IRAN TEST FIRES MISSLE

1-Three quakes hit Hawke's Bay within 20 mins. 2-Powerful quake hits near Antarctica. 3-186 destructive quakes hit Indonesia 1629-2006 period. 4-Atlantic hurricanes could rev up any time. 5-Storms, floods and record tides on way. 6-Twenty-one feared dead as floods hit Indian desert state. 7-Ethiopia flood misery deepens as rains threaten dams. 8-OH OH The Bible says this Ozone will be worse not better in the future. 9-France wants EU meeting over Lebanon. 10-Iran Test-Fires Short-Range Missile.

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Three quakes hit Hawke's Bay within 20 mins
21 August 2006

The Hawke's Bay was shaking yesterday evening as three earthquakes followed each other in rapid succession. GNS Science reported the first earthquake, measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale, hit the Hawke's Bay region at 5.15pm. It was located 20km southeast of Hastings, at a depth of 40km. It was quickly followed by a second quake five minutes later, measuring 3.7 at exactly the same location. The third hit the same spot at 5.34pm, again measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale. No damage was immediately reported and a Napier resident contacted by NZPA said he had not felt any of the tremors.

Powerful quake hits near Antarctica Sun Aug 20, 1:57 AM ET

TOKYO - A powerful earthquake struck Sunday in the Scotia Sea between South America and Antarctica, Japanese and U.S. officials said. No tsunami alert was issued by the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, said Dale Grant, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center.The 6.9-magnitude quake struck at 1:41 a.m. local time, the USGS said.Japan's Meteorological Agency put the preliminary magnitude at 7.2.The quake, with a depth of about six miles, was centered in the Scotia Sea, approximately 305 miles southwest of Bristol Island in the South Sandwich island group, the USGS said.

186 destructive quakes hit Indonesia 1629-2006 period

Bandung (ANTARA News) - The Center for Volcanic and Geological Disasters Mitigation (PVMBG) has recorded 186 destructive earthquakes hitting Indonesia in the past 377 years, including 110 quakes that triggered tsunami.Head of PVMBG Dr.Surono disclosed here early this week that the 186 destructive quakes hit different areas in Indonesia from 1629 to 2005, with Sumatra ranking first by recording 45 quakes and 26 tsunami disasters and Maluku ranking second by registering 41 quakes and 33 tsunami disasters.Sumatra was more frequently hit by earthquakes, but Maluku was more severely devastated by the quakes as 80 percent of the 41 quakes jolting that region were followed by tsunami disasters.

Of the 186 quakes, 23 hit different areas on Java island during that period, and nine of the quakes triggered tsunami, including the recent quake striking Ciamis regency, West Java, which was followed by tsunami that devastated Pangandaran beach resort.

Thirty-four of the destructive quakes struck different areas in Bali and Nusa Tenggara, and 20 of the quakes sparked tsunami. Sulawesi was rocked by 27 strong quakes, including 17 quakes that stimulated tsunami, and Papua was jolted by 16 strong quakes, including five quakes followed by tsunami.Indonesia is frequently jolted by earthquakes as the country is located between three tectonic plates, comprising the Eurasia plate, the Indo-Australia plate and the Pacific plate, Surono explained.

The strong earthquakes followed by huge tsunami in Aceh on December 24, 2004 and moderate tsunami in several coastal areas in West Java and Central Java on May 27, 2006, were triggered by the bumping between the Indo-Australia plate and the Eurasia plate, he said.© 2006 ANTARA,August 20, 2006

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;
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.

Atlantic hurricanes could rev up any time By Jim Loney
Sun Aug 20, 5:53 PM ET

MIAMI (Reuters) - There has been little action in the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season so far, but that may be about to change.

Max Mayfield, director of the U.S National Hurricane Center in Miami, said there are signs of increased activity near the west coast of Africa, source of the troublesome Cape Verde hurricanes that grow powerful on their long trip across the Atlantic.The bell's going to start ringing here before long,he said in an interview last week.There's absolutely nothing that I know of that is unfavorable (to hurricane development) in the eastern Atlantic.Last year's wildly busy Atlantic hurricane season changed many people's expectations, but it is perfectly normal for the first two or three months of a season to be fairly quiet.The storm season runs from June 1 to November 30 and the worst part of it usually is between mid-August and late October, with the peak around September 10. The average season produces about 10 tropical storms, of which six develop into hurricanes.

