IRAN OPENS ATOMIC PROJECT

1-Tropical Storm Ernesto threatens Caribbean. 2-Fire destroys St. Petersburg cathedral domes. 3-ASEAN inks expanded pact with U.S. 4-Israel and Lebanon hail EU troop pledge.5-Iranian Ex-President Cautions West on Nuclear Pressure. 6-Iran leader opens atomic project.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(GLOBAL WARMING)

Tropical Storm Ernesto threatens Caribbean 1 hour, 9 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The fifth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Ernesto, could strengthen into a hurricane and threaten U.S. oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said on Saturday. At 5 a.m. (0900 GMT), the center of Ernesto was about 255 miles south of Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, and moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.

Sustained winds were about 45 mph (75 kph).

The system could drop 2 to 4 inches of rain over portions of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Jamaica and Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with possible isolated amounts of 8 inches.A tropical storm warning is in effect for the south coast of Hispaniola and a tropical storm watch is in effect for Jamaica, the hurricane center said, adding that residents of the Cayman Islands and of western Cuba should also be on guard.Tropical storms do not have powerful winds, but they can bring heavy rains that pose a danger for undeveloped nations, like Haiti, with poor building standards.

Energy traders also watched the storm because of the potential for it to strengthen as it neared the Gulf, where hurricanes temporarily knocked out much of U.S. crude oil and natural gas production last year. The Gulf provides about a quarter of U.S. oil and gas output.The Miami-based hurricane center forecast that Ernesto would become a Category 1 hurricane, with 74-mile-per-hour(119-km-per-hour) winds, by Monday, a day before the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and killed about 1,500 people.The Gulf waters this year are particularly warm. Warm waters are the fuel hurricanes need to gain power.

Ernesto could become a potentially dangerous hurricane as it moves across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico,the hurricane center said in a bulletin on the storm.

MATTHEW 24:1-2
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Fire destroys St. Petersburg cathedral domes Fri Aug 25, 10:36 PM ET

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - A fire gutted a 19th century cathedral in the heart of Russia's second city on Friday, destroying its famous azure domes which attract thousands of tourists every year.

As flames leapt from the main dome of the Troitsky (Trinity) Cathedral one of the largest wooden domes in Europe passers-by helped to rescue priceless artifacts from its renowned art and religious icon collection.The fire services don't have long enough ladders to reach the top of the dome. They have been aiming their water guns at the middle section,Reuters photographer Alexander Demyanchuk said by telephone from outside the cathedral.The cathedral had been covered by wooden scaffolding during reconstruction work when the fire started.

The main dome has been destroyed but we could not stop the fire because it was so high and now other domes are in flames,a spokesman for Russia's emergencies ministry told Interfax news agency.Emergency services said there had been no casualties.The Troitsky Cathedral, built overlooking one of central St Petersburg's canals, is big enough to hold 3,000 worshippers and also housed the military uniforms of Russian 19th century tsars.

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING
BLOCKS)

ASEAN inks expanded pact with U.S.
Associated Press

Kuala Lumpur A bloc of Southeast Asian nations Friday sealed an expanded trade and investment agreement with the United States, the region's No. 1 trading partner.U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and ministers from the 10-member Association
of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, signed the Trade and Investment Facilitation Arrangement, or TIFA.Ms. Schwab made it clear, however, that Washington would not lift economic sanctions or shift its stance toward military-ruled Myanmar over its poor human rights record.

Malaysian Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz warned that the TIFA must not be used to pressure Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, toward democracy.The TIFA deal capped weeklong meetings that saw the 39-year-old Asian bloc strengthening links with its key trade partners to try and make the region more competitive economically.

The nonbinding arrangement between ASEAN and Washington outlined initial co-operation programs. Washington will support the ASEAN Single Window project to harmonize procedures and create a “common custom system throughout ASEAN for the entry of goods,Ms. Schwab's office said in a statement.

Two-way trade between ASEAN and the U.S. rose 12.4 per cent to $152-billion in 2005.The TIFA also urges co-operation on pharmaceutical regulatory issues aiming at speeding the delivery of innovative medicines to ASEAN countries,according to a joint statement, and calls for co-operation concerning sanitary issues in specific agricultural goods, a key sector for both sides.American pharmaceutical firms have complained that generic drug copies of patented medicines are eating into their revenue and affecting their research capabilities. Poorer countries say they cannot afford the high cost of some patented lifesaving or life-extending medicines.

Malaysia's Rafidah said the TIFA was not a precursor to a free trade agreement and expressed hopes it would contribute toward Myanmar's national reconciliation but cautioned that it should not be used to pressure the country toward democracy. I would rather not put this cloud, this whole group exercise we have with U.S. with individual country issues,she said.

