CIVIL MARRIAGE IN ISRAEL

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 3 DAYS. 2-Ten dead in Philippines after typhoon. 3-Sri Lanka is drowning, literally and metaphorically. 4-China, Asean Repeat Aim for Free Trade Area by 2010. 5-PM: Israel will stop Palestinian arms. 6-Drought-hit Spain looks to penalize heavy water use. 7-Ship sinks in heavy storms. 8-World Christian Persecution. 9-Time to give way on civil marriage in Israel? 10-East Africa: EAC Treaty Makes Political Federation Inevitable.

EARTHQUAKES

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.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

WORLD QUAKES LAST 3 DAYS
Update time = Tue Oct 31 10:00 EDT 2006(USGS)

TUE OCT 31,2006
MAP 3.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 ECUADOR
MAP 4.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.6 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

MON OCT 30,2006
MAP 2.6 ARIZONA
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 OFF THE COAST OF JALISCO, MEXICO
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.3 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.8 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.6 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 5.3 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 5.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 5.3 SOUTHERN PERU
MAP 3.0 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.0 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 JAVA, INDONESIA

SUN OCT 29,2006
MAP 3.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.8 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.3 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 3.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.5 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 5.6 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 4.8 COSTA RICA
MAP 4.3 NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
MAP 4.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 UTAH
MAP 2.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

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.

Ten dead in Philippines after typhoon By Karen Lema
2 hours, 25 minutes ago

MANILA (Reuters) - Typhoon Cimaron churned toward central Vietnam on Tuesday after killing at least 10 people and displacing thousands in the northern Philippines with fierce winds and raging waters.

Cimaron slammed into Luzon, the Philippines' most populated island and its rice bowl, on Sunday night as a maximum category five storm or super typhoon, tearing up trees, power lines and roofs and destroying houses and roads.The typhoon, the second to hit the Philippines in over a month, weakened as it swept out of the archipelago on Monday and was churning westwards toward Vietnam with winds of 120 km (75 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 150 km per hour.

Storm tracker www.tropicalstormrisk.com showed Cimaron picking up speed and tipping northwards en route to Vietnam, bringing stormy weather to Hong Kong and the Chinese island of Hainan on Wednesday morning.Cimarno is expected to hit Vietnam as a category 1 typhoon on Friday morning.At least five people were reported drowned or killed by falling trees in the Philippine coastal province of Isabela, according to local mayor Renato Candido. There were at least five other reported fatalities, disaster officials said.

The Office of Civil Defense said police were still verifying reports of several landslides.

THOUSANDS EVACUATED

Over 2,000 people were evacuated to makeshift accommodation while nearly 180,000 were affected by wind damage, landslides and flooding.

Power was slowly returning to four provinces.The storm disrupted thousands of travelers on the move for the Roman Catholic festivals of All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1 and 2, when millions of Filipinos throng cemeteries to honor their dead.Cimaron was estimated to have destroyed around 114 million pesos ($2.3 million) worth of crops, fisheries and livestock.

The bill for damage to roads, bridges and schools was put at 25 million pesos.The Department of Agriculture has said the typhoon destroyed around 8 percent of rice and corn due for harvesting before the end of the year.Cimaron crashed into the archipelago just weeks after Typhoon Xangsane raked the Philippines and Vietnam, killing at least 169 people and taking a heavy toll on electricity networks, roads and crops.The Philippines cut its annual agricultural growth target to around 4 percent for 2006 from at least 5 percent due to the destruction by Xangsane.Storms regularly hit the Philippines but parts of northern Luzon are mountainous and heavily logged, raising the risk of more floods and landslides.In the worst disaster in recent years, more than 5,000 people died in the central province of Leyte in 1991 in floods triggered by a typhoon.

Sri Lanka is drowning, literally and metaphorically
BY AMEEN IZZADEEN ,31 October 2006

LITERALLY and metaphorically, we are a drowning nation. With half the country under water as a result of intense inter-monsoon rains, the gloomy weather was symbolic of Sri Lanka’s plight. It had been raining since October 16. Friday was the worst day. Even my house came under two feet of water.I was not alone. Millions of people have been affected. Fifteen people have been killed and more than 250,000 rendered homeless. Thousands of Muslims celebrated the Eid ul-Fitr festival in makeshift refugee camps.

