Saudi Arabia Threatens The Iranian Horn (Daniel 7)

Saudi: Iran armed units must leave Iraq

By Staff writer Al Arabiya EnglishSunday, 29 May 2016

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir said on Sunday that sending Iranian Shiite armed units to Iraq to participate in military operations or undergo training is unacceptable.

“Iraq’s problem is religious conflicts caused by the Iranian interference,” Jubeir stressed, adding that Saudi Arabia insists on withdrawal of Iranian troops from Iraq, saying that one of the Iranian senior officers is leading operations in Iraq against Sunnites.

Earlier last week, Iraqi Defense Ministry published an official report which includes statements confirming that the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades are involved in the battle of Fallujah.

A YouTube account linked to Kata’ib Hezbollah, a US-designated terrorist organization and Iranian proxy, has uploaded a video showing a large convoy of its rocket launcher systems being sent to the front lines near Iraqi city of Fallujah.

From its part, days ago, Harakat al Nujaba, or Movement of the Noble, an Iranian-supported Shiite militia which operates in both Iraq and Syria, has said it is clearing a road in eastern Anbar province in preparation for an upcoming offensive to retake Fallujah from the ISIS.

Also, Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force – the external operations wing of the Revolutionary Guards – was spotted in a picture said to be taken near Fallujah. A picture of Soleimani in the “Fallujah operations room” was posted to the Facebook account of Harakat al Nujaba.

Sending Iranian Shia armed units to Iraq or their training there is unacceptable both on invitation [of the Iraqi authorities] and without it,” Jubeir stated at a joint press conference with his UK counterpart Philip Hammond broadcast by Al Arabiya Channel.

al-Jubeir accused Iran of sowing “sedition” in Iraq urging Tehran to “stop intervening” in the affairs of its neighbors.

“Sedition and division in Iraq are the results of sectarian policies that developed out of Iran’s policies in Iraq,” said al-Jubeir.

“If Iran wants stability in Iraq, it has to stop intervening and withdraw,” he said after accusing Tehran of sending “Shiite militias” to the war-torn country.

Hammond said he was reassuring his Gulf counterparts that world powers are closely monitoring Iran in the wake of last year’s nuclear deal which paved the way for a partial lifting of sanctions.
“Just because we’ve made an agreement with Iran on its nuclear programme does not mean that we will turn a blind eye to Iran’s continuing attempts to destabilize the region or to its ballistic missiles programme which remains a serious threat to peace and which breaches UN resolutions,” Hammond said.

Jubeir, said “We supported that agreement so long as we were assured that Iran will not be able to acquire a nuclear capability. “They are, after all, a neighbor and we will have to live with them. But it’s difficult to live with a neighbour whose objective is to destroy you: that’s why the relation with Iran is not what it should be.”

“Iran should respect the principle of good neighborly relations, to focus on its internal situation and not intervene in the affairs of other countries in the region, mainly Iraq,” he said.

He added that Iran should deal with its domestic matters instead of interfering in internal affairs of other states in the region.

New Jersey #1 Disaster State: The Sixth Seal (Rev 6:12)

States of danger

Kiplinger News

The Sixth Seal: New York Quake

Disasters can happen anywhere and at any time. But some places experience more than their fair share of floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms and severe weather — so much so that certain locales earn frightening nicknames, such as Tornado Alley. No matter where you live, make sure you have the right kinds and necessary amounts of insurance coverage to protect your finances.

No. 1: New Jersey

Estimated property damage (2006-2013): $26.4 billion
Most frequent disasters: damaging wind, winter storms, floods and flash floods
Weather-related fatalities (2006-2013): 87

New Jersey earns the top spot on this list, in large part due to damage wrought by Sandy — which had weakened from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone by the time it the Jersey Shore — in October 2012. The state was among the hardest hit by Sandy, which was the second-costliest storm in U.S. history, after Hurricane Katrina. Many homes and businesses were destroyed along the Jersey Shore, and a portion of the Atlantic City Boardwalk washed away. Shortly after Sandy hit, another storm brought wet snow that caused more power outages and damage.

