Russia lays claim to the North Pole - and all its gas, oil, and diamonds

Russian President Vladimir Putin is making an astonishing bid to grab a vast chunk of the Arctic - so he can tap its vast potential oil, gas and mineral wealth. His scientists claim an underwater ridge near the North Pole is really part of Russia's continental shelf. One newspaper printed a map of the "new addition", a triangle five times the size of Britain with twice as much oil as Saudi Arabia. The dramatic move provoked an international outcry. The U.S. and Canada expressed shock and environment campaigners said it would be a disaster. Observers say the move is typical of Putin's muscle-flexing as he tries to increase Russian power. Under current international law, the countries ringing the Arctic - -Russia, Canada, the U.S., Norway, and Denmark (which owns Greenland) - are limited to a 200-mile economic zone around their coasts. A UN convention says none can claim jurisdiction over the Arctic seabed because the geological structure does not match the surrounding continental shelves. But Russian scientists have returned from a six-week mission on a nuclear ice-breaker to claim that the 1,220-mile long underwater Lomonosov Ridge is geologically linked to the Siberian continental platform - and similar in structure. The region is currently administered by the International Seabed Authority but this is now being challenged by Moscow. Experts estimate the ridge has ten billion tons of gas and oil deposits and significant sources of diamonds, gold, tin, manganese, nickel, lead and platinum. A Russian attempt to claim Arctic territory was rejected five years ago, but this time Moscow plans to make a far more serious submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. A British diplomatic source warned that Russia was planning to secure its grip on oil and gas supplies "for decades to come".

Hindu Prayer Will Open U.S. Senate Session in July

For what is believed to be the first time in its history, the U.S. Senate will on July 12 be opened with a Hindu prayer, the Senate Chaplain's Office confirmed on June 25.
For more than 200 years, the Senate has opened each workday with a prayer usually delivered by the Senate Chaplain, currently Barry Black, a Seventh Day Adventist. Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain from Nevada, on will become the first Hindu to deliver the morning prayer. In a statement announcing his scheduled appearance, Zed called the occasion "an illustrious day for all Americans and a memorable day for us." Zed has previously offered prayers to open sessions of the Nevada State Assembly and Nevada State Senate in March and May of this year respectively. According to reports, he was the first Hindu to deliver opening prayers in any state legislature in the U.S. He said he plans to start and end the prayers with "'OM,' the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work." While the prayer will draw from Hindu religious texts, Zed said it will be "universal in approach."

2007 seen as second warmest year as climate shifts

This year is on track to be the second warmest since records began in the 1860s and floods in Pakistan or a heatwave in Greece may herald worse disruptions in store from global warming, experts said on Friday, June 29. "2007 is looking as though it will be the second warmest behind 1998," said Phil Jones, head of the Climatic Research Unit at Britain's University of East Anglia, which provides data to the U.N.'s International Meteorological Organization. "It isn't far behind ... it could change, but at the moment this looks unlikely," he told Reuters, based on temperature records up to the end of April. Jones had predicted late last year that 2007 could surpass 1998 as the warmest year on record due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases emitted mainly by burning fossil fuels and an El Nino warming of the Pacific. Almost all climate experts say that the trend is towards more droughts, floods, heatwaves and more powerful storms. But they say that individual extreme events are not normally a sign of global warming because weather is, by its nature, chaotic. "Severe events are going to be more frequent," said Salvano Briceno, director of the Geneva-based secretariat of the U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. The 10 warmest years in the past 150 years have all been since 1990. Last year ranked number six according to the IMO. NASA, which uses slightly different data, places 2005 as warmest ahead of 1998.

Boeing Demonstrates Autonomous Command And Control Of Multiple UAVs

Boeing has successfully demonstrated the simultaneous command and control of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) by a single operator, using advanced autonomous control software, three ScanEagle aircraft and an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) console. This next-generation capability will enhance interoperability with current and future command and control systems through an open, standards-based system and significantly reduce the workload of unmanned vehicle operators.

New study from Pilots for 9/11 Truth: No Boeing 757 hit the Pentagon

Pilots for 9/11 Truth obtained black box data from the government under the Freedom of Information Act for AA Flight 77, which The 9/11 Report claims hit the Pentagon. Analysis of the data contradicts the official account in direction, approach, and altitude. The plane was too high to hit lamp posts and would have flown over the Pentagon, not impacted with its ground floor. This result confirms and strengthens the previous findings of Scholars for 9/11 Truth that no Boeing 757 hit the buillding. A study of the black box data provided by the government to Pilots for 9/11 Truth has confirmed the previous findings of Scholars for 9/11 Truth that no Boeing 757 hit the Pentagon on 9/11. "We have had four lines of proof that no Boeing 757 hit the building," said James Fetzer, founder of Scholars for 9/11 Truth. "This new study by Pilots drives another nail into a coffin of lies told the American people by The 9/11 Commission" The new society, an international organization of pilots and aviation professionals, petitioned the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) under the Freedom of Information Act and obtained its 2002 report on American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 that, according to the official account, hit the ground floor of the Pentagon after it skimmed over the lawn at 500 mph plus, taking out a series of lamp posts in the process. The pilots not only obtained the flight data but created a computer animation to demonstrate what it told them. According to the report issued by Pilots for 9/11 Truth (http://pilotsfor911truth.org/), there are major differences between the official account and the flight data.

