The 'Sovietization' Of The United States

Prisoners taken in the dead of night to Lubyanka were systematically beaten for days with rubber hoses and clubs. There were special cold rooms where prisoners could be frozen to near death. Sleep deprivation was a favourite and most effective Cheka technique. So was near-drowning in water fouled with urine and feces. I recall these past horrors because of what this column has long called the gradual “Sovietization” of the United States. We have seen America’s president and vice president, sworn to uphold the Constitution, advocating some of the same interrogation techniques the KGB used at the Lubyanka. They apparently believe beating, freezing, sleep deprivation and near-drowning are necessary to prevent terrorist attacks, so did Stalin.

Bulgaria and Romania to join EU in 2007

The European Commission has given Bulgaria and Romania the green light to join the European Union in January, but with the closest monitoring system ever imposed on new members. The 26th and 27th members of the European club will be allowed to join up on January 1, 2007, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso announced at an EU parliamentary plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday. While the EU's executive arm decided that the two countries have made sufficient reforms to be allowed to enter the club, both still need to work harder to overcome corruption, organised crime, and ensure the proper use of EU funds and food safety. "Bulgaria and Romania have carried out an extraordinary reform process and they have gone through a remarkable transformation," the European Commission said in a statement.

Hezbollah moving rockets near Israeli border

Hezbollah has been transporting rockets and heavy weaponry to Palestinian camps in south Lebanon just a few miles from the Israeli border, according to Lebanese officials. The officials told WND the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Faud Sinora sent a letter last week to Abbas Zakir, the Palestinian Authority's most senior representative in Lebanon, outlining the alleged Hezbollah weapons transfers into Palestinian camps. The letter noted "unusual activity" in and near the Palestinian camps, including the coming and going of trucks suspected of carrying weapons. Palestinian groups, including Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, maintain armed bases in Lebanon, mostly in the al-Naemeh province just south of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley, near Lebanon's border with Syria and Israel. Fatah is the party of PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Iraq terrorist calls scientists to jihad

Al-Qaidas leader in Iraq called for nuclear scientists to join his group's holy war and urged insurgents to kidnap Westerners so they could be traded for a blind Egyptian sheik who is in a U.S. prison. The fugitive terror chief said experts in the fields of "chemistry, physics, electronics, media and all other sciences — especially nuclear scientists and explosives experts" should join his group's jihad, or holy war, against the West. "We are in dire need of you," said the speaker, who identified himself as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir — also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri. "The field of jihad can satisfy your scientific ambitions, and the large American bases (in Iraq) are good places to test your unconventional weapons, whether biological or dirty, as they call them."

Discovery Could Alter Physics, Bridge Gap Between "Real World", "Spooky Realm"

The discovery that a bizarre particle travels between the real world of matter and the spooky realm of antimatter 3 trillion times a second may open the door to a new era of physics, Fermilab researchers announced Monday. The incredibly rapid commuting rate of the B sub s meson particle had been predicted by the Standard Model, the successful but incomplete theory aimed at explaining how matter and energy interact to form the visible universe. After 20 years of trying, scientists have now confirmed the rate, providing strong evidence for the theory.

Archaeologist Claims Jerusalem Treasure Mystery Solved

According to Dr Kingsley, "the treasure resonates fiercely across modern politics. Since the mid-1990s, a heated political wrangle has been simmering between the Vatican and Israel, which has accused the papacy of imprisoning the treasure. "The Temple treasure remains a deadly political tool in the volatile Arab-Israeli conflict centred on the Temple Mount [the site of the Jewish Temple and the Muslim Dome of the Rock]. "The treasure's final hiding place - in the modern West Bank ... deep in Hamas territory - will rock world religions."

Israeli Intelligence says: Syria's President Favors Another War

Syria, buoyed by Hizbullah's success against Israel, has ordered his military to prepare for a regional war with the Jewish state. Israeli intelligence sources said Syrian President Bashar Assad has ordered a series of measures meant to bolster the preparedness of his military. The sources cited increased training, exercises, procurement as well as an examination of Israeli ground and air battles in Lebanon in July and August. ‘We see signs of a new strategy in the Syrian military based on the lessons from the Hizbullah war,’ an intelligence source said. ‘It could take months until the picture becomes clearer.’ The sources said the Intelligence Corps has detected Syrian activities in the Golan Heights that could mark preparations for another war. They said Syria appeared to be planning to bring people to the Golan to serve as a human shield during any conflict with Israel.

