Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Why Christians are Really Under Pressure to Exit Iraq
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

BBC reports have described ISIS ambitions to create an Islamist caliphate spreading from northern Iraq across to northwestern Syria. If ISIS can hold Mosul and consolidate its presence there, it will have taken a giant step towards its goal of creating an Islamist region, controlled by insurgents, that connects Iraq and Syria.

Apart from the overall population being targeted, in the past there has also been ISIS violence explicitly aimed at Christians.

Before this week's attacks about 300,000 Christians were estimated to live in Iraq, out of more than 1.2 million at the beginning of the 1990s. Since then, large numbers have either fled abroad (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) or to the northern Kurdish region as a result of the severe anti-Christian violence; e.g. church attacks, kidnappings, killings, robberies, rapes and threats.

This exodus of Christians means a loss of pluralism and an increase of intolerance in an already divided Iraqi society.

The Archbishop of Mosul Amel Nona said that in the 11 years following the 2003 US-led overthrow of Iraq's President Saddam Hussein, Christians in Mosul had declined from 35,000 to 3,000. This week, Mosul's last remaining Christians had left their homes, he said.

Describing reports of attacks to four churches and a monastery in Mosul, the Archbishop said: "We received threats... [and] now all the faithful have fled the city. I wonder if they will ever return there."

Some reports, however, say Christians have already returned to Mosul, while other sources claim that all have fled and are unlikely to return.

An organization partnering with Christians in Iraq has told World Watch Monitor that some families who fled Mosul decided to return due to being unable to find refuge and fearing street fights between the Iraqi Army and the ISIS forces: "some families mentioned it is better to die at home than staying on streets."

Chaldean Priest Qais Kage told Fides Agency, "The advance of the ISIS militiamen is favored by large tribes and Sunnis clans. What happened in Mosul is significant: such a big city cannot fall in a few hours without support from within. The chaos and political division of the country, due to sectarian conflicts, promotes the advance of the militants who have come from outside: the Iraqi army has left everything in their hands."

Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq

Iraq is divided in two parts, the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the North, officially governed by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) based in Erbil and the large remaining Arab part, controlled by the Iraqi Government in Baghdad. Kurds and Arabs have their own languages and culture. Most of Iraq's oil resources are found near Kirkuk and Mosul, the border areas between the Kurdish region and Arab Iraq, and these are amongst the most violent places of Iraq. Christians are caught here in the crossfire of two different battles: one for a Kurdish autonomous country and one for a religious cleansing of Iraq by Islamic terrorist groups who wish to make the country purely Islamic. The Kurdish aspiration for sovereignty—a desire three Sunni provinces in Arab Iraq have expressed as well—could well be one of the most destabilizing factors for Iraq.

Fleeing to Kurdistan

While the north of Iraq has been developing into a more and more dangerous place for Christians, those who flee to the Kurdish region are now considered refugees inside Iraq.

As refugees they face high unemployment and inadequate housing, plus difficulty in finding schooling (especially university) for their children, inadequate medical care and monthly food rations due to registration problems and discrimination.

ISIS Increased Extremist Islamic Pressures

Iraq remains at number four of the 50 countries listed on the World Watch List ranking the most difficult nations for Christians to live. The list is published annually by Open Doors International, a charity supporting Christians worldwide who live under pressure because of their faith. The situation for Christians in central and south Iraq is as bad as last year, however, the north is developing into a more and more dangerous place for Christians.

The main persecution "engine" in Iraq, says Open Doors, is Islamic extremism. Islamic extremist groups desire a religious cleansing of Iraq and wish to make the country purely Islamic. Since the US led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the situation has continuously deteriorated due to considerable levels of violence by Islamist militants and insurgent groups. Prohibited under Saddam Hussein, Islamist political parties—Shiite and Sunni—have made their entry to politics and even constitute the majority in parliament.

Since 2003 anti-Western and anti-Christian sentiments tend to go hand-in-hand. These Islamist groups have increased in number in the North, under the influence of the civil war in Syria. One of their aims is fulfilling jihad and thus resulting in annihilation of the country's Christian population. This situation is aggravated by government impunity.

According to Open Doors International, in general, Iraqi society has increasingly become more Islamic. There is an increase in social control of women, the wearing of the headscarf and observance of Ramadan. Even Christian women in Baghdad and Mosul have been forced to veil themselves in order to move safely outside of their homes.

Explanation of Background of ISIS

The group ISIS is an Iraq and Syria-based Sunni extremist group. ISIS follows an extreme interpretation of Islam, promotes sectarian violence and targets those with other opinions as infidels and apostates.

In October 2004 ISIS-leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden. This made the group an affiliate of al-Qaida. In the first year of the war in Syria, late 2011, ISIS engaged in that war through one of the groups that originally assimilated into ISIS: Jabhat al Nusra. Between the leaders of ISIS and al-Nusra grew a division. This led to a split between the two jihadist groups and later caused infighting between both groups.

The current leader of ISIS is Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri, the man is also known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or Abu Du'a. ISIS is said to have only some 2500 Iraqi and foreign members in Iraq and some 5000 in Syria, both Syrians as well as many foreigners. ISIS also operates in Lebanon and Turkey.

ISIS has undergone several name changes ranging from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) also known as Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS, this abbreviation is mostly used) or in Iraq as Da'ash.

