Headlines for a day

I'm tired of saying "In the news", so we'll go with "headlines" for a while.

Today we find some interesting stories. What seems really interesting is the fact that almost daily now we see Iran's potent influence in the region:

1. IRAN

As Bahrain Reels, Iran Stretches Its Tentacles

In retaliation for the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s decision to deploy troops to Bahrain, Iran’s hardliners have called for the deployment of suicide bombers there in support of the Shiite protesters.

Iran-Bahrain relations hit an all-time low when the Sunni government of Bahrain called on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to dispatch troops to Bahrain to assist in quelling the uprising by majority Shiite Muslims against the Sunni leadership. Now six people are reported dead and hundreds injured.

The Iranian regime has been active in creating a number of front NGOs whose mission it is to recruit people throughout the Muslim countries where Iran hustles for influence to accept suicide bombing missions. The mandate is pretty straightforward: “action against the Kafer or infidels and enemies of the Islamic people.”

This has been happening for years:

For years, Iran has openly boasted about its suicide squads — or, as they’re called, martyrdom seekers. In April 2005, the martyrdom-seeking Palestinian women’s movement, also known as the Zeytoon Girls, gathered in Tehran’s Seyed Al-Shohada Hall, where registration for suicide-bombing missions had also been set up for volunteers

Then, in October 2009, Alalam News Agency (Tehran’s Arabic language TV) reported that, according to the Kuwaiti Al-Seyassah newspaper, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other surrounding Persian Gulf countries are being targeted by approximately 3000 agents and spies of Tehran’s regime.

Al-Seyassah added that Western intelligence sources in Berlin have announced that the number of Iranian agents, all located in the six-member Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, are mostly members of Lebanese Hezbollah.

According to these sources, approximately 800 of these individuals are employees of the Iranian embassies and consulates in the six Gulf countries — protected by diplomatic immunity. These agents oversee the provision of financial help to the various cells, in equipping them with explosives and blueprints for (terrorist) operations in case of a military attack on Iran.

Now we turn to this article - yet another description of Iran exerting their influence in the region:

Iran ordered attack on Israeli civilians

Iran ordered Hamas to fire the massive barrage of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip at Jewish population zones in recent days, according to a senior Israeli security official.

Ironically, the allegedly Iranian-ordered rocket and mortar barrage over this past weekend came as the Jewish state was celebrating Purim. The holiday commemorates the events in the Book of Esther – when the Jews were saved from the genocidal intentions of the viceroy of Persia, which is modern-day Iran.

The rocket onslaught also came after Israel seized a ship carrying a large quantity of weaponry the Jewish state says originated in Iran and was intended for Hamas in Gaza.

And this:

Iran Orders Attacks on Saudi Interests Worldwide

The Iranian leaders, furious over the Saudi intervention in Bahrain and what they call crimes against the Shiites of that country, have openly created centers to recruit volunteers for suicide bombings against Saudi Arabia’s interests worldwide:

Several grand ayatollahs in Iran have issued a fatwa for Muslims to come to the aid of their Shiite brothers in Bahrain, who they claim are suffering horrific crimes from their government in collaboration with the Saudi armed forces. They further emphasized that the people of Bahrain have every right to demand freedom and their fair share from the state.

Shia-News, a site associated with Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi (a hard-line Shiite Twelver and an influential figure in the suppression of Iranians during their uprising to protest the fraudulent presidential election of 2009), is registering volunteers to participate in suicide bombings against Saudi interests around the world.

Hundreds have already registered. Reports from inside Iran indicate that an alert has gone out to the Revolutionary Guards Quds forces throughout the world to prepare for attacks on Saudi establishments.

Since the Iranian Revolution, the ayatollahs’ mission has been to export their ideology throughout the world. Their agents have been infiltrating the Shiites in Bahrain and inciting the Shiite majority to overthrow the Sunni government, which has a strong relationship with the U.S. that includes being host to the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

I have no doubt that the following story also involves Iran as Turkey is also under Iranian influence:

Turkey group plans new Gaza flotilla with at least 15 ships

IHH, left-wing European groups plan to send flotilla this May, one year after another IHH flotilla resulted in bloodshed that prompted widespread international condemnation of Israel.

Israel will launch a public campaign on Tuesday against a plan by the Turkish organization IHH and several left-wing European groups to send a flotilla to the Gaza Strip this May, a year after another IHH flotilla resulted in bloodshed that prompted widespread international condemnation of Israel.

2. JAPAN

Geologists warn another earthquake could tear Tokyo in two after weakening of fault line below capital

Geologists have warned that another powerful earthquake could inflict terrible damage on Tokyo because the Size 9 monster which struck on March 11 has altered the earth's surface.

The quake has put pressure on the fault lines near the Japanese capital and experts have suggested that a size 7.5 magnitude earthquake could hit.