Ms. Schwab said, The TIFA will be a platform to intensify our trade and investment relations with the ASEAN region, which collectively constitutes our fourth largest trading partner,adding that The United States has very serious concerns about human rights in Myanmar. The TIFA is not going to change that.ASEAN ministers held talks later with Australia and New Zealand, where they agreed to wrap up free trade talks by mid-2007, so they could begin gradually freeing up their trade in goods, services and investment from Jan. 1, 2008,

according to a joint statement.Trade in goods between ASEAN and the two countries surged 23 per cent year over year to $35.6-billion in 2005.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING
BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

Israel and Lebanon hail EU troop pledge by Charly Wegman
1 hour, 49 minutes ago

JERUSALEM (AFP) Israel and Lebanon both welcomed an EU pledge to contribute up to 7,000 troops to a beefed-up UN peacekeeping mission capable of enforcing the fragile truce with Shiite militants of Hezbollah. Israel congratulates European countries on their decision to send these contingents for the international force in Lebanon, foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said following Friday's decision by the 25-nation bloc.This decision will greatly contribute to the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701,he said, with the EU now supplying more than half the extra soldiers needed to bring the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) up to its mandated 15,000 from its current count of 2,000.Mohammed Chatah, a senior advisor to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, told AFP that "the government is very satisfied with this positive and important decision.

Following some delay and some doubts, the backbone of the international force has now been determined and it will allow for the Israeli army to quickly withdraw from south Lebanon and for the army to deploy in the region, Chatah said.UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is due in Beirut on Monday to discuss the deployment with Lebanese leaders, also hailed the EU's decision.

We may have a unique opportunity to transform the cessation of hostilities into a durable ceasefire,he said in Brussels.Half of the EU troops are to be deployed rapidly, with the 2,000 troops France has pledged to arrive within 20 days, Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told The Wall Street Journal.But French President Jacques Chirac, who was speaking separately Friday in Paris, said a level of 15,000 troops was excessive and it made no sense to have such a large contingent alongside the Lebanese army in the region.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy put the EU deployment at 6,500 to 7,000 soldiers on the ground, which means that the spinal column of the reinforced UNIFIL will be European.The force is crucial to shoring up Resolution 1701, which on August 14 brought an end to the brutal 34-day conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.The UN chief also proposed that France see out its current term as commander of the force, which expires at the end of January, after which Italy would take over.Italy is expected to supply up to 3,000 soldiers, which would make it the biggest contributor to the force.Italian newspapers said that Rome could send five ships -- including an aircraft carrier -- to Lebanon as early as Tuesday with 700 to 1,000 troops on board as part of its promised contingent of up to 3,000 troops.The green light for the deployment will be given in a decree by the Italian government,
which is meeting on Monday.

The troops called up for the mission will be from the San Marco naval regiment and the elite Serenissima regiment, both battle-hardened from service in Iraq.France, though, played a key role diplomatically in revamping the force, having co-authored the UN resolution with the United States. It also enjoys close relations with Lebanon, a former colony.A vanguard of 170 French reinforcements arrived in Lebanon on Friday, making France the only country so far to have actually sent troops. Chirac said he agreed to send the extra two battalions after winning a robust mandate for UNIFIL as well as guarantees the force would be able to cope if hostilities flare up again. While UN peacekeepers are usually allowed to use lethal force only when directly threatened a limitation which hobbled UN peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia and elsewhere -- Alliot-Marie said France had received assurances that troops could use force in other situations.

As an example, she said that if a UN patrol was blocked on the road by the Hezbollah militia -- but not shot at -- UN troops could do nothing under the normal UN rules of engagement. What we got was that they can, Alliot-Marie was quoted as saying in Saturday's edition of The Wall Street Journal. I don't want to send men so that they can be humiliated on the ground. The announcement of the French reinforcements spurred some other EU countries into firming up previously vague promises to contribute.

Spain said it would send 1,000 to 1,200 soldiers, Poland another 300 in addition to the 200 currently serving in UNFIL, Belgium 300 within two months and possibly another 100 later, and Finland 250. Greece is offering a frigate, helicopter and special forces while other countries, notably Portugal and Latvia, have indicated they could send soldiers, but no details were given Friday. Annan said Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia had offered to participate in UNIFIL -- though Israel has opposed contributions from those Muslim countries because of an absence of diplomatic relations.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships;
and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Iranian Ex-President Cautions West on Nuclear Pressure
By Steve Herman,Tokyo,25 August 2006

Iran's former president has warned the world against pressuring Tehran about its nuclear program. Mohammad Khatami comments come just days before a United Nations Security Council deadline for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Friday accused the West of starting a crisis over his country's nuclear programs. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami speaks at the U.N. University in Tokyo Friday, August 25, 2006 Speaking at the United Nations University in Tokyo, Mr. Khatami said Iran's uranium enrichment is for completely peaceful purposes. The Islamic scholar said world powers have a double standard of supporting a country in the Middle East with hundreds of nuclear warheads a reference to Israel while trying to prevent Iran from using nuclear technology to generate electricity.

