Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

UN Nuclear Watchdog Team to Visit Tehran for Talks
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A high-level UN nuclear watchdog team will visit Tehran for talks in coming days, Iran said on Friday, more than a month after it missed a deadline for addressing questions about its suspected atomic bomb research.

Diplomats told Reuters on Thursday that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was expected to make a new attempt soon to advance its long-running investigation into Iran's nuclear program and that a meeting might be held in the Iranian capital early next week.

Reza Najafi, Iran's ambassador to the Vienna-based UN agency, said the IAEA delegation would be led by the head of its division dealing with nuclear safeguards issues, Deputy Director General Tero Varjoranta.

In an apparent reference to Thursday's Reuters article, Najafi was quoted as saying on the web site of Iran's Press TV television: "It is regrettable that classified information in the agency has not been protected again."

He added: "While Iran and the agency were busy planning (the meeting), the news was published by a Western media outlet ... This issue once again confirms Iran's misgivings that spying exists in the agency."

There was no immediate comment from the IAEA, which for years has been trying to investigate Western allegations that Iran has worked on designing a nuclear warhead. Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

Western officials say Iran must step up cooperation with the IAEA if it wants to reach a broader diplomatic deal with world powers that would end a decade-old nuclear dispute and gradually end crippling financial and other sanctions on the oil producer.

Early last month, the IAEA said Iran had failed to answer questions by an agreed Aug. 25 deadline about two areas of the investigation into alleged research activities that could be applicable to any attempt to make nuclear bombs - explosives testing and neutron calculations.

While rejecting the accusations as baseless, Iran has promised since Hassan Rouhani, seen as a pragmatist, became president last year on a platform to end its international isolation, to work with the IAEA to clear up the suspicions.

Rouhani's election raised hopes of a solution to the stand-off with the West after years of rising tension that raised fears of a new Middle East war. An interim accord was reached between Iran and six major powers - the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia - in Geneva last November.

But they did not meet a self-imposed July target date for a long-term accord and now face a new deadline of Nov. 24.

While the powers seek to limit the size of Iran's future nuclear program - and thereby extend the time it would need for any attempt to accumulate fissile material for a weapon - the IAEA is investigating alleged research and experiments in the past that could be used to make the bomb itself.

Sweden to Become First European Country to Recognize Palestine
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

STOCKHOLM - Sweden's new center-left government will recognize the state of Palestine in a move that will make it the first major European country to take the step, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Friday.

The UN General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in 2012 but the European Union and most EU countries, have yet to give official recognition.

"The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law," Lofven said during his inaugural address in parliament.

Sweden Recognizes 'Palestine' As a State
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Contemporary Issues

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loetven

Reuters

Sweden's new prime minister announced Friday that the country will recognize a "Palestinian state", becoming the first EU member in Western Europe to do so.  

Left-wing Social Democrat leader Stefan Loefven - who won last month's general election - said the Nordic country wanted to bolster a "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Washington reacted quickly calling Stockholm's recognition "premature", while Palestinians cheered the decision as "courageous" and urged the rest of the European Union to follow suit.

"A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and the will to co-exist peacefully," Loefven said in his inaugural address to parliament.

This should take place with respect for the "legitimate demands of the Palestinians and the Israelis as regards their right to self-determination and security", he added.

Seven EU members in eastern European and the Mediterranean have already recognized a "Palestinian state", namely Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Romania. Non-EU member Iceland is the only other western European nation to have done so.  

But the United States cautioned against Sweden joining them.

"We believe international recognition of a Palestinian state is premature," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.  

"We certainly support Palestinian statehood, but it can only come through a negotiated outcome, a resolution of final status issues and mutual recognitions by both parties."

Israelis and the Palestinians, Psaki said, must be the ones "to agree on the terms on how they live in the future two states, living side-by-side."  

Sweden's new foreign minister Margot Wallstroem told public broadcaster SR that Sweden was "in good company since 130 countries in the world have already done the same".

'An important signal'

At least 112 countries have recognized the Palestinian Authority as a "Palestinian state", according to an AFP count, although a PA estimate puts the number at 134.

Wallstroem said that a recognition would be "an important signal facilitating... a two-state solution".

Senior Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erakat said the rest of the EU should follow Sweden's example.  

"We hope that all countries of the European Union will take the same courageous and remarkable decision... as there is no reason not to recognize the Palestinian state," he said in Ramallah.

Loefven's Social Democratic-Green Party coalition - which formed a minority government on Friday - is more supportive of demands for a Palestinian Arab state than Sweden's previous center-right administration.

The Social Democrats, the largest party in the Swedish parliament, wrote in their election manifesto that "Israel's war crimes must be investigated and the occupation of Gaza lifted".

The party added that "Sweden and the rest of the world must actively support its (Palestine's) work towards reconciliation".

