submarines - all from North Korea. story
'Zionist regime a threat to all nations'
"The Zionist regime is a threat to all nations ... it cannot tolerate the existence of any strong country in the region," said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday, according to Teheran news agency Press TV. story
Arab prof: 'Blowing oneself up' OK in Tel Aviv
Suicide bombings are OK in Tel Aviv, Israel, but not in Saudi Arabia, declared a Saudi professor speaking on Arab satellite television. story
The Kremlin's chief political strategist warned in an article published on Monday that Russia risked collapsing into chaos if officials tried to tinker with the political system by flirting with liberal reforms. story
It's a dilemma for mainstream Israelis: How to resist capitulating to Arab violence on the Temple Mount - driven by irrational fears of Zionist plots against it - while not encouraging marginal Jewish groups who feverishly yearn to make the Arabs' worst nightmares come true? story
Syria "believes the Israeli security forces' invasion of Al-Aksa was part of Israel's scheme to Judaize Jerusalem and destroy the mosque," read a statement released Monday by the Syrian Foreign Ministry. story
Following a day of clashes between security forces and Arab rioters in Jerusalem, Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Sunday evening stated that the fate of the capital would be determined by force, not negotiations. story
Venezuela, under President Hugo Chavez, is taking additional steps to deter Israelis from visiting the country. An Israeli tour group slated to visit Venezuela was forced to cancel its trip this week due to unreasonable demands placed on the would-be tourists. story
Russian news agency Ria Novosti is rolling out a new public relations campaign in the political capital of the European Union which, according to sources in the PR industry, aims to justify Russia's great power ambitions and improve the image of Joseph Stalin. story
October 26, 2009
A former assistant secretary of the Treasury for international affairs is warning dollar deficits might no longer be funded by foreign nations, including China. story
Victor Davis Hanson is a military historian; Robert Baer a former CIA field officer. Both have studied the Middle East for decades, traveled to the area repeatedly in recent years and written about the region extensively. And both have become convinced that we may be facing a cataclysm. story
Today's Islamic riots on the Temple Mount may be more about internal Palestinian politics and regional negotiation strategy and less about any so-called Jewish threat to the holy site. story
U.N. inspectors entered a once-secret uranium enrichment facility with bunker-like construction and heavy military protection that raised Western suspicions about the extent and intent of Iran's nuclear program. story
In wake of Muslim riots at Temple Mount, leading rabbis, rightists call on Israel 'not to capitulate to Palestinian violence.' Feiglin: Direct link between Jerusalem unrest, Goldstone Report. story
Lord Christopher Monckton, the former advisor for science policy to Lady Margaret Thatcher, believes that if the U.S. signs any climate treaty coming out of the Copenhagen climate change conference in December, it could subject the United States to a global dictatorship. Monckton explains his concerns. story
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is slated to visit to Iran next week amid foreign policy issues. His visit adds to concerns that Ankara may be slowly turning its back on its Western allies and seeking to regain its status as a regional power in the Middle East.
For exactly 10 years Javier Solana has represented the "international face" of Europe; 10 years in which he has closely followed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with all its turns and crises; a decade in which, to a great extent he was the answer to the famous question of Henry Kissinger: "Who should I call when I want to talk to Europe?" story
Asian leaders meeting in Thailand are discussing plans to "lead the world" by forming an EU-style community by 2015. story
A hate crimes bill sent to President Obama for his signature raises a red flag for Christians. story
October 24, 2009
Observers believe that Turkey's new attitude toward Israel is part of a plan to revive the role it believes it should play as the leader and guardian of the Muslim World. story
October 23, 2009
State TV says Iran wants to buy nuclear fuel it needs for a research reactor rather than accept a U.N.-drafted plan to ship much of its uranium to Russia for further enrichment. story
Russia's foreign minister said Moscow has accepted a deal reached earlier this week in Vienna to enrich uranium for Iran.
Sergey Lavrov said Friday that Russia expects Iran and the other countries involved to "confirm their acceptance of that project." story
Iran is due to respond to a UN proposal on exporting most of its enriched uranium to Russia for further refining. story
The crisis in Israeli-Turkish relationship could deteriorate to the point of a breakup, former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk said on Wednesday. story
From hunchbacked grandmas to schoolboys, hundreds of pilgrims lined up this week in blazing sunshine to get a glimpse of 9-month-old baby Ali Yakubov, on whose body they say verses from the Quran appear and fade every few days. story
As Turkey increasingly show signs of disinterest in joining the European Union, Ankara is looking to regain its historic ties in Central Asia with the idea of resurrecting what once was the grandeur of the Ottoman Empire. story
With the dollar falling rapidly to test – once again – the $1.50/euro benchmark, Harvard University professor Niall Ferguson, the author of "The Ascent of Money," is warning China has begun "dumping the dollar" by buying gold and commodities including oil rights around the world. story
Crackdown on Christianity ramping up
After waiting behind bars for four months, 37-year-old Asia Bibi of Pakistan stood recently before a judge in Sheikhupura, where she is accused of blaspheming Mohammed for allegedly saying, "Jesus is alive. Mohammed is dead." story
October 22, 2009
"Israel must choose between occupation and peace," Syrian President Bashar Assad said Thursday, adding that the two concepts "do not go hand in hand". story
FRENCH leader Nicolas Sarkozy is demanding a special EU summit next month to crown Tony Blair the first President of Europe. story
The odds against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair becoming the first president of the European Union appear to have lengthened.
Mr. Blair is the most prominent figure linked by diplomats to the post which, together with the job of a new EU foreign policy chief, will be created by the so-called Lisbon Treaty. The pact is designed to increase the 27-nation grouping's influence in world affairs. story
In 2005, the National Intelligence Council, or NIC, produced a report called, "Mapping the Global Future: Project 2020." According to this report, within the next several years, we may expect to see the emergence of a fledgling caliphate, or revived Islamic empire. story
The world cannot accept an Iranian bomb, European Union foreign police chief Javier Solana told President Shimon Peres's 'Facing Tomorrow' conference in Jerusalem Wednesday. story
EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana said the European Union's goal is to establish a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders. story
Israeli and Iranian officials discussed nuclear issues in the Middle East during a Cairo conference last month, according to media reports Thursday morning.
Israel Radio, however, quoted an Iranian nuclear official as denying the report. He said that there was no meeting, direct or indirect, between Israeli and Iranian officials. story
In his six-month report to the UN Security Council on Lebanon, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, the UN chief focused on implementation of a 2004 resolution that calls for the disbanding of all militias and urged that Hizbullah and the Palestinian groups be disarmed quickly. story
Iranian negotiators on Wednesday expressed support for a deal that - if accepted by their leaders - would delay Tehran's ability to make nuclear weapons by sending most of its existing enriched uranium to Russia for processing, diplomats said. story
Mohammed ElBaradei, about to retire as director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, pulled a rabbit out of his hat Wednesday, Oct. 21 to save the Vienna talks with Iran on the future of its enriched uranium from breaking down on its third day. He put before the US, France and Russia and Iran a draft proposal and gave them until Friday to come back with their answer. story
Iran is making a huge effort to smuggle to the Palestinian Hamas Fajr-5 ground-to-ground rockets that bring Tel Aviv within range of the Gaza Strip. DEBKAfile's military sources also disclose that Syria, Iran's second ally with an Israeli border, has decided to transfer one-third of its missile stockpile to the Hizballah in Lebanon, topping up its arsenal with medium-range rockets that can cover central as well as northern Israel, which was heavily blitzed in the 2006 war. story
The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafary, Monday, Oct. 19, threatened "crushing" retaliation against the US, UK and Pakistan including the invasion of its eastern neighbor. Tehran links all three to the suicide bombing attack in Sistan-Baluchistan Sunday, Oct. 18, which killed 42 people including seven senior Guards officers. One was Gen. Nur Ali Shoustari, Jafari's deputy, who was identified by DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources as commander of the al Qods clandestine terror bases in Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. story
Adding to pressure mounting against the U.S. dollar, left-wing Latin American leaders gathered in Cochabamba, Bolivia, over the weekend for the seventh Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) summit and agreed to create a new regional currency in a bid to stop using American Federal Reserve Notes, according to foreign news reports. story
Morgan Stanley has warned clients that central banks in high-debt countries may try to stoke inflation as a deliberate policy to rescue governments and tackle the legacy of the crisis. story
The Senate must soon increase the national debt to above $13 trillion — and Democrats are looking for political cover. story
October 21, 2009
The United States would find it difficult not to join an Israeli air strike in the event that Jerusalem decides to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, a former top-ranking U.S. Air Force officer told participants at a conference this weekend organized by a Washington think tank. story
The Syrian president made the remark during a meeting with Prime Minister Nader Dahabi, following the meetings of the Joint Jordanian-Syrian Higher Committee. story
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat arrived in Washington Tuesday, where he is expected to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other American officials to discuss the first phase of the road map for Mideast peace and the renewal of final-status talks. story
Russia's president said on Wednesday he has no doubt his country will join the World Trade Organization despite delays due to the establishment of a customs union with two other ex-Soviet states. story
Iranian negotiators on Wednesday expressed support for a deal that - if accepted by their leaders - would delay Tehran's ability to make nuclear weapons by sending most of its existing enriched uranium to Russia for processing, diplomats said. story
The US and Israeli militaries will launch their biggest joint missile defense drill yet on Wednesday, in the shadow of mounting missile threats from Iran, Hizbullah and Syria, and growing regional tension over Teheran's nuclear program. story
The administration of President Barack Obama, without congressional authorization, is advancing a plan that could end the use of the U.S. dollar as the world reserve currency by setting up International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights to compete. story
The real 2008 federal budget deficit was $5.1 trillion, not the $455 billion previously reported by the Congressional Budget Office, according to the 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government released by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Jerome Corsi's Red Alert reports. story
October 18, 2009
A former science adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher says the real purpose of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on Dec. 7-18 is to use global warming hype as a pretext to lay the foundation for a one-world government. story
Nearly two decades after the collapse of the Communist Party, Russia’s rulers have hit upon a model for future success: the Communist Party. story
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to visit Iran late in October to confer with Iranian officials on bilateral relations and other issues of mutual interests. story
Czech President Vaclav Klaus has compared the Lisbon Treaty on EU reform to an unstoppable speeding train, suggesting he may have to sign it. story
Some flu experts are challenging the medical orthodoxy and arguing that for those most in need of protection, flu shots and antiviral drugs may provide little to none. So where does that leave us if a bad pandemic strikes? story
Even as regulators try to replenish deposit insurance fund, it will be over two years before it boasts a positive balance, warns agency chief. story
October 17, 2009
In talks with Spanish PM, King Abdullah urges international community 'to act firmly against any Israeli measures aimed at changing identity of Holy City'. story
