| 1. Where is the United States in Prophecy? WMD report: US remains 'dangerously vulnerable'
The United States remains "dangerously vulnerable" to chemical, biological and nuclear attacks seven years after the 9/11 attacks, a forthcoming independent study concludes. The recent political rupture between Russia and the U.S. only makes matters worse, said former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., who helped lead the 9/11 Commission and now chairs the independent group's latest study. "The threat of a new, major terrorist attack on the United States is still very real," says the report to be released Wednesday, the same day a congressional commission will hold a hearing in New York on nuclear and biological terrorism threats. A nuclear, chemical or biological weapon in the hands of terrorists remains the single greatest threat to our nation," the report said. "While progress has been made in securing these weapons and materials, we are still dangerously vulnerable.". ................ read more Homeland Security goes on special alert for homegrown jihadists
As the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks nears, Homeland Security agents are on heightened alert for young Turkish Muslims who may be trying to enter the U.S. as part of an al-Qaida terrorist operation, WND has learned from counterterrorism officials and internal agency documents. Meanwhile, agents are monitoring more than 20,000 suspected homegrown terrorists on the FBI's watchlist to prevent them from boarding commercial aircraft. All of the individuals are American citizens or permanent legal residents "who have some relationship with terrorist activity," said Leonard Boyle, who heads the FBI's terrorism screening center in McLean, Va. Homeland Security has programmed a computer system that screens inbound passengers for signs of terrorist activity to flag Turkish and other individuals whose passports show travel to Pakistan. U.S. intelligence officials say jihadist websites indicate that hundreds of Turks have recently trained in al-Qaida camps in Pakistan, and may have sworn to carry out suicide operations against the West. Al-Qaida leaders in Pakistan have been creating cells with the mission of attacking Western targets, including the U.S., officials say. Osama bin Laden's deputy appeared in a video this week with a rifle propped up behind him. Officials are analyzing the tape for possible coded messages.............. read more Next US terror attack 'could be by white Americans or Europeans'
As Barack Obama and John McCain head to New York's Ground Zero seven years after 19 Middle-Eastern hijackers brought devastation to the US mainland, counter-terrorism experts believe that any future attack will be made by terrorists with an "American face". They point to reports of white faces in terrorism training camps in Pakistan - the so-called "white men of Waziristan", a reference to the remote tribal area where both al-Qaeda and the Taliban have bases. Experts believe that dozens of westerners have undergone such training as their leaders try to recruit non-Middle Eastern Asians, particularly ethnic Caucasians, who are less likely to attract the attention of security and law enforcement agencies. Al-Qaeda's recent decision to put out videos in English and a similar change on extremist "jihadi" websites have also been cited of evidence of a new strategy to find recruits who are less likely to attract the attention of security and law enforcement agencies. Such concerns were sharpened last week after the arrest of three Germans over an alleged plot to destroy a club used by US servicemen. Two of the three were white, ethnic Germans and all had allegedly been trained in camps in Waziristan. "There is no bigger worry for the US counter-terrorism community than young Caucasian men who have turned to al-Qaeda,"............. read more
2. Israel - God's Timepiece Iran solidifies grip on Hizbullah fearing possible Israeli/Syrian peace
Iran is consolidating its grip on Hizbullah and has instituted a number of structural changes to the Lebanese group, under which Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah no longer enjoys exclusive command over its military wing, top Israeli defense officials have revealed. According to the officials, following the Second Lebanon War, Iran decided to step up its involvement in the Hizbullah decision-making process and has instituted a number of changes to the terror group's hierarchy, under which Nasrallah has to receive Iranian permission prior to certain operations. "There is real Iranian command now over Hizbullah," a top IDF officer said. "This doesn't mean that Nasrallah is a puppet, but it does mean that whenever he pops his head out of his bunker he sees an Iranian official standing over him." A report in a Syrian opposition paper claimed Sunday that a high-level delegation of Iranian Revolutionary Guards visited Beirut last week to coordinate the integration of some Hizbullah branches into the Guards' Al-Quds Force, which is in charge of Iran's terror activities in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere. According to the Reform Party of Syria, parts of the Hizbullah operation structure will now be under the command of Brig.-Gen. Faramaz Ghasem Suleimani, commander of the Al-Quds Force. Suleimani is listed by the US as a terrorist and the Guards was declared a terror group in 2007. The paper claimed that Iran's ultimate plan was to dilute Syrian influence over Hizbullah in case Damascus strikes a peace deal with Israel................. read more Is the era of mass immigration to Israel over?