The prime minister did not specify whether the policy would be put to a vote in parliament.

Sweden's foreign ministry declined to comment when asked by AFP if parliamentary approval was necessary.

The PA envoy to Sweden, Hala Husni Fariz, said in a statement that the decision "reflects the historical support of the Swedish government for freedom, dignity and human rights".

Sweden voted in favor of Palestinian observer status at the United Nations in 2012, which was granted despite opposition from the United States and other countries.

The Swedish announcement coincided with the start of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the "Day of Atonement", and an Israeli government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Rumors of North Korean Coup Persist
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

AFP photo

Rumors of a military coup in North Korea persist as leader Kim Jong-un's prolonged absence from public view continues. Kim has not been seen in public for a month, leading to rumors that a military coup has broken out in North Korea and Kim has been arrested. Other rumors have it that Kim has gout or has suffered a sort of stroke just as his late father, Kim Jong-il, did in 2008.

The US is aware of the reports. "I can just say that I have no confirmation of the reports. We've seen them, but we don't have any confirmation," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Monday after a regular briefing. She declined to discuss the issue any further.

Kim Jong-un was last seen walking with a pronounced limp during a July ceremony commemorating the death of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung. He typically presides over the Supreme People's Assembly, a rubber-stamp parliament, but missed the meeting in early September, and was replaced by a propaganda video that again showed him limping. Vice News reported that the film's narrator said: "Despite some discomfort, our Marshal continues to come out and lead the people."

A former North Korean counter-intelligence officer said that Kim Jong-Un is no longer in control of the nation and is now just a 'puppet leader'. Jang Jin-sung, who used to be an influential officer in Kim Jong-il's propaganda division, made the assertion at a September conference in Holland attended by several elite exiles, according to Vice News.

The capital, Pyongyang, meanwhile, has been placed into lockdown with even the elite banned from entering or leaving, according to the the respected New Focus International news web site. This adds weight to Jin-sung's claim, as a North Korean expert said that this kind of measure is only put in place when a coup has taken place – or is suspected.

Jin-sung said that Kim Jong-Un was actually overthrown in 2013 and that the political strings in North Korea are being pulled by the powerful Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), which used to report directly to Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-Un's father. North Korea is currently embroiled in a sort of civil war, he said in his speech.

PM Netanyahu: Irans Making Bombs
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Contemporary Issues;The Nation Of Israel

In one of his last, and perhaps his best, interviews before returning home to Israel for Yom Kippur 5775, a somewhat hoarse, but determined, PM Binyamin Netanyahu told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren’s “On the Record,” “They're [Iran’s] making bombs. That's what they're trying to do. That's what they're whole program is about, making bombs.”

Netanyahu explained that if President Barack Obama, in a nuclear “bad deal,” were to allow the Iranians to keep “thousands of centrifuges,” he would be, in effect, “giving [the Iranians] the capacity in short order, a few weeks, a few months to operate those centrifuges, enrich enough uranium, that's what you need, enriched uranium, to make a core of a nuclear bomb.”

The prime minister explained that though the Iranians “say they need it for civilian” non-military nuclear program, “That's not true. 17 countries around the world, big countries, like Mexico and Canada and Indonesia and others, have civilian nuclear energy. They don't have one centrifuge. Because the centrifuge you really need is for one thing, not for civilian nuclear energy, but for making a bomb, for military use.”

The Prime Minister started out the interview by explaining Israel’s place in the world’s strategic landscape, “They call us the Small Satan because we are just a frontal position, a forward position of the United States. They want to destroy us so they can get to you.

“The greatest danger is that any one of these groups, either ISIS on the radical Sunni side, or Iran that leads the radical Shiites, that any one of them would get nuclear weapons is a tremendous threat to the future of our world, a tremendous threat not only to Israel but to the United States as well. That has to be prevented.”

As for recent pro-Iran press pieces that claim that to enlist Iran to help in the fight against ISIS, Obama should give in on the nuclear issue, Netanyahu was crystal-clear, “I’ve heard in the press that people are saying, well, let's reward Iran for fighting ISIS with, you know, what they want on the nuclear deal. What for? They are going to fight ISIS anyway. If Assad came to you and said, well, I will fight ISIS if you give me back my chemical weapons, you would laugh them out of court. That's about the same absurdity.”

In closing, the Prime Minister reformulated and hammered home what was his main “Militant Islam” message throughout his 2014 UN General Assembly tour, that “Militant Islam” wants “to bring us back to the early Medieval Period where women are chattel and minorities are subjugated. And everyone they consider an infidel is given a choice, convert or die. That's insane. But this insanity, coupled with the weapons of mass destruction, could lead to catastrophe.”

