But he insisted all options were open in relation to Tehran's "increasingly dangerous" development of nuclear weapons. "We have never ruled anything out. We have not ruled out any option, or supporting any option. We believe all options should be on the table, that is part of the pressure on Iran," he said. Mr Hague added: "We are clearly not calling for or advocating military action. We are advocating meaningful negotiations, if Iran will enter into them, and the increasing pressure of sanctions to try to get some flexibility from Iran.''

Western governments, including Britain, have moved to step up sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme, threatening an embargo on its vital oil exports. In response, Tehran has talked of blocking the Straits of Hormuz oil shipment route. PM David Cameron, visiting Saudi Arabia on Friday, warned Iran President Ahmadinejad the world would "come together" to ensure the straits remained open. Mr Hague said governments must "not be put off further sanctions by bluster or statements from Iran". He was confident the EU would adopt "very significant" extra measures next week covering the oil and possible other sectors, to put "additional peaceful, legitimate pressure on Iran".

"Blaming the other is an abdication of responsibility and a failure of leadership, a leadership that the people so desperately need," the bishops declared. "We have heard and we make this conviction our own: to be pro-Israeli has to mean being pro-Palestinian. This means being pro-justice for all, whose certain fruit is lasting peace."

The bishops, who come from England, the United States, Canada, Spain, Germany, France and other nations, affirmed the importance of resumed dialogue between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. "A negotiated agreement is urgently required," they stated, lamenting that dialogue is "threatened and undermined by extremism and intolerance of the other, the signs of which are only too apparent in the attitudes, judgments and actions of far too many in the world today."

"This is a concern for both sides," the bishops continued, "and we appeal for tolerance and courageous leadership, able to show forgiveness and humility, to promote peaceful co-existence." The bishops' statement concluded with a call to political leaders of both sides and from the bishops' own countries to "show courage, resolve and creativity so the simple hopes of the majority for peaceful co-existence are realized. The fidelity to their way of life of Jews, Christians and Muslims should always be such that there is deep-seated openness to all others."

Specifically, the DHS announced the NCO and its Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS) CAN COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION FROM NEWS ANCHORS, JOURNALISTS, REPORTERS OR ANYONE WHO MAY USE "TRADITIONAL AND/OR SOCIAL MEDIA IN REAL TIME TO KEEP THEIR AUDIENCE SITUATIONALLY AWARE AND INFORMED."

According to the Department of Homeland Security's own definition of personal identifiable information, or PII, such data could consist of any intellect "that permits the identity of an individual to be directly or indirectly inferred, including any information which is linked or linkable to that individual." Previously established guidelines within the administration say that data could only be collected under authorization set forth by written code, but the new provisions in the NOC's write-up means that ANY REPORTER, whether someone along the lines of Walter Cronkite or a budding blogger, CAN BE VICTIMIZED BY THE AGENCY.

The department says that they will only scour publically-made info available while retaining data, but it doesn't help but raise suspicion AS TO WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS GOING OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SPEND TIME, MONEY AND RESOURCES ON WATCHING OVER THOSE THAT HELPED BRING NEWS TO THE MASSES.

The website Fast Company reports that the intel collected by the Department of Homeland Security under the NOC Monitoring Initiative has been happening since as early as 2010 and the data is being shared with both private sector businesses and international third parties.

The launch was part of an expert conference on the impact of Sunday work on the health, safety and social integration of workers. The conference was opened by Luca Jahier, president of Group III (Civil Society) of the EESC and brought to a conclusion by George Dassis, president of Group II (Employees). Jahier emphasized that Europe needs a social model based not only on production and consumption, but also on shared free time for social interaction and societal engagement: "WE NEED TIME FOR THE COLLECTIVE RITUALS OF SOCIETY, not only mass occupations like shopping."

Among the expert speakers were the psychologist Professor Friedhelm Nachreiner, who recently testified in the German Constitutional Court proceedings on Sunday work that resulted in a ban on shop openings on Sundays in that country. He presented the results of numerous studies, proving: "Whatever set of data you look at, whatever aspects you factor in or leave aside, the result is always the same: ANY PERSON WORKING ON SUNDAYS IS NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BOTH IN TERMS OF HEALTH AND SAFETY." The social scientist Dr Jill Ebrey, who undertakes research on the social value of synchronised free time at weekends for workers, helped in finding explanations for these findings.

