Friday, November 10, 2006

Hidden Behind Islams Veil of Secrecy

Past Week Breaking News

Every day, our editors scour the web for news items of interest in the areas of world events, religion, and technology. Here are some choice news that we found this past week: The following are some other popular breaking news of this past week: more interesting news...

Past Week Breaking News

Every day, our editors scour the web for news items of interest in the areas of world events, religion, and technology. Here are some choice news that we found this past week: The following are some other popular breaking news of this past week: more interesting news...
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Swans deliver a climate change warning

For decades, the arrival of the first V-shaped flights of Bewick's swans in Britain's wetlands after a 2,000-mile journey from Siberia heralded the arrival of winter. This year, a dramatic decline in numbers of the distinctive yellow-billed swans skidding into their winter feeding grounds could be the harbinger of a more dramatic shift in weather patterns: global warming. Ornithologists at the main reserves that host the birds, the smallest of Britain's swans, said only a handful had appeared on lakes and water courses. Normally, there would be several hundred.
UK paper: Israel used 'uranium bombs'

The IDF on Saturday denied a report by the British newspaper The Independent claiming that Israel used uranium-based munitions, including uranium-tipped bunker-buster bombs, during its war against Hizbullah in Lebanon this summer. "The IDF Spokesman's Office wants to make it clear that no munitions containing uranium were used in the war in Lebanon," an IDF spokesman told The Jerusalem Post.
U.S. hails airborne laser as weapons milestone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency on Friday hailed what he described as epochal progress toward putting a high-energy laser aboard a modified Boeing Co. 747 to zap ballistic missiles that could be fired by North Korea and Iran.But the Pentagon's former top weapons tester cast doubt on project, calling it far from militarily effective and perhaps easily defeated by a simple countermeasure.The so-called Airborne Laser has been developed at a cost so far of about $3.5 billion with the aim of destroying, at the speed of light, all classes of ballistic missiles shortly after their launch. If successful in flight testing and deployed, it would become part of an emerging U.S. anti-missile shield that also includes land- and sea-based interceptor missiles.
GAO Chief Warns Economic Disaster Looms

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - David M. Walker sure talks like he's running for office. "This is about the future of our country, our kids and grandkids," the comptroller general of the United States warns a packed hall at Austin's historic Driskill Hotel. "We the people have to rise up to make sure things get changed."But Walker doesn't want, or need, your vote this November. He already has a job as head of the Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress that audits and evaluates the performance of the federal government.
Your secrets not so safe with RFID-enabled passports

Ever since these newfangled RFID e-passports hit the mainstream, understandable concerns have frequently surfaced regarding the security (or lack thereof) involved. The Dutch version has already been cracked, Germans can clone theirs, and Ireland's doesn't even have a protective sheath to keep its data safe from unauthorized readers; now it appears that you have one more reason to stick with the ole laminated paper version, as security researchers have released "proof-of-contact code that they say enables an attacker to read the passport number, date of birth, and passport expiration date." The flaw was unveiled by Adam Laurie -- a well-respected watchman of Bluetooth security weaknesses -- in his "Bugtraq" newsletter, but no specifics were reported regarding how evildoers could extract such precious information and subsequently steal your identity. Nevertheless, those RFID-shielding manufacturers must be licking their chops right about now, and rightfully so.
Digital Angel patents glucose-sensing microchip for diabetics

Digital Angel Corp. is developing a new microchip that will help diabetics monitor their glucose levels. The announcement sent Digital Angel's stock up 40 percent to $1.02 per share in mid-morning trading Wednesday. The implantable microchip uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to measure and transmit data on the concentration of glucose levels in the blood. This information is a necessary part of managing diabetes, because blood-sugar levels determine how much insulin a diabetic person needs. The microchip would replace the current method of checking glucose levels: Pricking the finger to get a blood sample.
Letter: Everyone who votes should have a photo ID

About 1,000 documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America show the White House is engaging in collaborative relations with Mexico and Canada outside the U.S. Constitution, says WND columnist and author Jerome Corsi. "The documents give clear evidence that the Bush administration has created a 'shadow government,'" Corsi said. The documents can be viewed here, on a special website set up by the Minuteman Project. Bureaucrats from agencies throughout the Bush administration are meeting regularly with their counterpart bureaucrats in the Canadian and Mexican governments to engage in a broad rewriting of U.S. administrative law and regulations into a new trilateral North American configuration, Corsi contends.
Chertoff Takes U.S.' Terror Fighting Message To Trinidad