Nuclear centrifuges separate the heavier isotope of uranium U238 from its lighter cousin uranium isotope U235, which is the critical isotope for nuclear bombs. Sources such as A. Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, estimate the amount of highly enriched U235 necessary for an implosion-type uranium nuclear bomb to be 10kg-18kg, and for a simple gun-type bomb – about 40 kg.

PLO Welcomes Swedens Announcement of Statehood Recognition
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Contemporary Issues

The PLO on Saturday welcomed Sweden’s announcement that it would become the first major European country to recognize Palestine as a state and urged other European nations to follow suit. 

“The Swedish announcement is in fact a sign of a genuine commitment to justice and the requirements for peace, including the two-state solution on the 1967 boundaries,” said PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi.

“We hope that other countries in Europe will follow Sweden’s lead. Those who claim to support the two-state solution must realize that in order to reach it, what’s missing is a sovereign Palestinian state,” she said.

According to the PLO 138 countries recognize Palestine as a state, including Brazil, South Africa, Chile, Russia, the Holy See, Argentina, India and China among others.

But it has failed to gain major recognition in the West, with the European Union and the US preferring to the conflict resolved through negotiation.

New East Jerusalem Housing Plan Threatens Ties With Israel, EU Says
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

BRUSSELS - Plans for new settlements in east Jerusalem pose a threat to peace and Israel's relations with the European Union, the 28-member bloc said on Friday, joining the United States in its criticism of the decision.

The strong language from the European Union, the biggest aid donor to the Palestinians who seek statehood in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, echoes criticism from Germany, France and Washington.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the decision to build 2,610 homes in Givat Hamatos would be the first new settlement in the East Jerusalem area for 15 years.

"This represents a further highly detrimental step that undermines prospects for a two-state solution and calls into question Israel's commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians," the European Union's External Action Service said in a statement.

Let the Headlines Speak
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

North and South Korea 'Agree to talks'
North and South Korea have agreed to resume formal high-level talks that had effectively been suspended since February, reports from South Korea say. The agreement came during a surprise visit to South Korea by North Korean officials for the closing ceremony of the Asian Games. The visit was led by two top-ranking North Korean officials seen as close aides to leader Kim Jong-un.  

Ebola crisis: Family moved out of Texas Ebola flat
The occupants of a flat in Texas where a man lay sick for days with Ebola have been moved from their home. Thomas Duncan, who caught the virus in his native Liberia, is now in a serious condition in hospital. This is the only Ebola case recorded so far in the US. The flat in Dallas where he lived before being isolated is being cleaned by hazardous materials specialists.  

Peter Kassig: US aid worker threatened in IS video
An American medical aid worker has been threatened by an Islamic State militant in a video that appears to show the beheading of a UK hostage. Peter Kassig is shown at the end of a video apparently showing the death of British taxi driver Alan Henning, and a masked man says he will be next. The 26-year-old from Indiana has worked in Lebanon, Turkey and Syria to help victims of the Syrian conflict.  

Security forces on high alert as Israelis mark Yom Kippur
Around 2,000 officers from special police units and the Border Police will patrol across Israel this weekend, in particular in mixed Arab-Jewish cities, to prevent violent clashes as Jews commemorate Yom Kippur and Muslims celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha.  

If Obama thinks Ebola is a 'national security priority,' why no travel ban?
Obama declared the Ebola outbreak a “national security priority.” That was three weeks ago. Yet, he has failed to treat it as such. He could ban all travel into the U.S. of any person who has been in the affected West African countries. He has the legal power to do so. Why hasn’t he?  

Will the European economy’s summer squalls turn into an autumn tempest?
Following the grim market response to European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s latest monetary policy pronouncements, Europe is approaching another make-or-break moment comparable to the crisis of 2012. The summer quarter ended this week, and financial markets delivered their judgment on just how bad things are, pushing the euro down to its lowest level since September 2012.  

'Israel's Most Bitter Western Enemy is America'
Writing in his weekly Hebrew column for Arutz Sheva, Sheftel wrote "Obama doesn't want a nuclear Iran, but he wants an Iran that can enrich uranium and threaten Israel - it's one of the most hostile regimes for Israel that wants Iran to threaten us, because today we have no more bitter enemy in the western world than the United States."  

US Presidential race for 2016 could end up a contest between Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush’s hopes for the Republican Party nomination have been given a boost by brother George W Bush. “I think he wants to be president,” George Bush told Fox News. “I think (Jeb would) be a great president. He understands what it’s like to be president.”  

4.6-Magnitude Earthquake Registered in Western Greece
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6 on the Richter scale hit Greece, Friday night. According to reports of the Greek Institute of Geodynamics, the quake occurred some 250 km west of the capital city Athens.  