British Premier Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy send letter to Netanyahu, express their support of Israel's right to defend itself against terror; urge 'independent, transparent investigation of Gaza events'. story
According to an unconfirmed report in the French Le Canard Enchaine of Wednesday, Oct. 14, Israel is preparing to bomb Iranian nuclear sites and pro-Iranian targets across the Middle East after December 2009. The prestigious satirical weekly reports that the IDF has notified special forces reservists abroad to get ready to return home in November for immediate drafting to the military operation against Iranian nuclear facilities. The weekly further reports Israel has ordered combat rations from a French firm for these reservists to stay on long-term missions far from home. story
The announcement came after Fatah unilaterally signed the pact in Cairo on Thursday without reservations. Hamas, however, said it needed another few days to consider the document, and that the Islamist group had reservations about it. story
Iran's proxy army in Lebanon will think twice before launching another round of missile attacks. story
Taiwan has carried out its largest-ever missile exercise, less than a fortnight after China showed off advanced ballistic weaponry in a massive National Day parade, local media said Wednesday. story
Nuclear-armed Pakistan's days may be numbered as the Taliban and al-Qaida appear to have joined forces to oust the increasingly fragile regime of President Asif Ali Zardari, an administration that does not even have the full support of the Pakistani military, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story
Chief executives from the biggest U.S. corporations worry that the slumping dollar could sap U.S. credibility around the globe, spur inflation and ultimately undermine the economy. story
Weaknesses in the economy and financial markets--and the government's response to them--have helped boost federal budget deficits, which reached a record level in fiscal year 2009, the General Accountability Office reported on Thursday. story
October 16, 2009
Israel Bedouin Sheikh Salem al-Huzeil believes that he and many others like him are of Jewish descent. In an interview with INN TV, Huzeil explains how a single “tahayat” - mistake – made several generations ago led to his current situation as a Muslim Bedouin leader who identifies as Jewish. story
U.S. officials in recent days expressed to the Palestinian Authority that President Obama's administration is "disgusted" with Israel, a top aide to PA President Mahmoud Abbas told WND in an interview. story
Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus hope to join the World Trade Organisation together as a single customs union as soon as possible, negotiators for the three ex-Soviet states said on Thursday. story
Tony Blair may be odds-on favourite with bookmakers to become the first president of the European Council of EU leaders but his star is fast fading, according to analysts and diplomats in Brussels. story
The next European Commission is set to be filled with conservative and liberal commissioners, feature several familiar faces, and plenty of new job titles. However, when it will be set up remains the great unknown. story
Ireland completed its ratification of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, intensifying the pressure on the Czech Republic to overcome its objections and become the final member state to pass the treaty. story
UN body to get five new members in January – regional powers Nigeria and Brazil, former war-torn Bosnia and Lebanon, and politically troubled African nation of Gabon. story
October 14, 2009
In the first episode of a series on a Palestinian family living in the West Bank, IDF soldiers are variously seen killing a baby and a young girl, and lining up Palestinians to be shot before a firing squad. story
The United Nations Human Rights Council's deliberations over the Goldstone report on last winter's Gaza offensive will also deal with Jerusalem, the Temple Mount riots and the siege of Gaza, according to a resolution the Palestinian Authority and a group of countries intend to submit. story
Here is an absolute indication that China and Russia will NOT be using dollars in energy settlements between countries. story
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned major powers against intimidating Iran and said that talk of sanctions against the Islamic Republic was "premature". story
A top Russian security official says Moscow reserves the right to conduct pre-emptive nuclear strikes to safeguard the country against aggression on both a large and a local scale, according to a newspaper interview published Wednesday. story
Representatives of Fatah in Ramallah have signed a preliminary truce deal with Hamas, Palestinian sources said Wednesday, despite recent tension over Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' conduct following the Goldstone report. story
September 20, 2009
Israel promised Russia it would not launch an attack on Iran, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview aired on Sunday in which he described such an assault as "the worst thing that can be imagined." story
White House National Security Adviser James L. Jones says President Obama's decision to abandon a long-range missile defense site in Eastern Europe was driven by U.S. intelligence concerns that Iran is further along than previously thought in developing medium-range missiles that could strike Western Europe and the Middle East with nuclear warheads. story
UN report says pandemic may result in anarchy unless western world pays for antiviral drugs and vaccines. story
September 19, 2009
On Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 3:00pm, 30,000 people representing 327 churches and 65 youth organizations of every denomination are expected to converge in New York City's Times Square to pray for our nation. An estimated one hundred college ministries as well as churches in 28 states and 21 countries around the world, including Indonesia, Pakistan, Ireland, Burundi, Kenya, Mexico, Germany, Peru, United Kingdom, Benin, Singapore, and Israel will be praying and gathering via the live webcast at www.nycprayer.org
Hezbollah chief addresses followers in special speech marking end of Ramadan, 'al-Qods day,' slams moderate Arab nations seeking normalization with Israel. 'No one has any right to give away one inch of Palestinian land,' he says. story
Nasrallah: We'll never recognize IsraelThe leader of Lebanon's Hizbullah vowed on Friday that his Shiite terror group will never recognize Israel and that no Arab state has the right to do so either. story
President Obama is "fed up" with Israel while his administration has given the Palestinians guarantees they will eventually take over Jewish homes and buildings throughout most of the West Bank, a top Palestinian Authority official claimed to WND. story
As it pushes for international action against Iran's nuclear program, Israel is steadily assembling one of the world's most advanced missile defense systems, a multi-layered collection of weapons meant to guard against a variety of threats, including the shorter-range Grads used to strike Israeli towns like this one and intercontinental rockets. story
The Federal Housing Administration, the government agency that insures more than 20 percent of U.S. single-family mortgages, said its reserves will fall below congressional requirements as home prices decline. story
Overriding Western objections, a 150-nation nuclear conference on Friday passed a resolution directly criticizing Israel and its atomic program for the first time in 18 years. Iran hailed the vote as a "glorious moment." story
September 18, 2009
Deputy US army chief, Gen. James Cartwright and defense secretary Robert Gates amplified President Barack Obama's statement on the US missile shield in East Europe in Washington Thursday, Sept. 17, by announcing that a new and better anti-missile missile system would be deployed in Israel and the Caucasus.
DEBKAfile discloses exclusively that the site would be a Russian military base in Azerbaijan. Referring to the Israeli component, he said: "It is already working perfectly." story
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has raised the stakes against Israel by describing the Holocaust as a lie, just as world powers are trying to decide how to deal with the nuclear ambitions of an Iran in political turmoil.
"The pretext (Holocaust) for the creation of the Zionist regime (Israel) is false ... It is a lie based on an unprovable and mythical claim," he told worshippers at Tehran University at the end of an annual anti-Israel "Qods (Jerusalem) Day" rally. "Confronting the Zionist regime is a national and religious duty." story
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad refused Thursday to explicitly rule out development of nuclear weapons and said in an interview with NBC News that he would “never” halt Tehran’s work on peaceful nuclear programs to mollify Western skeptics. story
Iranian officials are repeating past claims that the Islamic nation's nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes, as details surfaced Thursday of a secret United Nations assessment suggesting Iran was capable of making a nuclear bomb and was developing a missile system that could carry one. story
In a sign of continued Iranian efforts to solidify its control over Hizbullah, the Islamic Republic has deployed dozens of military officers in Lebanon to actively command Hizbullah fighting units, senior defense officials said this week. story
'There is a need to prevent any Israeli plan that seeks to disrupt launch of peace talks by continuing settlements,' Jordanian king tells visiting US envoy Mitchell. story
Development in the Syrian-Turkish relations in the political, economic and social fields comes as a response to both countries' desire to expand and boost prospects of bilateral cooperation in the interest of the two countries as well as working together to find solutions to the Middle East problems and achieve just and comprehensive peace in the region. story
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday Iran's recent proposals to six world powers on global issues require careful analysis and no hasty conclusions should be made. story
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen appealed for unity a day after the U.S. shelved a Bush-era plan for an Eastern European missile defense shield that has been a major irritant in relations with Russia. story
The single currency may not be universally admired, but its durability has disarmed its opponents, says Jeremy Warner. story
Using technology originally developed for mass disasters, Boston disease trackers are embarking on a novel experiment - one of the first in the country - aimed at eventually creating a citywide registry of everyone who has had a flu vaccination. story
The interpretation of federal law should be made not by judges but by the beliefs and commitments of the U.S. president and those around him, according to President Obama's newly confirmed regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein. story
September 17, 2009
Atomic watchdog says Tehran has ability to make nuclear bomb, developing missile system to carry it. story
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday rejected the U.N. report alleging Israeli war crimes in its Gaza war this year, warning world leaders that they and their anti-terror forces could be targets for similar charges.
"They tell us to pull out, and after we do, and we exercise our right to self defense, they call us war criminals? I don't accept that," Netanyahu told Israel TV, speaking on the occasion of the Jewish New Year holiday, which begins Friday. story
“The Land of Israel is divided. The question is how it will be divided in the future,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Hebrew-language daily Israel HaYom (Israel Today) in an interview published Wednesday. He emphasized the security aspect concerning the future borders of Israel and of a “Palestinian entity,” a phrase he used before conceding in the face of pressure from U.S. President Barack Obama that he would acknowledge a Palestinian Authority state under certain conditions. story
Turkey encouraged Syria on Wednesday to think of ways to revive the stalled peace talks with Israel, but the Syrian president said Israel does not appear to be a partner in the process. story
China's increasingly advanced weaponry could undermine US military power in the Pacific, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday. story
President Hugo Chavez said on Wednesday Venezuela signed a $16 billion investment deal with China over three years to raise oil output by several hundred thousand barrels per day in the OPEC member's Orinoco belt. story
September 16, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 16, 2009) -- War clouds over Iran are building rapidly. –Joel Rosenberg
On Friday night during the 9/11 National Town Hall Meeting, I explained that because Washington and the Western powers are doing nothing decisive to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, there is an increasingly likelihood that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will feel the need to matters into his own hands, and soon. In light of that assessment, I would draw to your attention to two sobering and must-read articles that are posted on my weblog. story
Video: Al-Qaida is army of the MahdiAn al-Qaida video just released on YouTube [seen here] titled "The Mahdi Army" reveals for the first time the deep degree to which al-Qaida views itself to be the prophesied apocalyptic Mahdi army…this video offers the first solid proof that al-Qaida is guided by the end-time apocalyptic prophecies of Islam. story
After Paris warned that new sanctions against Teheran remained an option despite the likelihood of negotiations with Iran, French President Nicolas Sarkozy maintained that the Islamic republic was still working on a nuclear weapons program.