Even before Israel became a state, the Jewish population grew to 600,000 in five great waves of immigration as European Jews beset by pogroms and then the Holocaust realized an age-old Jewish dream of returning to Zion after 2,000 years in exile. More than 3 million more have followed, and Israel's Jewish population now stands at 5.5 million, plus 1.4 million Arab citizens. Of the world's population of just over 13 million Jews, Israel's is the biggest portion, having surpassed America's in 2006. "There is no place in the world where the number of immigrants is five times the number of the people who were there. It is unprecedented," said Sergio DellaPergola, a prominent demographer at the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. The 1950s, according to the Jewish Agency which handles immigration, saw the arrival of 765,000 Jews from North Africa and the Middle East, driven out by the Arab backlash that followed Israel's creation. Next came tens of thousands from the European communist bloc, and then another million from the collapsing Soviet Union. Starting in the early 1980s, Israel clandestinely airlifted 80,000 members of Ethiopia's ancient Jewish community, nearly 15,000 of them in just two days in 1991. Today, with no immediate threat to world Jewry, and with the most endangered communities already in Israel, such drama is a thing of the past. Jews in America and other prosperous Western countries have no pressing motivation to leave everything for Israel, a country founded to provide a safe haven for Jews but which has become one of the most dangerous places for a Jew to live, because of war and terrorism. Indeed, while the U.S. Jewish community is one of Israel's most important backers, only 120,000 American Jews have immigrated here. Most Jews in poor countries have already left, and for the first time, Israel is nearing zero growth from immigration, with the number of those leaving closing in on the number of those coming............... read more Facebook - the new spying ground for Middle East conflict?
According to the intelligence community in Israel, Hizbullah terrorists are becoming increasingly computer savvy, using Facebook to learn more about IDF soldiers, potential targets for kidnappings. Yeshiva World News reported that IDF intelligence officials are concerned that soldiers may unwittingly give the enemy information through social networking sites or even arrange to meet an internet companion who is in fact a terrorist. The IDF has undertaken an aggressive awareness campaign for soldiers, instructing them to be careful regarding what information they may reveal, cautioning and instructing them not to reveal the name of the branch of the service in which they serve, unit details et cetera. This is especially true of soldiers serving in the air force, intelligence, and elite combat units. One military intelligence official explained that Facebook has become a major resource for terrorists seeking to gather information on soldiers and IDF units. Other concerns including meetings arranged via Facebook in which soldiers remain unaware of the true identity of terrorists, befriending them and then revealing classified information that will be used to harm soldiers in the future. A soldier who serves in an intelligence unit was recently sentenced to 19 days in a military jail for posting a photo of his base on Facebook................. read more Israel military sees world of threats
Israelis sometimes say they can lose only one war. They worry that defeat could mean the destruction of their state. That's why this tiny nation has, reputedly, the world's sixth largest nuclear arsenal. It is a reason to think the Israelis aren't bluffing when they talk of attacking Iran to stop the Iranians getting their own nuclear weapons. The Israeli military and intelligence community are haunted by their failure to predict the 1973 war with the Arab states. They are determined that such a failure will not be repeated. Today, the view from the Israeli defense establishment is of a nation still surrounded by numerous threats to its survival. Listing Israel's enemies, or potential enemies, a senior security source told me: "They are building their forces and are not yet ready to strike." We were in a government building in Tel Aviv. The man speaking at the head of a large conference table wore the badges of senior military rank on his epaulettes. He had carried out dangerous, covert missions abroad for his country. He is listened to by the prime minister and the chief of staff. When he talked to them, he said, their simple question was always: "Will there be war?" For 2008, the answer was no. "But I am more cautious about 2009." .............. read more How An Iranian War Might Lead To WW3 - One Analysts Worst Case Scenario