Autonomous Insect Cyborg Sentinels

In a very brief article, AZoNano reports that nanotechnology is turning insects into flying cyborgs. Researchers from Cornell University have implanted 'microfluidic devices in insects before they hatch into fully grown flying creatures.' Of course, when they grow, these insects still carry the sensors. And if this works, they'll be used for monitoring and security surveillance. The article doesn't say that this project is funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) which has a full Hybrid Insect MEMS program. The goal of this program is to realize 'cyborgs with most of the machine component inside the insect body to provide stealthy robots' at low cost.

Bishop Argues Chimeras Have Right To Life

Human-animal hybrid embryos conceived in the laboratory - so-called “chimeras” - should be regarded as human and their mothers should be allowed to give birth to them, the Roman Catholic Church said yesterday. Under draft Government legislation to be debated by Parliament later this year, scientists will be given permission for the first time to create such embryos for research as long as they destroy them within two weeks. But the Catholic bishops of England and Wales, in a submission to the Parliamentary joint committee scrutinising the draft legislation, said that the genetic mothers of “chimeras” should be able to raise them as their own children if they wished.

ID cards 'to be UK institution'

The identity card scheme will become a "great British institution" on a par with the railways in the 19th Century, Home Office minister Liam Byrne says. He said it was "time to get on with it" and predicted that the National Identity Scheme "will soon become part of the fabric of British life". But plans to "multiply the uses" of the ID scheme would mean there should be stronger accountability to Parliament. Current ID trials include employment, age and criminal records checks. The Home Office intends to introduce biometric identification for foreign nationals in 2008, with the first ID cards for British citizens issued in 2009.

School adopts fingerprint system for student meals

Fingerprint recognition systems and mathematical algorithms may sound like something from a hi-tech spy film. But for pupils at a Lowestoft school, they are to become simply part of the daily routine of ordering their school dinners. The new technology is part of a “cashless catering” drive, giving students the opportunity to pay on account and avoid the daily scramble for dinner money. From July 3, Kirkley High School will use biometric fingerprinting to identify each of the school's 1300 pupils when they make their food orders. Once pupils' digits have been scanned, canteen staff will have instant access to their account which will be pre-paid by their parents, or topped up at “reval” machines in the school. Parents will be able to control the amount of money available and even place conditions on what kind of food their children should be eating. Yesterday, pupils from years nine, 10 and 12 had their right index fingers scanned, and saw their fingerprints converted into a mathematical algorithm to be stored on the system. The school's IT manager, Toby Hacker, said: “The scan plots up to 45 points on the fingerprint, then turns them into a long, unique number, like a barcode.
“Only this number will be stored, not the image itself, so there can be no worry of anyone passing fingerprint information on. “We believe we're one of the first schools in this area to use this technology.” The system will also allow parents to monitor the food choices of their children through a database stored in the computer's memory.

Wear your microchip or eat it

Care to eat chips — not the potato ones in colourful packaging and different flavours but the digital ones, info rich variety! For starters, swallow this: If you happen to be among the select VIP members of the Baja Beach Club, one of Barcelona’s hottest night spots, you’ll not only be in the company of some very exclusive people, but also among the few with an implantable microchip. The chip was club owner Conrad Chase’s idea of offering a unique identity to the club’s VIP patrons. Slightly larger than a grain of rice, the chip is used to identify people when they enter and pay for drinks. It is injected by a nurse under a local anesthetic. It is an RFID tag — radio frequency identification. RFID tags are miniscule microchips which listen for a radio query and respond by transmitting their unique ID code. Most RFID tags have no batteries: They use the power from the initial radio signal to transmit their response. At the Baja Club if a special tag-reader is waved near the arm, a radio signal prompts the chip to transmit an identification number which is used to access information about the wearer from a database. Otherwise the chip is dormant. But its applications are wider. The Baja club members are not the only users of such geeky stuff. Very soon most people might have some kind of a chip implanted in them, as a means to identify, deliver medicines, monitor health, give access to secure areas and also functions as digital door locks. Just recently Kodak filed a patent for edible RFID chips. They’re designed for monitoring a patient’s gastric tract. The chips are covered in a harmless gelatin, which eventually dissolves. These RFID chips embed deep in the body and can be read by a scanner. After swallowing a tag a patient need only sit next to a radio source and receiver.

Consumer Reports says more testing, regulation needed for nanotechnology

Nanotechnology promises to be the most important innovation since electricity and the internal combustion engine. But some applications might pose substantial risks to human health and the environment, according to the July issue of Consumer Reports. Nanomaterials are already being used in consumer products such as car wax, computer chips, and sunscreen and about $2.6 trillion worth of goods worldwide are expected to use nanotech by 2014, up from $50 billion in 2006. But the risks of nanotechnology have been largely unexplored, and government and industry monitoring has been minimal. Moreover, consumers have been left in the dark, since manufacturers are not required to disclose the presence of nanomaterials in their labeling. Nanotechnology involves creating new materials or reducing the particles in standard materials to sizes as small as a nanometer, or about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. At this size, the characteristics of materials change, carbon becomes 100 times stronger than steel, aluminum turns highly explosive, and gold melts at room temperature, for example. New characteristics such as these can be used to bring positive changes to consumer products. But in some cases, they may make benign materials toxic and toxic ones more hazardous.