U.S. Homeland Security chief, Michael Chertoff, yesterday took his boss’s message of fighting terror to the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago, declaring that continued cooperation between his country and the Caribbean would prevent terrorist attacks.
News: Analytics Solutions for Risk Information, Debuted by LexisNexis

Washington, D.C. - (Website Hosting Directory) - October 27, 2006 - LexisNexis Risk and Information Analytics Group, has debuted the launch of a screening and identity verification component, as part of an advanced government solutions offering.Integral to enabling compliance with mandates contained in HSPD-12, REAL ID and Improper Payments Act, the LexisNexis Advanced Government Solutions offering was developed to combine best-in-class data, data fusion, advanced scoring and policy-compliant tools for enabling government agencies to effectively authenticate identities, conduct background screening and detect fraud.
Absorbing Gay Pain Praise, Clinton Says She's Evolved

In an appearance early Wednesday evening in front of roughly three-dozen LGBT leaders, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton indicated that she would not oppose efforts by Eliot Spitzer, the odds-on favorite to become the new governor, to enact a same-sex marriage law in New York. She also suggested that language she used when she first ran for the Senate in 2000 explaining her opposition to marriage equality based on the institution's moral, religious, and traditional foundations had not reflected the "many long conversations" she's had since with "friends" and others, and that her advocacy on LGBT issues "has certainly evolved."
Abbas: I'll dissolve Hamas gov't if coalition talks fail

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told the European Union's top diplomat that he would dissolve the Hamas-led government within two weeks if the Islamic militant group does not agree to form a governing coalition with his Fatah party, Palestinian officials said Friday.Abbas told EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana that he would replace the current government with a Cabinet of apolitical professionals, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk with the press.
Israel, Syria heighten alert for possible war

GOLAN HEIGHTS – Israel has visibly beefed up its military presence here in the Golan Heights while neighboring Syria reportedly has placed its army on high alert and has warned it is preparing for a possible war with the Jewish state. The Israeli Defense Forces yesterday carried out the second in a series of scheduled military exercises in the Golan. IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz earlier this week made a surprise visit to the mountainous territory, which the army here said was intended to test the operational readiness and capabilities of local divisions.
Fate of Ten Commandments monument rests with voters

South Dakotans will be voting on abortion, Missourians on cloning human lives, and voters in Boise, Idaho, will be making a decision on a rock in park. But the vote in Idaho's capital city is more than that; it's a referendum on the values of Christianity in America. That is how Brandi Swindell, a leader of the Keep the Commandments Coalition in Boise, feels about the effort in that city to restore a monument of God's Biblical laws to a city park. The issue is going before voters on Nov. 7 – for the first time in any American city – on whether the injunctions can and should be on public display. "This is absolutely the first time in American history there will be a vote on the public display of the Ten Commandments," she told WND yesterday. "We're really excited to have his historic opportunity for our own community and the state of Idaho. This will be a huge win for the entire nation for religious freedom and the democratic process."
N.Korea in Intense Military Exercises

North Korea is conducting intense military exercises after its nuclear test on October 9 and even tested five ground-to-air and air-to-air missiles last week, officials here say. A government official said Sunday North Korea test-fired five ground-to-air and air-to-air missiles at a training facility in the western region last week. “It seems to be part of annual military exercise to evaluate combat preparedness, but we’re analyzing the intention because the actual firing of five missiles during the drill is very unusual and comes amid Pyongyang’s protests against the UN Security Council resolution against it,” the official added.
Assassinate half of Congress, urges Web-radio hatemonger

WASHINGTON – An anti-Semitic white supremacist who conducts an Internet radio show says if Americans return incumbents to Washington in the Nov. 7 election, he may just have to assassinate them. Hal Turner describes himself as "outspoken, opinionated and brutally blunt." The biography on his website says he was a registered Republican until this month, when he changed his registration to unaffiliated. If that's true, he has fallen hard and fast from the Republican ranks. "As the November 7 Election approaches, I decided to write a few lines to my fellow Americans about the state of our nation and the ugliness that may have to occur if the people who caused these problems are re-elected: They may have to be assassinated," he writes in his Oct. 27 screed. Just so there can be no mistaking his intentions, Turner repeats his premise several times and even offers fairly detailed plans involving five-men strike forces to carry out their wet work in wiping out half the U.S. Congress and at least three members of the Supreme Court.
School Safety Drill Upsets Some Parents