"It is a certainty to all of our secret services. Iran is working today on a nuclear [weapons] program," Sarkozy told lawmakers from his UMP party on Tuesday, according to Press TV. story
The orchestrated roar of air force exercises designed to signal Israel's readiness to attack Iranian nuclear facilities are belied, perhaps, by a far quieter project deep beneath the western Jerusalem hills. story
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said he’s worried that lawmakers will hamper U.S. central bank efforts to rein in its monetary stimulus, and that inflation might “swamp” the bond market. story
Jerusalem divided by a series of fences, trenches and walls. The West Bank and Gaza linked by a sunken highway. Palestinians and Israelis trading land that would require 100,000 Jewish settlers to move. story
US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu twice on Wednesday. Senior Palestinian officials who met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after his meeting with the American statesman Tuesday told Ynet that the US commitment to reach a peace deal within two years was clarified during the meeting. story
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said during a tour of northern Israel on Tuesday that the military would be ready in the event that war breaks out along the Lebanese border. story
Leading Russian military expert Vitaly Shlykov spoke during one of the sessions of the Valdai Discussion Club last week about the sweeping reform of the country’s armed forces, which begins in December and will cut the number of tanks from 20,000 to 2,000 and reduce the number or reservists to just 100,000. The reform, which Shlykov described as nothing short of a revolution, will significantly affect the Kremlin’s approach to the composition of and future cuts to the country’s military arsenal. story
September 15, 2009
Russia signed on Tuesday agreements on military cooperation with the former Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Russian defense minister's spokesman said.
Russia recognized the two republics shortly after the end of last August's war with Georgia over South Ossetia, which began when Georgian forces attacked the region in an attempt to bring it back under central control. story
Iran will meet with world powers next month for the first time in more than a year in an attempt to reduce tensions over its refusal to curb nuclear activities, while Teheran warned Israel and the US on Monday against a military strike. story
Both bank credit and the M3 money supply in the United States have been contracting at rates comparable to the onset of the Great Depression since early summer, raising fears of a double-dip recession in 2010 and a slide into debt-deflation. story
The world has not tackled the problems at the heart of the economic downturn and is likely to slip back into recession, according to one of the few mainstream economists who predicted the financial crisis. story
A weakened United States could start retreating from the world stage without help from its allies abroad, an international strategic affairs think tank said Tuesday. story
September 14, 2009
World organizations, including the United Nations, are openly calling for the creation of a one-world currency to replace the dollar – and the Obama administration's trillion-dollar deficits are serving as a trigger for the currency switch.
A United Nations report recommended that a new one-world currency should be created to replace the dollar as the standard for foreign-exchange holdings in international trade. story
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez said the South American country plans to develop a nuclear energy program with Russia and doesn’t want to build an atomic bomb. story
High-ranking officials from European countries hold talks with Hamas on a weekly basis despite an EU ban on diplomatic contact, a spokesman for the group has told EUobserver. story
Despite efforts by Washington in recent years to bring about a normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world, Saudi Arabia has been steadily intensifying its enforcement of the Arab League boycott of Israel, The Jerusalem Post has learned. story
Archaeologists have uncovered a section of a stone-paved street with stairs which connected the Temple Mount with the Pool of Shiloach (Siloam). The section is about 550 meters south of the Temple Mount, and is believed to be the point at which pilgrims began to ascend by foot to the Temple during Second Temple times (516 BCE – 70 CE). story
September 13, 2009
Speaking just 10 days before the start of the G20 summit in Pittsburgh – at which world leaders are set to discuss curtailing bankers' bonuses among a raft of potentially restrictive reforms – he will also put the amount of capital banks hold on their balance sheets back at the top of the agenda, acknowledging that the demise of Lehman and Bear Stearns were a by-product of inadequate capital requirements. story
Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize- winning economist, said the U.S. has failed to fix the underlying problems of its banking system after the credit crunch and the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. story
Solana says six major powers committed to meaningful negotiations with Tehran to resolve international community's concerns about Iranian nuclear program. story
September 12, 2009
Vladimir Putin has given his strongest hint yet that he is considering a return to the Kremlin, a move that could allow the combative Russian leader to stay in power until 2024. story
At least two rockets were launched from Lebanon into northern Israel today, and Israeli forces returned fire across the border, an Israeli Army spokesman said, speaking anonymously according to regulation. story
The Chinese – and soon Middle East interests – are preparing to buy up oil resources in North America even as "green" interests threaten to short-circuit U.S. access to the same energy. story
The federal deficit surged higher into record territory in August, hitting $1.38 trillion with one month left in the budget year. story
September 11, 2009
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while he is ready to make sacrifices for the sake of peace with the Palestinians and Arabs, his government will “stand up” for the interests of the country. story
Russia won't back any new round of sanctions against Iran that come before the U.N. Security Council, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. story
AMMAN –– His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday stressed that Israel should stop all unilateral measures including settlement expansion, which violates international law and jeopardizes opportunities to achieve peace in the region. story
Syria may be operating more nuclear sites, apart from the reactor at Deir Azour which was bombed by Israel on September 6, 2007 in what came to be known as Operation Orchard, former US envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Gregory Schulte told Channel 10 Thursday evening. story
Corporate officers and directors were buying stock when the market hit bottom. What does it say that they're selling now? story
September 10, 2009
The mystery that surrounded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's unannounced trip to Russia on Monday was created by the Israeli government in a calculation to divert attention from a secret weapons test, according to sources. story
Netanyahu's 'secret visit to Moscow to stop Putin selling weapons to Iran'Israeli media has reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited Moscow on Monday in a bid to dissuade Russia from selling weapons to Iran. story
A senior Kremlin official confirmed Wednesday to the Russian paper Kommersant that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu did indeed make a clandestine trip to Russia on Monday.
Commenting on the visit, the official said that "this kind of development could only be related to new and threatening information on Iran's nuclear program." story
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cemented a closer alliance with Russia on Thursday, recognizing two pro-Russian rebel regions of Georgia as independent and securing arms supplies and loans in return. story
"How in the world did we get into the situation where the president of the United States is basically at the negotiating table arguing the Palestinian case against our friends and allies in Israel?" story
The United States wants to enlist its 3.4 million Girl Scouts in the effort to combat hurricanes, pandemics, terror attacks and other disasters.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a campaign Tuesday to entice the blue, brown and green-clad multitudes to be even more prepared, with the promise of a new patch if they pitch in. story
September 9, 2009
The Obama administration early Wednesday Sept 9 decided to schedule a tripartite US-Israeli-Palestinian summit at UN center in New York for Sept 22, DEBKAfile's Washington sources report, the day before the US president meets Russian president Dmitry Medvedev at the UN General Assembly. story
Two days after Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the construction of 455 news housing units in the West Bank, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said Israel's plans to continue building in settlements were "contrary to international law." story
Three days after the U.S. administration criticized the decision of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to authorize the construction of hundreds of new housing units in settlements, the Israel Lands Administration published tenders for the construction of 486 apartments in the neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev in East Jerusalem. story
The reason for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's mysterious 10-hour disappearance from the media radar on Monday was a clandestine trip to Russia, according to a report Wednesday by the Hebrew language daily Yediot Aharonot. story
Official said Saudi Arabia is passing intelligence information to Israel related to Iran. He affirmed a report from the Arab media, strongly denied by the Israeli government, that Saudi Arabia has granted Israel overflight permission during any attack against Iran's nuclear facilities. story
Iran is moving closer to being able to make a nuclear bomb, the US envoy has told a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. story
In case of a swine flu pandemic the French government has a plan to introduce emergency measures that would gut legal protections for citizens, the daily Liberation reported Tuesday. story
September 8, 2009
Barack Obama will cement the new co-operative relationship between the US and the United Nations this month when he becomes the first American president to chair its 15-member Security Council. story
A United Nations panel weighed into the dollar reserve currency debate, arguing for a new system of soft pegs to correct severe deficits in debtor nations like the U.S. and surpluses in countries like China. story
China alarmed by US money printingThe US Federal Reserve's policy of printing money to buy Treasury debt threatens to set off a serious decline of the dollar and compel China to redesign its foreign reserve policy, according to a top member of the Communist hierarchy. story
Barack Obama is committing the same mistakes made by policymakers during the Great Depression, according to a new study endorsed by Nobel laureate James Buchanan. story
Barack Obama has been in the White House for nine months and Binyamin Netanyahu in the Israeli prime minister's office six months. Both have spent precious time batting the numbers of settlement apartments to and fro instead of taking resolute steps to thwart Iran's spectacular advances on the road to a nuclear weapon. DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources note that Tehran has made good use of this time for the longest strides towards its objective than at any time since its program was surreptitiously launched. story
Iran has developed a system that can track and destroy radar evading missiles, a senior office announced. story
Russia and China have rejected a proposal by the United States, Britain, France and Germany to impose more sanctions on Iran should a dialogue over its nuclear program fail, a senior official in Jerusalem said. story
Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are working on a wide-raging plan to replicate Iran's key nuclear installations in Venezuela, possibly in the framework of a new program there on the Iranian and North Korean models. story
Hizbullah will take 10 of 30 seats in a proposed list for a new national unity government submitted to Lebanese president Michel Suleiman. Prime minister-designate Saad Hariri said Monday that the Western-backed parliamentary majority would get 15 seats out of the 30-member Cabinet. The Hizbullah-led parliamentary minority would get 10 seats, while the president would choose the remaining five seats. story
September 7, 2009
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday Iran will neither halt uranium enrichment nor negotiate over its nuclear rights but is ready to sit and talk with world powers over "global challenges." story
A CARGO ship that vanished in the Channel was carrying arms to Iran and was being tracked by Mossad, the Israeli security service, according to sources in both Russia and Israel. story
The Defense Ministry is preparing for the possibility that the United States will decide to leave missile defense systems in Israel following a joint missile defense exercise the two countries will hold next month, senior officials said Sunday. story
Central banks and regulators of the world's leading economies agreed on a set of new banking rules on Sunday aimed at preventing future financial crisis. story
September 5, 2009
President Shimon Peres said Friday that a comprehensive settlement to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute was not currently achievable, and he called instead for the creation of a Palestinian state under a provisional arrangement even without a formal peace deal. story