Mr. Khatami says the West is pouring gasoline over a fire, creating a crisis in a region ready to explode. The United States, Germany and other countries say they are not satisfied with Iran's response to a package of incentives to halt its nuclear activities.

Tehran faces an August 31 deadline to stop enriching uranium, or face possible sanctions by the United Nations. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Friday said Tokyo will refrain from commenting on Iran's response. Japan is Iran's largest export market for oil.Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki recently indicated his government would be reluctant to include oil in any economic sanctions that might be imposed on Iran. Tanigaki, noting what he calls Japan's extremely large dependence on Iranian oil, says halting the flow of such imports would cause great difficulty for the country, and would not be in Japan's interest.

Japan has maintained good relations with Iran, even though Tokyo's main ally, the United States, does not. Two years ago, Iran agreed to let Japanese companies develop its Azadegan oil field, which is believed to have the largest untapped reserves in the world. But negotiations on how to carry out the $2 billion project have stalled. Mr. Khatami, president of Iran from 1997 until last year, met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday.

Mr. Khatami regarded as a moderate compared with the more conservative leadership now in Tehran reportedly asked Mr. Koizumi to have Japan play a role in resolving the nuclear standoff through dialogue, not pressure. The Japanese Foreign Ministry says the prime minister told Mr. Khatami that Japan hopes Iran will cooperate with and respect the will of the international community. Earlier in the week, Iran formally responded to an incentive package offered by the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany. Iran called for a new round of negotiations, but gave no indication of complying with next Thursday's deadline.

Iran leader opens atomic project (Reuters)
Saturday, August 26, 2006 Posted: 0837 GMT (1637 HKT)

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has inaugurated a new phase in the Arak heavy-water reactor project, part of Iran's atomic program which the West fears is aimed at producing bombs.A Reuters witness said on Saturday the president inaugurated the project and toured the site at Khondab, which is near Arak, 190 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of the capital Tehran. The plant's plutonium by-product could be used to make atomic warheads.The move came days before a U.N. deadline for Iran to halt uranium enrichment, the part of the program which is the biggest worry to the West. But the latest development is likely to raise further fears in Western capitals.

Inaugurating the heavy water production plant in Arak is a big step towards using Iran's right, which means reaching peaceful nuclear technology,Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi was quoted by state television as saying.An Iranian nuclear official said this week that heavy water production itself was not a proliferation risk, but a Western diplomat said such a move would not be a constructive step.Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to master technology to produce nuclear weapons. Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, insists its aim is only for electricity.A small group of correspondents from foreign news
organizations were taken with Iranian journalists to Khondab, the site near Arak where the heavy-water project is being built, to attend the presidential speech.

The complex was protected by dozens of anti-aircraft guns and surrounded by a four-meter high barbed wire fence. Photographers and TV journalists were asked not to take any images except in areas where they were specifically permitted.The Iranian nuclear official had said Iran would start up heavy-water production but not the reactor. He said this unit had no military use so supervision by the U.N. watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was not obligatory.The product of this project provides for cooling and depleting systems of the reactor, that can be used in various industries,the official had told Reuters.

Be afraid

The West's main concern is Iran's program for enriching uranium, a process that can be used to make fuel for nuclear power stations or material for bombs.The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on July 31 giving Iran 30 days to halt enrichment or face possible sanctions. The resolution also cited a call by the IAEA for Iran to reconsider construction of its heavy water reactor project.Iran's deputy parliament speaker, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, warned the West in comments published by Iran's Sharq newspaper on Saturday that putting pressure on the country could prompt public calls for Iran to pursue a weapons program.

Be afraid of the day that the Iranian nation comes into the streets and stages demonstrations to ask the government to produce nuclear weapons to combat the threats,he said.Iranian officials consistently say Iran has no plans to build atomic weapons. Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued a religious decree, saying making, stockpiling or using nuclear weapons was against Islamic beliefs, the official IRNA news agency reported in August 2005.

Six world powers have offered Iran incentives to halt enrichment. But Iran has so far only hinted it might be ready to consider halting the work as a result of talks, not as a precondition.The reply seemed tailored to divide the four Western powers and Russia and China who agreed to the deadline on Aug. 31.The United States has said the six powers will move quickly to adopt sanctions if Iran disregards the deadline. Britain, Germany and France have been less conclusive in public.Russia and China, both trade partners of Iran, have been unwilling and could veto sanctions in the Security Council.