I have served as a consultant to three very high tech aerospace firms. My specialty is conceptualizing advanced warfare especially as it relates to new cutting edge advanced weapon systems. What I see unfolding with a war on Iran is the most frightening set of circumstances I have ever seen; and I have been involved in advanced theoretical weaponry strategy and design for over 20 years. Sometime in the weeks to months ahead, there will be a war launched against Iran. The war may be started by Israel, or by the United States, or by a NATO/EU/US embargo, or by some 'false flag' attack. What matters is that it will begin; and where it will take the world. Regardless if the war begins with a limited number of air strikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets, or if an all-out several thousand target attack begins from day one, the probabilities of the war becoming a major regional war within 48 hours are 90% or higher. The Iranians will simply not allow Israeli and/or American military forces to attack its territory without a major response. Any significant counter-attack on Israel and/or American regional bases will trigger a much greater counter-response. The Iranians have equipped, paid for, and trained a massive unguided rocket and guided missile force in Lebanon (the largest such force in human history). These missiles are in place as a MAD force (a MAD ~ mutually assured destruction ~ force is one that is a doomsday force; established to prevent the use of overwhelming military force by allowing a return "punch" of overwhelming military destructive force upon one's enemy). The total number of missiles and rockets in Lebanon are variously estimated at between 40,000 and 110,000. While many are unguided Katyusha rockets, many are longer ranged guided missiles. All are operated by Hezbollah Special Forces launch teams................ read more
4. The Gog/Magog War Russia to establish long term presence in Georgia with close to 8,000 troops
Russia will station nearly 8,000 troops in two breakaway Georgian provinces, officials said Tuesday, announcing an imposing long-term presence less than a day after agreeing to pull forces back from areas surrounding the provinces. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told President Dmitry Medvedev about 3,800 troops will each be based in South Ossetia and in Abkhazia — a far larger presence than before last month's war with Georgia. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that level of military staffing was needed to prevent Georgia from trying to regain control of the two regions, which Russia has recognized as independent. "Russian troops will remain on the territory of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on request of their leaders in parliament," Lavrov said at a briefing. "They will remain there for a long time. Their presence there will be needed at least for the foreseeable future to prevent any relapses of aggressive actions." ................. read more Russia aims to corner energy market: U.S. official
Russia aims to extend its control over energy deliveries to the West and it is important that European countries push forward on efforts to diversify routes for oil and gas supplies, a senior U.S. official said on Monday. As Vice President Dick Cheney visited Italy to seek support for Georgia after its brief war with Russia, the official, said: "The fact is Russia has worked hard to try to corner the market, so to speak, and is working to foreclose options to transit for those energy products across Russia. "They want everything to come out through Russia and a lot of us think it's more important that there be diverse means of gaining access to those resources," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.In those remarks, he also accused Russia, the world's second largest oil producer, of using "energy as a tool of force and manipulation" in Central Asia, the Caucasus and elsewhere by threatening to interrupt the flow of oil or natural gas. Europe and the United States are concerned about transit routes for oil and gas through eastern European countries which are seen as alternatives to Russian supplies. ................. read more Iran to hold three-day war games involving anti-aircraft defense systems
Iran's armed forces will begin three days of war games on Monday involving anti-aircraft defense systems, according to Iranian media. The exercises will be held amid persistent speculation about a possible U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West and Israel say are part of a clandestine bid to build atomic bombs, despite Tehran's denials.The ISNA news agency said both Iran's Revolutionary Guards and its regular army would take part in the drills. The English-language Iran Daily said the aim was to maintain and upgrade the combat readiness of relevant units as well as to "test new weapons and defense plans." Speculation about a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has risen since Israel staged an air force exercise in June which was reported to be a simulation of a strike against Iran. Iran says it would hit back if attacked.................. read more Efforts to to become part of the Western system are over - Russia to be major player in new multipolar world