Homeowners who live along the coast or in areas where there are frequent storms should take steps before hurricane season begins to protect their homes and finances from damage.

Japan Prepares For Another North Korean Nuclear Launch

Japan puts military on alert for possible North Korea missile launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Kwisong Saltern to learn about the salt production from underground ultra-saline water by the KPA in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 24, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA
Reuters/KCNA

TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) – Japan put its military on alert on Monday for a possible North Korean ballistic missile firing, while South Korea also said it had detected evidence of launch preparations, officials from Japan and South Korea said.

Tension in the region has been high since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and followed that with a satellite launch and test launches of various missiles.

Japan ordered naval destroyers and Patriot anti-ballistic missile batteries to be ready to shoot down any projectile heading for the country, state broadcaster NHK said.

A Japanese official, who declined to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed the order. A spokesmen for Japan’s defense ministry declined to comment.

The missile tubes on a Patriot missile battery on the grounds of Japan’s Ministry of Defense were elevated to a firing position.

The South Korean defense official declined to comment on what type of missile might be launched, but South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency said officials believe it would be an intermediate-range Musudan missile.

“We’ve detected a sign and are tracking that. We are fully prepared,” said the South Korean official, who also declined to be identified.

A Pentagon spokesman, U.S. Navy Commander Gary Ross, said: “We are closely monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula in coordination with our regional allies. We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments.”

Ross said he would not discuss U.S. intelligence assessments. The White House declined to comment.

North Korea tried unsuccessfully to test launch the Musudan three times in April, according to U.S. and South Korean officials.

Japan has put its anti-ballistic missile forces on alert at least twice this year after detecting signs of launches by North Korea.

North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests this year triggered new U.N. sanctions. But it seems determined to press ahead with its weapons programs, despite the sanctions and the disapproval of its sole main ally, China.

Last Friday, leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama, met in Japan and demanded that North Korea comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution to stop all nuclear and missile tests and refrain from provocative action.

On the same day, North Korea threatened to retaliate against South Korea after it fired what it said were warning shots when boats from the North crossed the disputed sea border off the west coast of the Korean peninsula.

Japan has advanced Aegis vessels in the Sea of Japan that are able to track multiple targets and are armed with SM-3 missiles designed to destroy incoming warheads in space before they re-enter the atmosphere.

Patriot PAC-3 missile batteries, designed to hit warheads near the ground, are deployed around Tokyo and other sites as a second and final line of defense.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo in TOKYO and Ju-min Park in SEOUL; Additional reporting by Lisa Lambert and Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Robert Birsel and Dan Grebler)

The New Cold War Legacy of Obama

COLD WAR MENTALITY OVER NUCLEAR WEAPONS RETURNING, PANELISTS SAY

By KEITH ROGERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Dr. C. Paul Robinson, president emeritus and director of Sandia Laboratories, presents on a panel discussion presented by the National Atomic Testing Museum titled “21st Century Global Nuclear Challenges” at UNLV on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. (Jacob Kepler/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Twenty-five years after the unofficial end of the Cold War, experts say the mentality that pitted the United States against the Soviet Union is coming back.

U.S. weapons scientists and diplomats who are tasked with keeping nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists and maintaining the nation’s shrinking arsenal of mushroom-cloud bombs say emerging threats have surfaced from a new wave of conventional and nuclear bomb technology.

They range from the vast availability of radioactive materials that could be dispersed through a “dirty bomb” to drone submarines packed with nuclear explosives and North Korea’s potential for producing a bomb that could wipe out a city.

That was the message Wednesday night from a panel of experts — former national weapons laboratories directors — each with more than four decades of experience and knowledge that has helped shape the nation’s nuclear security posture.

Siegfried Hecker, an expert on plutonium science, global threat reduction and nuclear security, said North Korea leader Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions are cause for alarm.

“This is going to be near the top of the list of the next president,” said Hecker, who has traveled to North Korea seven times to assess its plutonium program.

After North Korea walked away from the nuclear nonproliferation treaty in 2003, evidence surfaced that the nation had been covertly building a capacity to enrich nuclear materials for bombs.