The Role the Syrian Conflict Plays in Iraq

ISIS has said it wants to establish an Islamist-led state (or Caliphate) which straddles across both Iraq and Syria.

The role of the civil war in Syria is significant: it led to a rise in recruitment and funding of al-Qaida inspired groups in Iraq in 2013.

In the current instability in Syria, the position of Islamist radicals and ant-Christian attitudes should not be underestimated, according to Open Doors. ISIS is now better established in Syria, so Syrians seem to be pressured to choose between Assad and Islamist radicals.

From ISIS-controlled regions in Syria's northern city of Raqqa reports of Christians have emerged of them being given an ultimatum of converting to Islam, being killed or signing a "dhimmi contract."

The contract is an integral part of traditional Islamic sharia law dating back to medieval times and requiring non-Muslims, in this instance Christians, to pay protection money which only allows them to gather for worship in churches.

Under the dhimmi contract, public expressions of Christian faith are not allowed. These prohibitions include: Christian wedding and funeral processions; ringing of church bells; praying in public and scripture being read out loud for Muslims to hear; Christian symbols, like crosses, cannot be displayed openly; churches and monasteries cannot be repaired or restored irrespective if damage was collateral or intentional; and Christians are also not allowed to make offensive remarks about Muslims or Islam.

The dhimmi contract also enforces an Islamic dress code, like the veiling for women, and commercial and dietary regulations, including a ban on alcohol.

According to Open Doors, about 20 Christian leaders have signed these contracts in Syria. If they keep these rules and live as dhimmis, they will be protected. If not, they will be "put to the sword."

UN Fails to Agree on Condemnation of Israel
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

UN Security Council meeting

Reuters

The United Nations Security Council on Monday failed to agree on a statement that would have condemned Israel over the deaths of Palestinian Arabs as part of its security operation in Judea and Samaria, following the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, the current Security Council president, was quoted by The Associated Press (AP) as having said he proposed the press statement after listening to a Palestinian appeal for council action.

He added that one council member wanted stronger language and one didn't want any reference to Israel, so unfortunately the council was not able to find "common ground."

Diplomats said Jordan insisted that "deploring" wasn't strong enough and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said any language directly criticizing Israel would be "a red line" for the Americans.

The diplomats spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Authority (PA) UN ambassador, said he had delivered a letter to Churkin from the PA leadership demanding that the Security Council "shoulder its responsibility" by "condemning this onslaught against our people and demanding a complete cessation immediately."

UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told the Security Council at an earlier open meeting that the situation on the ground had turned highly volatile following the suspension of peace negotiations in late April and despite initial restraint on both sides.

He expressed alarm at the increasing Palestinian Arab death toll in Israeli security operations, saying more than 350 have reportedly been arrested, many injured and four killed.

"We condemn all killings of civilians and call for an investigation into any such deaths," Feltman said, according to AP.

He also criticized Israel for tightened restrictions on Palestinian Arab movements, the hunger strike by terrorist prisoners, and for "illegal settlement building”, the report said.

Feltman urged Israel to exercise restraint and not to “punish Palestinians for offenses they have not personally committed.”

The debate in the Security Council was held one day after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed “solidarity” with the families of the three kidnapped Israeli teenagers, but also hit out at Israel for arresting Hamas terrorists as part of its operation to locate the three teens.

In a statement Sunday outlining Ban’s conversation with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu the day before, the UN chief stressed “the need to avoid an escalation of tensions in the wake of the recent abduction of three Israeli teenagers and the increased violence and mass arrests in the West Bank.”

According to the statement, in Saturday’s phone call with Netanyahu, Ban “conveyed his sympathy for the abducted teenagers and deep solidarity with their families” but also “voiced concern over the increased violence, mass arrests, and restrictions on movement in the West Bank.”

The conversation between Ban and Netanyahu was held several days after a spokesperson for Ban claimed that the UN has no "concrete evidence" that Eyal Yifrah, 19, Naftali Frenkel, 16, and Gilad Sha'ar, 16, were "actually" kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.

The timing of the spokesperson’s comments was odd, as they were made after Ban had already condemned the kidnapping, noting particularly that two of the kidnapped Israeli students are minors.

Sudan: Christian Woman Sentenced to Death Goes Free
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Sudanese flag

Thinkstock

A Sudanese woman on death row for apostasy had her sentence canceled and was ordered released by a Khartoum court on Monday, The Associated Press (AP) reports.

The Sudanese state news agency SUNA said the Court of Cassation canceled the death sentence against 27-year-old Meriam Ibrahim after defense lawyers presented their case. The court ordered her release.

Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Christian mother, was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian. Sudan's penal code criminalizes the conversion of Muslims to other religions, a crime punishable by death.

Ibrahim married a Christian man from southern Sudan in a church ceremony in 2011. As in many Muslim nations, Muslim women in Sudan are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, though Muslim men can marry outside their faith.

The court had given her four days to repent back in May and, when that grace period expired, sentenced her to death.

The sentence drew international condemnation, with Amnesty International calling it "abhorrent." The U.S. State Department said it was "deeply disturbed" by the sentence and called on the Sudanese government to respect religious freedoms.

Sudan introduced Islamic Sharia law in the early 1980s under the rule of autocrat Jaafar Nimeiri, a move that contributed to the resumption of an insurgency in the mostly animist and Christian south of Sudan. The south seceded in 2011 to become the world's newest nation, South Sudan.