Extra police were sent to the border this week on the prime minister's orders in response to the government's assertion that former members of Saddam Hussain's Baath Party based in Syria planned and financed last month's attacks against the foreign and finance ministries, said Major Gen. Tariq Youssef, the police commander in western Iraq. story
The Group of 20 rich and developing countries are expected to commit to further efforts to boost growth after holding talks here Saturday, despite fledging signs of an economic recovery. story
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told the Israeli people not to support their government, which he described as "genocidal" on Friday, the second day of his trip to Syria. story
September 4, 2009
A defiant President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday said Iran was ready for more sanctions after global powers pressed the Islamic republic to accept an offer of face-to-face nuclear talks before a key UN meeting in late September. story
Yemeni proxy war pits Iran against Saudi Arabia. story
September 3, 2009
If the plan envisioned by President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats is enacted, the primary federal bureaucracy responsible for implementing and enforcing national health care will be an old and familiar one: the Internal Revenue Service. Under the Democrats' health care proposals, the already powerful — and already feared — IRS would wield even more power and extend its reach even farther into the lives of ordinary Americans, and the presidentially-appointed head of the new health care bureaucracy would have access to confidential IRS information about millions of individual taxpayers. story
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez attacked Israel Thursday during his visit to Syria, calling it an imperialist nation that annihilates other people. story
The Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa reported Thursday, Sept. 3, that chemical weapons were stored in the hidden Hizballah arms warehouse which blew up at Hirbet Salim near the Israeli border in mid-July. Of the 11 Hizballah operatives killed in the blast, 3 died of chemical poisoning. Hizballah denied any members had been killed or even that it maintains a weapons store in breach of UN resolutions. story
The White House is hiring a contractor to harvest information about Americans from its pages on social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. story
A Russian newspaper is reporting that Russia has a contract to provide Syria with powerful MiG fighter jets but has not begun delivering the planes. story
A professor of Islamic law in Saudi Arabia says owners of television stations there should be tried under Islamic law and then executed for spreading "poison" in society. story
New developments indicate that Syria is becoming a venue for renewed support for jihadists, suggesting that efforts by the Obama administration over the past seven months to wean the regime of President Bashar Assad from Iran and its support for Sunni jihadists may be sputtering, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story
Historic position statements have been scrubbed and the U.S. flag image deleted from the website for the United States U.N. mission, as the organization unveiled its new and "improved" Internet presence. story
September 1, 2009
The mass outdoor Islamic prayer event that will turn Capitol Hill into a giant outdoor mosque. The Athan will be chanted on Capitol Hill, echoing off of the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and other great edifices that surround Capitol Hill. story
In a statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, the Swedish EU Presidency in a statement noted that "the unnatural division of our continent has now been overcome." story
A "pandemic response bill" currently making its way through the Massachusetts state legislature would allow authorities to forcefully quarantine citizens in the event of a health emergency, compel health providers to vaccinate citizens, authorize forceful entry into private dwellings and destruction of citizen property and impose fines on citizens for noncompliance. story
After refusing to participate in the National Day of Prayer last May, President Obama will host a dinner in honor of Ramadan at the White House and you can watch it live. story
Russian Professor Igor Panarin says that events are continuing to confirm his doomsday prediction first made over 10 years ago, that the United States will completely collapse like the Soviet Union before the end of 2010, and warns that the chaos could begin to unfold in as little as two months. story
The Islamic production company responsible makes the case that the end-times global leader, also known as "the Beast of Revelation," will actually be the Christian and Jewish Messiah. story
A strategic triumvirate of Russia, India and Iran appears to be emerging from the turmoil of world tensions and uncertainty, and analysts say it is impacting the layout of the global security map, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story
Syrian President Bashar Assad on Monday dismissed Iraqi accusations that his country has been used as a launching pad for violence in Iraq, calling the allegations "immoral" and politically motivated. story
Washington will announce the renewal of talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority through a trilateral summit of U.S. President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. story
Tony Blair has called on religious leaders to play a more important role in the peace process, and said that he is personally inspired by the example of St. Francis of Assisi. story
Federal Reserve and Treasury officials are scrambling to prevent the commercial-real-estate sector from delivering a roundhouse punch to the U.S. economy just as it struggles to get up off the mat. story
A blank document from the Iowa Department of Public Health has been discovered online, designed to be filled in with the name of an H1N1 virus victim who is required to relocate from his or her home to a quarantine facility. story
August 31, 2009
Despite signs of an improving economy, the nation's banks are still struggling — in fact, the pace of bank failures has accelerated. story
Federal Reserve and Treasury officials are scrambling to prevent the commercial-real-estate sector from delivering a roundhouse punch to the U.S. economy just as it struggles to get up off the mat. story
Just days before his White House appointment, Van Jones, President Obama's environmental adviser, used a forum at a major youth convention to push for what can easily be interpreted as a communist or socialist agenda.
Two weeks before he started his White House job, however, Jones delivered the keynote address at Power Shift '09…Jones threw around terms like "eco-apartheid" and "green for some," and preached about spreading the wealth while positing a call to "change the whole system." story
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Monday told President Shimon Peres that his impression of his meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad was that he is interested in resuming negotiations with Israel. story
Hamas has condemned a United Nations decision to teach refugee children in Gaza about the Holocaust, saying it is a “lie invented by the Zionists” and would reinforce Israeli control over the Holy Land. story
August 29, 2009
Warns disclosing where money went would cause 'irreparable harm'. story
Iran is stonewalling the UN nuclear watchdog agency about "possible military dimensions" to its suspect nuclear program, officials said Friday, urging the regime to clarify the mysterious role of a foreign explosives expert and shed light on other issues. story
The United Arab Emirates seized a ship several weeks ago that was bound for Iran and carrying North Korean weapons in violation of a UN embargo, Western diplomats said on Friday. story
August 28, 2009
CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency. story
While the Obama administration is preparing to stage a US-Israeli-Palestinian summit at the UN General Assembly in New York next month, Jordan's king Abdullah, who has always claimed to be an ardent champion of the Palestinians, is quietly acting to cut down their numbers and influence in his kingdom. Just over 50% of Jordan's six million citizens are Palestinian. story
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday called for the leaders of the opposition to be prosecuted over Iran's postelection turmoil, stepping up pressure against the pro-reform movement that says he won the election by fraud. story
The US banking system will lose some 1,000 institutions over the next two years, said John Kanas, whose private equity firm bought BankUnited of Florida in May. story
The government has launched Census in Schools, an all-out campaign targeting superintendents, principals, teachers, students and, indirectly, parents, as schools open across the nation this month and next. The message: The Census is coming and here's why everyone should care. story
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at “strategic communication” with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting. story
One of the problems with any proposed law that's over 1,000 pages long and constantly changing is that much deviltry can lie in the details. Take the Democrats' proposal to rewrite health care policy, better known as H.R. 3200 or by opponents as "Obamacare. story
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on a visit to Germany on Thursday that one lesson Israel drew from the Holocaust was that threats to its existence could not go unchallenged and must be "nipped in the bud". story
July 17, 2009
Newly re-elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday his next government "would bring down the global arrogance," signaling a tougher approach by Tehran toward the West after last month's disputed election. story
Israeli warships have deployed to the Red Sea for what has been described as a rehearsal for a possible attack on Iran. story
The Lebanese Army helped Hezbollah militants destroy evidence of its continued military activity in the south of the country after a hidden arms cache exploded there earlier this week, Israel's envoy to the United Nations has charged in an official complaint. story
The shrinking of the Euphrates, a river so crucial to the birth of civilization that the Book of Revelation prophesied its drying up as a sign of the end times, has decimated farms along its banks, has left fishermen impoverished and has depleted riverside towns as farmers flee to the cities looking for work. story
Dramatic discovery by Jewish-American scientists could change world; anti-radiation medication proves effective, safe in tests. Further experiments to be fast tracked, FDA approval possible within 1-2 years. story
Today I had the opportunity to testify before the Senate Budget Committee about CBO’s most recent analysis of the long-term budget outlook.
Under current law, the federal budget is on an unsustainable path, because federal debt will continue to grow much faster than the economy over the long run. story
Foreign demand for long-term U.S. financial assets dropped by the largest amount in four months in May, as Japan and Russia trimmed their holdings of Treasury securities. story
Vice President Joe Biden told people attending an AARP town hall meeting that unless the Democrat-supported health care plan becomes law the nation will go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money. story
July 16, 2009
Iran is capable of assembling an atomic bomb within six months, German intelligence analysts told the German weekly newsmagazine Stern. story
A deal taking shape between Israel and Western leaders will facilitate international support for an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in exchange for concessions in peace negotiations with the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, The Times reported Thursday. story
The Iron Dome missile defense system successfully intercepted a number of rockets that mimicked Kassam and short-range Grad-model Katyusha rockets in a series of tests the Defense Ministry conducted this week. story
The World Bank has given warning that global economy will fall into a "deflationary spiral" unless urgent action is taken to reduce high levels of excess capacity in industry. story
July 15, 2009
Madrid - Top EU diplomat Javier Solana on Sunday announced plans to retire this autumn, in an interview with Spanish newspaper ABC. "I think my time has come," said Solana, 66, who has held the position for ten years. He said a decade was "more than enough." story
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Dmitry Babich) - "There has been no change on the gas supply market." In the past few months, this phrase has brought for the EU, Ukraine and Russia more anxiety than calm, because no change means that the question over the supply of Russian natural gas to the EU this coming winter has not been settled. story
In a new signal to Iran, two Sa'ar 5-class Israeli Navy ships crossed through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea on Tuesday to beef up Israel's naval presence near Eilat. story
It is surely the biggest Big Brother project yet conceived. India is to issue each of its 1.2 billion citizens, millions of whom live in remote villages and possess no documentary proof of existence, with cyber-age biometric identity cards. story
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi says Iran should be encouraged to pursue its nuclear program as long as it is for peaceful purposes. story
U.S.The Obama administration's extended Census survey intended for 3 million people is a plan to create a "government dossier on American citizens," charges a Texas congressman who has introduced a bill to make the lengthy questionnaire voluntary. story
President Obama's pick for surgeon general has urged that future doctors learn how to perform abortions. story
Bishops of the Anglican Church in the United States have voted to overturn a three-year ban on the appointment of gay bishops. story
Nine months into the fiscal year, the federal deficit has topped $1 trillion for the first time.