“They may have around 25 bombs by the end of this year. That changes the picture totally,” he said.

The country has conducted four nuclear tests including one in January that raised doubts among U.S. scientists that it was a hydrogen bomb test as claimed.

Former Ambassador C. Paul Robinson, chief negotiator for the Geneva nuclear testing talks during the Reagan administration, said a question “that’s been circling five or six years has been coming more and more to the front: Are we going back to the old Cold War behaviors?

“Yeah, it looks like we are,” he said.

The resurgence of Cold War mentality comes as the United States and the Russian federation descendants of the former Soviet Union have reduced the number of strategic nuclear weapons by 90 percent.

The total built on both sides had been 130,000 nuclear weapons. Under the newest Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty there is a limit of 1,550 warheads each on 800 launchers by the end of 2018.

“In a world of worry about nuclear war, that’s a remarkable development and gives us some history to be optimistic about the future,” Robinson said.

The “downside” is that the Russians refused to allow tactical nuclear weapons to be included in the counts, some of which he said have higher explosive-equivalent yields than some strategic bombs.

“We know the (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty) as written right now is not verifiable. But the U.S. will abide by those limits. … I don’t see ever going back to full-scale nuclear testing and certainly not atmospheric testing,” he said.

Full-scale nuclear weapons tests were put on hold indefinitely in 1992 at the Nevada Test Site with U.S. scientists relying on science-based methods and experiments involving tiny amounts of plutonium to verify the safety and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons.

Robinson said his “best guess” for when the Cold War began is Aug. 29, 1949, when the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear weapon at a test site in Kazakhstan.

Putting an end date is “a more difficult question,” he said, although sometime after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s is a rough estimate.

“It’s harder to assess because there were no proclamations, no parades, no speeches and we don’t have a national holiday celebrating the end of the Cold War,” Robinson said.

Robinson and Hecker were joined on the panel by Robert Kuckuck, a former director and deputy director at the Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Livermore, California, national labs.

“We’ve seen a whole different flavor of mixing conventional hostilities with nuclear,” Kuckuck said. “We’ve always had a very clear psychological barrier between conventional warfare and conflict and nuclear conflict and we’re seeing a blurring effect now.”

The panel discussion at the UNLV Science and Engineering auditorium was hosted by the National Atomic Testing Museum.

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2

Antichrist Has Turned Into a Real Power Center

Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has turned into a real power center

By Manish Rai

Muqtada al-Sadr has long served as the spark in volatile Iraqi politics. When the Shiite cleric ordered his followers to fight US forces in 2004, it was the gravest challenge to the United States in Iraq since Saddam Hussein was toppled.

More than a decade later, the mercurial leader has taken on Iraq’s entire political establishment in a crisis that some fear could tip the country over the edge. Sadr’s power is undeniable, with his grass root party that expands working-class neighborhoods across Iraq’s Shia populated cities and its al-Salam Brigades paramilitary force present in every nook and corner.

He is the most powerful Shia leader so far in Iraq history. Although the core of Sadr’s support is made up of the poor and jobless, it also includes educated Iraqis who believe in his message of equality and social justice. There is significant popular support for changing Iraq’s stagnant and corrupt political status quo and al-Sadr knows it very well and he is riding this wave very well. Halgurd Nihad Nheli a political activist from Iraq said Sadr has consolidated his strength in around the capital and it won’t be an exaggeration to say that Sadr is currently the de facto ruler in Baghdad.

The current movement which has rocked Iraqi politics with the storming of the parliament by the protesters started with the simple demand of better water and power provisions. But it then changed into call for political reforms, a government reshuffling and an effective fight against corruption.

The movement was started by artists and then joined by activists. Now, it is being led by Muqtada al-Sadr. When the protests were in danger of fading, the influential Shiite cleric called in his supporters and took control of the movement.

Fueled by al-Sadr, the situation escalated dramatically at the end of April. Practically speaking, Iraq still has no effective government. At a time when the soul of the citizenry is boiling with anger over rampant corruption, the war on terror is robbing the country of its last resources. Oil prices are in free fall and seem to be dragging the economy into the abyss along with them. The time seems ripe for demagogues. And it appears that Iraq cannot survive under its present system of governance, which centralizes power in Baghdad. The Sadr-inspired siege shows that ultimate authority does not lie with Iraq’s elected officials but with Sadr or any other figure who can mobilize the masses.

