Alabama man gets $1,000 in police settlement, his lawyers get $459,000
USA - An Alabama man who sued over being hit and kicked by police after leading them on a high-speed chase will get $1,000 in a settlement with the city of Birmingham, while his attorneys will take in $459,000, officials said Wednesday. Warren is serving a 20-year sentence for attempted murder stemming from his running over a police officer during the chase, in which he also hit a school bus and a patrol car before crashing and being ejected from his vehicle. Under the terms of the settlement of Warren's 2009 federal suit, in which he accused five Birmingham police officers of excessive force, his attorneys will receive $100,000 for expenses and $359,000 in fees, said Michael Choy, an attorney representing the officers on behalf of the city.
Stephen Harper: 'Canada will never be intimidated'
CANADA - Canadian prime minister delivers defiant message, saying shootings are a reminder that the country is not immune to terror attacks. Canada's prime minister said his nation would not be intimidated by Wednesday's gun attack in its capital but would redouble its efforts against terrorism.
In a televised address hours after MPs barricaded doors inside their parliament building as a gunman opened fire, Stephen Harper said the violence was a reminder that the country was not immune to terror attacks. "But let there be no misunderstanding, we will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated," he said. "In fact, this will lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts - and those of our national security agencies - to take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep Canada safe here at home."
He addressed the nation after a gunman shot dead a soldier guarding the national war memorial in Ottawa. The man, named by local officials as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, then moved on to open fire inside the city's parliament building.
It is truly shocking that our already huge budget deficit is still growing
UK - Much has gone right for George Osborne. The economy is still growing strongly, despite the ambient turbulence, and is easily outperforming many other similar economies. Unemployment is sliding at an astonishing speed and job creation remains buoyant. Corporate investment has risen more quickly than many sceptics had feared and the consumer debt burden has fallen.
In the main, the rebalancing between private and public sector has gone well, with swathes of GDP transferred away from the dead hand of the state. The business community, terrified of the prospect of a far-Left Labour government, has swung behind the Chancellor. But several major problems remain. Productivity remains stagnant, which is also a major reason why wages are still falling in real terms – and all of this and more is damaging the public finances. It is this latter issue that is becoming the Chancellor’s most pressing headache.
The fact that the budget deficit is increasing again, rather than falling, after years of recovery is not just a technical issue of concern to the gilt markets. It is becoming this Government’s Achilles’ Heel, a terrifying problem that could derail the Tories as they gear up for next year’s election. The latest figures are downright shocking, especially given that the economy is probably still growing by 0.7 percent per quarter, a very decent clip which ought to be generating substantial revenues for the taxman and reducing the need for welfare spending. Yet the reality is that borrowing has reached £58 billion for the first half of the fiscal year, which equates to 10 percent more than last year. This is catastrophically off-target.
Why it’s now too late for Germany to rescue the eurozone alone
EUROPE - A German stimulus package may now be too late, and too small, to revive the euro area economy, according to a report by ratings agency Standard & Poor's. The eurozone is yet again in a nasty state. As it suffers from low growth and low inflation, the two combine to make a nasty cocktail. Without much of either, unemployment remains stuck at an eye wateringly high 11.5 percent, and government debt burdens are likely to feel increasingly heavy.
'Terror is a Global Epidemic' Says FM after Wednesday Attacks
ISRAEL - Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman made a connection Thursday morning between the attacks that occurred in Jerusalem and Ottawa - both state capitals - on Wednesday. The comments were posted on his official Facebook page. "The terror attacks that took place yesterday, at almost the same time in both ends of the world, show that terrorism is a global epidemic that must be fought against with force and without compromises," Lieberman wrote.
Lieberman stressed that "terrorism is not due to construction in Jerusalem, Ottawa, New York, Madrid, London or Mombasa - but is a result of radical Islam's struggle [to take over] the Western world."
"We stand by our friends in Canada, who have demonstrated, in the last few days by joining the war against Islamic State (ISIS) and previously, in their strong support of Israel, that they do not give in to terrorism. We also will continue to stand firm and fight terrorism and terrorists."
In his remarks, Liberman referred to the terrorist attack in Jerusalem Wednesday evening, where a driver ran over a number of civilians at the Givat Hatachmoshet (Ammunition Hill) Light Rail stop. Chaya Zisel Braun, a 3-month-old baby, was killed, and 8 others were injured.
After Infant's Murder, Arabs Attack Jerusalem Kindergarten
ISRAEL - Rioters target a kindergarten in Ma'ale ha-Zeitim and the light rail station in Shuafat Thursday morning, after last night's deadly attack. A day after the tragic attack in Jerusalem, resulting in the death of an infant girl, assaults against Jewish targets by Arab extremists continue.
