Israel’s Peres Pitches “UN of Religions” to Pope (Source AP) Retired Israeli President Shimon Peres has proposed a new global peace initiative to Pope Francis: A “United Nations of Religions,” given that most wars today have religious, not nationalistic, undercurrents. The Vatican said Peres pitched the initiative during a 45-minute audience Thursday in the Apostolic Palace. The two men last met when Francis invited the then-Israeli president and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to pray for peace together in the Vatican gardens on June 8. A few weeks later, war broke out in the Gaza Strip. Peres told the Catholic publication Famiglia Cristiana that the U.N. is ill-suited to handle today’s conflicts and that a “‘U.N. of Religions’ is the best way to fight terrorists who kill in the name of God.” Francis promised the Vatican’s attention to the proposal.

Russia, China aim to close military technology gap with U.S.: Hagel (Source Reuters) Russia and China are trying to close the technology gap with the U.S. military and developing weapons systems that appear designed to counter traditional U.S. advantages, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday. Hagel was speaking before a NATO summit expected to bring Russia’s souring relations with the West into sharp focus and the goals of NATO allies to strengthen defense spending. Hagel said the Pentagon was renewing a push to revamp how it works with the defense industry. The goal, he said, was to promote greater innovation needed to preserve America’s technological edge, even at a time of tighter budgets. U.S. defense officials have watched as Moscow and Beijing have tested a string of sophisticated weapons, from radar-evading aircraft and anti-ship missiles that fly many times the speed of sound, to integrated air defenses.  China and Russia have been rapidly increasing their security spending and have passed new technological milestones in recent years. “They are also developing anti-ship, anti-air, counter-space, cyber, electronic warfare and special operations.

‘Promoting peace and stability’: NATO warships enter Black Sea (Source RT) A US Navy destroyer and, reportedly, a French frigate have entered the Black Sea, as NATO builds up its presence in the region while tensions remain high in Ukraine. Another two warships are expected to arrive in the area by the end of the week. The US Navy 6th Fleet official command has confirmed on its official Twitter account that the destroyer USS Ross, (DDG 71), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, is now in the Black Sea. “USS Ross enters Black Sea, promoting peace and stability while working with NATO allies and partners,”a statement said. The US Navy has stressed that “the Ross’ presence in the Black Sea serves to demonstrate the United States’ commitment to strengthening the collective security of NATO allies and partners in the region.” “The US Navy maintains an enduring commitment to forward-presence throughout the region in order to have ready-forces available if a crisis were to occur,” the statement said. Another NATO warship, France’s Commandant Birot, also arrived in Black Sea waters on Wednesday night, according to a military diplomatic source cited by the Itar-Tass news agency. A total of four NATO warships are expected to enter the Black Sea before September 7.

War in Europe—Time to Wake Up! (Source thetrumpet.com) “Europe Is on the Brink of Its First War in Decades. Here’s What the West Must Do.” Here is an excerpt: “In short, the separatist pantomime is over, and it is toward a new reality that we may be headed: the reality of the first real war in Europe in decades, the first aggression of one sovereign state against another that the former intends to dismember and reduce to vassal status—the very things that the construction of Europe, its reunification, and the end of the Cold War were supposed to have made impossible.” Europe has enjoyed an unusual amount of peace over the past half-century. The world is used to seeing a peaceful, sophisticated Europe. But it wasn’t always this way. Even before the two world wars, Europe was constantly at war. This period of peace, though it seems normal today, is out of the ordinary when you look at European history. As chaotic and dangerous as it is right now all over the world, America isn’t that concerned. “The world has always been messy,” U.S. President Barrack Obama recently said. He indicated that the world is just more aware of the messiness now because of social media and other technologies. World events are spiraling out of control and America’s response is that things have “always been” this way. The world is far different today and its time for everyone to wake up and respond to these alarming trends.