Over the past month there had been conflicting reports about Ibrahim’s status. Several days after the death sentence was announced, Sudan defended the verdict but indicated it was only preliminary.

A subsequent report said Ibrahim would be freed within a few days, but the government in Khartoum denied that report.

Senior UN Official Calls on Israel to Show Restraint
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman of the United Nations called on Israel, Monday evening, to exercise restraint in its search for Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel, and Gil-Ad Sha'er, abducted on June 12th at the Along Shevut Junction in Judea.

Adressing the UN Security Council, Feltman said Israel should avoid punishing individuals for things they had not personally done. He added he was afraid of an outbreak of the third intifada Arab uprising since the late 1980s.

Russian Separatists Surprise By Accepting Kiev's Ceasefire
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Report: U.S., Uk Knew About ISIS Takeover Months in Advance
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

President Barack Obama

Reuters

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIS) takeover of Iraq earlier this month took the world by storm, as the successive fall of several major cities in the Sunni-dominated northwest left Iraqis fleeing and world leaders shaken. 

But what if the blitz military conquest could have been prevented altogether?

Kurdish intelligence reported news of a strategic alliance and pact between Islamist groups to topple Mosul and other major Iraqi cities with ISIS's help as far back as January, the Telegraph reported late Sunday.

Shortly after the fall of Fallujah to ISIS, an informant reportedly stepped into a Kurdish intelligence office to reveal the news that ISIS officials had networked with remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime and former Hussein deputy Izzat al-Douri to plan a large-scale invasion. 

But while Kurdish handlers ran immediately to the US and Britain with the information, the West allegedly sat back and did nothing. 

"We had this information then, and we passed it on to your (British) government and the US government," Rooz Bahjat, a senior lieutenant to Lahur Talabani, head of Kurdish intelligence, told the Telegraph. "We used our official liaisons."

"We knew exactly what strategy they were going to use, we knew the military planners," he added. "It fell on deaf ears."

He warned that the ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was now a greater threat to western countries than Osama bin Laden had been in 2001.

But the West may be responsible for more than just the current waves of ISIS takeovers. 

Both Bahjat and Talabani stated that the West's lack of resolve to tie up all the loose ends in the 2003 invasion caused the current crisis on the grand scale - despite a common criticism that the invasion itself caused the crisis. 

And the future does not look promising, they said. 

"[ISIS leader] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is now something bin Laden could only dream of being," Bahjat said. "The sleep of reason produces monsters. It's the lack of resolve in the West that is the most important thing."

"Reason has been sleeping and now we have lots of monsters," he added. 

Cleaning up the mess?

ISIS has been beaten back slightly from the northwestern front since it first attacked earlier this month, as forces were driven out of Jalula after a brief takeover and resistance has fomented near Baiji and outside of Tal Afar. 

However, ISIS forces continue to descend upon Baghdad as of Monday morning, as confused fighting continues in a steady line toward the capital city (see map below). 

The US's involvement in the fighting continues to be the source of ongoing controversy, with many claiming recent efforts to help Iraqi forces drive off the ISIS invasion are an utter failure. 

US President Barack Obama has waffled back and forth on the American position on the crisis. Last Friday, he committed to not sending troops to Iraq - only to send over 500 marines, dozens of helicopters, and the aircraft carrier George HW Bush into the Persian Gulf on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he ruled out American airstrikes on ISIS, while hinting this was a possibility in last Thursday’s speech.

As of Monday morning, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his team have landed in Baghdad to help clean up the mess, spokeswoman Jen Psaki stated as of 11:30 a.m. IST. Kerry is part of a delegation of 300 "advisers" to Iraqi forces. 

Meanwhile, Kurdish authorities say the mission has little hopes of making a difference. 

"I have completely lost hope in America after listening to President Barack Obama," Talabani said. "I blame him personally for what has happened in Syria, in the Middle East, in Iraq at the moment."

"I have no hope any more."

Putin Renounces Right to Send Troops to Ukraine
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: One World Church;Contemporary Issues

Putin Advisor Proposes Anti - Dollar Alliance to Halt U.S. Aggression Abroad
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

It has been a while since both Ukraine, and the ongoing Russian response to western sanctions (which set off the great Eurasian axis in motion, pushing China and Russia close together, and accelerating the "Holy Grail" gas deal between the two countries) have made headlines. It is still not clear just why the western media dropped Ukraine coverage like a hot potato, especially since the civil war in Ukraine's Donbas continues to rage and claim dozens of casualties on both sides. Perhaps the audience has simply gotten tired of hearing about mixed chess/checkers game between Putin vs Obama, and instead has reverted to reading the propaganda surrounding just as deadly events in the third war of Iraq in as many decades. 

However, "out of sight" may be just what Russia's political elite wants. In fact, as VoR's Valentin Mândrescu reports, while the great US spin and distraction machine is focused elsewhere, Russia is already preparing for the next steps. 

Which brings us to Putin advisor Sergey Glazyev, the same person who in early March was the first to suggest Russia dump US bonds and abandon the dollar in retaliation to US sanctions, a strategy which worked because even as the Kremlin has retained control over Crimea, western sanctions have magically halted (and not only that, but as the Russian central bank just reported, the country's 2014 current account surplus may be as high as $35 billion, up from $33 billion in 2013, and a far cry from some fabricated "$200+ billion" in Russian capital outflows which Mario Draghi was warning about recently). 