North Korea Rejects Nuclear Talks, Blames U.S.

North Korea's deputy foreign minister, Choe Su Hon, blamed what he called the ‘vicious, hostile policies’ of the United States for what he called ‘touch and go critical tension on the Korean peninsula.’ Referring to his country by its initials DPRK, Choe said Washington is purposely stoking tensions in a strategy aimed at world domination. ‘The United States aims to strengthen its armed forces in this region, and thus contain the ever-growing-strong DPRK and neighboring countries within its world supremacy strategy. This is what the real intention of the United States is,’ he said. He accused the United States of imposing unjustified financial sanctions on Pyongyang, and said under such conditions, North Korea would not return to the stalled six-party talks on its nuclear program. ‘It is quite preposterous that the DPRK, under the groundless U.S. sanctions, takes part in the talks of discussing its own nuclear abandonment. This is the matter of principle which cannot tolerate even the slightest concession,’ he said.

Nanotechnology Risks Unknown

The United States is the world leader in nanotechnology -- the newly blossoming science of making incredibly small materials and devices -- but is not paying enough attention to the environmental, health and safety risks posed by nanoscale products, says a report released yesterday by the independent National Research Council. If federal officials, business leaders and others do not devise a plan to fill the gaps in their knowledge of nanotech safety, the report warns, the field's great promise could evaporate in a cloud of public mistrust. "There is some evidence that engineered nanoparticles can have adverse effects on the health of laboratory animals," the congressionally mandated report said, echoing concerns raised by others at a House hearing last week. Until the risks are better understood, "it is prudent to employ some precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment."

Earth may be at warmest point in 1 million years

Earth may be close to the warmest it has been in the last million years, especially in the part of the Pacific Ocean where potentially violent El Nino weather patterns are born, climate scientists reported. This doesn't necessarily mean there will be more frequent El Ninos -- which can disrupt normal weather around the world -- but could well mean that these wild patterns will be stronger when they occur, said James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City. The El Nino phenomenon is an important factor in monitoring global warming, according to a paper by Hansen and colleagues published in the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. El Ninos can push temperatures higher than they might ordinarily be. This happened in 1998 when a so-called "super El Nino" helped heat the Earth to a record high. What is significant, the scientists wrote, is that 2005 was in the same temperature range as 1998, and probably was the warmest year ever, with no sign of the warm surface water in the eastern equatorial Pacific typical of an El Nino.

U.S. drops to 6th in world competitiveness ranking

The United States fell to sixth place in the World Economic Forum's 2006 global competitiveness rankings, ceding the top place to Switzerland, as macroeconomic concerns eroded prospects for the world's largest economy. In a report released on Tuesday, the World Economic Forum said Washington's huge defense and homeland security spending commitments, plans to lower taxes further, and long-term potential costs from health care and pensions were creating worrisome fiscal strains. "With a low savings rate, record-high current account deficits and a worsening of the U.S. net debtor position, there is a non-negligible risk to both the country's overall competitiveness and, given the relative size of the U.S. economy, the future of the global economy," it said. Switzerland was deemed the most competitive economy in 2006, followed by Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Singapore. After the United States, which had topped the 2005 index, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain rounded out the top 10.

Scientists Turn Dead Cells Into Living Ones

Research is being reported today where scientists working at a British laboratory have achieved one of the most controversial breakthroughs ever made in the field of stem cell science by taking cells from dead embryos and turning them into living tissue. We knew it was coming, and now the public does too, although most won't understand what this means until it's too late. Soon, the gates will open, already are, and light will shine on Bible prophecy in ways hundreds of generations have never seen before. People will cry for the rocks to fall on them. Their hearts will fail them for fear of seeing those things that are coming upon the earth.

In 2005, 4,200 Israelis abroad came back to Israel, most from U.S.

In 2005, a total of 4,200 Israelis living abroad returned to Israel Absorption Ministry figures show. Most of those who returned were living in the United States, Israel Radio said. The ministry is launching a marketing campaign in North America to encourage Israelis living abroad to return to Israel. The NIS 1.5 million campaign, which will include broadcasts on the "Israeli Network" satellite and Internet channel, among other outlets, will focus on publicizing employment opportunities in Israel for returning residents. According to a 2005 survey by the ministry, 64 percent of Israelis living abroad ranked employment as the critical factor in their decision on returning to Israel, followed by their children's education and housing options.

