More than 60 percent of U.S. in drought

More than 60 percent of the United States now has abnormally dry or drought conditions, stretching from Georgia to Arizona and across the north through the Dakotas, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist for the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. An area stretching from south central North Dakota to central South Dakota is the most drought-stricken region in the nation, Svoboda said. "It's the epicenter," he said. "It's just like a wasteland in north central South Dakota." Conditions aren't much better a little farther north. Paul Smokov and his wife, Betty, raise several hundred cattle on their 1,750-acre ranch north of Steele, a town of about 760 people. Fields of wheat, durum and barley in the Dakotas this dry summer will never end up as pasta, bread or beer. What is left of the stifled crops has been salvaged to feed livestock struggling on pastures where hot winds blow clouds of dirt from dried-out ponds.

Hezbollah: we’ve planned this for 6 years

Until now Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, has refused to reveal much about its response to Israel’s assault. But in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times yesterday, Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s second in command, spoke out — and attacked Britain for allowing US planes carrying bombs to Israel to transit through a British airport. “The transportation of American weapons to Israel is a blatant scandal of America’s full involvement in the battle,” he said, “and flying them over London bears large responsibility over Britain. “Instead of working on solving the continuous conflicts in the Middle East, the powerful nations are participating in intensifying and complicating the issues. This is dangerous for peace, and for future relationships between this region and these countries.”

Pakistan upgrades nuclear arsenal

Pakistan will soon be able to strike every city in India using a new arsenal of plutonium warheads developed with Chinese help, according to senior generals and defence analysts. Lieutenant General Talat Masood, a former Pakistani defence minister, said this weekend that his country’s enhanced nuclear capability exposed a “secret arms race”, triggered by rivalry between India and China. The scale of Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions was revealed last week in a report by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, which published satellite pictures of a plutonium production site at Khushab in Punjab. Analysts said the plant included a reactor capable of producing enough plutonium for 50 warheads in a year, more than doubling its current strength. China has an estimated 450 warheads and India has about 100.

Rev. John Hagee And Christians United For Israel Celebrate The 'End Of The World'

Mr. Hagee is a leading figure in the so-called Christian-Zionist movement. This evangelical political philosophy is rooted in biblical prophecies and a belief that Israel's struggles signal a prelude to Armageddon. Its followers staunchly support the Bush administration's unequivocal backing of Israel in its current battle with Hezbollah in Lebanon. President Bush sent a message to the gathering praising Mr. Hagee and his supporters for "spreading the hope of God's love and the universal gift of freedom." The Israeli prime minister also sent words of thanks. Israel's ambassador, its former military chief and a host of U.S. political heavyweights, mostly Republican, attended. This is a religious war that Islam cannot -- and must not -- win," Mr. Hagee wrote in a recent book, "Jerusalem Countdown," which focuses on what he says is a coming nuclear showdown with Iran. "The end of the world as we know it is rapidly approaching.... Rejoice and be exceeding glad -- the best is yet to be!"

Tide of Arab Governments Begin Lining Up Behind Hezbollah And Against Washington

The Saudi royal family and King Abdullah II of Jordan, who were initially more worried about the rising power of Shiite Iran, Hezbollah’s main sponsor, are scrambling to distance themselves from Washington. An outpouring of newspaper columns, cartoons, blogs and public poetry readings have showered praise on Hezbollah while attacking the United States and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for trumpeting American plans for a “new Middle East”

Cleric says U.N. cannot stop Iran's nuclear work

The United Nations cannot push Iran into abandoning its nuclear work, an influential cleric said on Friday. "Islamic Iran will not be deprived from its obvious nuclear right, even by a resolution by an useless U.N. Security Council," Ahmad Khatami told worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran, broadcast live on state radio. Key U.N. Security Council members have informally agreed on a resolution that includes the threat of sanctions if Iran fails to halt all uranium enrichment-related and plutonium reprocessing activities, Western diplomats said on Thursday. The draft text must first be approved by governments of the five Security Council members with veto power -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- as well as Germany, a European negotiator on the Iran controversy. Measures such as imposing U.N. sanctions on Iran are not backed by veto-wielding Russia and China. Russia is helping Iran build its first atomic power station at the Gulf port of Bushehr and is interested in further nuclear cooperation with the oil-rich state.

Iran to Nuke Israel on August 22 ?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has frustrated Western officials by refusing to reply to their offer of various incentives in exchange for Iran’s discarding its nuclear program until August 22. The Western governments had asked Ahmadinejad to reply by June 29; why would Tehran need two extra months? Farid Ghadry, the president of the Reform Party of Syria, has offered a provocative explanation for this delay. He asserts that the Supreme National Security Council of Iran chose the August 22 date “for a very precise reason. August 21, 2006 (Rajab 27, 1427) is known in the Islamic calendar as the Night of the Sira’a and Miira’aj, the night Prophet Mohammed (saas) ascended to heaven from the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on a Bourak (Half animal, half man), while a great light lit-up the night sky, and visited Heaven and Hell also Beit al-Saada and Beit al-Shaqaa (House of Happiness and House of Misery) and then descended back to Mecca.…” The Night Journey, or Miraj, is central to Islam’s claim to Jerusalem as an Islamic holy city. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was carried on a Buraq, a miraculous horse with a human head, from Mecca to Jerusalem, where he ascended into heaven and met the other prophets. Certainly a nuclear attack on Jerusalem or even an all-out conventional assault against Israel by Iran would be consistent with Ahmadinejad’s oft-repeated denials of Israel’s right to exist and recent predictions that its demise was at hand. He hinted at the use of nuclear weapons in his phrasing when he said that Israel “pushed the button of its own destruction” by finally retaliating against Hizballah’s relentless rocket barrage from south Lebanon. “Arrogant powers,” Ahmadinejad said, “have set up a base for themselves to threaten and plunder nations in the region. But today, the occupier regime” -- that is, Israel -- “whose philosophy is based on threats, massacre and invasion, has reached its finishing line.” Will he attempt to make good on these threats this year on the anniversary of the Miraj, illuminating the night sky over Jerusalem?