Glazyev was also the person instrumental in pushing the Kremlin to approach China and force the nat gas deal with Beijing which took place not necessarily at the most beneficial terms for Russia. 

It is this same Glazyev who published an article in Russian Argumenty Nedeli, in which he outlined a plan for "undermining the economic strength of the US" in order to force Washington to stop the civil war in Ukraine. Glazyev believes that the only way of making the US give up its plans on starting a new cold war is to crash the dollar system.

As summarized by VoR, in his article, published by Argumenty Nedeli, Putin's economic aide and the mastermind behind the Eurasian Economic Union, argues that Washington is trying to provoke a Russian military intervention in Ukraine, using the junta in Kiev as bait. If fulfilled, the plan will give Washington a number of important benefits. Firstly, it will allow the US to introduce new sanctions against Russia, writing off Moscow's portfolio of US Treasury bills. More important is that a new wave of sanctions will create a situation in which Russian companies won't be able to service their debts to European banks.

According to Glazyev, the so-called "third phase" of sanctions against Russia will be a tremendous cost for the European Union. The total estimated losses will be higher than 1 trillion euros. Such losses will severely hurt the European economy, making the US the sole "safe haven" in the world. Harsh sanctions against Russia will also displace Gazprom from the European energy market, leaving it wide open for the much more expensive LNG from the US.

Co-opting European countries in a new arms race and military operations against Russia will increase American political influence in Europe and will help the US force the European Union to accept the American version of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a trade agreement that will basically transform the EU into a big economic colony of the US. Glazyev believes that igniting a new war in Europe will only bring benefits for America and only problems for the European Union. Washington has repeatedly used global and regional wars for the benefit of the American economy and now the White House is trying to use the civil war in Ukraine as a pretext to repeat the old trick.

Glazyev's set of countermeasures specifically targets the core strength of the US war machine, i.e. the Fed's printing press. Putin's advisor proposes the creation of a "broad anti-dollar alliance" of countries willing and able to drop the dollar from their international trade. Members of the alliance would also refrain from keeping the currency reserves in dollar-denominated instruments. Glazyev advocates treating positions in dollar-denominated instruments like holdings of junk securities and believes that regulators should require full collateralization of such holdings. An anti-dollar coalition would be the first step for the creation of an anti-war coalition that can help stop the US' aggression.

Unsurprisingly, Sergey Glazyev believes that the main role in the creation of such a political coalition is to be played by the European business community because America's attempts to ignite a war in Europe and a cold war against Russia are threatening the interests of big European business. Judging by the recent efforts to stop the sanctions against Russia, made by the German, French, Italian and Austrian business leaders, Putin's aide is right in his assessment. Somewhat surprisingly for Washington, the war for Ukraine may soon become the war for Europe's independence from the US and a war against the dollar.

Obama Retains Right to Curb Climate Change in Latest Court Victory
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Age
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Some relief of Barack Obama in his climate change battle. Photo: AP

The US Environmental Protection Agency retained the legal right to curb greenhouse gases from large power plants, refineries and chemical factories, adding to a string of environmental court wins for the Obama administration.

The US Supreme Court today largely upheld the EPA's requirement for emitters of gases tied to climate change -- backing the rules for large facilities, while barring them for smaller polluters such as apartment buildings, schools or restaurants. After the decision, facilities responsible for 83 percent of emissions still need a permit.

"EPA is getting almost everything it wanted in this case," Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote for the majority, said in announcing the decision today.

The high court's ruling follows its rejection last year of a plea to reconsider whether the agency can regulate greenhouse gases, and a decision in April upholding the EPA's rule cutting pollution from power plants tied to soot and smog that crosses state lines. A lower court upheld its far-reaching mercury rule.

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In each of the earlier cases the court deferred to the agency in figuring out how to apply complex statutory language, something Scalia, a frequent critic of the EPA, did in part today.

"The Supreme Court largely upheld EPA's approach to focusing Clean Air Act permits on only the largest stationary sources of greenhouse gases such as power plants, refineries and other types of industrial facilities," Liz Purchia, an EPA spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Power plants

The decision doesn't touch President Barack Obama's more comprehensive climate-change proposal released June 2 to cut carbon emissions from existing power plants. No precedent was set that could alter that plan, said Ricky Revesz, director of the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University.

The court's refusal in October to consider arguments over the EPA rules left business groups fighting the permit requirement, which they said could have ultimately affected millions of facilities.

"The real concern was the bringing in of much smaller manufacturing entities," said Leslie Hulse, a lawyer at the American Chemistry Council, which advocated the divided approach the court adopted.

Today's ruling heads off that possibility, limiting the rules to a few hundred facilities that already have to get permits for other pollutants. The justices said greenhouse-gas emissions by themselves can't serve as the trigger for a permit requirement.

Splintered court

The case splintered the court. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy joined Scalia's opinion. The four Democratic appointees -- Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan -- said they would have gone further to back the EPA.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have barred the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions even from the largest sources. They said the court was wrong in 2007 when it said the agency could regulate climate change under the Clean Air Act.