Russia Selling Iran Missiles to Protect Bushehr Nuclear Reactor

Russia, pledging to complete the Bushehr reactor, has offered to sell a range of surface-to-air missile systems to protect Iran’s nuclear facilities. Russian diplomatic and industry sources said Moscow has been negotiating to sell Iran a range of anti-aircraft systems to protect Bushehr from Israeli or U.S. air strikes. The sources said contracts could be signed when Bushehr was ready to begin operations in a move expected to take place in late 2007. “Russia has already installed and manned SAM systems around Bushehr,” a diplomatic source said. “The current talks regard an air defense umbrella that would protect all strategic sites in Iran.”

'Religion of peace' followers torch Christian churches

Nearly a dozen Christian churches have been burned and hundreds of people forced to seek refuge in a police station by Muslims who rioted through the Nigerian city of Dutse, and they blamed their actions on a "comment" made by a Christian woman. According to a Reuters report, authorities in the city imposed a night curfew this week to try to quell the violence allegedly triggered by a statement by a woman that Muslims said was a blasphemy to Mohammad. Scores of houses and shops owned by Christians also were burned in the Jigawa state capital city, police spokesman Haz Iwendi reported. There also were some injuries, but no fatalities, he said. "Eleven churches and so many houses and shops were burned," he told Reuters. "The house of the Anglican bishop also was ransacked."

N.Korea seeks more plutonium for nuclear arms

A North Korean official said his country will soon unload fuel rods from a nuclear reactor to make plutonium for weapons, seeking to pressure Washington into direct talks, a visiting U.S. scholar said. Selig Harrison, back from a visit to North Korea, told a Beijing news conference he had met Kim Kye-gwan, Pyongyang's top negotiator at stalled six-party talks on its nuclear ambitions. "He did make clear that the purpose of unloading the fuel was to obtain more plutonium for nuclear weapons," Harrison said, noting the material could make "enough plutonium for 3 to 6 nuclear weapons." The U.S. State Department warned North Korea against provocative actions and urged it to return to the talks.

Sheep slaughtered in 'satanic' ritual in one of Englands, National Parks

Police are hunting "devil worshippers" after a series of sickening "satanic rite" attacks on sheep at a national park. Around 100 animals have been found slaughtered and mutilated with their tongues, eyes and sexual organs removed on Dartmoor in Devon in the past year. All of the bodies had been arranged in a satanic star shape on the floor or laid out in a circle with their necks broken. Most of the blood-thirsty rituals have been carried out during a full moon. In the latest attack farmer Charles Mudge, of Tavistock, Devon, found 30 of his flock dead with bizarre half-moon symbols carved into their flesh. He discovered all their bodies lying near a bloodstained stone altar and wooden stake. "We are absolutely devastated. It is disgusting," he said. "We don't know how they're doing it. But they must be people with dogs and have got to be used to handling sheep."

Reporter: 'Don't Underestimate Al Qaida Nuclear Threat'

The warning from an al-Qaida field commander in Afghanistan calling for Muslims to leave the U.S. – particularly Washington and New York – in anticipation of a major terror attack to rival Sept. 11, should be taken seriously says the Pakistani journalist who interviewed Abu Dawood. Hamid Mir, a reporter who has covered al-Qaida and met with Osama bin Laden, told radio talk-show host Glenn Beck yesterday that he, too, had make the mistake of underestimating the terror network in the past. He said he interviewed bin Laden prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and heard warnings about an attack on the U.S., but discounted them. Mir took bin Laden more seriously after the bombings of the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, shortly after his first of three meetings with bin Laden – the last coming after 9/11. ‘I would not underestimate these people,’ he said. Mir also explained that his own independent research and knowledge of al-Qaida verifies the authenticity of some of the claims made by Dawood in their meeting in Afghanistan. Dawood said the impending attack, which could involved nuclear or radiological weapons, is being coordinated by Adnan el-Shukrijumah and suggests it may involve some form of warhead smuggled across the Mexican border. ‘Our brothers are ready to attack inside America,’ Dawood told Mir. ‘We will breach their security again. There is no timeframe for our attack inside America; we can do it any time.’

