North Korea Names Kim Jong-un as Party Head.(RN).North Korea named on Wednesday Kim Jong-un as first secretary of the Workers' Party, a newly-created position that would seem to give him the authority to rule the isolated East Asian country.
Kim Jong-Un’s father, Kim Jong-il who died on December 17, 2011, was named "eternal" general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party at the national conference in Pyongyang, KCNA also said.
The appointment of Kim Jong-un comes as North Korea prepares for the nationwide celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the country's founder, Kim Il-sung.
North Korea has said it is preparing to launch a rocket to put a weather satellite into orbit to mark the anniversary. It also says the launch is in compliance with the Space Treaty, which guarantees every state the right to carry out space programs.
But the international community suspects the rocket is part of a ballistic missile program.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that any launch by North Korea would be a “serious, clear violation” of the UN Security Council resolutions.
South Korea and Japan have said they will shoot down the rocket if it threatens their territory.Read the full story here.
Florida Atlantic University: Pro-Palestinian group Stalk Jewish Students Post “Eviction Notices” On Their Dorm Rooms.(Ynet).More than 200 Jewish students attending Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, were surprised to find "eviction notices" posted to their dorm room doors on Friday.
The students later found out that the fake notices were placed by the Students for Justice in Palestine.According to the Sun Sentinel, the group's stunt was aimed to draw attention to their claim that "about 25,000 homes have been demolished since the occupation of Palestine by Israeli troops began in 1967."
Rayna Exelbierd, a 20-year-old sophomore from Memphis, Tennessee, said "We're taking it very seriously. We're considering it a hate crime. The flier promotes hate; it doesn't promote peace. People were scared by it. People felt threatened by it."
Scott Brockman, Hillel executive director, said in a statement that, "While protecting and ensuring free speech on campus, the tactic used by Students for Justice in Palestine is unacceptable."The tactic, he said, "Does not promote civil discourse on campus but provokes, incites and intimidates."
Brockman further claimed that posting the notices in the dormitories "compromises the university’s own value to 'create and maintain a clean and safe and secure environment in which students live and learn.'"
The Jewish students' campus organization, he added, is leaving the investigation up to the university, at this time: "We want a statement that Jewish students will be safe on campus and have a safe environment in which to live," he said. According to the report, SJP has some 75 chapters across the United States that host Palestinian-awareness pogroms programs perceived by many as anti-Israel. The group advocates boycott campaigns and annual Israeli Apartheid Weeks.
In Atlantic University, the group has about 30 members."We want to raise awareness about the plight of the Palestinians," chapter President Noor Fawzy said.
"The intent is to expose Israel's illegal policies and give students a feel of what it's like to live under occupation."
Fawzy said the group was thrilled with the response from other students: "We made a great impact on the student body. Having a table in the school's breezeway is one thing, but we have to look for other ways to get people's attention."
As for the questionable method the group chose, she said: "We have the right to express ourselves. There is no reason for the Jewish community to feel afraid."
According to the report no complaints were filed with campus police, but the Anti-Defamation League has contacted the university and is said to be monitoring the investigation. Hmmmm........"Change" almost completely like 1939 Nazi Germany.Read the full story here.
"He ain't heavy he's my brother" - Holder Attends Sharpton’s Trayvon Martin Rally.(WE).Attorney General Eric Holder rallied with Al Sharpton, whose activism in the Trayon Martin case is well-known, to promise “a thorough and independent review” of the case.
Holder invoked the most powerful images of the civil rights era before discussing Martin. “‘Only when it is dark enough,’ Dr. King said, ‘can you see the stars,’” Holder told the crowd at Sharpton’s annual National Action Network Convention, per prepared remarks. “Today, once again, it is dark enough.”
“If we find evidence of a potential federal criminal civil rights crime, we will take appropriate action,” Holder added. “And, at every step, the facts and the law will guide us forward,” he added.
Al Sharpton, Holder’s host, has called for an “escalation” in civil disobedience if George Zimmerman — the shooter in the Trayvon Martin case who said he acted in self-defense — is not arrested.Hmmmm......Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.~ Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865).Read the full story here.
Abbas may lose his Jordanian citizenship, New York Times silent.(CriticalAnalyst).The NYTimes acknowledges that Jordanians will lose their citizenship because their country wants their identity to be Palestinian, but there is a bigger story simmering. Could the Abu Mazen be losing his citizenship?(EOZ) From JPost:
In a surprise move, Jordan has decided to revoke the Jordanian citizenship of Palestinian Authority and PLO officials, sources in Amman disclosed Wednesday.
