Kraft abandons conservative group

Kraft Foods, Inc. has become the third corporate titan to abandon a conservative group that supports the type of “Stand Your Ground” gun law at the center of the Trayvon Martin controversy in Florida.

Kraft — one of many corporation members of the American Legislative Exchange Council — won’t renew its membership when it expires this spring, Kraft Corporate Affairs Director Susan Davison told POLITICO.

The company’s decision comes after Coca-Cola on Wednesday announced plans to end its membership in the free-market group. PepsiCo has also said it would not renew its membership, NPR reported Thursday.

The companies began dropping their memberships after the black advocacy group Color of Change launched an online campaign calling on Coca-Cola to end its support.

Color of Change has been pressuring corporate sponsors to terminate their memberships with ALEC since last year. Until recently, the campaign was focused on ALEC’s support for voter identification laws. At the end of last year, Pepsi was the first group to notify Color of Change that it wouldn’t be renewing its sponsorship.

ALEC, whose members draft and promote pro-business legislation for states, has come under fire from groups on the left for its ties to voter identification laws and Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law at the center of the Martin controversy.

“Our membership in ALEC expires this spring and for a number of reasons, including limited resources, we have made the decision not to renew,” Davison said in an email.

She added that Kraft’s participation with ALEC has been limited to discussions about economic growth and development, transportation and tax policy. “We did not participate in meetings or conversations related to other issues,” she said.

Other corporate heavyweights involved with ALEC say they’ll stand by the group, despite the controversy.

Mint promotes digital-chip currency for penniless future

On the cusp of the post-penny age, the Royal Canadian Mint is preparing to launch a digital alternative to all coinage and small bank notes — dubbed "MintChip" — which it hails as the natural next step in the "evolution of currency." The concept was quietly introduced on Wednesday when the Ottawa-based Crown corporation activated a website outlining its vision for the future of MintChip — described as "better than cash" and "so easy even a child can use it" — and invited software developers to begin imagining different ways the technology...

Rising world food prices spark fears of unrest

Global food prices rose in March for a third straight month with more hikes to come, the UN’s food agency said on Thursday, adding to fears of hunger and a new wave of social unrest in poor countries. Record high prices for staple foods last year were one of the main factors that contributed to the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as bread riots in other parts of the world. The cost of food has risen again this year after coming down from a February 2011 record peak. The FAO index, which measures monthly price...

China tells military to ignore rumors, obey party

The Liberation Army Daily did not mention outlandish rumors of a foiled coup in Beijing that spread on the Internet in past weeks, after the abrupt ousting of Bo Xilai, an ambitious contender for a spot in the new central leadership to be unveiled at a party congress later this year. A front-page commentary in the newspaper, however, left no doubt the party leadership wants to inoculate People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops against rumors that could corrode the authority of President Hu Jintao, who also serves as head of the party and chairman...

Defiant Syria is upgrading its military capabilities

Despite the ongoing internal unrest, Syria is continuing to upgrade its military capabilities and recently declared a number of new surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs) operational. Over the past year, Syria has received a number of SA- 17 batteries from Russia under a deal signed several years ago. Two batteries are already reportedly operational and deployed along Syria’s border with Lebanon. A third is undergoing training. As a result, the IDF has modified the way it flies in the North and particularly when conducting missions over Lebanon, where it...

The Russian Military Has an Action Plan Involving Georgia if Iran Is Attacked

Russian Defense Ministry sources told the semiofficial news agency Interfax that action plans are being finalized to react to an armed conflict involving Iran and its nuclear program. The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces “calculates” that military action against Iran will commence “in the summer” of 2012. Since Israel does not have sufficient assets to defeat Iranian defenses, the Russian military considers US military involvement inevitable (Interfax, March 30). Bits of information have been appearing, indicating the essence of Russian military action. Last December it was disclosed that families of servicemen from the Russian base in Armenia have been evacuated to Russia, while the troops have been moved from the capital, Yerevan, north to Gumri – closer to the borders of Georgia and Turkey. The preparation...