WYOMING, Mich. (AP) -- A school safety drill that included police officers in riot gear with weapons has caused concern among some parents who say it was too realistic and frightened some students.Police in the western Michigan community of Wyoming entered two classrooms at Lee Middle and High School on Thursday and announced there was a threat to the school, The Grand Rapids Press reported.
Britons 'could be microchipped like dogs in a decade'

Human beings may be forced to be 'microchipped' like pet dogs, a shocking official report into the rise of the Big Brother state has warned.The microchips - which are implanted under the skin - allow the wearer's movements to be tracked and store personal information about them.They could be used by companies who want to keep tabs on an employee's movements or by Governments who want a foolproof way of identifying their citizens - and storing information about them.
Pay up ... or the planet gets it

HARD-WORKING families face crippling new bills as the Government fights global warming with a raft of stinging taxes. But critics accused ministers of forcing the public to pay for their failure to react earlier to the crisis.Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth said last night: “We don’t need a programme of green taxes: We need a green programme, full stop.
Cell phone takes security to new heights

TOKYO - A new mobile phone in Japan takes security pretty seriously: It can recognize its owner, automatically locks when the person gets too far away from it and can be found via satellite navigation if it goes missing. The P903i from NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile carrier, comes with a small black card about the size of a movie-ticket stub. The card works as a security key by connecting wirelessly with the cell phone.If an owner keeps the card in a bag or pocket, the phone recognizes when the card moves too far away and locks automatically to prevent someone from making a call. The user can choose to have the phone lock when it is 26 feet, 66 feet or 130 feet away.
U.S. Air Force Debuts Laser-Weapon Aircraft

WICHITA, Kan. — The U.S. Missile Defense Agency rolled out an airborne laser aircraft on Friday, the latest development in a missile-defense system that was once ridiculed as a "Star Wars" fantasy.In a ceremony at the Boeing Co.'s (BA) Integrated Defense Systems facility in Wichita, the agency announced it was ready to flight test some of the low-power systems on the ABL aircraft, a modified Boeing 747-400F designed to destroy enemy missiles.Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering III, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said he embraced early critics' comparison of the laser-equipped plane to the "Star Wars" movies.
First liver grown from stem cells offers hope for transplant patients

AN ARTIFICIAL liver has been grown for the first time from stem cells, it emerged last night. The breakthrough by British scientists is considered the vital first step towards creating a fully artificial liver that could be used to tackle ever-growing waiting lists for transplants within as little as ten years. A team based at Newcastle University grew the miniature liver, using stem cells taken from umbilical cords. Dr Nico Forraz and Professor Colin McGuckin worked with scientists from NASA in Houston, Texas. Using some of the skills they obtained at NASA they were able to produce the miniature livers. These can now be used for drug and pharmaceutical testing, eradicating the need to test on animals and humans.
U.S. sets ambitious "global" NATO summit agenda

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States set out an ambitious agenda on Monday for transforming NATO into a global security organization at a summit next month but acknowledged that some European allies have misgivings.U.S. NATO ambassador Victoria Nuland said the 26-nation alliance had gone beyond debates about whether to act outside its Euro-Atlantic area, deploying forces on four continents in the last 18 months, most importantly in Afghanistan.NATO is already performing missions in practice for which it has yet to adapt its theory, she said, forecasting tough drafting debates before the November 28-29 summit in Riga, Latvia.
Congressman: Superhighway about North American Union

WASHINGTON – Rep. Ron Paul, a maverick Republican from Texas, today denounced plans for the proposed "NAFTA superhighway" in his state as part of a larger plot for merger of the U.S., Canada and Mexico into a North American Union. "By now many Texans have heard about the proposed 'NAFTA Superhighway,' which is also referred to as the trans-Texas corridor," he said in a statement. "What you may not know is the extent to which plans for such a superhighway are moving forward without congressional oversight or media attention." Paul explained that most members of Congress are unaware of the plans because only relatively small amounts of money have been spent studying the plans and those allocations were included in "enormous transportation appropriations bills."
Muslim insurgents behead 14-year-old Christian boy

A website in Assyria is confirming that a 14-year-old Christian boy who was working a 12-hour shift maintaining an electric generator has been murdered by Muslim insurgents. The Assyrian International News Agency said the tragedy was reported by an Assyrian language web page at www.ankawa.com.
Smartmatic Corp. denies any ties to Chávez