The imbalance is intensifying fears about higher interest rates and inflation, and already pressuring the value of the dollar. There's also concern about trying to reverse the deficit—by reducing government spending or raising taxes—in the midst of a harsh recession. story
Leaders of the developing world were in Egypt for the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to discuss the effect of the global financial crisis on their countries. story
Israel and the US will hold a joint test of the Arrow missile over the Pacific Ocean in what will be the first trial of the system with a target with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, further than the test sites over the Mediterranean could allow. story
Strangled by the water policies of its neighbors, Turkey and Syria, a two-year drought and years of misuse by Iraq and its farmers, the Euphrates River is significantly smaller than it was just a few years ago, and some officials worry that it could soon be half of what it is now. story
July 13, 2009
Iran is slowing down the manufacture of the Shehab-3 surface missile in favor of mass production of the more accurate two-stage 2,000-kilometer range Sejil II ballistic missile powered with solid fuel, which was successfully tested on May 20, DEBKAfile's military and Iranian sources report. story
Israel is calling for a resumption of stalled Middle East peace talks. But the Palestinians are skeptical.
Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to meet with him for the first time. story
European Union's foreign policy chief urges Security Council to set tangible deadline for formation of Palestinian state, endorse overall solution for issues of border parameters, refugees, control over Jerusalem; Israel says proposal 'undermines peace efforts'. story Israel rejects Solana's call for deadline on Palestinian state
Fatah Official: “Our Goal is Not Peace, but Rather Palestine”
If "Our goal has never been peace,” says a Fatah official in a PA TV panel. “Peace is a means; the goal is Palestine" – meaning the conquest of Israel. story
What is terrifying is that these pandemic vaccines contain ingredients, called immune adjuvants that a number of studies have shown cause devastating autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus.
Animal studies using this adjuvant have found them to be deadly. A study using 14 guinea pigs found that when they were injected with the special adjuvant, only one animal survived. A repeat of the study found the same deadly outcome. story
July 12, 2009
If Israel and the Palestinian Arabs are not prepared to compromise enough to bring about the creation of the State of Palestine in the Land of Israel, the international community should go ahead and recognize the existence of such a state, thereby making its birth a fait accompli.
This recommendation to forcefully impose the will of the world upon Israel was made Saturday by European Union foreign policy czar Javier Solana. story
Climbing into his Volvo, outfitted with a Matrics antenna and a Motorola reader he'd bought on eBay for $190, Chris Paget cruised the streets of San Francisco with this objective: To read the identity cards of strangers, wirelessly, without ever leaving his car. It took him 20 minutes to strike hacker's gold. story
To protect against skimming and eavesdropping attacks, federal and state officials recommend that Americans keep their e-passports tightly shut and store their RFID-tagged passport cards and enhanced driver's licenses in "radio-opaque" sleeves. story
Leaflets calling for a boycott on Israeli products were handed out to locals leaving Paris for the weekend, urging Parisians to refrain from purchasing goods produced by "war criminals." story
Florida’s surgeon general says the state is preparing for massive swine flu immunizations, starting with schoolchildren, as the Obama administration urges states to prepare for the likelihood that the virus might worsen in the fall. story
July 11, 2009
Even if Russia's call for a global currency failed to gain much traction at a G8 summit, President Dmitry Medvedev took home a coin meant to symbolize that the dream may one day come true.
The Russian leader proudly displayed the coin, which bears the English words "United Future World Currency", to journalists after the summit wrapped up in the quake-hit Italian town of L'Aquila. story
Capitalism and consumerism have brought the world to the brink of economic and environmental collapse, the Prince of Wales has warned in a grandstand speech which set out his concerns for the future of the planet.
The heir to the throne told an audience of industrialists and environmentalists at St James's Palace last night that he had calculated that we have just 96 months left to save the world. story
July 10, 2009
Former Vice President Al Gore, whose "An Inconvenient Truth" video epistle on the claims of global warming has not weathered recent scientific research, now has promised at a conference in the United Kingdom that the impending virtual energy tax under the U.S. "cap-and-trade" legislation will bring about "global governance." story
Somalia's hardline Islamist rebels beheaded seven people on Friday for being "Christians" and "spies" in the latest imposition of strict sharia, Islamic law, by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group, witnesses said. story
Both the US and Israel believe Iran has the technical capacity to build one nuclear bomb within a year if it decides to do so, but both countries also believe the chances that Teheran will indeed make that decision are slim, according to assessments made known to The Jerusalem Post. story
Israel must have "tremendously powerful" weapons to deter a nuclear attack or destroy an enemy that dares to launch an atomic strike, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted on Thursday as saying. story
The Palestinian people have a right to "resistance" against Israel, declared a top official in the Palestinian Authority who is known for his so-called moderate views. story
A unilateral attack by Israel against Iran to thwart the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions would be an "absolute catastrophe," AFP quoted French President Nicolas Sarkozy as warning on Thursday. story
"We should have a better system for reserve currency issuance and regulation, so that we can maintain relative stability of major reserve currencies exchange rates and promote a diversified and rational international reserve currency system,” said Mr Dai, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. story
Huang Xinyuan, who sells mining equipment and pesticides to customers across China’s border with Vietnam, says he no longer wants payment in U.S. dollars and prefers the yuan. story
In a research note that’s been making the rounds of economics blogs this week, Berner declares that “America’s long-awaited fiscal train wreck is now under way.” story
After assembling $700 billion to deal with the problem, the government is devoting a relatively modest $30 billion to buy troubled mortgage-backed securities. With that on the back burner, the big threat to the economy is now believed to be troubled credit card, commercial real estate and commercial industrial debt. story
William White predicted the approaching financial crisis years before 2007's subprime meltdown. But central bankers preferred to listen to his great rival Alan Greenspan instead, with devastating consequences for the global economy. story
A nurse has filed a lawsuit against the medical records provisions of President Obama's stimulus bill alleging it not only gives government officials access to personal health records, it would open the door for bureaucrats to make health care decisions. story
U.S. swine flu vaccinations could begin in October with children at schools among the first in line, the Obama administration said Thursday as the president and his Cabinet urged states to figure out now how they'll tackle the virus' all-but-certain resurgence. story
Describing a United States church in crisis, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told delegates to the group's triennial meeting July 8 in Anaheim, Calif., that the overarching connection to problems facing Episcopalians has to do with "the great Western heresy -- that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God." story
Scientists have detected a spike in underground rumblings on a section of California's San Andreas Fault that produced a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in 1857.
What these mysterious vibrations say about future earthquakes is far from certain. But some think the deep tremors suggest underground stress may be building up faster than expected and may indicate an increased risk of a major temblor. story
July 8, 2009
On July 5 the Washington Times online reported that Pastor Rick Warren told his Islamic audience, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA,) that he envisions "a coalition of faith." Whether Pastor Warren knows this or not, this is just another term for the coming one-world religion outlined in Revelation 13. It is further outlined in Revelation 17. I have not taken on the issue of Rick Warren all that often, but after reading what the Washington Times has to say about his message to a group of spiritually lost Muslims, I feel I must address this in an open letter to who many say is the most influential pastor in America and some would say the world. story
Pope Proposes New Financial Order ATTORNEY GENERAL CAN CLASSIFY PRO-LIFE, PRO-GUN AMERICANS AS TERRORISTS
An amendment to a bill swiftly moving through the US Congress will allow the Obama Administration's Attorney General to classify Americans as domestic terrorists if they are pro-life, pro-gun and anti-big government. story
The House bill (HR 645) -- National Emergency Centers Establishment Act -- is not even on the radar of members of the elite media. According to critics of the plan, if passed the government will create camps or centers that by their nature restrict the activities of US citizens herded into them.
In fact, one provision -- Section 2 (b) (4) -- states: "[To] meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."
One critic, political strategist Mike Baker claims the idea of such detention center smacks of the type of concentration camps for political dissidents, such as occurred in Nazi Germany, Americans find repugnant.