Last year saw nine storms develop by August 7, on the way to a total of 28 in a record-shattering season that lasted until early January. Hurricane Katrina, the 11th and most destructive storm of the year, hit south Florida on August 25 and New Orleans on August 29, sparking massive flooding in the Louisiana city and killing more than 1,300 people.Hurricane Andrew, which was the costliest storm in U.S. history until Katrina, was the first Atlantic storm of 1992 and hit Miami on August 24 that year.We have a lot of years that don't really get started until the middle or end of August,Mayfield said.So far this year, only three tropical storms have formed -- Alberto, Beryl and Chris. Strong wind shear -- the difference in wind speed and direction at different levels of the atmosphere -- has disrupted some of the tropical weather systems that eventually become cyclones.Mayfield expressed puzzlement as to why the season hasn't been a little more active.We're actually not sure why some of these are not developing,he said.

Storms, floods and record tides on way
By Marco Giannangeli,(Filed: 21/08/2006)

Storms and floods are forecast in the coming weeks as the hot summer comes to an end.Experts said last night that heavy rainfall was expected to affect many central and eastern regions during the next two days as areas of low pressure sweep in from the Atlantic. Further torrential downpours are forecast for Thursday and Friday.Waves batter a train as gales combine with high tides
But of most concern is a record spring tide, which could flood many areas next month.Seaside towns have been placed on alert for the highest tides for 20 years - which could be as much as 3ft higher than normal - from Sept 9. Towns and villages along the Bristol Channel and in Norfolk and Suffolk were said to be particularly vulnerable.

Parts of the country have already experienced heavy downpours. Yorkshire and the Midlands were hit by flash floods last week and heavy rain over the weekend affected central and south-western parts of England. More than 130,000 fans had to wade through mud at the V music festival at Chelmsford, Essex. In Cheltenham, Glos, rain caused the closure of visitor attractions and flooded homes.

A Met Office spokesman said: It is fair to say that we are entering a period of particularly unsettled weather as areas of low pressure make their way across the country from the west.19 August 2006: Lightning, floods and storms as heatwave is forgotten Drought reveals the lost footprints of history from the air

Twenty-one feared dead as floods hit Indian desert state Sun Aug 20, 10:05 AM ET

JODHPUR, India (AFP) - At least 21 people were swept away and feared dead as monsoon rains triggered rare floods in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan. A cross-border train that shuttles between India and Pakistan was also briefly stranded, a railways spokesman said in Jaipur, capital of the northern state.Two soldiers who were part of a rescue effort were swept away in Jodhpur district but one was rescued, state Relief Minister Kirorimal Meena said and put the weather-related death toll at 21 since the floods hit Rajasthan Friday.Four of those killed were children who drowned in the rising waters after clinging to a tree for hours on Saturday.In the last 33 years we have not seen such a situation in Rajasthan, Meena said Sunday as torrential rains lashed cut-off villages and towns more used to droughts.

Meena said districts such as Jodhpur, Jalore and Kota, which nestles in the desolate Thar desert, were severely hit by the floods and added the army was out in three other districts were tens of thousands of people were stranded.Railways spokesman A.K. Khanna said the train was on its return trip from Khokhrapar in Pakistan's Sindh province when it was stranded in the floods but reached its destination at Munabao station in Rajasthan's Barmer district several hours behind schedule.Earlier this month, more than 10 million people were affected by floods in four states while western Gujarat faced the brunt with its diamond-polishing hub of Surat remaining under water for five days.

Ethiopia flood misery deepens as rains threaten dams by Abrahama Fisseha
Sun Aug 20, 11:56 AM ET

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Ethiopia braced for more damage from deadly nationwide flash floods as the government warned that unusually heavy seasonal rains could force the release of water from dangerously swollen dams. A task force set up to deal with flooding crises that have affected nearly 75,000 people said three dams in the west, south and north of the country were close to the breaking point and advised residents in their vicinities to leave.It said that, although controlled, the release of water from the threatened dams on the Omo, Awash and Blue Nile rivers could compound devastation from floods that have already killed at least 626 people in the south, east and north.

Currently, the main dams are planning to release some waters, and the national task force is advising people living near the dams and downstream to take precautionary measures and, if possible, move to higher ground,it said Sunday.The facilities are the Gilgel Gibe dam on the Omo River, which has already flooded huge areas in the southwest; the Koka dam on the Awash River that has flooded in the east; and the Tise Aby dam on the Blue Nile in the north.The release of water from these dams may flood some areas,the task force said in a statement released by the information ministry.In addition to the confirmed deaths, some 250 people are missing and 73,000 are affected, many of them left homeless by the raging waters that have killed thousands of valuable livestock and flooded huge tracts of farmland.