The sources said that the decision would also affect the leaders of the PA, who would be granted temporary Jordanian passports to facilitate their travel.
The move coincides with a new electoral law in Jordan that seeks to limit Palestinian representation in parliament.
The latest steps are seen in the context of Jordan's 1988 decision to sever all legal and administrative ties with the West Bank, except for Jordanian sponsorship of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
The late King Hussein then justified the move by arguing that it was intended to help the Palestinians establish their own independent state.
The Jordanians have defended the decision to strip Palestinians of their Jordanian citizenship by explaining that it is aimed at "preserving the Palestinians' national identity and paving the way for their return to Palestine."
It's not known at this stage if PA President Mahmoud Abbas would be stripped of his Jordanian citizenship, the sources told the Saudi newspaper Al-Madina.
(Some Palestinian Jordanians Lose Citizenship - NYTimes) In a report titled “Stateless Again,” issued last month, Human Rights Watch said that 2,700 people in Jordan lost their citizenship from 2004 to 2008, and that at least another 200,000 remained vulnerable, largely those who moved abroad at some point in search of work.... “It is no secret that some elements in Israel would like to see the Palestinian areas without the people,” said Nabil Sharif, Jordan’s minister of state and a government spokesman. “We do not want to be party to this.”
Critics and human rights advocates, however, see a different motivation. They said the Jordanian government acted to preserve its own interest, trying to appease non-Palestinian Jordanians concerned about the growing economic and political influence of citizens of Palestinian descent, a charge Mr. Sharif denied. They say it also appears that Jordan is frightened by talk of declaring Jordan a Palestinian homeland as an alternative to a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestinian citizens who left the area after 1967 and before 1988 could lose their citizenship after three years, but then they had an additional three years to claim it.so what is the truth? One thing is clear... the people is not the highest
consideration in Jordan. The principle of killing Jews for Jihad takes priority
over the welfare of human beings.Read the full story here.
'Jesus Tomb' Controversy Rages as Archaeologists Explore Another 2,000-Year-Old Tomb.(ABC).By Juju Change and Jenna Millman.
Archaeologists working in Jerusalem claim that a discovery they made inside a burial tomb, dating back to the time of Jesus Christ, could shed new light on the origins of Christianity.
Biblical historian James Tabor, professor and chair of religious studies at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, is working with the team, led by controversial filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici. Using a camera mounted on a robotic arm, the team found a 2,000-year-old engraving, which they claim depicts Jesus' resurrection, on an ossuary -- a limestone burial box that contains human bones -- in a first-century tomb.
Their exploration of ancient life in the holy land is told in a new documentary for the Discovery Channel called "The Resurrection Tomb Mystery," which premieres on April 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
"It's almost like a moonscape feeling of something eerie, something kind of silent- a reverent feeling really," Tabor said. "Because these people died 2,000 years ago and now we are investigating their last memories, how they bury their dead, what they left behind, so that was there and then the excitement of, 'Well will there be something we'll find or will we find just another Jewish tomb'?"
But the team thinks they found something much more than that. Tabor believes the engraving found on the ossuary depicts the Biblical story of Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale in the Book of Jonah.
For many Christians, the Old Testament story of Jonah and the whale has come to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus. If the engraving is of Jonah, as Tabor believes, he said it would be the earliest Christian symbol of resurrection ever found.
Jacobovici has been criticized before when he made the claim five years ago that he had found Jesus' family tomb, with ossuaries that contained the bones of Jesus' mother Mary, Jesus himself, Mary Magdalene and perhaps -- as told in "The DaVinci Code" -- their love child. But Tabor, among others, do believe that Jacobovici did find something significant -- that the two tombs, just 200 feet apart, are related somehow. Tabor has even collaborated on a new book called "The Jesus Discovery."
"We have one tomb that has the bones of Jesus and 200 feet away, people celebrating his resurrection," Tabor said. "They're able to put this together in a way that maybe people today haven't considered."
However, as Goodacre points out, there is no evidence that either tomb has anything to do with Jesus. But what Jacobovici and his critics can agree on is that exploring the inside of tombs dating back to the first century is "really exciting." Belief: Dr James Tabor is certain the inscription has something to do with resurrection of the dead
In the earliest gospel materials the 'sign of Jonah,' as mentioned by Jesus, has been interpreted as a symbol of his resurrection.
