Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Tuesday 28 July 2015

The European Union Times



Posted: 27 Jul 2015 12:51 PM PDT

The future battlefield will be overcrowded with robots, genetically engineered “super-humans” and a wide range of autonomous killer bots, according to a US Army Research Laboratory report.
The tactical battlefield of 2050 will surpass all expectations, since robots and super-human killers will be playing the first fiddle in the battle, according to thought leaders from the US Defense Department and the US Army Research Lab (ARL), scientists and security thinkers.
“The battlefield of the future will be populated by fewer humans, but these humans would be physically and mentally augmented with enhanced capabilities that improve their ability to sense their environment, make sense of their environment, and interact with one another, as well as with “unenhanced humans,” automated processes, and machines of various kinds,” the ARL report entitled “Visualizing the Tactical Ground Battlefield in the Year 2050: Workshop Report” stated.
“As a result, they would not only do things differently, but do different things compared to the human combatants of today with their limited forms of augmentation and enhancement,” the US analysts elaborated.
According to the report, the success in future warfare would be determined by seven specific interrelated capabilities, namely: augmented humans, automated decision making and autonomous processes; misinformation as a weapon; micro-targeting; large-scale self-organization and collective decision making; cognitive modeling of the opponent; as well as the ability to understand and cope in a contested, imperfect information environment.
The authors of the report elaborated that the principal Army unit will comprise both humans and autonomous killing machines. However, in order to enable humans to be on par with robots, these soldiers of the future will be “enhanced in variety of ways.” Equipped with advanced exoskeletons, they will possess numerous implants, obtaining seamless access to sensing and cognitive enhancements.
And that is not all, since the US army analysts even go so far as to consider the creation of genetically engineered super humans with enhanced physical capabilities, senses, and cognitive powers.
“The presence of super humans on the battlefield in the 2050 timeframe is highly likely because the various components needed to enable this development already exist and are undergoing rapid evolution,” the report emphasized.
Alas, according to the authors of the report given that the enhanced capabilities super humans possess will depend upon communication processes, “hacking and spoofing attacks are also an option.”
According to US expert in civil-military relations and cyber diplomacy Franz-Stefan Gady, such a bold warfare concept will require “new hybrid cognitive command architecture” to integrate and lead humans, superhuman and killer bots.
The expert pointed to obvious vulnerabilities of the future army posing a question what would happen if enemy hackers managed to seize control of US Army robots. “Could they in a Terminator-like scenario turn their weapons on their human comrades in arms?” he asked.
On the other hand, US expert Patrick Tucker, a technology editor for DefenseOne, highlights the future warfare ethical issue. Since the “dirty work” will be mostly committed by autonomous killing machines, humans will become the “referees.” The question of who would be held responsible for deaths and the damage also comes up.
“Imaginary or not, it’s that future explored in the workshop report: a future in which humanity can no longer control the rate or the effects of technological progress, at least not in the way that we attempt to do so today. That may be far more threatening than any particular enemy,” Tucker concluded.
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Posted: 27 Jul 2015 12:44 PM PDT

There is very little that the entire world seems to agree upon, but there is one very frightening trend that is now taking hold literally all over the globe.
There is very little that the entire world seems to agree upon, but there is one very frightening trend that is now taking hold literally all over the globe. A passionate hatred of Christianity is sweeping across the planet, and very few global leaders have been willing to step forward and speak out against this rising persecution of Christians. In many parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, believers are being relentlessly attacked by extremists, churches are being destroyed, and laws are being passed to try to prevent the spread of the Christian faith. In some areas, the violence has become so extreme that Christians knowingly risk their own lives just to go to church services each week. Would you risk your life to go to church? In North America and Europe, the persecution is often more subtle. Even though violent attacks are still fairly rare, Christian beliefs are being undermined by new laws, comedians and television shows regularly mock the Christian faith, and many employers will immediately mentally disqualify a potential candidate for a job if they discover that an individual is a Bible-believing Christian. Sadly, this is just the beginning. In the years ahead, those that choose to be followers of Jesus Christ will face even greater persecution than we have seen already.