Ammonia used in many foods, not just "pink slime"

What they may not have known is that ammonia - often associated with cleaning products - was cleared by U.S. health officials nearly 40 years ago and is used in making many foods, including cheese. Related compounds have a role in baked goods and chocolate products. Using small amounts of ammonia to make food is not unusual to those expert in high-tech food production. Now that little known world is coming under increasing pressure from concerned consumers who want to know more about what they are eating. "I think we're seeing...

Man sues after being restricted from passing out Bibles at gay pride parade

A man who has passed out Bibles at a Minnesota gay pride parade for years is suing after city officials restricted him from giving out the book at this year's event. Brian Johnson, of Hayward, Wis., started handing out Bibles at the Twin Cities Pride Festival in 1995, and three years later, gave out the books in Minneapolis' Loring Park from a booth approved by parade organizers. But in recent years, the people behind the event, which draws as many as 300,000 people, have tried to oust him, first nixing his bid for a booth and then having him arrested...

Jordan's crown prince holds secret visit to Temple Mount

Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, 18, held a secret visit to Temple Mount in Jerusalem escorted by Israeli security forces. He arrived at the site via the Mughrabi Bridge. A Palestinian official told Ynet that the prince will also be visiting the Cave of Patriarchs later on Wednesday. He said that the visit had been coordinated and initiated by Israel and that consequently Prince Hussein will be visiting the cave's Israeli side. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the national planning and construction committee to readdress a plan...

Egypt jails Christian student for insulting Islam

CAIRO - An Egyptian court on Wednesday sentenced a 17-year-old Christian boy to three years in jail for publishing cartoons on his Facebook page that mocked Islam and the Prophet Mohammad, actions that sparked sectarian violence.

Gamal Abdou Massoud was also accused of distributing some of his cartoons to his school friends in a village in the southern city of Assiut, home to a large Christian population and the hometown of the late Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda.

"Assiut child's court ordered the jailing of Gamal Abdou Massoud ... for three years after he insulted Islam and published and distributed pictures that insulted Islam and its Prophet," the court said in a statement seen by Reuters.

The cartoons, published by Massoud in December, prompted some Muslims to attack Christians. Several Christian houses were burned and several Christians were injured in the violence.

Human rights lawyer Negad al-Borai said the jail sentence was the maximum penalty under Egyptian law for such a crime.

Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the country's 80 million population, have long had a difficult relationship with Egypt's overwhelmingly Muslim majority.

Tension between Muslims and Christians has simmered for years but has got worse since the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Christians have become increasingly worried by a surge in attacks on churches, which they blame on hardline Islamists, though experts say local disputes are often also to blame.

Officials from Egypt's Brotherhood at White House

White House officials held talks with representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in Washington this week, as the Islamist group threw itself into the fray in Egypt's presidential election.

The meeting on Tuesday with low-level National Security Council staff was part of a series of US efforts to broaden engagement with new and emerging political parties following Egypt's revolution last year, a US official said.

The White House pointed out that Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain, and other US lawmakers and officials had also met with Brotherhood representatives in Egypt and elsewhere in recent months.

"We believe that it is in the interest of the United States to engage with all parties that are committed to democratic principles, especially nonviolence," said National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor.

"In all our conversations with these groups, we emphasize the importance of respect for minority rights, the full inclusion of women, and our regional security concerns."

The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, said on Saturday it would nominate Khairat al-Shater, a professor of engineering and business tycoon, to contest Egypt's first presidential election since a popular uprising ousted Hosni Mubarak last year.

The Islamists, who control parliament, had repeatedly said they would not put forward a member for the election in order to mitigate fears that they were trying to monopolize power.

Your kids being scanned for food

The lunch line could start moving a lot faster in Lee County.