In the current national scenario al-Sadr has emerged as the symbol of Iraqi nationalism and voice of the common man and not just as a firebrand Shia cleric. Al-Sadr worked very hard for this image makeover. He led several joint prayers for Shia and Sunnis to nip any sedition in the bud, disbanded the Mahdi Army after sectarian bloodletting nine years ago to distance himself from other Shia militias, and he ordered his political bloc in parliament to boycott parliamentary sessions unless they (the MPs) stuck to their promise of a new cabinet of independent ministers.

After US troops withdrew from Iraq in late 2011, Sadr went into a self-imposed seclusion, even as his supporters ran for parliament and controlled key ministries. Sadr was waiting for his opportunity to play the savior of Iraq’s Shi’ites. Sadr has developed a model of a cleric who does not hold political office, but influences government in the form of the clergy as loyal opposition. The rationale behind Sadr’s politics of protest is part of his decade-long search for a political model to elevate him among the fray of Iraq’s Shia politicians, partisans and militias. Sadr’s latest political maneuvering has demonstrated an increasingly hybrid model, that is not a solely religious network, political party, or militia, but a combination of these and more.

Al-Sadr today sits at the helm of the power by controlling one of the biggest political blocs in parliament and commanding a powerful militia. Sadr clearly has his own agenda advancing a populist, nationalist cause that benefits his movement and his status in the domestic political and social sphere. But for the moment, this entails bringing about positive outcomes for Iraq on the whole.

He knows only too well from his personal experience that his best option is to be part of a system in which he himself represents the change. At this point in time, Sadr has become a counter-balancing force to provide checks and balances against powerful elites, such as Maliki, who have been ruling undemocratically and unconstitutionally for many years. What matters most about al-Sadr’s enduring command over the loyalty of thousands of Iraqis is the bargaining power it grants him. But his sway over the tides of popular opinion makes him both an asset and a threat to foreign actors interested in maintaining their footholds in Iraq.

Manish Rai is a columnist for the Middle-East and Af-Pak region and Editor of geo-political news agency ViewsAround can be reached at manishraiva@gmail.com)

New York Quake Overdue (The Sixth Seal) (Rev 6:12)

New York City Is Overdue For Large Earthquake: Seismologist

New York Earthquake Overdue

New York City could start shaking any minute now.

Won-Young Kim, who runs the seismographic network for the Northeast at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, said the city is well overdue for a big earthquake.
From Metro New York:

The last big quake to hit New York City was a 5.3-magnitude tremor in 1884 that happened at sea in between Brooklyn and Sandy Hook. While no one was killed, buildings were damaged.
Kim said the city is likely to experience a big earthquake every 100 years or so.

“It can happen anytime soon,” Kim said. “We can expect it any minute, we just don’t know when and where.”

New York has never experienced a magnitude 6 or 7 earthquake, which are the most dangerous. But magnitude 5 quakes could topple brick buildings and chimneys.

Seismologist John Armbruster said a magnitude 5 quake that happened now would be more devastating than the one that happened in 1884.

“Today, with so many more buildings and people … we’d see billions in damage,” Armbruster said. “People would probably be killed.”

The Upcoming War with Iran (Daniel 8:8)

War with Iran

RAY ALDERMAN VITA STANDARDS ORGANIZATION

WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG: Previously, we looked at the military capabilities of our primary conventional enemies: Russia, China, and North Korea. Now, let’s take a look at our final conventional enemy, Iran. Iran stands accused of being the state sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East, through their support of terrorist groups in Iraq (Taliban), Afghanistan (al Qaeda), Yemen (Houthis), Lebanon (Hezbollah), and the Palestinians (Hamas).