Officials said they had relocated at least 15,000 people to safer areas in view of the increasing threat of fresh flooding across the country, according to state television.Some 13,000 people in the northern region and another 2,000 in the south had been relocated for fear of further flooding and landslides.Overwhelmed authorities have appealed for international aid, and US soldiers began relief work on Saturday in the town of Dire Dawa, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) east of Addis Ababa, which was hit by floods on August 6.The 35 Djibouti-based US naval engineers were setting up 52 large tents to house many of 6,000 people displaced by the waters, which killed 256, and erecting sanitation facilities amid growing fears of the spread of water-borne diseases.I am very impressed with what the Ethiopians and the others are doing to help the displaced. I am glad that we are part of this operation, Richard Hunt, head of the Djibouti-based Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, told AFP by phone.

With poor weather continuing to hamper relief efforts, particularly in the southwest Omo River valley where 364 drowned last week and up to 8,000 remain marooned in 14 inundated villages, officials feared a rise in the death toll.The rain in the highlands has continued, and the river waters are showing no signs of decreasing,said Major Solomon Gebere Michael, commander of army relief operations in the Southern Nationalities, Nations and People's state.It is hurting the search and rescue mission,he told AFP by phone from Amorate, some 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of Addis Ababa.Military helicopters dangling special forces troops from ropes and ladders continued to fly over affected areas, dropping food and water and attempting where possible to pluck survivors from roofs and tree tops, Solomon said.

At the same time, he said rescue teams in boats had begun to face difficulties due to powerful currents and obstacles in newly created vast marsh areas in the Omo basin.Meteorologists have warned that six areas in the north, west and south of the country will likely face further flood threats from the downpours that are expected to continue until the end of the June-to-September rainy season. Ethiopia has repeatedly suffered heavy floods and droughts in recent years, devastating agriculture that provides a livelihood for the majority of the 70 million people living in the Horn of Africa nation.

OH OH The Bible says this Ozone will be worse not better in the future.

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Ozone Layer Healing, but More Slowly Than Hoped
Reuters Saturday, August 19, 2006; Page A03

GENEVA, Aug 18 -- Earth's ozone layer is finally on the mend after decades of damage, two U.N. agencies reported Friday.

But the agencies, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), said the protective layer, which filters dangerous solar radiation, was recovering more slowly than experts had originally hoped.Over huge areas of Africa, Asia, southern Australasia, Europe, Latin America and North America, the layer will be back to pre-1980 levels by 2049, the agencies said. That is five years later than forecast in the last major scientific report, in 2002.

The early signs that the atmosphere is healing demonstrate that the Montreal Protocol is working,said Achim Steiner, UNEP executive director, referring to the 1987 global treaty that aims to reduce the use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

But the delayed recovery is a warning that we cannot take the ozone layer for granted and must maintain and accelerate our efforts to phase out harmful chemicals,he said in a statement.Over Antarctica, where ozone holes have grown over the past 30 years, recovery was likely to be delayed until 2065, 15 years later than hoped.While these latest projections of ozone recovery are disappointing, the good news is that the level of ozone-depleting substances continues to decline from its 1992-94 peak in the troposphere and the 1990s peak in the stratosphere,WMO Secretary General Michel Jarraud said in a statement.

The ozone layer blocks harmful ultraviolet rays, and holes in it have been blamed for increased risk of skin cancer and cataracts in humans. The holes may also harm crop yields and sea life.Depletion of the ozone layer is caused by the chemical action of chlorine and bromine released by gases such as CFCs, which are used in aerosol sprays and cooling equipment, including refrigerators and some air-conditioning systems.