The members of the Alliance demand that both European and national legislation needs to be more protective of workers' private lives, including the right to shared free time for family, social and civic engagement, and culture. They stress that societies need a collective rhythm, because people are embedded in social structures that are necessary for their well-being and for social cohesion: "Apart from our scientific findings, the political decision comes down to what sort of society we want to live in: a participative society, or a society where more and more people withdraw from interaction - with the negative impacts on democracy this would have," concludes Professor Nachreiner.

(Upcoming conference - "Time Conference" of the German Sunday alliance - to be held on the 15 February 2012)

"The 4th national Time Conference of the German Sunday Alliance will gather on the topic "SUNDAY IS OUR RIGHT". The Conference will unveil NEW LEGAL TOOLS FOR SUNDAY PROTECTION, new action possibilities and will offer an occasion to exchange with crucial supporters and partner organisations.

This, they said, has become one of the treaty objectives of the European Union (EU) since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. In looking at how best to react to the current economic and financial crisis affecting Europe the bishops recommend that the EU become "a viable 'Community of Solidarity and Responsibility.'"

"From the start, the project of European unification has been more than purely economic," the statement concluded. "It has been, and is, a political and moral project: it should serve justice and peace in Europe and worldwide."

Here are some extracts from the Bishops' Statement:

"The application of the fundamental principle from Catholic social teaching which states that the goods of this world are to be shared by all the task of government to provide guaranteed market-free times..."

"It is right that market activity is restricted on ...Sundays, because on those days, for national, cultural or religious reasons, peace and quiet and time to collect one's thoughts take precedence over economic activities. For the same reason, economic activity is restricted or ceases entirely in certain public spaces and media, eg the prohibition on advertising during the broadcasting of Church services ... it is not just the job of the State to impose restrictions on the market. Opting for a market economy goes together with opting for freedom of the people. This is why we need individuals to assume responsibility freely and based on the principle of solidarity."

"In the coming decades, too, Europe will be have to rely on workers from other parts of the world in order to ensure that the level of economic performance is sufficient to cover the financing of social security benefits. Countries of origin and host countries should work together in the interests of well-ordered handling of the flows of migrants, in order to reduce to a minimum suffering and deprivation for the new arrivals and unavoidable burdens for those accepting them."

"At all events, the value of the human beings who come to Europe from other countries must be respected by all. Their inalienable fundamental rights must be respected."

That represents a symbolic step closer to doomsday, a change from the clock's previous mark of six minutes to midnight, set in January 2010. The clock is a symbol of the threat of humanity's imminent destruction from nuclear or biological weapons, climate change and other human-caused disasters. In making their deliberations about how to update the clock's time, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists focused on the current state of nuclear arsenals around the globe, disastrous events such as the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, and biosecurity issues such as the creation of an airborne H5N1 flu strain.

The Doomsday Clock came into being in 1947 as a way for atomic scientists to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons. That year, the Bulletin set the time at seven minutes to midnight, with midnight symbolizing humanity's destruction. By 1949, it was at three minutes to midnight as the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorated. In 1953, after the first test of the hydrogen bomb, the doomsday clock ticked to two minutes until midnight.

The Bulletin - and the clock - were at their most optimistic in 1991, when the Cold War thawed and the United States and Russia began cutting their arsenals. That year, the Bulletin set the clock at 17 minutes to midnight. From then until 2010, however, it was a gradual creep back toward destruction, as hopes of total nuclear disarmament vanished and threats of nuclear terrorism and climate change reared their heads. In 2010, the Bulletin found some hope in arms reduction treaties and international climate talks and nudged the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock back to six minutes from midnight from its previous post at five to midnight.

With today's decision, the Bulletin repudiated that optimism. Other factors that played into the decision included the growing interest in nuclear power from countries such as Turkey, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, Benedict said. "The world still has approximately over 20,000 deployed nuclear weapons with enough power to destroy the world's inhabitants many times over," said Lawrence Krauss, an Arizona State University professor and the co-chair of the BAS Board of Sponsors. "We also have the prospect of nuclear weapons being used by terrorist non-state actors."