When most people think of “Christian persecution”, they immediately think of what is happening in the Middle East. And without a doubt, what ISIS is doing to Christians in Iraq and Syria is beyond horrifying. But that is only part of the story. In this article, I am going to share with you 10 examples that show how the persecution of Christians is intensifying as anti-Christian hatred sweeps the world, and most of them are from outside the Middle East. I have specifically done this to show that this is truly a global phenomenon.
But to start off this list, let’s begin with how ISIS has been treating Christians in areas that they have conquered…
#1 Iraq
Eliza Griswold is the author of “The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches From the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam“, and he has spent a great deal of time examining the demise of the Christian faith in the heart of the Middle East. The following is an excerpt from a recent piece that he did for the New York Times
Recently, ISIS posted videos delineating the second-class status of Christians in the caliphate. Those unwilling to pay the jizyatax or to convert would be destroyed, the narrator warned, as the videos culminated in the now-­infamous scenes of Egyptian and Ethiopian Christians in Libya being marched onto the beach and beheaded, their blood running into the surf.
The future of Christianity in the region of its birth is now uncertain. ‘‘How much longer can we flee before we and other minorities become a story in a history book?’’ says Nuri Kino, a journalist and founder of the advocacy group Demand for Action. According to a Pew study, more Christians are now faced with religious persecution than at any time since their early history. ‘‘ISIL has put a spotlight on the issue,’’ says Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, whose parents are from the region and who advocates on behalf of Eastern Christians. ‘‘Christianity is under an existential threat.’’
#2 Kenya
As I discussed above, the persecution of Christians in the Middle East is only part of the story. What is getting much less coverage is the horrific persecution that is going on in many parts of Africa. The following is from a recent CNN piece about the ongoing persecution of Christians in Kenya…
In April this year, hundreds of students at Garissa University in northern Kenya came under attack when Al-Shabaab militants from across the border in Somalia raided dormitories at the college. Separating Christian students from their Muslim classmates, the raiders killed 147 and wounded dozens more. Today, the university stands empty.
Christians in North Eastern Kenya have come under repeated attacks by Al-Shabaab militants.
At Sunday Mass in Garissa’s Cathedral, Our Lady of Consolation, the benches are full. The congregation is praying under armed guard but they’re praying nonetheless.
Each Sunday brings with it new threats from Al-Shabaab.Garissa’s Christians are told that if you worship here, you’ll die. One of those attending Sunday Mass, Patrick Gitau tell us that despite the risks: “Every Sunday I’m here it’s my cathedral. Yeah I’m here I was baptized in this church.”
#3 India
It isn’t just Muslims that are viciously persecuting Christians. In India, radical Hindus are regularly conducting violent attacks against Christians and churches. The following is just one recent example
The Evangelical Fellowship of India has reported a violent attack against Christians in the country that was committed earlier this month when over 200 Hindu radicals stormed a Protestant church in the town of Attingal, Kerela, beating up the pastor and some of the worshipers, and breaking the altar.
EFI shared the news with Fides News Agency, reporting that the attack took place on June 14. The radicals apparently shouted slogans like “Bharat Mathaki Jai” (“Hail Mother India”) during the attack, which was broken up after police arrived.
#4 Pakistan
Some of the most vicious attacks against Christians in recent years have happened in Pakistan. Sadly, the authorities often willingly ignore these attacks. The following are just a few of the incidents that have happened recently
On Sunday, May 24, a Christian man in the Sanda neighborhood of Lahore was accused of blasphemy when some Muslims saw him burning newspapers that reportedly contained Arabic verses from the Koran. After the accusation, a Muslim mob caught the Christian, severely beat him, and even attempted to set him on fire. A few months earlier, another Muslim mob burned a Christian couple alive inside a kiln after they, too, were accused of insulting Islam. The Christian youth — named Humayun Masih, said to be “mentally unstable” — was imprisoned and charged under section 295-B of Pakistan’s penal code, which prohibits the desecration of the Koran. After the attack on the Christian youth, the Muslim mob, reportedly thousands, rampaged through the neighborhood and set fire to Christian homes and a church. Christians in the region were attacked, and most fled the region; some of the mob was armed and gunshots were heard.