Russia is groping for fresh ways to engage with the world after its lightning-fast summer war with Georgia chilled relations with the West and dismayed even some of its closest regional allies. "We are facing the beginning of a complete review of Russian foreign policy," says Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, a leading Moscow foreign-policy journal. "Things have changed and, based on what Russian leaders are saying, our long effort to integrate with Western institutions, to become part of the Western system, is over. The aim now is to be an independent power in a multipolar world in which Russia is a major player." Analysts here are divided over whether a "new cold war" between Russia and the West is in the offing, but a growing sense of isolation is leading Moscow to circle the wagons closer to home and to revive alliances with former Soviet allies such as Syria and Cuba, and new partners such as Venezuela. At a State Council meeting with Russian regional leaders Saturday, President Dmitry Medvedev announced that national security will have to be bolstered to counteract unnamed forces "who are trying to exert political pressure on Russia." In a series of statements over the past week Mr. Medvedev has spelled out what amounts to a Russian version of the Monroe Doctrine, warning that Moscow will intervene to protect its citizens and business interests, particularly in the "near abroad," meaning the former Soviet Union. "The events in [Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia] showed that Russia will not allow anyone to infringe upon the lives and dignity of its citizens, that Russia is a state to be, from now on, reckoned with," he told the regional leaders................... read more
6. The Rise of Islam Muslims continue to drive Christians from Islamic countries
An Islamic court in Shiraz, Iran has just convicted two men of being infidels. Their crime? Converting to Christianity. The possible sentence? Death. Not too far away in Saudi Arabia an outraged father recently hacked his own daughter to death for the same "abomination." In the daily drumbeat of Mideast news, there is one story of historic proportion that goes nearly unreported: the persecution and systematic destruction in the Islamic world of some of the world's oldest Christian communities. Sure, we hear when a Catholic bishop is murdered in Iraq, when machete-armed fanatics attack Egyptian Copt worshipers, or when churches are torched in Hamas-controlled Gaza. But what about the jailing in Saudi Arabia of foreign workers for holding forbidden Christian prayers? Or the arrest in Pakistan of a Christian man for marrying a Muslim woman? Or the continuing problem of an Islamic educational system that teaches the young that Christians and Jews are "the descendants of apes and pigs"? The pattern is nearly the same wherever extremist Islam holds sway. From Bangladesh to Darfur, Christians have become regular targets for Islamic thugs and the governments that back them. Just this month, a Pakistani court upheld the kidnapping, conversion and "marriage" to older Muslim men of two Christian sisters, aged 10 and 13. Even in lands that are not under orthodox Sharia law, Christian communities feel the pressure of persecution. In constitutionally secular Turkey, a legally recognized Protestant church in the capital of Ankara is under threat of closure by local police. Many Christians in Islamic lands have become subject to such terror that they are fleeing the homelands their ancestors have known almost since the time of Jesus. Iraq's Christian sects now feel forced to pray in secret. Others simply leave. Although they comprise less than 4% of Iraq's population, Iraqi Christians now account for 40% of its refugees. Lebanon's once politically powerful Christian community has already shrunk almost beyond recognition. Thirty years ago, Lebanon was 60% Christian; today it is barely 25%. And the growing political power of Iran-backed Hezbollah is encouraging further departures................ read more
7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies Is This The End Of Credit Cards? Chips without plastic
Plastic cards could become a thing of the past after Barclaycard announced it was investing a seven-figure sum in new ways to make payments. Contactless payment technology allows people to pay for items with the things they have with them, such as mobile phones, key fobs and even their eyes or fingerprints. Barclaycard's OnePulse was launched in London last year with some 10,000 customers. It enables people to buy items for less than £10 by touching their card against a sensor, without even having to take it out of their wallet. It can also be used as an Oyster card on London public transport. Barclaycard aims to have one million customers upgraded to OnePulse by the end of the year, with payment terminals introduced in 9,000 shops across the UK. The group also carried out a recent trial with mobile phone operator O2 in which customers paid for items with their mobiles. Antony Jenkins, chief executive of Barclaycard, said: ""The chips on credit cards now have incredible untapped capability, but the plastic around the chip limits its potential. "Take the plastic away and the possibilities are endless......................... read more Robot Suit To Enter Mass Production