France wants EU meeting over Lebanon By Swaha Pattanaik
2 hours, 29 minutes ago

PARIS (Reuters) - France called on Sunday for a European Union meeting next week to co-ordinate what member countries plan to do about a U.N. force for Lebanon. We ask that European solidarity is expressed as soon as possible about Lebanon, Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told France Info radio, adding that he had asked EU president Finland to call a meeting in Brussels early next week.France wanted to know what our different European partners count on doing as quickly as possible about Lebanon, he said.France has so far pledged to send only 200 extra troops to Lebanon, disappointing Washington and the United Nations, which had hoped it would form the backbone of an expanded U.N. force.On Saturday, President Jacques Chirac spoke to leaders from several countries, including Italy's Romano Prodi and Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, to stress the need for a clearer mandate for the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

A Finnish official said France was asking for a meeting of the EU's Political and Security Committee on Wednesday.The meeting is to discuss what the countries are going to do in Lebanon. Even though it's not an EU mission, it's to coordinate what different EU countries are going to do,said Susanna Parkkonen, spokeswoman for Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja.She said those attending would be diplomats, and possibly military specialists, from the 25 member states. No foreign ministers were expected to attend.The expanded U.N. peacekeeping force is meant to help the Lebanese army supervise the pullout of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.Chirac told leaders to whom he spoke that the composition of the U.N. force needed to be balanced and to reflect the commitment of the whole international community, in particular, of European countries, his office said on Saturday.

Asked about other EU states' contributions to an enlarged U.N. force, Douste-Blazy said he believed there would be two phases, the first an urgent one, of which the decision to send 200 extra French troops to Lebanon was part.About 50 French peacekeepers arrived in south Lebanon on Saturday and 150 more left France for Lebanon on Sunday.The second phase would involve sending in the final number but that required further clarifications, Douste-Blazy said.For that (second phase)...we want clarifications from the United Nations on the mission of UNIFIL, on the chain of command, how it will be organized, how this force should report on its actions and to whom,he said.Germany pressed at the weekend for a clear and robust mandate for the force and said its troops needed concrete guidelines in case they were drawn into hostilities.

Berlin has ruled out sending ground troops or police but has said it is ready to send its navy to help prevent weapons shipments from reaching Hizbollah fighters via the coast.It must be clear what happens if soldiers are drawn into fighting. These rules still need to be worked out,Chancellor Angela Merkel told the weekly newspaper Welt am Sonntag.(Additional reporting by Huw Jones in Brussels and Noah Barkin in Berlin)

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).

MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Iran Test-Fires Short-Range Missile
Tests Comes While Military Training Plane Catches Fire, Crashes During War Games
TEHRAN, Iran, Aug. 20, 2006

(AP) Iran test-fired a surface-to-surface short-range missile on Sunday while a military training plane crashed outside the capital Tehran after catching fire, state-run television reported Sunday. The missile testing came a day after Iran launched a series of large-scale military maneuvers geared at introducing the country's new defensive doctrine. Saegheh, the missile, has a range of between 80 to 250 kilometers,State-run television said. It said the missile was tested in the Kashan desert, about 155 miles southeast of the capital of Tehran.Saegheh means lightning in Farsi.

Authorities set the military plane that crashed on Sunday after catching fire was not taking part in the maneuvers. It did not elaborate. The broadcast said the plane was making an emergency landing on a highway in northeast Tehran but it crashed after a wing of the plane hit a water reservoir and burst into flames. The television said the only pilot in the plane parachuted safely. Iran has routinely held war games over the past two decades to improve its combat readiness and to test equipment such as missiles, tanks and armored personnel carriers. But the new tests, in the wake of the Lebanon-Hezbollah fighting, seemed certain to create new tensions with the West. State-run television said the missile was built based on domestic know-how, although outside experts say much of the country's missile technology originated from other countries.

State-run TV showed video showing 10 missiles being launched from mobile launching pads. Iran said its new military exercises launched Saturday are being held in 14 of the country's 30 provinces and could last as long as five weeks, the government has said.

The Islamic Republic, which views the United States as an arch foe, is concerned about the U.S. military presence in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan.It also has expressed worry about Israeli threats to destroy its nuclear facilities, which the West contends could be used to make a bomb but which Iran insists are for civilian uses only. Iran is already equipped with the Shahab-3 missile, which means shooting star in Farsi, and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. An upgraded version of the ballistic missile has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers and can reach Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Last year, former Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said Tehran had successfully tested a solid fuel motor for the Shahab-3, a technological breakthrough for the country's military.Iran's military test-fired a series of missiles during large-scale war games in the Persian Gulf in March and April, including a missile it claimed was not detectable by radar that can use multiple warheads to hit several targets simultaneously.After decades of relying on foreign weapons purchases, Iran's military has been working to boost its domestic production of armaments.Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and a fighter plane, the government has said. It announced in early 2005 that it had begun production of torpedoes.