VeriChip Advances Talks With The Military

The maker of human-implantable RFID chips makes its first sale of its infant protection, wander prevention and staff duress system to a Canadian hospital and is discussing testing its implantable chips in two military branches. VeriChip, of Delray Beach, Fla., confirmed in media reports that Scott Silverman, its board chairman, has held informal meetings with U.S. Navy and Air Force officials to discuss a feasibility study of its VeriMed system.

Iran warns of 'lightning' response to any attack

Iran has warned Western powers the armed forces would hit back "like lightning" against any attack as it crowed over its military prowess and showed off firepower at a major army parade. Thousands of members of the armed forces and the whole panoply of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal were on display at the parade, including the Shahab-3, a weapon whose range includes arch-enemy Israel. "We want peace but we warn the expansionists not to think of an aggression against Iran as we can defend the fatherland and Islam," Vice President Parviz Davoodi warned. "Our lions are so powerful that they can strike the enemy like lightning and destroy him," he added.

Robot Infantry Ready For The Battlefield

"Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply." So said the armed robot in Paul Verhoeven's 1987 movie RoboCop. The suspect drops his weapon but a fault in the robot's software means it opens fire anyway. Nearly two decades later, such fictional weapon-toting robots are looking startlingly close to reality. Sometime in the coming months, chances are that we'll be seeing TV reports that an armed remote-controlled robot has been used in anger for the first time. "They will appear when they appear. I can't talk about when that may be," says Bob Quinn, general manager at Foster-Miller of Waltham, Massachusetts, whose machine-gun-equipped robot, called Sword, was certified safe for use by the US forces in June.

Are You Ready For Your Microchip?

You might not realize it, but the science behind the VeriChip is already big business. VeriChip uses radio frequency identification, or RFID technology. Last year, vendors shipped 500 million RFID chips to the U.S. military and companies like Wal -Mart for use in inventory tracking. Your pet may be one of the more than 6 million animals chipped since 1991. Highway toll systems use it to automatically charge you. And the latest U.S. passports sport RFID chips. RFID tracking has become a part of our everyday world. And that may pave the way for more implants, even mandatory ones.

Iran Leaders U.N. Finale Reveals Apocalyptic View

While most of the reporting and analysis of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the U.N. focused on what he had to say about the West and specifically the U.S., his chilling closing remarks were lost on most listeners – and apparently all reporters. The last two paragraphs of his remarks revealed his steadfast and driving conviction, as previously reported in WND ,that a messianic figure, known as the ‘Mahdi’ to Muslims, is poised to reveal himself after an apocalyptic holocaust on Earth that leaves most of the world's population dead. ‘I emphatically declare that today's world, more than ever before, longs for just and righteous people with love for all humanity; and above all longs for the perfect righteous human being and the real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace and brotherhood on the planet,’ Ahmadinejad said. ‘Oh, Almighty God, all men and women are your creatures and you have ordained their guidance and salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirsts for justice, the perfect human being promised to all by you, and make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause.’ With Iran on the verge of producing nuclear weapons and already in possession of sophisticated medium-range missiles, mystical pre-occupation with the coming of a Shiite Islamic messiah is of particular concern because of Iran's potential for triggering the kind of global conflagration Ahmadinejad envisions will set the stage for the end of the world. Ahmadinejad is on record as stating he believes he is to have a personal role in ushering in the age of the Mahdi. In a Nov. 16, 2005, speech in Tehran, he said he sees his main mission in life as to ‘pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance.’ According to Shiites, the 12th imam disappeared as a child in the year 941. When he returns, they believe, he will reign on earth for seven years, before bringing about a final judgment and the end of the world.

Secret Biological Tests Being Conducted On Americans?

Last week, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne called for the testing of nonlethal weaponry on US citizens. According to Wynne, "If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation." But what about lethal weapons testing? Apparently there are a lot of circumstances under which the Secretary of Defense can test chemical or biological agents on human beings - without their consent or knowledge. Section 1515, entitled "Suspension; Presidential authorization" says the operation of this chapter, or any portion thereof, may be suspended by the President during the period of any war declared by Congress and during the period of any national emergency declared by Congress or by the President. If the President or Congress decides we’re at war then the Secretary of Defense doesn’t need anybody’s consent to test chemical or biological agents on human beings. Gives one pause during these days of a perpetual "war on terror" to wonder what kind of clandestine WMD tests the Defense Department could be conducting in the US right now, on military or civilian populations, without consent, let alone on populations abroad.