Japan is a world leader in robotics, and in October 2008 a Japanese company will become the first in the world to begin mass-producing a robot that assists humans in moving their limbs. A research team led by University of Tsukuba Professor Sankai Yoshiyuki has developed the device, which is called Robot Suit HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) TM. Sankai is the CEO of Cyberdyne Inc., the company that plans to begin making this robot suit available for rental through sales outlets. Manufacturing robots and realistic humanoid robots are just two of the numerous kinds of robots that are already in use. A robot suit is a wearable device that dramatically increases the strength of the wearer. Robot Suit HAL is worn over the arms and legs and assists body movement through eight electric motors attached to shoulders, elbows, knees, and the waist. As it supports the wearer's own limb movements, the robot suit must detect how the wearer is trying to move his or her arms and legs and quickly respond. Most of the robots that have been developed so far in this field rely on sensors to detect motion and then activate motors. When you want to move your body, your brain sends out an electric signal that is received by your muscles, which then contract, thus producing motion. This electric signal travels to the muscles via the body's nerves, generating a slight voltage of electricity on the surface of the skin. This is known as a bioelectric signal, and Robot Suit HAL detects them using the sensors placed around the wearer's body. Depending on the voltage running the surface of the skin, the computer inside Robot Suit HAL analyzes the signal and sets the appropriate motors in motion. This unique method of operation means that a person can control Robot Suit HAL by his or her own will, even if he or she is unable to actually move. And as the suit detects the signal sent from the brain even before it gets to the muscle, it can move an instant before the muscle does. When a person wearing Robot Suit HAL picks up an object that weighs 40 kg, he/she feels as if it weighed only a few kilograms. Robot Suit HAL is therefore expected to have a wide range of applications, such as assisting carers, helping people with physical disabilities to move, and assisting people performing jobs that require a great deal of physical strength.......................... read more
8. Christian Worldview/Issues When Hollywood Attacks - New Batch Of Films Strike At Christian Beliefs and Values
Just when you thought the Da Vinci Code controversy was wearing off, several more high-profile Hollywood projects are reportedly in the works that will once again challenge some basic Christian precepts. Johnny Depp is said to be producing and starring in a big-screen adaption of the graphic novel Rex Mundi, which tells the story of “descendants of Jesus” searching for the Holy Grail. Like Dan Brown’s best-selling novel and the Da Vinici Code film, the basic plot point revolves around Jesus having children. According to Christianity Today, the movie is an “alternate history” set in the 1930s in a world where Martin Luther was assassinated, and as a result, the reformation never happened and the inquisition was still highly active. Also like Dan Brown’s novels, secret societies (in this case the Templar Knights) are said to have a key roll in the film. In another upcoming graphic novel-turned-action movie, Jenna Dewan is set to play a holy warrior who fights supernatural enemies. In Magdalena, Dewan’s character is a descendant of Mary Magdalene and Jesus, and is also part of a secret society charged with fighting evil. This is no kid’s story though—the Magdalena comics are dark stories. Along with similarities in plot (secret societies, fighting evil, the supernatural), both of these films also suggest a proposition that most Christians find incredibility offensive—that Jesus fathered children. And if that’s not enough controversy for you, Variety is reporting that Mark Ruffalo is set to direct a film about a faith healer called Sympathy for Delicious. Unlike the other two religious-based films, Delicious takes aim at the contemporary Church. The movie tells the story of a paralyzed man who discovers a mysterious ability to heal the sick, a Jesuit priest who tries to help him maintain a balanced perspective of his gift and a rock star who begins to exploit him. And finally, there’s Religulous, the most blatantly ant-faith film in the mix. Hosted by the Politically Incorrect HBO personality Bill Maher, the documentary picks up where New Atheism best-sellers like God Is Not Great, The God Delusion and Letter to a Christian Nation left off—not only trying dispel the logic of believing in a higher power, but showcasing what they say is its detriment to humanity itself. The movie isn’t just anti-Christian (though because of Christianity’s popularity it has become a center-point in the marketing materials for the film); it’s anti-faith—a direct challenge to everything Christians, and anyone who believes in God, thinks.. ............. read more Al Qaeda Targets Leading Arab Evangelist Operating In The U.S. For Preaching The Gospel To Muslims
