Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the BBC they were looking for one suspect

One person has died and more than 20 others are injured after a bomb blast at a crowded bus stop in central Jerusalem, Israeli officials say.

The bomb had been left in a bag by the side of the road near the central bus station, police said.

Dozens of ambulances converged on the scene near the entrance to the city, and police sealed off the area.

Jerusalem suffered a spate of bus bombings between 2000 and 2004 but attacks have stopped in recent years.

Witnesses said the force of the blast – just after 1500 local time (1300 GMT) – shook buildings over a wide area.

It is believed the bomb exploded as a bus pulled up at the stop, but it is not clear if passengers on the bus were among the casualties.

Israeli officials initially said no-one had died in the blast but Israeli public radio later reported that a woman had died from her injuries. Hospital sources confirmed the death to the BBC.

A correspondent for AFP news agency at the scene said people were lying on the ground covered in blood and many cars and buses had shattered windows.

"(We believe) the device weighed about 1-2kg (2-4lb)," Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch told Israel's Channel 2 television.

"It exploded in a small suitcase on the sidewalk next to the bus stop."

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the BBC they were searching for a suspect and a vehicle believed to have been used in planting the bomb.

Hospital officials told Israeli television that four of the injured were in a serious condition, and another two were moderately hurt.

Jerusalem was hit by a series of bombings – mostly targeting buses and restaurants – during the second Palestinian uprising that began in 2000, however the attacks have stopped in recent years. Jerusalem last experienced a bus bombing in 2004.

The latest attacks comes amid heightened tension in the Gaza Strip.

The BBC's Jon Donnison in Gaza says none of the militant factions there have said they were involved in the Jerusalem attack.

But an Islamic Jihad leader said a Palestinian attack would only be a "natural response" to this week's Israeli strikes in Gaza.

On Wednesday, Israeli warplanes launched fresh air strikes east of Gaza City, after Palestinian militants fired two rockets into southern Israel.

Islamic Jihad said it carried out the rocket attacks in reprisal for the killing of eight Palestinians near Gaza City on Tuesday. four of those killed were members of one family and two of them were children.

Hamas government spokesman Taher Nono has refused to comment on the Jerusalem explosion.

However, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned the bombing, calling it "a terrorist attack".

Deadly bombing targets Jerusalem bus stop

what happens to your money? say you put all 50mil(or however much you won) into one bank, and that bank fails(like many are doing nowadays..) are you only able to get 100k of that back from insurance or is there another way to secure that you don't lose it all?

The FDIC insures $250k per bank, per account. You can have it all in one bank, as long as it's split into $250k accounts. But it would be better to diversify, look into securities.

Give it to me. I'll give you back $1Million when I go belly up. That's better than any bank can guarantee.

I think is is 250k at this point but you get boned.

Split it up into as many accounts as possible buy things that retain value

Yep, your money is only guaranteed up to the FDIC limit. There are a couple of techniques to maximize that limit – joint accounts, trust accounts, etc. – but that is the basic limitation. I suppose you could also put some of that money into a Credit union, since it is a different agency that guarantees that money – the NCUA.

Beyond the guaranteed limits, there are other investments out there to keep your money safe. Things like whole life insurance, annuities, bonds, etc. Things that I have no reason to know anything about yet, but really hope to have to know about someday

You need to diversify that investment. You're only entitled to the amount that the FDIC insures

If you won megamillions or powerball, and your bank fails?

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman intends to challenge John-Paul Langbroek for the leadership of Queensland’s opposition party.

Mr Newman on Tuesday announced he’d seek Liberal National Party (LNP) preselection for the state seat of Ashgrove, currently held Labor’s Environment Minister Kate Jones.

‘Should I succeed in gaining preselection with the LNP it’s then my intention to resign the lord mayoralty and to then launch a leadership challenge for the leadership of the state LNP team,’ Mr Newman told reporters.

He said he had great respect for Mr Langbroek but he believed he was the right person to lead the LNP in Queensland.

‘… I believe that I’m the one to lead the team forward,’ he said.

‘We need to deal with a very bad Labor state government that has given us all sorts of problems across Queensland.’