Hastings bill is suspected of attempting to help expand the President Obama's military and law enforcement powers. While Hastings pushes this bill, even Republican congressmen are hesitant to remind one another and the nation that this Florida congressman was impeached while he sat on Florida's federal court bench. House Bill Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, has said that his country's fight against the Taliban is not just a domestic battle but one that the whole world needs to be aware of. Speaking during a news conference in London with Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, Zardari said the Taliban are seeking to create a "new world order" and that more effort was needed by the international communty to defeat the fighters. story The top U.S. military officer warned on Tuesday that time is running out for dialogue with Tehran to avoid either a nuclear-armed Iran or a possible military strike against the Islamic Republic. story Invasion of privacy is an issue that really gets under State Rep. Babette Josephs' skin. That's why the Philadelphia Democrat introduced a bill, passed unanimously last week by the House, that would ban the forced implantation of computer chips in humans. story A widespread and unusually resilient computer attack that began July 4 knocked out the Web sites of several government agencies, including some that are responsible for fighting cyber crime, The Associated Press has learned. story Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday sought to put the turmoil over the disputed presidential elections behind him and declared on national television that the contests were clean, fair and heralded the start of a new era. story In the late 1990s, a computer specialist from Israel's Shin Bet internal security service hacked into the mainframe of the Pi Glilot fuel depot north of Tel Aviv. It was meant to be a routine test of safeguards at the strategic site. But it also tipped off the Israelis to the potential such hi-tech infiltrations offered for real sabotage. story A group of the biggest U.S. banks said they would stop accepting California's IOUs on Friday, adding pressure on the state to close its $26.3 billion annual budget gap. story The reserves of natural gas discovered at the "Tamar 2" drilling site off the coast of Haifa are estimated to be up to 30 percent greater than expected and may reach 180 billion cubic meters, TheMarker has learned. This report could significantly affect Israel's place within that strategic balance of energy resources in the Middle East. The newfound reserves provide Israel with enough natural gas resources for an additional five years. story July 7, 2009 Many factors are now converging to indicate that Israel is at long last about to attack Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities. story Sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told The Washington Times that the premier is hesitant to request formal U.S. approval to launch military operations against Iran for fear that Washington would turn him down, according to a report which appeared in Tuesday editions. story As Israel's new right-wing government marks a milestone, it is softening its position on the creation of a Palestinian state. story A Saudi diplomat said Monday that the kingdom had appointed a new ambassador to Syria, the strongest sign yet of the solidifying reconciliation between the two rival Arab nations. story Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization has decided to hold in the West Bank city of Bethlehem its first congress in 20 years. Well-known terrorists and anti-Israel extremists are slated to descend upon the important Christian city, where, among other things, the Fatah party is set to vote on a clause that would affirm "resistance" against Israel. story For weeks I have warned that the internals of the market are weak and lower prices were in the future. This led me to position the portfolio conservatively and prepare for the eventual fall. Now that a head-and-shoulders reversal has formed, a break below 8,200 will quickly send the Dow to 7,600 (red box) and raises the possibility of a retest of the March lows.” story Nouriel Roubini is one of the most popular economists currently today. Known to many as, “Dr. Doom” Nouriel does not shun away from stating his opinion (and being right more often than not) about the economy... Nouriel offers three reasons why he thinks the latest market rally is going to fail. story The White House is completely mum on the fifth annual summit of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, now operating under the title of the North American Leaders' Summit, scheduled on the State Department calendar to occur in Mexico next month. story July 6, 2009 Israel is urging the United States and other countries to start preparing now for the possibility that Washington's proposed dialogue with Iran will fail, by readying a "Plan B" that includes "paralyzing sanctions" and other measures against Tehran. story Iran is ready to take "real and decisive" action if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities, a senior Iranian parliamentary official said Monday. The remarks by Alaeddin Broujerdi, the head of Iran's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, came after US Vice President Joe Biden signaled that Washington would not try to prevent any such Israeli assault. story Syrian President Bashar Assad must understand that he cannot expect to receive the Golan Heights on a silver platter while he continues to maintain contact with Iran and to strengthen Hizbullah, President Shimon Peres told German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier on Monday. story On the day that US Vice President Joe Biden seemed to give Israel a green light for military action to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat, The Jerusalem Post learned that the IAF plans to participate in aerial exercises in the US and Europe in the coming months with the aim of training its pilots for long-range flights. story The Palestinian Authority, once called a U.S. "peace partner" in the Mideast, has launched a behind-the-scenes diplomatic campaign to lobby Arab countries against accepting normalized ties with Israel, even if the acceptance is exchanged for a freeze on Jewish construction in the strategic West Bank. story Islamist websites associated with terrorist organizations, WND has learned, hailed over the weekend a recent New York City Council resolution recommending the city's school system shut down to commemorate two of the most important Muslim holidays. story The US economy is lurching towards crisis with long-term interest rates on course to double, crippling the country’s ability to pay its debts and potentially plunging it into another recession, according to a study by the US’s own central bank. story Last week, we discovered that the state of California will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. story July 5, 2009 The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites. story Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday cited the national consensus on the two-state solution for an Israeli-Palestinian accord as a major accomplishment for his government in its first 100 days. story A senior Egyptian security official on Saturday denied reports that an Israeli submarine had sailed the Suez Canal last month as part of a naval drill. "Egypt does not allow Israeli warships to enter our territory," Army Radio quoted the official as saying. On Friday, defense sources reported that an Israeli submarine had sailed the Suez Canal to the Red Sea last month, describing the unusual maneuver as a show of strategic reach in the face of Iran. story The most important group of religious leaders in Iran called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate on Saturday, an act of defiance against the country’s supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country’s clerical establishment. story In its June 2009 issue, National Geographic demonstrated just how far it is willing to go to scapegoat Israel for suffering in the Middle East. The magazine also showed how far it is willing to go to downplay the role Islam played in contributing to Christianity's decline in the region. In an article written by Don Belt, the magazine's senior editor for foreign affairs, National Geographic portrays the departure of Christians from the Holy Land as largely a consequence of Israeli (and American) policies in the region. The article offers no honest description of the well-documented mistreatment of Christians at the hands of Muslim majority populations in the Middle East. story When Internet journalist Joe Kaufman wrote an article exposing terrorist connections in two American Muslim groups, he was sued by a swarm of Islamic organizations, none of which he had mentioned in his online article. story July 4, 2009 H.R. 675, sponsored by Democrat Rep. Bob Filner, was introduced to: Provide police officers, criminal investigators, and game law enforcement officers of the Department of Defense with the authority to execute warrants, make arrests, and carry firearms. Why do employees of the Department of Defense need the authority to execute warrants, make arrests and carry firearms? When the bill was introduced, Filner said: "We need to ensure that federal, state and local law enforcement are able to work together to apprehend criminals and to prevent and solve crimes." story Taliban wants 'new world order'
U.S. military chief says clock ticking on Iran nuke
Bill banning forced identity-chip implants clears House
Federal Web sites knocked out by cyber attack
Ahmadinejad heralds 'new era' for Iran
Israelis eye cyberwar on Iran
Big Banks Don't Want California's IOUs
Israel natural gas reserves greatly exceed expectations
Will Israel Strike Iran? - Hal Lindsey
Israel hesitant to seek U.S. okay to strike Iran
Netanyahu Calls for 'Two States for Two Peoples'
Saudi Arabia appoints ambassador to Syria
Terrorists to descend on Jesus' birthplace
Dow Jones 8200 Support Set to Fail?
Roubini, 3 Big Reasons Why This Rally Will Fail
White House mum on North America summit - Obama had promised 'transparency' regarding controversial meeting
Israel seeks 'Plan B' if U.S.-Iran talks fail
'Iran's response will be real, decisive'
'Assad won't get Golan on a platter'
IAF to train overseas for Iran strike op
U.S. 'partner' warns Mideast: Don't deal with Israel
Jihad sites hail vote to celebrate Islam in schools
US lurching towards 'debt explosion' with long-term interest rates on course to double
California’s Nightmare Will Kill Obamanomics
Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran
PM: Nat'l consensus on 2-state solution major accomplishment
Egypt denies Israeli sub sailed Suez Canal
Leading Clerics Defy Ayatollah on Disputed Iran Election
National Geographic blames Israel for Christianity's decline in Middle East
Will 'legal jihad' silence online critics of Islam? - Court wades into brewing battle over rights of Internet journalists
Warning: American Gestapo ahead
June 24, 2009
The patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia says he will announce to the world Friday the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, perhaps the world's most prized archaeological and spiritual artifact, which he says has been hidden away in a church in his country for millennia, according to the Italian news agency Adnkronos. story
FRANKFURT -- The European Central Bank pumped a record €442 billion ($622 billion) into euro-zone money markets Wednesday in its first-ever offer of one-year funds as it battles the Continent's recession. story
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev claimed Tuesday to have secured the support of Israel and all other involved parties for a Middle East peace conference in Moscow. story
Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Hosni Mubarak signed a strategic partnership agreement on Tuesday. The three-page document defines bilateral cooperation areas for the next decade. story
There is no denying that the Chinese are wonderfully decorous. President Hu Jintao, currently in Moscow on a state visit, was so tactful in reminding that the Chinese offshoot of the East Siberia – Pacific Ocean Coast oil pipeline should be completed on time that now there is no doubt that it will. story
Crops in large swathes of Ethiopia risk being destroyed by swarms of locusts coming from northern Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Tuesday. story
June 22, 2009
Last month, the Kurdish government of Iraq in May gave permission for a Christian radio station that The Joshua Fund helped finance to officially begin broadcast operations. The establishment of such a station owned and operated by Iraqi followers of Jesus Christ is really an historic development in the history of Christianity in the land once called Babylonia.
story Although most Americans have never heard of it, Ug99 — a type of fungus called stem rust because it produces reddish-brown flakes on plant stalks — is the No. 1 threat to the world's most widely grown crop. story As the Obama Administration pursues the latest peace initiative in the Mideast amid renewed world hopes, it will ultimately face once again the seemingly intractable issue of the future status of the Temple Mount (Al Haram Al Sharif in Arabic). Situated in the center of Jerusalem, it is the site of the Dome of Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, sacred to Islam, and also the site of long-held aspirations by Jews for a rebuilt temple as expressed to this day in daily prayers. story The Painting & the Vision story A top al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan says his men 'will' use Pakistan's nuclear weapons against the US, should they be able to get their hands on any. story French President Nicolas Sarkozy will on Monday (22 June) make a historic speech before a joint session of the French parliament gathered at the Palace of Versailles to lay out his domestic and international reform agenda.
It will be the first time a French president addresses the parliament in more than 100 years after constitutional reform passed last summer by a thin majority made the move possible. story June 21, 2009
Primary care trusts are to set up anti-viral drug distribution centres and swine flu testing clinics amid fears that the infection could spread out of control.
story President Shimon Peres on Sunday expressed hope that the Iranian leadership would "disappear" before the Islamic republic makes use of its enriched Uranium, saying it was more important to fight the Iranian regime than the country's nuclear program.
story Iranian police have used water cannon, batons, tear gas and live rounds to break up protests over the presidential election, witnesses in Tehran say.
story Dr. Mohammed ElBaradei said Wednesday, June 17: "it is my gut feeling that Iran would like to have the technology to enable it to have nuclear weapons – both as a message to their neighbors and the world, don't mess with us" and as the road to the prestige of being recognized as a major Middle East power. story JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Espousing a dream of harmony that may stretch credibility among even the most fervent believers in dialogue among the great religions, clerics in Jerusalem launched a project on Thursday aimed at finding a way to share the city's holiest, and most fought over, site.
story CASH is accelerating down the path to extinction as new technologies threaten to mark the end of loose change within a decade.
story The global economic crisis will help push 100 million people into poverty this year through lost jobs and lower earnings, leaving one sixth of the world's population living in hunger, a UN agency said on Friday. story June 20, 2009
In Wall Street Journal editorial, Egyptian president says if Israel takes 'serious steps' toward peace with Palestinians, Arab world would do the same; adds 'relentless settlement expansion, Gaza blockade must cease'. story Decisions that have followed the controversial June 7 parliamentary elections in Lebanon may be leading to a confrontation that could resemble the open conflict of opposing forces that almost led to civil war last year, according to a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
story A federal judge has upheld a decision by festival organizers in Dearborn, Mich., which is about 30 percent Muslim, to ban a Christian ministry from handing out religious information on public sidewalks. story June 19, 2009
The new strain of influenza appears to have mutated to become more infectious for humans, the online edition of science magazine Nature reported Monday, referencing research by a team including Prof. Yoshihiro Kawaoka of Tokyo University's Institute of Medical Science.
story Iran's supreme leader sought to end the deepening crisis over disputed elections with one decisive speech - declaring the vote will almost certainly stand and sternly warning opposition leaders to end street protests or be held responsible for any "bloodshed and chaos" to come. story June 17, 2009
The global financial crisis has reduced the differences between nations and created the opportunity to form a new world order, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday. story Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls for the creation of a new world order in dealing with the many challenges arising in the international political arena. story June 16, 2009
Quartet's Mideast envoy tells Sky News return of Palestinian refugees to Israel should be resolved through negotiation, calls on Jerusalem to lift Gaza blockade.
story Iran's supreme leader ordered Monday an investigation into allegations of election fraud, marking a stunning turnaround by the country's most powerful figure and offering hope to opposition forces who have waged street clashes to protest the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. story The foreign policy speech given by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu elicited negative response across the Arab world, with Syria saying Monday that the Israeli premier's plan "contains everything but peace." story A former official in the George H.W. Bush White House estimates that the bloated public and private debt in the US works out to $250,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.