You have probably never heard of Father Zakaria Botros. But you need to know his story. He is far and away the most-watched and most-effective Arab-American evangelist focused on reaching the Muslim world, and by far the most controversial. The Rush Limbaugh of the Revivalists, he is funny, feisty, brilliant, opinionated, and provocative. But rather than preaching the gospel of conservatism, he is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And his enemies do not simply want to silence him. They want to assassinate him. Last week, I had the honor of interviewing Botros by phone from a secure, undisclosed location in the United States, where he now resides. He told me that he had just learned that an al Qaeda website had posted his photograph and named him one of the "most wanted" infidels in the world. The Radicals have even put a bounty on his head. The Christian Broadcasting Network reported the figure was as high as $60 million. Botros does not know for certain. But just to put that in context, the U.S. bounty on Osama bin Laden's head is "only" $25 million. Why are the Radicals so enraged by an elderly Coptic priest from Egypt who is in his 70s? Because Botros is waging an air war against them, and he is winning. Using state-of-the art satellite technology to bypass the efforts of Islamic governments to keep the gospel out of their countries, Botros is directly challenging the claims of Muhammad to be a prophet, and the claims of the Qu'ran to be God's word. He systematically deconstructs Muhammad's life, story by story, pointing out character flaws and sinful behavior. He carefully deconstructs the Qu'ran, verse by verse, citing contradictions and inconsistencies. And not only does he explain without apology what he believes is wrong with Islam, he goes on to teach Muslims from the Bible why Jesus loves them and why is so ready to forgive them and adopt them into His family, no matter who they are or what they have done. If Botros was doing this in a corner, or on some cable access channel where no one saw him or cared, that would be one thing. But his ninety-minute program - a combination of preaching, teaching and answering questions from (often irate) callers all over the world - has become "must see TV" throughout the Muslim world. It is replayed four times a week in Arabic, his native language, on a satellite television network called Al Hayat ("Life TV.") It can be seen in every country in North Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, as well as all throughout North America,Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. And not only can it be seen in so many places, it is seen - by an estimated fifty million Muslims a day. ............. read more 27 million Bibles distributed during 2007 by Bible Societies worldwide
Bible Society announced this week that there had been a world-wide growth of five percent in Bible and scripture portion distribution in 2007. Maintaining a consistent trend from the previous year, the number of Bibles distributed by Bible Societies rose by around five per cent to almost 27 million (26,996,323). Bible Societies also distributed vast numbers of Testaments, Portions and Selections (the latter designed to convey the essence of the Gospel succinctly or tailored for people in a particular situation). Altogether, the number of Scripture items distributed totalled 391 million. According to the statistical tables of the 2007 Scripture Distribution Report, issued by the United Bible Societies (UBS) Scripture distribution rose most sharply in the southern hemisphere, responding to the rapid growth of the Church there. What the Scripture Distribution Report does not reveal, however, is the very varied contexts in which Scripture distribution takes place. While some Bible Societies have an extensive network of warehouses, shops and other outlets and can make regular visits to places such as hospitals and children’s homes, others venture into the unknown every time they load their vehicle with a precious cargo of Scriptures. Poor infrastructure and hazards of all kinds can turn a distribution trip into a test of commitment and determination for Bible Society staff. Furthermore, in some countries, civil conflict makes some areas completely inaccessible for years............. read more World ignores persecution of Christians in India's Orissa state