Masked Arabs threw rocks at a children's kindergarten Thursday morning. The kindergarten is located in the Ma'ale ha-Zeitim neighborhood next to Ras al-Amud, in eastern Jerusalem. "Jerusalem police emphasizes that it will demonstrate zero tolerance towards any incident of violence and will put its hand on anyone who disturbs public order in the city and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law," police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.
President Rivlin also spoke stating that increasing incitement, backed by the Arab leadership, could wreak havoc on the delicate fabric of life in Jerusalem. But the murderers must know that no force will move us from Jerusalem and the Land of Israel.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
USA - Don't think that Republicans are going to save the country, because they support "Free Trade" much more than Democrats do. The President is seeking Fast Track authority to allow passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, or TPP, in the first quarter of 2015. The TPP has been negotiated in secret by global corporations, and even Congress has been denied access to the proceedings! With Fast Track, the TPP will face an up or down vote with minimal debate, and require only 50.01% to pass. If passed, TPP will signal the complete end to American national sovereignty, turning over trade and economic policy-making to global bodies. TPP is a clear and present danger, and yet there is very attention being given to it.
Ultraviolet light robot kills Ebola in two minutes
USA - While vaccine makers and drug companies are rushing to bring medical interventions to the market that might address the Ebola pandemic, there's already a technology available right now that can kill Ebola in just two minutes in hospitals, quarantine centers, commercial offices and even public schools.
It's called the Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot, and it was invented by a team of Texas doctors whose company is based in San Antonio. (And no, I didn't get paid to write this. I'm covering this because this technology appears to be a viable lifesaving invention.)
The Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot uses pulsed xenon-generated UV light to achieve what the company calls "the advanced environmental cleaning of healthcare facilities." Because ultraviolet light destroys the integrity of the RNA that viruses are made of, it renders viruses "dead" (viruses aren't really alive in the first place, technically speaking, so the correct term is "nonviable"). Ebola, just like most other viruses, are quickly destroyed by UV light.
Do people know where their chicken comes from?
UK - Campaigners say chicken meat needs better labelling. How much do people really know about the life of a chicken before it reaches their plate? A long, low, metal shed, fed by large plastic drums, pipes and chimneys - to the layman it looks like a small chemical plant. Hidden in the folds of the Peak District, it's an incongruous sight. The only hint that living things are housed inside is the pungent smell from the extractor fan - like a mixture of a pet shop and manure.
The facility is not a paint or fertiliser factory. It is called Lower Farm and produces chickens. In a period of between 33 and 38 days, the chicks grow to an average weight of 2.2kg - ready to be slaughtered. Nearly all chicken meat eaten in the UK comes from a place like Lower Farm.
"This intensive chicken farming goes on behind closed doors," says Dil Peeling, campaigns director at charity Compassion in World Farming (CWF) . "It's hidden from people. They still have this image of chickens scratching around in a farmyard."
Free-range accounts for 5% and organic 1% of UK chicken production, according to the British Poultry Council. The remaining 94% comes from intensively reared birds.
US seniors face student loan debt
USA - Around the world, student debt is a financial burden for millions - and in the US, a growing number of senior citizens are still repaying the cost of their education into retirement age. In 2005, older adults owed $2.8 billion (£1.61 billion) in federal student debt. By 2013, that figure that had ballooned to $18.2 billion, according to a report released last month by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Students in the US often take out loans, both privately funded and financed by the US Department of Education, to pay their school fees. While other loans, such as a home mortgage, can be forgiven if a borrower files for bankruptcy, student loans cannot.
Emergency Agencies Practice Response To Nuclear Explosion In Times Square
USA - The New York City region’s emergency agencies are practicing for a disaster. The city’s Office of Emergency Management ran a training exercise Wednesday that simulated a response to a 10-kiloton nuclear device exploding at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Times Square, WCBS 880’s Rich Lamb reported. According to the exercise, 100,000 people were instantly killed; a wave of overpressure took down buildings for a half-mile radius and did damage for up to two miles; and a radiation cloud swept over the region. Esposito said the blast would produce an electromagnetic pulse, disrupting much of communications, Lamb reported. “What’s the message? Shelter in place, evacuate, seek medical aid. How would we do that?”
Israeli and Palestinian leaders clash over Temple Mount access
ISRAEL - Palestinian and Israeli leaders have clashed over access to the Temple Mount, as tensions in Jerusalem intensify. Both Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have ratcheted up the rhetoric on Israel over Temple Mount.
The historic and religious site for Jews and Muslims alike has been the epicentre of a spike in violent hostilities and tension. On 8 October, 3 police officers were injured in outbreaks of violence marking the opening of Temple Mount to visitors. Over the course of this weekend, the site was daubed with graffiti equating Israel with the Nazis.