The school district is considering testing a new pilot program that uses a near-infrared light to scan a student's palm and vein pattern in place of the eight-digit identification numbers or ID cards currently used at the cash registers.

The district's food and nutrition services department hopes to test the program in an elementary, middle and high school before the end of this school year. After the trial period, the program could be implemented districtwide.

"Students can slow down the lunch line by miss-keying numbers, forgetting the numbers," Sonny Stelmacki, assistant director of the nutrition services department said during Tuesday's school board meeting. "We've also had issues with stolen or misused numbers."

The palm scanner is twice as fast as the current system that uses key pads and swipe cards, school officials said. It eliminates security issues like students stealing and sharing ID numbers, losing their cards, or forgetting the numbers. And it won't dig into the district's tight budget.

Stelmacki said the $192,000 needed to pay for the scanner equipment districtwide would come out of the food and nutrition services budget, which is independent of the overall district budget.

The system works by converting a student's vein pattern into a numerical algorithm. Every time a student waves his or her palm over the sensor, the system recognizes the student.

Students spend about seven minutes in the lunch line, Stelmacki said. But with disruptions and students forgetting ID numbers, wait time can be longer and cut into already short lunches. In Lee schools, lunch breaks range from 20 to 30 minutes.

The board will vote to approve the system and determine the three pilot schools at a future board meeting, Lee County schools spokesman Joe Donzelli said.

So far, board member support appears strong, although board member Tom Scott expressed concerns about the accuracy and amount of information the scanner captures.

Stelmacki said the system is encrypted and only those food and nutrition officials authorized to view a student's remaining balance or free and reduced meal status would be able to see those records.

"It has multiple levels of security, it's password protected," he said.

The district anticipates that some parents will still have concerns. The ID number and swipe cards would continue to be available. Parents could choose to opt their children out of the system.

The palm scanner is already successfully used in Pinellas County Public Schools, a school district with more than 100,000 students in the Tampa Bay area.

Is Your TV Spying on You?

You watch your TV. But in the near future, your TV may watch you. In March, HD Guru wrote an epic post on unsettling aspects of Samsung’s new top-of-the-line HDTVs. TVs, as we know, are getting smarter and smarter. Specifically, they’re acquiring cameras, microphones, face tracking, and speech recognition capabilities--as well as Internet connectivity. These are features meant to make our TVs smarter and, by extension, to make us happier. (Imagine doing a Skype video call over your 40” flatscreen.) HD Guru raised a host of questions:..

Alert! Up to four North Korean submarines disappear after leaving bases

South Korea is tracking three to four North Korean submarines that disappeared after recently leaving two bases on the east coast, a South Korean military source said Wednesday. The source said the submarines are presumed to be of the 370-ton class that the South Korean military has been unable to locate since they departed from two submarine bases on the east coast. Another source said, “North Korea seems to be actively conducting submarine infiltration drills in the wake of warmer weather recently,” adding, “(The South Korean military)...

Strontium at Fukushima plant flows into sea

Tokyo Electric Power Company says more radioactive wastewater has leaked from its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and flowed into the sea. The water contained high levels of strontium. Workers at the plant discovered water leaking from a pipe connected to a wastewater tank, at around 2:00 AM on Thursday. Workers shut valves, and the flow stopped about half an hour later. TEPCO says about 12 tons of wastewater leaked from a disconnected joint in the pipe. The company also says it believes that a large portion of the water has flowed into the ocean through a nearby drainage ditch. The utility is trying to determine how the joint became disconnected, and how much water poured into the sea. Radioactive wastewater also leaked on March 26th from a different section of the same piping.

UFO Encounter Revealed After Almost 40 Years By Ex-Military Pilot: Exclusive

On the night of Feb. 6, 1975, Marine Reserve Squadron Capt. Larry Jividen was piloting a T-39D Sabreliner (see image above) combat trainer and utility aircraft with five Naval officer pilots on board for a special training flight. He didn't know the evening would evolve into a game of "tag" with an unidentified flying object. Jividen hasn't spoken about that experience from nearly 40 years ago -- until now. The nine-year Marine Corps captain -- and later commercial airline pilot -- had taken off at twilight for a two-hour roundtrip that began and ended at the...