Bin Laden's Deputy Issues A Holy War Against Israel And Her Allies

Osama bin Laden's deputy issued a worldwide call today for Muslims to rise up in holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza, until Islam reigns from ‘Spain to Iraq’. Ayman al-Zawahiri warned that al-Qaida would not stand ‘idly by, humiliated’, as Israeli ‘shells burn our brothers’. In a video tape broadcast by al-Jazeera, the Egyptian terror leader said: ‘How can we remain silent while watching bombs raining on our people? Oh Muslims everywhere, I call on you to fight and become martyrs in the war against the Zionists and the Crusaders. ‘ He said that the weapons being used by the Israelis were from the ‘crusader coalition’ and added that ‘every participant will pay the price’. Zawahiri, wearing a grey robe and white turban, and speaking in front of a picture of the World Trade Centre on fire, said al-Qaida now saw ‘all the world as a battlefield open in front of us’. He said: ‘The war with Israel does not depend on ceasefires ... . It is a jihad for God's sake and will last until [our] religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq ... We will attack everywhere.’ In another section of the tape, he said: ‘The shells and rockets ripping apart Muslim bodies in Gaza and Lebanon are not only Israeli [weapons], but are supplied by all the countries of the crusader coalition. Therefore, every participant in the crime will pay the price.’

A.I. Set To Exceed Human Brain Power

With AI developers working to mesh together both approaches, Bostrom said the eventual development of "super-intelligent" machines -- with cognitive powers far in excess of human brain power -- would pose new challenges. "When you have an AI system that can assist in the design of improved versions of itself you could go overnight to something that is radically superintelligent," he said.

At Least 56 Deaths Probed as California Heat Wave Hits Day 10

Gripped by a 10th straight day of 100-degree heat, California sweated out the possibility of more blackouts Tuesday as the number of suspected heat-related deaths climbed to at least 56 and the rotting carcasses of thousands of dairy cows and other livestock baked in the sun. Some communities faced their third day without electricity as the record-breaking temperatures strained transmission equipment. "We're asking people for one more day of conservation," said Gregg Fishman, the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid. "We're not out of the woods yet." The stretch of 100-plus degree scorchers that descended on the state last week marks the first time in 57 years that both Northern and Southern California have experienced extended heat waves simultaneously, California Undersecretary for Energy Affairs Joe Desmond said. In the Central Valley, where most of the deaths have occurred, temperatures were expected to reach 100 to 105 degrees on Tuesday, down from 110 to 115 in previous days. Truly cooler weather was not expected until Wednesday, when the system was forecast to move east into Nevada and Utah.

China eyes stronger military against threats

China needs stronger military forces as it faces growing instability and threats to national security, the ruling Communist Party's ideological mouthpiece said according to reports in the state media on Wednesday. An essay in the latest issue of Qiushi, or Seek Truth, says China must strengthen its military to guard a peaceful international setting for economic growth, the official China News Service reported. "Destabilizing and uncertain factors are increasing and having a major impact on China's security environment," the essay said. "History demonstrates that one cannot rely on others granting peace, and only building a strong military and firm national defense can provide a reliable security barrier," it added.

Saudi king warns of Mideast war

Saudi King Abdullah appealed to the world Tuesday to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon, saying that if peace moves fail, the Middle East could be engulfed in war. In a statement read out on state television, the king said: "if the option of peace fails as a result of Israeli arrogance, then the only option remaining will be war, and God alone knows what the region would witness in a conflict that would spare no one." The statement, issued by the royal court, said that the Saudi government had been trying to bring a halt to the violence since it began on July 12, when Hizbullah guerrillas snatched two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid from Lebanon. "It must be said that patience can't last forever, and if the brutal Israeli military continues to kill and destroy, no one can foresee what may happen," the king said.

China to test its 'artificial sun'

The first plasma discharge from China's experimental advanced superconducting research center -- the so-called "artificial sun" -- is set to occur next month. The discharge, expected about Aug. 15, will be conducted at Science Island in Hefei, in east China's Anhui Province, the Peoples Daily reported Monday. Scientists told the newspaper a successful test will mean the world's first nuclear fusion device of its kind will be ready to go into actual operation, the newspaper said. The plasma discharge will draw international attention since some scientists are concerned with risks involved in such a process. But Chinese researchers involved in the project say any radiation will cease once the test is completed. The experiment will take place in a structure made of reinforced concrete, with five-foot-thick walls and a three-foot-thick roof.

Military Intelligence Chief: Syrian army now at its highest state of alert

Syria has placed its military at its highest state of alert in recent years, Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Chief Major General Amos Yadlin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday. Syrian forces do remain, however, on a defensive rather than offensive alert. Yadlin emphasized that "neither Syria nor Israel are interested in a military clash but the situation is explosive and the events may potentially be incorrectly interpreted. This could entangle Syria up in a battle against us."
Hezbollah is interested in opening another front for Israel with Syria, Yadlin said. Hezbollah gunners are firing at the Golan Heights in an effort to embroil Syria in the fighting. Yadlin noted that Syria, together with Iran, was Hezbollah's main weapons supplier during the past years. The missiles that killed Israelis in Haifa came from the Syrian military.

A.I. Set To Exceed Human Brain Power

With AI developers working to mesh together both approaches, Bostrom said the eventual development of "super-intelligent" machines -- with cognitive powers far in excess of human brain power -- would pose new challenges. "When you have an AI system that can assist in the design of improved versions of itself you could go overnight to something that is radically superintelligent," he said.

New Tracking Chip Designed For Implanting In Your Children

A microchip similar to ones that are inserted into pets may soon be available for your children, which would allow them to be tracked by GPS. The demand for such a device comes through fears of child abduction. Dr. Mark Rajai is a professor of mechanical and electrical engineering at Northern Kentucky University. Seven years ago, Dr. Rajai turned his attention to the problem of missing children and what he saw as a huge void. "People are protecting their animals and their cars but they're not looking at protecting the most valuable things," said Dr. Rajai.

Israel Could Accept EU Peacekeepers In Lebanon

Israel has signaled it could accept a European peacekeeping force in Lebanon if it has a stronger mandate and more soldiers than current UN troops operating in the region. ‘Israel is ready to see deployment of a force with military capabilities and combat experience made up of troops from European Union countries once its mandate has been fixed,’ Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday (23 July), following talks with envoys from Germany, France and the UK. Earlier this month, several EU foreign ministers suggested their countries would support a new UN mission once the international community agrees on the details of its deployment.