This follows Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal’s incendiary remarks this week calling on Muslims to defend the al-Aqsa mosque.
Meshaal, speaking from exile in Doha, Qatar, said “We call on all our people inside the country to hurry up to al-Aqsa (Mosque on Temple Mount) to defend it.”
In response to the spout of violence, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said that “I am committed and Israel is committed to maintaining the status quo exactly as it has been for many decades,” he said on Monday. “What we’re seeing are Palestinian extremists who are instigating violence through incitement. The incitement is spread by false and baseless rumors that we are threatening the Muslim holy places. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Jordan Pressing Israel not to Allow Jewish Temple Mount Prayer
JORDAN - Jordanian ambassador to 'Palestine' reveals diplomatic war against new prayer bill, and vast financial network to Arabize Jerusalem. Jordan's King Abdullah II is pressing Israel not to pass a bill allowing Jews to exercise their religious rights and pray on the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, a senior official of the Hashemite kingdom revealed on Tuesday.
Jordanian Ambassador to "Palestine" Khalid al-Shawabka told the Palestinian Arab Ma'an News Agency that a bill proposed by MK Miri Regev (Likud) dividing prayer time at the Mount, as is done in Hevron's Cave of Machpelah, is "unacceptable," calling the Al-Aqsa Mosque (often used as a euphemism for the entire Temple Mount) and Jerusalem "red lines."
Currently the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust) has de facto control of the site and pays the salaries of local staff. Al-Shawabka further revealed the Hashemite kingdom invests 7 million dinars ($9 million) into Jerusalem developmental projects every year through the Palestinian Authority (PA) ministry of endowment. The figure is an important revelation, as the PA has no legal jurisdiction over the undivided capital of Israel - it is possible the "projects" refer to the 40,000 illegal Arab housing units in Jerusalem, which grow at a rate of roughly 800 per year.
The ambassador added that King Abdullah II himself donates $3.5 million from his own pocket to fund projects at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Under Jordan's auspices, the site has been the scene of anti-Semitic graffiti, the destruction of Jewish artifacts, and constant violent Arab rioting.
Bennett: Something New Has Begun in Jerusalem
ISRAEL - Members of the Jewish Home party welcomed on Tuesday evening the election of two new Chief Rabbis for Jerusalem. Former Israeli Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar was elected as the new Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, while Rabbi Aryeh Stern of the Halacha Brura Institute was voted in as Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi.
In a statement, Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett, one of Rabbi Stern’s main backers, said that “something new has begun in Jerusalem”. “I congratulate the newly elected chief rabbis, Rabbi Stern and Rabbi Amar, who will glorify the Torah. This is an important victory for religious Zionism in Jerusalem; we will continue to lead a line of Judaism with a connection to Israel."
Deputy Minister of Religious Services Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan said after the results of the election were announced, "We promised and we kept our promise. Jerusalem has elected a Zionist rabbi who believes in the people of Israel and the State of Israel.” “When I was elected I promised that it was time for religious Zionist rabbis to be appointed to key positions and that day has come. We believe this will have a significant impact on the image of religion in the country,” he added.
"Today we can announce to Jerusalem that we have two new rabbis who match the character of the city," said Rabbi Ben-Dahan. Deputy Education Minister Avi Wortzman also welcomed the results and said that after the tumultuous election campaign, the new chief rabbis of Jerusalem must unite and work together.
Catholic Leader: Leftists Wrote Radical Paper, Then Leaked It
VATICAN - A leftist element within the Vatican was behind a controversial church document calling for liberal attitudes toward gays, divorce and remarriage, Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, tells Newsmax TV. The liberal bishops who wrote it made a calculated gamble that it would pick up steam when they flagrantly leaked it to the press, Donohue said Tuesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show."
"It was an interim report… written by one to three people out of 265," Donohue said. "The bishops were not consulted. How did they learn of this interim report? From the media. They leaked it out to the media. The left in the Catholic Church is just like the left in our society. They gambled. They thought they were going to create this momentum — everybody has to get on board the progressive train. But the train came to a shrieking halt because the conservatives pushed back."
On Saturday, Catholic bishops — after a two-week meeting called a synod — passed a revised document that spells out the Roman Catholic Church's position on homosexuality, marriage, divorce, and sex. The document was missing passages from a draft released earlier in the week that had a surprisingly liberal acceptance of gays, unwed Catholics who live together, and remarried divorcees who want to receive Holy Communion.
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The views expressed in this section are not our own, unless specifically stated, but are provided to highlight what may prove to be prophetically relevant material appearing in the media.