Vatican accused of cover-up over teenage girl's mysterious disappearance

Prosecutors in Rome say that “someone in the Vatican” knows the fate of Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee who vanished in June 1983. Her kidnap in Rome by unidentified men has been the subject of scrutiny for three decades, with allegations that it was connected to blackmail and banking scandals involving the Holy See. One theory is that the girl’s father, a Vatican employee, had stumbled on documents that connected the Vatican’s bank with organised crime in Rome and that she was seized in an attempt...

DOJ Breaks Off Negotiations With Defiant Sheriff Joe Arpaio

The Justice Department has cut off negotiations with Sheriff Joe Arpaio and officials with the Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff’s Office in its effort to install an independent monitor to rein in the unconstitutional tactics used by officers there. Arpaio, who calls himself “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” defied the Justice Department suggestion that it could sue the county and the sheriff’s office to force the issue. “I am the constitutionally and legitimately elected Sheriff and I absolutely refuse to surrender my responsibility to the federal government,”..

A Swarm of Small Quakes Rattle Nerves in Riverside County

The Inland Empire has been very active during the past seven days, seismically speaking. "There's the Elsinore Fault, close to which several of the earthquakes have occurred this week," said Dr. Gareth Funning, of UC Riverside. On Tuesday morning, a small but shallow earthquake struck the Coachella Valley, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The temblor struck with a magnitude of 3.4 at 8:15 a.m. at a depth of 1.2 miles, its epicenter 11 miles north-northeast of Indio and 20 miles south- southwest of Twenty-nine Palms, according to...

Judges order Justice Department to clarify Obama remarks on health law case

A federal appeals court is striking back after President Obama cautioned the Supreme Court against overturning the health care overhaul and warned that such an act would be "unprecedented." A three-judge panel for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered the Justice Department to explain by Thursday whether the administration believes judges have the power to strike down a federal law. One justice in particular chided the administration for what he said was being perceived as a "challenge" to judicial authority -- referring...

Israeli-US anti-missile drill back on track

Months after its postponement, the largest-ever Israeli-American missile defense drill is back on track with plans moving forward to hold the exercise by the end of the year in face of Iran’s continued pursuit of a nuclear capability. Several days ago, Col. Stephen Richmond, commander of the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command at the European Command (EUCOM), visited Israel to finalize plans for the upcoming drill, which is expected to see the deployment of several thousand American soldiers in Israel. The drill, called Austere..

‘No place in America will be safe from our attacks’ if U.S. launches strike: Iran

The United States would not be safe from retaliation if Iran is attacked by Washington, the Iran newspaper quoted a senior Revolutionary Guards commander on Tuesday as saying. “In the face of any attack, we will have a crushing response. In that case, we will not only act in the boundaries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, no place in America will be safe from our attacks,” Massoud Jazayeri was quoted as saying by the daily. Iran would not strike any country first, he said. Tehran is locked in a dispute with the West over its nuclear program. Israel and the United States have threatened military action against Iran unless it abandons activities which the West suspects are intended to develop nuclear weapons. Further talks between Iran and world powers are expected to take place this month in an attempt to reach a...

City banishes Bibles during 'gay' fest

For over a decade, Brian Johnson has peaceably passed out Bibles during Minneapolis’ Twin Cities Pride Festival, but if he tries it again this year, he fears, he could be arrested. Through some clever legal wrangling, Twin Cities Pride, the organizers of the annual festival celebrating homosexuality, have convinced the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to allow them to exile...

