23 May 13
Turrialba Volcano spits massive ash and gas trail
At 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Turrialba Volcano, located east of the province of Cartago, began to spew gas and ash from two crater openings, the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori) reported.
Bernanke signals Fed to maintain stimulus efforts
Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Wednesday that the U.S. job market remains weak and that it is too soon for the Federal Reserve to slow its extraordinary stimulus programs.
Reducing the Fed's efforts to keep borrowing rates low would "carry a substantial risk of slowing or ending the economic recovery," Bernanke said in testimony to the Joint Economic Committee, a panel that includes members of the House and Senate.
Military suffers wave of 'gay' sex assaults
A recent military report on sexual assault in the military shocked many in Washington and around the nation, but a leading expert on military personnel revealed the prevalence of men assaulting other men is one of the major headlines in this study.
The Defense Department survey of sexual assault in the military during fiscal 2012 estimated 26,000 assaults took place in the armed forces.
Iran pushes ahead with new nuclear plant that worries West
Iran is pressing ahead with the construction of a research reactor that Western experts say could offer it a second way of producing material for a nuclear bomb if it decides to make one, a U.N. report showed on Wednesday.
Iran has transported the reactor vessel to the heavy water plant near the central town of Arak but has not yet installed it, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a confidential report issued to member states.
Senate: US must back Israel in case of Iran strike
The Democratic-led Senate voted 99-0 - with one senator not present - on Wednesday night, on a resolution that the United States should support Israel if it were forced to defend itself from an Iranian nuclear threat. The measure also urged Obama to strengthen enforcement of existing sanctions on Iran.
Hezbollah 'perpetuating Assad's campaign of terror'
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the militant Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah and Iran are helping perpetuate President Bashar al-Assad's "campaign of terror" in Syria.
Mr Kerry said thousands of Hezbollah fighters were contributing significantly to the violence.
He added that Iran was actively supporting Hezbollah's involvement.
Nebraska attorney general wants abortion clinic nurse's license revoked
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning on Wednesday filed a petition to revoke the license of the only nurse at a controversial abortion clinic in the state for allegedly providing substandard care and improperly administering drugs.
European banks stop sending money to North Korea: aid groups
European aid groups said their banks in Europe had stopped sending money to North Korea in the wake of U.S. sanctions on Pyongyang's main foreign exchange bank, leaving them scrambling for a solution short of hand-carrying cash into the impoverished country.
Texas Mega-Church Welcomes Islamists To ‘Global Faith Forum’
The 3,000-member NorthWood Church of Keller, T.X. is holding a “Global Faith Forum” in November. In yet another Islamist-attended interfaith event, Christians will hear from a former Saudi intelligence chief, a former director-general of Al-Jazeera, officials from U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entities and the non-Muslims who embrace them.
22 May 13
Earthquake rumbles through North Hastings
In a report by Natural Resources Canada it was confirmed that the rumbling earth and rattling windows felt by residents throughout North Hastings at 9:43 a.m. was in fact an earthquake measured at a magnitude of 5.2.
A BIG ASTEROID APPROACHES
Near-Earth asteroid 1998 QE2 is approaching the Earth-Moon system for a flyby on May 31st.
Biden: Jewish leaders drove gay marriage changes
Biden says culture and arts change people's attitudes. He cites social media and the old NBC TV series "Will and Grace" as examples of what helped changed attitudes on gay marriage.
Biden says, quote, "Think — behind of all that, I bet you 85 percent of those changes, whether it's in Hollywood or social media, are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry."
CIA source: 4th shoe about to drop
a CIA official has told a Drudge Report editor that a fourth shoe is about to drop, make that the 5th shoe in the correct count, that has Obama political operatives at the White House literally shaking in their boots. The CIA source that provided top secret information that a mega-scandal is brewing has been 100 percent reliable in the past when providing hot tips concerning the murky underbelly of Washington, D.C.
‘Multiculturalism failing’: Swedish PM pleas for order as riots engulf Stockholm suburbs
Hundreds youths hurling rocks, burning cars and smashing windows for the second day in a row in Stockholm say they are protesting against police brutality and inequality. In Sweden, critics of the multiculturalism policies lash out at immigration laws.
WHO warns Saudi coronavirus may be spreading; calls for urgent search for source
Saudi Arabia, after all, is the home of Mecca. The holy site draws roughly three million Muslims from around the world every year to the Hajj, a mass pilgrimage Muslims are meant to perform at least once in their lifetimes. As well, nearly one million international tourists travel to Mecca during Ramadan — the Muslim month of fasting — to take part in another pilgrimage called Umrah.
Tunisia: Man dies from new coronavirus after visit to Saudi Arabia
A 66-year-old Tunisian man has died from the new coronavirus following a visit to Saudi Arabia and two of his adult children were infected with it, the Tunisian Health Ministry reported.