Jonah images in later 'early' Christian art, such as images found in the Roman catacombs, are the most common motif found on tombs as a symbol of Christian resurrection hope.
In contrast, the story of Jonah is not depicted in any first century Jewish art and iconographic images on ossuaries are extremely rare, given the prohibition within Judaism of making images of people or animals.
The tomb in question is dated prior to 70 CE, when ossuary use in Jerusalem ceased due to the Roman destruction of the city. They argue believe both tombs are part of the same complex which may have been the property of Joseph of Arimathea, who, according to the gospels, buried Jesus.
If the markings are Christian, the engravings represent the earliest archaeological record of Christians ever found.
So the engravings were most likely made by some of Jesus' earliest followers, within decades of his death, predating the writing of the gospels.
The bible tells how on the evening of the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pontius Pilate for Jesus' body.
Mosaic Law states that a person hanged on a tree must not be allowed to remain there at night, but should be buried before sundown.
Joseph wrapped Jesus' body in a linen cloth and laid it in a tomb.
The book of John tells how Joseph was assisted in the burial process by Nicodemus, who brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes and included these spices in the burial cloth as per Jewish customs.
Among the approximately 2000 ossuaries that have been recovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority, only 650 have any inscriptions on them, and none have inscriptions comparable to the team's finds.
Less than a dozen ossuaries from the period have epitaphs but, according to Tabor, these inscribed messages usually have to do with warnings not to disturb the bones of the dead. In contrast, the four-line Greek inscription contains some kind of statement of resurrection faith.Read the full story here, more here.
George Zimmerman to Be Charged in Trayvon Martin's Death.(ABC).A Florida special prosecutor has decided to charge neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, sources told ABC News.
The decision by Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey is expected to be announced at a 6 p.m. news conference in Jacksonville, Fla.
The prosecutor's ruling is certain to provoke controversy in Sanford, Fla., where shooting took place and across the country.
Zimmerman, 28, a white Hispanic neighborhood watch captain, shot and killed Martin, who was 17 and black, on Feb. 26 after following the teenager for several minutes.
The special prosecutor's ruling came one day after Zimmerman's legal team quit because they had lost contact with him, and suggested that the pressure of the case had "pushed him over the edge."
His lawyers said that Zimmerman was no longer in Florida and ABC News has learned that prosecutors do not know his exact location.
Earlier this week, Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett said his city has become a "kindling box" due to the high emotions surrounding the case, and that he would "plan for the worst and hope for the best."The city of Sanford has been getting increasingly tense as the decision neared. Six shots were fired into an empty police cruiser earlier this week in the neighborhood where Martin was killed.
The New Black Panther Party offered a $10,000 bounty for Zimmerman and his lawyers said Zimmerman had received death threats.
The New Socialist Movement, a white supremacy group, said they were patrol Sanford to protect whites and racists comments about the shooting have sprung up on social media sites.In a written statement to police on the night of the shooting, Zimmerman said that he'd called 911 to report a suspicious man and that as he returned to his car, Martin attacked him. Zimmerman said that Martin punched him in the nose and knocked him down, slammed his head on the ground and tried to take his gun.
The police report noted that Zimmerman was bleeding from the back of the head and nose. His lawyer said later that Zimmerman suffered a broken nose.
After Zimmerman received medical attention, it was decided that he was in good enough condition to travel in a police cruiser to the Sanford police station for questioning. He was not arrested.
The U.S. Justice Department is also carrying out an investigation into the shooting.Read the full story here.Updated here.
A New Edition of the U.S. Manual for Courts-Martial.(SN).Last week, the Department of Defense published the 2012 edition of the Manual for
Courts-Martial (MCM).
The Manual contains the Rules for Courts-Martial (RCM), the Military Rules of
Evidence (MRE), and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The latest edition
incorporates legislative amendments and other changes introduced since the
previous edition was published in 2008.
The Manual
details the elements of various crimes such as “Aiding the Enemy” (Article 104),
which is among the charges
pending against Bradley
Manning, who is suspected of having provided classified and other restricted
records to WikiLeaks without authorization.
“No unauthorized communication, correspondence, or intercourse with the enemy
is permissible,” according to the Manual’s explanation
of Article 104 (which has not been amended recently).