Even the main road linking Colombo city and Sri Lanka’s only international airport was under water. Flights were cancelled or delayed as passengers and crew members could not reach the airport on time.

It’s the worst floods in several decades, the old muezzin of the mosque in my area said. The politically matured put the blame on politicians. Politicians at local council level dish out low-lying state-owned wetland, which should be conserved, to landless party supporters in return for their loyalty. Some big time national level politicians commit greater environmental crimes in collusion with multinationals and the local private sector.In my area, residents say the flood problem became worse after the multinational Shell Company built a gas terminal on a wetland that had acted as a water-retention area when the rivers swelled. The allegation doing the rounds is that big time politicians, including some at the highest level, are in the pay of the multinational gas giant which has its say and way whenever it wants to increase prices. The end result is that it is the people who pay for the sins of the politicians.

The Central Environment Authority (CEA), the main state institution entrusted with protecting Sri Lanka’s environment has come under a cloud, too. The CEA approves or disapproves projects after it conducts an environmental impact assessment study. In a paper posted on its website, it claims that wetlands, which are national heritage, need to be conserved, restored and sustainably managed for the benefit of the present and future generations, recognising that they are environmentally sensitive and ecologically important areas.The CEA paper also says the principle that when an activity carries a potentially high environmental risk that cannot be fully assessed (eg for lack of time, money or information), action should be taken to prohibit or restrict the activity before the uncertainly is resolved.I don’t think this principle was applied when Shell was allowed to build its massive plant on a large extent of wetland. In corruption-ridden third world countries, it appears that public servants’ serve the interest of their political masters rather than the interest of the public.

The flood-hit Sri Lankans’ search for the sun in the black canopy over their head is symbolic of Sri Lanka’s search for peace. As the sun appeared briefly through the gaps between the large masses of dark clouds, it stirred hopes. But soon the pregnant dark clouds covered it again and unloaded their burden on us, inflicting suffering and hardship.On Saturday, on the political horizon, there was hope, as the government and the LTTE met in Geneva for talks. But by Sunday night, our hopes were shattered as the two sides failed to strike any agreement.It appears now that the Norwegian facilitators were largely concerned about dragging the two belligerents to the negotiating table. It was like a no-holds-barred freestyle wrestling match. First, the handshake and then the Norwegian referee read out the rules of the game and allowed the two fighters to hit out at each other.

The talks, which we call Geneva II, were no different from Geneva I in February. At both these encounters, the two sides traded barbs and talked little peace. This could have been done in Sri Lanka. But the two sides, it appears, want to discredit and demonise the other before the international media in Geneva.Before they left for Geneva, the two sides had conflicting agendas. Apart from a final solution that recognised Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the government wanted to bring human rights, democracy and pluralism to the people of the north values that the people in the south do not enjoy to the full. The LTTE wanted to discuss the immediate issues such as the opening of the main highway linking Sri Lanka’s northern capital Jaffna with the rest of the country and the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

The two sides had nothing to offer in terms of confidence-building measures. Both delegations comprised members who are known for hard-line views. We cannot expect a terrorist organisation to act in a civilised manner and make the first move for peace. When the government also responds in an equally tough manner while talking peace, how can peace dawn? This was not the spirit in which the Ranil Wickremesinghe government held peace talks. It took confidence building measures, one after another, offering many concessions to the LTTE, amidst allegations that it was compromising on national security.

But it was a gamble that nearly paid off.I believe the government as a confidence building measure should have agreed to the LTTE demand for the opening up of the main highway, although the move will help the LTTE to collect millions of rupees in taxes from motorists and suppliers of goods to the north. But it’s a price the government should pay to achieve peace and bring sunshine to the war-hit and war-weary people.
Ameen Izzadeen is a Sri Lankan journalist based in Colombo

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE 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.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) 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 KINGS OR NATIONS).