Mr Newman said that if he gained preselection, he would resign as lord mayor and then make his move on Mr Langbroek’s leadership.

If he was not preselected, he would stand for the next council election in 2012, he said.

Mr Newman admitted his challenge was complex, but said he had done something similar in 2002, when he was not a councillor but was the Liberal’s endorsed candidate for the lord mayoralty.

‘I effectively ran a campaign, built a relationship with the Liberal partyroom and actually successfully won the lord mayoralty,’ he said.

‘That is what I intend to do again.’

Mr Newman said there’d been no guarantees from anybody that he would be preselected but he’d received calls of support from state MPs.

‘It is not straightforward. it is risky,’ he said.

‘There have been no promises from anyone.’

Mr Newman said he had a long association with the seat of Ashgrove, living only 2.5 kilometres outside the boundary.

‘I am prepared to sacrifice what I’ve been doing in Brisbane city to actually look after Queensland, I’m so passionate about Queensland,’ he said.

Mr Newman said he had tried to call Mr Langbroek on Tuesday morning.

‘Because I do really, genuinely like John-Paul Langbroek, and I feel he has ability. I would like him to consider, if this all happens, being a member of the front bench,’ he said.

‘But that is a hypothetical.’

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Campbell Newman to run for state seat

11:45 - In Gaza, Islamic Jihad denied involvement in the explosion, but a spokesman said the group "applauds all efforts to respond to the crimes committed daily against our people," according to the AP.

11:37 - Israeli radio is reporting that one woman has died of wounds from the explosion. Israeli authorities are blaming Palestinian militants for the blast, the associated Press explains, but so far no group has claimed responsibility.

10:27 - Foreign Policy's Blake Hounshell speculates on the meaning of the recent escalation of tensions between Israel, Hamas, and other Gaza factions: "is this the start of the third intifada we've been hearing so many warnings about? or an isolated attack intended to change the subject?"

10:23 – The associated Press says the explosion represents the "first militant attack" in Jerusalem in several years: "Jerusalem suffered dozens of suicide bombings that targeted buses and restaurants during the second Palestinian uprising last decade. but the attacks have halted in recent years. Jerusalem last experienced a suicide bombing in 2004."

10:15 – Haaretz is reporting that the blast was caused by an explosive device hidden in a bag near a telephone pole, not by a suicide bomber. It says four people are seriously injured. 

Original Post (9:39 am EST)

Israel's Haaretz newspaper is reporting that a bomb exploded on Wednesday near two public buses in Jerusalem outside the International Convention Center, near the city's central station. at least 25 people are reported to be wounded, with Magen David Adom emergency services reporting no fatalities. Ambulances are taking the injured to the Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem. It's not yet clear whether a suicide bomber was behind the attack, Haaretz says.

on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Palestinian rockets struck the Israeli cities of Beersheba and Ashdod, with Islamic Jihad–a Gaza-based group and occasional Hamas ally–claiming responsibility and Israel launching retaliatory air strikes, according to The Guardian. A round of shelling between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday in Gaza killed four Palestinian civilians and five militants. The Guardian calls the attacks on Beersheba and Ashdod "the biggest escalation of hostilities since Israel launched its assault on Gaza two years ago." Silvan Shalom, a deputy to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Israeli radio that Israel might have to return to its 2008-2009 operation in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Latest Updates: Bomb Explodes Near Bus Station in Jerusalem – Global – The Atlantic Wire

This is so freaking insane. 9 percent unemployment, interest rates at historic lows, and these morons are worried about deficits?

No, idiots, now that we have labor and capital sitting idle, it is time to spend money, building bridges and tunnels and railroads and other things that will pay us back for the next 50 years. When labor and capital are cheap and idle, this is the ideal time for government to spend money on big investments!

What’s all the more galling is that These are the same idiots who CREATED these deficits. and they did it back when unemployment was low and interest rates were higher, so they were competing with the private markets for talent and capital! But I guess it was all for the best as they spent the money on brilliant things like a huge drug company giveaway in the medicare drug bill, and unprecedented tax breaks for top earners and large companies.