“The intent, content, and method of the communication, correspondence, or
intercourse are immaterial. No response or receipt by the enemy is required. The
offense is complete the moment the communication, correspondence, or intercourse
issues from the accused. The communication, correspondence, or intercourse may
be conveyed directly or indirectly.”
“Giving intelligence to the enemy is a particular case of corresponding with
the enemy made more serious by the fact that the communication contains
intelligence that may be useful to the enemy for any of the many reasons that
make information valuable to belligerents. This intelligence may be conveyed by
direct or indirect means.”
See, more generally, Military Justice:
Courts-Martial, An Overview from the Congressional Research Service, March
14, 2012.Hmmm.........“On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it’s important for him [Vladimir Putin] to give me space. . . . This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.”Read the full story here.
Syria to halt army operations on Thursday after ‘successful’ mission.(AlArabiya).The Syrian defense ministry said that it will cease military operations against rebel fighters from Thursday after it has completed its mission to combat “armed terrorist groups,” state television reported on Wednesday.
Thursday is also the day set by peace envoy Kofi Annan as a deadline to halt hostilities carried out by the Syrian military against rebel areas across the country.
“After our armed forces completed successful operations in combating the criminal acts of the armed terrorist groups and enforced the state’s rule over its territory, it has been decided to stop these operations from Thursday morning,” the television quoted a ministry official it did not identify as saying.Annan has also said that the Syrian government has given him a written pledge that it will halt all fighting by Thursday deadline, but with a caveat.
Syria told Annan that it will halt all fighting by the Thursday morning deadline but reserves the right to respond to any attack by “armed terrorist groups,” the peace envoy’s spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said on Wednesday.
In a letter the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Damascus agreed “to cease all military fighting throughout Syrian territory as of 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) tomorrow, Thursday, 12 April 2012, while reserving the right to respond proportionately to any attacks carried out by armed terrorist groups against civilians, government forces or public and private property,’” Fawzi said in a statement.Meanwhile, Russia, one of Syria’s strongest allies, has said that the success of a Syrian army ceasefire depends on the opposition’s ability to honor the truce.
“Now it’s up to the armed opposition,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Twitter. “Those are the conditions of the Annan plan.”
Hmmm.....In other news, unicorns spotted outside Homs.Read the full story here.
Video || Michelle proud of her country Turns the East Room Into a Gym.(WHD).Michelle Obama appeared on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” last night, working out with a group of contestants in the East Room.
This doesn’t really seem like the proper use of this exquisite, historic chamber – a national treasure that has hosted events like presidential press conferences, the signing of landmark legislation like the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the funeral of Abraham Lincoln.Hmmmm........When the character of a woman is not clear to you, look at her friends.
Japanese Proverb.Read and see the full story here.
Holy Fire set to take over Old City of Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.(JPost).Easter in Israel is unique in many ways, but probably the most significant tradition that occurs only in the Holy Land is the widely awaited tradition of the Holy Fire ceremony. The special ceremony takes place on the Saturday before Orthodox Easter, and captures center stage once again during this holiday's season in Jerusalem for local Christians plus the thousands of believers who make a special pilgrimage to the Holy Land for Easter.
The Holy Fire Ceremony is the culmination of Lenten and Easter event, as it represents the moment when the spirit of Jesus fills the tomb site in the Holy Sepulchre. According to beliefs of many, a flame appears in the tomb, which is caught by the Greek patriarch and an Armenian Orthodox priest and is then shared with congregants holding candles in the church who then pass this flame from one person to another.
Because this event is specific to Jerusalem geographically, it is not celebrated anywhere else in the world. Many Orthodox pilgrims from Greece, Russia, Armenia, Eastern Europe and the United States line up as early as the day before. Even non-Christians as well as locals will often join in the celebrations in an effort to get inside the Holy Sepulchre for the very special ceremony.
All of the churches have a procession through the narrow Old City streets to the Holy Sepulchre on the morning of the Holy Fire Ceremony.
Holy Fire is celebrated on the Saturday before Easter Sunday (Orthodox Easter) and is referred to as Saturday of Light, or Sapt il-Noor.
Holy Fire is celebrated on the Saturday before Easter Sunday (Orthodox Easter) and is referred to as Saturday of Light, or Sapt il-Noor.
The ceremony is observed only by the Eastern Orthodox churches, Syrian, Armenian, Russian and Greek Orthodox as well as Copts. Catholics and Protestants do not participate.