6-magnitude earthquake in Azerbaijan
Five earthquakes occurred in Azerbaijan’s northwest over the past day. With the epicenter 14 kilometers northeast of the regional center, the shock originated at a depth of 5 kilometers. The quake magnitude was 6. Meanwhile, the tremors in Gabala were estimated at 5 points. Four more quakes were registered in Shaki.  

Russia ratifies Economic Union and readies trade in currencies other than dollar
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he has signed a treaty ratifying the Eurasian Economic Union, and is set to begin a new era of trade done primarily outside the dollar, and in national currencies such as the Yuan and Euro. This Union already has the support of several BRICS nations, as well as associate countries, and will help facilitate trade being done in a much smoother and easier way than what is currently used through SWIFT or other Western banking processes.  

Sweden to recognize Palestine statehood
Sweden will become the first major European nation to recognize Palestinian statehood, newly sworn-in Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced Friday.  

Why is it so hot in California?
While people in some other parts of the country are watching the leaves turn a kaleidoscope of fall colors as they contemplate unpacking winter clothes, California is roasting under an autumn heat wave.  

Hong Kong protests: Police arrest 'triad gang' members
Police in Hong Kong have arrested 19 people, including suspected members of triad gangs accused of attacking pro-democracy protesters. The scuffles on Friday led to the postponement of talks between the demonstrators and the government.  

Islamic State: British aid worker Alan Henning purportedly beheaded in video released by militant group
A video purportedly showing the beheading of British hostage Alan Henning has been released by Islamic State (IS) militants. The Salford taxi driver was delivering aid to Syria in December when he was kidnapped then held hostage by IS.  

Hit extremists with 'iron hand': top Saudi cleric
Muslim leaders must strike the enemies of Islam with "an iron hand", Saudi Arabia's top cleric said during Friday prayers, in apparent condemnation of the Islamic State jihadist group.  

N. Korea No. 2 visits South for rare talks
North Korea's presumptive No. 2 led members of Pyongyang's inner circle in a rare trip Saturday to South Korea for the close of the Asian Games, with the rivals holding their highest level face-to-face talks in five years.  

NASA spots million-mile-long filament across the sun
Recently, a filament appeared on the sun that stretches about a million miles in length. This massive formation is held up by magnetic forces and rotates along with the sun. Straighten it out and it would very nearly reach around the sun. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory keeps a constant watch on the sun and has been tracking the huge filament for days.  

Irans Khamenei Vows Zionist Regime and Its Supporters will Go Extinct
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed on Friday that “the Zionist regime and its supporters will one day go into extinction.”

On the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Iranian leader urged the Islamic world to unite in waging war against the “the enemies of Islam, chief among them Israel.”

Hamas Leader Haniyeh Tells Gazans: We will Continue Building the Weapon of Resistance
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Just over a month after the conclusion of Operation Protective Edge, Hamas on Saturday vowed to “continue building the weapon of resistance.”

In a special sermon to mark the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha, Hamas deputy political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh told thousands of worshippers in Gaza City that the Islamist organization “would continue to build and develop the weapon of resistance, and we will be open to all Arab countries and the international community.”

Cessationism
Oct 4th, 2014
CommentaryE.Kalteck
Categories: Exhortation

Cessationism - What is it? 

British Muslims Join Cameron in Condemning Latest Beheading By Islamic State
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Muslim groups across Britain united on Saturday to join Prime Minister David Cameron in condemning the beheading of aid worker Alan Henning by Islamic State insurgents.

Prayers for the 47-year-old taxi driver were said in mosques throughout Britain at the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, as his family said they were numb with grief.

Cameron called Henning a gentle, compassionate man who had simply tried to help others, and said Britain would do all it could to destroy his killers.

As Kurds Regain Ground in Iraq, New Challenges Emerge
Oct 4th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The changing fortunes of war in northern Iraq are recorded in layers of graffiti daubed on the walls of villages overrun by Islamic State militants this summer, but since re-appropriated by Kurdish peshmerga forces.

"Bravo peshmerga," read the freshest markings, painted over older inscriptions - some of them already scribbled out - that proclaim "property of the Islamic State".

Village by village, Kurdish forces have regained around half the territory they gave up in August when IS militants tore through their defenses in the northwest, prompting September's airstrikes by the United States - their first since 2011.

The Kurds scored a particularly important victory recently, driving Islamic State fighters from the strategic Rabia border crossing and severing their main artery from Mosul to Syria, which had been used to re-supply fighters on both sides.

Though their brethren in Syria have lost control of hundreds of villages to IS fighters, prompting thousands of refugees to flee to Turkey, the Kurds in Iraq now feel as though the tide has turned in their favour.

But to secure the rest of what they have lost they will now have to overcome numerous challenges ranging from a lack of heavy weaponry and US air support in eastern areas close to Iran's border, to hostile residents rejecting their claim in other areas.