Paganism gaining popularity in prison

A pagan religion that some experts say can be interpreted as encouraging violence is gaining popularity among prison inmates, one of whom is scheduled to be executed this week for killing a fellow prisoner at the foot of an altar. Michael Lenz is scheduled to die Thursday for the death of Brent Parker, who was stabbed dozens of times at Augusta Correctional Center during a gathering of inmates devoted to Asatru, whose followers worship Norse gods. At his trial, Lenz testified that Parker had not been taking the religion seriously and had to die to protect the honor of the gods. Asatru has been gaining popularity among inmates, say religious leaders and prison experts who believe its roots in Viking mythology attract prisoners seeking power, protection and unity.

Pakistan in large-scale nuclear expansion

Pakistan is building a reactor that could produce enough plutonium for 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year in what would be a major expansion of its nuclear program and an intensified arms race in South Asia, a report said on Monday. Satellite photos show what appears to be the construction site for a larger nuclear reactor adjacent to Pakistan's only plutonium production reactor, according to an analysis by nuclear experts at the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. The analysts concluded that the diameter of the structure's metal shell suggests a very large reactor "operating in excess of 1,000 megawatts thermal," according to the report. "Such a reactor could produce over 200 kg of weapons-grade plutonium per year, assuming it operates at full power a modest 220 days per year," the technical assessment said. "At 4 to 5 kg of plutonium per weapon, this stock would allow the production of over 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year.

Hezbollah Drawing Strength From Syria, Iran

The Hezbollah military machine that has been attacking Israel draws much of its strength from two shadowy sources that are proving difficult to cut off: Syria and Iran. The two countries, which President Bush blames for fomenting terrorism and destabilizing the Middle East, provide Hezbollah with training, weapons and financing, according to Western intelligence officials who are working to stem the flow of aid. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., a House Intelligence Committee member who was briefed on the Middle East situation during a recent trip to Iraq, said Syria has more than 1,000 agents in southern Lebanon, working either directly for Syrian intelligence or compensated by Syria for information. He says they are there "to cause trouble" and help prop up Hezbollah militarily.

UN to consider peacekeepers for Middle East at Rome meeting

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called an international conference for Wednesday that is expected to formulate plans for a ceasefire in the Middle East crisis as well as a possible deployment of foreign troops, a top U.N. official said. Terje Roed-Larsen, in charge of monitoring Syria-Lebanon issues, said in an interview on Friday that the conference, to be held in Rome, was intended to work out concepts that could stem the violence in Lebanon and Israel. "The broad consensus now in the international community is that in order to produce a ceasefire you need the political unpinnings," Roed-Larsen told Reuters Television. The so-called core group of advisors on Lebanon were organized last year for economic reconstruction. They include Russia, Italy, Britain, France, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the World Bank, the United Nations as well as the United States. More nations are expected to be added. No one knows yet what a stabilization force should do, whether it should disarm Lebanon's Hizbollah militia or go in only after Israel has ended its assault and beef up a U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. "On the drawing board in Rome there will be discussions on how such a force should be organized," Roed-Larsen said. "Should one recognize the existing (U.N.) force on the ground, or should it be replaced by a new international presence?"

All-out war ahead as Israel says: Get out of southern Lebanon

Israel ordered all civilians to leave southern Lebanon yesterday so that it can wage all-out war against Hezbollah, including a possible ground offensive. Using radio broadcasts and text messages to local officials, the Israelis told the remaining inhabitants to move above the Litani river, about 25 miles north of the Israeli border. Israeli troops have already mounted cross-border attacks against Hezbollah targets, and suffered several casualties in a firefight with Hezbollah fighters near Avivim yesterday. Israel said that two of its soldiers had died. Last night two Israeli Apache helicopters collided south of the Lebanese border, seriously injuring five crewmen, Israeli media reported.

Arab world deeply split over fighting

The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah exposed divisions across the Arab world, not only between Shiites and Sunnis but also between Arab governments and their citizens. Key Arab allies of the United States, predominantly Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, fear the rising power of Shiites in the region: Hezbollah militants who virtually control southern Lebanon, Iraq's majority Shiite government, and — most worrisome — the Shiite theocracy that has run Iran for decades. Yet many ordinary people, Sunnis as well as Shiites, are cheering the Lebanese guerrillas because of their willingness to stand up to Israel. Sitting in the shade as he sold figs in downtown Cairo, Hasan Salem Hasan, a 25-year-old Sunni, summed up a prevailing attitude of the so-called Arab street: "Although Hezbollah is a Shiite party, we are all Muslims, and all Arabs will defiantly support them and fight the Jews.

Israel hints at full-scale invasion

Israeli troops met fierce resistance from Hezbollah guerrillas Thursday as they crossed into Lebanon to seek tunnels and weapons for a second straight day, and Israel hinted at a full-scale invasion. Israel warned residents to "immediately" flee a nearly 20-mile swath of south Lebanon along the border. Its warplanes also launched new airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, shortly after daybreak, followed by strikes in the guerrillas' heartland in the south and eastern Bekaa Valley.

Iran Rejects Demands To Freeze Nuclear Work, Warns UN

Iran on Thursday again rejected international demands it freeze its controversial nuclear program and warned the UN Security Council against choosing a ‘path of confrontation’. In a statement read on state television, nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani also said Iran would take until August 22 to reply to an international offer of incentives in exchange for a halt of uranium enrichment. But he also accused the United States, which has lumped Iran into an ‘axis of evil’, of trying to derail diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis. ‘According to the adopted plan to generate 20,000 megawatts of atomic energy over the next 20 years, the Islamic republic has decided to make some of its own nuclear fuel inside Iran,’ said the statement from Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

Taiwan stages live military drills to deter China

Taiwan staged its biggest live-fire army drills in about 20 years on Thursday, showcasing latest weaponry designed to combat a potential Chinese attack as Beijing builds its military might. More than 13,000 soldiers took part in the exercise, which saw U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets screaming across the sky and tanks firing from a beach at targets floating on the sea. Paratroopers posing as Chinese communist soldiers floated to the ground, simulating an airborne assault against key installations on the island. "Across the Strait, China has always been the biggest national security threat to the Republic of China, Taiwan, for the past half a century," said the island's independence-leaning president, Chen Shui-bian.