Scalia blasted what he termed the overreach by the agency in requiring a facility to get a permit solely because of greenhouse-gas emissions, which he said would expand the program to include many smaller facilities that lawmakers did not intend to include in the lengthy, expensive process.

That approach "would bring about an enormous and transformative expansion in EPA's regulatory authority without clear congressional authorisation," Scalia wrote.

'Rhetorical ammunition'

That language will give rhetorical ammunition, though not a controlling legal precedent, to groups that may challenge the administration's power plant plan, said Roger Martella, a Washington lawyer who represented the American Chemistry Council in the high court case.

The permitting requirements are part of the EPA's Prevention of Significant Deterioration program under the Clean Air Act. Under that program, facilities must install the best available technology to control emissions from new or modified major sources of air pollution. That permitting process can take a year or more.

The industries primarily affected by the requirements are power plants, chemical facilities, oil and gas projects and cement plants, according to the EPA. Companies that have applied for permits include Calpine Corp., ExxonMobil Corp. and Occidental Petroleum Corp. Since 2011, 172 greenhouse-gas permits have been issued, according to the EPA.

Mercury, carbon

The heart of the decision focused on requirements in the Clean Air Act that facilities get a review if they emit any air pollutant at 100 tons or 250 tons, depending on the type of source. While that is a large amount for traditional pollutants such as mercury or sulfur dioxide, it could cover many thousands more facilities if carbon dioxide emissions were counted at that level.

"Like EPA, we think it beyond reasonable debate that requiring permits for sources based solely on their emission of greenhouse gases at the 100- and 250-tons-per-year levels set forth in the statute would be 'incompatible' with 'the substance of Congress's regulatory scheme,'" Scalia wrote in the majority opinion.

Before today's decision, the EPA had instituted a provision to "tailor" the applicability of the permits to larger facilities as a way to get around the tonnage requirement. EPA said it would eventually move to apply the rules to polluters of all levels, but that approach was tossed by the court today.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Archivist: IRS Didn't Follow Law with Lost Emails
The Internal Revenue Service did not follow the law when it failed to report the loss of records belonging to a senior IRS executive, the nation's top archivist told Congress Tuesday. "Any agency is required to notify us when they realize they have a problem," David Ferriero, archivist of the U.S. during a House Oversight and Government Reform committee hearing.

UK's Largest Aircraft Carrier to Be Unveiled Next Month
A new aircraft carrier — the largest warship ever constructed for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy — will be officially named in a special ceremony on July 4.  

Noah's Search: Probing Satellite Imagery for Lost Ark
Moviegoers were recently treated to "Noah," an epic story of bravery and sacrifice from the Old Testament, a saga in which the titular character takes on the divine mission to build an ark to save creation from an apocalyptic deluge.

IDF building suppressive fire posts along the Syria border
After numerous instances of fire spillover from Syria, the most recent of which ended with the death of a 13-year-old boy, the IDF is building "assault stations" in the Golan Heights - suppressive fire posts along the border with Syria that would offer quick response to any an attack against Israel.  

Three American friends hospitalised after becoming 'possessed' following Ouija board game in Mexican village
Three American friends have been taken to hospital after reportedly becoming 'possessed' by evil spirits while playing with a Ouija board. Alexandra Huerta, 22, was playing the game with her brother Sergio, 23, and 18-year-old cousin Fernando Cuevas at a house in the village of San Juan Tlacotenco in south-west Mexico.  

7.9 earthquake triggers tsunami warning, small wave in western Aleutians
A magnitude-7.9 earthquake off the western Aleutian Islands shortly before 1 p.m. Monday triggered a tsunami warning over a wide area but generated only a small wave in one community, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center. No reports of damage or injury related to the quake had been received by the Alaska Department of Homeland Security by 5 p.m. Monday, said department spokesperson Jeremy Zidek.  

Russian President Putin 'scraps Ukraine military move'
Russia's president has asked parliament to revoke the right of military intervention in Ukraine, where rebels have been fighting government troops. Vladimir Putin's move was aimed at "normalising the situation" in the conflict-torn eastern regions of Ukraine, his press-secretary said. The upper house of parliament authorised Mr Putin to use force in Ukraine on 1 March.  

Sudan death sentence woman 'freed'
A Sudanese woman sentenced to death for abandoning her Islamic faith has been freed from jail, her lawyer has told the BBC. Meriam Ibrahim's death penalty was overturned by an appeal court, the official Suna news agency reported. She is married to a Christian man and was sentenced under Sharia law to hang for apostasy in May after refusing to renounce Christianity.  

'Allah chose you': ISIS & other jihadist groups recruit children in Syria for suicide missions
Syrian rebel groups, including ISIS fighters, have been recruiting 10-17-year-old children for military operations sometimes under the guise of offering education, says HRW. The teens were taught how to use weapons and were even sent on suicide missions.  

Was Iraq War worth the cost? 75% of Americans say no - poll
The CBS/New York Times poll asked if the costs of the Iraq invasion, including monetary and loss of American lives, were worth it. A record 75 percent of those surveyed said that it wasn’t worth the costs, up from 67 percent in November 2011 (just before the final withdrawal of US troops) and 45 percent in August 2003, five months after the invasion began.  

Last of Syria's chemical weapons shipped out
The last of Syria's declared chemical weapons have been shipped out of the country for destruction, the international watchdog OPCW says. "The ship has just left the port," the head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Ahmet Uzumcu, said in The Hague.  

