Post by Michael James Stone on Sept 17, 2012 5:27:14 GMT -8
17 Sep 12
1700 B.C.: 'Alla' god of 'violence and revolution'
A research article posted on the website of terrorist-turned-Christian Walid Shoebat contends the oldest known references to the Islamic deity Allah are not in Arabian records but in Babylonian artifacts. Ancient tablets describe “Alla” as a deity of “violence and revolution.”
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood President Leads, Obama Follows
Today, UN Ambassador Susan Rice explained to Jake Tapper of ABC News that America wasn’t “impotent” in the Middle East. What was her proof? Let's look at what's happened. It's quite the opposite of being impotent. We have worked with the governments in Egypt. President Obama picked up the phone and talked to President Morsi in Egypt. And as soon as he did that, the security provided to our personnel in our embassies dramatically increased.
Volcanic activity world-wide 16 September 2012
...at Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico. The frequency of explosions has increased to more than 1 per hour, i.e. doubled when compared to last week. The new seismic swarm at El Hierro continues with hundreds of small quakes per day concentrated at about 20 km depth in the south-central part of the island near El Pinar.
Indonesia’s Mount Gamalama erupts, spews volcanic ashes
Mount Gamalama in Ternate, North Maluku, spewed out volcanic ash on Sunday, showering some parts of the provincial capital that is currently hosting an international sailing event: Sail Morotai 2012. Guests of Corner Palace Hotel panicked when a rain of ash fell for about 15 minutes.
‘Nothing would remain’ of Israel if they attack Iran: ‘we would no longer be committed to Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’
Mohammad Ali Jafari also warned that Iran might close the Straits of Hormuz if it is attacked, withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and hit U.S. bases in the Middle East. Such warnings and references to Israel's destruction have been made before by Iranian officials. But Gen. Jafari's comments to a Tehran news conference were an unusually detailed, strongly worded and comprehensive listing of the means that Iran says it has to retaliate against a strike on its nuclear facilities.
Foreign Jihadists are escalating conflict in Syria, UN warns
Foreign extremists are escalating the conflict in Syria by joining the fighting in growing numbers, the UN commission investigating human rights abuses in the country warned Monday. "Such elements tend to push anti-government fighters towards more radical positions," the panel's chairman, Paulo Pinheiro, said at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
IDF begins moving major bases to Israel's Negev
The Israeli military has begun construction of its largest training base ever, moving operations from some of the country's priciest real estate to the barren sands of southern Israel in a new attempt to realize the longtime dream of making the desert bloom. The $650 million construction project is the military's biggest in three decades...
Constitution Expert: Obama Admin Argued Churches No Different than Bowling Clubs
“The administration has repeatedly put its partisan agenda above the rule of law. In doing so, it has eroded the constitutional and legal foundation that have kept America prosperous and free for over 200 years.”
Syrian jets hit Lebanese territory near border
Missiles fired by Syrian warplanes hit Lebanese territory Monday in one of the most serious cross-border violations since Syria's crisis began 18 months ago, security officials in Beirut and Lebanese state media said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said four missiles fired by two Syrian jets hit a rugged and remote area on the edge of the Lebanese border town of Arsal.
US banks may have laundered money for Iran
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the federal agency that oversees the biggest banks, is leading the money-laundering investigation, according to the Times. The report said the OCC could soon take action against JPMorgan Chase & Co., and that it is also investigating Bank of America Corp. Money laundering allows people to make money — often obtained illegally — appear like it came from another source.
McCain, Rogers: Obama’s policy of 'disengagement' led to attack on US posts
Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers and Arizona Sen. John McCain, the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, suggested President Obama pulling troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq, while offering less than total support for Israel’s effort to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, has left an exploitable void in the region. “The Middle East believes there is a disengagement policy with the U.S.,” Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday."
Israel's El Al 'looks to end Cairo flights'
Israel's El Al airlines is seeking to put an immediate end to its weekly flight to Cairo for the first time since the signing of the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, the Maariv newspaper reported on Sunday. The plans were laid out in a letter sent by El Al's chief executive to Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, which pointed to heavy security requirements and high operational costs...
Pentagon chief calls for calm in Japan-China territorial spat
Leon Panetta called for diplomatic efforts to resolve a worsening territorial spat between Japan and China on Monday, the day after warning disputes could draw East Asia into war.