#5 Nigeria
Did you know that Islamic terrorists in Nigeria have killed more than 2,000 people (most of them Christians) so far in 2015? Why isn’t this getting much more attention from the global media?…
Since its formation in 2009, Boko Haram has perpetrated the killing of over over 10,000 Nigerians, including thousands of Christians. This year alone, over 2,000 people have been killed as a result of the group’s attacks and an estimated 750,000 have fled their homes. While most of the attacks have taken place in northern Nigeria, they have extended to Cameroon and Chad in recent months.
Earlier in July, Muslim extremists ravaged northeastern Nigerian villages, killing nine villagers and burning down 32 churches and about 300 homes, according to Stephen Apagu, chairman of a self-defense group in Borno state’s Askira-Uba local government area.
#6 China
The Chinese government has been brutally persecuting Bible-believing Christians for decades, but this year things have been taken to an entirely new level. The following is an excerpt from a recent Washington Free Beacon article
The CCP considers the rising popularity of Christianity as a threat to its dominance, China Aid said, and has used aggressive measures to intimidate members.
“The Chinese government’s persecution campaign included forced demolition of churches and crosses, the detention and imprisonment of pastors and church members on criminal charges, forcing churches into bankruptcy by confiscating church property and imposing fines, and manipulating state-run media to label house churches as ‘cult’ organizations,” the report said.
A local police force—including 600 SWAT officers and government agents—demolished the cross last year at Salvation Church, a Christian house church in the eastern coastal city of Wenzhou. The officers attacked 14 church members on July 21 and seriously injured five, according to the report.
Zhang Shaojie, former pastor at the Nanle County Christian Church in central China, was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined after being convicted of “gathering a crowd to disrupt public order” and “fraud.” Zhang mobilized his congregation to petition the government in Beijing after local authorities seized property that the church had set aside for a new building. Local officials responded by detaining some church members and barring their travel to Beijing.
#7 Nepal
In Nepal, churches cannot buy property, and the new constitution actually bans people from converting to Christianity
The largely Hindu nation of Nepal has published a draft of a new constitution that would ban religious conversion. Father Silas Bogati, vicar general of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, told Catholic News Service that “Christianity is not recognized as a religion here, unlike Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam.” “Hence, churches cannot be registered as a legal body, and we cannot buy property,” he added. “We are severely handicapped by this.”
#8 Italy
Normally you wouldn’t think of Italy as a place where Christians would be persecuted, but thanks to Islamic immigration this is rapidly changing
Accounts of Muslim immigrants taunting and even assaulting Christians in Italy are increasing. Earlier this year, a crucifix was violently destroyed in close proximity to a populated mosque, and a statue of the Virgin Mary was destroyed and urinated on by a group of North Africans in Italy.
#9 Canada
Canada is becoming increasingly hostile to Bible-believing Christians, and attacks on churches are becoming more common. Just check out this recent example
On May 26, a 22-year-old man of Muslim background was charged with alleged hate crimescommitted against the St. Catherine of Siena Church and its neighboring elementary school in Mississauga, Ontario. Iqbal Hessan faces five counts of mischief, and over $5,000 in fines. On May 20, the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue that stands in front of the church was covered in black paint and the fingers of its outstretched arms were broken off. Behind the church, graffiti with the words “There is no Jew God” was scrawled across the brick wall along with a drawing of a face labelled “Jewsus.” That vandalism was the fourth time the church was targeted.
#10 The United States
If Christians stay in their homes and don’t say anything, normally they don’t get physically persecuted in this country. But in recent years there have been an increasing number of incidents where street preachers and others that do try to actively influence the culture have been violently assaulted. The following is one recent example that happened in Seattle
Two street preachers were brutally beaten—punched and kicked—by a crowd at a gay pride festival in Seattle and the entire melee was captured on video.
The preachers were holding signs reading “Repent or Else” and “Jesus Saves From Sin.” The video shows a group of people initially screaming and threatening the men during Pridefest at the Seattle Space Needle.
Television station KOMO reported that some of the attackers belonged to a group called NOH8.
