PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD REPORTEDLY PLANNING ATTACK ON ISRAEL

he Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group is preparing a “significant” terrorist attack to undermine the ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Hamas, Yediot Aharonot reported on Monday..

According to the report, security forces deployed along the Gaza security fence have noticed “unusual” activity by the group’s military wing, leading security officials to believe that the group might be planning a rocket barrage or breaching of the security fence in the coming hours or days.

Islamic Jihad has denied the report, saying that "there is no truth to these reports. From time to time Israel tries to create confusion in the Palestinian arena, but these attempts will fail.”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second largest group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas, has been assessed by military intelligence as a factor increasing the risk of an escalation in the blockaded coastal enclave, since it is not under the direct control of Hamas and acts independently for its own interests.

The group is believed to be behind the last rocket barrage towards Israel on Saturday night when five rockets were fired toward southern Israeli communities after a relatively non-violent day when some 40,000 Palestinians rioted along the security fence marking Land Day and the first anniversary of the “Great Return” marches.

PIJ is responsible for several violent attacks on IDF troops during the marches, including the first death of a soldier along the Gaza border since Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi was killed after he was shot in the chest by sniper fire near Kibbutz Kissufim. Another soldier was struck by sniper fire in the area less than a week after Levi was killed. In late January, an IDF officer was lightly wounded in the same area after his helmet was struck by sniper fire along the Gaza Strip security fence, in an attack for which PIJ claimed responsibility.

The IDF has warned that both Hamas and PIJ have restored their military capabilities to their pre-2014 strength, and expect that in the next war the southern communities bordering the Strip would be incessantly pounded with rockets and mortar attacks.

PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD REPORTEDLY PLANNING ATTACK ON ISRAEL

he Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group is preparing a “significant” terrorist attack to undermine the ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Hamas, Yediot Aharonot reported on Monday..

According to the report, security forces deployed along the Gaza security fence have noticed “unusual” activity by the group’s military wing, leading security officials to believe that the group might be planning a rocket barrage or breaching of the security fence in the coming hours or days.

Islamic Jihad has denied the report, saying that "there is no truth to these reports. From time to time Israel tries to create confusion in the Palestinian arena, but these attempts will fail.”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second largest group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas, has been assessed by military intelligence as a factor increasing the risk of an escalation in the blockaded coastal enclave, since it is not under the direct control of Hamas and acts independently for its own interests.

The group is believed to be behind the last rocket barrage towards Israel on Saturday night when five rockets were fired toward southern Israeli communities after a relatively non-violent day when some 40,000 Palestinians rioted along the security fence marking Land Day and the first anniversary of the “Great Return” marches.

PIJ is responsible for several violent attacks on IDF troops during the marches, including the first death of a soldier along the Gaza border since Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi was killed after he was shot in the chest by sniper fire near Kibbutz Kissufim. Another soldier was struck by sniper fire in the area less than a week after Levi was killed. In late January, an IDF officer was lightly wounded in the same area after his helmet was struck by sniper fire along the Gaza Strip security fence, in an attack for which PIJ claimed responsibility.

The IDF has warned that both Hamas and PIJ have restored their military capabilities to their pre-2014 strength, and expect that in the next war the southern communities bordering the Strip would be incessantly pounded with rockets and mortar attacks.

Truce talks between Hamas and Israel on track after latest Gaza protest

A decision by the militant group Hamas to try to stop crowds in Gaza from attacking the border fence with Israel during mass demonstrations is a sign that Egypt-brokered ceasefire talks are still on track.

There was further evidence of good will on Sunday morning when Israel reopened two border crossings with the Palestinian enclave after they were closed last Monday when a rocket launched from Gaza landed deep inside Israel, wounding seven.

That attack triggered a new crisis between Israel and Hamas, which controls the territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - facing a general election next week - cut short a trip to Washington to oversee his country's response, which included the heaviest barrage of airstrikes against the enclave in five years.

Read more - https://news.sky.com/story/truce-talks-between-hamas-and-israel-on-track-after-latest-gaza-protest-11680320

Truce talks between Hamas and Israel on track after latest Gaza protest

A decision by the militant group Hamas to try to stop crowds in Gaza from attacking the border fence with Israel during mass demonstrations is a sign that Egypt-brokered ceasefire talks are still on track.

There was further evidence of good will on Sunday morning when Israel reopened two border crossings with the Palestinian enclave after they were closed last Monday when a rocket launched from Gaza landed deep inside Israel, wounding seven.

That attack triggered a new crisis between Israel and Hamas, which controls the territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - facing a general election next week - cut short a trip to Washington to oversee his country's response, which included the heaviest barrage of airstrikes against the enclave in five years.

Read more - https://news.sky.com/story/truce-talks-between-hamas-and-israel-on-track-after-latest-gaza-protest-11680320

Apple trees are mysteriously dying all across America and nobody knows why

Apple trees are an iconic national symbol in America, but the future of this beloved fruit could be in doubt, reports Science.

Something is killing apple trees across the American countryside, and the epidemic is reaching plague-like levels. Worst yet, scientists are completely clueless as to what is causing the mysterious pestilence.

The puzzling affliction is being called RAD, or rapid apple decline, and it typically begins on a single tree limb. As the leaves begin to grow, they curl up and turn yellowish-red while they are still small. This then spreads to other limbs until the entire apple tree dies. Sometimes the disease seems to spread from tree to tree like a contagion, other times it manifests randomly across an orchard.

"Rows of trees collapse for what seems like no reason," said Kari Peter, plant pathologist from Pennsylvania State University.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened to apple trees. A similar unexplained phenomenon seemed to crop up back in the 1980s, but it pales in comparison to the latest epidemic, which began in 2013. Without being able to identify the underlying cause, scientists can't be sure if the two outbreaks are related.