Chavez: Prepare for war with U.S.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called for his military to prepare for a guerrilla-style war against the U.S., accusing Washington of using psychological and economic means to overturn his government. Clad in military attire, Chavez addressed hundreds of soldiers inside Tiuna Fort, surrounded by tanks and armored vehicles decorated with banners declaring, "Fatherland, Socialism, or Death! We will triumph!" Chavez repeatedly warned of a U.S. invasion and commanded, "We must continue developing the resistance war, that's the anti- imperialist weapon. We must think and prepare for the resistance war everyday." Chavez told soldiers the U.S. would invade to steal control over Venezuela's oil reserves.

The New World Order Tracking Device: RFID

The use of RFID chips are increasing around the world at an astonishing rate, with continuous promotion from New World Order heavyweights including the Bush Administration and also from the VeriChip Corp, who manufacture human implantable chips and have been pushing for RFID chips to be tested on the U.S. military. We have already seen the use of RFID being used in unethical ways that not only strip away personal privacy but also personal freedoms, removing the right to refuse the chips. In just the past few weeks alone we have seen: 1) Microchip implants being tested on Alzheimer's patients; 2) RFID implants for workers: 3) The combination RFID and Wi-Fi to Track Students; 4) Used to track 2,500 staff in London; 5) Over 500,000 UK bins use the digital spies... These are just some of the more recent uses, and right now as RFID implants are being sold to the America's youth as time saving, trendy devices that will impress your friends, development and use of these chips show no signs of slowing down.

Israel braces for July war with up to five enemies

Israel is preparing for an imminent war with Iran, Syria and/or their non-state clients. Israeli military intelligence has projected that a major attack could come from any of five adversaries in the Middle East. Officials said such a strike could spark a war as early as July 2007. On June 24, Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told the Cabinet that the Jewish state faces five adversaries in what could result in an imminent confrontation. Yadlin cited Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, Hamas and Al Qaida. "Each of these adversaries is capable of sparking a war in the summer," Yadlin was quoted as saying. Al Qaida's No. 2 Ayman Zawahiri endorsed the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, Middle East Newsline reported. The Al Qaida statement came after Zawahiri repeatedly criticized Hamas for tolerating Palestinian Authority cooperation with the United States. Yadlin said Hamas could be planning a major attack to divert attention away from efforts by the Palestinian Authority to isolate the Gaza Strip. He said Syria might be promoting such an attack. Officials said Iran has direct influence over Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas. He said Al Qaida has increasingly come under Iranian influence and was being used by Iran and Syria in such countries as Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. Already, military intelligence has assessed that Hamas acquired more than 50 missiles with a range of 22 kilometers. Officials said this would allow Palestinian missile strikes on any part of Ashkelon, the largest city in southeastern Israel and which contains strategic sites. Hamas has also deployed at least 20 SA-7 anti-aircraft systems, officials said. They said the missiles threaten Israeli combat helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft that conduct missions over the Gaza Strip.

West Texas National Bank Adopts Pay By Touch Biometric Check Cashing Service

West Texas National Bank announced on June 26, that it has adopted Pay By Touch's biometric check cashing service. Paycheck Secure(TM) powered by Pay By Touch lets consumers use a finger scan to quickly and securely identify themselves to cash a government or payroll check. West Texas National Bank introduced the innovative check cashing service through its branch location adjacent to the new Town and Country Convenience Store at I-20 and Rankin Highway. Paycheck Secure powered by Pay By Touch is fast and easy to use. To enroll, customers visit West Texas National Bank, where a bank employee will check their government-issued ID, scan their fingerprint and take a digital photograph. The one-time enrollment takes only minutes, and thereafter the customer need only place his/her finger on a scanner at the branch location to safely and securely cash checks. "We are thrilled to be the first bank to bring this innovative service to Midland, and are pleased to provide check cashers with a secure environment in order to conveniently and quickly cash their checks," said Jerry Rogers, Chief Operating Officer of West Texas National Bank. "Pay By Touch's secure and easy check-cashing solution helps West Texas National Bank attract new customers," said John Rogers, Founder and Executive Chairman of Pay By Touch. "Paycheck Secure powered by Pay By Touch can help banks generate additional non-interest, fee-based revenue while decreasing the risk of fraud and meeting applicable regulatory compliance requirements."

Biowarfare Research: Corporate America's Deadliest Secret

A number of major pharmaceutical corporations and biotech firms are concealing the nature of the biological warfare research work they are doing for the U.S. government. Since their funding comes from the National Institutes of Health, the recipients are obligated under NIH guidelines to make their activities public. Not disclosing their ops raises the suspicion they may be engaged in forbidden kinds of germ warfare research. In case you didn't know it, the White House since 9/11 has called for spending $44-billion on biological warfare research, a sum unprecedented in world history, and an obliging Congress has authorized it. Thus, some of the deadliest pathogens known to humankind are being rekindled in hundreds of labs in pharmaceutical houses, university biology departments, and on military bases. An international convention the U.S. signed forbids it to stockpile, manufacture or use biological weapons. But if the U.S. won't say what's going down in those laboratories other countries are going to assume the worst and a biowarfare arms race will be on, if it isn't already.