Trump Won’t Bar Transsexual Beauty Queen From Shot at Miss Universe Canada Title

Jenna Talackova, the Canadian beauty queen, won’t have to fight Donald Trump for a chance to compete for the Miss Universe Canada title after all, even though she was born a he. Talackova is everything you think of when you hear the words “beauty queen.” With her bright smile, flowing blonde hair and viciously long legs, you can’t deny she’s stunning. But Talackova, 23, was first disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada competition because she was born a male, according to CTV. Talackova was originally selected as one of 65...

German railway fears flood of lawsuits over Holocaust trains

The German railway company Deutsche Bahn has engaged a New York law firm to fight off compensation claims that it might face under proposed legislation enabling Holocaust victims and their relatives to sue for damages in US courts. The state-owned network is the main successor to the Nazi-run Deutsche Reichsbahn which, along with other railways in German-occupied Europe, deported millions of Jews to death camps during the Second World War. Deutsche Bahn has in the past compensated Holocaust victims under extensive...

'Al Qaeda: Coming soon again in New York': Mock movie poster warning of new terror plot sparks FBI investigation after it's discovered online

Authorities are trying to identify the source of what appears to be a mock movie poster warning that Al Qaeda wants to come back to New York City. The New York Police Department and the FBI discovered the graphic on the internet on Monday. It features a photo of the city at sunset with 'Al Qaeda' in bold type followed by 'Coming Soon Again in New York'. Both the FBI and the NYPD said investigators have found no evidence so far that the posting represents a credible threat against New Yorkers. The graphic was seen on several Arabic-language websites,..

Israelis: Obama Leaked Intel to Prevent Us from Attacking Iran

(ABC NEWS) JERUSALEM – Two reports today about Iran’s nuclear program and the possibility of an Israeli military strike have analysts in Israel accusing the Obama administration leaking information to pressure Israel not to bomb Iran and for Iran to reach a compromise in upcoming nuclear talks. The first report in Foreign Policy quotes anonymous American officials saying that Israel has been given access to airbases by Iran’s northern neighbor Azerbaijan from which Israel could launch air strikes or at least drones and search and rescue aircraft...

Next Arms Talks Between US, Russia Might Involve Tactical Weapons

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START [in force since February 5] , deals only with U.S. and Russian long-range nuclear weapons. There's a question about whether Washington and Moscow will now focus their attention on short-range, or tactical, nuclear weapons. The New START Treaty sets a limit of 1,550 deployed strategic, or long-range, nuclear weapons on each side. What the new treaty does not address is the issue of tactical, or short-range, nuclear weapons. Joseph Cirincione is the president of the Ploughshares...

New Data Show Fukushima Radiation Moved Rapidly Out Into Pacific Ocean

American and Japanese scientists say they have found elevated levels of radioactive cesium throughout a 150,000 square kilometer area of the Pacific Ocean off Japan. Scientists say some radioactive cesium levels in seawater are higher farther away than adjacent to Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Marine chemist Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, was among those carrying out the research in Pacific waters last June. “Some of those...

N.Korea 'Building Even Bigger Missile'

North Korea is building a missile that is even bigger than the long-range missile it is preparing to launch this month, sources claimed Monday. South Korean and U.S. officials believe the North will unveil the missile at a military parade on April 15, nation founder Kim Il-sung's centenary, or on April 25, which marks the founding day of the North's Army. A government source here said U.S. reconnaissance satellites recently spotted a 40-m missile at a research and development facility in Pyongyang that is larger than the existing Taepodong-2 missile. "It remains uncertain whether this missile is functional or is just a life-sized mock-up," the official added. The rocket North Korea is preparing to launch soon is apparently 32 m long, the same as the Taepodong-2 that was launched in April 2009 with a maximum range of 6,700...

Tourists flee in frantic scenes as devastating floods hit Fiji

A tropical cyclone is expected to miss Fiji today but will continue to bring heavy rainfall, strong winds and damaging swells to the flooded South Pacific nation, a meteorologist says, as the Fijian government lifted its ban on flights carrying inbound passengers. At least three people have died and about 8000 Fijians have been relocated to emergency evacuation centres, Agence France-Presse reported. Are you or your family and friends in Fiji? Email us, message us on Twitter or MMS images to +61 424 767 764. Tourists were also stranded after...

