Command the Raven

From Koinonia House

**IMPORTANT NEWS HEADLINES**

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German Hacker Breaks Cell Phone Encryption - December 29, 2009
A German hacker claims to have cracked the encryption that protects most cellphone calls, potentially paving the way for others to eavesdrop on conversations. The hacker, Karsten Nohl, says he and a small team broke the encryption code for networks on GSM technology, which makes up more than 80 percent of the world’s cellular networks, to show how vulnerable they are and to make carriers more serious about security. The Wall Street Journal

A Christmas Miracle: Mom and Baby Both Come Back To Life - December 29, 2009
A Colorado woman and her baby were brought back to life after apparently dying in labor, observers say. Tracy Hermanstorfer’s heart stopped Christmas Eve while she was in labor and so doctors at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs performed an emergency Cesarean section without anesthesia in an effort to save the baby. The tiny lifeless body was handed to his father, who held his son while doctors worked to get him breathing. “They actually got him started right in my hands,” Mike Hermanstorfer he told KKTV. “That is an amazing feeling.” UPI

Iran Trying To Smuggle Uranium Ore - December 29, 2009
Iran is close to clinching a deal to clandestinely import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan, according to an intelligence report obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday. Diplomats said the assessment was heightening international concern about Teheran’s nuclear activities. Such a purified uranium ore deal would be significant because Teheran appears to be running out of the material, which it needs to feed its uranium enrichment program. AP and The Jerusalem Post

Missionary With Message For Kim Jong Il is Arrested - December 29, 2009
Robert Park, a 28-year-old US citizen of Korean background, reportedly crossed the frozen Tumen river border on Christmas Day. He was carrying a Bible and a letter addressed to Kim Jong-il, appealing for the reclusive North Korean leader to open the impoverished country’s borders to aid, to free political prisoners and close prison camps. In his letter, he says, “I proclaim Christ’s love and forgiveness towards you today. God promises mercy and clemency for those who repent…” CNSNews

China Russia And ‘Pipelinestan’ - December 28, 2009
With some of the world’s biggest oil, gas and metals reserves, Central Asia has become “Pipelinestan” – the focal point of geopolitical competition among China, Russia, Iran and the West, all seeking a share of the region’s resources and, in the case of oil and gas, transporting them via pipelines. India, too, is expected to become more active in Pipelinestan. But it is China that has rapidly increased its clout in Central Asia in the past few years, as it has in Africa. Through big loans, investments, trade, and a willingness to undertake projects others considered too costly or too difficult, China has enlarged the sphere and scope of its influence. The National

China’s 245 MPH Supertrain Unveiled - December 28, 2009
China on Saturday launched what it described as the world’s fastest super high-speed train. The new bullet train runs at an average speed of 217 miles-an-hour, and can reach up to 245 miles-an-hour, cutting the 1,068 kilometers (664 miles) journey time between Wuhan in central China and Guangzhou in the country’s south (a business hub near Hong Kong) from the original 9 hours to about 3 hours. Wall Street Pit

Christian Girls’ Abduction And Forced Islamic Marriage in Egypt Documented - December 23, 2009
The phenomenon of abduction, rape and forced Islamization of Christian girls in Egypt was shown for the first time on the Christian TV channel “Life TV”, which broadcasts from outside Egypt and has nearly 60 million Arab-speaking viewers in Egypt and around the world. The testimonies of the victims and their families came as a shock to many, including Egyptian Christians, since this issue is taboo for the Egyptian media, “Our role is to expose those behind those crimes,” said Rasheed El Maghreby, the program’s moderator. Assyrian International News Agency