Bill paves way for Canada's 'disappearance' as it integrates with U.S.

Lawmakers in Canada appear to be paving the way for "deep integration" with the U.S. and Mexico with a proposed measure that advances the controversial Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America promoted by the Bush administration. It's an issue Corsi has fully investigated for his newest book, "The Late Great USA." The conservative minority government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is pressing for "The Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement", which would enable a Canadian company to challenge laws in provinces that block the North American Free Trade Agreement. Murray Dobbin, a Vancouver author and journalist critical of SPP, argued in an article titled, "The Plan to Disappear Canada – 'Deep Integration' comes out of the shadows," the secretive trilateral bureaucratic working groups organized under the auspices of SPP are "harmonizing" virtually every important area of public policy with the U.S., including "defense, foreign policy, energy (they get security, we get greenhouse gases), culture, social policy, tax policy, drug testing and safety and much more."

NATO backs U.S. missile plan on eve of Russia talks

NATO's secretary-general mounted a stout defense of Washington's missile shield plan on Monday, June 25, the day before meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin when the issue is likely to top the agenda. Russia has described United States' plan to place part of its missile shield in eastern Europe as a threat and the issue has divided European politicians with some saying it is vital for defense and others saying it is misguided. "You don't have to be Einstein to understand that 10 interceptor rockets don't pose any threat to Russia and the Russian people," NATO's Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said via an interpreter in a debate on Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio station. He underlined the shield was aimed at shooting down missiles fired by rogue states such as North Korea and Iran, and that Russia also shared these common enemies.

Iran says they will launch a Nuclear Plant in Oct

Iran's energy minister said on Monday, June 25, the country would launch its first nuclear power plant in October, state-run television reported. A Russian company leading construction of the plant near Iran's southern port of Bushehr, earlier this year delayed its launch, which had been set for September, saying Teheran was behind schedule on payments. But Atomstroiexport said in April that it had agreed on a financing plan with Teheran, setting the stage for the June 25 announcement. "Bushehr nuclear power plant will be launched in October, according to schedule," Iranian television quoted Energy Minister Parviz Fattah as saying. "Power substations and lines for supplying electricity, which would be produced by the plant, are ready to use." The international community fears Iran could be seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Teheran insists its nuclear development is meant only for electricity production.

False Prophet 'held' in Nepal as doomsday passes

Police in Nepal have detained a self-styled holy man who sowed panic across much of the country by prophesying that a massive earthquake would kill 300,000 people in South Asia last week. Bishweshwor Chaudhari, a former builder, had his followers distribute thousands of pamphlets last month forecasting that the earthquake would strike at 6.15am on June 22 and last until July 10. The prophesy caused such widespread alarm that the home ministry and council of astrologers were forced to issue statements in denial. When Friday came and went without the slightest tremor, angry residents of the city rushed to Mr Chaudhari’s house and beat him up, declaring him a charlatan and demanding that he be punished. Police intervened and detained him for disturbing the peace. The incident illustrates how deeply superstitious much of Nepal remains and how easy it is for the unscrupulous to exploit the millions of Nepalis who have little access to basic education and healthcare.

Churches worldwide to rally for an end to Israel's occupation of Arab lands

A Geneva-based church body said on June 18, it would launch a global initiative to have churches worldwide rally for an end to Israel's occupation of Arab lands seized in the 1967 Mideast war. The World Council of Churches said in a statement that it designated Jordan as a venue for its initiative, which would enlist support from religious groups worldwide. "The initiative aims at calling on all churches to work seriously for putting an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands," the statement said. The World Council of Churches, founded in 1948, groups 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing over 560 million Christians in more than 110 countries. The council also will create an advocacy initiative, the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum, meant to improve cooperation among churches worldwide advocating for Mideast peace. The council's call came during the opening of a three-day meeting gathering 130 member churches and related organizations from around the world.

100-foot deep Andes lake disappears

A five-acre glacial lake in Chile's southern Andes has disappeared -- and scientists want to know why. Park rangers at Bernardo O'Higgins National Park said they found a 100-feet-deep crater in late May where the lake had been in March. Several large pieces of ice that used to float atop the water also were spotted. "The lake had simply disappeared," Juan Jose Romero, head of Chile's National Forest Service in the southernmost region of Magallanes, said recently. "No one knows what happened." A group of geologists and other experts will be sent to the area 1,250 miles southeast of Santiago in the next few days to investigate, Romero said. One theory is the water disappeared through cracks in the lake bottom into underground fissures. But experts do not know why the cracks would have appeared because there have been no earthquakes reported in the area recently.

