Ray Mossholder: All day Thursday and early Friday morning, February 19 and 20, 2014 CHRISTIAN NEWS FROM RAY

CHRISTIAN NEWS FROM RAY

A free service of Jesus Christ is Lord Ministries

News selected and edited by Ray Mossholder

All Day Thursday and early Friday morning, February 19 and 20, 2014

YOUR SAVINGS ACCOUNTS ARE UNDER THREAT

Governments and central banks all over the world are getting ready to plunder savings accounts and pensions to fund ongoing spending binges and mounting debts. Reuters news service reported an ominous story on February 12 indicating that authorities in the European Union may soon be resorting to the “Polish option” of nationalizing pension funds to pay for national debt obligations, as well as to fund continued out-of-control government spending.

The savings of the European Union’s 500 million citizens could be used to fund long-term investments to boost the economy and help plug the gap left by banks since the financial crisis, an EU document says….”The economic and financial crisis has impaired the ability of the financial sector to channel funds to the real economy, in particular long-term investment,” said the document, seen by Reuters.

The Reuters report reads as if it were written by the European Central Bank or the Federal Reserve, employing the “purposeful obfuscation” of “Fed-speak” that Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan (following his retirement) boasted of employing when deceiving Congress with convoluted “destructive syntax.”

For the savvy reader, the Reuters story sent up a host of red flags, but for many, if not most, readers, unfamiliar with the “Fed-speak” and “Greenspanisms,” the article was merely about new efforts by EU authorities to “boost the economy.” And that would be a good thing, right? And solve the “long-term investment” problem; another good thing, yes? Even the Reuters title — “Exclusive: EU Executive Sees Personal Savings Used To Plug Long-term Financing Gap” — aims at preparing readers to welcome the planned government confiscation of their savings.

Contrast that Reuters title with the one provided for the same story by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge.com: “Europe Considers Wholesale Savings Confiscation, Enforced Redistribution.” ZeroHedge is among the alternative voices that have been warning that ever-ravenous government and its Wall Street patrons, having already digested breakfast and lunch, are coming back for dinner. Meanwhile, the MSM “journalist” shills for Big Gov and Big Banks continue to report that the storm clouds are almost banished and that sunshine and rainbows are peeking out from behind every new government program.

Tyler Durden points out that the EU choice of the verb “mobilize” — as in “to mobilize more personal pension savings for long-term financing” — is typical of the deceptive verbiage employed by the bankster/political elites. “Mobilize, once again, is a more palatable word than, say, confiscate,” he notes. “And yet this is precisely what Europe is contemplating.”

And not only Europe; central bankers and politicians the world over have struck on a plan to “solve” the “world financial crisis” by taking every penny possible by every means possible. (See: “Jackson Hole Conclave: Central Bankers Plan Global Theft, Massive Pain,” August 28, 2013; and “Your Savings, 401(k), and Retirement Are in Danger,” February 4, 2014.)

As we have reported, President Obama has floated an eerily similar plan — his MyRA retirement savings bond program, announced in his January 2014 State of the Union Address — which appears to be a way of easing into the plans for nationalizing pensions that “progressive” Democrats have been advocating for many years. In 2008, when then-Senator Barack Obama was running for his first try at the White House, a series of House and Senate hearings took testimony from a bevy of “experts” recommending various schemes for nationalizing pension plans .

In September, 2012, California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation creating the nation’s first state-administered retirement savings program for private-sector workers. The California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program, which has been touted as a “national model,” directs private employers to withhold three percent of workers’ pay to channel into a state-run program. Critics have pointed out that the new program is simply another means by which the Sacramento politicians are forcibly extracting money from Golden State residents to fund debt-laden, bloated government. In particular, the new retirement “savings” is likely to disappear into schemes for plugging holes in the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), which is estimated to have a long-term unfunded liability of $100 billion.

CHAOS AND DEATH IN KIEV

The truce has ended in Kiev, Ukraine, both sides blaming the other for ending it. 59 deaths have occurred in the past two days and there is no end in sight for what is going on there now. The ongoing violence on the square Thursday indicates that more radical elements among the protesters may be unwilling to observe the truce and may not be mollified by the prospects of negotiations. Although the initial weeks of protests were determinedly peaceful.

Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko, who along with two other leaders met with the president late on Wednesday to discuss a truce, said the president assured them that police would not storm the protesters’ encampment on Kiev’s Independence Square, according to the Interfax news agency.

A brief statement published on the president’s website late on Wednesday did not give details of what terms a truce would entail or how it would be implemented. Nor did it specify how the negotiations would be conducted or give an indication of how they would be different from previous meetings of the president and the opposition leaders.

President Barack Obama stepped in to condemn the violence, warning Wednesday “there will be consequences” for Ukraine if it continues. The U.S. has raised the prospect of joining with the EU to impose sanctions against Ukraine.

On a visit to Mexico, Obama said the Ukrainian military should not step into a situation that civilians should resolve and added that the U.S. holds Ukraine’s government primarily responsible for how they have dealt with the peaceful protesters.

On Wednesday, the U.S. denied admission to the United States for about 20 individual Ukrainians the U.S. believes are responsible for the actions against the most recent violence Tuesday night in Kiev. This action means that if they were to apply for visas, they would be denied.

A senior State Department official, who is closely following the unrest in Ukraine, said these individuals represent the “full chain of command that we consider responsible for ordering security forces to move against the Maidan yesterday.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, described the violence as an attempted coup and even used the phrase “brown revolution,” an allusion to the Nazi rise to power in Germany in 1933. The ministry said Russia would use “all our influence to restore peace and calm.”

In Kiev, Ukraine’s top security agency also accused protesters Wednesday of seizing hundreds of firearms from its offices and announced a nationwide anti-terrorist operation to restore order.

Before the truce was announced the bad blood was running so high it has fueled fears the nation could be sliding toward a messy breakup. While most people in the country’s western regions resent Yanukovych, he enjoys strong support in the mostly Russian-speaking eastern and southern regions, where many want strong ties with Russia.

Before the truce announcement, Yanukovych had blamed the protesters for the violence and said the opposition leaders had “crossed a line when they called people to arms.” He called for a day of mourning Thursday for the dead.