Iran is a country of about 75 to 80 million people, with more than half under the age of 35. Their population was growing by 30 percent in the 1990s, but birth rates and immigration have slowed considerably in the past decade. Life expectancy is 76.2 for females, 72.5 for males, and 74.3 overall. About 90-95 percent of Iranians are Shia, with 5-10 percent Sunni. The country is ruled by the cleric supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, the guy who proclaims “death to America” and the total destruction of Israel on a regular basis. Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, is the titular leader of the country.

Land area in Iran is 636,400 square miles, slightly smaller than Alaska. To the east, they are bordered by the overwhelmingly Sunni nations of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. To the west, they are bordered by 72 percent Sunni Turkey, and Iraq with 70 percent Shia. Iran has 1,520 miles of coastline, to the north on the Caspian Sea, and to the south on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The outstanding feature on their southern coast is the two-mile-wide Strait of Hormuz, where 20 percent of the world’s oil shipments pass. Whenever things don’t go their way, Iran threatens to sink tankers in the strait with their submarines, and block the world’s oil supply. Every time they make that threat, you can walk across the Persian Gulf, by stepping on the numerous American nuclear submarines, smart torpedoes, sonobuoys, and armed unmanned underwater vehicles, without getting your feet wet.

Iran has three major seaports on the Caspian Sea, four on the Persian Gulf, and one on the Gulf of Oman. Even with all these deep water ports, they have no blue water warships.

Iran has the second largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Middle East, $395 billion, ranking just after Saudi Arabia at $750 billion. The U.S. and European Union (E.U.) sanctions reduced their GDP substantially over the past few years, down from over $500 billion. Iran’s main export is oil, and their primary trading partner was the E.U. before the sanctions. Today, they export oil to Turkey and China. With the sanctions lifted, it will be tough for their GDP to grow substantially due to the glut of oil on the market and the low prices.

More than 525,000 military personnel are on active duty in Iran’s military. About 350,000 are in their army, and 220,000 of those are poorly trained conscripts. Reserves number about 1.8 million, also poorly trained and ill-equipped. Their navy has 18,000 sailors, and their air force has about 37,000 personnel. The rest are border guards or elite military groups like the 15,000 well-trained soldiers in the special Quds force.

In spite of the sanctions, Iran is spending more than $10 billion on their defense budget per year, or 3 percent of their GDP according to the latest numbers. This includes weapons and supplies for terrorist organizations.

The Iranian navy consists of about 400 vessels. More than 250 are shallow water patrol boats, like the ones they used to capture the U.S. Navy Riverine boat in January 2016. And, they have 33 submarines, the fifth largest sub fleet in the world. Three of those are 4,000 ton Kilo-class diesel-electric subs made in Russia in the 1990s. The rest are small diesel subs, under 600 tons, used for coastal defense and laying mines to protect their coastline and harbors. The rumor is that their mini-subs were built by the North Koreans. None of their submarines have missile launch capabilities. While the mini-subs stay close to shore, two of their big Russian subs patrol the Strait of Hormuz, in deep water, while the third is held in reserve in port. Their navy’s mission is purely coastal defense, much like North Korea’s navy.

Iran’s air force has more than 300 planes. More than half of those are fighter jets, a mix of Russian SU-24, SU-25, and MIG-29s; French Dassault Mirage F-1s; Chinese Changdu F-7s; about 40 US-made F-14 Tomcats, 60 old F-4 Phantoms, and some F-5 Tigers left from the Shah’s time. Some of these aircraft were taken from Iraq during the war in the 1980’s. The rest are helicopters, transports, and trainers. Most of their planes are old and many are being cannibalized for spare parts. Today, Iran is trying to buy new Russian Su-30 advanced fighters, if they can sell enough oil to get the money.

The Iranian army has 1,500 to 1,600 tanks, older Russian-made T-54/55 and newer T-62/72 models, and a few Chinese-made T-59/69 versions. Additionally, they have some U.S.-made M-48 and M-60 tanks sold to them when the Shah ran the country. They are cannibalizing parts from the M-48/60s and T-62s to build a small number of their own tanks, the Zulfiqar. Iran also has 1,400 multiple-launch rocket systems and over 2,000 artillery cannons.