Creating chimera human-animal organisms will mean the creation of new species of intelligent life

The only thing stopping the creation and then self-propagation or cloning of such human-animal chimeras will be a rule (that any government can U-turn on) that states the newly created human-animal embryo will be destroyed after a certain number of cell divisions. But that rule will only apply where it is enshrined in law, in some other countries there will be no legal compulsion to destroy the human-animal embryos after x number of cell divisions and it is inevitable that we will witness in our lifetimes the creation of “master races” that will have genetic attributes that ordinary man could not possibly compete with. Countries that can hardly be described as pro-West will inevitably combine human-animal chimera technology with cloning technology to create ‘special forces’. Cloned human-chimeras with the ability to out-run, out-think and outfight ‘conventional armies’, ie of ordinary human beings. The human-animal chimeras will simply want power over humans. They will have one goal, total and complete subjugation of all genetically inferior humans.

Darpa Seeks Miniature Networking Robots For Urban Combat

Darpa recently announced that it wants proposals for self-healing miniature "LANdroids" that could help U.S. military members fighting in cities. The droids would intelligently choose locations and self-configure to form a mesh wireless voice/data network that isn't dependent on line of sight, according to the Darpa spec sheet. The networks could supplant radio communications, which are often ineffective in urban combat. The new network pathways would be redundant. Soldiers must be able to drop the robots (no heavier than 2.2 pounds each) and go the other way, without having to return to a dangerous area to retrieve them. The robots must be able to move slowly through indoor areas, and should cost about $100 each. Designers must use inexpensive, long-life batteries and program the robots to conserve power when necessary. "The LANdroid is meant to be carried into the field, and as such it must not be a brittle or delicate platform," Darpa said in its 34-page announcement (PDF). "They must be sufficiently rugged and robust to perform credibly and reliably in the field. For the purposes of this task, we will evaluate platforms based on their ability to withstand reasonably hostile environments in terms of mechanical shock, vibration, temperature, dust, and humidity." The robots don't have to be designed for climbing stairs, but Darpa said it welcomes novel ideas.

European Human Rights Body Fights Creationism

Europe's main human-rights body will vote on a proposal next week to defend the teaching of evolution and to keep creationist and "intelligent design" out of science class in state schools in its 47 member countries. The unusual move shows that a U.S. trend for religiously based attacks on the theory of evolution is also worrying European politicians, who now see such arguments put forward in their countries by Christian and Islamic groups.

New Technology Lets User Control Electronics With Brain

Forget the clicker: A new technology in Japan could let you control electronic devices without lifting a finger simply by reading brain activity. The "brain-machine interface" developed by Hitachi Inc. (HIT) analyzes slight changes in the brain's blood flow and translates brain motion into electric signals. A cap connects by optical fibers to a mapping device, which links, in turn, to a toy train set via a control computer and motor during one recent demonstration at Hitachi's Advanced Research Laboratory in Hatoyama, just outside Tokyo. "Take a deep breath and relax," said Kei Utsugi, a researcher, while demonstrating the device on June 20. At his prompting, a reporter did simple calculations in her head, and the train sprang forward — apparently indicating activity in the brain's frontal cortex , which handles problem solving. Activating that region of the brain — by doing sums or singing a song — is what makes the train run, according to Utsugi. When one stops the calculations, the train stops, too. Underlying Hitachi's brain-machine interface is a technology called optical topography , which sends a small amount of infrared light through the brain's surface to map out changes in blood flow. Although brain-machine interface technology has traditionally focused on medical uses, makers like Hitachi and Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. (HMC) have been racing to refine the technology for commercial application. Hitachi's scientists are set to develop a brain TV remote controller letting users turn a TV on and off or switch channels by only thinking. Honda, whose interface monitors the brain with an MRI machine like those used in hospitals, is keen to apply the interface to intelligent, next-generation automobiles. The technology could one day replace remote controls and keyboards and perhaps help disabled people operate electric wheelchairs, beds or artificial limbs. Initial uses would be helping people with paralyzing diseases communicate even after they have lost all control of their muscles.

Israeli Air Force preparing for Iran strike

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been training on long-range flights, including refueling in mid-flight, in preparation for potential strikes against Iranian nuclear targets. The training program has been taking place for some time but has only been released for publication recently. Intelligence assessments received by the defense establishment concur that once Iran passes the point of no return in its nuclear efforts, the entire Middle East will enter a frantic nuclear armament race. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are expected to take the lead should such a scenario become reality.

“Playing God” -Scientists in Final Stage of Creating Man-made Life

Dr Craig Venter, who has led the private sector effort to sequence the human genome, has been working for years to create a man-made organism. He says his company Synthetic Genomics Inc, has nearly completed the journey to create the world’s first free-living artificial organism. According to Venter, it will only be a few more weeks before manmade life is unveiled in his very own laboratory. “It will be one of the bright milestones in human history, changing our conceptual view of life.” Said Venter. Others have a less “bright” view of Venter’s work—they say it could be potentially dangerous. It has been suggested that this type of technology could turn out to be the scary side of “playing God”, since it invariably suggests the chance that dangerous organisms could be inadvertently (or purposefully) unleashed on a world unprepared to deal with the consequences. Because there is no precedence, scientists don’t know for sure what kind of negative impact is possible.