Bush Signals War, Orders Massive Naval Armada To Iran

As reports circulate of a sharp debate within the White House over possible US military action against Iran and its nuclear enrichment facilities, The Nation has learned that the Bush Administration and the Pentagon have issued orders for a major "strike group" of ships, including the nuclear aircraft carrier Eisenhower as well as a cruiser, destroyer, frigate, submarine escort and supply ship, to head for the Persian Gulf, just off Iran's western coast. This information follows a report, both online and in print, that a group of ships capable of mining harbors has received orders to be ready to sail for the Persian Gulf by October 1.

S.Korea develops its longest range missile

South Korea has developed and hopes to deploy soon a new cruise missile that is capable of hitting almost all of North Korea, a defense ministry official said. North Korea, which has one of the biggest missile arsenals in Asia, defied international warnings and test-fired seven missiles in July, including a long-range ballistic missile that fizzled after take-off but one day might be able to hit parts of U.S. territory. The new South Korean cruise missile, with a range of 500 km (310 miles), will be the longest-range missile in its arsenal and is capable of hitting all of North Korea's ballistic missile bases, the official said on condition of anonymity. Cruise missiles fly much like airplanes, often at low altitudes in order to avoid detection by radar. Three South Korean submarines that will take to the sea next year will be fitted with launchers for the missile, dubbed Cheon Ryong, which can be translated as sky dragon, the official said.

UN Chief Warns of Global War Over Religion

Secretary General Kofi Annan delivered his final address to the United Nations General Assembly before he retires at the end of the year. During the speech, which comes on the heels of the media-generated controversy regarding Pope Benedict XVI’s quoting of a text on Islam, Annan said, “insensitivity towards other people’s beliefs or sacred symbols –- intentional or otherwise -- is seized upon by those who seem eager to foment a new war of religion on a global scale.” “Moreover, this climate of fear and suspicion is constantly refuelled by the violence in the Middle East”, he said, adding: “We might like to think of the Arab-Israeli conflict as just one regional conflict amongst many, but it is not. No other conflict carries such a powerful symbolic and emotional charge among people far removed from the battlefield.”

Doomsday 2012?

Something big happens in 2012: the ancient and complex Mayan calendar—studied by astrology, spirituality and history buffs alike—has chugged along for 1,872,000 days, and its cycle stops (and restarts) on Dec. 21, 2012. To add to the frenzy, it just so happens that the years building up to 2012 mark an unusual astronomical alignment, one so rare it occurs only in 30 out of every 26,000 years. During this period, the Sun will make its annual crossing of the galactic equator—the plane that bisects the Milky Way as it appears in the sky—the same day as the winter solstice.

New Weapons From Iran Turning Up On Mideast Battlefields

A new armor-busting rocket-propelled grenade believed to be of Iranian origin has shown up in Iraq in what may be ‘a hint about things to come,’ the commander of US forces in the Middle East said Tuesday. General John Abizaid said the weapon, an RPG-29, has a dual warhead and has proved effective against most types of armored vehicles. ‘The first time we saw it was not in Iraq. We saw it in Lebanon. So to me it indicates, number one, an Iranian connection,’ he told defense reporters here. ‘It's hard to say in our part of the world that we operate in as to whether or not people have given us a hint about things to come,’ he said. He said only a single RPG-29 has turned up in Iraq so far, and it was unclear how it was smuggled into the country. But he said it was the latest in a number of new and more sophisticated weapons that appear to be moving onto the region's battlefields from Iran. He said longer-range Chinese rockets that looked new also have been found in Iraq.

Scientists say 'We Must Prepare Now For War Of The Worlds'

If you think that the threat of terrorism is alarming, you’re probably not ready to contemplate a much bigger problem. How much bigger? Think fear in the streets, think global panic, think nowhere to run... think alien invasion. And it’s not just the alien physiology that could be profoundly different; we might not even comprehend why the aliens would attack in the first place. Sci-fi tends to personify the aliens with humanlike qualities, but aliens are alien. Their motivations are likely be just that; alien.