Opposition lawmaker Oleh Lyashko has warned that Yanukovych himself was in danger. “Yanukovych, you will end like (Muammar) Qaddafi,” Lyashko told thousands of angry protesters. “Either you, a parasite, will stop killing people or this fate will await you. Remember this, dictator!”

The chaos is being streamed live from Kiev on the Internet over Fox news.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FOLLOW-UP TO THE RIOT

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly is sending an envoy to Ukraine to try to mediate discussions with anti-government protesters – at the request of the country’s president. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the envoy announcement after Putin and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych talked over the phone, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported, according to Reuters.

• The White House is urging Ukraine’s government to withdraw security forces from Kiev’s Independence Square – the flashpoint of the uprising – and resolve the crisis through political means. It described images of Ukrainian forces firing on its own people Thursday as an outrage.

• Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, said on his Twitter page that he is heading to meet anti-government protesters to test a “proposed agreement” with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, according to Reuters. Sikorski and his French and German counterparts met with Yanukovych earlier in the day.

• Protesters have captured at least 67 policemen in Kiev, the country’s Interior Ministry said Thursday. Footage from Ukrainian TV shows protesters leading policemen around inside a sprawling camp.

In Brussels, Belgium, the 28-nation EU agreed to impose sanctions on Ukraine Thursday, including visa bans, asset freezes and restrictions on the export of anti-riot equipment, according to ministers and officials who spoke to Reuters. The U.S. – which reiterated Thursday that it would work with its European allies to resolve the crisis – is considering whether to join the EU sanctions. A freeze on assets and travel bans could hurt the oligarchs who back Yanukovych. The scope of the sanctions will be adjusted according to the developments in Ukraine. The restrictions are to be drafted into law in the coming days, Reuters reports.

Video footage on Ukrainian television Thursday showed shocking scenes of protesters being cut down by gunfire, lying on the pavement as comrades rushed to their aid. Trying to protect themselves with shields, teams of protesters carried bodies away on sheets of plastic or on planks of wood.

One opposition lawmaker says the police who were captured are being held in Kiev’s city hall, which is being occupied by protesters.

Ukraine’s economy is in tatters. But the Kremlin said it has put the next disbursement of its bailout on hold amid uncertainty over Ukraine’s future.

Sky News correspondent David Bowen said snipers could be seen on rooftops aiming at protesters in the square below. Bowen reported that one bullet had gone through the window of his hotel room and “took a chunk” out of the ceiling. “The police seem to have been caught off guard and they’re reacting very aggressively and basically just shooting people.”

Ukraine’s acting Interior Minister Vital Zakharschenko said he signed an order Thursday to give police combat weapons to be used “in accordance with the law,” according to Reuters.

Amid the carnage, signs were emerging that Yanukovych is losing loyalists as the crisis roils. The chief of Kiev’s city administration, Volodymyr Makeyenko, announced Thursday he was leaving Yanukovych’s Party of Regions. “We must be guided only by the interests of the people. This is our only chance to save people’s lives,” he said, adding he would continue to fulfill his duties as long as he had the people’s trust.

Another influential member of the ruling party, Serhiy Tyhipko, said both Yanukovych and opposition leaders had “completely lost control of the situation.”

Yanukovych has blamed the protesters for the violence. He called for a day of mourning Thursday for the dead, but the Interior Ministry said Kiev residents should limit their movements or stay home altogether because of the “armed and aggressive mood of the people.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EARLY MORNING BULLETIN FROM KIEV

Another shaky peace agreement has been signed by government and opposition this morning. It was formed after EU members from three countries met with the warring factions.

NORTH KOREA ARRESTS ANOTHER CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY

HONG KONG – An Australian missionary who carried Christian pamphlets into North Korea has been detained there, his family said Wednesday. John Short, 75, has lived in Hong Kong for 50 years and has been arrested previously in China for evangelizing. Short was questioned and then arrested in his Pyongyang hotel on Sunday, a day after he arrived in the North Korean capital.

“He was carrying Korean literature on his person and that could be the reason, but again I don’t know,” his wife, Karen, told The Associated Press. She said she learned about his detention from a friend traveling with Short in a regular tour group who was able to return to China on Tuesday.

While North Korea’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, in practice only sanctioned services are tolerated by the government. Last year, American missionary Kenneth Bae was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor after being accused of committing hostile acts in North Korea.

In an interview at the offices of the Christian publishing company the couple runs, Karen Short said she was initially “shocked” when she learned of her husband’s detention. ‘But I know he’s courageous and he’s in God’s hands. I believe that at the right time that the right thing will happen and he will be released.”

Reverend Short, from Barmers, South Australia, has been arrested multiple times while evangelizing in mainland China, which he started visiting after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, according to a biography on a Christian website, Gospel Attract.

He was banned from entering China for nearly two years after his second arrest in 1996. Authorities later let him back in and he was arrested several more times for “speaking out about the brutality against Chinese Christians,” said the site.

Short’s wife said he was visiting North Korea for the second time. His first trip was a year ago “so he knew what he was going into,” she said. She said he wanted to be there “rubbing shoulders with people as much as possible. There’s risk involved. He knew that too, but when you know what you must do, you do it.”

“It’s not an open country and it doesn’t welcome Christians — yes, we realize that,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean we stand by and don’t do anything more just because we care for the situation. We pray about it but sometimes you have to do more than talk.”

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it has asked the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang to confirm Short’s wellbeing and to seek more information.

Australia has no diplomatic representation in North Korea and is represented in Pyongyang by the Swedish Embassy. The North Korean government has not made any statements on the matter.

NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA MEET IN TEARS

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Elderly North and South Koreans separated for six decades are tearfully reuniting, grateful to embrace children, brothers, sisters and spouses they had thought they might never see again. About 80 elderly South Koreans traveled Thursday through falling snow with their families to North Korea’s Diamond Mountain to reunite with relatives they hadn’t seen since the 1950-53 Korean War. Seoul says about 180 North Koreans were expected.

South Korean TV showed elderly women in traditional hanbok dresses talking and hugging at the resort. Stooped men wiped away tears with their handkerchiefs. Another old man was wheeled into the meeting room on a stretcher, a blue blanket wrapped tightly around him.

More reunions are planned through Tuesday. This round of reunions, the first since 2010, comes amid a North Korean “charm offensive”.

VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER ARRESTED

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (AP) – Moments before his dramatic arrest, opposition leader Leopoldo López told a sea of white-shirted supporters that he doesn’t fear years behind bars if that’s what it takes to open eyes to the damage done to Venezuela by 15 years of socialist rule.

“If my jailing serves to awaken a people, serves to awaken Venezuela … then it will be well worth the infamous imprisonment imposed upon me directly, with cowardice” by President Nicolás Maduro, a defiant López shouted through a megaphone Tuesday from atop a statue of 19th century Cuban independence hero José Martí in a Caracas plaza.

He then pushed his way through the crowd, waving a flower over his head, to a police line a few feet away and turned himself in to face charges blaming him for violence between opposition activists and pro-government forces last week. He was driven away in an armored vehicle, and a judge later ordered him held in jail before a court appearance.

Friends and allies say the steely resolve exhibited at the rally is often seen in the man who competes in triathlons, is addicted to extreme sports and once escaped from the clutches of gun-firing bandits while stumping for votes in a pro-government slum. The trait has been evident in recent months as he emerged as head of an increasingly powerful opposition faction that is pushing for a stronger, but non-violent confrontation with the government.

López, 42, surrendered to authorities after a weeklong manhunt to face charges including terrorism and murder stemming from the unrest that erupted after a big anti-government protest he led February 12.

After a week marked by nightly clashes between police and students, dozens of detentions and the expulsion of three U.S. diplomats, the threat of more violence hung over López’s public surrender in front of thousands of supporters at the same time government backers held a rival march organized by Maduro to denounce a “fascist” conspiracy to topple him. But López’s repeated appeals for restraint and a strong police presence calmed emotions and there were no reports of major violence in Caracas.

An outburst did occur in Valencia, the country’s third largest city where 11 people were reported injured as opposition demonstrators clashed with National Guard troops. Enzo Scrano, a mayor of one Valencia district and an opposition member, said at least three were shot by unknown gunmen on motorcycles.

While opposition leaders have complained for years about a government crackdown on dissent, foreign governments have shown scant interest in pressing Maduro since he was elected 10 months ago to succeed the late Hugo Chávez. Arresting López could change that, bringing international pressure comparable to

Human rights group have condemned the charges against Lopez as being based on political conspiracy theories and not criminal evidence, while Secretary of State John Kerry warned that arresting the opposition firebrand would have a “chilling effect” on freedom of expression.

On Tuesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney rejected as “baseless” Maduro’s claim that U.S. Embassy officials were infiltrating universities to stir unrest, saying it was another attempt by Venezuela’s government “to distract from its own actions by blaming the U.S.”

President Obama fired back at a news conference in Mexico on Wednesday.

“Venezuela, rather than trying to distract from its own failings by making up false accusations against diplomats from the United States, the government ought to focus on addressing the legitimate grievances of the Venezuelan people,” he told reporters. So, along with the Organization of American States, we call on the Venezuelan government to release protesters that it’s detained, and engage in real dialogue. All parties have an obligation to work together to restrain violence and restore calm.”

The protests have come against the backdrop of increasing hardships in Venezuela, including rampant violent crime, spiraling 56 percent inflation, frequent failures of the electric grid and shortages of many basic goods — all for which the opposition blames the government.

Reacting to the arrest order, some Venezuelans say becoming a cause celebre was López’s plan all along, with the charismatic, Harvard-educated leader seeking to catapult past the opposition’s two-time losing presidential candidate, Henrique Capriles, and lead an angry charge against the government.

López draws inspiration from the fact that Lopez’s great-grandfather was jailed for 14 years for opposing the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gomez, and other family members were forced into exile.

“I come from a family in which persecution in one form or another has been part of our history,” he told the Associated Press in an interview last March. “I’m ready to let history say that I stayed loyal to that conviction of fighting for the Venezuela that I believe in.”

Critics say he’s putting personal ambitions and the lives of others ahead of opposition unity after years of hard-fought electoral gains.

His fiery rhetoric and elite background — he studied economics in the U.S. on a swimming scholarship and speaks fluent English — make him an improbable figure to build bridges with the poor Venezuelans who elected Maduro and who, while increasingly dissatisfied with his handling of the economy, jealously guard their social gains under Chávez.

“The middle-class (protesters) on the street don’t represent the masses,” said Carlos Romero, a political scientist at Central University of Venezuela.

López debuted in politics at age 29, when he was elected mayor of the Chacao district in Caracas, a wealthy opposition stronghold that’s the epicenter of the past week’s violent clashes between students and police.

When he left office in 2008 with sky-high popularity ratings, he set his sight on higher office, but the government banned him from running on charges of influence peddling that he says were trumped up. He successfully challenged that order before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, but Venezuela’s government has not reinstated his political rights.

After switching parties several times, López backed Capriles’ first presidential run in 2012 and again in the snap election last year to pick Chávez’s successor.

But after opposition candidates fared worse than expected in December’s mayoral elections, López and his Popular Will party have taken the lead of a splinter faction that accuses Capriles of meek leadership. Its slogan: “The Exit,” for the hashtag used on Twitter that has allowed it to mobilize tens of thousands of protesters nationwide in the face of scant coverage by Venezuela’s increasingly state-dominated media.

Having shaken Maduro’s government like never before, López now faces his biggest test yet. If convicted, he could face years in jail.

“In the innocent eyes of my children, who still don’t know what really is happening in this country, I’ve found the strength I need to fight for a Venezuela that will be much better for them and for all the children,” López said in a video recorded on the eve of his arrest and posted online Tuesday night

The anti-government protests in recent weeks are the largest demonstrations that President Nicolas Maduro has faced in his 11 months in power.

CNN’s Gabriela Matute, Alejandra Oraa and Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report.

EARLY MORNING BULLETIN FROM VENEZUELA

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has threatened to expel the US news network CNN from the country over its reporting of recent protests there.

ANOTHER NUCLEAR POWER LEAK AT FUKUSHIMA

The operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant says 100 metric tons of highly contaminated water have leaked out of a tank in the worst incident at the devastated facility since last August, when a string of radioactive leaks plagued the meltdown-crippled plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company said water overflowed from a large storage tank at the site late Wednesday after a valve was left open by mistake and sent too much contaminated water into a separate holding area, Reuters reported on Thursday.