David Walker, the former US Comptroller General, says that the federal debt level is approaching $55 trillion and if you add in the what is owed on the state and local levels -- plus personal household debt -- it adds up to $75 trillion in obligations.
story The Palestinian Authority has received signs from the U.S. that it should not take seriously Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent major address, according to a top PA official speaking to WND. story Russia – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says the world needs new reserve currencies.
Medvedev told a regional summit Tuesday that the creation of new reserve currencies in addition to the dollar is needed to stabilize global finances. story Technical analyst Robert Prechter on Monday said he sees the United States losing its top AAA credit rating by the end of 2010, as he stuck by a deeply bearish outlook on the U.S. economy and stock market. story June 13, 2009
The apparent re-election of hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underscores the growing threat posed by Tehran and its nuclear ambitions, two senior Israeli politicians said Saturday, urging the world not to engage in dialogue with Iran.
story Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on June 9 after a meeting of the Customs Union’s Supreme Body that Russia would no longer have to negotiate accession to the World Trade Organization as an independent state.
“WTO accession remains a joint priority for us,” he said. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are still seeking WTO entry, “but as a united customs union, not as separate countries.” story US President Barack Obama's special Mideast envoy said Saturday that Syria has a key role to play in forging peace in the region during a visit that marked the strongest US push yet to improve relations with the country. story ice Premier Silvan Shalom and Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on Saturday stressed the danger posed by the Iranian nuclear threat, following reports that the Islamic Republic has reelected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to serve as their president.
story With most of the votes counted, the election committee chairman in Tehran awarded president Mahound Ahmadinejad a 66 percent victory over his main reformist challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi's 33 percent with the remainder divided among the two last contestants in Iran's highly-charged presidential election. story June 12, 2009
Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center says Islamic republic, with support from outside sources, within six years could produce ocean-leaping missile capable of hitting United States. story
Iran and North Korea are working together to develop ballistic missiles and have made significant progress, the head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday. story Russia on Wednesday pledged to cut the share of U.S. treasuries in its $400 billion reserves, driving the dollar lower on global markets, although it said the move would be gradual and only replace bonds as they expire. story The heat is on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from within his own party to resist US pressure and not utter the words "Palestinian state" in a keenly-awaited policy speech.
"The expression Palestinian state should not be used," Likud MP Miri Regev said on Thursday, echoing the sentiment of several other members of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party ahead of Sunday's speech. story Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to endorse a “two-state solution” in a much-heralded speech this weekend, but he may stall on American demands to freeze Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
story Turkey and Iraq signed a preliminary accord on military cooperation, the Turkish military said in a statement published on its website Wednesday. story Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Israel was bound to agree to a two-state solution in the Middle East because there is "no other choice," during a television interview to air later on Wednesday. story There has been record turnout for Iran's closely-fought election as incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks a second term in office.
story The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a controversial bill that pro-life groups say would promote abortion around the world on the taxpayer's dime.
Congressional representatives voted 235-187 to approve H.R. 2410 on Wednesday, with 11 members abstaining. story June 11, 2009
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global flu pandemic after holding an emergency meeting.
It means the swine flu virus is spreading in at least two regions of the world with rising cases being seen in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile.
story Three days before Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech, president suggests his own creative solution for Israeli-Palestinian conflict in meeting with EU foreign policy chief. Solana clarifies Europe backs American pressure on Jewish state. story June 8, 2009 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began Sunday's cabinet meeting by telling the ministers he was going to make an official address next week, detailing his notions as to the best way to achieve peace and security for Israel.
"We aim to achieve peace with the Palestinian and the Arab world in cooperation with the US," he said, "I intend to achieve a stable peace in which the security of Israel's citizens will be ensured." story After losing to the Western-backed coalition in the Lebanese elections, Hizbullah on Monday warned the coalition that its weapons arsenal was not up for debate.
"The majority must commit not to question our role as a resistance party, the legitimacy of our weapons arsenal and the fact that Israel is an enemy state," senior Hizbullah member Mohamed Ra'ad told AFP. story US Rejects Bush's Promise; Maaleh Adumim on Chopping Block Maaleh Adumim, Betar Illit, Ariel and Gush Etzion are on the chopping block. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she refuses to honor an American promise that Israel retain large population centers. story Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute has announced the completion of the manufacture of two golden sensors which are to be used by the priests in the service of the soon to be rebuilt Jewish Temple. The Temple Institute has tasked itself with preparing for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, and has reconstructed many of the instruments that will be used it its administration. story King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has urged U.S. President Barack Obama to impose a solution on the festering Arab-Israeli conflict if necessary, a Saudi newspaper said on Sunday. story June 6, 2009
The Washington Times' James Robbins writes:
Late on Friday The Washington Times' Christian Bourge obtained a copy of Presidential Determination 2009-19, latest in a series of pro forma memos to the Secretary of State entitled "Suspension of Limitations Under the Jerusalem Embassy Act." This determination is a legally required waiver under said act to continue to delay the May 31, 1999 deadline for moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. story The United States should cut off its aid to Israel if the country does not end its occupation of Arab land, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister told Newsweek in comments published Friday. story June 5, 2009
A new Russian security strategy includes an intense rivalry with Washington, the possible use of military force as the nation competes for energy resources in the Middle East, Barents Sea, the Arctic, Caspian Sea and Central Asia, and the assembly of a coalition that it hopes will rival NATO, according to a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. story Another major U.S. military base is requiring soldiers who live off the premises to provide descriptions, serial numbers, calibers, makes and models of any of the guns they own privately, and do not take onto the premises of the installation. story Iran's supreme leader dismissed President Obama's speech at Cairo University Thursday, saying the Muslim world continues to "hate America." And he criticized the United States and its allies for asserting that Iran seeks nuclear weapons, which he insisted are forbidden under Iran's brand of Islam. story June 3, 2009
It is important to note that "if you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we'd be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world". So says President Barack Obama. Or I should say: Barack Hussein Obama. story German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a rare public rebuke of central banks, suggested the European Central Bank and its counterparts in the U.S. and Britain have gone too far in fighting the financial crisis and may be laying the groundwork for another financial blowup. story Sheikh Naim Kassem rejects accusations that government of Hizbullah and its allies will try to implement Iranian-style Islamic state, says group will invite its pro-Western opponents to join national unity government if it wins upcoming Lebanon elections.
story Eucalyptus and pine trees swayed in the gentle breeze as a Malaysian delegation led by Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman recently made its way into Quneitra, a largely abandoned provincial capital in the contentious Golan Heights in southwestern Syria.
story MUSCAT – Gulf states will sign an agreement for monetary union on June 7 in Riyadh, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah said at a meeting of the GCC finance ministers in Muscat Saturday.
Al-Attiyah said the GCC’s Higher Council had authorized the Ministerial Council to sign the agreement. story June 2, 2009
ABC News' Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller report: The other day we heard a comment from a White House aide that never would have been uttered during the primaries or general election campaign.
During a conference call in preparation for President Obama's trip to Cairo, Egypt, where he will address the Muslim world, deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Denis McDonough said "the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago."
story The dollar weakened beyond $1.43 against the euro for the first time in 2009 on bets record U.S. borrowing will undermine the greenback, prompting nations to consider alternatives to the world’s main reserve currency.
The euro gained for a fourth day versus the dollar as the Russian government said emerging-market leaders may discuss the idea of a supranational currency. The pound rose to the highest level since October and the Canadian dollar traded near an eight-month high on speculation signs of a recovery in U.S. and U.K. housing will spur higher-yield demand.
story I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists. story June 1, 2009
Egypt has rejected an American proposal for gradual normalization between the Arab world and Israel that would have allowed Israeli planes to fly freely through Arab air space. story Head of research division of Military Intelligence tells Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Islamic republic could have enough fissile material for its first nuclear weapon by end of 2009. 'Iran's speed is extremely troubling,' he adds. story Jerusalem officials are concerned the Obama administration intends to abrogate written pledges made by President Bush that Israel
would be able to keep main West Bank settlement blocs in a future deal with the Palestinians.
story The Obama administration has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to protect Saudi Arabia and four of its princes from being held accountable for their alleged role in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States that killed almost 3,000 Americans. story
May 30, 2009
JERUSALEM – President Obama and his administration told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting last week the U.S. foresees the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, according to a top PA official speaking to WND.
story Israel is facing a "real live missile threat" from surrounding Arab countries and needs to be prepared for possible missile attacks at a moment's notice, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i told The Jerusalem Post Saturday, ahead of the nationwide emergency drill that begins on Sunday.
story Sunday Times reports US president gave himself two years for diplomatic breakthrough on two-state solution, adding that during schedule speech in Cairo this week he will offer his personal commitment to 'change the conversation' with Muslim world. story An Egyptian Cabinet minister who offered to burn Hebrew books last year enters the final straight as favourite for leadership of Unesco today in the face of fierce opposition from Jewish groups and intellectuals in Europe. story May 27, 2009
Sheikh Raad Salah, leader of the Northern Wing of the Islamic Movement in Israel, believes Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will try to rebuild the Jewish Temple.