The South Florida-based Smartmatic Corp., a voting machine company under investigation by the Treasury Department, denied Monday it had any ties to the Venezuelan government of President Hugo Chávez and promised full cooperation with authorities."We are definitely concerned about the allegations that have been published, which are utterly false," Antonio Mugica, one of the company's founders and a Venezuelan-Spanish citizen, told a news conference.
City penalized for barring 'Jesus dancers'

Six girls barred from performing in a city's holiday show because they wore "Jesus Christ Dancers" shirts settled a federal lawsuit in which they were awarded $3,000 each. The American Family Association Center for Law & Policy, representing the girls and their instructor, reached an agreement with the city of Chula Vista, which refused to let them perform "because of the Christian message on their T-shirts and the Christian theme music they planned to dance to." As WND reported, the girls, ages 8 to 12, were scheduled to perform a hip-hop dance routine Dec. 3, 2005, at a "Holiday Festival."
Ex-official: Muhammad reveals key to overcoming jihadists

The Pentagon must study the Muslim prophet Muhammad and his military doctrine to beat the growing number of jihadists, a former senior Pentagon intelligence official warns. The failure of Pentagon brass to implement a "systematic study" of Muhammad's military doctrine is hurting the U.S. military's effort to control and defeat insurgents and terrorists, complains William Gawthrop, who until recent months headed a key counterintelligence and counterterrorism program set up at the Pentagon after 9/11. During this year's Ramadan, just ended, U.S. troops suffered another spike in casualties. Ramadan is the Islamic holy month when Muslims believe Muhammad received the Quran, the Muslim scripture, in a divine revelation. Almost 100 GIs have been killed in Iraq this month alone. Attacks on U.S. and other coalition soldiers in Afghanistan also increased during Ramadan.
For some Americans, every day is Halloween

Halloween is a time of the bizarre, of make-believe, of the dark and macabre – all in the spirit of fun, of course. "But," says David Kupelian, author of the best selling book, "The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom," "as usual, truth is stranger than fiction. While Halloween party-goers and 'trick or treaters' dress up to look 'mutilated' or 'bizarre,' countless Americans are caught up with real-life mutilation and beyond – outlandish practices stranger and darker than the most imaginative Halloween costumes." What sorts of practices?
North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Talks

BEIJING (AP) - North Korea agreed Tuesday to rejoin six-nation nuclear disarmament talks in a surprise diplomatic breakthrough three weeks after the communist regime conducted its first known atomic test. A U.S. envoy said the talks could resume as early as November.Chinese, U.S. and North Korean envoys to the negotiations held a day of unpublicized talks in Beijing during which North Korea agreed to return to the larger six-nation talks on its nuclear programs, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.


Where rubber meets the road in privacy debate

Any hope we may have of keeping government, industry and criminals out of our personal business is scheduled to vanish completely in 18 months, privacy advocates say.
That’s when the federal government’s Real ID Act is to be fully in place, effectively setting up a national identification program by requiring states to adopt strict new high-tech standards for driver’s licenses and ID cards if they are to be accepted by federal authorities at places ranging from airports to U.S. courthouses.
Prayer rally to protest ACLU suit

The date is marked on Peggy Clark's calendar: 6 p.m. Oct. 24, Lakeview Elementary School in Mt. Juliet.
That's when and where Clark plans to participate in a prayer rally organized by a Mt. Juliet city commissioner in support of the school in a legal battle over separation of church and state.
"I understand there's a separation of church and state, but schools are a different thing; somebody needs to teach those kids," said Clark, 67, who said her education in public schools started with a prayer.
"A lot of people I know object to it, but if your school had more of what I was raised with, we wouldn't have all this mess that we have now. We wouldn't have guns in schools.
"The prayer rally is organized by Mt. Juliet Commissioner Glen Linthicum, who said it was time for the community to take a stand against what he called a "frivolous" lawsuit recently filed by the Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union against the Wilson County school district.
Bush's belief in God is his undoing: Schröder

THE war in Iraq is unlikely to be resolved by a US Administration committed to a fundamentalist Christian viewpoint, according to Gerhard Schröder, the former German Chancellor, whose newly published memoirs stoke his four-year feud with President Bush.
Herr Schröder won a re-election campaign in 2002 by setting out German opposition to the invasion of Iraq. As a result, relations with Washington deteriorated and the two leaders barely spoke for three years.
In extracts from his memoirs to be published in Der Spiegel magazine, Herr Schröder explains what went wrong and why it will be difficult for the President to make peace.
"We Will Never Recognize Israel"