China, Asean Repeat Aim for Free Trade Area by 2010
By Allen T. Cheng and Yanping Li

Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nation said they will boost trade, reiterating an aim to cut tariffs and set up a free trade area between an estimated 1.8 billion people. We encourage further cooperation between China and Asean in support of sub-regional developments including economic cooperation zones in areas covering southwestern China, according to a statement by China and Asean, as the association is also called, released today in southern China's Nanning city. Asean's trade with China rose 23 percent last year to $130 billion, and the grouping has been discussing free trade arrangements with China and dialogue partners Japan and South Korea as global trade talks fail. Japan, not represented at this meeting in Nanning, has proposed a broader Asian trade bloc including India, Australia and New Zealand.

Japan has been pushing for India's inclusion because it fears China taking over its dominant status in Asia, said Guan Anping, a Beijing trade lawyer and former Chinese trade official. Asean has many legitimate fears of a rising China, especially since China's huge surplus labor makes it a rival that few Asian states can compete with, he said. China is hosting Asian leaders to celebrate 15 years of formal relations between Asia's second largest economy and Asean, a grouping founded in 1967 partly as a U.S.-backed bulwark against communism. Southeast Asian countries only recognized China when it stopped backing communist insurgencies against their capitalist governments.

Outstanding Disputes

China also has not fully resolved disputes with Asean members over oil and gas exploration rights in the South China Sea around a group of islands that China calls Xisha and Nansha while Asean calls Spratlys and Paracels. As recently as 1990, China seized some islands in the Paracels, which is surrounded by seabed rich in oil and gas, from Vietnam, according to Globalsecurity.org, a Web site specializing in military affairs. We will work in concert to advance the strategic partnership, which would be a catalyst for dialogue between Asean and its partners to contribute to regional peace and stability, according to today's statement.

Defense officials of Asean and China will visit each other more frequently and share information to foster cooperation, according to the statement.Wen and Commerce Minister Bo Xilai are hosting Asean leaders this week in talks that range from building a regional free trade zone to North Korea's nuclear tests. On the table is a proposal from China to build a regional trade area that comprise of Asean, China, Japan, and South Korea. China supports and welcomes Asean's efforts to establish a Southeast Asia nuclear weapons-free zone, according to the Chinese foreign ministry's counselor Huang Xingyuan, speaking today in Nanning. To contact the reporter on this story: Allen T. Cheng in Beijing at acheng13@bloomberg.net.Last Updated: October 30, 2006 06:27 EST

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,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

JOEL 2:20,30-31
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Oct. 30, 2006, 3:55PM
PM: Israel will stop Palestinian arms
By MARK LAVIE Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM Israel will take action to stop Palestinian arms smuggling and rocket fire in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday, but he could not point to specific solutions.Olmert also said any new offensive would not result in Israel's retaking Gaza, which it left a year ago after a 38-year occupation.Olmert was speaking at a special Cabinet session to vote approval of the addition of an ultra-hawkish party to his ruling coalition, a step seen as virtually ruling out any Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives in the near future. Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, has advocated bombing Palestinian population centers and redrawing Israel's borders to exclude its Arab citizens. He becomes a deputy prime minister.In southern Gaza, meanwhile, Palestinian gunmen kidnapped Roberto Vila, a 34-year-old Spanish aid worker and held him for several hours, the latest in a string of abductions of journalists and other foreigners. He was released unharmed before midnight.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said security forces worked to free the hostage. Such actions harm the image of the Palestinian people, he said.Palestinian gunmen have kidnapped a series of foreign journalists and aid workers in Gaza over the past two years, usually pressing the government for money or job guarantees. In most cases, the hostages were quickly released, and none have been seriously harmed.Last week, Palestinian gunmen kidnapped an Associated Press photographer in Gaza City, releasing the Spanish journalist about 16 hours later.The kidnappings reflect growing chaos in the seaside territory, where rival Fatah and Hamas forces have been clashing as political leaders repeatedly fail to agree on a joint government that could lift a punishing Western aid cutoff that has bankrupted the Palestinian Authority and led to widespread hardships.