Iraq crisis: Key oil refinery 'seized by rebels'
Sunni rebels in Iraq say they have fully captured the country's main oil refinery at Baiji, north of Baghdad. The refinery had been under siege for 10 days with the militant offensive being repulsed several times. The complex supplies a third of Iraq's refined fuel and the battle has already led to petrol rationing.  

Suicide car bomber wounds 19 in south Beirut
A suicide bomber blew up his car in southern Beirut on Monday night near an army checkpoint, killing himself and wounding several people watching the soccer World Cup in a nearby cafe.  

IRS Chief Scorched As 'Liar'
Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., wasted no time in accusing the head of the IRS of lying to Congress, unloading a blistering barrage of accusations. “At a minimum, you did not tell the whole truth,” during previous testimony, Issa told IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, scornfully adding, “We are wondering what your word is worth.”  

Glenn Greenwald: New NSA Leak From Snowden 'Very Imminent'
Glenn Greenwald told host Ronan Farrow that a new document release from Edward Snowden is "very imminent," and called it "one of the most important in the archive." Farrow asked if there were any more disclosures to come that are significant.  

One in Four Americans Has No Emergency Savings
Twenty-six percent of Americans have no emergency savings, according to a report by Bankrate.com. Over the past four years, there has been little to no progress when it comes to Americans’ saving capacity.  

Kerry Arrives in Irbil for Talks With Kurdish Leaders
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iranian Troops Deployed on Border With Iraq
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iran and Russia Finalizing Plans for Two More Nuclear Plants
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Bushehr nuclear reactor

Reuters

Iran is moving to finalize plans with Russia to build at least two more nuclear power plants on the Islamic Republic's southern Gulf shores, AFP reported on Monday, citing Iranian media reports.

The announcement came as Russia's Rosatom deputy chief Nikolai Spassky arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit during which he will meet senior nuclear officials.

Spassky will also meet Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, a senior negotiator in talks with world powers on Iran's nuclear ambitions, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said that after months of negotiations, the deal with Moscow would be signed this week, the ISNA news agency reported.

Under a provisional agreement, Russia will build two more 1,000-megawatt plants next to Iran's sole existing plant in the southern Gulf port city of Bushehr.

No further details have been reported.

The Islamic Republic signed the Bushehr contract with Russia in 1995 and the nuclear power plant reached its full capacity by August 2012. The plant made headlines last year when it experienced a critical malfunction, leading some to believe that it had been the result of a cyber attack. 

Last month it was reported that Russia could go even further and build up to eight reactors in Iran.

Iran says it wants to operate at least 20 nuclear power plants capable of producing 20,000 megawatts of electricity, as a way of decreasing dependency on its vast oil and gas resources.

"It is possible that in addition to the two nuclear power plants, we will also discuss further power plants," Kamalvandi said, according to AFP.

Announcement of the deal comes as Western powers, Russia included, are holding ongoing talks with Iran to ensure that its other controversial nuclear activities - including enrichment of uranium - are of a purely civilian nature.

A new round of talks is scheduled for July 2 in Vienna, as Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany work to transform an interim deal into a lasting accord by a self-imposed July 20 deadline.

Last week, Iran informed the six major powers it would not accept their "excessive demands" after the latest talks ended with no breakthrough.

Increasing Jewish Identity a 'Strategic Imperative'
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Netanyahu, at Joint Initiative event

Flash90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed a number of Jewish leaders from around the globe Monday, praising the Government of Israel-World Jewry Joint Initiative, which is being formulated in partnership with The Jewish Agency, as a means to "ensure our future." 

"We have embarked on a great partnership," he said, at a Knesset gala event. "The power of our nation and our people is based on the strength of our Jewish identity. That is what we are working together to give the next generation, to ensure our future. I want to thank you for investing in our common future."

The event was one of many during the Jewish Agency Board of Governors' Conference, a three-day event focusing on joint efforts by the Agency and the Israeli government to strengthen Jewish identity worldwide.

Efforts include the government-sponsored program to increase French Aliyah, projects to fight Israel's delegitimization, and initiatives to combat anti-Semitism. 

Knesset Speaker Yoel (Yuli) Edelstein also spoke Monday, urging fellow MKs to include visits to Diaspora communities as part of their mission as representatives of the State of Israel. 

"I believe it is the duty of the State of Israel to enrich Jewish identity, both in Israel and abroad," Edelstein said. "This is a strategic imperative, in order to ensure the Jewish people's continuity in Israel and in the Diaspora."

"I encourage Members of Knesset to meet with Jewish communities around the world and look forward to advancing future partnerships and joint ventures with the assistance of The Jewish Agency Board of Governors," he added. 

Jewish Agency Executive Director Natan Sharansky added, "this is a fateful time for the Jews of Europe, the Jews of Israel, and world Jewry as a whole. The Jewish Agency is partnering with the Government of Israel in order to ensure that our common future is prosperous and secure."

Israel's security at home

Both Netanyahu and Edelstein also addressed the current security situation in Israel. 

"We face many challenges," Netanyahu said. "Our immediate challenge is to bring the three kidnapped teens home safely. Our working assumption is that the boys are alive and we are doing our utmost to bring them home alive." 