Mahmoud al-Zahar, foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority's Hamas-led government, says a big majority of Hamas supports the struggle against Israel despite recent conciliatory comments from Hamas officials about a possible indirect recognition of Israel and an end to violence.
Masons struggle with racial separation

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Masons, the storied fraternal order whose members have included Mozart, George Washington and John Wayne, has become entwined across the Deep South with the remnants of another tradition in these parts: strict segregation.
Nationwide, Masonic groups operate in a separate-but-supposedly-equal system in which whites typically join one network of Masonic groups, called Grand Lodges, and blacks typically join another, called Prince Hall.
But in the South, it goes further: White-controlled Grand Lodges in 12 Southern states do not even officially recognize black Masons as their brothers — the Masonic term is "mutual recognition" — and in some cases, black lodges have taken similar stands.
Researchers see privacy pitfalls in no-swipe credit cards

AMHERST, Mass. — They call it the "Johnny Carson attack," for his comic pose as a psychic divining the contents of an envelope.
Tom Heydt-Benjamin tapped an envelope against a black plastic box connected to his computer. Within moments, the screen showed a garbled string of characters that included this: fu/kevine, along with some numbers.
Mr. Heydt-Benjamin then ripped open the envelope. Inside was a credit card, fresh from the issuing bank. The card bore the name of Kevin E. Fu, a computer science professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who was standing nearby. The card number and expiration date matched those numbers on the screen.
Evangelical schools ordered to teach Darwin

OTTAWA - The Quebec Ministry of Education has told unlicensed Christian evangelical schools that they must teach Darwin's theory of evolution and sex education or close their doors after a school board in the Outaouais region complained the provincial curriculum was not being followed.
"Quebec children are legally required to follow the provincial curriculum ... but these evangelical schools teach their own courses on creationism and sexuality that don't follow the Quebec curriculum," said Pierre Daoust, director-general of the Commission Scolaire au Coeur-des-Vallees in Thurso, Que.
Documents reveal 'shadow government'

About 1,000 documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America show the White House is engaging in collaborative relations with Mexico and Canada outside the U.S. Constitution, says WND columnist and author Jerome Corsi.
"The documents give clear evidence that the Bush administration has created a 'shadow government,'" Corsi said.
The documents can be viewed here, on a special website set up by the Minuteman Project.
Bureaucrats from agencies throughout the Bush administration are meeting regularly with their counterpart bureaucrats in the Canadian and Mexican governments to engage in a broad rewriting of U.S. administrative law and regulations into a new trilateral North American configuration, Corsi contends.
Hospital admits to burning aborted babies in waste incinerator

One of the country's leading hospitals is throwing aborted babies into the same incinerator used for rubbish to save only £18.50 each time, it has emerged.
Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, said it was no longer able to afford the dignified disposal at a local crematorium of foetuses from unwanted pregnancies.
Instead, they are being burnt in the hospital's main incinerator - which is normally used for rubbish and clinical waste.
Survey: Reasons Why People Leave the Church

Labeled as the "formerly churched," 59 percent of those who left the church did so because of "changes in life situation." This was the dominant reason found in the survey conducted to better understand why people leave the church.
More specifically, LifeWay Research Director Brad Waggoner pointed out two life-situation reasons why adults stop attending church. According to the study, 19 percent of the formerly churched "simply got too busy to attend church," and 17 percent said "family/home responsibilities prevented church attendance."
Baptist 'exit strategy' means get kids out of public schools

If you like sexually transmitted diseases, shootings and high teen pregnancy rates, by all means, send your children to public schools. That's the word from a leader in the fast-growing movement within the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention for parents to pull their children from those schools in favor of homeschooling.
The program is called Exit Strategy and Pastor Wiley Drake, whose home state of California has done some things especially offensive to Christians this year, is a leading promoter.
In an interview with WND, he said that those problems and others are prevalent in public schools, and some Christian leaders even have said it could be considered child abuse just to register children in such a facility.
Video surveillance systems seen eliminating security guards