Europe Sweltering in Record Heat Wave

Lions licked blood-flavored ice blocks in the zoo, judges went wigless in court and guards at Buckingham Palace ducked into the shade. Britain faced the hottest day ever recorded in July on Wednesday as a heat wave swept much of Europe. Temperatures hit 96.6 degrees south of London _ so hot some road surfaces melted. Two people died in Spain as temperatures climbed above 104 degrees, while officials in France said as many as nine people who died recently were believed to be victims of the heat.

Rev. John Hagee Will Call On Bush Today For A Pre-emptive Military Strike On Iran

More than 3,000 pro-Israel evangelical Christians [are] in town [this] week for a "Washington/Israel summit" to push the Bush administration toward stronger support for the Jewish state. Starting with a banquet [yesterday] at the Hilton Washington and visits to Capitol Hill [this] morning, the inaugural gathering of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) will showcase a deeper cooperation between evangelical Christians and Jews in the face of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's suggestion in October, often reiterated since, that Israel "be wiped off the map." Their host will be Texas evangelist the Rev. John C. Hagee, pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio and author of "Jerusalem Countdown," a 2006 book about a nuclear-armed Iran. "There's a new Hitler in the Middle East," Mr. Hagee said in an interview. "He's talking about killing Jews. He will have the ability to do so with nuclear weapons. "I believe that the president of Iran fully intends there to be a nuclear holocaust. The only way he will be stopped will be by a pre-emptive military strike in Iran."

Arming of Hezbollah Reveals U.S. and Israeli Blind Spots

The power and sophistication of the missile and rocket arsenal that Hezbollah has used in recent days has caught the United States and Israel off guard, and officials in both countries are just now learning the extent to which the militant group has succeeded in getting weapons from Iran and Syria. While the Bush administration has stated that cracking down on weapons proliferation is one of its top priorities, the arming of Hezbollah shows the blind spots of American and other Western intelligence services in assessing the threat, officials from across those governments said. American and Israeli officials said the successful attack last Friday on an Israeli naval vessel was the strongest evidence to date of direct support by Iran to Hezbollah. The attack was carried out with a sophisticated antiship cruise missile, the C-802, an Iranian-made variant of the Chinese Silkworm, an American intelligence official said.

Java tsunami toll at 550

An aftershock in Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged region sent hundreds scrambling for high ground on Wednesday as the toll from Monday's disaster climbed to 550. Rescuers pulled bodies from the debris and aid trickled into worst-hit Pangandaran town while a search continued for about 275 people still missing after the tsunami smashed into a 300-km (185 mile) stretch of coast along southern Java. A light aftershock that shook Pangandaran beach sent some people running, while others headed inland on motorcycles and cars as rumors circulated of a fresh tsunami.

Hezbollah Sleeper Cells In The United States

While many U.S. government officials are deeply concerned over Iran’s nuclear program, according to recent reports, investigations by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department revealed last May that the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah may be plotting attacks. These attacks may be launched by their sleeper cells in New York and several other US cities.

Iran's Hizbollah says ready for WW 3

Iran's Hizbollah, which claims links to the Lebanese group of the same name, said on Tuesday it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide. "We have 2,000 volunteers who have registered since last year," said Iranian Hizbollah's spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli, speaking by telephone from the central seminary city of Qom. "They have been trained and they can become fully armed. We are ready to dispatch them to every corner of the world to jeopardise Israel and America's interests. We are only waiting for the Supreme Leader's green light to take action. If America wants to ignite World War Three ... we welcome it," he said.

Iran official: No part of Israel safe

The speaker of Iran's parliament warned Israelis on Tuesday that no part of their country is safe from Hezbollah attack. The comments by Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel called into question Tehran's official position that it is not involved in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. "The towns you have built in northern Palestine (Israel) are within the range of the brave Lebanese children. No part of Israel will be safe," Haddad Adel told thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators in Palestine Square. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki indicated that Iran may be playing a covert role in the fighting when he said Monday that a cease-fire was feasible. He spoke after talks with the Syrian government in Damascus. Iran and its ally Syria are the principal backers of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that provoked the current fighting when its guerrillas seized two Israeli soldiers last week. On Monday, Israeli military officials said their planes had destroyed a long-range missile in Lebanon, named "Zelzal," that Hezbollah had received from Iran.

Gingrich says it's World War III

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich says America is in World War III and President Bush should say so. In an interview in Bellevue this morning Gingrich said Bush should call a joint session of Congress the first week of September and talk about global military conflicts in much starker terms than have been heard from the president. "We need to have the militancy that says 'We're not going to lose a city,' " Gingrich said. He talks about the need to recognize World War III as important for military strategy and political strategy.

Hizbullah Uses New Weapons

Israel's military has concluded that the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah was using its latest rockets in the war against Israel. Military sources said Hizbullah was firing rockets provided by Iran over the last 18 months. They said the weapons extended the threat by the Shi'ite group to over one-third of Israel and its 1.5 million residents. ‘We are seeing the first launch of Iranian missiles provided Hizbullah in 2005,’ a military source said. Officials said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been directing Hizbullah and Palestinian rocket strikes against Israel. They said the IRGC was responsible for maintaining and operating the Fajr-3, Fajr,-4 and Fajr-5 rockets, with ranges of up to 200 kilometers."

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Want Those With Chronic Diseases Microchipped

In a new test program, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey plans to implant patients suffering from chronic diseases with a microchip that will give emergency room staff access to their medical information and help avoid costly or serious medical errors, the insurer said on Friday. Horizon plans to announce on Monday that it is teaming up with Hackensack University Medical Center in a pilot program where 280 patients regularly treated at the hospital will be implanted with a chip containing a code. The chip would allow emergency room personnel to retrieve a patient's medical record if the individual can't communicate. The rice-sized microchip is implanted in a patient's right arm above the elbow and can be detected using equipment at the hospital. The hope is that the chips will help doctors avoid medical errors like duplicating medical tests, dangerous drug interactions and bad diagnoses. Within the next 30 days, Horizon will start sending letters to patients with chronic diseases explaining the new program and inviting them to participate.

