UK - The Metropolitan Police has encouraged people to continue with their plans to attend celebrations to mark the anniversary of the end of the Second World War despite reports that British jihadis are planning to blow up the Queen during the events. The assassination plot is being orchestrated from Syria by Islamic State commanders, according to the Mail on Sunday. The newspaper reported that extremists aim to explode a bomb in central London during events to mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day - Victory over Japan - which are expected to be watched by thousands of people. Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the reported threat.
EUROPE - Greece's creditors agree on draft deal after marathon talks as Finland's foreign minister criticises the rescue and inists 'Grexit' is still the most likely outcome. Greece is closer to unlocking a fresh €86 billion (£61 billion) rescue package after the country's creditors reportedly agreed on a draft deal this weekend.
JORDAN - While military and government present a hard line against extremist sentiments, school textbooks and religious teachings remain sympathetic despite attempts at reform. In pro-Western Jordan, a leader in the fight against Islamic State militants, school books warn students they risk "God's torture" if they don't embrace Islam.
USA - Most of the viral videos these days come from the incredible stunts some people do. Or maybe from someone who’s captured just that one incredible action by a baby, or a pet. It is a fact that few prayer meeting videos fall into that category. Except one.
USA - The police and surveillance state predicted in the forward-looking 1940s classic “1984” by George Orwell, has slowly, but steadily, come to fruition. However, like a frog sitting idly in a pan of steadily-warming water, too many Americans still seem unaware that the slow boil of big government is killing their constitutional liberties.
USA - Coca-Cola, the world’s largest producer of sugary beverages, is backing a new “science-based” solution to the obesity crisis: To maintain a healthy weight, get more exercise and worry less about cutting calories. The beverage giant has teamed up with influential scientists who are advancing this message in medical journals, at conferences and through social media.
USA - Were you sickened by the Republican debate the other night? It turned out to be the most watched program on Fox News ever. A record-shattering 24 million Americans tuned in, and what they witnessed was an expertly orchestrated assault on Donald Trump. We have a system that is deeply, deeply broken and that does not reflect the will of the people. This was illustrated by one of the questions that Trump was asked during the debate…
USA - The call for help has even been issued to Jeb Bush’s seeming Democratic rival – Team Clinton. Apparently Bush operatives believe that between the two political dynasties and their many supporters among the Mainstream Media and corporate business world, the Trump threat can be quickly terminated before it grows into a legitimate challenge to the seemingly pre-determined Bush vs Clinton 2016 showdown.
USA - Zachary Hammond was on a first date when he was fatally shot by a police officer in his car during a drug bust in South Carolina, his family says. More than a week after Hammond’s death, his family’s attorney says race is almost certainly playing a role in the disconcerting silence. Unlike the victims in the highest-profile police shootings over the past year — in cities from Ferguson and Cleveland to North Charleston and Cincinnati — Hammond was white.
UK - iPhones are killing children's ability to communicate, the shadow education secretary has said as he blamed parents for not talking to their children. Tristram Hunt has also said he is concerned poor parenting is “at fault” when it comes to nurturing the “emotional development” of their children instead of letting them scroll down their smartphone.
USA - Governments have largely always despised cash. It’s almost impossible to trace, and therefore, tax. And it sustains an underground economy for drug dealers and terrorists. Never mind that there are plenty of good people in the underground economy. The government doesn’t care. They see a rat in the barn, and governments, as they are, are all too ready to burn down the barn to catch the few rats.
USA - David Stockman has long warned that the stock market is on the verge of a massive collapse, and the recent price action has him even more convinced than ever that the bottom is about to fall out. "I think it's pretty obvious that the top is in," the Reagan administration's OMB director said Thursday on CNBC's "Futures Now."
USA - If so, presidential candidates are remaining eerily quiet about what’s being described as “a huge disaster waiting to happen.” The US stock market is on the verge of a massive collapse, warned David Stockman, OMB director during the Reagan administration, on CNBC’s “Futures Now” program. He said the recent price action has him even more convinced than ever that the bottom is about to fall out.
GERMANY - Berlin's finance ministry pushes for more time as Athens says it is "nearly ready" and could vote on a deal within two weeks. Germany will not rush talks over an €86 billion rescue package for Greece as it seeks further guarantees before providing its taxpayer money to keep the cash-strapped country in the eurozone.
ISRAEL - Israel is not responsible for the lives of Iranian nuclear scientists, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said in an interview published Friday, making a less-than-veiled threat that covert assassination missions blamed on Israel could resume.