Iran moves closer to making a nuclear bomb

Iran claimed on June 22, to have stockpiled 100kg of enriched uranium, enough in theory to create two nuclear bombs of the kind that destroyed Hiroshima. The news will once again stoke fears that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime is seeking to build a nuclear weapon. Iran would need 50kg of weapons-grade uranium in order to make one nuclear weapon equal in power to the one dropped by the Americans in 1945. So far, the regime’s uranium has only been enriched to the level needed for generating electricity in civilian nuclear power stations. But if Iran chooses to enrich it to 84 per cent purity, it would reach weapons-grade level and become the essential material for building a bomb. Mustapha Pourmohammedi, Iran's interior minister, told the official news agency that the moment of maximum international pressure on his country had passed and that Teheran would press ahead with its nuclear programme. "When the world saw that the nation is pursuing this goal with unity, the world has surrendered. We have passed the dangerous moment," he said.

'Mile-wide UFO' spotted by British airline pilot

One of the largest UFOs ever seen has been observed by the crew and passengers of an airliner over the Channel Islands. Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, flying close to Alderney first spotted the object, described as "a cigar-shaped brilliant white light". As the plane got closer the captain viewed it through binoculars and said: "It was a very sharp, thin yellow object with a green area. "It was 2,000ft up and stationary. I thought it was about 10 miles away, although I later realised it was approximately 40 miles from us. At first, I thought it was the size of a [Boeing] 737. "But it must have been much bigger because of how far away it was. It could have been as much as a mile wide." Continuing his approach to Guernsey, Bowyer then spied a "second identical object further to the west". He said: "It was exactly the same but looked smaller because it was further away. It was closer to Guernsey. I can't explain it. This was clearly visual for about nine minutes. "I'm certainly not saying that it was something of another world. All I'm saying is that I have never seen anything like it before in all my years of flying." The sightings were confirmed by passengers Kate and John Russell. John, 74, said: "I saw an orange light. It was like an elongated oval." The sightings were also confirmed by an unnamed pilot with the Blue Islands airline. The Civil Aviation Authority safety notice states that a Tri-Lander aircraft flying close to Alderney spotted the object.

Jesus Picture To Be removed from Court

Jesus has no place in Slidell City Court, says the Louisiana ACLU, which has asked court officials to remove his portrait from the lobby within a week or face the possibility that the organization will file a lawsuit to force the issue. Several people have complained to the ACLU about the picture, and one has filed a written complaint, prompting the organization to intervene, said Joe Cook, the Louisiana chapter's executive director. The ACLU also wants the court to remove lettering beneath the portrait that says, "To know peace, obey these laws."

Archaeologist sparks hunt for Holy Grail

An archaeologist has sparked a Da Vinci Code-style hunt for the Holy Grail after claiming ancient records show it is buried under a 6th century church in Rome. The cup - said to have been used by Christ at the Last Supper - is the focus of countless legends and has been sought for centuries. Alfredo Barbagallo, an Italian archaeologist, claims that it is buried in a chapel-like room underneath the Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura, one of the seven churches which Christian pilgrims used to visit when they came to Rome. Mr Barbagallo based his claim on two years spent studying mediaeval iconography inside the basilica and a description of a particular chamber, in a guide to the catacombs written in 1938 by a Capuchin friar named Giuseppe Da Bra. The friar describes a room of about 20 square metres with a vaulted roof ceiling. "In the corner of a wall-seat there can be seen a terracotta funnel whose lower part opens out over the face of a skeleton," he wrote. Da Bra then explains that giving liquid refreshment (refrigerium) to the dead was part of ancient funeral rites. According to Mr Barbagallo, who heads an association called Arte e Mistero [Art and Mystery], this funnel is the Grail.

A third US carrier, the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise Strike Group is speeding towards the Persian Gulf

The U.S. naval build-up off the shores of Iran marks rising military tensions in the region, accentuated by last week’s Hamas victory which has endowed Iran with a military foothold on Israel’s southwestern border. The USS Enterprise CVN 65-Big E Strike Group, the US Navy’s largest air carrier, will join the USS Stennis and the USS Nimitz carriers, building up the largest sea, air, marine concentration the United States has ever deployed opposite Iran. This goes towards making good on the assurances of four carriers US Vice President Dick Cheney offered the Gulf and Middle East nations during his May tour of the region. The “Big E” leads a strike group consisting of the guided-missile destroyers USS Arleigh Burke DDG 51, USS Stout DDG 55, Forrest Sherman DDG 98 and USS James E. Williams DDG 95, as well as the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg CG 64, the SS Philadelphia SSN 690 nuclear submarine and the USNS Supply T-AOE 6. On its decks are the Carrier Air Wing CVW 1, whose pilots fought combat missions in the Gulf and Arabian Sea during 2006. The Air Wing is made up of F/Q-18 Super Hornet strike craft, the Sidewinders Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-86, the 251st Marine Fighter Attack Squadron MFA, and the Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ 137. The 32nd Sea Control Squadron VS consists of S-3B Vikings. The Airborne Early Warning Squadron VAQ 3 flies E-2C Hawkeye craft. The Fleet Logistics Support Squadron VRC is based on C-2A Greyhounds. Sources report Washington is considering deploying the fourth U.S. carrier for the region in the Red Sea opposite Saudi Arabian western coast to secure the three U.S. carriers in the Gulf from the rear as well as the Gulf of Aqaba and Suez Canal.