Irish bishops say God is “silent and unmissed” in Europe

Europe today is tired of religion and bored by God claims the Irish bishops in a new pastoral letter dated March 29. Throughout the European Union it appears that God is 'silent and unmissed in the lives of many.' The bishops' 12-page document, titled 'Repent and Believe the Good News,' advises the Irish not to follow the lead of their neighbors on the continent. The bishops reiterate Pope Benedict's observation that Europeans seem tired of their faith, including their history and culture, and they no longer seem to wish to know Jesus Christ.

Ancient Islamic city of Timbuktu under attack

Agadez, Niger: Booms from rocket launchers and automatic gunfire crackled on Sunday around Mali's fabled town of Timbuktu, known as an ancient seat of Islamic learning, for its 700-year-old mud mosque and, more recently, as host of the musical Festival in the Desert that attracted Bono in January. On Sunday, nomadic Tuaregs who descended from the people who first created Timbuktu in the 11th century and seized it from invaders in 1434, attacked the city in their fight to create a homeland for the Sahara's blue-turbanned nomads.

Gay pride groups appear at U.S. military academies

(CNN) -- In the six months since the repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, many of the most prestigious military institutions in the country are adding a student group to their club rosters that they had never seen before: gay pride groups. For nearly 17 years, gay and lesbian soldiers were expected to deny their sexuality under threat of dismissal as part of "don't ask, don't tell." With the repeal of the rule on September 20, 2011, a new era began for homosexual members of the armed forces. But what about the young cadets preparing...

Children 'sacrificed' to Mexico's cult of Saint Death

Jose Larrinaga, spokesman for Sonora state prosecutors, said the victims' blood was poured around an altar to the saint, which is depicted as a skeleton holding a scythe and clothed in flowing robes. The grisly slayings recalled the notorious "narco-satanicos" killings of the 1980s, when 15 bodies, many of them with signs of ritual sacrifice, were unearthed at a ranch outside the border city of Matamoros. Mr Larrinaga said the first of the three victims was apparently killed in 2009, the second in 2010 and the latest earlier this month. Investigations...

Analysis: A Romney win would likely change little at Federal Reserve

That might seem surprising, given the unprecedented barrage of criticism levied this campaign season at Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, whose aggressive efforts to support the economy have sparked accusations that he is setting the table for future inflation. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who has since dropped out of the race, called Bernanke's policies "treasonous." Former Georgia Congressman Newt Gingrich, who is laboring on, has vowed to fire him. Another long shot, Representative Ron Paul of Texas wants to take the Fed offline, permanently...

Man whose WMD lies led to 100,000 deaths confesses all

A man whose lies helped to make the case for invading Iraq – starting a nine-year war costing more than 100,000 lives and hundreds of billions of pounds – will come clean in his first British television interview tomorrow. "Curveball", the Iraqi defector who fabricated claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, smiles as he confirms how he made the whole thing up. It was a confidence trick that changed the course of history, with Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi's lies used to justify the Iraq war. He tries to defend his actions: "My main purpose was to...

Fearing Syria war, Gantz holds surprise drills

Fearing a future war with Syria, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz held a surprise drill inspection of two key military bases in northern Israel on Sunday to ensure that they will be able to continue operating in the event of significant missile attacks. Commanders at the bases - one a critical ammunition depot and the other a key maintenance base for IDF armored vehicles - were surprised when Gantz and other senior officers arrived at the' gates of their bases to review operations there. A senior IDF officer who participated in the...