We have lowered the long-term ratings on Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, and Spain by two notches; lowered the long-term ratings on Austria, France, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia, by one notch; and affirmed the long-term ratings on Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

All ratings have been removed from CreditWatch, where they were placed with negative implications on December 5, 2011. The outlooks on the long-term ratings on Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain are negative, indicating that we believe that there is at least a one-in-three chance that the rating will be lowered in 2012 or 2013.

Today's rating actions are primarily driven by our assessment that the policy initiatives that have been taken by European policymakers in recent weeks may be insufficient to fully address ongoing systemic stresses in the eurozone. In our view, these stresses include: (1) tightening credit conditions, (2) an increase in risk premiums for a widening group of eurozone issuers, (3) a simultaneous attempt to delever by governments and households, (4) weakening economic growth prospects, and (5) an open and prolonged dispute among European policymakers over the proper approach to address challenges.

The outcomes from the EU summit on December 9, 2011, and subsequent statements from policymakers, lead us to believe that the agreement reached has not produced a breakthrough of sufficient size and scope to fully address the eurozone's financial problems.

We also believe that the agreement is predicated on only a partial recognition of the source of the crisis: that the current financial turmoil stems primarily from fiscal profligacy at the periphery of the eurozone. In our view, however, the financial problems facing the eurozone are as much a consequence of rising external imbalances and divergences in competitiveness between the eurozone's core and the so-called "periphery". As such, we believe that a reform process based on a pillar of fiscal austerity alone risks becoming self-defeating, as domestic demand falls in line with consumers' rising concerns about job security and disposable incomes, eroding national tax revenues.

Amid the mounting political turmoil in the country, President Asif Ali Zardari has gone for a one-day "private" trip to Dubai. As Zardari left, according to media reports, military chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, met with top commanders, fuelling speculation about a coup.

The ongoing crisis was deepened by Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani's sacking of his defense secretary, retired General Naeem Khalid Lodhi, over accusations of "gross misconduct and illegal action" and of "creating misunderstanding between the state institutions." The move on Wednesday sparked anger among the army.

Stoking the fires of the country's political turmoil, the main opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, has called for early elections. The Zardari government was democratically elected in 2008 and is determined to stay till the end of its term in 2013, even though no civilian government has ever completed its term in office in the country's 64-year history.

Robert Parry, editor of Consortium News said, "What happens in Pakistan has for a long time been the biggest fear in Washington. Pakistan is a nuclear-armed country. Who would get nuclear weapons should Pakistan's government fall?"

Kremlin Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev accused Israel of provoking the United States towards war against Iran, the Russian Interfax news agency reported Friday. "But at the same time, we believe that any country has the right to have what it needs to feel comfortable, including Iran," he added. Rogozin warned on Friday that more attacks on Iran could cause "a scorching Arab Summer."

Russia also has come to the defense of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning Western nations not to intervene in Syria with military forces. Russia is a major arms supplier to Syria and has a heavy investment in Iran's nuclear facilities. Japan also is drifting towards Iran, backtracking from its promise last week to back American sanctions aimed at persuading Iran to halt its unsupervised nuclear development.

Last week's assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist has aroused more "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" protest rallies in Iran, where the scientist was buried on Friday. Iranian state radio said the 32-year-old scientist was involved with enriched uranium, a key ingredient for a nuclear weapon.

Europe's strategic importance for the US military looks to be dwindling. As part of President Barack Obama's recently announced 10-year defense plan to reduce military spending by $487 billion (325 billion euros), Washington plans to withdraw half of its brigades from the Continent.

The US still plans to maintain a strong presence in the region, but will do so through rotating units instead, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told the American Forces Press Service on his way to Fort Bliss, Texas on Thursday. About 40,000 US soldiers and 100,000 dependents are currently stationed in Europe, with three brigade combat teams in Germany and one in Italy. Brigades typically have between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers.

US military bases are found in the states of Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate, where surrounding communities are economically dependent on their presence. The new plan to use rotating units would eliminate the presence of dependents, reducing costs for the military. The details emerged after the Pentagon recently announced a new strategy for cutting defense spending over the next decade, as ordered by Congress and Mr Obama. Not only will the US military change its focus to the Asia-Pacific region, but it will also increase cyber warfare efforts and the use of unmanned aircraft.