“We are taking various measures, but we apologize for worrying the public with such a leak,” Masayuki Ono, a spokesman for the utility, was quoted as saying. “Water is unlikely to have reached the ocean as there is no drainage in that tank area.”

The amount is small compared to the thousands of tons of radioactive water that leaked, much of it into the Pacific Ocean, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that wrecked the plant in 2011.

CHINA PREPARING FOR A WAR WITH JAPAN?

China is practicing for a “short, sharp war” with Japan. That is the assessment of a top U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, who told colleagues that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is currently conducting training exercises in a practice scenario in which the military takes the Senkaku Islands, near Taiwan.

“We witnessed the massive amphibious and cross-military region enterprise,” Capt. James Fannell, deputy chief of staff intelligence and information operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLEET) said at the West 2014 conference on Feb. 13 in San Diego. “[We] concluded that the PLA has been given the new task to be able to conduct a short, sharp war to destroy Japanese forces in the East China Sea following with what can only be expected a seizure of the Senkakus or even a southern Ryukyu [islands] — as some of their academics say.”

It’s alleged that in the past year, China has increased its military activity, including high-profile actions in the South China Sea as well as combat drills in the south Philippine Sea.

Fannell’s comments were reported in the U.S. Naval Institute News – the navy’s official media organ. “There is growing concern that China’s pattern of behavior in the South China Sea reflects an incremental effort by China to assert control of the area contained in the so-called 9-dash line despite the objections of its neighbors, and despite the lack of any explanation or apparent basis under international law,” Fannell also said.

Japan has in recent months accused a Chinese warship of locking its missile-targeting radar onto one of its warships, Fannell noted. China first denied the claim, but later admitted it while downplaying any danger the incident posed.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters said China has a habit of bullying its neighbors with intimidating military drills, though exercises aimed at Japan are a new and worrisome wrinkle. “The Chinese have conducted training exercises aimed at Taiwan for decades–but haven’t invaded,” Peters, also a Fox News military analyst, told FoxNews.com. “The latest Chinese exercises that appear to rehearse an invasion of the Senkaku Islands are probably in that vein: Military exercises as a show of strength, a closed-fist tool of diplomacy, and, yes, a threat, but not one on which Beijing really desires to act.”

Peters adds that the exercises are likely China’s attempt at posturing. “At present, China would have a great deal to lose by attacking or otherwise provoking a confrontation with Japan,” he said. “At the same time, the Chinese feel they’re the regional (and global) rising power and they rather enjoy flexing their muscles. You might say they’re proud of their physique, but don’t really want a fight. In that sense, these exercises are a strategic ‘selfie.’”

The PLA is not the only one with seemingly aggressive moves as of late. Fannell also mentioned at the West conference that the Chinese coast guard is engaged in “quasi-military actions. Tensions in the South and East China Seas have deteriorated with the Chinese coast guard playing the role of antagonist, harassing China’s neighbors while PLA Navy ships, their protectors, (make) port calls throughout the region promising friendship and cooperation,” he said, adding that China has spent $1.6 million on improvements to outposts in the South China Sea including development of ports, airfields, water purification and surveillance systems.

The assessments made at the conference are in stark contrasts to recent US efforts to tighten military-to military ties with China. The Navy’s head of operations, plans and strategy, Rear Adm. James Foggo said while on the same conference panel that there was a recent successful meeting between U.S. Navy officials and the head of the PLA’s naval forces.

A U.S. delegation also toured PLAN ships and submarines and is working out plans for the Chinese navy to participate in the Rim of the Pacific 2014 (RIMPAC) exercise later this year.

China’s state media is devoting blanket coverage to the visit by a senior figure in Taiwan’s ruling party in a sign of its desire to nudge the island closer to Beijing. Lien Chan is honorary chairman of the ruling Nationalist Party and a former premier and vice president. Lien is honorary chairman of the ruling Nationalist Party and a former premier and vice president.

Lien’s visit follows the first-ever high-level talks last week between officials of the two governments since China and Taiwan split during civil war in 1949.

JAPAN IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE

TOKYO – Japan’s trade deficit surged to a monthly record of 2.8 trillion yen ($27.4 billion) in January as imports jumped 25 percent. A weakening in the Japanese yen has failed to push exports up as much as hoped while imports of costlier oil and gas, food and other products have surged. Consumers and businesses are thought to be stepping up purchases ahead of an April 1 sales tax hike.

The Finance Ministry reported Thursday that exports rose 9.5 percent from a year earlier to 5.25 trillion yen ($51.5 billion) while imports were 8.04 trillion yen ($78.8 billion).

The previous record monthly deficit was 1.63 trillion yen, in January 2013. Japan’s deficit with China also surged, to a record 1.04 trillion yen ($10.2 billion).

Regulators and experts have criticized TEPCO for sloppiness in its handling of the water management, including insufficient tank inspection records, lack of water gauges, as well as connecting hoses lying directly on the grass-covered ground.

IRAN’S KHAMENEI URGES “A FULL-FLEDGED ECONOMIC WAR”

TEHRAN, IRAN – Iran’s top leader ordered the government Wednesday to create an “economy of resistance” to counter sanctions imposed over Tehran’s nuclear program. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Western sanctions “a full-fledged economic war” and said Iran is determined to force the West to retreat.

Iran has been hit hard by sanctions that have hit, among other targets, its vital oil sector. The program requires the government to diversify Iran’s exports, reduce dependence on sales of raw materials and promote knowledge-based high-tech industries.

“If (Iran) pursues … an economy of resistance, we will overcome economic problems and will defeat the enemy … that has imposed a full-fledged economic war against this great nation,” he said in his order which was posted on his website leader.ir.

Under the program, the government must take action to expand production and export of knowledge-based products, increase domestic production of strategic goods and develop markets in neighboring countries. It also encourages greater privatization and increased exports of electricity, gas, petrochemical and oil by-products instead of crude oil and other raw materials.

Iranian officials say it will be harder to target oil byproducts with sanctions than it will be to target crude. Western sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program also shut Iran out of the international banking system, making it hard for its remaining customers in Asia and elsewhere to pay.