Israel escalates bombardment of Beirut

Airstrikes reduced entire apartment buildings to rubble and knocked out electricity in swaths of the Lebanese capital Sunday as Israel dramatically escalated the ferocity of its campaign after Hezbollah rockets hit the northern city of Haifa. Before the attack on Haifa, Israel had already unleashed its worst bombardment yet in southern Beirut, a teeming Shiite districts where Hezbollah has its headquarters. A series of 18 explosions rocked the city before sunrise. The airstrikes started again soon after the Haifa attack, which killed at least eight people.

North Korea rejects "brigandish" UN call to halt its missile launches

World powers have urged North Korea to return to disarmament talks after the UN Security Council unanimously condemned its missile tests, but the isolated communist state rejected the "brigandish" resolution and vowed to bolster its defences. "Our Republic will bolster its war deterrent for self-defence in every way by all means and methods now that the situation has reached the worst phase due to the extremely hostile act of the US," said the North's foreign ministry Sunday. It insisted the United States had forced the United Nations to adopt Saturday's resolution, which won the support of its only major ally China.

New York To Get Nuclear Detector Devices

The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that New York would be the beneficiary of two pilot programs designed to guard against a nuclear terror strike. The $1.1 billion Advanced Spectroscopic Portal program funds the purchase of equipment that can scan cargo for radiological material. Homeland Security officials said New York ports and a nuclear test site in Nevada will be the first two locales to receive these new machines. Also, federal officials said New York also will be the nation's first city to have radiological detection devices deployed throughout its boundaries. The devices are designed to detect a dirty bomb. House Homeland Security chairman Peter King (R-Seaford) said the announcement was a win for New York, particularly coming after last week's increase in rail security funds.

Israel, Hezbollah vow wider war

The leader of Hezbollah promised an all-out war Friday after Israeli warplanes attacked his residence and Hezbollah's main headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt, and Israel vowed to press its offensive in Lebanon until the Shiite Muslim militant group was disarmed. As Hasan Nasrallah spoke, an Israeli warship was struck and set ablaze off the Lebanese coast in an unprecedented strike, possibly by an unmanned drone. The quick succession of events after nightfall again recalibrated a three-day war in which each side has methodically raised the stakes since Hezbollah seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid Wednesday. The Lebanese government urged the U.N. Security Council to establish a cease-fire, to no avail, and the White House said President Bush would not press Israel to halt its attacks.

American Policy in Middle East Caught in "a Perfect Storm"

Rarely can United States policy in the Middle East have been in such disarray as now. Events in Iraq are a fair approximation of civil war, while after a brief display of smiles, Iran is more truculent than ever over its nuclear ambitions. As for Israel, far from moving towards peace with its neighbours, the Jewish state is embroiled in an escalating, two-front confrontation with Lebanon and Syria to its north, and with the Palestinians in its midst.

Ahmadinejad Says 'Israel Unable To Take On Iran'

President Mahmud Ahmadinejad boasted Friday that Israel is not powerful enough to take on Iran, currently at loggerheads with the international community over its nuclear program. ‘Thanks be to God, despite its criminal and savage nature, the Zionist regime and its supporters in the West do not have the power to look in the same way towards Iran,’ the ultra-conservative president said in a speech in the provinces. He was speaking as Israel continued its offensive on Lebanon sparked by the capture Wednesday by Iranian-backed Hezbollah militiamen of two Israeli soldiers and the killing of eight others. ‘Attacks by the Zionist regime against its neighbors, notably Lebanon, Syria and its threats against other countries in the region are due to the fact that this puppet regime cannot live normally,’ IRNA reported Ahmadinejad as saying. ‘This situation cannot last, and one day the protectors of the Zionist regime -- the US in particular -- will have to explain themselves and be judged by the conscience of humanity,’ he added.
Ahmadinejad also said the ‘Zionists and their protectors are the people held in most contempt by humanity’ and promised their ‘rapid downfall’. ‘The more their crimes increase, the harder their fall will be,’ he said.

Ahmadinejad: World will soon witness the demise of Israel

Hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the world will soon witness the demise of Israel, the government-run news agency Fars reported. “In the near future we will witness the rapid collapse of the Zionist regime”, Ahmadinejad told a crowd in the north-western city of Jolfa. “The nations of the region will record the names of states that support the Zionist regime alongside the Zionist’s crimes”, he added. Ahmadinejad caused an international furore last year when he publicly declared that the Holocaust was a “myth” and said that Israel must be “wiped off the map”.

'Strong message' heading NKorea's way, US top envoy says

The top US negotiator on North Korea has reported no progress in Chinese efforts to defuse a crisis over Pyongyang's missile tests, saying the regime could now expect a "very strong" message. "I have talked as much as I can with the Chinese to see what's going on with their mission in Pyongyang. From what I understand, we don't have any breakthroughs in Pyongyang," Christopher Hill told reporters in Beijing Thursday. "So far (the North Koreans) don't seem interested in listening, much less in doing anything to address the situation." Hill headed back to Washington Thursday after consulting with China on the progress of diplomatic efforts by Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu and Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who have been in the North for four days. Despite objections from China and Russia to a Japan-sponsored United Nations resolution, which orders missile-related sanctions against Pyongyang, Hill said the world body would issue a strong response to Pyongyang's test last week of seven missiles. "I'm confident there will be a very strong, very clear message for the DPRK (North Korea)," Hill said.

Frustrated world powers send Iran to U.N.

Frustrated world powers agreed Wednesday to send Iran before the United Nations Security Council for possible punishment, saying the Iranians had given no sign they would bargain in earnest over their disputed nuclear program. The move amounted to calling Iran's bluff. Diplomats said recent meetings with Iran's nuclear negotiator have gone nowhere and it was clear Tehran hoped to play for time or exploit potential divisions among the six powers that have offered new talks. The United States and other nations wanted Iran to say by Wednesday whether it would meet terms to begin negotiations on a package of economic and energy incentives in exchange for at least a short-term end to Tehran's program to enrich uranium.

Terrorist Bomb attack on Bombay trains kills around 200

Eight bombs hit Bombay's commuter rail network during rush hour Tuesday evening, killing at least 147 people and wounding more than 400 in what authorities called a well-coordinated terrorist attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility in the bombings, which came in quick succession -- a common tactic employed by Kashmiri militants.

