Rapture Ready News

02 Sep 10

Ashton: Result of direct talks critical for entire region
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton welcomed the launch of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on Thursday in Washington. She said that the results of the talks will not only be critical for the two parties, but for the entire region and beyond. Ashton again condemned Wednesday's West Bank shooting attack.

Obama: Direct Talks Will 'End the Occupation'
U.S. President Barack Obama announced Wednesday afternoon he is optimistic his team would succeed in jumpstarting direct talks aimed at ending Israel’s “occupation” and leading to formation of a new Palestinian Authority country.

Sheriff: Mexican Cartels Control Parts of Arizona
The federal government has posted signs along a major interstate highway in Arizona, more than 100 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, warning travelers the area is unsafe because of drug and alien smugglers, and a local sheriff says Mexican drug cartels now control some parts of the state.

Dr. Kedar Warns: Iran May Take Over Persian Gulf
Arab states in the Gulf believe that Iran's saber-rattling and aggressive statements towards Israel are actually a decoy, aimed at shifting the focus from its real purpose, a full takeover of the oil and gas-rich Persian Gulf.

Judge rules against U.S. government on oil drilling
A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the U.S. government's request to dismiss an industry lawsuit challenging its deepwater oil and gas drilling moratorium, dealing another blow to the Obama administration.

PA official vows: 'We will hit Hamas with an iron fist'
Palestinian Authority security forces have vowed to arrest Hamas members and bring order to the West Bank, according to a Thursday report by London daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

EU's Ashton meets Chinese foreign minister
The Beijing meeting with Yang came a day after she took part in the inaugural EU-China High-Level Strategic Dialogue in the southwestern city of Guiyang -- a forum intended to keep the two sides in contact on major issues.

Series of Miracles Saves Terror Attack Target
Only now that I am out of it, I can recount about ten miracles that happened to us in the space of about five minutes, with praise and thanks to G-d.”

PA Minister Threatens War over Jerusalem
The Palestinian Authority religious affairs minster, a week before peace talks in Washington, warned of war if Jerusalem is not “returned” to “its owners. And we are its owners."

Barak: Israel May Divide Jerusalem, Internationalize Holy Basin
Defense Minister Ehud Barak says it is likely that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will agree to divide Jerusalem with the Palestinian Authority.

Peres, Pope to Discuss Peace Talks
President Shimon Peres plans to meet Thursday with Pope Benedict XVI in Italy. The two are to discuss the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Netanyahu to Abu Mazen: "You're My Partner for Peace"
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) are making last-minute preparations for the much-touted direct talks, set to begin at 5 PM Israel time (10 AM in Washington).

Ben Bernanke to appear before financial crisis hearing
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is set to appear before a panel investigating the financial crisis to give his take on the meltdown and his views on potential system-wide risks posed by large financial institutions. Bernanke led the economy through the tumultuous months of the most severe recession since the 1930s, as the Federal Reserve took extraordinary measures to inject hundreds of billions into the battered financial system.

Settlers defy peace talks with new construction across West Bank
Hours before peace talks were set to begin in Washington, Jewish settlers defiantly announced plans on Thursday to launch new construction in their West Bank enclaves in a test of strength with Palestinian Islamists. Naftali Bennett, director of the settlers' Yesha council, said settlers would begin building homes and public structures in at least 80 settlements, breaking a partial government freeze on building that ends on September 26.

Island evacuations start as Earl nears East Coast
Hurricane Earl steamed toward the Eastern Seaboard early Thursday as communities from North Carolina to New England kept a close eye on the forecast, worried that even a slight shift in the storm's predicted offshore track could put millions of people in the most densely populated part of the country in harm's way. Vacationers along North Carolina's dangerously exposed Outer Banks took advantage of the typical picture-perfect day just before a hurricane arrives to pack their cars and flee inland, cutting short their summer just before Labor Day weekend.

Stephen Hawking: God did not create Universe
There is no place for God in theories on the creation of the Universe, Professor Stephen Hawking has said. He had previously argued belief in a creator was not incompatible with science but in a new book, he concludes the Big Bang was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics. The Grand Design, part serialised in the Times, says there is no need to invoke God to set the Universe going.