An interim nuclear deal reached in November with world powers has eased some sanctions but the core remains in place — including measures targeting Iran’s oil exports, the pillar of its economy. Crude oil exports account for nearly 80 percent of Iran’s foreign revenue but have been reduced by half in the past two years due to stepped up sanctions. It currently exports about 1 million barrels a day — compared to 2.2 million in 2011.

Iran says its non-oil exports have increased to about $40 billion a year, showing an annual 20 percent increase.

Iran and the six-nation group — the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany — began talks for a final deal in Vienna Tuesday. Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran, has said he had accepted the talks but doubts they will succeed, saying Washington is using the nuclear issue as an “excuse” to pressure the country.

In his order, Khamenei has asked the government to closely monitor sanctions and impose costs on the “enemy,” a reference to the U.S. The West suspects that some Iranian nuclear activities are intended to give it the ability to build a weapon. Iran denies this, still saying its program is for peaceful purposes.

RUSSIA SAYS NYAT TO UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTION ON SYRIA

(Reuters) Russia has denounced a Western-Arab draft U.N. Security Council resolution on humanitarian aid access in Syria. They claim it is a bid to lay the groundwork for military strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Since receiving the draft resolution on Thursday, Moscow has been outspoken in its opposition. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described it as “detached from reality,” while U.N. Ambassador Vital Churkin dismissed it as a “non-starter.”

On Wednesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov added to Moscow’s argument: “Its whole purpose and aim is to create grounds for future military action against the Syrian government if some demands it includes are not met. It is unacceptable to us in the form in which it is now being prepared, and we, of course, will not let it through.”

But Russia appears to have softened its long-held resistance to a resolution on aid access to Syria which was drafted by Australia, Luxembourg and Jordan, by signaling it would be willing to work with the council on a new draft. Diplomats said Russia presented amendments to the draft at a meeting on Wednesday of the permanent council members, known as the “P5.”

Russia and China have shielded Syria on the U.N. Security Council during the country’s three-year-long civil war. The pair have vetoed three resolutions condemning Syria’s government and threatening it with possible sanctions.

Russia has said it is not trying to prop up Assad, but that he must not be forced out by foreign powers and it opposes Western military intervention. The United States threatened air strikes after a deadly gas attack in August, but that threat was averted when Assad pledged to give up his chemical weapons – something still on his to-do list.

The draft aid text, obtained by Reuters, expresses an intent to impose sanctions on individuals and entities obstructing aid and if certain demands in the resolution are not met within 15 days of its adoption. It does not threaten military action for non-compliance with council demands and makes no reference to provisions of the U.N. charter covering the use of force. But it does condemn rights abuses by Syrian authorities and armed groups, and demands that Syrian forces stop all aerial bombardment of cities and towns as well as the indiscriminate use of bombs, rockets and related weapons. It also condemns “increased terrorist attacks,” and calls for the withdrawal of all foreign fighters from Syria.

Western members of the Security Council have been considering a resolution on aid for almost a year. The United Nations says some 9.3 million Syrians – nearly half the country’s population – need help and U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos has repeatedly expressed frustration that violence and red tape are slowing the aid deliveries to a trickle. There were some 250,000 people trapped in besieged areas of Syria. 136,000 have been killed since the uprising began against Assad.

(Additional reporting by Louis Charbonneau in New York and Michael Martina in Beijing; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Elizabeth Piper, G Crosse and Lisa Shumaker Lisa Shumaker)

CHINA MAKES A DRAMA OUT OF LAMA

WASHINGTON – President Obama will host Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama for a meeting, the White House announced Thursday, prompting swift and vehement protest from China.

The exiled leader is in the U.S. for a three-week speaking tour and has met with Obama twice before. Both previous meetings rankled Beijing, which bitterly opposes the Dalai Lama’s quest for greater Tibetan autonomy and is wary about Obama’s efforts to increase U.S. influence in the region.

Obama’s meeting with the Nobel laureate on Friday will be in his capacity as a cultural and religious leader, the White House said. But China urged Obama to immediately cancel the meeting, accusing him of letting the Buddhist monk use the White House as a podium to promote anti-Chinese activities.

“The U.S. leader’s planned meeting with Dalai is a gross interference in China’s domestic politics,” said Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry. “It is a severe violation of the principles of international relations. It will inflict grave damages upon the China-US relationship.” Chinese officials denounce the Dalai Lama as a separatist responsible for instigating self-immolations by Tibetans inside China.

The U.S. had no immediate response to the rebuke from China. But as if to indicate an overreaction had been expected, the White House reiterated when it announced the meeting earlier Thursday that the U.S. recognizes Tibet as part of China and doesn’t support Tibetan independence. “The United States supports the Dalai Lama’s `Middle Way’ approach of neither assimilation nor independence for Tibetans in China,” said Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the White House’s National Security Council. She added that presidents of both parties have met with the Dalai Lama for decades.

At the same time, officials said they were concerned about tensions and deteriorating human rights in China’s Tibetan areas, urging Beijing to resume talks with the Dalai Lama or his followers without preconditions.

China, in its response to the meeting, said it had relayed its concerns formally to the U.S. and urged Washington to treat its concerns seriously.

Obama was to host the Nobel laureate for a private, morning meeting in the White House’s Map Room. Traditionally, when Obama meets with presidents and prime ministers, he hosts them in the Oval Office and allows reporters to witness a short portion of the meeting. The decision to hold the meeting elsewhere and to close the meeting to reporters could signal an attempt to avoid the appearance of a formal meeting between two heads of state.

China’s emergence as a leading global economic and military power has strained ties with Washington, and the two have also clashed over cyber theft and human rights.

The Dalai Lama is a frequent visitor in the U.S. During his current three-week visit, he also has public speaking events in California and Minnesota. On Thursday, he delivered a message of compassion and care for humanity while addressing free market experts at a right-leaning Washington think tank.

PRESIDENT OBAMA IS BECOMING A TRAVELING MAN

President Obama will be singing Willie Nelson’s song “On The Road Again” for the next few months. Right now he’s in Mexico. Next month, he visits the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Saudi Arabia. In April, he travels to Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines. Last Tuesday French President Francois Hollande invited Obama to France for the 70^th anniversary of D-Day. Obama accepted before lunchtime.

