Thursday, March 10, 2011

News from Rapture Ready: 10 Mar 11

 

10 Mar 11

The new southern threat
For almost 30 years, the Israeli government did not ask the IDF what it possesses vis-à-vis the Egyptian front, what it needs, how much time it will take to prepare, and how much it will cost. For some 30 years, the political leadership did not demand to see plans with timetables and priorities in case of a strategic revolution on the Egyptian front.  

Christian parents jailed
According to the attorney, many Christian parents objected to the programs' content. "They believed that under international law and [under] German law, they had every right to remove their children from those classes and instill in their children their own Christian beliefs about sexuality and love and marriage and chastity -- and for this, ten parents have been sent to jail."  

Americans see U.S. on wrong track: Reuters/Ipsos poll
A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Wednesday the proportion of people who believe the United States is on the wrong track rose seven points to 64 percent from February, in a fresh challenge to... Obama.  

14 dead, 135 injured in China quake
At least 14 people were killed and 135 others injured in an earthquake that struck a remote area of southwest China near the border with Myanmar on Thursday, a local official said.  

Obama a Gangster
Rep. Bachmann previously has expressed deep respect for the Torah and said last year, “I am convinced in my heart and in my mind that if the United States fails to stand with Israel, that is the end of the United States . . . that as a nation, we have been blessed because of our relationship with Israel, and if we reject Israel, then there is a curse that comes into play.”  

UN report says world's food stocks at risk as bee colonies dying out
A MIXTURE of chemicals found in modern pesticides may be killing bee colonies around the world, according to a UN report. Seeds are being coated in systemic insecticides that spread throughout the plant, from the roots to the flowers and into the nectar and pollen.  

Special: After years of neglect, Israel must prepare for possible Egyptian threat
For almost 30 years, the Israeli government did not ask the IDF what it possesses vis-à-vis the Egyptian front, what it needs, how much time it will take to prepare, and how much it will cost. For some 30 years, the political leadership did not demand to see plans with timetables and priorities in case of a strategic revolution on the Egyptian front. For 30 years, the politicians – and also the army – stuck their heads in the sand, knowingly and deliberately degenerating our capabilities vis-à-vis the Egyptians.  

Deputy FM: Gaza smuggling on the rise amid Mideast unrest
The deputy foreign minister said on Thursday that arms smuggling from Egypt into the Gaza Strip has grown following the unrest in the Arab world. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon says Israel has observed "increased activity" in Gaza. He accused militants of "trying to take advantage of the uncertainties in the region to booster their capabilities to attack Israeli cities and Israeli citizens."  

Obama officially names Daniel Shapiro as new U.S. ambassador to Israel
President Barack Obama has chosen Daniel Shapiro, a senior adviser who has helped shape the United States' response to the Middle East upheaval, as the United States ambassador to Israel, the White House said on Wednesday. Shapiro, a trusted aide who served as a senior policy adviser on Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, is currently Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa on the White House National Security Council.  

Gasoline cost to jump $700 for average household
U.S. drivers will pay another 10 cents a gallon for gasoline before the latest jump in wholesale costs is fully passed on at the pump, and yearly motor fuel costs will rise 28 percent from last year, the Energy Department said on Wednesday. The average U.S. household will spend about $700 more for gasoline in 2011 than it spent last year, bringing total motor fuel expenses up 28 percent to $3,235, based on an annual pump price of $3.61 a gallon, the department's Energy Information Administration said.  

Saudi prince questions ban on women driving
A senior Saudi prince questioned the need for a ban on women driving on Wednesday and said lifting it would be a quick first step to reduce the Islamic kingdom's dependence on millions of foreign workers. The Gulf Arab state is a monarchy ruled by the al-Saud family in alliance with clerics from the strict Wahhabi school of Islam. Women must be covered from head to toe in public and are not allowed to drive.  

India: Arrests before Telangana 'million-man' rally
About 50,000 people have defied an unofficial curfew in the Telangana region of south India's Andhra Pradesh state to rally for a separate state. Police say that 100,000 people have been detained - many in public auditoriums and stadiums - to prevent them attending the rally in Hyderabad.  

Egypt: Cairo's Tahrir Square sees rival groups clash
Hundreds of people with sticks and knives have clashed with pro-democracy activists in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Stones were thrown by both sides in the square, and at least two people were reportedly injured. The people who entered Tahrir reportedly wanted to force the activists out of the square - the heart of recent anti-government protests.  

Chinese leader rules out democracy
A senior Chinese leader says his country will not become a multi-party democracy or adopt other Western-style political reforms. Wu Bangguo - officially number two in the leadership structure - warned that China could face civil disorder if it abandoned its current system.  

Earthquake hits south-west China near Burma border
An earthquake that struck in south-west China near the border with Burma has killed at least seven people and injured more than 120 others, reports from China say. The 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck 225km (140 miles) southwest of Dali in Yunnan province at 1258 (0458 GMT), the US Geological Survey said.  

Wisconsin: Republicans pass public-sector union curbs
Republicans in the Wisconsin state senate have approved a plan to strip public-sector unions of most of their collective bargaining rights. The US state's 14 Democratic senators had sought to prevent the move by fleeing the state, leaving the chamber short of the number needed for a vote. But Republicans used a procedural move to allow them to vote on the measure in committee instead.  

Egypt's ElBaradei says he will run for president
Egypt's reformist Mohamed ElBaradei announced on Wednesday that he planned to run for president in an election expected to be held this year. It was the first time that ElBaradei, who won the Nobel peace prize in 2005, has explicitly announced he would run for president after President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by an 18-day popular uprising last month.  

Yemen president vows new constitution within year
Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh, hoping to defuse increasingly violent protests against his 32-year rule, said on Thursday he would draw up a new constitution to create a parliamentary system of government. An opposition spokesman swiftly rejected the proposal, and called for anti-government rallies to continue.