Al-Aksa Announce Female Bomber Unit

A group belonging to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party announced on Monday that it had recruited 100 Palestinian women to launch suicide attacks against Israel. A woman who identified herself as Um al-Abed told reporters in Gaza City that so far about 100 women had expressed their desire to carry out suicide attacks against Israel. She claimed she was a spokeswoman for the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah. The brigades, she added, recently established a secret military unit for female suicide bombers from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem. ‘We have so far recruited 100 women for the new unit,’ Abed said as she sat next to several masked women who identified themselves as members of Fatah. ‘We are expecting more female suicide bombers. The new unit is now preparing to launch attacks against Israel in response to the Israeli aggression and crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip.

Israel Defense Ministry May Get Laser Defense System

The Defense Ministry is looking into the possibility of acquiring a US-developed laser system that neutralizes the tips of missiles, as well as a cannon for defense against mortar shells and artillery. Two weapons production companies in the US have been in touch with the Defense Ministry to discuss selling Israel systems to defend against Kassam missiles. The Northrop Grumman company recently spoke with government officials regarding the sale of a laser-powered missile defense system. The company claims the system proved itself from an operational standpoint, but the Pentagon decided it preferred a smaller and cheaper system. The Raytheon company also caught the Defense Ministry's interest with a rapid-fire cannon for defense against mortar shells and artillery.

Biblical sized ice ball fell out of clear sky

Research conducted by a Nasa- affiliated scientist suggests that the frozen object that plummeted from the clear sky last Friday morning was one of the first "megacryometeors" to be recorded in Africa. And Professor Jesus Martinez-Frias, head of the Planetary Geology Laboratory at the Centro de Astrobiología in Madrid, has warned that the microwave oven-sized ice object could be a portent of "serious environmental problems". Frias is an authority in the megacryometeor phenomenon, having written a number of research papers on possible reasons for its development. According to his research, falling ice balls have been recorded since the 19th century. And, six years ago, a plague of falling ice balls caused extensive damage to cars and an industrial storage facility in the Iberian Peninsula. Fortunately, Africa's first recorded ice ball was far less destructive, melting almost immediately after it shattered on its pavement landing area. Frias agreed with security guard Sizwe Sofika, who witnessed the frozen object plummet from the sky, that the ice ball was not frozen human waste ejected from a plane. The impact of the ice ball's fall created a small crater on the pavement, which was covered with pieces of broken ice.

Satellite photos detect activity at North Korea missile bases

North Korea could be preparing for new launches of mid-range missiles following last week's tests, with activity detected at its bases, a report has said citing Japanese government sources. US and Japanese satellite photos show that mid-range Rodong missiles had been set up on launch pads at a base in southeastern North Korea, but were later removed, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported. Fuel tanks could be seen near the launch pads, the report said. The report said the satellite photos were taken after last week's tests of seven missiles, but did not give a specific date. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Sunday suggested Tokyo would have the right to launch a pre-emptive strike to protect its citizens from a missile launch by Pyongyang.

North Korea braced for 'all-out war' as tensions mount

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has vowed no compromise and said he was braced for "all-out war" as tension mounted ahead of a UN vote on whether to impose sanctions on Pyongyang for its missile tests. Japan, which with the United States has led the push to punish the communist state, said it would not rule out a preemptive strike on
North Korea in case of a direct nuclear threat, leading Seoul to accuse Tokyo of aggravating the situation. As China and Russia held firm Sunday against the UN draft resolution to put further sanctions on the impoverished North, a US envoy stressed a diplomatic solution on disarmament and urged Pyongyang to return to stalled talks on disarmament. But Kim, in his first reported remarks since his regime test fired seven missiles into the sea Wednesday, pledged not to give up his weapons programs. "The General has declared that not even a tiny concession will be made to the imperialist US invaders, our arch enemy," said a broadcast on North Korean state television, as monitored by South Korea's Yonhap news agency. Kim, who never speaks himself in public, said that if the United States took "revenge," it would mean "all-out war."

Russia is back - warning to west

Like it or not, Russia is back,” said a Kremlin aide. “We are on the way to becoming a gas and oil superpower. “For Putin, the most important thing at the G8 is to get the respect he feels Russia deserves. It is about being up there with the big boys again.” Russia accounts for just 2.6% of world GDP but has 27% of world gas reserves and 6% of proven oil reserves. The G7 account for 41% of global GDP but have only 4% of gas reserves and 9% of the oil. Washington has been watching Putin’s assertion of power with increasing alarm. “Russia is no longer paying attention to what the Americans or the Europeans tell them,” said Cohen, who returned from a visit to Russia last week. “They’ve got their own agenda and they’re pushing it very hard.

Iran's President Warns Israel Over Gaza

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel a ‘fake regime’ that should be moved somewhere else. He spoke at a large protest in Tehran in support of the Palestinians. He warned that the Israeli invasion of Gaza could spark a violent backlash in Muslim nations. ‘They should not let things reach a point where an explosion occurs in the Islamic world,’ he said. ‘If an explosion occurs, then it will not be limited to geographical boundaries.’ He says, ‘It will also burn all those who created [Israel] over the past 60 years.

Arms Race Moves Into The Heavens

Responding to repeated and increased international pressure in recent weeks, John Mohanco, US deputy director of the Office of Multilateral Nuclear and Security Affairs, said ``our government will continue to consider the possible role that space-related weapons may play in protecting our [space] assets." Russia, which is pushing for a new treaty on such weapons, wanted countries to ``refrain from any practical activities aimed to place weapon systems in outer space while the international agreement on non-weaponization of outer space is being elaborated.

Spain detects its first case of H5N1 bird flu

A Spanish laboratory has confirmed the country's first case of H5N1 bird flu after analyzing a sample taken from a wild migratory water bird, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday. The dead great crested grebe was found in the northern province of Alava and a sample sent to the National Reference Laboratory on Thursday revealed "high pathogen" H5N1, the ministry said. The government has forbidden transport of poultry or bird hunting within a 3 km (1.8 mile) protection zone round the place where the grebe was found and is monitoring within a 10 km (6.2 mile) radius, the ministry said. "We have reinforced monitoring of the countryside in order to detect any deaths among wild birds as soon as possible," the ministry said.