After Obama met with Senate Democrats earlier this month, one of the lawmakers told The Post’s Ed O’Keefe that Obama assured them that “he would not be offended if he were not invited to campaign for them.” Even when he travels around the country, it’s often for appearances such as Tuesday’s visit to a grocery distribution center in the safely Democratic state of Maryland.

That’s hardly surprising. The National Republican Senatorial Committee’s polling of competitive Senate races finds Obama’s support at 28 percent in West Virginia, 36 percent in Arkansas, 38 percent in Louisiana, 39 percent in Iowa and Michigan, 40 percent in Alaska and 42 percent in Colorado. Public polls find similar results for Obama in other competitive states, such as Kentucky, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Dakota, North Carolina and Montana.

But if Obama is a toxic wingman for Democratic candidates, they desperately need his help fundraising. And they are grumbling that he hasn’t been willing enough to assist them. Even a marginally popular president remains a huge draw among party donors, but fundraising isn’t easily done from Brussels and Tokyo. Nevertheless, the president has promised to do at least 18 fundraisers this year; six each for House Democrats, Senate Democrats and other party committees

That came as a relief to Democrats, but it’s still a modest commitment. In 2006, when George W. Bush was very unpopular, Bush did 74 fundraising events, according to CBS News’s Mark Knoller, a meticulous presidential statistician.

Obama senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer told me that the 18 events are those Obama has promised “thus far.” Democrats had better hope there are many more. Although individual Democratic committees have done reasonably well raising money, the Democratic National Committee is deeply in debt. At the end of the year it had $4.7 million in cash but $15.6 million in debt. The RNC had no debt and $9.2 million in cash.

On top of the DNC’s money disadvantage, the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling has put more pressure than ever on the party to raise funds to compete with outside groups. The billionaire Koch brothers and other mega donors are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars this year to shape the midterm outcome, and Republicans enjoy a healthy majority of the super-rich. The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity has already spent millions targeting vulnerable Democrats.

There’s probably nothing that Obama could do in these midterm elections to match the conservative billionaires’ advantage. But at least giving it a try might prove more productive than his combination of foreign jaunts and personal campaign speeches (as though he was running for president again) at an electric equipment maker in Raleigh, N.C.; a gas engine plant in Waukesha, Wisconsin; a Costco in Lanham; and steel mills in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Tuesday he spoke in Maryland, at a Safeway distribution hub in Upper Marlboro “where delivery trucks take everything from Doritos to diapers where they need to go.”

Obama gave an on-the-one-hand, on-the-other-hand update on the economy: “The unemployment rate’s actually the lowest it’s been in over five years. But the trends, the long-term trends that have hurt middle-class families for decades, have continued.” He then spent the next 15 minutes talking about higher fuel-economy standards for trucks.

Four and a half years have passed since the recession officially ended, but tens of millions of Americans are still out of work. Many don’t seem to have much reason to hope they’ll soon find a job, and two consecutive weak unemployment reports haven’t made things look any better.

Serious longer term issues are rising, like baby boomers retiring from the work force. Some analysts predicted losing those employees will hurt the economy’s ability to grow. Many conservatives also warn heavy regulations coming out of Washington along with Obamacare will further hinder the job market.

LOTS OF MONEY, NOTHING TO DRINK

Governor Jerry Brown and the top California Democratic lawmakers are proposing to spend $687 million to help drought-stricken communities throughout there state, including $15 million for those with dangerously low drinking water supplies.

The governor announced the legislative proposal during a news conference Wednesday, describing it as “a call to action” as the nation’s most populous state deals with one of the driest periods on record.

Most of the money — $549 million — will come in the form of accelerated spending from two bonds approved previously by voters. It will go toward local water conservation and recycling efforts, such as systems to capture stormwater and recharge groundwater supplies.

The general fund, the state’s main checkbook, also will be tapped. In addition to the money for emergency water supplies, $25.3 million from the general fund will provide food assistance in communities affected by the drought.

The proposal, which now goes to lawmakers for consideration, does not address long-term improvements to California’s water supply and distribution system.

Only 2.82 inches of rain fell from October 1 to January 15. A typical drought would have triple that amount.

Winemaker Alex MacGregor says, “As an industry we’re known for our conscientious use of water even in abundant years. We are hopeful that some weather models will pan out and we’ll see a gradual return to normal spring precipitation levels. That said, given extreme drought conditions, we may not have enough supply to sustain our businesses.”

Politicians including President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have traveled to the state in recent weeks to address the shortage. Those visits happened in the state’s central valley–near other communities that made the state’s top ten list for water shortage. “At least people can’t tell me I’m all wet,” has become a standard joke in California.

Fox News’ Ross Lee and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SERIOUS DATABASE BREACH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

COLLEGE PARK, MD. – The president of the University of Maryland says there has been a breach of a database that contains personal information about more than 300,000 faculty, staff, students, and others. Wallace Loh said in a statement posted Wednesday on the university’s website that the database contained records of those who have been issued a university ID since 1998. Loh said the database has information from the College Park and Shady Grove campuses. The records include names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and university identification numbers. The university is working to determine how the breach occurred. Loh said state and federal law enforcement officials are investigating.

The University is offering one year of free credit monitoring to anyone affected by the breach.

SHOE BOMB WARNING

The Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin Wednesday warning airlines of possible attempts to attack passenger jets using explosives packed in shoes, Fox News has confirmed. The threat is described as unrelated to the Sochi Olympics and effects only those lying into America from a foreign country.

AMERICA’S NEWS TO BE CONTROLLED BY OUR GOVERNMENT?

Critics of a proposed Federal Communications Commission study that would send researchers into newsrooms across America say the new chairman’s vow to tweak the plan doesn’t go far enough — with one leading media group calling on the agency to scrap the study entirely. “Where it really needs to go is onto the trash heap,” Mike Cavender, director of the Radio Television Digital News Association, said in a statement.

The FCC drew the ire of free-press advocates and lawmakers after proposing a “study of critical information needs,” which one dissenting commissioner said would let researchers “grill reporters, editors and station owners about how they decide which stories to run.”

GOP lawmakers warned the program essentially would become the “Fairness Doctrine 2.0,” in reference to a long-abandoned policy requiring broadcasters to provide what was deemed balanced coverage of major issues my always having both conservatives and liberals side-by-side doing newscasts.