01 Sep 10

Floods in south Sudan leave nearly 60,000 homeless
Floods have displaced nearly 60,000 people in the last month in south Sudan with many at risk of malaria and other diseases, the semi-autonomous region's government said Tuesday. The crisis is another hurdle for the war-ravaged south ahead of a referendum on independence in January, which some analysts fear will be hindered by a worsening humanitarian situation with almost half the region's 8 million population short of food.

NY temple plot suspect: I'll kill 10 million Jews
A man accused of plotting to bomb New York synagogues and shoot down military planes ranted against Jews and mused about "taking down" targets in the United States, according to audio tapes played Monday at his federal trial.-"Muslims want to take the US down," Cromitie says on one tape played for the jury. "Believe me, we can do it with our regular Muslims here." On tape, Hussain advises Cromitie that to be a good Muslim, he can't kill out of anger toward Jews. However, he says, dying for "the cause" of Islam is righteous. "It must be in jihad," he says.

Hints Of Change In The World Monetary System
An expanded IMF stabilization fund--one that's not just geared toward developing nations but toward protecting the whole world from financial turmoil could evolve into a true international lender of last resort. And giving a multilateral body like the IMF more power at the expense of the U.S. would surely be preferable to having another, potentially less benign superpower simply takeover the reins. The dollar is still king. But times are changing. It's in everybody's interest to design an international framework before the next big crisis erupts."

UN: Global food prices highest in 2 years
International food prices have risen to their highest level in two years, fueled in part by a drought in Russia that lifted the cost of wheat, a U.N. agency said Wednesday. The Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its food price index shot up 5 percent between July and August. But that was still 38 percent down from its peak in June 2008.

Mexico, US open joint office to combat drug gangs
US officials in the new office would not carry out intelligence or operations work, in compliance with Mexican law, the statement added.

Israel Considers Underwater Gas Exports to Greece, EU
Israel is considering construction of an underwater gas pipeline to export natural gas to Europe and Greece... Turkey, a nation that once would have been considered a natural partner in such an endeavor, and a rival with Greece, is not being considered for the project.

Cave of Patriarchs to remain open 24/7
For past 16 years, holy site closes to public at 10 pm. Following special request, Cave of Patriarchs will remain open around the clock during 10 days of repentance between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

Mitchell: Window of opportunity for 2-state solution
US Mideast envoy briefs reporters on upcoming Israel-PA talks, mentions poll showing over 80 percent of Arabs polled are still in principle open to two-state solution.

Church Leaders Press Obama on Mideast Peace Talks
“We fully support your goal of ending the occupation that began in 1967 and achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace with a viable Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security,” stated the leaders, which included the heads of the National Council of Churches, the Reformed Church in America, the National Baptist Convention of America, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

EU's Ashton condemns Israel shootings, blames on "enemies of peace"
'With this unacceptable attack, the enemies of peace have tried to derail the Middle East peace talks. But we are determined not to let these enemies of peace have their way,' Ashton said in a statement.

Barak to Haaretz: Israel ready to cede parts of Jerusalem in peace deal
Ehud Barak has always vacillated between peace and security, dovishness and hawkishness, left wing and right wing. Even when he left south Lebanon, offered the Golan Heights to Hafez Assad and the Temple Mount to Yasser Arafat, he didn't do this as a bleeding heart. He always spoke forcefully, talked about the importance of sobriety. He always spoke about how Israel must survive in a jungle. It must do so even now, on the eve of the peace summit in Washington.

US Federal Reserve mulls further debt purchases
The US Federal Reserve will buy up more debt if the outlook worsen "appreciably", minutes from its August meeting have revealed. The central bank preferred to purchase US government bonds, but did not rule out buying further mortgage debts. The Fed has already bought $1.4tn (£910bn) of mortgage debt in its efforts to stimulate the economy.

China begins military exercises in Yellow Sea
The Chinese navy has begun artillery exercises in the Yellow Sea, days before the US and South Korea hold similar manoeuvres there. State media called the drills "annual routine training, mainly involving the shooting of shipboard artillery". China opposes the joint US-South Korea exercises, the latest of which begins on 5 September.