U.S. Navy Destroyer Nears Islands Built by China in South China Sea

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The United States on Monday sent a guided-missile destroyer to challenge 12-nautical-mile territorial limits that China claims around artificial islands it built in the South China Sea.

A U.S. defense official said the USS Lassen was nearing Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014.

The Lassen would be in the area for several hours in what would be the start of a series of challenges to China’s territorial claims in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, the official said the ship would likely be accompanied by a U.S. Navy P-8A surveillance plane and possibly P-3 surveillance plane, which have been conducting regular surveillance missions in the region.

The patrols represent the most serious U.S. challenge yet to the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit China claims around the islands and are certain to anger Beijing, which said last month it would “never allow any country” to violate its territorial waters and airspace in the Spratlys. (Read more from “U.S. Navy Destroyer Nears Islands Built by China in South China Sea” HERE)

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35 Million Migrants Heading to Europe, Says Hungary as It Builds Second Fence

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The huge figure was revealed today by Hungary’s minister for foreign affairs and trade Peter Szijjártó.

Speaking as the country begins work on its second fence to stop migrants heading across its border he predicted the current crisis will continue for years.

Mr Szijjártó told the Hungarian Times: “The name of the fence is ‘Temporary Security Border Fence’ but I think there is no question that in this case temporary means years.

“It’s a self delusion to call this situation a migration crisis; it is a massive migration of nations, with inexhaustible reserves.

“I don’t think that the analysis results, stating that 30-35 million people out there could possibly become migrants, would be an exaggeration. (Read more from “35 Million Migrants Heading to Europe, Says Hungary as It Builds Second Fence” HERE)

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Russian Ships Near Data Cables Are Too Close for U.S. Comfort

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Russian submarines and spy ships are aggressively operating near the vital undersea cables that carry almost all global Internet communications, raising concerns among some American military and intelligence officials that the Russians might be planning to attack those lines in times of tension or conflict.

The issue goes beyond old worries during the Cold War that the Russians would tap into the cables — a task American intelligence agencies also mastered decades ago. The alarm today is deeper: The ultimate Russian hack on the United States could involve severing the fiber-optic cables at some of their hardest-to-access locations to halt the instant communications on which the West’s governments, economies and citizens have grown dependent.

While there is no evidence yet of any cable cutting, the concern is part of a growing wariness among senior American and allied military and intelligence officials over the accelerated activity by Russian armed forces around the globe. At the same time, the internal debate in Washington illustrates how the United States is increasingly viewing every Russian move through a lens of deep distrust, reminiscent of relations during the Cold War.

Inside the Pentagon and the nation’s spy agencies, the assessments of Russia’s growing naval activities are highly classified and not publicly discussed in detail. American officials are secretive about what they are doing both to monitor the activity and to find ways to recover quickly if cables are cut. But more than a dozen officials confirmed in broad terms that it had become the source of significant attention in the Pentagon. (Read more from “Russian Ships Near Data Cables Are Too Close for U.S. Comfort” HERE)

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Pope, Ending Synod, Excoriates Bishops With ‘Closed Hearts’

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Pope Francis, ending a contentious bishops’ meeting on family issues, on Saturday excoriated immovable Church leaders who “bury their heads in the sand” and hide behind rigid doctrine while families suffer.

The pope spoke at the end of a three-week gathering, known as a synod, where the bishops agreed to a qualified opening toward divorcees who have remarried outside the Church but rejected calls for more welcoming language toward homosexuals.

It was the latest in a series of admonitions to bishops by the pontiff, who has stressed since his election in 2013 that the 1.2 billion-member Church should be open to change, side with the poor and rid itself of the pomp and stuffiness that has alienated so many Catholics.

In his final address, the pope appeared to criticize ultra-conservatives, saying Church leaders should confront difficult issues “fearlessly, without burying our heads in the sand.”

He said the synod had “laid bare the closed hearts which frequently hide even behind the Church’s teachings or good intentions, in order to sit in the chair of Moses and judge, sometimes with superiority and superficiality, difficult cases and wounded families”. (Read more from “Pope, Ending Synod, Excoriates Bishops With ‘Closed Hearts'” HERE)

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British Expert: Cyber Hackers Are GREATER Threat to Security Than Nuclear Weapons

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Dr Sally Leivesley, a former Home Office scientific adviser, said rogue states such as North Korea are already developing technology that can infiltrate defense systems and shut down power grids.

Her warning follows the huge data hack on TalkTalk that has hit four million customers who face having their bank accounts drained and personal details stolen.

Russian “cyberjihadists” have claimed responsibility for the attack although the true perpetrators remain unknown.

There is a suspicion the Russian government sponsored the attack on telecoms giant TalkTalk and stolen data has been passed on for espionage use.

Dr Leivesley wants to see a team of international observers set up to monitor cyber technology in the same way they monitor nuclear armaments. (Read more from “Cyber Hackers Are GREATER Threat to UK Security Than Nuclear Weapons” HERE)

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One of the Largest Drug Tunnels Between U.S. And Mexico Found in California

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Authorities seized 12 tons of marijuana and arrested 22 people after discovering one of the longest cross-border tunnels between the U.S. and Mexico, officials said Thursday.

