The hard-line Iranian Revolutionary Guards began naval maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, more than a week after the western Allies dispatched more warships to the strategically critical choke point in the Persian Gulf.

Iran plans to conduct war games in the strait for the next month, coming at a time of already heightened tension with the US and its European allies over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. At the end of January, Washington deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, which was accompanied by two British and French warships.

Tehran has threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, the route for one-fifth of the world’s crude oil, in response to EU and US sanctions against its oil exports. Washington has vowed to keep the Persian Gulf open to international trade.

If you are out in public and you attempt to keep snoopers from peeking at your computer screen, then according to the FBI they should gather as much information about you as they can and they should report you to the authorities immediately. If this seems completely and totally ridiculous to you, then you are not alone. Millions of Americans have become deeply concerned about the constantly expanding definition of “suspicious activity” in the United States.

Sadly, the federal government is now engaging in an all-out attempt to have us all spy on one another. All over America, the Department of Homeland Security is running ads promoting the “See Something, Say Something” campaign. They even had 8,000 stadium workers at the Super Bowl this year go through special training on how to spot potential terrorists. So the next time you see a hot dog vendor, keep in mind that he might also be part of a special anti-terrorism task force.

The warnings were distributed last week by Israeli security officials said ABC News, which published over the weekend what it said was text from several documents sent from Israeli consulates. "We predict that the threat on our sites around the world will increase … on both our guarded sites and 'soft' sites," one letter quoted by ABC News said. Another document said that “In the past few weeks, there has been an escalation in threats against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world. Open source has reported many demonstrations against Israel are expected to be concentrated on Israeli embassies and consulates.

Such demonstrations have occurred internationally as well as domestically. These demonstrations could potentially turn violent at local synagogues, restaurants, the Israeli Embassy and other Israeli sites. … Law enforcement should be vigilant when making periodic checks at all Jewish facilities.” A third document said that “there is a possibility that forged passports will be used in order to pass as Israeli citizens at the security checks in Israel and around the world. Israeli security authorities may consider an Israeli citizenship as a [criterion] to proceed with a more lenient security check in secure sites such as airports, etc.”

Security levels have been raised at Israeli institutions in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other cities as well.

Mr Cameron and his wife Samantha will attend a state dinner hosted by Mr Obama and First Lady Michelle, with the White House stressing the “strong personal bond” between the leaders and their families. The visit comes after Downing Street said British troops will step back from their lead combat role in Afghanistan by the end of next year under plans drawn up by the Nato-led international alliance.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has confirmed that American troops will also shift to a support role, although they will remain “combat ready”. A White House spokesman said: “The visit will highlight the fundamental importance of the US-UK special relationship and the depth of the friendship between the American people and the people of the United Kingdom, as well as the strong personal bond that has developed between the two leaders and their families.”

“It will also be an opportunity to recall the valour and sacrifice of the US and British armed forces and their long tradition of standing shoulder to shoulder beside each other in defence of our liberties and shared values. The visit will underscore the strength of our economic links, which contribute to millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.”

The US, she said, would work with "friends of a democratic Syria" to support opponents of Syria's president. The vetoing of the resolution drew an angry reaction from around the world. "What happened yesterday at the United Nations was a travesty," Mrs Clinton said in strongly worded remarks during a visit to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

"Faced with a neutered Security Council, we have to redouble our efforts outside of the United Nations with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people's right to have a better future," she said, the Associated Press news agency reported. "We will work to expose those who are still funding the regime and sending it weapons to be used against defenceless Syrians, including women and children," she said.

Human rights groups and activists say more than 7,000 people have been killed by Syrian security forces since the uprising began in March. The UN stopped estimating the death toll in Syria after it passed 5,400 in January, saying it was too difficult to confirm. The government says at least 2,000 members of the security forces have been killed fighting "armed gangs and terrorists".

The disclosures sparked fury among MPs and campaign groups who question BBC impartiality. Details of the financial handouts were disclosed in a letter to Conservative MP Karl McCartney who obtained the information through a Parliamentary Question. Ukip MEP Paul Nuttall, said: “The old joke that the BBC is the Brussels Broadcasting Corporation may be true after all.”