Republicans are like mom saying that Johnny can’t go to college now because she blew all their money on designer clothes back when times were good. It’s time for austerity, and she can’t possibly borrow to send him to college because that would be borrowing and spending, which got them into this mess!

Morons, all of them. Incompetent morons.

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » House Transportation Committee Rejects Obama’s 2012 Budget Request

Well, that was a letdown.

“When Men and Mountains Meet,” had some shocking scenes, but overall I felt disappointed with how the show ended. This was the final episode, after all, and I felt that the writers held out in some areas, while rushing to complete other storylines. Case in point:

It was left for us to believe that Lois is killed by Frank.

Throughout the years, Frank and Lois had been each other’s worst nightmare, but as the series dwindled down, they became closer than ever. Lois made Frank promise to end her life when things got really bad, but I was shocked to actually see him go through with it. I felt that the writers needed to prove that Lois and Frank really loved each other so very much after all, but really it just made these characters past interactions seem fake.

I knew that Carl would play a role larger than the minor cameos we had been given, but it wasn’t until the final scene with Bill meeting him in the street that I knew what was going down. the writers added a layer here primarily for shock value because we all knew it was Alby that we expected to be holding that gun.

Speaking of Alby, besides the quick mention of him and Adaleen, we never got to see any closure to his story.

How much time will Alby spend behind bars? What will happen to Juniper Creek? Who became the new prophet in his absence? It was odd that the writers would leave his storyline filled with so many holes and unanswered questions.

Barbara’s mission to become a priesthood holder almost tore the entire family apart. It took finally getting the chance to have the power she so desperately wanted for her to realize that it wasn’t worth a dime without her family being there.

Out of all that happened on the finale, having Bill request Barb give him a dying blessing was by far the most memorable scene.

He knew how important it was for her to be taken seriously, especially by him, and this action caused quite the reaction as we found out eleven months later that Barb took over Bill’s church. In an odd way, Barb finally got the freedom in her religion for which she yearned.

Margene figured out that her life’s purpose wasn’t just to be Bill’s third wife. She mentioned to him that as time passes she would want to go on missions to help the poor and unfortunate. at first, we watched Bill struggle with this idea, but eventually he was willing to accept her life’s choice. He even told Nikki to be supportive.

Margene was by far my favorite character, but I wasn’t happy to learn that after eleven months after Bill died she cut off all her hair and left her children to go help others. a part of me believed that if Bill were alive, he wouldn’t want the mother of his children to be gone for such long periods of time.

Elsewhere, Nikki didn’t get any closure. She remained same old Nikki throughout. Maybe the writers were trying to show that she was the glue that held this crazy family together.

Cara Lynn was completely absent in the final minutes, only leaving us to guess where she could be. the meeting that Bill had with Cara Lynn was super strange and felt like he was trying to show her that he was okay wither her relationship with her teacher.

We all knew something had to happen before Bill got rushed off to jail and dethroned from the senate, but I wasn’t expecting him to open up a can of worms about making polygamy legal. It was strange to watch him be so proud of what he created by imagining himself speaking to his forefathers. the writers never let us know what he was writing on his patio, nor if anything ever happened with the amendment. 

As great as it was to see Sarah and her beau, whatever happened to Joey and Wanda? What about Tinny? All season long these people remained MIA, but I was certain that they would have made a cameo for the finale. oh well. I guess the writers didn’t deem them worthy enough for the send off.

It was sad to say goodbye to such a beloved show, but I am happy that it ended with the sister-wives together and the original song revamped and sung by a woman. God only knows what we’ll be without you, big love.

Big Love Finale Review: A Major Letdown – TV Fanatic

Bruce Pearl is my man, I'm there are number 1. I was at the edge of my sit that whole game!

He has done a great job! he is definitely one of the most popular (and unpopular) people in Tennessee.

Bruce Pearl what a great job at Tenn?

If any of you have any experience using one, I would like to know about it. I am thinking about purchasing one for a trip, which I would need to bring 3 shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, 2 bras, 2 pairs of underwear, and a "Small Cosmetic" case by Vera Bradley. I am wondering if all my stuff would fit in the case, and also need to know if there would be any extra room for souvenirs. Thank you very much!

