Israel's claim about Syria chemical weapons highlights 'red line'

Israel's accusation that Syria used chemical weapons against rebels raises the prospect that Damascus crossed what President Obama has termed a "red line," but appears unlikely to overcome deep resistance of the U.S. and its allies to military involvement in the country's civil war.

Brig. Gen. Itai Brun, Israel's top military intelligence analyst, said at a security conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday that Syria used chemical weapons, probably a sarin-based nerve agent, in attacks March 19 near Aleppo and Damascus. He said the assessment was based on reports of victims foaming at the mouth and having constricted pupils.read full article:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-chemical-weapons-20130424,0,6939646.story

North Korea moves two more missile launchers: report

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has moved two short-range missile launchers to its east coast, apparently indicating it is pushing ahead with preparations for a test launch, a South Korean news agency reported on Sunday.

South Korea and its allies have been expecting some sort of North Korean missile launch during weeks of heightened hostility on the Korean peninsula.

An unidentified South Korean military source told the South's Yonhap news agency that satellite imagery showed that North Korean forces had moved two mobile missile launchers for short-range Scud missiles to South Hamgyeong province.

"The military is closely watching the North's latest preparations for a missile launch," the source said.

read full article:http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-moves-two-more-missile-launchers-report-035049930.html

Israel seeks Turkish airbase for attack on Iran: Report

In an article, the Sunday Times said that during his visit on Sunday, Amidror is expected to solicit Turkey’s agreement with regard to the deployment of Israeli fighter jets in Akinci airbase, northwest of Ankara, in exchange for advanced military equipments and technology, the Times of Israel reported.
“Until the recent crisis, Turkey was our biggest aircraft carrier. Using the Turkish airbases could make the difference between success and failure once a showdown with Iran gets underway,” Sunday Times quoted an unnamed Israeli military source as saying. read full article:http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/21/299454/israel-seeks-turkey-airbase-for-iran-war/

China earthquake kills 156, injures 5,500

Residents in China's southwestern Sicuan province huddled outdoors Saturday night in a town near the epicenter of a powerful earthquake that struck earlier in the day, leaving at least 156 people dead and more than 5,500 injured, nearly five years after a devastating quake wreaked widespread damage across the region.
Saturday morning's earthquake triggered landslides and disrupted phone and power connections in mountainous Lushan county five years after a devastating quake wreaked widespread damage across the region. The village of Longmen was hit particularly hard, with authorities saying nearly all the buildings there had been destroyed in a frightening minute-long shaking by the quake. read full article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/04/20/china-earthquake.html

California Bill Would Pay for Creating Eggs for Human Cloning

Cloning of the kind used to make Dolly the sheep, known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, requires one human egg per try. But human eggs (oocytes) are in very short supply. This “egg dearth” (as I call it), has hobbled the biotech industry from successfully cloning human embryos. I have predicted that will soon change. Now, fueling my suspicion, new California legislation has been filed to permit researchers to pay women for undergoing egg extraction–which can cost ”donors” their health, fecundity, even their lives.
First, the prices paid would be set by the researchers: From AB 926:

(j) This bill will reverse the current ban on compensation for women providing human oocytes for research. Compensation amounts will be determined by human subject research panels and institutional review boards. full article:http://www.lifenews.com/2013/04/16/california-bill-would-pay-for-creating-eggs-for-human-cloning/

Israel ready to act on Syria weapons, warns Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu: "Iran needs to know that if economic sanctions fail, there will be military action"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the BBC that Israel has a right to prevent weapons from falling into the wrong hands in Syria.

He said that if terrorists seized anti-aircraft and chemical weapons they could be "game changers" in the region.  full article with video:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22195508

US troops sent to Jordan to counter Syrian attack on kingdom

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Wednesday, April 17, that 200 troops of the US 1st Armored Division had been ordered to deploy in Jordan. debkafile’s military sources report that they are being sent on arrival to the north and ranged on the Jordanian-Syrian border. read full article:http://www.debka.com/article/22904/US-troops-sent-to-Jordan-to-counter-Syrian-attack-on-kingdom