Eastern Orthodoxy religion considers Holy Fire a regularly occurring event as it has occurred at the same time in the same place annually for centuries. The first written account of the Holy Fire dates from the 4th century while accounts from 1106 and 1107 by the Russian Abbot Daniel describe a similar ceremony.
Matthew 28:3, makes note of the Holy Fire and says that at Jesus' tomb, an angel of the Lord appeared whose appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.Read the full story here.
"Dear Leader Cult" - Obama 'admirer' To Teach “Understanding Obama” Class At Harvard Law School.(DC).Not every Harvard Law School alumnus has a class devoted to him — but then, President Barack Obama is not just any alumnus.
According to the Harvard Law School course catalog, professor Charles Ogletree will be teaching a reading group called “Understanding Obama” for one classroom credit during the 2013 spring term.
“This reading group will focus on the way in which race, religion, and politics have impacted the development of President Obama as a leader,” the Harvard Law School Course Catalog explains. “We will explore his views as a biracial child, his time as a student at Harvard Law School, the successes and failures of his political campaigns, and the way religion and his views on faith nearly derailed his campaign. Finally, time will be spent analyzing the challenges he faces as president of the United States in establishing both his domestic and global policies.”
Ogletree was a mentor to both President Obama and Michelle Obama while they were Harvard law students.Not everyone is convinced that the class will be a critical look at Obama.“Everyone knows professor Ogletree is an uncritical admirer of the president,” one Harvard Law student told TheDC. “To me, this looks like course credit for participating in an Obama fan club".Read the full story here.
German government moves to block Quran distribution.(HD).Angela Merkel's ruling Christian Democratic Union Party recently began a campaign to prevent an Islamic group from distributing copies of the Quran on the street in Germany, private broadcaster NTV reported on its website.
Ibrahim Ebu Nagi, a Salafi Muslim of Palestinian descent, began his “Lies!” campaign to distribute Islam's holy book in Oct. 2011. The campaign has distributed over 300,000 books in 35 German cities, and is funded largely by Turkish families living in Germany.
German politicians have initiated a counter-campaign to end the distribution, saying the “Quran in every house" campaign should be stopped. The Islamic organization’s move threatens religious freedom, a member of the Christian Democratic Union Party said.Hmmmm.......“Violence does not build up the kingdom of God, the kingdom of humanity. On the contrary, it is a favorite instrument of the Antichrist, however idealistic its religious motivation may be,”~ Pope Benedict XVI . Read the full story here.
Korean Air flight lands at B.C. military base after receiving bomb threat.(Yahoo).COMOX VALLEY, B.C. - About 150 passengers were spending the night in area hotels after a bomb threat forced a Korean Airlines Boeing 777 to divert to Vancouver Island.
Authorities were continuing to search the aircraft early Wednesday and the RCMP said nothing suspicious had yet been found.
The flight, with 149 passengers on board, was travelling from Vancouver to Seoul when it was diverted to CFB Comox under the escort of two U.S. fighter jets.
The Canadian Forces said in a news release that the plane was diverted at about 5:30 p.m. PT, and all emergency services at the base were activated.
Korean Air said a U.S. call centre received the threat about 25 minutes after the flight took off from Vancouver. The airline said after discussion with the related departments they decided to turn the aircraft around.
Korean Air spokeswoman Penny Pfaelzer said from Los Angeles that the caller warned that an explosive was on board the aircraft but had no additional details.
RCMP Inspector Bryon Massie said everyone on board the aircraft were taken from the base and housed in local hotels.
“The passengers and crew have all been taken to hotels within the Courtenay-Comox area and they’ve been accommodated for the evening,” he said.
Massie said that to his knowledge, nothing suspicious had yet been found.
”The investigation is ongoing, police resources are still at the scene.”
A Korean Air official said earlier that the airline “is conducting a safety inspection now and will evaluate a new departure time after discussion.”
Massie said Korean Airlines was looking at a ”contingency plan of bringing in a second aircraft” to take the passengers to their destination.
Two American fighter jets escorted the plane back to Comox shortly after it left Vancouver International Airport.
“It was two F-15s from Portland, Ore. that conducted the intercept,” said Maj. Holly Apostoliuk from Winnipeg.
Within the North American Aerospace Defence Command agreement, NORAD can deploy the appropriate fighters to respond to a situation, and in this case those were the most appropriate aircraft, said Apostoliuk.