For air defense, they have 150 U.S.-made Hawk missile systems (again, left over from the Shah’s days), about 50 Russian SA-2 and Chinese HQ-2 batteries, 30 Rapier, and 15 Tigercat launchers (British-made), and a few newer SA-5 and SA-15 Russian SAMs. In April 2016, Iran showed-off their first S-300 advanced air defense missiles recently bought from Russia. They claim they are developing their own surface-to-air missiles systems now, the Bavar.

In late 2015, the U.S. and five other world powers signed the nuclear arms agreement with Iran. This agreement supposedly keeps Iran from developing nuclear weapons and changing the balance of power across the majority Sunni Middle East. In March of 2016, Iran test-launched two medium-range ballistic missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The missiles allegedly had “Israel Must Be Wiped Off The Earth” written on them in Hebrew. Iran claims that the missile launches do not violate the nuclear agreement or the United Nations (U.N) resolutions barring their development of ballistic missiles.

Iran has the eighth largest army in the world right now. Before the Gulf Wars, Iraq had the 4th largest army, and we saw what fifth-generation warfare (5GW) weapons and tactics did to them. Like Iraq, Iran is a third-generation warfare (3GW) enemy. They are equally untrained and ill-equipped with older weapons, as Iraq was in 1990, except for their newer SAM missiles. As you can see, Iran’s capabilities and weapons are defensive in nature, with the additional exception of their work on ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads. Iran’s involvement in Syria is to learn asymmetrical warfare tactics and strategies. The U.S. victory in Iraq taught them not to engage in a 3GW war against a 5GW enemy.

Could the U.S. defeat Iran as decisively as it did Iraq? Yes, but Iran’s relationship with Russia precludes any direct invasion by U.S. forces. Iraq didn’t have those close relations. Since Iran’s principal goal is the annihilation of Israel, we may not need to attack them. Remember “Operation Opera” in June 1981, when the Israeli air force destroyed the nuclear reactor in Iraq? And “Operation Orchard” in September 2007, when Israel destroyed the nuclear reactor in Syria? If Iran is violating the nuclear treaty and the U.S. does nothing, then Israel will act to eliminate a clear nuclear threat to their nation. That will provoke Russia against Israel, and in turn, involve the U.S. Even though Pakistan and Saudi Arabia count Iran as a primary enemy, Khamenei has not made outrageous threats against them like he has against Israel.

Therein lies the quandary with Iraq: if they develop nuclear warheads and perfect their medium-range missiles, the best outcome is another nuclear-armed rogue nation like North Korea. At the worst, Iran will attack Israel with those nuclear weapons. My bet is that Israel will be forced to attack Iran at some point, and then Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, a few other smaller Sunni nations, and maybe Turkey, will pile-on. That alliance would give the Russians second thoughts about coming to Iran’s aid. If it happens that way, the U.S. could provide intelligence, targeting data, coordination, and support to the Sunni alliance, rather than a direct combat role. My theory is based on missile and aircraft purchases, from the U.S. defense contractors, made by the nations in the hypothetical Sunni alliance. And, don’t forget that Turkey shot-down a Russian warplane in late 2015.

Authorities Expecting The Sixth Seal? (Rev 6:12)

US Raises Threat of Quake but Lowers Risk for Towers

New York Times

Earthquake!

By SAM ROBERTS JULY 17, 2014

Here is another reason to buy a mega-million-dollar apartment in a Manhattan high-rise: Earthquake forecast maps for New York City that a federal agency issued on Thursday indicate “a slightly lower hazard for tall buildings than previously thought.”

The agency, the United States Geodetic Survey, tempered its latest quake prediction with a big caveat.

“The eastern U.S. has the potential for larger and more damaging earthquakes than considered in previous maps and assessments,” the agency said, citing the magnitude 5.8 quake that struck Virginia in 2011.

Federal seismologists based their projections of a lower hazard for tall buildings — “but still a hazard nonetheless,” they cautioned — on a lower likelihood of slow shaking from an earthquake occurring near the city, the type of shaking that typically causes more damage to taller structures.

