Russian Forces in Syria to Boost Bashar al-Assad’s Regime

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

The European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief reported to Al Jazeera that Russia is increasing its military force in Syria to prevent the “imminent” fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The report comes after the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policies, Federica Mogherini, had a conversation with Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov told Mogherini that the military support Russia has provided Syria was to prevent the collapse of the Syrian state.

“His fear is of a complete collapse of the state structures in Syria,” Mogherini said. “This could be one of the reasons Russia is talking in this way, but it could also be willingness to show that Russia is an important, substantial player.”

Most analysts believe that Russia’s increase in military power will end any prospect of Assad being overthrown by rebel forces as well as consolidate the de facto partitioning of Syria. In the recent past, Assad’s military has nearly fallen to rebel advances.

Approximately two thirds of Syria is controlled by mostly Islamist rebels, including Syrian fighters backed by Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, or the Islamic State, and it doesn’t seem like Russia will be able to retake the territory unless it deploys ground troops.

Russia has stated many times that its military presence in Syria is to fight the Islamic State, but many world leaders, including the United States, are still uncertain. Former U.S. ambassador, Robert Ford, believes Russia’s main goal is to boost Assad.

“Why would you put the air units in Latakia instead of Damascus if you want to fight the Islamic State?” Ford said. “Why do you send anti-aircraft equipment when the Islamic State doesn’t have any air force?

“So it seems to me that this is designed to help Assad first,” Ford added.

China to Donate Millions of Dollars and Thousands of Troops to U.N.

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced to the United Nations General Assembly that his country would provide more money and troops to aid U.N. peacekeeping efforts.

He said that 8,000 troops would be assigned as a U.N. permanent peacekeeping force. Additionally, China would give $100 million to the African Union, so an immediate response unit could be created and capable of responding to emergencies. Finally, Xi stated that China would donate $1 billion – over the next 10 years – to the United Nations as a “peace and development fund.”

China was among other world leaders from more than 50 countries who pledged equipment and training for U.N. peacekeeping missions as well as roughly 40,000 police and troops.

President Xi Jinping also announced that China would also donate a helicopter squad for African peacekeeping operations.

Bruce Jones, vice president for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution and an expert on peacekeeping, state that China’s contributions would be significant, especially the 8,000 police officers.

“Police is one of the most glaring gaps in the United Nations peacekeeping operations,” he said. “This is an important step in creating a dedicated reserve capacity.”

Xi’s pledges for peacekeeping operations comes amid growing concerns over China’s military might and territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region. Earlier in his address to the General Assembly, Xi tried to ease the concerns over his country’s growing influence as a threat.

“We are committed to peaceful development. No matter how the international landscape may evolve and how strong China may become, China will never pursue hegemony, expansion, or sphere of influence,” he said.

Rare Astronomical Event Gives Stargazers a Show Sunday Night

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

People around the world stepped outside of their homes or near their windows to catch a glimpse of the rare supermoon lunar eclipse that took place Sunday night.

CNN featured a video of Christians in Jerusalem gathering outside for the event. Praises were sung, prayers were said, and a shofar was blown during the full eclipse of the moon.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon enters Earth’s shadow, which often turns the mood a blood red color. A supermoon is when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. This makes the moon appear 14% bigger and brighter than normal.

The last time there was a supermoon eclipse was 1982, and it will not happen again until 2033.

Sunday’s lunar eclipse was also the final eclipse in the blood moon tetrad. Previous tetrads have occurred in key years of Jewish history, including 1492 when the Jewish people were banished from Spain, and another took place in 1948, the year of the Arab-Israeli war.

Central African Republic Children Directly Targeted in Inter-Religious Clashes

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

The United Nations reported that teens in the Central African Republic have become targets in a new surge of violence that has left many of the teens beheaded, shot, and burned.

Inter-religious clashes began again in Africa’s capital after a Muslim man’s dead body was found. Three dozen people have died in the violence.

UNICEF stated that children were being targeted and initial reports showed that several children between the ages of 7 and 17 had been decapitated, shot, and/or burned.

