Salman had served as defense minister since 2011 and so was head of the military as Saudi Arabia joined the United States and other Arab countries in carrying out airstrikes in Syria in 2014 against the Islamic State, the Sunni militant group that the kingdom began to see as a threat to its own stability.

He takes the helm at a time when the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom and oil powerhouse is trying to navigate social pressures from a burgeoning youth population — over half the population of 20 million is under 25 — seeking jobs and increasingly testing boundaries of speech on the Internet, where criticism of the royal family is rife. Salman's ascension hands the throne to yet another aging son of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, who is thought to have had more than 50 sons from multiple wives.

Salman's health has been a question of concern. He suffered at least one stroke that has left him with limited movement of his left arm. The Saudi throne has for decades passed between Al Saud's sons. Prince Muqrin, the youngest of the sons at 69, was named crown prince in the royal court statement that announced Salman as king.

Each succession has brought the kingdom closer to a time when the next generation — Al Saud's grandsons — will have to take over. Although the family has successfully managed to close ranks throughout the years, a generational change would raise the specter of a power struggle by placing the throne in the hands of one branch at the expense of the others.

For the Israeli leader, the speech offers a powerful pre-election platform and a chance to influence the growing dispute between the White House and Congress over nuclear diplomacy with Iran. But longer term, Israel risks losing the bipartisan sheen it has long enjoyed in Washington. “Republicans seem to think there is political advantage in being seen to be more pro-Israel than the Democrats,” said Natan Sachs, an Israeli political scientist at the Brookings Institution think-tank in Washington DC. “The question though is whether Israel starts to become more of a partisan issue in the US.”

The invitation to Mr Netanyahu was made public by House Speaker John Boehner just hours after President Barack Obama threatened to veto new Iran sanctions legislation, which Republican leaders want to put up for a vote, on the grounds that it would jeopardise ongoing nuclear talks with Iran. Other foreign leaders have also weighed in on the issue. British prime minister David Cameron warned against new sanctions during a visit to Washington last week, while the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Britain and the EU wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece on Thursday that new sanctions legislation “would jeopardise our efforts at a critical juncture”.

However, the invitation for Mr Netanyahu to share his scepticism about Iran nuclear diplomacy is part of a domestic power struggle. Since the Republican victory in the November midterms, Mr Obama has tried to assert his authority by issuing executive orders on matters such as immigration. In return, Republican leaders are trying to exert influence over issues usually dominated by the White House, most notably in foreign policy.

Amid the ill-feeling between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Obama, the Israeli leader gave the impression during the 2012 US election that he would much rather see the Republican Mitt Romney in the White House. The biggest risk for Mr Netanyahu in entering the US debate on Iran is that if the nuclear diplomacy fails and the administration finds itself facing increased pressure to take military action against Tehran, a war-weary American public could blame Israel for drawing it into a new Middle East conflict.

“The key to this will be mobile phones,” he wrote. “Already, in the developing countries with the right regulatory framework, people are storing money digitally on their phones and using their phones to make purchases, as if they were debit cards.” But this will only enslave the poor into an electronic monetary system they don’t control, allowing central banks and the government unparalleled ability to confiscate money at will through taxes and “bail-ins.”

For example, after Cyprus’s largest bank was sunk from exposure to debt-crippled Greece, the Cypriot government looted people’s bank accounts in 2013 as part of a “bail-in” program with the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank. “If you can do this once, you can do it again,” financial analyst Lars Seier Christensen wrote, who called the “bail-in” full-blown socialism. “If you can confiscate 10% of a bank customer’s money, you can confiscate 25, 50 or even 100%.”

A third-world government wouldn’t even need to wait for an economic crisis to loot digital bank accounts, however, with the cashless scheme Gates proposes, officials could simply impose a tax and confiscate money automatically. And there’s no reason to believe this scheme will only be limited to the third-world; the United Kingdom has already tested digital-only payments earlier this year.

This is the second closest the world has been to midnight in the 68 years of the doomsday clock. The only closer time was two minutes till midnight in 1953 when the United States and the then-Soviet Union pursued the hydrogen bomb. Group executive director Kennette Benedict called both climate change and modernization of nuclear weaponry undeniable threats to humanity's continued existence.

During his investigation he found that there are two rounds of frying. He also discovered that dimethylpolysiloxane - a form of silicone found in Silly Putty - is used in the making of McDonald's fries along with a petrol-based chemical called tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). However, he reassures viewers that these are both safe additives used for perfectly good reasons. Dimethylpolysiloxane, which Imahara struggles to pronounce, is added for safety reasons to prevent cooking oil from foaming.

While tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is applied as a food preservative. Imahara explains that there are numerous steps involved in the creation of McDonald's fries. First potatoes are harvested from fields before being peeled, cut and blanched. They're then fired through a cutter at up to 70 miles an hour into thin sticks.

After being chiseled into the perfect shape, the strips of potato are sauced with a blend of canola oil, soybean oil, hydrongenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor, hydrolyzed wheat, hydrolyzed milk, citric acid and dimethylpolysiloxane. Dextrose - a natural sugar - is sprayed on the batons to help them maintain a golden fried color.