Despite brutal and horrifying persecution that has left countless dead and an estimated 50,000 homeless, Christians in India's Orissa state are determined that God will have the victory in their violence-torn homeland. Since the assassination of anti-Christian Hindu leader Swami Laxamanananda Saraswat on Aug. 22, mobs of Hindu fanatics that blame Christians for the leader's death have been roving the Orissa state on the eastern shore of India, torching churches and homes, brutalizing Christians and burning the bodies of those they kill. Reports from missions organization Gospel for Asia (GFA), however, tell of courage and determination in the face of violence. One story reported on Christian Newswire told of a missionary beaten multiple times by a Hindu mob demanding he leave a village where he had been working. "Even if you kill me, I will not make a vow that I will never come back," the missionary is reported to have answered. "That depends not on me but on the Lord. If he wants to send me here, then I will come," he told his attackers. Simon John, a GFA regional leader in India, said, "Christians will stand together in this nation, in love and to lift up the people, even if persecution or death comes. We will not stop doing good for the people." Persecution and death, however, have come, and they have come by horrifying means. United Kingdom newspaper The Times reports several cases of brutality over the last two weeks alone: a nun was gang-raped; a worker at a church-run orphanage was burned alive; and a woman seven months pregnant was cut to pieces along with her one-year-old son when she refused to denounce Christianity and convert to Hinduism. Ravindra Nath Prahan, 45, told the Times he and 113 others, warned by a text message, fled to the jungle, living off rainwater and foraging food for a week. His paralyzed brother, however, couldn't take to flight. "They doused him with petrol and taunted him; we could hear him screaming," Prahan told The Times. His brother was burned alive. "I could have tried to save him. But we had to save ourselves," Prahan said. An estimated 50,000 Christians have been forced to run for their lives, while the Hindu radicals have torched more than 3,000 homes and over 100 churches. The Vatican records 36 deaths, but warns an accurate account is impossible since the mobs are burning their victims.............. read more
9. Other World Events To Watch Global economy faces tough test, says IMF's Lipsky
The global economy faces its most difficult test in many years with growth slowing sharply as high commodity prices put pressure on inflation, a senior International Monetary Fund official said on Tuesday. IMF first deputy managing director John Lipsky said global growth was set to slow further in the second half of 2008, and continued financial sector strains were a major risk to the chances of recovery in 2009, on top of high oil prices. Commodity prices remained high and volatile, bringing risks of knock-on inflation effects, but recent sharp falls in oil prices should lessen short-term inflation pressures in the developed world, he told a conference. "Against the backdrop of protracted financial strains and dramatic surges in commodity prices, the global economy is confronted with its most difficult set of circumstances in many years," he said. "The good news is, we are only three to six months from the bottom, when the upturn begins." Lipsky said the IMF was still reviewing its forecasts, which are due to be updated in its World Economic Outlook next month. But the fund saw global growth slowing from 5 percent in 2007 to about 3 percent late in 2008, reaccelerating towards 4 percent in 2009 ............. read more Terror groups developing 'dirty bomb', say security chiefs
Islamist terrorists have stepped up their efforts to develop a "dirty" bomb for use against Western targets, senior Western security sources have told The Daily Telegraph. They are exploiting the political chaos in Pakistan in a bid to acquire nuclear material for a 'spectacular' attack. At least one plot has been uncovered involving Pakistani-based terrorists planning to use nuclear material against a major European target. Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda terror group, whose terrorist infrastructure is based in the province of Waziristan in northwest Pakistan, is known to be trying to acquire nuclear technology to use in terror attacks against the West. Other militant Islamist groups in Pakistan, such as the newly formed Pakistani Taliban, have also shown an interest in developing weapons with a nuclear capability, according to Western security officials. Security chiefs fear the mounting political instability in Pakistan will make it easier for militant Islamist groups to develop a primitive nuclear device. Pakistan is the world's only Muslim country with a nuclear weapons arsenal, which was developed during the 1990s by the rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadir (AQ) Khan. Dr Khan was placed under house arrest after he was accused of selling the blueprint for Pakistan's atom bomb to rogue states such as Libya, North Korea and Iran. But the restrictions on Dr Khan's detention have been eased since President Pervez Musharraf was forced from power. Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is subject to stringent security safeguards put in place with the help of the American military when Mr Musharraf was in office. But there is mounting concern within Western security circles that Islamic terror groups will gain access to Pakistan's expertise in developing terrorist weapons containing nuclear material. .. ............. read more |
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