Edelstein addressed both the kidnapping of three yeshiva students thirteen days ago and Sunday's clashes with Syria. 

"I would like to extend my condolences to the family of Mohammed Karkara, the son of an Israel Defense Forces employee, who was killed on the border with Syria yesterday," Edelstein said.

"I would also like to express my appreciation of the IDF soldiers and security personnel who are posted along our borders, protecting the citizens of Israel, while sparing no effort to find any shred of information that might lead to our missing sons," he added. "I would also like to express my high regard for the kidnapped teens' wonderful families, for their strength of spirit and their steadfast support of the government and the soldiers of the IDF."

Operation Brothers' Keeper to find the boys - Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha'ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19) - is now well into its twelfth day.

Convert to Islam or Face the Sword: Iraqi Christians Flee Extremists Known to Kill Non-Muslims
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsNational Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Matthew Fisher / Postmedia NewsAbout 120 parishioners attended Sunday mass at St. Elias Chaldean Catholic Church in Ankawa where Father Shahar gave a homily about the need for reconciliation in Iraq.

That was the stark message Christians in the Syrian city of Raqqa received last year when ultra-fundamentalist Sunni extremists, proclaiming themselves to be members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), seized power and launched a reign of terror against Shiites and Christians that has included beheadings and at least three crucifixions.

Aware of ISIS’ ferocious reputation for murder and mayhem, thousands of Christians who lived in Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh Plain fled in panic when ISIS rebels captured Iraq’s second largest city from government forces on June 10. Many of those who escaped have sought refuge in this Christian enclave in the Kurdish city of Irbil, only an hour’s drive away from Mosul.

We have this feeling that we are guests in our own country. We know that the common issue that binds Sunnis and Shiites is that they are Muslims

“All who are left there now are a few handicapped or sickly Christians,” said a Chaldean Catholic nun wearing a blue habit whose religious community fled Mosul on foot, walking north for four hours on June 10 along with thousands of other Christian and Sunni Muslim refugees. They all feared persecution at the hands of the insurgents, who follow a harsh seventh-century interpretation of the Koran that demands not only that women mostly stay indoors, but that church bells must never be rung, crosses must never be displayed and Christians must pay a “gold tax” in return for their lives.

The nun pleaded repeatedly that her name and her order not be disclosed, lest the rebels read her comments on the Internet. “They’ve taken down every monument in Mosul, whether they depict Iraqi political figures or Catholics,” she said in impeccable French that she polished up on during a year studying in Montreal.

“They removed a statue of the Virgin Mary, but as far as I know they have not destroyed it.”

About 120 parishioners attended Sunday mass at St. Elias Chaldean Catholic Church in Ankawa where the priest, who identified himself solely as Father Shahar, gave a homily about the need for reconciliation. “I hope that peace will come again to Syria, to Baghdad, to Mosul and to Iraq” was the priest’s only reference to the sectarian violence now convulsing the country. Fear permeated the congregation on a day when ISIS fighters claimed another border town with Syria, making it easier for them to move arms in both direction because they control a large swath of northern Syria where they have been fighting Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

There have been Christians in Iraq since the first century when two disciples of Jesus are said to have brought the Gospel here. As recently as 2003, Iraq had 1.5 million Christians. But since then there have been more than 70 attacks on churches, several priests have been murdered and the number of Christians has plummeted to less than 500,000. This latest spasm of sectarian violence will probably lead to another mass exodus.

China, G77 Tyrants, and UN Boss Demand
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsThe New American
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

In their final declaration, signed by more than 130 rulers from around the world, the regimes called for what amounts to global tyranny, central planning, and massive wealth redistribution from Western taxpayers to oppressive Third World governments. Everything must be in “harmony” with “Mother Earth” under a “sustainable” UN “international climate change regime,” they said. From a stronger UN better able to implement its “mandates” to empowering the UN General Assembly as an “emblem of global sovereignty” and advancing a global reserve currency run by the IMF, the radical screed demands a dramatic planetary transformation.

“We fully respect the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, particularly as they relate to equality among States,” the regimes said in the final agreement, calling for the “strengthening” of the UN for a wide variety of purposes. “We recognize that the United Nations needs to improve its capabilities and capacities to fully implement its mandates and to ensure the effective delivery of its programs in the social and economic development fields.” The agreement, dubbed the “Declaration of Santa Cruz: For a New World Order for Living Well,” also called for empowering the despot-dominated UN General Assembly to be a sort of veto-proof planetary legislature.

If implemented, of course, the centrally planned “New World Order” they outlined would, for the overwhelming majority of humanity, result in the opposite of “living well.” Instead, it would relegate liberty, prosperity, free markets, and national sovereignty to the ash heap of history. As usual, though, the regimes used deception to advance their extreme agenda. Purporting to be concerned about “climate change” and the poverty their rule has caused, for example, the governments said Western taxpayers must hand over their wealth and technology while giving up their freedom and sovereignty to the UN. The largely autocratic regimes also demanded more say in the emerging “global governance” regime.

Among the chief players at the Group of 77 and China summit, which now includes 133 governments despite the name, were some of the most brutal communist regimes on the planet. The ruthless dictatorship in Beijing was the most powerful participant at the summit. It has been calling for a “New World Order” for years, and billionaire financier George Soros has said publicly that the new order should be led by the brutal Chinese Communist Party. Another top coordinator at the summit was the Stalinist Castro dictatorship in Havana, which was repeatedly praised by UN leaders and fellow autocrats at the G77 conference.