“The tall buildings in Manhattan are not where you should be focusing,” said John Armbruster, a seismologist with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. “They resonate with long period waves. They are designed and engineered to ride out an earthquake. Where you should really be worried in New York City is the common brownstone and apartment building and buildings that are poorly maintained.”

Mr. Armbruster was not involved in the federal forecast, but was an author of an earlier study that suggested that “a pattern of subtle but active faults makes the risk of earthquakes to the New York City area substantially greater than formerly believed.”

He noted that barely a day goes by without a New York City building’s being declared unsafe, without an earthquake. “If you had 30, 40, 50 at one time, responders would be overloaded,” he said.
The city does have an earthquake building code that went into effect in 1996, and that applies primarily to new construction.

A well-maintained building would probably survive a magnitude 5 earthquake fairly well, he said. The last magnitude 5 earthquake in the city struck in 1884. Another is not necessarily inevitable; faults are more random and move more slowly than they do in, say, California. But he said the latest federal estimate was probably raised because of the magnitude of the Virginia quake.

“Could there be a magnitude 6 in New York?” Mr. Armbruster said. “In Virginia, in a 300 year history, 4.8 was the biggest, and then you have a 5.8. So in New York, I wouldn’t say a 6 is impossible.”

Mr. Armbruster said the Geodetic Survey forecast would not affect his daily lifestyle. “I live in a wood-frame building with a brick chimney and I’m not alarmed sitting up at night worried about it,” he said. “But society’s leaders need to take some responsibility.”

The Australian Nuclear Horn (Daniel 7)

Australian Uranium Mining Around the World

Australia is the world’s third largest uranium producer, but Australian mining companies operate around the world as well. Here’s a look at some of those companies.

Australia, the world’s third largest producer of uranium, hosts the largest endowment of uranium resources in the world, making up approximately 31 percent of global totals.

The country has been mining uranium since 1954, with several currently operating and more on the way. However, Australia produces uranium in other countries as well.

Although the country currently doesn’t use nuclear power, Australia produced 6689 tonnes of uranium in 2015, putting it behind only Kazakhstan and Canada, according to the World Nuclear Association (WNA). Despite the uranium spot price having a difficult year, it is still in high demand.
Before we dig deep into the uranium Australia mines around the world, let’s take a quick look into some of its current operating mines within the country.

Australia’s uranium mines

Ranger Mine: this location is operated by Energy Resources of Australia (ASX:ERA), and opened in 1981. Last June, ERA announced that it will defer proceeding further development of the underground mine to access 27,650 tonnes of uranium after it spent $177 million on the project.
Olympic Dam: one of the biggest mining companies in the world, BHB Billiton (NYSE:BHP), operates the mine. Olympic Dam is Australia’s biggest underground mine, producing copper, gold, silver and, of course, uranium.
Beverley Mine: Heathgate Resources, formed in 1990, operates the Beverley mine, which officially opened in February 2001. . In December 2010 the company received government approval to mine the Beverley North deposits. Mining of Beverley ceased at the end of 2013, and of Beverley North early in 2014.
Four Mile: its leases are contiguous with the Beverley mine, and is operated by Alliance Resources (ASX:AGS), with its mining commencing in April of 2014. Total production of uranium from April 2014 to June 2015 was 2,441,092 pounds.
Junior Australian uranium companies
A-Cap Resources (ASX:ACB)
Big news is happening with A-Cap Resources: it’s set to build the first ever uranium mine in Botswana, with a capital expenditure of $351 million after passing an environmental assessment. A-Cap submitted the application for a mining license last August with plans to open a pit mine with a lifespan of more than 18 years.
Botswana is estimated to hold approximately 1.04 billion tonnes of uranium reserves. Over the last decade, no production has taken place because its government issued several prospecting licenses.
Toro Energy (ASX:TOE)
Toro currently holds exploration projects in Africa and investments in Strateco Resources in Quebec. In Namibia, Toro holds a joint venture partner with Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL), another Australian uranium exploration company and together have three exploration licenses located throughout Namibia.
Furthermore, the company has proclaimed they are working towards becoming Australia’s next uranium producer with the development of a mine in Wiluna.
Peninsula Energy (ASX:PEN)
Peninsula Energy commenced operations in December 2015 at its Lance Projects in Wyoming and is currently progressing its Karoo Uranium Projects in South Africa through feasibility.
In the company’s quarterly activity report released in April, minimum sodium bicarbonate levels were achieved in March at the Lance Uranium project, increasing the rate of uranium extraction.