Bionic Boom: The Miraculous Mechanical Body Parts That Are Being Made In The Lab

Researchers are beginning to understand how to wire silicon chips to the brain, with the prospect of artificial implants that can restore lost function. At the University of Southern California, Professor Theodore Berger's team has shown that it is possible for a silicon chip to "talk to" a mammalian brain. In other words, it might eventually be possible to replace damaged areas with a microprocessor implant that could receive and process signals. Ultimately this could "repair" brains in people who have Alzheimer's disease or who have other damage.

NAFTA superhighway extends north

A NAFTA superhighway plan under way in Texas will be extended to Oklahoma and Colorado, stretching the four-lane, train-truck-car-pipeline corridor from the Mexican border at Laredo, Texas, to Denver. The Federal Highway Administration is promoting public-private partnership projects to expand superhighway projects, consistent with extending the Trans-Texas Corridor network north. The plan is for the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado to apply the TTC toll road concept first developed by the Texas DOT to largely rural areas along the Ports-to-Plains Corridor. To advance this plan, the Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor Coalition – sponsored by the consulates of Mexico and Canada along with the Texas and Colorado transportation departments – is co-sponsoring a "Great Plains 2007" international conference Sept. 19-21 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Denver. A brochure on the planned conference recommends it be attended by real estate developers, transportation planners, highway services business executives, as well as state, local, county and municipal public officials and international trade professionals. An April Texas DOT study on the Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor Coalition website documents the tie between the two groups. The study says the Ports-to-Plains Corridor offers an opportunity to apply the Trans-Texas Corridor technology to NAFTA superhighway development in rural settings. It concludes by recommending new highway construction be undertaken parallel to the existing Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor route in order to apply the superhighway design north through Oklahoma into Colorado.

U.S. and allies lay global foundation for biometric border checks

The UK has proposed a transatlantic arrangement for sharing biometric data about travellers as US coalition countries in the "war on terror" push for a global system to control migration. The initiative officially lays the first brick in a concerted effort to establish a common border. Launching the UK's borders and immigration strategy in Washington today, Home Secretary John Reid said the UK and US should "routinely share information about travellers of interest", as well as people caught with fake passports, or those trying to side-step immigration controls. He proposed greater co-operation between coalition countries because, he said, the UK couldn't protect its borders "by operating in a bubble". "Today we are undertaking to improve that co-operation through better exchange of immigration data and working together to tackle the reasons for migration," he said in a statement. The UK Borders and Immigration Agency's Strategy to build stronger international alliances to manage migration, published today, proposes establishing the international legal basis to share biometric immigration data. It said the UK would "rapidly" bring forward plans to use other technologies to pick undesirables out of queues at UK borders. It proposed "voice analysis" as one example. New technologies would be used for the "scientific and technical identification of nationality" and to "fix people's identities".

Groups Associated with Al-Qaida Grow

Since Sept. 11, 2001, dozens of radical groups have sprung up across North Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere that claim links to al-Qaida. Some of these groups are new. Others are long-standing networks that have recently tacked the al-Qaida name onto their own. Intelligence officials say some of these groups really are part of al-Qaida, while others are simply local bands of religious militants. Either way, they present worrying evidence of an expanding, revitalized al-Qaida. For a local terrorist group, joining al-Qaida makes it harder for members to move around — and harder to raise funds openly. But, on the plus side, publicity will increase, which is good for recruitment. A link to al-Qaida may bring other monetary investment. And, seen through the eyes of would-be jihadi, al-Qaida means prestige. "Al-Qaida, because of its perceived success — especially in Iraq — is the team you want to be on," said Daniel Benjamin, of the Brookings Institution, who was formerly a director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council. The appearance of new offshoot groups across the Middle East and North Africa is good news for al-Qaida's core leadership, believed to be holed up in Pakistan, Benjamin said. "Remember, what al-Qaida wants most is to mobilize the Muslim world. And so every time a new group signs on, particularly takes the name, then it's — it's a coup for them," Benjamin said. One of the most significant recent developments along these lines is the appearance, in Algeria, of "Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb." This is not a new group. Under its previous guise, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, it worked for years to overthrow the Algerian government. But this past September brought a formal announcement that the group's ambitions were about to widen.

U.S. Military Prepared For Worst With China

China's secretive transformation of its military power leaves the United States preparing for the worst eventualities, including over Taiwan, a Pentagon official said recently. About 900 Chinese missiles are in place opposite Taiwan, while China is also rolling out far more sophisticated long-range nuclear missiles, combat planes, warships and submarines, the Department of Defense official said. Richard Lawless, the Pentagon's deputy undersecretary for Asia-Pacific affairs, said the US government urgently wanted to launch a strategic dialogue to discuss China's military intentions, especially over nuclear arms. "I think if we had a true dialogue of depth... we might be able to constrain and put some of those issues of (Chinese) intent to bed," he told a hearing of the House of Representatives armed services committee. "Not being able to, we must plan and prepare for the worst," he said. "It is an area of intense concern and we're giving it due attention from the highest levels of the Department of Defense and the inter-agency discussion."