New Sanctions Target North Korea

Japan and Australia have announced new financial sanctions against North Korea, stepping up pressure on the secretive state over missile tests. The sanctions will freeze the transfer of money to North Korea by groups suspected of having links to its nuclear or missile programs. The move, which follows similar action by the US, comes after Pyongyang launched several missiles in July. South Korea has urged other countries not to push the North into a corner. The South is worried that the North may retaliate by carrying out a nuclear test, which would destroy any remaining hope of a diplomatic solution to the stand-off. Japanese government spokesman Shinzo Abe said the new sanctions were in line with a United Nations resolution which denounced the missile tests. The Japanese measures affect 15 groups and one individual, and will come into effect later on Tuesday, according to Japanese media.

Iran rejects accelerated UN talks on its nuclear program

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected speeding up negotiations with world powers over its disputed nuclear program during a visit to Venezuela. Talks "are continuing, and I see no reason to speed them up," he said at a press conference before departing Venezuela for the UN General Assembly in New York. "Iran's nuclear program is very clear and very transparent," the president said. "We have always said that we are willing to negotiate with any country." If nuclear energy "is something good then everyone should have it, and if it is bad then nobody should have it," he said at the end of his two-day visit. Ahmadinejad accused Western powers of wanting to control nuclear technology "and when another country needs it they sell it at a high price."

Muslims demand pope convert to Islam

Christian churches in the Middle East are vandalized, a Catholic nun in Africa is killed and Muslims have demanded that the pope convert to Islam – all because he read a quote from a medieval text that described Islam as "evil and inhuman." The pope has issued an apology for even referencing the historic text, emphasized that those views are not his, but still many in the Islamic world are demanding blood. A new group called "The sword of Islam" contacted reporters and said it had fired gunshots at a Christian church in the Middle East during a demonstration over the comments.

TIME: U.S. May be Preparing For War Against Iran

The United States might be preparing for war against Iran, according to the current issue of TIME magazine. It reported that the American Navy recently ordered a submarine and minesweepers to prepare to deploy, and it is likely the intention was to prepare to blockade the Persian Gulf where Iranian oil tankers must pass. "From the State Department to the White House to the highest reaches of the military command, there is a growing sense that a showdown with Iran--over its suspected quest for nuclear weapons, its threats against Israel and its bid for dominance of the world's richest oil region--may be impossible to avoid.," according to the magazine report. It noted that American worries over Iran increased dramatically following the Iranian-backed Hizbullah terrorist war against Israel this summer. Any American attack on Iran would be from the air and not from the ground, TIME said. American strategists estimate that Iran's first reaction would be to attack Israel.

Taliban: 500 Suicide Bombers Ready to Attack

In a rare interview, the Taliban's top military commander said he has 500 suicide bombers at his disposal and could launch them at any time. Speaking by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, Mulla Dadullah Akhund told ABC News the suicide bombers will target Kabul, the capital, because it is the headquarters for U.S. and NATO forces. "They attacked us. We didn't go to the U.S. to fight them. We are fighting for our religion and homeland," he said. Mulla Dadullah, who lost a leg in earlier fighting, said he also commanded 12,000 Taliban fighters, which he claimed were actively engaging U.S.-led forces in four southwestern Afghan provinces. "We have no shortage of fighters," he said. "In fact, we have so many of them that it is difficult to accommodate and arm and equip them. Some of them have been waiting for a year or more for their turn to be sent to the battlefield," Mulla Dadullah contended.

IDF tackling Iran's WMD threat

With Iran racing to obtain nuclear weapons, the IDF Home Front Command (HFC) has shifted its focus since the war in Lebanon and is now investing most of its efforts in confronting the threat of non-conventional weapons of mass destruction (WMD), a high-ranking officer revealed Monday. The officer said the HFC was in the process of developing new technological means to deal with chemical and biological threats. The Jerusalem Post has learned that the HFC was in the process of developing mobile air-purification containers that could be brought to areas infected by chemical or biological weapons and purify the air.