Questions have been raised about the uncritical tone of the BBC’s EU coverage. David Cameron’s historic veto of an EU treaty at the end of last year was reported from the perspective of Brussels – rather than the British taxpayers who pay the wages of the BBC’s vast army of correspondents and executives. In 2010 Jonathan Charles, the BBC’s former Brussels correspondent, admitted he and the BBC got carried away by the launch of the euro in 2002.

And Eurosceptic think-tank Global Britain found that over the past six years just 0.04 per cent of coverage on Radio 4’s Today programme was devoted to the potential benefits of withdrawing from the EU.

There will be hundreds of new millionaires, we hear, and several new billionaires, too. But in all this hysteria about the vast sums involved, has anyone thought to question what exactly Facebook is selling? The answer is both obvious and sinister: YOU.

Terrifyingly, the social networking site turns you into a product. IT MAKES YOUR FRIENDSHIPS, MARRIAGES AND CHILDREN INTO A PRODUCT. Facebook tells its users: ‘It’s free and always will be.’ Now consider this bit of wisdom: ‘If you’re not paying, you’re not the customer; YOU’RE THE PRODUCT.’

The site, founded by famously low-key American Mark Zuckerberg — has always presented itself as a sort of altruistic social service. Its tagline reads: ‘Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life.’ Now that sounds fairly harmless. What sort of curmudgeon could object to connecting and sharing? In actual fact, though, Facebook is a gigantic, and really quite frightening, advertising scam. Its business model is to collect information about individual consumers (you) and sell that information back to advertisers.

These advertisers include global brands such as Coca-Cola and Blockbuster. They are seeking to extend their domination across the globe — and Facebook has provided a brilliant way of reaching ‘consumers’ all over the world, without having to go to the expense of putting up bill boards or buying ads in glossy magazines. Facebook can be compared to an advertising executive walking into the pub, sitting between you and your friend, and flashing ads at you while you chat.

Tom Hodgkinson writes: "In my opinion, everyone who signs up for Facebook is a fool. You have volunteered to hand over key marketing information about yourself to an American company that is going to profit from it hugely. Facebook has 845 million users worldwide, and each is asked to provide information on their spending habits. This they willingly do. Users also upload photographs of themselves. ALL THIS INFORMATION BECOMES THE PROPERTY OF FACEBOOK AND IS STORED ON THEIR DATABASES."

News that Facebook’s Timeline feature — which will expose people’s entire history on the site — is to become mandatory has sparked criticism that users’ privacy will be further compromised.

Panetta sees a ‘strong possibility’ of an Israeli strike on Iran in either April, May or June, according to Thursday’s Washington Post. The attack would occur before Iran enters a so-called ‘immunity zone’, when its nuclear facilities will be too heavily fortified for an attack to succeed. Post columnist’s David Ignatius, who broke the story, believes the overriding fear in Israel is that Iran has come close enough to making a nuke that only the USA will be capable of militarily stopping them.

Ignatuis was once called “mainstream media’s chief apologist for CIA crimes” by Johns Hopkins’ Melvin A Goodman over the former’s support for US intelligence and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Panetta and the Pentagon declined to comment on the Post’s piece, though Reuters has anonymous confirmation from the White House of the Defense Secretary’s position.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Friday worshippers that “threatening and attacking Iran” would only harm the United States. “In response to threats of oil embargo and war, we have our own threats to impose at the right time," according to the Jerusalem Post. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak also announced late on Thursday that a “nuclear Iran will be more complicated to deal with, more dangerous and more costly in blood than if it is stopped today. Whoever says later might find that it will be too late,” Barak added.

The group, based in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, said it was disappointed with the decision and would appeal. HOTS Bath said its vision was to promote Christian healing "as a daily lifestyle for every believer".

'False hope'

The ASA said the leaflet read: "Need Healing? God can heal today! Do you suffer from Back Pain, Arthritis, MS, Addiction... Ulcers, Depression, Allergies, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, Paralysis, Crippling Disease, Phobias, Sleeping disorders or any other sickness? We'd love to pray for your healing right now! We're Christian from churches in Bath and we pray in the name of Jesus. We believe that God loves you and can heal you from any sickness." The ASA said it had been alerted to the adverts by a complainant, and concluded that they could encourage false hope and were irresponsible.