Shoot-Through, Invisible, Self-Healing Shields: Darpa Goal

Darpa, the Pentagon's wide-eyed research arm, is betting big on "metamaterials" -- composites that can seemingly-impossible new properties, thanks to their molecular structure. But even for Darpa, and even for metamaterials, this seems like a long shot: a $15 million program to build shoot-through, one-way-invisible, self-healing shields for soldiers in urban battlefields. Metamaterials are already showing promise, as the building blocks to real-life invisibility cloaks; that's because the composites let electromagnetic waves flow around them, instead of reflecting 'em back. Darpa's "Asymmetric Materials for the Urban Battlespace" program goes way, way beyond mere invisibility, however. "Asymmetric, or 'one-way,' materials will support basic unit operations such as raids, cordon and search activities, snap checkpoints, and fire fights," according to military budget documents. "Friendly forces will be able to see through [one of these new materials] and shoot through it, but hostile forces will not." Such shields will also have "the ability to 'self-heal' if necessary. The materials must be lightweight, respond instantly, and be easy to deploy and retract in confined spaces."

U.S. Concerned About Possible Secret Iranian Atomic Work

Iran's refusal to give early notification of new nuclear facilities raises concerns about possible secret atomic work, the US ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said recently. Gregory Schulte said in an interview with AFP that Iran was clearly working to master uranium enrichment, the process that makes fuel for civilian nuclear reactors or, at highly refined levels, atom bombs. In retaliation for UN sanctions, Iran is also refusing to honor a safeguards clause that requires it to provide "early declaration of any decision to construct a new nuclear facility or to modify an existing one," Schulte said. He said that as Iran masters uranium enrichment, "they can do one of two things. They can either develop at other locations a covert capability ... or they can develop a larger-scale capability at (their enrichment facility) at Natanz to enrich uranium to low levels and then kick out the (UN nuclear) inspectors and run it through again and enrich it to high levels" that would be weapons-grade, Schulte said.

Al Qaida Network Planning UK Plot Of 'Hiroshima Caliber'

A British intelligence report stated that recent planned terrorist attacks in Britain, including the July 2005 suicide attacks in London, were linked to ‘core Al Qaida leaders.’ ‘Networks linked to AQ Core pose the greatest threat to the UK,’ stated the report by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center at Britain’s MI-5 headquarters and obtained by the Daily Telegraph. The report said there is a potential threat from Al Qaida in Iraq. ‘A member of this network is reportedly involved in an operation which he believes requires AQ Core authorization,’ the report said. ‘He claims the operation will be on 'a par with Hiroshima and Nagasaki' and will 'shake the Roman throne.'

'Christians must accept Islamic rule' in the Gaza Strip or be 'dealt with harshly'

Christians can only continue living safely in the Gaza Strip if they accept Islamic law, including a ban on alcohol and on women roaming publicly without proper head coverings, an Islamist militant leader in Gaza recently said in an interview. The militant leader said Christians in Gaza who engage in "missionary activity" will be "dealt with harshly." The threats come two days after a church and Christian school in Gaza was attacked following the seizure of power in the territory by the Hamas terror group. "I expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza," said Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia Salafiya, an Islamic outreach movement that recently announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce Muslim law in Gaza. Jihadia Salafiya is suspected of attacking a United Nations school in Gaza last month, after the school allowed boys and girls to participate in the same sporting event. One person was killed in that attack. "The situation has now changed 180 degrees in Gaza," said Abu Saqer, speaking from Gaza on June 18. "Jihadia Salafiya and other Islamic movements will ensure Christian schools and institutions show publicly what they are teaching to be sure they are not carrying out missionary activity. No more alcohol on the streets. All women, including non-Muslims, need to understand they must be covered at all times while in public," "Also the activities of Internet cafes, pool halls and bars must be stopped," he said. "If it goes on, we'll attack these things very harshly."

Teenage abortions in the UK hit all-time high

More teenagers are having abortions than ever before, fuelling a significant rise in the number of terminations in England and Wales. The abortion rate is continuing to rise with the biggest increase among under-18s. Despite huge Government spending on contraception education, 19-year-olds are now the most likely of any age group to have an abortion, with 35 in every 1,000 undergoing the procedure, according to official Department of Health figures. Previously the highest rate was among women aged 20-24 years. The number of girls aged under 16 and under 18 having abortions also increased last year, increasing concern that the procedure is now being seen as a form of contraception. The rise in the abortion rate comes just one week after a hard-hitting report - Sex, Drugs, Alcohol and Young People - from a Government-funded advisory group, warned British teenagers were in the grip of a sexual health crisis, fuelled by a "celebrity culture" that condoned alcohol abuse, drug addiction and promiscuity.

Germany Fears New Atomic Age

Germany's security experts are convinced that the world is heading for a new and "more dangerous" atomic age as international conflicts take on further heat. Escalating violence in Afghanistan and the Gaza Strip, the unresolved nuclear conflict with Iran, surging military spending and ongoing proliferation are just a few things that have Germany's peace and security experts concerned. "Relentlessly, the major nuclear powers modernize their arsenals and thus undermine the non-proliferation regime and egg on dictators to protect themselves from forced-upon regime changes with nuclear weapons. The Iraq war has supported that notion," Bruno Schoch of the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt said Thursday in Berlin at the official presentation of the Peace Report 2007, which looks at international conflicts around the world and is compiled by Germany's five peace research institutes. "The world has entered a renewed and more dangerous atomic age."