After being pressed by Republican lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a Feb. 14 letter that his agency “has no intention of regulating political or other speech of journalists or broadcasters” through this study. Wheeler pledged to work with the contractor to “adapt the study” in response to concerns that have been raised.

Republicans on Thursday praised Wheeler for recognizing “the gravity of our concerns” — but urged him to go further. “Before moving forward, however, it is imperative that the FCC ensure that any study, with any agents acting on its behalf, stays out of newsrooms,” committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said in a statement. “The courts have rightfully struck down the Fairness Doctrine, and any attempt to revive it, through study or any other means, should not be attempted by the FCC or any other government agency.”

Cavender was unsparing in his criticism of what he called an “ill-conceived study.” He said that regardless of the agency’s motives, “even the concept of a study like this is enough to chill every journalist and every station which prides itself on journalistic independence. Why does the FCC need this information and what possible use can it be to the regulatory body that impacts every broadcast station in this country? … The FCC should scrap the entire idea and leave any concerns about news coverage to the professionals in the newsroom — not the regulators in Washington.”

The new project also would include newspaper and Internet content and is expected to start this spring with a field test in Columbia, S.C. The purpose of the proposed Federal Communications Commission study is to “identify and understand the critical information needs of the American public, with special emphasis on vulnerable-disadvantaged populations,” according to the agency.

However, one agency commissioner, Ajit Pai, said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece Wednesday that the May 2013 proposal would allow researchers to “grill reporters, editors and station owners about how they decide which stories to run.”

Pai said he feared the study might stifle the freedom of the press. “The American people, for their part, disagree about what they want to watch,” wrote Pai, appointed to the FCC’s five-member commission in May 2012 by President Obama. “But everyone should agree on this: The government has no place pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories.”

The agency declined to comment. But watchdog groups immediately responded to Pai’s concerns. “The FCC seems unable to keep its hands off the news media for any extended period of time,” Jeffrey Eisenach, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told FoxNews.com. “It’s the same generic concern of needing a news nanny to make sure we’re all well informed,” he added. “The same people who are concerned about the NSA spying on Americans ought to be concerned about this.”

The research will include questions about the process by which stories are selected and on how often stations cover “critical information needs” and will be posed through voluntary surveys. However, Pai remains wary. “Participation is voluntary—in theory,” he wrote. But “the FCC’s queries may be hard for the broadcasters to ignore. They would be out of business without an FCC license.”

Several months ago, the GOP-led House Committee on Energy and Commerce said the proposed field study showed “startling disregard” for the news media’s freedom and urged agency Commissioner Tom Wheeler to suspend the effort.

“Given the widespread calls for the commission to respect the First Amendment and stay out of the editorial decisions of reporters and broadcasters, we were shocked to see that the FCC is putting itself back in the business of attempting to control the political speech of journalists,” committee leaders wrote in their December 2013 letter. “It is wrong, it is unconstitutional, and we urge you to put a stop to this.”

The new project also will include newspaper and Internet content and is expected to start this spring with a field test in Columbia, S.C.

Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice said on Fox’s “The Kelly File“ Thursday night, “This is an extremely troubling and dangerous development that represents the latest in an ongoing assault on the Constitution by the Obama administration,” said . “The federal government has no place attempting to control the media, using the unconstitutional actions of repressive regimes to squelch free speech. It’s very reminiscent of the kinds of questions that were asked of my clients in the IRS matter that is currently in federal court,” said . “Same kind of questioning process of content, determination on point of view, and I think this government, this administration is bent on aiming and targeting those they don’t like.”

Katie Pavlich, the news editor of Townhall.com, wondered why the Obama administration didn’t learn following the fallout over the Justice Department’s wiretapping of Associated Press journalists. “Now, they want to send investigators into newsrooms all over the country,” she said. “This is about controlling what people say, and this is about intimidating the news.”

Pavlich agreed with host Megyn Kelly’s assertion that the proposal provides a window into “how the FCC is thinking” when it comes to an independent press. “We live in an era … when we have access to more information than in the history of mankind,” Pavlich said. “It’s none of (the FCC’s) business to even inquire about how news editors and reporters gather their news stories and decide what they’re reporting inside their news rooms.”

DESTROYING A TRAGIC REMINDER

The Fort Hood, Texas, military base has demolished the building where Army Maj. Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people and wounded 30 others in the name of Islam.

On November 5, 2009, Hasan carried two weapons inside the Army post, shouted “Allahu Akbar!” – “God is great” in Arabic – and opened fire on soldiers waiting for vaccines and paperwork. The building was part of a processing center complex for soldiers deploying and returning from combat.

Hasan was convicted in August of charges related to the massacre and sentenced to death.

Fort Hood officials plan to plant trees, install a gazebo and mark the site with a remembrance plaque.

THE SUN DOES ITS OWN FIREWORKS

It’s freezing in several states – but things are heating up on the sun.

A huge magnetic filament shot out of the sun Monday, sending shockwaves and a brief roar of static through shortwave radios across the planet. And with a geomagnetic storm causing Northern Lights to dance across the Canadian border and into North America. The sun is clearly acting up.

According to a report on Spaceweather.com, Monday’s massive blast shot off the sun and into space, away from our planet, so it didn’t have the same effect on radio signals, power grids and communication satellites that an Earth-facing eruption would have. “The explosion sent shock waves rippling through the sun’s atmosphere, the site noted. “Those shock waves, in turn, triggered plasma instabilities in the solar corona that emit strong radio emissions. The static-y ‘roar’ of the explosion was picked up by solar observatories and ham radio stations across the dayside of our planet.”

A “filament” is a feature of a magnetic loop on the sun: relatively cool, dense gas suspended above the sun’s surface. Tony Philips, the scientist behind the Spaceweather.com site, told FoxNews.com the blast was at least 20 times taller than the Earth. The force from the blast rocketed from the sun at around 1.7 million mph — typical for this type of eruption.

Late Tuesday night, NASA issued a warning about a geomagnetic storm, which coupled with a second solar eruption caused auroras (a natural light show here on Earth), and trouble for spacecraft and satellites. “Magnetic fields in the interplanetary medium have tipped south, opening a crack in Earth’s defenses against the solar wind. High-latitude sky-watchers should be alert for auroras,” Spaceweather.com noted late Wednesday. Sure enough, auroras were seen across the Northern Hemisphere.