Sodium acid pyrophosphate is also added to prevent the fries from going grey. Last but not least, salt is sprinkled on for flavor. The fries are then flash frozen at the Simplot factory and transported to McDonald's outlets across the country. Once they are at restaurants, the potato sticks are fried for a second time. The oil blend is similar to the factory mix, with the addition of tertiary butylhydroquinone and hydrogenated soybean oil - a manufactured form of trans fat. And voila! McDonald's World Famous Fries are served.

Maiduguri is home to tens of thousands of people who have fled Boko Haram attacks and was visited on Saturday by President Goodluck Jonathan. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language, launched military operations in 2009 to create an Islamic state. Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria.

Separately, US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to arrive in Lagos on Sunday. The BBC's Chris Ewokor in Abuja says the military are carrying out co-ordinated air strikes and ground attacks against the insurgents. Maiduguri would be a major prize for Boko Haram, which last tried to take the city in December 2013.

“When the Muslim population remains at or under 2%, their presence tends to fly low under the radar. In the 2% – 5% range, Muslims begin to seek converts, targeting those they see as disaffected, such as criminals. When the population reaches 5% they exert influence disproportionate to their numbers, becoming more aggressive and pushing for Sharia law. When the population hits the 10% mark, Muslims become increasingly lawless and violent.

Once the population reaches 20%, there is an increase in rioting, murder, jihad militias, and destruction of non-Muslim places of worship. At 40%, there are “widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare.” Once beyond 50%, infidels and apostates are persecuted, genocide occurs, and Sharia law is implemented. After 80%, intimidation is a daily part of life along with violent jihad and some state-run genocide as the nation purges all infidels. Once the nation has rid itself of all non-Muslims, the presumption is that ‘Dar-es-Salaam’ has been attained – the Islamic House of Peace.”

This will sober you up:

• Mosques proliferate across the landscape at breakneck speed now at 2,200 in the USA, 80% of them preach jihad (through sermons and/or materials), and more than 95% of American Muslims attend such mosques.

• Many American Muslims send their children to Islamic schools where they are indoctrinated in hate.

• Many American Muslims have embraced Jewish-hatred, as is written in the Koran.

• There are around 22 to 35 compounds across America where Muslims receive jihad training.

• Our prisons are breeding grounds for jihadists.

• The Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated every arm of our government as well as other major institutions.

[President] Obama carries about eight Muslims on his White House staff and no one will speak a word as to why. Without a doubt, we commit national suicide by our own apathetic hands.

When a nation murders 57 million innocent babies, the state of the union is not strong.

When a nation overtaxes and overregulates and over burdens the economy and drives manufacturers and other businesses overseas and leaves 92 million Americans out of the labor force with no jobs and few prospects to get a good-paying job, the state of the union is not strong.

When a nation heaps $18 trillion of national debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren, and keeps creating more and more national debt with no end in sight, the state of the union is not strong.

When a leader says, “no challenge — no challenge — poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change,” the state of the union is not strong.

When a leader ignores the rising and existential threat of Radical Islam, the state of the union is not strong. When a leader does not take decisive action to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat, the state of the union is not strong.

When a leader does not take decisive action to crush terrorist movements like al Qaeda and ISIS, and refuses to even mention “Islam” or “Islamism” or “Radical Islam” or even “al Qaeda” is his address to the nation, the state of the union is not strong.

When the leader of the free world cannot see the gathering storm — and believes that “leading from behind” is true leadership in a world that is dark and getting darker — the state of the union is not strong.

"As Christians we are called not to lose heart or be discouraged," Francis said in a new year message to the police. Security was tightened in Saint Peter's Square in September after intelligence services intercepted a possible plan to attack the Vatican. Iraq's ambassador to the Holy See, Habib Al Sadr, at the time warned that "what has been declared by the self-declared Islamic State is clear. They want to kill the Pope."

The threats against the Pope are credible. Some worry Francis has made himself a target by speaking out against the Islamic State group and having the Holy See voice support for US air strikes in Iraq. Italy's interior minister this month said police were on high alert in key locations across Rome and around the Vatican after the Paris attacks.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) decided to target Fox News after several programs featured commentators who noted the existence of no-go Muslim-dominated areas where Islamic terror cells take root and find recruits. In response to CAIR’s criticism, Fox News has apologized, even saying the coverage of the no-go zones was offensive. It is as if the forces of the global Jihad have acquired a veto over what appears on the air on the channel.

While CAIR’s pressure was certainly a factor in the capitulation to the Muslim Brotherhood lobby, another factor could well have been the influence of the Saudi billionaire, Alwaleed bin Talal, who controls an influential number of voting shares in the Fox News parent company. We noted that Alwaleed had prompted the Fox News Channel to dramatically alter its coverage of the Muslim riots in France after he admitted calling the channel to complain.

“Truth of the matter is, for the last 25 years, it’s been a personal hobby of mine to find the Makom Hamikdash, the exact location where the Jewish Temple once stood,” he told Breaking Israel News. Inspired by the teachings of Maimonides, Moskoff has met with world renowned rabbinical and archaeological authorities in Israel as he comes closer to finding the Lost Ark. The Ark was last seen in 586 BCE when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the First Temple. What happened to the Ark remains unknown until today.