What's causing this?

When it comes to plant pathology, there are the usual suspects: viruses, fungi, bacteria, parasites and insect infestations, etc. But so far, the problem doesn't seem linked to any of these. Scientists have tried a wide range of chemicals to combat each of these potential suspects, to no avail. It's possible that there is no pathogen, and the trees are withering due to a range of environmental stressors, but it's unclear what those might be.

While the disease is widespread, some areas are being hit particularly hard. Up to 80 percent of orchards in North Carolina may show symptoms of the deadly illness, for instance. Apples are one of the continent's most valuable fruit crops, worth some $4 billion last year in the United States alone, so the mystery illness threatens entire agricultural sectors.

Perhaps the two strongest leads regard the observation that RAD is most common in densely-packed orchards with fewer weeds. That might mean that concentrations of herbicides could be impacting the trees' health. Furthermore, modern apple farming methods pack trees into orchards at impressive densities. Instead of planting about 250 trees per hectare, high-density modern orchards can have 1,200 or more. Because tightly packed trees must compete for nutrition and moisture, this strategy could be what's harming the trees.

Still, the patterns seen during RAD outbreaks are difficult to parse and aren't always consistent.

As scientists scramble to identify the cause of the epidemic, farmers are bracing for another lost season while hoping for the best, with fingers crossed. Experts are concerned, however, that it could be a very bad year for the American apple.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we get more reports of apple decline," said Sara Villani, a plant pathologist at North Carolina State University.

Read more - https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/apple-trees-are-mysteriously-dying-all-across-america-and-nobody-knows-why?fbclid=IwAR04PZ_zL2fDLrgY8501OoigXoupInxdib0ov5yzahDvFRMphavGp472BpQ

Apple trees are mysteriously dying all across America and nobody knows why

Apple trees are an iconic national symbol in America, but the future of this beloved fruit could be in doubt, reports Science.

Something is killing apple trees across the American countryside, and the epidemic is reaching plague-like levels. Worst yet, scientists are completely clueless as to what is causing the mysterious pestilence.

The puzzling affliction is being called RAD, or rapid apple decline, and it typically begins on a single tree limb. As the leaves begin to grow, they curl up and turn yellowish-red while they are still small. This then spreads to other limbs until the entire apple tree dies. Sometimes the disease seems to spread from tree to tree like a contagion, other times it manifests randomly across an orchard.

"Rows of trees collapse for what seems like no reason," said Kari Peter, plant pathologist from Pennsylvania State University.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened to apple trees. A similar unexplained phenomenon seemed to crop up back in the 1980s, but it pales in comparison to the latest epidemic, which began in 2013. Without being able to identify the underlying cause, scientists can't be sure if the two outbreaks are related.

What's causing this?

When it comes to plant pathology, there are the usual suspects: viruses, fungi, bacteria, parasites and insect infestations, etc. But so far, the problem doesn't seem linked to any of these. Scientists have tried a wide range of chemicals to combat each of these potential suspects, to no avail. It's possible that there is no pathogen, and the trees are withering due to a range of environmental stressors, but it's unclear what those might be.

While the disease is widespread, some areas are being hit particularly hard. Up to 80 percent of orchards in North Carolina may show symptoms of the deadly illness, for instance. Apples are one of the continent's most valuable fruit crops, worth some $4 billion last year in the United States alone, so the mystery illness threatens entire agricultural sectors.

Perhaps the two strongest leads regard the observation that RAD is most common in densely-packed orchards with fewer weeds. That might mean that concentrations of herbicides could be impacting the trees' health. Furthermore, modern apple farming methods pack trees into orchards at impressive densities. Instead of planting about 250 trees per hectare, high-density modern orchards can have 1,200 or more. Because tightly packed trees must compete for nutrition and moisture, this strategy could be what's harming the trees.

Still, the patterns seen during RAD outbreaks are difficult to parse and aren't always consistent.

As scientists scramble to identify the cause of the epidemic, farmers are bracing for another lost season while hoping for the best, with fingers crossed. Experts are concerned, however, that it could be a very bad year for the American apple.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we get more reports of apple decline," said Sara Villani, a plant pathologist at North Carolina State University.

Read more - https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/apple-trees-are-mysteriously-dying-all-across-america-and-nobody-knows-why?fbclid=IwAR04PZ_zL2fDLrgY8501OoigXoupInxdib0ov5yzahDvFRMphavGp472BpQ

Georgia House passes 'Heartbeat Bill' outlawing most abortions after 6 weeks

ATLANTA - The Georgia House of Representatives has approved HB 481, better known as the “Heartbeat Bill.”

The controversial bill outlaws most abortions as soon as a doctor can detect a heartbeat in a fetus.

Doctors say a heartbeat is typically detected when a fetus reaches six weeks' gestation.

Current Georgia law allows abortions up to 20 weeks.

Opponents of the bill gathered outside the House chamber Friday, waiting on word one way or the other over the bill’s passage. 

When the bill passed, protesters could be heard inside the chamber yelling "Shame!". 

Ahead of Friday’s vote, more than 40 Hollywood celebrities signed a letter sent to Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, saying they will push TV and film production companies to abandon Georgia if the bill is signed into law.

Read more - https://www.wsbtv.com/news/politics/georgia-house-passes-heartbeat-bill-outlawing-abortions-after-6-weeks/935377293?fbclid=IwAR1P8zraz4q4NPQArmBTXFRDRr-RydO7SrYcjLrHjBBi6LVGY78gVFFCkrg