The structure of the tectonic plates and fault lines around the city makes it unlikely that Tokyo, home to 13million people, would be hit by a quake anywhere near the intensity of the one 10 days ago, said Roger Musson of the British Geological Survey.

Steam rises from stricken Japan plant

Smoke and steam rose from two of the most threatening reactors at Japan's quake-crippled nuclear plant on Tuesday, suggesting the battle to avert a disastrous meltdown and stop the spread of radiation was far from won.

Questions have also been raised about whether TEPCO officials waited too long to pump sea water into the reactors and abandon hope of saving the equipment in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.

Away from the plant, mounting evidence of radiation in vegetables, water and milk stirred concerns among Japanese and abroad despite officials' assurances that the levels were not dangerous.

However there may be some good news in this:

Technicians working inside an evacuation zone around the stricken plant on Japan's northeast Pacific coast have attached power cables to all six reactors and started a pump at one of them to cool overheating nuclear fuel rods.

Strong earthquake hits off eastern Japan, no damage reported

A strong earthquake struck off eastern Japan on late Tuesday afternoon, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 6.3-magnitude earthquake at 5.18 p.m. local time (0718 GMT) was centered about 272 kilometers (169 miles) east of Iwaki on Honshu, the country's main island. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteological Agency (JMA).

3. EUROPE

Pray for Japan, Worry for Europe

While the world has been transfixed with Japan, Europe has been struggling to avoid another financial crisis

It's hard to discuss the "world economic crisis" in the past tense as long as Europe's debt problem festers -- and it does.

Just last week, European leaders were putting the finishing touches on a plan to enlarge a bailout fund from an effective size of roughly 250 billion euros (about $350 billion) to 440 billion euros ($615 billion) and eventually to 500 billion euros ($700 billion

By lending to stricken debtor nations, the fund would aim to prevent them from defaulting on their government bonds, which could have ruinous repercussions. Banks could suffer huge losses in their bond portfolios; investors could panic and dump all European bonds; Europe and the world could relapse into recession.

Unfortunately, the odds of success are no better than 50-50.

So the odds are 50-50 that the array of problems - described as, "Banks could suffer huge losses...investors panic and dump European bonds" with another world-wide recession triggered? I didn't know we were out of the first recession.

What would happen then is anyone's guess. Would defaults occur? Would a banking crisis follow?

Would the European Central Bank -- the continent's Fed -- buy vast amounts of government bonds? Would the International Monetary Fund organize a bailout, financed heavily by China, to rescue Europe?

Europe has arrived at this dismal juncture driven by three forces: (a) large welfare states that were too often financed with debt; (b) the financial crisis that led to recession and has pushed some countries (Ireland, Spain) to aid their banks; (c) the perverse side effects of the single currency, the euro.

Even European countries not facing an immediate debt problem need to reduce budget deficits to retain market confidence. All confront a common dilemma. Too much austerity too quickly could create a recession, widening deficits. Too little austerity too slowly could unnerve investors, raising interest rates and deficits.

It's understandable that the human suffering, physical destruction and nuclear hazards in Japan compel our attention. But we ought to remember that a greater menace to global stability and prosperity lies halfway around the world.

4. ISRAEL

Large-Scale IDF Retaliation Strikes Gaza Bases

Israeli aircraft bombed smuggling tunnels, weapons manufacturing sites and terrorist bases in Gaza overnight in retaliation for massive mortar shell attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. One of the bases was a Hamas training site.

The Israeli retaliation was a clear sign that the government and military do not accept Hamas truce offers, all of which the terrorist organization has broken dozens of times over the past four years.

After weeks of claiming that other terrorist organizations have broken a ceasefire promise by Hamas earlier this year, Hamas stated on Saturday that it participated in the massive mortar attack last week on the Negev.

Hamas and allied terrorists have attacked Israel more than 125 times with rockets and mortars since the beginning of the year, not including dozens of attempts to plant bombs on the patrol road at the Gaza separation/security fence.

IDF strikes Gaza five times following recent mortar barrage

The Israel Air Force initiated an extensive bombardment of terror sites throughout the Gaza Strip late Monday, in what the Israel Defense Forces is calling a retaliation for a recent barrage of mortar bombs and rockets launched by militants based in the coastal enclave.

The strike came shortly after a recent upsurge in the number of rockets being fired from Gaza, the peak being on Saturday when the southern part of the country was hit by over 50 mortars.

Gaza eyewitness reports claimed that the IAF attack included five separate strikes, with medical sources in Gaza reporting five wounded Palestinians

The witnesses said missiles were fired at a Hamas security compound in Gaza City, a training camp north of the city, and a brickworks and metal foundry in northern Gaza, witnesses said

Just another day in prophecy watching. Its amazing. We see more pertinent news stories now in a day than we used to see (a decade ago?) in months. The birth pains are most definitely increasing in frequency and severity just as we were told to expect.