President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other top officials have delivered a string of private messages to Israeli leaders warning about the dire consequences of a strike. The US wants Israel to give more time for the effects of sanctions and other measures intended to force Iran to abandon its perceived efforts to build nuclear weapons.

Stepping up the pressure, Mr. Obama spoke by telephone on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet with Israeli military officials in Tel Aviv next week. The high-stakes planning and diplomacy comes as US officials warn Tehran, including through what administration officials described Friday as direct messages to Iran's leaders, against provocative actions.

But Israel has declined to rule out a strike, as has the US. "It is the policy of the Israeli government, and the Obama administration, that all options remain on the table. And it is crucial that the ayatollahs in Tehran take this policy seriously," said Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the US.

US officials briefed on the military's planning said concern has mounted over the past two years that Israel may strike Iran. But rising tensions with Iran and recent changes at Iranian nuclear sites have ratcheted up the level of US alarm. "Our concern is heightened," a senior US military official said of the probability of an Israeli strike over US objections. Tehran crossed at least one of Israel's "red lines" earlier this month when it announced it had begun enriching uranium at the Fordow underground nuclear facility near the holy city of Qom.

Two of the new voting members this year on the Federal Open Market Committee, which sets interest rate policy, have recently suggested they would support more assets purchases. San Francisco Fed President John Williams said that sustained high levels of unemployment, as forecast by many Fed members, "does make an argument that we should have more stimulus." Another new voter, Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto, said in a recent speech that economic models indicate the Fed "should be even more accommodative than it is today."

Already some Wall Street banks are building QE3 into their forecasts. Morgan Stanley fixed income economist David Greenlaw said he expects more easing to be announced this spring. Greenlaw said it's "based on an expectation that the bar is pretty low for additional accommodation and we do expect some modest slowing in economic activity in early 2012."

He sees Fed purchases beginning in June, around the time that Operation Twist is ending. The new program will likely concentrate on mortgage-backed securities in an explicit attempt by the Fed to provide more help to the housing market. Economist Dean Maki from Barclays doesn't believe more easing is necessary but he still puts a 40% probability on it happening. Maki suggests an April announcement would be most likely since that would be the next news conference for Fed chairman Ben Bernanke following the one this month.

Marine Corps General James Mattis, who heads US Central Command, won White House approval for the deployments late last year after talks with the government in Baghdad broke down over keeping US troops in Iraq, but the extent of the Pentagon moves is only now becoming clear. Officials said the deployments are not meant to suggest a buildup to war, but rather are intended as a quick-reaction and contingency force in case a military crisis erupts in the standoff with Tehran over its suspected nuclear weapons program.

The Pentagon has stationed nearly 15,000 troops in Kuwait, adding to a small contingent already there. The new units include two Army infantry brigades and a helicopter unit - a substantial increase in combat power after nearly a decade in which Kuwait chiefly served as a staging area for supplies and personnel heading to Iraq. The Pentagon also has decided to keep two aircraft carriers and their strike groups in the region.

Earlier this week, the American carrier Carl Vinson joined the carrier Stennis in the Arabian Sea, giving commanders major naval and air assets in case Iran carries out its recent threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint in the Persian Gulf, where one-fifth of the world's oil shipments passes.

"The Temple Mount Struggle paid off. Uniformed IDF soldiers proudly walk all over Jerusalem, and so Israel declares 'The Temple Mount is Ours'." Danon spearheaded the struggle to enable access to the Mount and after many demands from the government and security system and much promotion of the issue, he said, "The ascent of the soldiers is proof of the might of Israel, with its citizens able to proudly ascend to the Temple Mount."

"We do have to confront this problem, because Iran has embarked on a course which threatens the whole region of the Middle East with nuclear proliferation," Mr Hague said. "It is an intensifying problem that we have over their nuclear programme. And so there is a risk that this will become a greater crisis as 2012 goes on." Mr Hague's comments came as the European Union prepares to agree an embargo on Iranian oil in eight days' time, in response to Iran's decision to step up its efforts to produce the materials for a nuclear weapon.

They followed last week's assassination of a fourth Iranian nuclear scientist in two years, blamed by Iran on Mossad, the Israeli security service; recent missile tests by Iran; and continuing threats by its clerical regime to close the narrow marine artery through which more than a third of the West's seaborne oil reserves pass.