A group of women tried to steal their signs but were unsuccessful. The video then shows a group of men grabbing onto one of the preacher’s signs and dragging him to the ground. At some point he was punched in the back of the head a number of times while others can be seen kicking the man.
Of course all of this is just the beginning.
In the years ahead, hatred toward Christians is going to continue to increase, and many believers are going to be faced with some extremely difficult choices.
What would you do if you were forced to choose between your job and your relationship with Jesus Christ?
What would you do if you were forced to choose between your life and your relationship with Jesus Christ?
Nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus told us that his followers would be hated and persecuted. So none of this should be any surprise to us. Consider what Jesus had to say in John chapter 15…
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, the world therefore hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My words, they will keep yours also.
Just like we saw during the times of the early church, sometimes the fire of persecution provides the perfect fuel for the growth of the kingdom of God. And sometimes the persecutors end up becoming extremely radical believers themselves. The following is one particularly miraculous example
“One of our YWAM workers in the Middle East was contacted by a friend earlier this year and they met up and he was introduced to an ISIS fighter who had killed many Christians already. I mean that’s a horrible situation, and admittedly, he was probably on guard,” Gina Fadely, director of Youth With A Mission Frontier Missions, Inc. (YWAM), said during a recent appearance on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network.
YWAM, a nonprofit missionary organization active since 1960, describes itself as “a global movement of Christians from many cultures, age groups, and Christian traditions, dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world.” The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is another nonprofit that draws attention to Christians facing persecution around the world.
Fadely, who appeared on the VOM radio program along with Kevin Sutter, another YWAM leader, went on to share that this Islamic State jihadi confessed not only to killing Christians but “that he had actually enjoyed doing so.”
“He told this YWAM leader that he had begun having dreams of this man in white who came to him and said, ‘You are killing my people.’ And he started to feel really sick and uneasy about what he was doing,” Fadely continued. “The fighter said just before he killed one Christian, the man said, ‘I know you will kill me, but I give to you my Bible.’ The Christian was killed and this ISIS fighter actually took the Bible and began to read it. In another dream, Jesus asked him to follow him and he was now asking to become a follower of Christ and to be discipled.”
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Posted: 27 Jul 2015 12:10 PM PDT

Molecule patented by the University of Coimbra for innovative therapy in the treatment of various types of cancer reveals the desired efficacy
Various studies and experiments conducted on mice, between 2011 and 2014, have proven the effectiveness of the molecule Redaporfin, discovery of the Universidade de Coimbra (UC) for treating various types of cancer by photodynamic therapy, an innovative therapy to target and eliminate cancer cells.
86% cured
In the performed tests, 86% of mice with various tumors were treated with this technology, and following stringent safety protocols, were cured and there were no side effects as with conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. The study, which has just been published in the European Journal of Cancer, also showed an extremely low relapse rate of the disease, revealing the effectiveness of the drug.
Tests conducted in animal models formed the basis for the planned architecture of clinical trials that Luzitin SA is carrying out with patients with advanced cancer of the head and neck. The most notable of these tests is the fact that “they predicted with accuracy when the response to treatment would arise, with what doses and in what circumstances the therapeutic effect would be obtained in the patient. These estimates are to be confirmed in clinical trials in progress”, says professor Luis Arnaut, director of Medicinal Chemistry in this project.
This confirmation is exceptional because, explains researcher at UC, “Whereas there are very different realities, in most studies much of the knowledge acquired in animal testing is not confirmed in humans. But in this case it was possible to reach the appropriate dose for therapeutic outcome in patients with no adverse effects, as expected.”
More effective than conventional therapies
Due to the fact that the trials are ongoing with cancer patients in Portugal’s hospitals until the end of the year, the results now known and scientifically validated “underline the expectation that photodynamic therapy with the Redaporfin molecule proves more effective than conventional therapies”, says Luis Arnaut.
A large part of the journey is made and, therefore, the professor believes that this drug, the first Portuguese drug for cancer treatments, may be on the market “within three to four years.” The investigation, started more than a decade ago, involves nearly four dozen researchers, from the groups of Luis Arnaut and Mariette Pereira of the University of Coimbra, the Luzitin SA company created to develop this project, and IPO (Portuguese Oncology Institute) of the medical team in the city of Oporto.
