Standard & Poor’s said the €500 billion nexus of funds in the eurozone is facing serious stress, increasingly unable to generate profits since the European Central Bank cut its deposit rate to -0.02 percent and pulled down short-term rates across the spectrum of maturities.

“Pressure is building for these funds,” said Andrew Paranthoiene, the agency’s credit director. “We’re observing portfolios on a weekly basis. If there is any deviation from our credit metrics, a rating committee would determine if rating action was appropriate. In our view, any loss of capital means that the 'safety of principal’ has been breached,” he said. Standard & Poor’s rates all its European money market funds at AAA(m). Industry experts say it is unclear whether the funds could function for long at a lower rating, given the nature of their business as ultra-safe depositories of corporate cash.

Some funds have already begun to signal that they may not be able to repay investors’ money in full. BlackRock is activating a Reverse Distribution Mechanism, allowing it to repay investors fewer shares than they originally purchased in its ICS Euro Government Liquidity Fund, citing “challenging trading conditions” since the ECB cut rates.

In July 2014 Dr Shigeru Mita wrote a letter to his fellow doctors to explain his decision to move his practice from Tokyo to Okayama city in the West of Japan. In it, he appeals to their sense of duty to answer the anxieties of parents in Japan who do not believe the information coming from the authorities. He says “I must state that the policies of the WHO, the IAEA or the Japanese government cannot be trusted.” and “if the power to save our citizens and future generations exists somewhere, it does not lie within the government or any academic association, but in the hands of individual clinical doctors ourselves.”

Mita claims that all 23 districts of Tokyo are contaminated, with the eastern area worst affected – up to 4 000 Bq/kg (the becquerel is a unit of radioactivity. One Bq is the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second). These findings confirm what the nuclear physicist Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Nuclear Education found in 2012, when he picked up five random soil samples in Tokyo from between paving stones, in parks and playgrounds. The levels of contamination were up to 7 000 Bq/kg; in the US, anything registering these levels would be considered nuclear waste. While practising in Tokyo, Mita also discovered changes in the white blood cells of children under 10.

In fact, the German populace has been cautious about the country’s involvement in world affairs – particularly in regard to military policies. According to a poll conducted by the Federal Foreign Office in conjunction with the Körber-Foundation, 60 percent of the German people are against increasing Germany’s “engagement” across the globe. Thirty-seven percent are in favour of the idea. More significantly, only 13 percent of the German populace deem military missions as an appropriate foreign policy instrument.

And yet, at the Munich Security Conference in January 2014, Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen had stressed Germany’s “responsibility to engage” in international affairs. Engagement, it should be noted, constitutes a euphemism that actually refers to strengthening Germany’s military offensive capabilities. Accordingly, the German establishment magazine Der Spiegel argues that von der Leyen “seems to have actively softened the old line of German restraint in regard to foreign deployments” adding that this policy turn would “please many here” in Germany.

Those pleased by Germany’s foreign policy shift largely stem from elite circles. German Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier even acknowledged this, speaking of a “deep trench” between the German public and the foreign policy elite that should be overcome.

But the reasons are not all that obvious. True, the AfD advocates a German departure from the eurozone; but that is easier said than done. Its leader, Bernd Lucke, a professor of economics, has been one of the loudest critics of the German government’s efforts to rescue the eurozone. He is also scathing in his criticism of Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank.

The AfD only needs to create doubt to upset this equilibrium. It does not need to win an election or become part of a government. Its strategy will be to test the limits of Germany’s commitment. That strategy stands a fair chance of success. And when that happens, it will wreak havoc.

“The fact that today there are again more than 100,000 Jews living in Germany is nothing short of a miracle,” Ms Merkel said, referring to Nazi Germany’s attempted extermination of European Jewry. “It’s a precious gift which fills me with profound gratitude. Jewish life belongs in our country. It’s part of our identity and culture.”

No successful political parties in modern Europe embrace overt anti-Semitism in the way that was visible before the first world war, let alone the Nazi era. However, old popular prejudices survive, and new ethnic and religious grievances are smouldering in Europe’s cities. It is clear why Ms Merkel felt the need to speak out.

According to the Express report: “Depending on the force of the explosion, minute particles thrust beyond the earth’s atmosphere can trigger DECADES of chaotic weather patterns. Tiny pieces of debris act as billions of shields reflecting the sun’s light away from earth meaning winter temperatures could plunge LOWER THAN EVER before while summer will be devoid of sunshine.

The first effect could be a bitterly cold winter to arrive in weeks with thermometers plunging into minus figures and not rising long before next summer. The Icelandic Met Office has this week warned of “strong indications of ongoing magma movement” around the volcano prompting them to raise the aviation warning to orange, the second highest and sparking fears the crater could blow at any moment.”