“Nothing can justify the deliberate targeting of children,” said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF’s West and Central Africa Regional Director. “These appalling crimes against boys and girls who are caught between warring factions must stop, and those carrying them must be held responsible.”

Children have also been forced to fight for armed groups in the Central African Republic. The U.N. estimates that up to 10,000 children have been forced to join militia groups in Central African Republic since the conflicts began.

Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and thousands have died because of the violence in Central African Republic. The violence began in 2013 after mainly-Muslim Seleka rebels took over the country which had been primarily Christian.

TSA Reports Record Number of Guns Found in U.S. Airports

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stated that 67 firearms were found in carry-on luggage during a week that ended September 17.

Of those found weapons, 56 were loaded and 26 had a round in the chamber. The TSA stated that the old record was 65 firearms that had been found in a week in May 2013.

During the most recent week that ended on September 24, U.S. airport security agents found 64 firearms in carry-on bags, of which 55 were loaded and 22 had a round in the chamber.

In July, the new TSA administrator, Peter Neffenger, stated to a congressional panel that his top priority would be better security at airport checkpoints, more specifically closing gaps in airport security.

Nationwide, TSA officers have found guns in carry-on and regular luggage. Recently, TSA agents stopped a man in a New York airport who had a gun in his carry-on bag. The day before, September 23, another loaded firearm was found in a passenger’s carry-on at the Des Moines International Airport in Iowa. The TSA reported that they have found more than 2,000 guns at airport security checkpoints this year.

The report comes just a few months after news agencies reported that TSA agents failed security tests that consisted of undercover investigators smuggling in weapons and mock explosives. The agents failed 95% of the trials. One of the tests even set off an alarm, but the agent wasn’t able to detect the fake explosive that was taped to the investigator’s back.

Rare Supermoon Eclipse Will Occur Sunday

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

What was already going to be a rare event with the closing of the blood moon tetrad, has turned into an even rarer occasion as stargazers will not only see a lunar eclipse but also see a supermoon on Sunday night.

A supermoon is when the moon is at its closest approach to Earth in its normal orbit. It will appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter and is approximately 31,000 miles closer to Earth. A normal total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and the moon align, causing the moon to completely be in Earth’s shadow. According to NASA, having both a total lunar eclipse and a supermoon occur means that the moon will be at its darkest and its brightest in 2015.

While normal lunar eclipses can be seen about every 2.5 years, a super moon and lunar eclipse combination hasn’t been seen in 33 years, and another won’t occur until 2033.

According to Nature World Report, the best time to enjoy a full supermoon is shortly after the moon rises above the horizon. On September 27, at approximately 8:11 p.m. Eastern Time (EDT), the moon will begin to dim from the eclipse. NASA officials report the total eclipse will start at 10:11 p.m. EDT and it will last 72 minutes. Those in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, western Asia, and eastern Pacific Ocean regions will be able to see the eclipse.

No equipment will be needed to view Sunday’s astronomical event. Experts have reported that everything will be able to be seen with the naked eye.

Area Near Charleston, South Carolina Reports Extensive Damage after Tornado

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

The South Carolina coast saw extensive damages in the early hours of Friday morning as a tornado came through the areas of West Ashley and Johns Island at approximately 12:40 a.m. ET.

The National Weather Service issued a warning for the area before the tornado hit after seeing debris from the tornado on the radar.

“The tornado was especially dangerous because it spun up quickly when it did,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said. “That can make the situation even more dangerous as people go to bed for the night and are not aware of the tornado warning that may be issued.”

A local resident, John Bercik, woke up to heavy rain and heard a howling noise similar to that of a train.

“When the roar started I was terrified. It was a very intense moment,” Bercik said.

When Bercik left his bedroom door, the rest of the house had been destroyed. The roof was missing, walls blown in, and his floor had been spun and moved. He used an umbrella to keep the rain off as he searched the wreckage for his cell phone.