The passage connecting warehouses in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, was about 2,400 feet long and 30 feet deep. It was lit, ventilated and equipped with a rail system – hallmarks of the most sophisticated tunnels found along the border.

Near-simultaneous police stings on Wednesday resulted in six arrests in San Diego and 16 in Mexico. Authorities recovered two tons of marijuana in the U.S. and 10 tons in Mexico. (Read more from “One of the Largest Drug Tunnels Between U.S. And Mexico Found in California” HERE)

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City of Sodom Discovered, ‘Consistent With Biblical Story’

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By Fox News. The ruins of the biblical city of Sodom reportedly have been discovered by U.S. archeologists in southern Jordan.

God punished the wickedness of the citizens by destroying the city with brimstone and fire, the biblical story explains. Only the righteous inhabitants were allowed to escape the destruction and were spared by God.

The archeological team, directed by Steve Collins of New Mexico’s Trinity Southwest University, has been working for 10 years in the Jordan Valley. It now believes it has uncovered this magnificent historical site.

If confirmed, the discovery could give the archeological community an invaluable understanding of how people lived during between 3500 BC and 1540 BC.

And perhaps most interestingly, the excavations are revealing that life in the city came to an abrupt end during the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1540 BC), seemingly consistent with the biblical story. Preliminary tests reveal there was a stark end of life that lasted for about 700 years. (Read more from “City of Sodom Discovered, ‘Consistent With Biblical Story'” HERE)

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Sodom Possibly Destroyed by an Asteroid

By Victoria Woollaston and Sarah Griffiths. The Old Testament story describes how God destroyed the ‘wicked sinners’ of Sodom with fire and brimstone but allowed Lot, the city’s one good man, to flee with his family. . .

[The city that archaeologist Steven Collins discovered includes a] rampart system that would have required millions of bricks and hundreds of workers, showing a demonstration or organization and technology.

Evidence also suggests the ruined city had gates, towers, a main road and squares.

Dr Collins said the city was abandoned at the end of the Bronze Age, perhaps following an earthquake, but other experts have suggested an asteroid may have been to blame. . .

‘It became an uninhabited wasteland for over 700 years but then, after those seven centuries, it started to flourish again – as indicated by the huge iron gate that leads into the city,’ he said. (Read more from this story HERE)

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ISIS Threatens to Kill Jews Across the World in Disturbing New Video

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This worrying video shows an ISIS militant threatening to kill Jews across the world.

The terror group posted the clip on YouTube showing a militant dressed in army fatigues wearing a balaclava . . .

He says: “We assure you that soon there will not be a single Jew left on Jerusalem and throughout the country” . . .

The militant backs the attacks in Jerusalem, saying: “soon there will not be one Jew left in Jerusalem.”

It comes after reports that around 30 British-born Islamic State (ISIS) fighters have reportedly returned home to wage war on the UK. (Read more from “ISIS Threatens to Kill Jews Across the World in Disturbing New Video” HERE)

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First American Soldier Is Killed in Combat in Iraq Since 2011 Troop Exit

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American and Kurdish commandos raided an Islamic State prison in Iraq on Thursday, freeing about 70 captives believed to be facing “mass execution” and leaving one U.S. soldier dead, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

It was the first time a member of the U.S. military had been killed in a combat situation in Iraq since President Obama pulled out all U.S. troops in 2011.

In a pre-dawn operation, soldiers from the Army’s Delta Force, supporting a team of elite Kurdish soldiers, descended on a militant compound in the town of Hawijah, where officials believed that dozens of Kurdish fighters known as peshmerga were being held captive.

Militants from the Islamic State, the extremist group that controls a vast area across Iraq and Syria, were planning an “imminent mass execution” of prisoners, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters later in the day.

While peshmerga captives were not present at the site, the U.S. and Kurdish forces freed dozens of others, including more than 20 members of the Iraqi security ­forces, Cook said. Five Islamic State militants were captured, officials said, and at least 10 were killed. In a statement, the Kurdish Security Council said more than 20 militants were killed. (Read more from “First American Soldier Is Killed in Combat in Iraq Since 2011 Troop Exit” HERE)

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Texas Agents Raid Planned Parenthood Offices

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Texas sent agents to Planned Parenthood facilities on Thursday seeking documents, the group said, calling it a “politically motivated” move that comes on the heels of the state’s Republican leaders barring it from receiving Medicaid money.

Members of the Texas Office of the Inspector General made unannounced visits at Planned Parenthood health centers in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, staying in some cases for several hours and giving Planned Parenthood 24 hours to deliver thousands of pages of documents stored at its facilities across the state, the organization said.

The Inspector General Office declined to comment, as did health officials. Inspector General agents were seen on local news reports entering a Planned Parenthood facility in San Antonio.

Texas, the most populous Republican-controlled U.S. state, said it would launch a probe of Planned Parenthood after the release of videos in July by anti-abortion activist group Center for Medical Progress in which a Planned Parenthood official is seen talking about transactions involving fetal tissue.

“We believe this is a fishing expedition,” Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region Chief Executive Officer Ken Lambrecht told a news conference in Austin, calling the request “politically motivated.” (Read more from “Texas Agents Raid Planned Parenthood Offices” HERE)

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