When asked about the importance of his quest, Moskoff explained his belief that in today’s world, with the worsening geopolitical situation surrounding Jerusalem, finding the Ark would ‘validate and strengthen the Jewish connection and rights to Jerusalem.’ “I discovered that when talking about the Ark, you can’t not talk about what is happening in Israel today. Every day, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are in the headlines. By discovering the Ark and even other Temple related artifacts, we can have an effect on the validation of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem,” he said.

Backed by a historical and biblical understanding, Moskoff is narrowing the gap between an important part of Jewish history and modern times. “The idea is to raise awareness and inspire people. This is just the beginning for Israel,” he said. “In the big picture of Jewish history, things are speaking up and coming to a close. We can’t deny it. Things are happening now to the Jewish people and I want to tell people, show people, that there is a great and holy future for Israel.”

In his speech, he talked of the 50 years of relations between Germany and Israel. Referencing themes addressed in Shalev's work, the Foreign Minister recalled that “war, grief, loss, peace, identity and above all home and the loss of home” characterized the starting point of relations between Germany and Israel. "By no means can we take for granted, therefore, the fact that we can celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations 70 years after the liberation of Ausschwitz. For us Germans especially, that seems miraculous."

It was possible, Steinmeier said, only because “the country of the persecuted reached out a hand to the country of the persecutors – hesitant at first, and then determined.” Furthermore, Germany had acknowledged and continued to acknowledge both its historical guilt and its current responsibility with respect to Israel’s right to exist. Today, the Minister said, the two countries were linked in close partnership and deep friendship. Steinmeier went on to describe it as “a friendship that gives us a lot to share, that demands our solidarity when Israel’s security is threatened, but that also allows us to speak frankly with one another.”

Israeli Ambassador to Germany Yacov Hadas Handelsman then also spoke about the history of German Israeli relations, saying that after emerging “from the darkest hell in history” they had developed almost unbelievably. He hoped that the series of discussions would give revealing insights into the way of life and everyday situation in the two countries.

The BBC protested that they'd been doing their best on this front for many years but - after giving themselves a lacerating self-flagellation - they promised to try even harder. I am genuinely baffled. Do their Lordships actually watch BBC TV news? What level of female representation would they deem acceptable? An absolute monopoly? If you keep half an eye on the numbers of men and women reporters/presenters on BBC TV news (I do), you can't fail to notice that men are becoming, increasingly, the disappeared.

I would bet good money that female presenters actually outnumber males now on the news department's payroll; but, even in senior reporting positions, it is not uncommon to see an unbroken succession of women reporting from war-zones, Presidential press conferences and economic forums. Feminists have been advancing an organised front on the media for more than 40 years. In the early 1970s, "Women in Journalism" became one of the earliest organisations to promote the career interests of ambitious women. It was very quickly followed by "Women in Television", "Women in Publishing", "Women in Advertising" and so on.

It's more than 20 years since a young guy who had just graduated from a media studies course told me that he was certain that his sex put him at a disadvantage in applying for jobs with the BBC (he went on to make award-winning films as an independent).

Not long later, a woman who was a senior executive at Gannett (US publishing giant) told me that women like her operated an unspoken code that put Ivy League white boys at the back of the queue for jobs.

To my certain knowledge, many women in senior positions in the media and PR have actively favoured women for appointments and promotions, justifying their sexist prejudices as some form of recompense or balancing for the past exclusions of women (as if boys born today share an ineradicable collective and personal guilt for those alleged and deeply questionable crimes). At the same time, men have been falling over themselves for almost half a century to apologise for being men and rush to help women and marginalise themselves.

If Greece goes, will Portugal be next? And if they go, why not Spain, Italy, and who knows who else? These doubts don’t just fester; they lead to capital flight that in turn aggravates the very doubts that prompted them. Greece’s precarious position in the eurozone long ago led to a withdrawal of funds from the Greek banks. The resulting illiquidity, in turn, pulled Greece into a near-fatal economic crisis. A more interventionist European Central Bank under Mario Draghi averted a crash, but the crisis hasn’t ever fully gone away. Several bailouts have been little more than patch-ups to get Greece through a few months at a time.

Anybody who does the Greek debt arithmetic (and it sometimes seems that in Berlin nobody actually does) knows that it cannot repay its external debts, now around 170% of GDP, without a level of pain that is simply beyond the tolerance of democratic societies. The leftwing party Syriza is no anomaly; it is telling the financial and political truth in the runup to Sunday’s elections, however unpleasant that may be to politicians in Berlin and Brussels.

Debt relief will not solve Greece’s economic problems, but it would open the door to a solution. The real solution involves hard work by young Greeks to open new businesses and find new export markets, and for Europe as a whole to launch an investment-led recovery by building a new, smart, 21st-century European infrastructure – one that could, for example, enable Greece’s fabled Mediterranean sunshine and wind to provide some of Europe’s low-carbon energy needs. The first step is to stop the pain.