Taiwan to test-fire missile

Taiwan plans to test-fire a missile capable of hitting China, alarming the island's main ally, the United States, a cable news network said on Thursday. The Hsiung Feng III, developed by Taiwan's Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, has a range of 600 km (360 miles) and is accurate to within half a meter, the online edition of cable news network ETTV said, quoting unnamed military sources. That range would put areas along China's coast from Fuzhou in Fujian Province to Nan'ao in Guangdong within striking distance of the missile, the Web site said.

North Korea issues new threat

North Korea threatened on Friday to take "stronger physical actions" after Japan imposed punitive measures in response to its barrage of missile tests and pushed for international sanctions at the United Nations. Japan introduced a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on Friday that would bar missile-related financial and technology transactions with North Korea, but China and Russia, which have veto power, opposed any punitive measures. China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya said if the draft is put to a vote "there would be no unity" in the council in sending a message to North Korea. But he did not say whether China would use its veto power to kill the resolution or abstain and let the measure go through.

Michael Bloomberg: We Need A National Biometric ID Card

Bloomberg's office yesterday issued a release of the mayor's prepared testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's field hearing on federal immigration legislation. "We absolutely must have a federal database, said Bloomberg, "that will allow employers to verify the status of all job applicants. But for this database to have any value, we must also ensure that the documentation job applicants present is incorruptible. That means we need to create a biometric employment card containing unique information -- fingerprints or DNA, for instance"

Iran Finances North Korean Missile Program

Western intelligence sources said Teheran has been financing Pyongyang's intermediate- and ICBM programs for nearly a decade. The sources said the funding was part of a deal in which North Korea would share missile technology and equipment with Iran. ‘Anytime you hear of a North Korean success, translate that directly into an Iranian success,’ an intelligence source said. ‘You can be sure that within a few weeks, Iran will receive briefings, training and eventually production expertise from Pyongyang.

Taiwan to test-fire missile

Taiwan plans to test-fire a missile capable of hitting China, alarming the island's main ally, the United States, a cable news network said on Thursday. The Hsiung Feng III, developed by Taiwan's Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, has a range of 600 km (360 miles) and is accurate to within half a meter, the online edition of cable news network ETTV said, quoting unnamed military sources. That range would put areas along China's coast from Fuzhou in Fujian Province to Nan'ao in Guangdong within striking distance of the missile, the Web site said. A defense ministry spokesman declined to comment on the report when reached by telephone. A spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry also declined to comment.Taiwan plans to test-fire a missile capable of hitting China, alarming the island's main ally, the United States, a cable news network said on Thursday. The Hsiung Feng III, developed by Taiwan's Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, has a range of 600 km (360 miles) and is accurate to within half a meter, the online edition of cable news network ETTV said, quoting unnamed military sources.

Bush presses China, Russia as Pyonyang threatens new tests

President George W. Bush called the leaders of China and Russia, pressing for robust action against North Korea, as the defiant Stalinist state threatened to fire off new missile tests. With the UN Security Council meeting for a second day over Pyongyang's seven previous missile launches, Bush stepped up his personal diplomatic push, speaking to Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The White House admitted, however, there was as yet no "united front" on how to respond to the missile tests, which provoked condemnation, but nuanced responses from major powers. Bush's move followed North Korea's strongly worded first formal statement since its missile volley Wednesday, which warned of "all-out countermeasures" should it be hit with new economic sanctions.

Is SETI In Secret Contact With Alien Intelligence?

This is what Greer had to say at a recent conference: "We have confirmation - one of the senior people in the SETI project, which is the Carl Sagan Search for Extraterrestrial project, has confirmed to the Disclosure Project that they have received multiple extraterrestrial signals.... But that now they are getting external human, probably NRO or NSA jamming of those signals and they are getting very frustrated.

UN emergency meeting after North Korea missile tests

Ambassadors from the 15 states on the UN Security Council went into emergency talks today to discuss North Korea's test-firing of at least seven ballistic missiles, one of them with the potential range to reach Alaska. But while Japan, clearly threatened by the development, promised to push for sanctions, the Chinese envoy played down the seriousness of the crisis and suggested that the UN Council would not need to pass a formal resolution. The first tests were carried out at dawn and a seventh at 5.22pm local time (0922 BST). Russia said that a total of ten missiles had been fired, although that could not be confirmed.

Shadow People reports on the rise

Did you see that dark, fleeting shape out of the corner of your eye? Perhaps you caught a glimpse of a strange entity that is being seen with greater regularity around the world. "What was that?" You were sitting comfortably on your sofa reading the latest issue of Fortean Times in the dim light when movement across the room caught your attention. It seemed dark and shadowy, but there was nothing there. You returned to your reading - and a moment later there it was again. You looked up quickly this time and saw the fleeting but distinctly human shape of the shadow pass quickly over the far wall... and disappear. What was that? Some natural shadow? Your heightened imagination? A ghost? Or was it something that seems to be a spreading phenomenon - apparitions that are coming to be known as "shadow people" or "shadow beings." Perhaps this is an old phenomenon with a new name that is now being discussed more openly, in part thanks to the Internet. Or maybe it's a phenomenon that, for some reason, is manifesting with greater frequency and intensity now.

Israel warns of "long war" over soldier

Israel warned the governing Palestinian faction Hamas that the "sky will fall on them" if they harm a captured soldier after a deadline passed on Tuesday for the Jewish state to accept a prisoner exchange. While Israeli tanks and infantry massed along the Gaza Strip's northern border for a threatened ground incursion, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the campaign to free Corporal Gilad Shalit could turn into "a long war". Three Palestinian factions, among them the Hamas armed wing, pulled out of negotiations with Egyptian mediators trying to end the standoff over Shalit, a Hamas political leader said. Israel rejected a 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) ultimatum set by the factions, which demanded that the Jewish state free 1,000 prisoners. Unless the demands were met, the factions said, "the enemy will bear full responsibility for future consequences".