HOTS Bath said: "It seems very odd to us that the ASA wants to prevent us from stating on our website the basic Christian belief that God can heal illness." The group said it had tried to reach a compromise, "but there are certain things that we cannot agree to - including a ban on expressing our beliefs".

Nick Clegg last night expressed concern that the US and Israel would ‘take matters into their own hands’ and launch a military strike against Iran. The West fears that Iran will equip its missiles with nuclear devices. Defence sources in Tel Aviv predicted there could be a strike against the Iranian regime as early as this summer. Yesterday Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: ‘I worry that certain countries might take matters into their own hands.’ Iran insists it is developing atomic technology for civilian purposes.

Military chiefs in Israel announced that Tehran had stockpiled enough enriched uranium to produce four nuclear bombs. Asked if he was concerned that Israel would attack Iran, the LibDem leader said: ‘Of course I worry that there will be a military conflict and that certain countries might take matters into their own hands.’ He said Britain had been attempting to demonstrate that ‘there are very tough things we can do which are not military steps in order to place pressure on Iran.’

Last week the European Union agreed to tougher economic sanctions, including an embargo on Iranian oil exports, over its failure to abandon its nuclear programme. Iran threatened to retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, which channels one-fifth of the world’s crude oil, prompting Britain to warn it would send military reinforcements to the Gulf if the international waterway was blocked. The Royal Navy already has five ships there with HMS Daring, one of its sophisticated new Type 45 destroyers, on its way.

Mr Clegg refused to speculate if Britain would ‘participate’ in military action. But he said: ‘Of course, in a situation like this you don’t take any options off the table. When you are involved in a major standoff with a country which appears to have a... hostile intent on these issues, of course you don’t do that.’

Assembling a bomb would take up to a year, Kochavi estimated. With 100 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20 percent grade and another 4 tons of uranium enriched to 3.5 percent already in stock, Iran would need another two years to make four nuclear bombs.

Therefore, by the end of 2012 or early 2013 Iran may have a single nuclear bomb, but by 2015 the figure would jump to four or five.

The officer was essentially amplifying the words of his predecessor, Major General (retired) Amos Yadlin, who said on January 26 that as long ago as 2007 or 2008, Iran had already passed the point of no return in developing nuclear weapons. Kochavi agreed with him that none of the sanctions imposed thus far had persuaded Iran to slow down, least of all shut down, its drive for a nuclear weapon. His comments coincided with the findings published Thursday by the Enterprise Institute, an American think tank, that Iran would be able to manufacture a 15-kiloton nuclear bomb as soon as August of this year, just seven months from now.

Also Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon disclosed that the big blast at the Iranian missile base near Tehran last November blew up a new missile system with a range of 10,000 kilometers, capable of targeting the United States.

Commenting on Iran's underground bunkers for nuclear facilities, the minister stressed that any facility built by man can be destroyed by man. "Speaking as a former chief of staff, I say none of Iran's installations are immune to attack," he said.

Acknowledging its insufficient planning, TEPCO began replacing older pipes with new, plastic versions to prevent further leaks, while all leaks discovered so far have been stopped. Many of the cooling system’s pipes are exposed to the outside – and can run for several kilometers without insulation.

Some of the plant’s workers reportedly informed TEPCO’s managers about the possibility of such a problem during the summer. “It was predicted that the pipes would freeze and cause water leakage,” said one TEPCO employee cited in fukushima-diary.com. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was damaged by a devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last March. Radiation leakage forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes in and around the Fukushima region in central Japan.

At the closing day of the Herzliya Conference, Ya’alon referred to the many tools at the international community's disposal that could serve to slow down or stop Iran’s advancement toward nuclear weapons capability: international pressure, economic sanctions, support of Iranian opposition, and military actions. Speaking of the possibility of a military strike of Iran’s nuclear facilities, the vice PM said that “the West has the ability to strike, but as long as Iran isn’t convinced that there’s a determination to follow through with it, they'll continue with their manipulations.”