Drones gain popularity among US hobbyists, government agencies

Sharp-eyed dog walkers along the San Francisco Bay waterfront may have spotted a strange-looking plane zipping overhead recently that looked strikingly like the U.S. stealth drone captured by Iran in December. A few key differences: The flying wing seen over Berkeley is a fraction of the size of the CIA's waylaid aircraft. And it's made of plastic foam. But in some ways it's just like a real spy plane. The 4 1/2-foot-wide aircraft, built by software engineers Mark Harrison and Andreas Oesterer in their spare time, can fly itself to specified GPS...

National IDs to start rolling-out by year’s end in Uganda

Government appreciates the concern expressed by many Ugandans about the delay in establishing the National Identification Register (NIR) under the National Security Information System (NSIS) project.

The Government of Uganda, through the work of the National Citizenship and Immigration Board, is committed to its obligations under Article 16 of the Constitution of Uganda to establish citizenship registration as well as its complementary obligations as a signatory to the EAC Common Market Protocol. It is in light of these obligations that the Government of Uganda has put in place both a legal and institutional framework to establish an effective identity management infrastructure.

It is unquestionable that the inability to prove people’s identity undermines national and international economics, political and social security, international relations and hinders the free movement of people and their rights of establishment in places of their choice. Successful implementation of the NSIS project is expected to curb illegal immigration, enable the compilation of an accurate electoral (and other population) register(s), prevent identity fraud, expand the tax database, and promote orderly movement of people across the East African Community via the streamlining of travel document issuance.

Internet activity 'to be monitored' under new laws

Under legislation expected in next month's Queen's Speech, internet companies will be instructed to install hardware enabling GCHQ – the Government's electronic "listening" agency – to examine "on demand" any phone call made, text message and email sent, and website accessed in "real time", The Sunday Times reported. A previous attempt to introduce a similar law was abandoned by the former Labour government in 2006 in the face of fierce opposition. However ministers believe it is essential that the police and security services have...

A friend, Uri Harel has gone to rest.

On March 27 (4 Nissan) Uri Harel, the founder and director of the Center for Biblical Hebrew and the Music from G-d Project passed away in his beloved Israel. He will be buried this Sunday in his home town of Haifa. As many of you will know, Uri has been engaged in a life and death battle with pancreatic cancer for the past few years. We mourn his loss, and send our heartfelt condolences to his family; his wife Bruria, his daughter, Odeliya, his brother Dani, and his parents.

Uri was a regular guest on Kosher radio back in 2008. Every week, him and Ray spoke about several issues of the world and the bible.

We wish the family our blessings and Shalom.

Quake hits Mexico, no major damage reported

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck southwest Mexico on Monday, shaking buildings as far away as the capital and prompting people to stream out of their offices onto the streets, though there were no reports of serious damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the tremor registered magnitude 6.3 and centered 175 km (108 miles) east south-east of the tourist resort of Acapulco, not far from where a much more powerful earthquake struck last month.

"It felt strong, but thank God nothing happened to us. Everyone went back (inside) but people are still paranoid about the other one, which felt much stronger," said 30-year-old Esteban Vite in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood.

"Thanks to the authorities, things are better built."

Marcelo Ebrard, the mayor of Mexico City, said there were no initial signs of damage, and telephones were still working. The city's underground metro was still operating, the mayor added.

The airport said one incoming flight was delayed for a few minutes as staff temporarily suspended operations to conduct a precautionary check of the runways. But operations were back to normal, a local official said.

Harper set to meet with U.S., Mexican leaders in Washington for ‘Three Amigos Summit’

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Stephen Harper comes to the White House Monday to forge greater political and economic ties with his counterparts from the United States and Mexico, but an equally big priority in the coming weeks will be to boost trade relations with nations throughout Latin America. Harper is attending the sixth so-called Three Amigos Summit, with U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. It’s expected the three leaders will emerge from the talks pledging to improve North America’s economic growth and competitiveness on the global stage. As well, it’s likely they will announce measures to co-operate more closely on security — combating the drug trade, trans-national crime, and international terrorism. Experts on Canada-U.S.-Mexico relations say the summit...