Russia, China to Hold Second Joint War Games

Russia and China will stage joint military exercises for the second time following last year’s first-ever Russo-Chinese war games, the chief of the Russian General Staff was quoted as saying Tuesday. Yuri Baluyevsky said he had agreed with his Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie that the next round of maneuvers would be held in Russia, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Baluyevsky declined to disclose the date of the exercises. According to Associated Press, in August last year, some 10,000 troops, mostly Chinese and about 1,800 Russians, took part in major drills in the Shandong peninsula in the Yellow Sea. China and Russia sought to reassure the region that the exercises weren’t directed against any country but the two giant neighbors have strengthened ties over shared concerns about U.S. dominance of world affairs.

NORAD air base on heightened alert

As the U.S. continues to express concern about the possibility of a North Korean missile test directed toward American territory and the rest of the world holds its breath over a close encounter with an asteroid, several U.S. air bases are on heightened alert. But no one is talking about why. The Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, which houses NORAD – charged with monitoring the North Korea situation – is now at "Bravo-Plus. Other air bases in Colorado, California and Florida are also on heightened alert status.
The Bush administration has urged North Korea to abandon its plans to test a long range missile. The Pentagon believes the missile is capable of reaching the United States. NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command in Colorado would play a big role in both detecting and responding to a missile launch if it ever occurred. The U.S. missile defense system is only a few years old, but could be tested if North Korea chooses to act.

North Korea vows "annihilating strike" if attacked

North Korea ratcheted up the rhetoric in its war of words with Washington by promising an "annihilating strike" with its nuclear deterrent should the United States launch an attack, its media said on Monday. Over the weekend, North Korea said it would bolster its deterrent in response to a U.S. threat, marking the first time it has so specifically mentioned the subject since a crisis began over its suspected plans to test-fire a long-range missile. "The army and people of the DPRK are now in full preparedness to answer a pre-emptive attack with a relentless annihilating strike and a nuclear war with a mighty nuclear deterrent," its communist party newspaper said on Monday. DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The report carried on the KCNA news agency said the U.S. had increased tension by bringing new spy planes to the peninsula.

Asteroid Has Near-Collision With The Earth

An asteroid hurtling through space came within a hair's breadth -- in astronomical terms, at least -- of crashing into the Earth early Monday, US scientists have said. Apollo Asteroid 2004 XP14 was discovered by Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, a research facility which part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and which claims the title of ‘the world's principal detector of asteroids’ said Roger Sudbury, a spokesman for the lab. ‘We were the discoverer’ said Sudbury of the Apollo Asteroid 2004 XP14, which passed some 268,873 miles (432,000 kilometers) from the Earth at 0425 GMT. The distance between the two bodies was slightly greater than that between the Earth and the moon -- a close shave in the vastness of outer space. Sudbury said the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Minor Planet Center, which is affiliated with the Lincoln Lab, had classified the body as a ‘potentially hazardous asteroid,’ because of its proximity to Earth and, if it hit, could have caused ‘significant impact’.

Saudis Help Al Qaida Regime In Somalia

The Bush administration has acknowledged that Saudi Arabia was financing the Al Qaida-aligned regime in Somalia. Officials said Saudi Arabia has become a leading financier of the Islamic takeover of Somalia. The so-called Islamic Courts Union, headed by an Al Qaida commander wanted by the United States, has garnered most of its foreign support from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. ‘I don't want to say the Saudi government is supporting any particular [Islamic] court,’ Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer said. ‘But I do know that there is money coming in from Saudi Arabia.’ On June 29, Ms. Frazer told the House International Relations Committee that despite U.S. opposition Saudi funding was reaching the Al Qaida-aligned movement in Somalia. She said another U.S. ally, Yemen, has sent weapons to the new Islamic regime in Mogadishu.

Hamas Improves It's Missiles

Hamas has significantly improved its Kassam-class, short-range missiles. Israeli military sources said Hamas has increased the payload and range of the Kassam. The sources said the main improvement has been the addition of an engine as well as the installation of standard fuzes and explosives payload. ‘The new Kassams are much better than even two months ago,’ a military source said. ‘The warhead explodes and the blast reaches a wider area. The range is also longer.’ On June 30, Hamas fired an extended-range Kassam missile that contained two engines. Officials said the missile was 155 mm in diameter and landed in a residential section of Ashkelon about 12 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.

Iran rejects deadline for nuclear response

Iran has again rejected a deadline to respond to an international offer aimed at resolving a nuclear standoff, saying it would answer during the next Iranian month which begins July 23. "A deadline is not an issue. We think such statements are not constructive and they will not help resolving the problem. We will respond next month," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters. World powers on Thursday gave Iran one more week to provide a "clear and substantive response" to an international proposal over the crisis.

Christian movie's rating worries lawmakers

A Christian-themed movie about a football coach's faith in God is finding an audience in Congress — not so much for its inspirational message, but for the PG rating it received. House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and other lawmakers are demanding explanations after hearing complaints that the movie "Facing the Giants" was rated PG instead of G due to religious content. "This incident raises the disquieting possibility that the MPAA considers exposure to Christian themes more dangerous for children than exposure to gratuitous sex and violence," Blunt said in a letter to MPAA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan Glickman.

Chinese Leadership Calls For Build Up Of Strategic Missile Forces

Chinese President Hu Jintao has pledged to step up scientific and technological reforms in the military, as he marked the 40th anniversary of the nation's nuclear force, state media said Thursday. ‘To establish a strategic missile armed force and build up the Second Artillery Corps is a major strategic decision of the Communist Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commssion,’ state television quoted Hu as saying. ‘The army should bring into full play the role of science and technology and carry out reforms and innovations, so as to set up a scientific system for military training under the new circumstances,’ Hu said. Hu was referring to China's efforts to build a high-tech fighting force, based on the precision bombing and information warfare used by the United States in its wars on Iraq. The US has taken China's military modernization seriously with a report by the Pentagon last month saying that Beijing was building up missile forces on its southeastern coast facing Taiwan.

Russia fires ballistic missile in exercise

Russia successfully launched a Tula ballistic missile on Friday, firing it from the Barents Sea to Kamchatka in the far east as part of combat training, the navy said. Last week Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned North Korea's ambassador over reports its secretive neighbor was planning to test launch a ballistic missile. Washington has warned Pyongyang not to fire the missile, saying it would be a clear threat to international peace.