His sons were treated and have since recovered but the rest of the family remains under medical observation, the ministry said in a statement Monday.
Top IRS Official to Plead Fifth
a bombshell was dropped into the already explosive IRS scandal when it was reported that Lois Lerner, a top IRS official in the non-profit division that paralyzed Tea Party groups with ongoing harassment, would invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer questions during Congressional testimony schedule before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
Rand Paul: My colleagues just voted to arm the allies of al Qaeda
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) blasted members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday, which voted overwhelmingly to arm elements of the Syrian opposition in a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). "This is an important moment," Paul said, addressing his Senate colleagues. "You will be funding, today, the allies of al Qaeda. It's an irony you cannot overcome."
Russia moves closer to jail terms for offending religion
Russian lawmakers on Tuesday took a step toward imposing jail terms for offending religious feelings, approving legislation proposed after punk band Pussy Riot performed a raucous protest song in Moscow's main Orthodox Christian cathedral.
Critics say the bill will give government-approved religious groups protection others lack and blur the line between church and state under President Vladimir Putin...
Unions break ranks on ObamaCare
Labor unions are breaking with President Obama on ObamaCare.
Months after the president’s reelection, a variety of unions are publicly balking at how the administration plans to implement the landmark law. They warn that unless there are changes, the results could be catastrophic.
US immigration bill passes Senate panel
A sweeping immigration bill that would offer a chance of citizenship to millions living in the US illegally has taken a stride forward in Congress.
A Senate panel voted 13-5 to back the measure, after a plan to allow people to sponsor same-sex partners for permanent legal status was withdrawn.
The full Senate will now debate the proposal next month.
Gay-Marriage Bill Faces Lords Hurdle as It Passes U.K. Commons
Prime Minister David Cameron won passage through the House of Commons of a bill legalizing gay marriage in England and Wales. It must next be approved by the upper unelected House of Lords before becoming law.
Top IRS official will invoke the Fifth Amendment in congressional hearing about tea party targeting program
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday afternoon that Lois Lerner, who heads up the Internal Revenue Service's tax-exempt division, plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in a hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs.
The Fifth Amendment provides that U.S. citizens may not be compelled to offer testimony if telling the truth would incriminate them.
Iraq crisis: Fresh bombings kill at least 23
At least 23 people have been killed in new bomb attacks in Iraq, a day after a wave of bombings across the country left at least 70 people dead.
In Tuesday's bloodiest attack, a car bomb exploded near a Sunni mosque in the west of the capital, Baghdad, killing at least 10 people.
Japan's trade deficit hits $8.6B due to weaker yen
Japan's trade deficit widened to a larger-than-expected 879.9 billion yen ($8.6 billion) in April as its weakening currency accentuated surging import costs.
Exports rose 3.8 percent from the same month a year earlier to 5.78 trillion yen ($56.3 billion), while imports jumped 9.4 percent to 6.66 trillion yen ($64.9 billion), according to preliminary figures reported by the Finance Ministry on Wednesday. Japan's trade deficit stood at 362.4 billion yen in March, just over half the size of February's gap.
North Korean leader sends 'special envoy' to China
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dispatched a high-profile official and close confidant to travel to China on Wednesday as a special envoy while Beijing is under pressure to rein in its belligerent neighbor.
Discovery of alleged Russian plot points to growing jitters
As Russia congratulated its forces for foiling an alleged Islamist plot on Moscow, the discovery of the plan also pointed to the growing security threat before the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Monday's killing of two suspected militants and arrest of a third in a sleepy town near Moscow was quickly followed by the killing of one of the leaders of an Islamist insurgency being waged in Russia's North Caucasus.
21 May 13
IDF Chief of Staff on tour at Syrian border: “If Assad impairs the situation in the Golan Heights, he will have to bear the consequences”
Lt. Gen. Gantz attended a conference marking the 25th anniversary of the University of Haifa’s defense program, and discussed the previous night’s gunfire coming in from Syria towards an IDF patrol in the Golan Heights. Lt. Gen. Gantz stated that “shots were fired three times from a Syrian patrol, so it had to be neutralized.”--Lt. Gen. Gantz warned that “if Assad impairs the situation in the Golan Heights, he will have to bear the consequences.''
Syria says destroys Israeli vehicle on its territory
Syria said its troops destroyed an Israeli vehicle that crossed into its territory from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday and warned that any attempt to violate its sovereignty would meet "immediate and firm retaliation".
Large earthquake strikes off coast of Chile
The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 has struck off the coast of Chile. The quake was recorded at 5:49 a.m. local time (EDT; 0949 GMT) Monday, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), some 600 kilometers (370 miles) from the city of Puerto Quellon. No tsunami warning was issued.