The newspaper’s sensationalizing aside, Iceland’s volcanic activity might — in rational minds — serve to draw attention to the natural variables (volcanoes, ocean currents, solar activity, clouds, water vapor, etc) that dwarf the human impact on climate. CO2 is but one of many variables that affect the climate, and its effect is very slight, in comparison to many other factors. Moreover, man’s contribution of CO2, SO2, and other greenhouse gases is relatively minor, when compared to the contributions from natural sources.

Monsanto has taken over nearly 2,000 acres of the Hawaiian island to test monster corn crops engineered with the Bt toxin, a patented gene created to withstand unbelievably harsh amounts of pesticides. As a result, the island’s inhabitants have been subjected to blatant and systematic poisoning from the toxic dust of severe pesticides.

As Monsanto forges on, the people of Molokai are growing sicker. Widespread reports of disease have swept through the area, including higher instances of asthma, diabetes and cancer. While Monsanto employees work the fields with protective respirators, nearby inhabitants have no choice but to breathe in toxic dust.

We leave it to the following 139 words by Elliott's Paul Singer to conclude - which in two short paragraphs explains everything one needs to know about America's record class inequality, including precisely who is the man responsible:

“Inequality in the US today is near its historical highs, largely because the Federal Reserve’s policies have succeeded in achieving their aim: namely, higher asset prices (especially the prices of stocks, bonds and high-end real estate), which are generally owned by taxpayers in the upper-income brackets. The Fed is doing all the work, because the President’s policies are growth-suppressive. In the absence of the Fed’s moneyprinting and ZIRP, the economy would either be softer or actually in a new recession.

The greatest irony is that the President is railing against inequality as one of the most important problems of the day, despite the fact that his policies are squeezing the middle class and causing the Fed – with the President’s encouragement – to engage in the radical monetary policy, which is exacerbating inequality. This simple truth cannot be repeated often enough.”

History informs us that the Muslims did not start a war against Byzantine Rome – the possessor of Jerusalem – until after Mohammed's death. And Muslims did not enter into Jerusalem until the city surrendered in 637 AD, almost five years after Mohammed's death. On this fact, no one can debate. Islam did not reach Jerusalem until five years after Mohammed's death. Therefore, there was no mosque in Jerusalem during Mohammed's lifetime that he could have visited. Hence, whatever farthest mosque Mohammed supposedly visited could not possibly have been in Jerusalem.

The supposed al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is a historical fraud. Even by Muslim claims, the site of Mohammed's Night Journey could not have been in Jerusalem. Worse yet, Muslim scholars have to know this. They cannot possibly be ignorant of this history. There is no way they can reconcile the five-year gap. The Israeli scholar Dr Mordecai Kedar has even shown that according to Muslim documents, the Farthest Mosque was in the Saudi village of al-Gi'irranah (al-Juranah), a suburb of Mecca. But even Dr Kedar's information is not necessary. Mohammed could not have visited a mosque that did not exist in his lifetime. Once the Muslim claim to al-Aqsa falls, then other Muslim claims fall.

No one but the Jews has a genuine religious claim to the 35 acres of the Temple Mount, and anyone who has studied the history knows this. Even Christians – who do have legitimate claims to other sites in the area – do not contest the Mount. This is not arcane knowledge. It can be gleaned in a few minutes of relatively light reading.

Yet our media deceptively hides this from the public. If our media would only expose the fraud, an iota of reason might enter some Muslim minds, and they might back off an indefensible position – albeit highly unlikely. The Muslims will probably fight over this, if they remain convinced of the al-Aqsa lie. It is about time someone confronted the Muslims, and disabused them of lies perpetrated by their own clerics. At the very least, the media should stop referring to it as al-Aqsa and refer to it as the Southern (in reference to the location on the Mount) Mosque. Our media will be culpable if they do not point out this out.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute explained why they chose the novel approach of fund raising through crowd funding: "We are constantly looking for ways to include as many people as possible in our mission to rebuild the Holy Temple. This is not about one group or organization, it's about bringing about a spiritual reunification of mankind, today with the help of the internet our message is resonating across the globe."

Even the state’s mighty almond business, which has become a powerhouse in recent years, is coming in smaller than expected. That’s particularly troubling to the thousands of farmers who sacrificed other crops in order to keep their almond orchards watered. Rising commodity prices have helped cushion at least some of the pain, but more hurt could be on the way. With rivers running low and groundwater overtaxed, the situation could get far worse if heavy rains don’t come this winter.

Craig Ledbetter of Vino Farms, a Lodi grape producer, had enough water this year but said he’s afraid he’ll receive “curtailment notices” from the state signaling significant cutbacks in next season’s water supply.

“I’m very nervous about water,” said Ledbetter, who also raises wine grapes in Sonoma County. “If we don’t have a rainy winter, I can pretty much guarantee we’re all going to be receiving curtailment notices. If that happens, we’re going to be concerned about keeping the vine alive rather than harvesting it.”