Alleged 'Innocence of Muslims' filmmaker taken in for interview
Just after midnight Saturday morning, authorities descended on the Cerritos home of the man believed to be the filmmaker behind the anti-Muslim movie that has sparked protests and rioting in the Muslim world. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies escorted a man believed to be Nakoula Basseley Nakoula to an awaiting car.
Iran confirms it has forces in Syria and will take military action if pushed
In a clear public signal of Tehran's continuing support for Assad, the commander of the Islamic republic's elite military formation said that a number of members of the IRGC's Qods force were in Syria, though General Mohammad Ali Jafari gave no further details and claimed this did not constitute "a military presence".
'Occupy' To Hit 40 'Corporate Targets' For Anniversary Protests - Disguised In 'Business Attire'
On its one-year anniversary, Occupy Wall Street plans “occupations of corporate lobbies and intersections.” Handouts available on the group’s website list 40 “corporate targets” for action including such big names as Fidelity Investments, Federal Reserve Bank, and Standard & Poors. Protesters are encouraged to “wear business attire,” presumably so they can mix in with office workers.
Iran plans military exercises in preparation for Israeli strike on nuclear facilities
The exercise is being showcased as the biggest air defence war game in the Islamic Republic's history and will be Iran's most visible response yet to mounting speculation that Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, may order a military strike this autumn. Using surface-to-air missiles, unmanned drones and state-of-the-art radar, Iran's Revolutionary Guards and air force will combine to test the defences of 3,600 sensitive locations throughout the country, including oil refineries and uranium enrichment facilities.
Armada of British naval power massing in the Gulf as Israel prepares an Iran strike
Battleships, aircraft carriers, minesweepers and submarines from 25 nations are converging on the strategically important Strait of Hormuz in an unprecedented show of force as Israel and Iran move towards the brink of war. Western leaders are convinced that Iran will retaliate to any attack by attempting to mine or blockade the shipping lane through which passes around 18 million barrels of oil every day, approximately 35 per cent of the world’s petroleum traded by sea.
US and Japan agree on new missile defence system
The US and Japan have agreed to set up a second missile defence system on Japanese soil in an effort to counter the ballistic missile threat from North Korea, officials say. US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta made the announcement in Tokyo with Japan's defence minister. But the exact location of the system has not yet been determined.
US, allies to hold int'l naval exercise in Gulf
Warships from around the world were assembling in the Gulf on Sunday for what the US military described as the most widely attended international naval exercise ever held in the Middle East. The exercise, which Washington says involves manoeuvres to improve mine detection and clearance, comes at a time of rising regional tensions over Iran's controversial nuclear program.
Pakistan journalists' choice: Face death, or jail
The telephone call to local journalists generally comes in the late evening. The voice on the other end is harsh. He has a statement he wants printed, and he prefaces it with a terse order: "Report our messages without making any changes or we will kill you."
Hezbollah calls for new protests
he influential leader of the Lebanon-based Shia Muslim militant group, Hezbollah, has called for fresh protests over an anti-Islam film. The world needed to know Muslims "would not be silent in the face of this insult", Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said.
Crude oil ought to be $150 per barrel: Iran
Crude oil should be at least $150 per barrel, Iran's oil minister was quoted as saying on Sunday, and the sanctions-hit country's OPEC governor said current oil prices were not high enough to threaten the world economy.
China protests: Panasonic suspends some operations
Japanese electronics maker Panasonic has suspended some of its operations in China after anti-Japan protesters attacked two of its factories. The firm said its factory in Qingdao will remain shut until 18 September. According to media reports, Canon has also suspended operations at three of its Chinese factories.
Four US Troops Killed in Afghan Inside Attack; 8 Coalition Troops Killed in 3 Days
Four American service members were killed by an Afghan policeman early today, the third attack on coalition forces in three days, bringing the death toll in the recent violence to eight. The attacks -- two "green on blue" incidents and an assault on a coalition base by 15 Taliban fighters -- come as tensions flared across the Muslim world over an anti-Islam film that was produced in the United States.
Egypt: Sinai militants clash with army, police
Islamic militants clashed for more than two hours Sunday with army and police in the Sinai Peninsula, wounding seven people in fighting touched off by a security dragnet, Egyptian officials said.
Suicide car bomber kills seven near Baghdad's Green Zone
A suicide car bomber killed seven Iraqis and wounded 11 others, including a member of parliament, close to an entrance to Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on Monday, where several Western embassies are located, police sources said. The central area, known officially as the International Zone, houses diplomatic missions including the U.S. embassy and the blast was close to the July 14th suspension bridge which leads into the zone.