Israel: Few months to avoid nuclear Iran

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Sunday that the world may have as little as “A few months” to avoid a nuclear Iran and called for sanctions. Livni, whose country is the only Middle East power possessing nuclear weapons, said she did not want to identify a point of “No return” in the controversy over Iran’s nuclear program. The Iranians, she said, “Are trying to send a message that it’s too late, you can stop your attempts because it’s too late. It’s not too late. They have a few more months,” She said. “The world cannot afford a nuclear Iran,” Livni said. “I believe that this is time for sanctions.” Iran, whose president last year called for Israel to be “Wiped off the map,” denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran and Venezuela strengthen ties

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that he and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez are like "brothers" in a great global struggle. Chavez has promised to argue for Iran's nuclear program if he wins a rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council in a vote next month. Chavez has said Venezuela "will stand together with Iran at all times and under any conditions," accusing the U.S. of planning to invade Iran. The two leaders are united by deep-seated opposition to Washington and to Iran's archenemy Israel, which Chavez accused of committing a new "Holocaust" in its bombardments in Lebanon.

In Replay Of Iraq, Battle Begins Brewing Over Prewar Intel In Lead-up To Attack On Iran

In an echo of the intelligence wars that preceded the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a high-stakes struggle is brewing within the Bush administration and in Congress over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program and involvement in terrorism. U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials say Bush political appointees and hard-liners on Capitol Hill have tried recently to portray Iran's nuclear program as more advanced than it is and to exaggerate Tehran's role in Hezbollah's attack on Israel in mid-July.

Al-Qaida warning: Muslims leave U.S.

The new al-Qaida field commander in Afghanistan is calling for Muslims to leave the U.S. – particularly Washington and New York – in anticipation of a major terror attack to rival Sept. 11, according to an interview by a Pakistani journalist. Abu Dawood told Hamid Mir, a reporter who has covered al-Qaida and met with Osama bin Laden, the attack is being coordinated by Adnan el-Shukrijumah and suggests it may involve some form of weapon of mass destruction smuggled across the Mexican border. "Our brothers are ready to attack inside America. We will breach their security again," he is quoted as saying. "There is no timeframe for our attack inside America; we can do it any time." As WND has previously reported, el-Shukrijumah is a trained nuclear technician and accomplished pilot who has been singled out by bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri to serve as the field commander for the next terrorist attack on U.S. soil. The terrorist was last seen in Mexico, where, on Nov. 1, 2004, he allegedly hijacked a Piper PA Pawnee cropduster from Ejido Queretaro near Mexicali to transport a nuclear weapon and nuclear equipment into the U.S.

Wal-Mart Expands Use of RFID Tracking

Despite the best efforts of privacy advocates, Wal-Mart pressed forward with its plans to use RFID, saying it planned to roll out the technology to another 500 stores during this fiscal year. The expansion would mean over a quarter of the company's 3,900-plus stores, including its Sam's Club subsidiary, would use RFID to manage its inventory.

North Korea's No.2 Leader says 'Lack of world peace, is the fault of the U.S.'

North Korea's No. 2 leader blamed the lack of world peace on the United States on Saturday at the Non-aligned Summit, saying because of Washington's failure to respect the sovereignty of other countries, "the international order is destroyed." Kim Yong Nam said desires for peace by the 118 countries in the Non- aligned Movement are "confronted with grave challenges owing to the high-handed acts and unilateralism of the superpower, which denies countries and nations the independent choice of development." The resulting imbalance in global politics constitutes "grave threats to world peace and security," he said. It was the latest anti-U.S. statement at a meeting that has brought together some of the staunchest foes of the United States, including the presidents of Iran, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Jerusalem to become the capital of an Islamic nation?

Israeli Arab Muslim cleric Sheik Ra'ad Salah declared that Jerusalem will soon become the capital of an Islamic nation at a rally in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm. The leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement Salah, told a crowd of 50,000 gatherers that Israel's occupation of the Temple Mount was nearing its end. He then said comatose former-prime minister Ariel Sharon and President Moshe Katsav, who is currently under investigation for alleged sex crimes, were "paying the price" for damaging Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque.

Arctic ice melting rapidly, study says

Arctic sea ice in winter is melting far faster than before, two new NASA studies reported, a new and alarming trend that researchers say threatens the ocean's delicate ecosystem. Scientists point to the sudden and rapid melting as a sure sign of man-made global warming. "It has never occurred before in the past," said NASA senior research scientist Josefino Comiso in a phone interview. "It is alarming... This winter ice provides the kind of evidence that it is indeed associated with the greenhouse effect." Scientists have long worried about melting Arcticsea ice in the summer, but they had not seen a big winter drop in sea ice, even though they expected it. For more than 25 years Arctic sea ice has slowly diminished in winter by about 1.5 percent per decade. But in the past two years the melting has occurred at rates 10 to 15 times faster. From 2004 to 2005, the amount of ice dropped 2.3 percent; and over the past year, it's declined by another 1.9 percent, according to Comiso.