MANY WELL-KNOWN CHRISTIANS TO JOIN IN NASHVILLE THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, thousands of Christian media and ministry professionals will converge at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN, to take part in the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention — the world’s largest annual gathering of Christian communicators.

For four days, NRB Convention participants will be exposed to new media insights, connections, resources, and opportunities that will help them and their organizations to advance. Beginning February 22, they will attend a broad range of educational sessions; network with like-minded individuals and organizations; and be inspired by nationally and internationally known speakers and artists.

“The NRB Convention is a ‘must attend’ on the calendar of many Christian media and ministry professionals,” explains NRB President & CEO Dr. Jerry A. Johnson. “In the course of just a few days, you can make more strategic connections and gain more knowledge and resources than you might in the course of a year. It’s a one-stop venue for what many need to more effectively reach people for Christ.”

Every year, the NRB International Christian Media Convention draws a wide range of participants, including radio and TV station owners and operators, pastors, church media professionals, radio and TV program producers, college educators, students, film producers, web and mobile developers, social media managers, marketing representatives, and ministry staff members. (Editor’s Note: Ah, the memories. I last attended in 2001.)

A highlight of the annual gathering is the bustling Exposition, the largest marketplace dedicated to Christian media professionals seeking to harness the power of electronic media to spread the Gospel. Nearly 200 companies, ministries, and organizations will showcase their products and services on 135,000 square feet of exhibit space, including broadcasters, non-profits, educational institutions, publishers, media agencies, and broadcast equipment and software companies.

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of attending the Convention is the chance to meet and speak directly with representatives of leading Christian organizations, including the Baker Publishing Group, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Campus Crusade for Christ, Charisma Media, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, Gospel for Asia, HOPE TV, LifeWay Christian Resources, SAT-7, The Salvation Army, The Voice of the Martyrs, Tyndale House Publishers, and many many more.

As in previous years, the NRB Convention will offer approximately 40 educational sessions led by professionals at the top of their field.

The upcoming Convention, NRB 2014, will be held as NRB celebrates its 70th year as an association. While the Convention itself will kick off Saturday, February 22, the Exposition will officially open its doors Sunday afternoon. The event concludes Tuesday, February 25, with the presentation of the 2014 NRB Media Awards.

INSTANT MULTIMILLIONAIRES HIT THE JACKPOT!

MILPITAS, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California convenience store that sold the Only winning ticket to the $425 million Powerball jackpot received a $1 million check on Thursday, as state lottery officials waited for the winner of the one of the largest jackpots in U.S. history to come forward.

The California Lottery presented the check to Parmeet Singh, whose family owns Dixon Landing Chevron in Milpitas, a city about 10 miles north of San Jose that bills itself as The Gateway to The Silicon Valley. In California, retailers who sell winning jackpot tickets receive a share of the prize money.

The family-run gas station is just off Highway 880, with an attached carwash and Subway sandwich shop. The parking lot was crowded Thursday morning with television news vans while inside the store, dozens of reporters and photographers crowded the aisles of snack foods as Singh talked about his surprise at hearing the news. The store’s regular customers bantered about the prospect that one of them could have been the winner. “I didn’t believe it,” Singh said. “I ran outside and yelled, ‘Oh, my God!’”

Singh said his father, Kulwinder Singh, owns the store but was en route to India and wasn’t expected to hear about the $1 million prize until after he landed in New Delhi. He had given his son his cellphone before leaving to avoid any business headaches that might come up during his absence, Singh said. He planned to tease his dad before breaking the news. “‘Hey dad, what would you do if you had $1 million?’” he said he would ask him.

His parents are humble people, he said, so he didn’t expect them to splurge on anything. The family would likely reinvest the money in their chain of eight gas stations. He said he hoped the winner would be one of his regular customers. he said. .

The winner has up to a year to come forward and claim the prize and could opt for a lump sum payment of $242.2 million, according to state lottery officials. They advised the person with the winning ticket to immediately sign it and consult an attorney, accountant or planner.

The winning numbers — 1, 17, 35, 49, 54 and a Powerball of 34 — were drawn on Wednesday. Only one ticket matched all the winning numbers, Powerball officials said. However, 17 people ad enough numbers on their tickets to win $1 million each, and one of them enough to win $2 million.

A ticket for the nation’s second-largest lottery prize was also purchased in the San Francisco Bay Area. In December, two winning tickets were purchased in San Jose, Calif., and Atlanta, for a $636 million Mega Millions prize.

Powerball is played in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of matching all six numbers are 1 in about 175 million.

Meanwhile, the winner of a $400 million Powerball jackpot cashed in his ticket Monday in South Carolina, but he told lottery officials that he wants to remain anonymous. This much is known: He stopped to get gas at a Murphy Express gas station in Columbia the day of the drawing last Wednesday and his wife told him to buy some hot dog buns. The store didn’t sell buns, but after seeing the $400 million prize advertised, the winner bought $20 in lottery tickets instead. It was only his second time playing the lottery, he told officials.

The winner checked his ticket Thursday at his home and realized he was a winner. He told the only creature around, his dog, according to the South Carolina lottery. In fact, his dog, his wife and lottery officials may be the only people who know the winner for certain. South Carolina is one of only six Powerball states that allow winners to refuse to let their identities to be released. The others are Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota and Ohio.

Lottery officials aren’t saying whether the man took the $399.4 million payout over 30 years or the direct cash option of $233 million. The jackpot was the fourth largest in the history of the game. The South Carolina man was the only winner.

The winning numbers were 7-10-22-32-35, with the Powerball of 19, and were selected by the computer as a “quick-pick.”

The winning ticket was bought at a Murphy Express just off Interstate 20 west of Columbia, the state capital. The store will get a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. State officials said the winner will pay South Carolina about $15 million in taxes. The last big Powerball winner in South Carolina also bought his winning ticket at a Murphy Express, but on the other side of Columbia.

(Georgia and I intend to win the lottery one day soon, but the problem is, we’d have to buy a ticket.)

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Don’t grumble because you don’t have everything you want.

If you got everything you wanted you’d just want a lot more.

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All day Thursday and early Friday morning, February 19 and 20, 2014 CHRISTIAN NEWS FROM RAY