Trying To Avoid The Inevitable (Revelation 15)

How to avoid nuclear annihilation

President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima came almost 71 years after the conclusion of a world war that was fought and ended with tremendous sacrifice, huge casualties and immense devastation. Today, global nuclear arsenals are capable of destroying not only cities but also civilization itself. Albert Einstein’s prophesy bears repeating: “I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth – rocks!”

The United States and Russia deploy thousands of nuclear weapons ready to fire on a moment’s notice, risking a catastrophic accident or miscalculation based on a false warning. Cold War dangers compelled dialogue between Washington and Moscow on nuclear security and strategic stability. This dialogue is dangerously absent now, even as our planes and ships have close encounters in Europe and the Middle East.

Globally, enough highly enriched uranium and plutonium to buildtens of thousands of nuclear bombs is spread across 24 countries, down from 36 in 2009.

Since 2007, former secretaries of state George P. Shultz and Henry Kissinger, former defense secretary William Perry and I have worked together on the steps needed to reduce reliance on nuclear weapons, keep them out of dangerous hands and ultimately end them as a threat to the world. That work must be put back at the top of the global agenda. We cannot predict whether or when the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons might be reached, but a clear U.S. nuclear policy goal consistent with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is required to guide our diplomacy and defense.

Around the world, leaders must take practical steps to reduce nuclear risks now:

— First, the agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program has significant regional and global implications for stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. All parties must live up to their commitments, assuring full implementation.
— Second, North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threaten regional stability in Northeast Asia. We must work closely with our allies in South Korea and Japan to stop these programs and eliminate nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. China must play a vital role in this joint venture.
— Third, we should build on the progress to secure nuclear materials that Obama and other leaders have made at the fourNuclear Security Summits. Leaders must sustain the momentum of the summits and develop a global nuclear security system that covers all weapons-usable nuclear materials, including those held for military purposes. We must also make an all-out global effort to secure dangerous radiological materials and prevent a terrorist “dirty bomb.”
— Fourth, the United States and Russia cannot afford to treat dialogue as a bargaining chip when our two countries hold more than 90 percentof the world’s nuclear weapons and weapons-usable nuclear materials. Most urgently, Washington and Moscow must rebuild a bridge of cooperation to ensure that neither the Islamic State nor any other violent extremist group acquires nuclear, radiological or other weapons of mass destruction.
— Fifth, nuclear weapon states should avoid reckless rhetoric that can lead to disastrous mistakes. Split-second decisions made by those directly responsible for nuclear weapons and warning systems can be affected by the surrounding atmosphere. A poisoned political climate can lead to miscalculation, turning a false warning caused by a software glitch or a cyberattack into a nuclear exchange.
— Sixth, in Washington, the question of “How much nuclear is enough?” must be asked and weighed against other urgent defense needs, with a focus on the need for stability among nuclear weapon states. Perry has called for a review of whether we should phase out our land-based missile force and for canceling plans to build a new air-launched nuclear cruise missile. Considering the growing terrorist threat, both the United States and Russia should reexamine the current practice of storing hundreds of short-range nuclear weapons in Europe. We must also bring the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty – a powerful nonproliferation tool – into force globally, including by securing U.S. Senate approval.
— Finally, it defies human nature to build trust when weapons remain postured for mutual assured destruction. Washington and Moscow together must carefully dismount the “nuclear tiger” by reducing first-strike capabilities and fears, increasing warning and decision time for leaders and improving the survivability of their nuclear forces. We must escape the trap of continu
Obama’s visit to Hiroshima should remind the world that we are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe. The day after a nuclear weapon explodes, God forbid, what would we wish we had done to prevent it? Why don’t we do it now?

Sam Nunn, a Democratic U.S. senator from Georgia from 1972 to 1997 and co-chairman and chief executive of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, wrote this for the Washington Post.