09 Feb 11
Iceland geology professor issues warning about volcanic tremors
“Seismic activity was detected in the northwestern part of Vatnajökull glacier over the past few days and there is full reason to be on the alert, according to geology professor Páll Einarsson. More earthquake sensors are needed, he said. The series of earthquakes occurred close to Kistufell and Bárdarbunga, which are among the most geologically active areas in the country, ruv.is reports.
'Reviving Sanhedrin may help bridge gaps with Diaspora'
One creative proposal tabled at the Herzliya Conference on Monday suggests resurrecting an ancient Jewish body that hasn’t met, at least in a universally recognized form, in more than 1,600 years.
Egyptian protesters should demand Islamic law says al-Qaeda
A group which is a front for al-Qaeda has called for an Islamic state of Egypt. The group, The Islamic State of Iraq, has called on protesters in Egypt to overthrow the current establishment and push for a government which promotes Islamic law. A US-based Middle East watching group has intercepted a statement on an Islamic Web site, which calls on "every able-bodied man" in Egypt to open "the doors of martyrdom."
Egypt: Hizbullah and Iran want to 'ignite the region'
Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah is "walking in the footsteps of his mentor," Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Husam Zaki told the Saudi daily al-Watan on Wednesday.
Army Chief Ashkenazi: Prepare for all-out war
Given recent changes in the Middle East, Israel must prepare for a battle in several theaters, outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said Monday at the Herzliya Conference. "The connection between the different players requires us to contend with more than one theater," he said. The radical camp in the Middle East is gaining strength, Ashkenazi warned, adding that "the moderate camp among the traditional Arab leadership is weakening."
Obama Budget Proposes Broader Unemployment Taxes
President Barack Obama's budget proposal is expected to give states a way to collect more payroll taxes from businesses, in an effort to replenish the unemployment-insurance program. The plan could cause controversy at a time when the administration is seeking to mend fences with corporate America. The proposal would aim to restock strained state unemployment-insurance trust funds by raising the amount of wages on which companies must pay unemployment taxes to $15,000, more than double the $7,000 in place since 1983.
Muslim Brotherhood text reveals scope of radical creed
...“The Islamic ummah,” it says, referring to the supranational community of Muslims, “can regain its power and be liberated and assume its rightful position which was intended by Allah, as the most exalted nation among men, as the leaders of humanity.” Elsewhere, it exhorts Muslims, “Know your status, and believe firmly that you are the masters of the world, even if your enemies desire your degradation.”
China creates rare earth strategic reserves
China is building up strategic reserves of rare earth metals in a move that could give it better control over the resource so indispensable to high tech products, the Wall Street Journal reported. Storage facilities have been built in recent months in the northern region of Inner Mongolia with the capacity to hold more than the 39,813 tonnes of the metals China exported last year, the paper said.
House seen blocking healthcare funds
The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote to block funding for President Barack Obama's signature healthcare overhaul when it takes up a budget plan next week, House Republican Leader Eric Cantor said on Tuesday. "I expect to see one way or other the product coming out of the House to speak to that and to preclude any funding to be used for that," Cantor said at a news conference, referring to an effort to block implementation of the health-care law.
Egypt protests: US call to Hosni Mubarak's government
The US has called on the Egyptian government to lift its 30-year-old state of emergency immediately. Earlier, the White House described as "particularly unhelpful" comments by Egyptian Vice-President Omar Suleiman that the country was not ready for democracy. ...US Vice-President Joe Biden urged that the transition should produce "immediate, irreversible progress that responds to the aspirations of the Egyptian people".
House rejects extension of 'Patriot Act' powers
The US House of Representatives has blocked a bill to extend some surveillance powers granted by the 2001 Patriot Act after the 9/11 attacks. The bill was opposed by most Democrats and some Republicans, and failed to win the two-thirds vote needed for passage. It would have extended until December provisions on wiretaps, access to business records and surveillance of terror suspects granted by the law.
Eurozone summit looms amid growing hostility to Franco-German pact
A March date for a rare eurozone leaders' summit is beginning to firm up as hostility grows amongst some member states to a fiercely conservative Franco-German proposal for economic convergence. On Tuesday (8 February), EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy told MEPs and chiefs of the parliament's political groups that the 17 premiers and presidents of the countries that use the euro are to meet "mid-March", ahead of the normal EU-27 spring summit on 24-25 March.
Abbas, Dahlan take out Jordanian citizenship
Senior Palestinian Authority and Fatah officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas and his two sons, have been given Jordanian citizenship, a top Jordanian politician disclosed on Tuesday. The Palestinian leaders were given Jordanian citizenship despite the fact that the authorities in Amman have been revoking the Jordanian citizenship of thousands of Palestinians.
Egypt: Hizbullah and Iran want to 'ignite the region'
Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah is "walking in the footsteps of his mentor," Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Husam Zaki told the Saudi daily al-Watan on Wednesday. The spokesman accused the two Shi'ite leaders of wanting "to ignite the region."
Russian volcano activity causes global concern
Now the world has something else to grip about when it comes to Russia - the weather. A string of volcanoes on Russia's eastern seaboard of Kamchatka have been unusually active for the last six months. The dust they threw up diverted winds in the Arctic, pushing cold air over Europe and North America and causing the unusually cold winter this year, say scientists.
First-Ever Presidential Alert to Air across Emergency System
The familiar emergency alert system, the one where we in the U.S. occasionally hear a radio or television broadcast interruption that reassuringly reminds us that ‘this is only a test’… well, it has just been upgraded to enable emergency alert messaging direct from the President, or FEMA, and is ready to be tested soon in the U.S. The timing for the test is now being worked out.
Amid Unrest, Egyptian Christians Fear for Their Future
Christians in Egypt increasingly live in fear of discrimination and persecution, and political change may not be a change for the better