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has been testing surveillance technology for site security that could completely replace human security guards.
"With a single camera, or just a few cameras and video intelligence technology, you can efficiently protect hundreds of sites without a single guard in the field," said Gadi Talmon, a former Israeli intelligence officer who founded Aspectus Video Intelligence.
The Energy Department has overseen trials of a digital video surveillance software system in pilot programs throughout the United States, Middle East Newsline reported.
FBI director wants ISPs to track users

FBI Director Robert Mueller on Tuesday called on Internet service providers to record their customers' online activities, a move that anticipates a fierce debate over privacy and law enforcement in Washington next year.
"Terrorists coordinate their plans cloaked in the anonymity of the Internet, as do violent sexual predators prowling chat rooms," Mueller said in a speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Boston.
Micro chips becoming the latest medical accessory

It's a technology that's already being used on millions of pets in America. Now, micro chips are being implanted in human beings as well and this week in Las Vegas, the procedure is being performed on dozens of people attending a medical convention.
The implants are inserted into the arm. The tiny computer chips can help doctors get important medical information. The chips are incredibly small and are implanted just under the skin.
Was Jesus rich?

Christians gather around the world each Christmas to sing about "poor baby Jesus" asleep in the manger with no crib for his bed.
But the Rev. Creflo Dollar looks inside that manger, and he doesn't see a poor baby at all.
He sees a baby born into wealth because the kings visiting him gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh. He sees a messiah with so much money that he needed an accountant to track it. He sees a savior who wore clothes so expensive that the Roman soldiers who crucified him gambled for them.
Dollar sees a rich Jesus.
"He was rich, he was whole, and I use those words interchangeably," says Dollar, senior pastor of World Changers Church International, a 23,000-member College Park church, which broadcasts its services on six continents.
Head of Episcopal diocese OKs blessings for same-sex unions

HARTFORD, Conn. --Episcopal priests may give a pastoral blessing to same-sex unions in church ceremonies, the head of the diocese in Connecticut announced this weekend, reversing a long-standing policy.
Bishop Andrew Smith's decision does not allow Episcopal clergy to officiate at civil union ceremonies but permits priests, through a blessing ceremony in the church, to acknowledge gay and lesbian couples who have had a civil union granted by the state.
"At the heart of the matter is whether we as a Church will welcome and embrace, serve with and care for and bless persons who are homosexual and partnered as cherished and fully accepted members of the body of Christ," Smith said in a speech at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford at the diocese's two-day annual convention that ended Saturday. "I believe it is right to change our current policy, which prohibits our clergy from blessing same-sex relationships."
DNA database 'should include all'

Tony Blair called yesterday for the national DNA database to be expanded to include every citizen.
He said there should be no limit on the development of the database because it was vital for catching serious criminals.
Tony Blair claimed during a trip to the Forensic Science Service in London that extended use of DNA had public backing The Conservatives accused him of attempting to expand the DNA database by stealth and called for Parliament to vote on whether details of people who were innocent or not charged should be included against their wishes.
The Prime Minister said the public backed the extended use of DNA and urged police forces across the country to make use of technological advances to reopen thousands of unresolved "cold cases".
Germany in radical shake-up of military

Germany will on Wednesday adopt the most radical restructuring of its military since 1945, turning the Bundeswehr into an international intervention force, according to an internal cabinet strategy paper obtained by the Financial Times.
The paper, which will be endorsed at a special cabinet meeting in the defence ministry, is the product of a review – the first of its kind since 1994 – begun by Angela Merkel, chancellor, after she won office last November. It will see Germany’s military officially abandon its primary postwar task of defending the country’s borders in favour of a more robust role for German troops on international missions.
Middle East experts give their forecasts for the coming months in the region,

The coming months will present Israel with strategic threats from three different directions, Dr. Boaz Ganor, founder of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism told Ynetnews.
The first threat, stemming from the Shiite alliance of Iran and Hizbullah, will result in "terrible deterioration" on Israel's northern border, according to Ganor.
"The year 2007 is going to be a critical year, as the international arena will do its utmost to narrow down the nuclear capabilities of Iran. It could be done by using more affirmative sanctions, or even a military campaign," Ganor said. "And the ramification of such an attempt, even if it's only sanctions, will cause a terrible deterioration of the situation on the northern border, where Iran will use its proxy Hizbullah to retaliate against Israel, and make clear that Israel has to pay for any activities against Iran," Ganor added.
Stream of weapons to Hamas spurs Israeli plans for Gaza