With a population of about 12,000 people, Comox is located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, about 180 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.
"From time to time planes do get diverted here for weather reasons," said Comox Mayor Paul Ives. "But this is the first time in a long time I would imagine that we’ve had this kind of diversion."
Ives said the base’s 3,000-metre-long airstrip is the longest on Canada’s west coast outside of Vancouver and serves the military and a civilian airport.
Comox resident Richard Warrington said he went to the airport after hearing reports of the incident.
Warrington, who is a professional photographer, said he saw the plane parked at the north end of the runway.Emergency vehicles were nearby, said Warrington, adding no chutes were deployed on the plane but a front-left door was open and officials were going in and out of the plane.
Several buses were also nearby, said Warrington.
One of his photos shows what appears to be two men standing by the plane’s door, one of them wearing a bullet-proof vest.Read and see the full story here.
Ahmadinejad: Rhetoric of bullying will yield no result, cuts oil flow to Germany.(PressTV).“Hereby, on behalf of the Iranian people, I tell them (Western states), ‘the approach you have adopted will fail, and you must correct your literature in addressing the Iranian nation and must speak respectfully,’” said President Ahmadinejad in the southern port city of Bandar Lengeh on Wednesday.
Ahmadinejad criticized the hostile attitude of the West toward the Iranians and emphasized that the Iranian nation has always changed the equations in favor of global peace and justice every time it renewed its belief in itself.
Iran and the P5+1- Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany -- will hold a fresh round of talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday, April 14, and the second will be in Baghdad.
The time for the Baghdad talks will be announced at the end of the Istanbul meeting.
The West accuses Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear energy program and has used this pretext to impose unilateral and international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Iran has refuted the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.The Islamic Republic of Iran has cut oil exports to Germanyone day after Tehran halted crude sales to Spain as part of its countersanctions against the European Union (EU). Read the full story here.
Indonesia issues new tsunami warning after powerful 8.1 aftershock.(Yahoo).BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Indonesia has issued a fresh tsunami warning after an aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 shook its western coast.
The first 8.6-magnitude quake off Aceh province, hours earlier, spawned a wave around 30 inches (80 centimetres) high but caused no serious damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the strong temblor that followed was centred 10 miles (16 kilometres) beneath the ocean around 380 miles (615 kilometres) from the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.
Harjadi, a local official who goes by only one name, said the new tsunami warning was for residents living along the western coast of the country.
It included Sumatra island and the Mentawai islands.Source here.Video report here.More information here with regular situation updates.
AEOI Chief: Iran Triples Separation Capacity of Centrifuge Machines.(Fars).Tehran - Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoun Abbasi announced that the country's experts have managed to triple the separation capacity of its centrifuge machines, and have installed a 164-set cascade of the new machines in the country's nuclear enrichment facilities.Speaking in a ceremony on the occasion of the National Day of Nuclear Technology in Iran's Central city of Qom, Abbasi stressed that Iran is enriching uranium to the purity levels of 3.5% at its facilities.
"At present (nuclear) fuel rods and plates are being produced inside the country. At the same time high-power centrifuges have been used in Natanz (nuclear enrichment facilities) and a 164-set cascade has been set up in the center and therefore the separation capacity of the Iranian (centrifuge) machines has tripled," Abbasi said.
Improving separation capacity accelerates the speed of fuel production, which means that Iran can produce larger volumes of fuel in a given period, but it does not increase the purity level of enrichment.
He further stressed that Iran is among the few countries which enjoy the knowledge of the complete nuclear fuel production cycle.
In January, Abbasi announced that Tehran has shown the new generation of its home-made centrifuge machines to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In April 2010, the AEOI officials had announced that Iranian scientists have managed to design the first sample of the third generation of home-made centrifuges.
"Our skillful colleagues at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran have succeeded in designing third-generation machines thanks to God," former head of the AEOI Ali Akbar Salehi declared at the time.
"The (third-generation) machines have accomplished their mechanical tests. We expect that God willing the machines would show the separation capacity of approximately 10 after the upcoming phase of gas injection," the official stressed at the time.Hmmmm......Just playing for time thanks to Obama and Erdogan.Read the full story here.
An-Najah poll of Palestinians: Fatah significantly more popular in Gaza than West Bank, Palestinians do not expect Fatah-Hamas conciliation agreement to succeed.(IMRA).HT: AlexanderMunch.