The theme of the gathering was “Towards a New World Order to Live Well,” with the assembled rulers all posing for a picture in front of a giant backdrop displaying the slogan. Founded exactly 50 years ago, the official narrative is that the G77, which originally included only 77 regimes, was meant to serve as a “counter-weight” to groupings of more powerful governments in the West. The G20, though, along with the highest echelons of the Western establishment, are also advancing a remarkably similar “New World Order” by their own admission. Today, the G77 alliance’s membership rules over more than half of humanity and occupies some two thirds of the dictator-dominated UN General Assembly. If the UN body were to be given any sort of authority, the consequences would obviously be disastrous.

In attendance at the G77 and China summit, which took place in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz, were numerous radical “presidents” — especially socialist and communist rulers from Latin America involved in the shadowy Foro de São Paulo, founded by Fidel Castro, the Sandinistas, Marxist narco-terrorists, and former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva. Among them were José Mujica of Uruguay, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Rafael Correa from Ecuador, Cristina de Kirchner of Argentina, and Cuba’s Raul Castro. Murderous Marxist despot Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe was there, too, giving speeches. Other brutal regimes represented at the summit included those ruling over North Korea, El Salvador, Iran, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Vietnam, Algeria, and more.

Socialist ruler Evo Morales of Bolivia served as the pro-tempore president of the radical bloc. He used his position to rail against U.S. government “imperialism” and to invite Russian strongman Vladimir Putin into the club. Morales, whose socialist regime has presided over the spectacular implosion of Bolivia’s economy, also called for abolishing the UN Security Council “because instead of guaranteeing peace among nations, it has sponsored wars and invasions of powers.” The Communist Chinese regime, of course, holds veto power on the council, so any UN-approved wars and invasions were also approved by Beijing. Putin’s government also holds a veto.

Ban, the UN boss, praised the ruthless governments assembled in Bolivia, calling on them to keep agitating for autocratic “sustainable development” and “solutions” to so-called “climate change,” a key pillar of the “global governance” schemes aimed at humanity. “All countries need to act on these priorities — individually and collectively,” Ban told attendees, claiming the “fate of billions” depended on the success of their efforts. “That is how I understand the theme of this Summit — a New World Order for Living Well.” As the largest bloc of governments in the UN, he added, they have a “key role” to play in advancing the global outfit’s goals.

Ironically, one of the primary focuses of the summit attendees was “poverty.” The vast majority of the poverty around the world, of course, is a direct result of those very same corrupt governments trying to impose socialism and other Big Government policies on the populations they enslave and plunder. However, the supposed “solution,” according to those regimes, is more socialism — this time on a global scale, with wealth to be redistributed from taxpayers in the West to corrupt Third World governments under all manner of pretexts. Especially troubling to the rulers, most of whom live outlandish lifestyles on the backs of the populations they brutalize and the Western taxpayers who fund it, was “inequality.”

Of course, none of the New World Order blabber coming from tinhorn dictators is a new phenomenon. “We are creating a new world, a balanced world. A new world order, a multipolar world,” Venezuela’s late Socialist strongman Hugo Chávez told reporters during one of his many visits to Communist China. His “new world order” includes China, Iran, Japan, and a significantly weakened United States, Chavez explained to the world. More recently, the regime in Beijing called for a de-Americanized “New World Order” under UN rule. George H. W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Bill Clinton, and countless other Western globalists have also called for a similar “New World Order,” even using the same term.

As history has shown conclusively, what the people living under G77 governments need to “live well” is not “sustainable development,” more handouts from Western taxpayers to their oppressive rulers, a “climate regime,” or a “New World Order” global government under the UN. What they really need is liberty and free markets. The sooner they get that, the better off they will be. Americans can help bring that about by ending foreign aid and withdrawing from the dictator-dominated global body altogether. If not, Third World populations suffering under the G77 plus China regimes will not be the only ones suffering for much longer.  

ADL Director Warns: Anti - Semitism a Global Phenomenon
Jun 24th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) National Director Abraham Foxman spoke to Arutz Sheva at the Jewish Media Summit in Jerusalem on Monday, explaining the current face of anti-Semitism in global media. 

Antisemitism "is, unfortunately, a reality [. . .] it is not a fact of history, it's a current event - and hopefully the media will cover it as a current event," Foxman said. "I think Jews need to be vigilant, need to be aware, need to make decisions about their present and their children's future." 

Foxman emphasized that media awareness does not only extend to the personal sphere, however. 

"It's also important for the governments," he said. "Not only for the Jewish community, not only for Israel, but for outside governments [as well]." 

The face of anti-Semitism in the media is also changing, he noted. While traditional media at least attempts to apologize for anti-Semitic remarks that slip through, he said, hateful ideas are alive and well on the internet. 

"The internet is a superhighway without any perspective, which permits anti-Semitism or racism, which can go smoothly in nanoseconds through continents," Foxman said. 

Foxman added an account of his own personal experience visiting the families of kidnapped teens Naftali Frenkel (16), Gilad Sha'ar (16), and Eyal Yifrah (19). 

"We go there to strengthen them," he said. "And the irony is, we walk away strengthened by them."