TEL AVIV — Israel's military has been developing plans for a major offensive in the Gaza Strip.
"The current situation is extremely dangerous with Hamas ordering advanced systems that were used by Hizbullah in the war," a military source said. "We're not stopping the smuggling of these systems from Egypt.
"Officials said Hamas has received advanced Russian-origin anti-tank, anti-aircraft missiles and explosives over the last few weeks. They said Hamas plans to use the Iranian-supplied weapons to develop an army similar to that of Hizbullah in Lebanon.
Over the last day, at least five Kassam missiles were fired into Israel, Middle East Newsline reported.
Fatah preparing showdown with Hamas

Fatah is preparing for a major showdown with Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the Muslim feast of Id al-Fitr, Palestinian sources said on Tuesday.
The sources said that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has instructed his loyalists in Fatah and the PA security forces to be prepared for a "major security operation" in the Gaza Strip in the coming days.
They said the decision was made in the wake of the growing tensions between Hamas and Fatah and the killing of five Fatah activists and security officers over the past few days.
Pentagon: New Class Of Silent Submarines Poses Threat

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Pentagon said it believes the greatest undersea threat facing the U.S. Navy since the end of the Cold War has arrived.
The threat involves a new a new class of silent submarines -- subs that the U.S. Navy is having trouble finding under water. In this exclusive investigation, NBC4's Chuck Henry looked into one of those submarines in San Diego.
Following is a verbatim script from the on-air report.
HUCK HENRY: The threat is real. And it has the Navy so concerned that it's turning to Sweden for help. That's because the Swedes have those silent submarines.
And right now, one of them is stationed at Point Loma. Earlier this month, NBC4 had unprecedented access to the Swedish sub and its crew.
What NBC4 aired few people have ever seen and certainly not in the United States.
On the surface it looks like any other submarine, but the U.S. Navy said it could be the most dangerous sub in the world.
Resolution seeks to head off union with Mexico, Canada

A coalition spearheaded by Conservative Caucus Chairman Howard Phillips, author Jerome Corsi and activist Phyllis Schlafly is launching an effort today in support of a proposed congressional resolution that denounces any effort by the U.S. to enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada.
The resolution – sponsored by Republican Reps. Virgil Goode Jr. of Virginia, Tom Tancredo of Colorado, Walter Jones of North Carolina, and Ron Paul of Texas – expresses "the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union (NAU) with Mexico and Canada."
Phillips and Corsi, a WND columnist and author, hosted a news conference at the National Press Club this morning.
Virginia Port Authority employing RFID chips

NORFOLK, VA – The Virginia Port Authority is employing Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) chips for port security. The chips were bought from from Savi Networks and General Electric Security to protect incoming container traffic.
An RFID chip is an automatic identification marker that can be attached to or incorporated into an object for the purpose of identification using radio waves.
Security is in the Vicinity

Washington is finally walking the walk when it comes to border security. That may not be a good thing, at least according to some critics.
Knowing just who is entering the country is a critical element of the homeland security initiatives passed by Congress in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks. No one disagrees with that premise.
By 2004, Congress approved the Intelligence and Terrorism Prevention Act requiring U.S. citizens and foreign nationals crossing U.S. borders to present a passport or other documents as proof of citizenship.
Digital Angel patents glucose-sensing microchip for diabetics

Digital Angel Corp. is developing a new microchip that will help diabetics monitor their glucose levels.
The announcement sent Digital Angel's stock up 40 percent to $1.02 per share in mid-morning trading Wednesday.
The implantable microchip uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to measure and transmit data on the concentration of glucose levels in the blood. This information is a necessary part of managing diabetes, because blood-sugar levels determine how much insulin a diabetic person needs. The microchip would replace the current method of checking glucose levels: Pricking the finger to get a blood sample.
Letter: Everyone who votes should have a photo ID

As this year’s general election approaches, concerns regarding fair election laws have been a hot topic on both the state and federal levels. As a member of the Election Laws Committee in the Legislature, I feel it is important for the Commonwealth to address the issue of voter fraud and the steps we can take to prevent it rather than simply debate it in retrospect.
Although Massachusetts has not been on the national radar screen like Ohio and Florida when it comes to alleged voting irregularities, it is imperative to avoid discrepancies in order to restore overall confidence in our election systems. For these reasons, I believe the Commonwealth should require photo identification for voters in order to receive a ballot on Election Day.
Achtung! Germany drags homeschool kids to class