How much stuff does the "Little Travel Case" by Vera Bradley hold?

After seeing the previews for this episode, I sat through ”Movement To Contact” wondering when that damn SUV was coming and to whom it would bring a message. I felt like I was watching the late news and they were holding the most important story until the end to drive me nuts. the wait was killing me.

Well, the wait will kill me for another seven days. it was, as I expected, the very last scene. there are not enough spoilers for Army Wives, and I’m going to be aching for every character on the show until I know what happened. I expect next week to be a tissue-laden viewing experience.

The Burtons are still struggling to keep their lives together. Joan has bitten off more than she can chew as Garrison Commander. a successful family life might take more dedication than she can devote to both job and family. I’m still surprised that Roland hasn’t snapped by now. He is such a strong man.

When Joan questioned their decision to send Sarah Elizabeth to Westlake Preschool instead of supporting the Child Development Center on post, I liked that Roland suggested using her position to change things so they might be able to send Sarah Elizabeth elsewhere for kindergarten. I guess this is the love and teamwork I haven’t experienced myself that keeps their marriage together.

Claudia Joy’s first day at work did not hold the excitement she expected. I felt so badly for her; she was gung ho and basically put in her place as she walked in the door. I never expected Professor Chandler to treat her like dirt.

Given his past appearances, I also would have never guessed he and Claudia Joy would have something so heart-felt in common: the loss of a daughter. I was happy they finally gave him a human side outside of his relationship with Claudia Joy. Hopefully, it will give her career room to flourish, as well as their friendship, and we won’t have to worry about the questionable leanings of their past.

Considering how Denise and Tonya’s relationship started, I thought it was great that Jeremy felt he could go to his mom when Tonya dropped her bombshell on him. it must have been difficult to learn over the phone that Tonya didn’t want to marry him, but he had no better advocate than his mom to go in as backup.

What a great job she did! when Tonya and Jeremy were talking later on the phone, I had chills. I know theirs was a whirlwind romance, but under the circumstances in which they fell in love, being at war, I didn’t doubt their love for each other at all. It’s a lot easier to believe than an old episode of the Love Boat.

I really don’t like the new devil version of TJ. If they ship him to juvie, it would be a blessing for the entire LeBlanc family. when they showed the flag raising the day after TJ broke Lucas’ arm, and Roxy looking at her family photos, I had my mind made up that it was Trevor who would be killed in action. 

Her family has the most to lose. Her life is on the edge already. the death of Trevor would send TJ over the edge. I don’t know how much farther he could go at this point. at the very least, Roxy is safely planted on the show because she runs the hump bar. it would be easy for her to make a living and remain near base.

I loved the strength of their friendship this week. I am dreading how much they will need that strength next week. my mind is whirling with possibilities. Given the preview scenes, every family is at risk. Tonya wasn’t grasping hands with the others, is that an omen? I saw Emmalin at the funeral service. Omen? TJ and Finn both jumping into Roxy’s arms in tears. Omen? none of the wives seemed to be in a specific position at the service to come to any conclusions.

Meet back here next week so we can share in our grief. In the meantime, share your thoughts in the comments. I can’t be the only one who will be heartbroken all week in anticipation…

Army Wives Review: "Movement To Contact" – TV Fanatic

So here’s the thing I just turned 14 and lately I’ve been addicted to Vera Bradley! I don’t even have anything yet! So I was looking at the duffels which look great! I’ve been wanting to have a new duffel: it would be my everything bag; but mostly sleepovers because I don’t go very much. but it would be a carry on, a great accompany "suitcase" when we go on vacation in the summer…etc. So that’s my first question: which is better? Also I was looking at the hipster and mini hipster. I don’t carry a lot and I love cute little things… but somehow I just don’t thing the mini hipster is big enough. but I like the mini hipster style much MUCH better, it’s so much cuter and it matches my coat and new uggs and everything. but the hipster holds like books and stuff.. but I don’t think I need that. So which one should I get? and finally, what prints would you get? I don’t like them all, but I think some look better on different pieces. HELP PLEASE!!!

Vera Bradley Small or Large Duffel? Hipster or Mini Hipster? In what prints?