In the news

There are several interesting stories out today, and they are covered below, in no particular order:

Osama bin Laden appoints new commander to spearhead war on West

Known to western intelligence services by the alias Saif al-Adel, or "Sword of the Just", al-Qaeda's new chief of international operations is believed to have conceived of the wave of strikes that set off terror alerts across Europe recently, as well as last week's mid-air parcel-bomb plot.

US and Pakistani sources have told The Daily Telegraph that al-Adel is running several similar operations as part of a war of attrition intended to persuade Western public opinion that the war against terror is unwinnable. This would clear the road for al-Qaeda to capture power in fragile states such as Somalia and Yemen.

"His strategy", said Syed Saleem Shahzad, a Pakistani expert on al-Qaeda, "is to stage multiple small terror operations, using the resources of affiliates and allies wherever possible."

Israel issues severe travel warning: Al-Qaida may attack in Sinai

The National Security Council on Thursday issued a severe terror and kidnapping threat, warning Israelis against travelling to Egypt and Sinai.

The council specified that they had received intelligence of a possible terror attack by a radical Islamic organization affiliated with al-Qaida that has been stationed in the Sinai.

Israelis in Sinai advised to leave immediately

A travel warning was issued late Thursday by the Israeli Prime Minister's office, calling on Israelis in Sinai to leave and return to Israel straight away.

The warning quoted "reliable and current intelligence" about a kidnapping plot and called on "all Israelis in Sinai to leave immediately and return to Israel."

Iran Wants Asia to Unite

Iranian leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reiterate their calls for a union of Asian countries.

Ahmadinejad, speaking earlier this week in Tehran at the ninth ministerial meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), called for convergence of all Asian countries. He said at the opening ceremony that Asia is in need of convergence in order to “implement its determining responsibility in the world,” which he said is “urgently in need of a change in terms of order and conduct.”

In addition, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said this week that his government hopes all Asian countries support the idea of the formation of the Asian Union.

Iran has directed the ACD for the past year, and has used this position to work towards achieving Asian unity.

Of Asia’s 51 countries (some list 44), about half are Muslim. The continent is the most populous in the world, with over four billion people and more than 60% of the world’s population. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area, and 29.9% of its land area.

This is interesting for several reasons, but one reason is the speculation on what the "10 Kings" (Revelation and Daniel) will consist of. There is always speculation that there will be 10 such "Unions" formed across the world, and each union will have a leader, or "King". The formation of a huge union such as this is always of great interest.

Clinton warns Hizbullah it cannot stop UN tribunal

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodhman Clinton on Friday warned Hizbullah against resorting to violence, saying the militant group cannot stop a UN court investigating the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister.

Clinton's interview followed a threat by Hizbullah's leader Hassan Nasrallah who on Thursday said his group will "cut the hand" of anyone who tries to arrest its members for the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri.

The Netherlands-based tribunal is expected to issue indictments soon, and speculation that members of the Iranian-backed Hizbullah could be targeted has fueled fears of violence and a political crisis in the country. Nasrallah, who claims the court is biased, has said he expects members of his group to be indicted.

"Those who imagine that we will allow the arrest or detention of any of our fighters are mistaken," he told thousands of supporters in south Beirut, a Hizbullah stronghold, speaking through a video link. "We will cut the hand that reaches out for any one of them."

Clinton warns against Syria-Hezbollah arms smuggling

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that weapons and technology must not be transferred to the Hezbollah movement, responding to reports of continued arms smuggling from Syria.

In an interview published Friday in the Lebanese daily Al-Nahar, Clinton also said that Hezbollah must halt its violent attempts to thwart an international inquiry into the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.