“The Iranians believe that a determination isn’t still there, both in regards to military action and in regards to sanctions,” Ya’alon said, adding that “any facility protected by humans can be infiltrated by humans. It’s possible to strike all Iran’s facilities, and I say that out of my experience as IDF chief of staff.” The vice PM’s comments seem to counter reported remarks by US defense officials quoted last week by the Wall Street Journal, according to which the Pentagon was not in possession of conventional arms strong enough to destroy all of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Ya’alon reiterated the Israeli stance that a nuclear Iran was a global threat, saying that “if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, it would be a nightmare for the free world, a nightmare for Arab states... and of course a threat to the State of Israel.” The former IDF chief also indicated that an explosion which virtually destroyed an Iran Revolutionary Guard missile base near Tehran late last year targeted a system “getting ready to produce a missile with a range of 10,000 kilometers, thus threatening the United States.”

“The Iranian threat is not a case of Iran vs Israel. Israel has never declared war on Iran, but the Khomeinistic regime has declared total war on the States of Israel’s very existence,” Ya’alon added, saying that Iran was interested in repelling a perceived western hegemony around the world and not just in the Middle East.

The crackdown comes as Iranian authorities are struggling to stabilize the rial, which has nosedived amid announcements of new US and European sanctions against Iran’s central bank and oil exports. As a warning to speculators, several money changers working on the streets of central Tehran have been arrested by undercover police officers pretending to desperately seek foreign currency.

In addition, the chief of Iran’s judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, threatened Wednesday to seek the death penalty for major speculators. Speaking about the unrest in the foreign-exchange markets, he warned that “depending on the importance of their crimes, some of the economic corrupted can face execution,” the semiofficial Mehr News Agency quoted him as saying in a meeting with judicial officials on the currency crisis. The government has also announced that special branches of state banks will be set up at Iran’s international airports, where travelers leaving the country will be able to purchase up to $1,000 in foreign currency — after passing through passport and customs controls — and take it with them abroad.

The rial was already losing ground to the dollar and the euro during months of increasing threats of war and further sanctions against the country, analysts said. But after President Obama signed off on new measures against Iran’s central bank on December 31, the currency fell to unprecedented lows. Since then, it has lost nearly half its value on the black market. The market rate for the dollar now stands at about 18,800 rials, compared with an official exchange rate of about 11,500 rials to the dollar. In December, the market rate was about 12,500 rials to the dollar. Even at the official rate, the rial’s value has fallen sharply since December 1, when it theoretically took only about 7,400 rials to buy a dollar.

The following are 20 signs that Europe is plunging into a full-blown economic depression...

#1 The unemployment rate for those between the ages of 16 and 24 is 28 percent in Italy, 43 percent in Greece and 51 percent in Spain.

#2 Overall, the unemployment rate for those under the age of 25 in the EU is 22.7 percent.

#3 Citigroup is projecting that the economy of Portugal will shrink by 5.7 percent this year.

#4 The total of all forms of debt in Portugal (government, business and consumer) is equivalent to 360 percent of GDP.

#5 The Greek “recession” is now entering a fifth year.

#6 The Greek economy shrank by 6 percent during 2011.

#7 It is being projected that the Greek economy will shrink by another 5 percent during 2012.

#8 The overall unemployment rate in Greece is now 18.5 percent.

#9 In Greece, 20 percent of all retail stores have been permanently shut down.

#10 The number of suicides in Greece rose by 40 percent in just one recent 12 month time period.

#11 According to the IMF, the amount of debt accumulated by the Greek government is equal to approximately 160 percent of GDP.

#12 In total, there are now more than 5 million unemployed workers in Spain.

#13 Bad loans in Spain recently reached a 17-year high.

#14 The overall unemployment rate in Spain is now a whopping 22.8 percent.

#15 The number of property repossessions in Spain has risen by 32 percent over the past year.

#16 When the maturing debt that the Italian government must roll over in 2012 is added to their projected budget deficit, the total comes to approximately 23.1 percent of Italy’s GDP.

#17 Manufacturing activity in the euro zone has fallen for five months in a row.

#18 The UK economy actually contracted during the 4th quarter of 2011.

#19 The German economy actually contracted during the 4th quarter of 2011.

#20 The Baltic Dry Index, often used as a gauge for the health of the world economy, has fallen a staggering 61 percent since October.

Economic gloom is slowly spreading throughout Europe like a dark cloud. Right now, the major industrialized nations of the world are 55 trillion dollars in debt. Everyone knew that at some point that debt bomb was going to explode.

So what is going to happen next?