A Nazi-era law requiring all children to attend public school, to avoid "the emergence of parallel societies based on separate philosophical convictions" that could be taught by parents at home, apparently is triggering a Nazi-like response from police.
The word comes from Netzwerk Bildungsfreiheit, or Network for Freedom in Education, which confirmed that children in a family in Bissingen, in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, have been forcibly hauled to a public school.
"On Friday 20 October 2006 at around 7:30 a.m. the children of a home educating family ... were brought under duress to school by police," the organization, which describes itself as politically and religiously neutral, confirmed.
A separate weblog in the United States noted the same tragedy.
Greenspan says dollar now sharing stage with euro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Thursday that both private investors and central banks were shifting away from the U.S. dollar and toward the euro.
"We're beginning to see some move from the dollar to the euro, both from the private sector ... but also from monetary authorities and central banks," Greenspan told a conference sponsored by the Commercial Finance Association.
His comments pushed the dollar down, a sign that Greenspan, who retired from the U.S. central bank in January, still holds some sway in financial markets.
Researchers Crusade against American Fundamentalists

In the United States, atheists are becoming an ostracized minority. But now evolutionary biologists are trying to turn the tables: According to their argument, religion is the source of evil. Morals and selflessness are not God-given - they are the result of evolution.
When Richard Dawkins, a zoologist at Oxford University, steps up to the altar he seems visibly pleased to see the pews in the church fully occupied. In the best Queen's English, he reads from his book: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."
Today's World News:
Over 40 Shiites said kidnapped in Iraq
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 03:35 am PST
AP - More than 40 Shiites were abducted along a notoriously dangerous highway just north of Baghdad, police said Wednesday, and the death toll from a suicide bombing at a wedding party rose to 23, including nine children. Full Story 		Top

Israeli troops kill 6 Palestinians
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 03:29 am PST
AP - Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships killed at least six Palestinian militants early Wednesday in one of the military's largest strikes since it re-entered the Gaza Strip over the summer. Full Story 		Top

N.Korea confirms return to nuclear talks
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 03:45 am PST
AP - North Korea said Wednesday that it was returning to nuclear disarmament talks to get access to its frozen overseas bank accounts, a vital source of hard currency. Full Story 		Top

Hezbollah: Talks over soldiers under way
Tue, 31 Oct 2006 05:35 pm PST
AP - Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday that "serious negotiations" were under way over the fate of two Israeli soldiers whose July 12 capture by his militant group sparked a month of brutal fighting in Lebanon. Full Story 		Top

Former South Africa president dies at 90
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 03:35 am PST
AP - Former President Nelson Mandela said Wednesday that the death of P.W. Botha, the apartheid-era leader who resisted pressure to release Mandela in the 1980s, should serve as a reminder of the country's "horribly divided past." Full Story 		Top

Mourinho salutes Chelsea as Messi admits Barca on the brink
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:42 am PST
AFP - Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho saluted his side's mental strength after Didier Drogba's last gasp equalizer away to holders Barcelona produced a 2-2 draw and left the London club on the verge of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League. Full Story 		Top

Iraq parliament speaker, lawmaker feud
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:23 am PST
AP - Frustration over poor turnout in Iraq's parliament flared Wednesday, with house speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani having to be physically restrained from attacking a fellow Sunni lawmaker. Full Story 		Top

Bolivia's Morales backs off mining plans
Tue, 31 Oct 2006 10:20 pm PST
AP - President Evo Morales backed off his plan to nationalize Bolivia's mining industry, saying Tuesday that his government can't afford it for now but he still wants to eventually recover control of the nation's mineral wealth. Full Story 		Top

Congo government welcomes U.S. sanctions
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:51 am PST
AP - Congo's government on Wednesday welcomed a decision by the United States to impose sanctions on seven warlords and businessmen who are accused of fueling instability in this vast country's lawless east. Full Story 		Top

N.Korea to resume talks but no quick deal seen
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:47 am PST
Reuters - Three weeks after its nuclear test, North Korea said on Wednesday it was returning to six-party talks because Washington had agreed to discuss financial sanctions Pyongyang says drove it from the negotiating table to start with. Full Story 		Top

Second Muslim cleric joins row in Australia over women and rape
Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:45 pm PST
AFP - A second Muslim cleric in Australia has stepped into a bitter dispute over attitudes to women and rape, charging that anti-Islamic bias ensured Muslim rapists got tougher sentences than other men. Full Story 		Top






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