Chavez vows aid for Iran against attack

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez pledged that Venezuela will support Iran if it is invaded as a result of the Middle Eastern nation's high-stakes nuclear standoff with the
United Nations Security Council. "Iran is under threat; there are plans to invade Iran, hopefully it won't happen, but we are with you," Chavez told Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a meeting of the Group of 15 developing nations. The U.N. has demanded that Iran suspend uranium enrichment amid concerns by some nations that it could be used for nuclear weapons. Iran insists that its enrichment efforts are peaceful, aimed solely at producing electrical energy. Chavez said Venezuela stands with Iran in this time of crisis, just as it has with Cuba, where Fidel Castro handed over power to Raul while recovering from intestinal surgery. If they don't defend each other, no one else will, Chavez said. "Under any scenario we are with you just like we are with Cuba," Chavez said. "If the United States invades Cuba, blood will run... We will not have our arms crossed while bombs are falling in Havana or they carry Raul off in a plane.

Giora Eiland: Iran will get nuclear bomb

Iran will not be deterred from its nuclear program and will ultimately reach a nuclear capability, Giora Eiland, the recently retired head of Israel's National Security Council, has said, in an assessment immediately refuted by the Prime Minister's Office. "The political process vis-a-vis Iran has more or less exhausted itself," Eiland said in an interview this week. "The efforts being made now to try and reach some kind of agreement with the Iranians are really the final efforts. In my opinion, they will fail."
Speaking with the Post in his office at the council, where he is still working as he completes a transition period after stepping down as its head, Eiland added: "In the end, Iran will attain a nuclear capability. The international opportunities of a few years ago were not exploited, and today it's too late. I don't regard the [international diplomatic] processes unfolding now as being strong enough to stop them, or even to temporarily suspend them.

Air Force Chief Says 'Test Weapons On Unruly Americans'

Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before being used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday. Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions from others about possible safety considerations, said Secretary Michael Wynne. "If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation," said Wynne. "(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press." Global Research notes that this report suggests that the so-called non lethal weapons which are electromagnetic devices are to be used both in war theaters, against civilians, as well as an instrument of "Domestic Security", directed, for instance, against demonstrators and antiwar activists.

Britain Will Keep Files On Every Man, Woman And Child

A vast database containing a file on every man, woman and child is being planned by the Government in a 'sinister' expansion of the 'Big Brother' state. Personal information containing details of every aspect of an individual's life will be available to 400,000 Whitehall civil servants and council workers. Lord Falconer has ordered privacy laws to be watered down to allow the plans to be forced through.

Chaplain who prayed 'in Jesus' name' convicted

A military jury today convicted a Navy chaplain of a misdemeanor count of disobeying his commanding officer for wearing his uniform while delivering a prayer "in Jesus' name" at an assembly in front of the White House. "But I had prior written permission to wear my uniform if it was a religious observance, (so) prayers are not a religious observance," Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt told WND after the military court-martial recessed for the night. "Therefore I disobeyed my commanding officer's order not to pray in uniform," he said. Klingenschmitt, who raised immediate concerns with this superiors when the Navy issued a new order that prayers could only be "nonsectarian," also has alleged he was punished for raising those concerns, and later notifying Congress and President Bush of the situation.

Taliban, Al-Qaeda Planning Nuclear Terror Attack Inside The U.S. During Ramadan?

AKI reports that Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, when interviewed over al-Arabiya televison, stated that during his recent trip to Afghanistan he met with Taliban fighters and al-Qaeda (Tehran) members who spoke of a nuclear terror attack inside the United States during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which begins on September 24. The bombs look like a suitcase and they can also fit inside one. They only weigh 60-100 lbs and if you see a man carrying one it will look like he is carrying a suitcase. I believe it was mentioned than in terms of nuclear energy, the bombs were 1 kiloton. They were initially designed to destroy a large enemy military base but if they are detonated in an urban center it could kill 50,000-100,000 people.