Photodynamic therapy with Redaporfin allows a very effective method to fight cancer cells. The most innovative aspect of this treatment, also concludes the professor of the Department of Chemistry at UC, “is that the therapy stimulates the immune system of the patient, ie, the therapy limits the tumor metastasis process. Simply put, the immune system is alert and activates anti-tumor protection against the same kind of cancer cells elsewhere in the body.”
The Luzitin SA was founded by Bluepharma and Redaporfin, the inventors which in 2010, conducted the preclinical studies for authorization to conduct clinical trials with Redaporfin and since 2014 there is to be held in Portugal a clinical trial phase I / II for patients with advanced cancer of the head and neck. Luzitin SA is funded by Bluepharma and Portugal Ventures.
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Posted: 27 Jul 2015 11:58 AM PDT

Amendments to Russia’s Maritime Doctrine approved by President Putin stem from NATO’s “eastward expansion”, said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. He added that the new doctrine focuses on Russia’s naval presence in Crimea and the Arctic.
The main reasons for adopting amendments to Russia’s maritime doctrine of 2001 are “the changes of international affairs” and the consolidation of Russia as a maritime power, Rogozin said at a meeting of Russia’s top brass aboard the Admiral Gorshkov frigate in Baltyisk on Sunday, as cited by the Kremlin website.
The revised document published the same day highlights Russia’s naval presence in the Atlantic and the Arctic, he said. “Attention to the Atlantic stems from NATO’s active development and the alliance approaching our borders,” he explained.
“The second consideration is Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s rejoining Russia and the task of their swiftest integration into the economic life of our country. And of course [we have to] resume the presence of our fleet in the Mediterranean.”
Rogozin also stressed the importance of Russia’s role in the Arctic and the “growing importance of the Northern sea route,” which in turn requires the updating of the nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet.
He noted that Russia has already launched the construction of a new nuclear icebreaker fleet adding that three units will start their operations by 2017, 2019, 2020, accordingly.
“In addition, [for Russia] the Arctic grants easy unlimited access to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. And of course, it is the richness of the continental shelf that requires careful attention in its development.”
Maritime Doctrine covers four functional and six regional areas. The four functional areas include naval activity, maritime transport, marine science and the development of mineral resources. The six regional areas are the Atlantic, the Arctic, the Pacific, the Caspian Sea, the Indian Ocean and Antarctica.
The amendments were approved by Putin on Sunday in Baltyisk, where he took part in festive events in honor of Russia’s Navy Day. He called the amendments a “milestone event for the future of the Navy.”
He said that for the first time the doctrine included purely social provisions – naval medicine, health building measures for sailors, specialists of the naval sector.
“It is particularly important. People must be sure that in strategic documents on the development of the Navy, on the development of Navy-related sectors, the state will never forget about the social aspects of these documents and will implement what people expect from their service in this extremely difficult and important sphere,” he said.
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Posted: 27 Jul 2015 11:55 AM PDT

The maneuverability of Russia’s Cosmos-2504 military satellite launched on March 31 from the Plesetsk test site has alarmed the US Air Force, which thinks it may potentially be an “on-orbit anti-satellite weapon.”
“A Russian military satellite launched in March has made at least 11 close approaches to the rocket upper stage that released it into orbit,” SpaceNews website quotes a spokesman for the US Air Force as saying.
“Such maneuvering capability is consistent with, but not necessarily indicative of, an on-orbit anti-satellite weapon,” he added.
Strategic Command’s Joint Space Operations Center (JFCC) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California is closely watching the satellite, which, it claims, “in at least one case appeared to have nudged the upper stage to a higher orbit “
Cosmos 2504 was launched along with three communications satellites aboard a Rockot vehicle with a Briz-KM booster stage from Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome on March 31.
Since then JFCC has been “keeping a close eye” on the satellite. It says on one occasion the satellite approached an unidentified piece of orbital debris. However It has not approached any active satellites.
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