UK - Tony Blair has warned Western leaders they must put aside their differences with Russia over Ukraine to focus on the threat of Islamic extremism. In a speech the former UK prime minister - now a Middle East envoy - said powerful nations must "take sides" and back "open-minded" groups. Ahead of the speech, Mr Blair also warned the West would pay a "very heavy price" for not intervening in Syria. He said the opportunity to create "an optimistic solution" had been missed. The former PM - now envoy for the quartet of the UN, EU, US and Russia - said in his speech that Western leaders must "elevate the issue of religious extremism to the top of the agenda".
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - Thousands of Christians have gathered in Jerusalem to light torches and candles from a holy flame that 'miraculously' emerged from the tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the eve of Orthodox Easter. The Holy Fire ignites, apparently of its own accord, from the tomb of Jesus Christ at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It has been descending on the church for more than 1,500 years and it is believed that the year in which it doesn’t light will be the last year in the history of man. The fire descends on Jerusalem during a prayer by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine, who then passes the flame to pilgrims. The pilgrims light 33 candles –that have all been tied together - from the fire to symbolize every year of Christ’s life. As the fire doesn’t burn during the first moments after its appearance, pilgrims wash their faces and heads in it, apparently suffering no injury.
UK - Some were more powerful – in one case, dozens of times stronger – than the atom bomb blast that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945 with an energy yield equivalent to 16 kilotons of TNT. Most occurred too high in the atmosphere to cause any serious damage on the ground. But the evidence was a sobering reminder of how vulnerable the Earth was to the threat from space, scientists said. The impacts were recorded by the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, which operates a global network of sensors set up to detect nuclear weapon detonations. None of the asteroids were picked up or tracked in advance by any space or Earth based observatory.
EUROPE - 'The EU: The Truth About The Fourth Reich - How Hitler Won The Second World War' argues the single currency, the free market and even the phrase "United States of Europe" were all dreamt up by high ranking Nazis, including the Fuhrer himself. It also claims the only country which benefits from the EU is Germany - just as Hitler planned.
GERMANY - If there are two qualities prized by modern Germans, they surely are Ruhe (peace and quiet) and Ordnung (order). So the past few months have been profoundly unsettling. First, the United States — the very power that helped Germany to its feet after 1945 and instilled democracy in the ruins of Hitler’s Reich — was found to be a less than transparent ally. The National Security Agency, riding roughshod over concepts of privacy and individual freedom treasured by Germans, had collected huge amounts of electronic data from ordinary citizens and had even spied on the chancellor, Angela Merkel.
USA - Boasting more back channels and revolving doors with national and regional governments than most other companies on the planet, Monsanto is used to getting its way. With the direct assistance of the US government and diplomatic services, the company goes from strength to strength, regardless of its myriad scandals. Present in more than 80 countries around the world, Monsanto is now the world’s leading manufacturer of GM seeds. Its main competitors include the German agribusiness and chemical behemoths Bayer, Syngenta and BASF, and US chemicals titan Dow.
USA - Man-made air pollution kills millions of people every year, but a new study suggests that poor air quality in India and China could be contributing to extreme weather patterns in the US and Canada. The study by researchers at Texas A&M, the first of its kind to focus on smog in Asia, found that air pollution originating in the region almost certainly affects global weather patterns.
USA - Clean and affordable water is the basis of life. Skyrocketing water prices, unsafe supply, failing infrastructure — these problems fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable among us. This is why public institutions, not private corporations, must lead the development of water systems and delivery. The World Bank Group is uniquely positioned to increase access to clean water for the billions who need it. Instead of using its position to line the pockets of water companies, it should support what is most needed: affordable and clean — and public — water for all.
EUROPE - On Sunday, 4 March, thirteen European countries joined with the European Sunday Alliance, made up of various types of unions, associations of civil society, together with Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox communities, all together to confirm the special and fundamental characteristic of Sunday.
VATICAN - Easter services today are expected to kick off a record-breaking week at the Vatican. Two beloved modern popes — John Paul II and John XXIII — are to be canonized at the Vatican next Sunday by Pope Francis. There will be services all week, which could draw the most pilgrims ever to the Catholic capital. John Paul II is remembered for helping to bring down communism and for inspiring a generation of Catholics. Many now call him “The Great,” only the fourth pope to have earned the moniker.
USA - The US is dominated by a rich and powerful elite. So concludes a recent study by Princeton University Professor Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Professor Benjamin I Page. This is not news, you say. Perhaps, but the two professors have conducted exhaustive research to try to present data-driven support for this conclusion. Here's how they explain it: Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.
ALASKA - Two earthquakes, a magnitude 5.5 and a magnitude 5.4, struck near the Red Dog Operations zinc-lead mine in remote northwest Alaska, the US Geological Survey said. It said the quakes, which struck minutes apart, were centered just a few miles (km) southeast of Red Dog Mine, the world's largest producer of zinc, which is operated by Canadian mining company Teck Resources. The quake was extremely shallow, the USGS said.
MEXICO - A powerful earthquake struck Mexico on Friday, shaking buildings in the capital and sending people running out into the street, although there were no early reports of major damage. The magnitude 7.2 quake was centered in the southwestern state of Guerrero, close to the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Some residents of the capital ran outdoors in their pajamas after the quake. Electricity was cut off in parts of the city and some residents said paintings fell off the walls while small parts of masonry crumbled inside apartment buildings.
SOUTH AFRICA - Farmworkers on commercial farms could own half of the farms according to a new proposal government was considering, Rapport said on Sunday. The proposal meant expropriating half of every commercial farm in South Africa and handing it over to farmworkers, according to the report. The newspaper was in possession of a document named "Final Policy Proposals for Strengthening the Relative Rights of People Working the Land", which was discussed with agricultural organisations on Monday. AgriSA deputy president Theo de Jager said it was unworkable and probably unconstitutional. "They could possibly lead to disinvestment in the sector and also threaten food security," he was quoted as saying.
POLAND - Russian President Vladimir Putin's destabilization of Ukraine has reminded the Polish people that they can only ward off Russian aggression by strengthening their ties to NATO and their own military, Poland's defense minister said at the Pentagon Thursday. "The events of the recent months and the aggressive policy taken by Russia made Poles realize that things must not be taken for granted," Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak replied when asked if his country fears a Russian invasion. "So, our response to the current situation is that we want to watch our interests and we are making a significant effort to modernize our armed forces. We really care for the alliances and we want Poland to be as close to the West as possible, cooperating with NATO and with the United States, and there is no other way for us to guarantee our own security."
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
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