While Bercik’s house was dealt the most damage, local fire officials stated that 10 homes suffered heavy damage. Other officials reported trees had fallen onto roads, bringing down powerlines. AccuWeather reported at least 9,000 SCE&G and Berkeley Electric Cooperative customers didn’t have power as a result of the storm.

The National Weather Service sent a team to asses the damage Friday morning.

Tensions High as President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping Meet

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Washington D.C. Friday where President Obama welcomed him and his wife to the White House. Despite the pleasantries, tensions were high between the world leaders over allegations of Chinese cyber spying, territorial disputes between China and its neighbors, and Beijing’s economic policies.

Chinese and U.S. officials do hope the world leaders can cast aside their differences to talk about one area of cooperate, the global fight against climate change. However, the cooperation was overshadowed by major disagreements.

President Obama reassured the Chinese President that the U.S. would continue to discuss its differences with China.

“We believe that nations are more successful and the world makes more progress when our companies compete on a level playing field, when disputes are resolved peacefully and when the universal human rights of all people are upheld,” President Obama said in his welcoming speech.

Xi gave a similar statement during his speech, stating that the two countries would have to use respect and compromise to improve relations.

Despite the speeches, experts report that the relations between the two countries are at its most adversarial in decades. This is due to allegations of cyber attacks between the two nations, the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, China’s economic situation, and China’s violations of human rights.

U.S. President Obama to Meet with Russian President Putin

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , ,

In their first face-to-face meeting in nearly a year, President Obama and President Putin will meet in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly next week.

The meeting was at Putin’s request and officials believe the discussion will be over the situations in Ukraine and Syria. Press Secretary Josh Earnest reported to Fox News that Obama plans to warn Putin against boosting support for Bashar Assad and urge Putin to make more of a contribution in the fight against ISIS. President Obama also plans on using the meeting as a way to figure out Russia’s intentions in Ukraine.

“Given the situations in Ukraine and Syria, despite our profound differences with Moscow, the president believes that it would be irresponsible not to test whether we can make progress through high-level engagement with the Russians,” a senior administration official added.

However, Russian officials have stated that President Putin wants to focus the conversation on Syria.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters: “Of course, the primary topic will be Syria.” Asked whether Ukraine would be discussed, he said: “Well, if time allows.”

Tensions have been high between the United States and Russia after the U.S. and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia last year. The sanctions came after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Russia continues to deny that they are militarily involved in Ukraine.

The request for a meeting comes days after news agencies reported that Russia was building two more military facilities located on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

Officials State Hackers Stole 5.6 Million Fingerprints, More Than Previously Reported

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that 5.6 million fingerprints were stolen in April’s cyber attack, more than five times the amount the agency first reported.

The hackers were able to obtain fingerprints, social security numbers, names, addresses, health information, and financial data from millions of government employees. The OPM stated in June that personnel records of 4.2 million people had been compromised in the cyber attack. A month later, the agency announced a second attack that was targeting 21.5 million people and only 1.1 million fingerprints had been stolen.

“The fact that the number [of fingerprints breached] just increased by a factor of five is pretty mind-boggling,” said Joseph Lorenzo Hall, the chief technologist at the Center for Democracy & Technology. “I’m surprised they didn’t have structures in place to determine the number of fingerprints compromised earlier during the investigation.”

The OPM tried to downplay the situation by stating that the ability to abuse fingerprint data was “currently limited.” The agency did warn that as technology improved there could be a higher chance of someone using their fingerprints as a guarantee of identity. Considering there are now security measures for unlocking smartphones and home security systems using a person’s fingerprints, that day may not be as far as the OPM states.

Investigations are continuing as officials are still trying to find who was responsible for the cyber attacks. Meanwhile, the OPM is still in the process of notifying everyone who had information stolen. According to the agency, they will provide free identity theft and fraud protection services to those who were affected by the cyber attack.

U.S. officials have blamed China for the OPM breach. China has continued to deny the attacks. The announcement comes during the second day that Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the United States. Jinping is due to meet President Obama in Washington on Friday.