Israeli researchers develop cancer vaccine, world yawns.(IsraelMatzav).Here's hoping that the BDS'ers will at least have the intellectual honesty to boycott this one too. Israeli researchers have come up with a vaccine - it's still being tested - that fights off certain common kinds of cancers (Hat Tip: Tundra Tabloids).Scientists have, however, found that a molecule called MUC1, which is found in high amounts on the surface of cancer cells, can be used to help the immune system detect tumours.
The new vaccine, developed by drug company Vaxil Biotheraputics along with researchers at Tel Aviv University, uses a small section of the molecule to prime the immune system so that it can identify and destroy cancer cells.
A statement from Vaxil Biotheraputics said: "ImMucin generated a robust and specific immune response in all patients which was observed after only 2-4 doses of the vaccine out of a maximum of 12 doses.
"In some of the patients, preliminary signs of clinical efficacy were observed."
The results are still to be formally published but if further trials prove to be successful the vaccine could be available within six years.
As a therapeutic vaccine it is designed to be given to patients who are already suffering from cancer to help their bodies fight off the disease rather than to prevent disease in the first place.
Cancer cells contain high levels of MUC1 as it is thought to be involved helping tumours grow. Healthy human cells also contain MUC1, but have levels that are too low to trigger the immune system after vaccination.
When a vaccinated patient's immune system encounters cancer cells, however, the far larger concentration of MUC1 causes it to attack and kill the tumour.
As MUC1 is found in 90 per cent of all cancers, the researchers believe it could be used to combat the growth and spread of a wide range of cancers.
In a safety trial at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem, ten patients suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, have now received the vaccine.
Seven of the patients have now finished the treatment and Vaxil reported that all of them had greater immunity against cancer cells compared to before they were given the vaccine.
Vaxil added that three patients are now free of detectable cancer following the treatment.
Oh - and lest you think that Vaxil Biotheraputics doesn't come from Israel....
Vaxil was founded in late 2006 by an experienced management team supported by leading scientists and clinicians. It is headquartered at the Weizmann Science Park, Nes –Ziona, Israel.
So why isn't this getting more publicity? Hmmm.
I hope the BDS'ers will boycott it. Darwin would call that selection. Heh.Read the full story here.
White House source: Obama only considers how many votes he'll gain in deciding on Pollard release.(IsraelMatzav).I have said many times that President Obama will pardon Jonathan Pollard when he believes that doing so will gain him a significant number of votes in the 2012 election. It has long been clear to me that Obama could not give a damn how ill Pollard is, and whether Pollard ought to be released on humanitarian grounds, regardless of the number and stature of former officials who call for Pollard's release (and as you all know, there have been many over the last two years).
Now, a White House source has confirmed it in a story discussing the fact that President Obama has received President Peres' letter asking for clemency and has decided not to pardon Pollard. What's more interesting is that the source confirmed it to Haaretz, which put the story in its Hebrew print edition, but did not put it in its online edition (it's too soon for a cached page with the original online story). The online story is here (Hat Tip: Aaron Lerner).
White House source explains that President Obama only considers how many votes he could gain from releasing Pollard - no mention of either humanitarian considerations or question of justice. Indicates Pollard release could be part of peace process.
The English and Hebrew internet edition do not include any of these observations.
Dr. Lerner has posted a scanned copy of the Haaretz story in Hebrew here. It says that Obama does not believe that American Jews are concerned about Obama like Israelis are, and that there is no chance that Obama will release Pollard unless he believes it will gain him votes.
What a sweetheart of a President....Hmmmm........He was a lot faster considering to release the Taliban Prisoners from Gitmo..........but yes those were Muslims!Read the full story here.
Obama 'buddy' Foreign Minister DavutoÄŸlu says Turkey wants WMD-free Mideast, Israel be warned!(TZ).After much haggling over the venue for nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (permanent UNSC countries plus Germany), Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu officially confirmed on Tuesday that the meeting will take place in Ä°stanbul on April 14 and added that Turkey wants the Middle East to be a region without any weapons of mass destruction.
In a statement released via his twitter account, DavutoÄŸlu said Turkey is determined to contribute to promoting solutions to problems in the region, as it has in the past and will in the future.
“We prefer diplomacy and negotiations to be employed for finding solutions to conflicts. Our principle-oriented stance is clear: We [Turkey] want this region to be free of nuclear weapons and of any weapons of mass destruction,” the foreign minister said.