Speaking at a conference organized by website Islam Online in Doha, Qatar, Salah stated his belief that Netanyahu may try to build the Jewish Temple – which the Islamic preacher called “the false temple” – during his current term after allegedly failing to do so in his first term as Prime Minister in the late 1990s. story Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe (Boogie) Yaalon believes that the time has come for Israel to “free itself from the failed paradigm” of the “two-state solution.” Yaalon spoke Tuesday at a meeting of MKs dedicated to finding an alternative to the creation of a Palestinian Authority-led Arab state. story BRUSSELS – A new website launched Tuesday (26 May) aims to get EU citizens across the 27 member states talking and reading about the same issues, something that to date has been hindered by language barriers.
With €3 million of European Commission funds a year and a team of 10 journalists, www.presseurop.eu is part of the EU's drive to create a "European public sphere." story President Obama is expected to announce late this week that he will create a "cyber czar," a senior White House official who will have broad authority to develop strategy to protect the nation's government-run and private computer networks, according to people who have been briefed on the plan. story While bombing Iran's nuclear facilities should be regarded by Israel as a "last resort" to halt the threats to wipe out the Jewish state, and would endanger the free world, US President Barack Obama "can never dictate to Israel to follow a path that would lead to harming itself," Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. story No longer a purely guerrilla organization, Hizbullah is engaged in a huge political battle that culminates in the June 7 elections. "The Party of God" is in the pro-Iranian and Syrian camp facing off against the Hariri camp supported by America, Saudi Arabia and France. story May 26, 2009 The defense establishment is concerned that Hezbollah will try to smuggle advanced anti-aircraft missiles into Lebanon in the near future - yet another reason for the rising tension on the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel has made it clear in past statements that it will consider such a development as crossing a red line, which might necessitate preventative measures. story The Russia-Belarus financial and industrial group Defense Systems will supply Pechora-2M air defense systems to five countries in the near future, the company's deputy general director said on Tuesday.
story DAMASCUS, Syria, May 24 (UPI) -- Islamic countries should make clear there will be no normalized relations with Israel until it stops breaking international law, an Arab League official says. story May 25, 2009
Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran's nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.
story TEL AVIV -- The Obama administration told the Palestinian Authority that Jerusalem will never be united under Israeli sovereignty, a top Palestinian Authority official told WND today.
story Yu Qiao, an economics professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, says the best way for China to rescue itself from a dollar trap is to gradually transform the renminbi into a regional currency on par with the dollar and the euro.
story Iran has sent six warships to international waters, including the Gulf of Aden, to show its ability to confront any foreign threats, its naval commander said on Monday. story
Iraqi Christians launch radio station
In a St. Paul lab, scientists race to defeat a wheat famine 'time bomb'
A New Vision for God's Holy Mountain
Qaeda vows to fire Pakistan nukes at US
Sarkozy in historic address to French parliament
Swine flu 'could infect up to half the population'
Peres: Struggle against regime more important than nuke issue
SECURITY FORCES CLASH WITH THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS IN TEHRAN
Nuclear watchdog chief: Iran wants nuclear weapon for recognition as major power
Jerusalem launches debate on sharing holiest site
Cash to become extinct as chips take off
Global crisis pushes 100 million into hunger
Mubarak says time is right for Arab-Israeli peace
Elections open door to civil war? - Crisis looming in no-compromise stance in Lebanon
City corrals Christians at weekend Arab fest
New flu strain 'has mutated, become more infectious'
Khamenei: End protests or risk 'bloodshed'
Time for 'new world order': Brazilian President
Ahmadinejad stresses need for a new world order
Blair: Don’t rule out right of return
Iran erupts in protests as supreme leader orders election probe
Syria: Netanyahu's policy has everything but peace
US DEBT IS AT $1M PER FAMILY
'U.S. told us don't take Netanyahu seriously' - Senior Palestinian official declares Obama's promises are 'what counts'
Medvedev calls for new reserve currencies
U.S. likely to lose AAA rating
Israeli officials: Iran vote shows growing threat
Russia to make WTO bid jointly with Belarus and Kazakhstan
US: Syria has key Mideast peace role
Shalom, Ayalon warn of Iranian threat
Tehran: Ahmadinejad wins second presidential term up to 2013
Iranian missile threat on US by 2015
Russia to cut U.S. Treasuries From Reserves
Israel PM told to keep silent on 'Palestinian state'
Turkey, Iraq sign military cooperation agreement
'No other choice' for Israel but two-states: Mubarak
Record turnout in Iran presidential poll
U.S. House Approves Bill to Create 'International Abortion HQ'
WHO declares swine flu pandemic
Peres' offer: State with temporary borders
Netanyahu to lay out peace guidelines next week
Hizbullah: Our weapons are off limits
June 7, 2009
Temple Institute Announces The Manufacture of The Golden Sensors
Saudi urges Obama to impose Mideast solution
Obama Drops Key Clause in Jerusalem Embassy Memo
Saudi FM to U.S.: Cut off aid if Israel doesn't end occupation
Russia assembling rival to NATO
Fort Bliss soldiers told to register private guns
Supreme Leader of Iran: Muslim Nations 'Hate America'
Barack Hussein Obama: US "one of the largest Muslim countries in the world"
Germany Blasts 'Powers of the Fed'
Hizbullah No. 2 wants Lebanon unity government
Syria Yearns For Liberated Golan Heights
Currency union pact to be inked on June 7
The Emergence of President Obama's Muslim Roots
Russian President may push 'new world currency'
Obama proclaims June Gay pride month
Egypt rejects U.S. plan for Arab-Israel normalization
Iran could have bomb by year's end
Israel fears Obama backing out of U.S. commitments
Obama administration supports Saudi immunity in 9/11 lawsuit
Obama promises Arabs Jerusalem will be theirs
'Israelis must ready for missile attack'
Obama sets deadline for Mideast breakthrough
‘Hebrew book-burning’ minister Farouk Hosni is front-runner to head Unesco
Raad Salah: Netanyahu will Try to Rebuild the Jewish Temple
Yaalon: Israel Must Free Itself from Failed '2-State' Paradigm
New portal to translate EU dailies into 10 languages
Obama Set to Create A Cybersecurity Czar With Broad Mandate
If Israel takes out Iran's nuclear capability, US won't be too upset, Sen. Lautenberg tells 'Post.'
Analysis: Hizbullah builds up its might
Israel fears Hezbollah anti-aircraft missiles could spark war
Russia-Belarus firm to export missile systems to 5 countries
Arab League chief: No Israel recognition
Israeli document: Venezuela sends uranium to Iran
Official: Obama admin sees Jerusalem divided
Chinese Economist: Yuan Should Be Regional Currency to Rival Dollar
Iran sends six warships to international waters
May 22, 2009
Israeli defense officials say the country's air force has completed a large-scale exercise simulating war on several fronts with enemies that include Iran. story
State ceremony marking Jerusalem Day sees Netanyahu, President Peres vow capital will never again be divided. Abbas aide: Israeli occupation of east Jerusalem illegal. story
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned the European Union not to turn a proposed partnership with former Soviet countries against Moscow. story
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem Thursday night that the Israeli flag will continue to fly over the (Kotel). The first prime minister in years to appear at the venerable yeshiva on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), he ignored U.S. President Barack Obama’s apparent trial balloon that he wants to see the United Nations flag fly over the Old City holy sites. story
The US dollar is not Russia’s basic reserve currency anymore. The euro-based share of reserve assets of Russia’s Central Bank increased to the level of 47.5 percent as of January 1, 2009 and exceeded the investments in dollar assets, which made up 41.5 percent, The Vedomosti newspaper wrote. story
May 21, 2009
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has been assured that US President Barack Obama's new peace plan includes a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.
PA officials told the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot that the US intends to stand by its policy that East Jerusalem should be the Palestinian capital. Obama is expected to roll out the peace plan in Cairo on 4 June. story
Israel will not sit on the sidelines and watch while Iran attains nuclear weapons capability, said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's National Security Adviser Uzi Arad on Thursday, adding that the US was aware of Israel's security needs and knew that it would not necessarily receive forewarning of an Israeli strike against Teheran's nuclear facilities. story
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's enemies have gotten together to promote a few sacred causes: to bring Israel to its knees, to force a Pax Americana on Israel (the "Obama plan") and to grind the prime minister's status to dust. story
Palestinian sources said the PA would give up Palestinian sovereignty on the Temple Mount in exchange for Muslim sovereignty, management of the site by the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Conference, whose 57 member states include Iran.
story
An Egyptian attorney has won a suit calling for the implementation of an old law stripping the citizenship from Egyptians married to Israelis and from their children. story
Religious groups are to be forced to accept homosexual youth workers, secretaries and other staff, even if their faith holds same-sex relationships to be sinful. story
CIA to Israel: Prep for a nuclear Iran
During a secret visit here earlier this month, CIA Director Leon Panetta told Israeli officials the country should prepare for a situation in which Iran is a nuclear power with the ability to strike, according to a source intimately familiar with the subject. story
Russia is expected to increase the use of its vast energy resources to realize its national security objectives, an effort some analysts believe will become more of a "lever for blackmail.” story
Archaeologists from Israel’s Antiquities Authority (IAA) have revealed two important artifacts recently discovered in Jerusalem, both dating from the First Temple Period (8-7 BCE).
story
China has engineered a subtle yet significant shift in the investment of its foreign exchange reserves, a sign of how it is willing to act on concerns about financing an explosion of U.S. debt. story
May 20, 2009
There are those who believe in the Rapture prophesied in the Bible. And there is Joshua Witter, avowed atheist.
They need each other.
At least some people think so -- those willing to pay Witter to be their post-apocalyptic postman, delivering cards and letters to their non-believing friends, relatives and neighbors who will be left behind when the Day of Reckoning arrives. story
Iran launched a missile with a range of close to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) on Wednesday and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the Islamic state could send any attacker "to hell," official media reported. story
Kommersant newspaper quotes unidentified Russian defense industry source as saying $500 million deal to sell eight MiG fighter jets to Syria halted due to pressure from Israel. story
Turkey receives reassurance on EU membership bid
The European Commission as well as the current and upcoming EU presidencies on Tuesday (19 May) reassured Turkey that it is negotiating for full membership of the European Union, despite France and Germany repeatedly stating their opposition. story
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