An Iranian state television station earlier reported on Sunday that the talks will take place in Ä°stanbul, but there was no confirmation either from Turkish officials or from Western countries at that time. During a visit to China, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan said on Sunday, "There is no confirmed information at the moment."
Doubts appeared over the meeting between P5+1 countries -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany -- and Iran as tension flared between Turkey and Iran after statements by a prominent Iranian lawmaker who blasted Turkey for holding an international meeting against the Syrian regime.Iran was irritated by Turkey's hosting of the “Friends of Syria” meeting in Ä°stanbul, which aimed to ratchet up pressure on the Assad regime to bring an end to the year-long crisis and ongoing violence. Iran and Turkey are at odds concerning the Syrian crisis as the two countries have opposing stances towards conflict-ridden Syria.
"We have to be honest. Because of the lack of honesty they are continually losing their international prestige," Prime Minister ErdoÄŸan said about the discussions regarding the venue for negotiations after Boroujerdi's remarks. "This is not the language of diplomacy. The name of this is something else, but I won't say it here." he added, expressing anger over the Iranians' contradictory statements.Hmmmm......What did Erdogan and Obama promise to Iran?Read the full story here.
'Flytilla' organizers: Israel won’t determine who enters Palestine.(YNet).Israel vowed Tuesday to prevent the entry of hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists from Europe and North America expected to arrive in the country this weekend, calling them provocateurs who are intent on disturbing public order.
The activists are set to board flights to Israel with the aim of participating in demonstrations against Israeli policy in the West Bank. Although organizers say all protests will be peaceful, Israeli officials said the activists would be deported.
“The provocateurs will be dealt with in a determined and quick way,” said Israel’s public security minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch.
“If they arrive in Israel they will be identified, removed from the plane, their entry into Israel will be prevented and they will be moved to a detention facility until they are flown out of Israel.”
Last July, Israel blocked a similar effort by preventing scores of activists from boarding Tel Aviv-bound flights in Europe, questioning dozens more upon arrival at the airport and denying entry to 69.
Israel had tracked the activists on social media sites, compiled a blacklist of more than 300 names and asked airlines to keep those on the list off flights to Israel. Officials say Israel will use similar tactics this time as well.
During a press conference in Bethlehem Tuesday, Mayor Victor Batarseh said the West Bank city will "welcome the 1,500 ambassadors to our land."
Addressing the activists, he said, "You are friends in need, and our goal is to build walls of hope, not walls of separation." The mayor urged Israel to allow the activists to enter without "humiliating" them.
Abdelfattah Abusrour, a local organizer, said, “They have the right to enter Palestine. It’s not up to Israel to forbid anybody from coming into Palestine."
He claimed the activists were coming to Bethlehem to take part in cultural activities and other activities aimed at helping the city. "Last year some activists were prevented from boarding planes in their home countries," Abusrour claimed.
Another organizer said, "If Israel prevents the activists from entering, the entire world will see that it does not allow us to host visitors from around the world. Israel can't tell activists where to go and where not go, just as European countries don't tell Israelis where they can or cannot visit."
The organizers said most of the 1,200 to 2,000 activists are expected to arrive from Central Europe, adding that other pro-Palestinian activists will be arriving from New Zealand, Australia, Turkey and the US.
Mazen Quneisa, one of the local organizers, said, "Minister Aharonovitch called us hooligans, but we aren't. This is not the flotilla to Gaza, and those who will be arriving are normative, not radical people. I hope Israel will do the right thing and allow them to enter."
Israel has been jittery about large influxes of foreign activists since a naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in May 2010 turned deadly. The Israeli navy and the activists have each accused each other of sparking the bloodshed in which nine Turkish activists were killed.
Organizers say this week’s mission, sponsored by an umbrella group called “Welcome to Palestine,” seeks to draw attention toward Israeli travel restriction on Palestinians.According to the itinerary, a special welcome ceremony will be held for the activists in Bethlehem on Sunday. On Monday they are scheduled to tour the Jordan Valley, on Tuesday they will travel to Hebron and visit Ramallah the following day. The activists are scheduled to visit Jerusalem on Thursday, and on Friday they are set to attend a seminar in Bethlehem titled "How can we end the occupation?"Hmmmm......Let them in, then put them on the no fly list, enjoy prolonged Palestinian hospitality.Read the full story here.