At the same time, Israel has pressed ahead with an offensive it launched in late June, after Hamas-linked gunmen tunneled under the border and attacked an army base, killing two soldiers and abducting a third.In northern Gaza, Palestinian police said a man was killed Monday and two other people wounded when an Israeli tank shell hit a house. The Israeli military denied that soldiers opened fire in the area.Earlier this month Israel sent forces along the Gaza-Egypt border for the first time since Israel withdrew from Gaza last year, destroying 15 tunnels Israel said the Palestinians used to smuggle arms into Gaza. The forces were pulled out after a weeklong sweep.

Olmert told a parliamentary committee the goal of a new military operation would be to stop the arms smuggling, but he said no decision has been made on exactly how to do that. Retaking the border could ignite tensions with Egypt. Olmert denied reports that Egypt has sent troop reinforcements to the border.

There is no doubt that we have to take steps to reduce the ability of the Palestinians to fire rockets at Israel and smuggle in weapons,Olmert told the Cabinet, but added that no decision has been made on exactly what to do, according to a participant in the meeting.The participant, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, said Olmert specified that Israeli action would minimize humanitarian problems.Olmert also told the parliamentary committee he would consider allowing Abbas to beef up his security forces with troops stationed in neighboring Jordan.Palestinian officials said Saturday that Abbas, a moderate, wants to bring in the forces ahead of a possible showdown with Hamas.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Dr Samuel Doctorian-Angel 3

Then one of the angels with wings showed me Europe from one end to the other from the north all the way down to Spain and Portugal. In his hand he had a scale of measurement. I saw him fly over Europe, and I heard the words, I am grieved. I am grieved.

Unrighteousness, uncleanness, ungodliness all over Europe. The sin has risen to heaven. The Holy Spirit is grieved. I saw the rivers of Europe flooding and covering millions of houses. Millions drown.

Suddenly I heard earthquakes all over Europe. Countries that have had no earthquakes shall be shaken, said the angel. And suddenly, in my spirit, I saw the Eiffel Tower in Paris crumbling falling down. A great part of Germany destroyed. The great city of London destruction everywhere. I saw floods all over Scandinavia. I looked to the south and saw Spain and Portugal passing through hunger and great destruction.

Many will die from hunger all over Spain and Portugal. I was disturbed by all this news, and I said, Lord, what about your children? The angel said, I shall prepare them. They shall be looking for the appearing of the Lord. Many will cry to me in those days and I will save them. I shall perform mighty miracles for them and show them My power. So in the midst of great destruction, there will be the grace of God in those countries. I was happy that God has His protection over His children.

Drought-hit Spain looks to penalize heavy water use
Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:33 PM GMT

MADRID (Reuters) - Spaniards who use excessive amounts of water may have to pay more for it in future, the government said on Monday, seeking ways to curb water use after two years of drought.After the worst drought on record in 2005 and below average rainfall again in the year ended on September 30, the country's reservoir levels dropped to their lowest in a decade.Environment Minister Cristina Narbona said she was planning to guarantee a minimum amount of clean water for everyone and would raise prices above that limit.In principle, in line with a proposal made by Ecologists in Action, we suggest a minimum of 60 liters (13 gallons) a day per person, she said.(There will be) a reform of the water law to penalize excessive consumption via tariffs charged, Narbona said at the start of a national water council meeting, which is due to debate several proposals.

A ministry spokeswoman denied household consumers would face higher prices if they used more than the 60 liters a day allowance.

The onus may fall on other users.Narbona did not say how the reform would affect farmers, who use 77 percent of Spain's water. Urban consumption accounts for 18 percent and industry the remaining 5 percent.Spaniards now use an average of around 170 liters a day and water prices vary.In some towns it is practically free and farmers often sink illegal wells and obtain water from aquifers for no more than the cost of pumping it.

1/3RD OF SHIPS DESTROYED

REVELATION 8:8-9
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Ship sinks in heavy storms
Oct 30, 2006,By TBT staff

TALLINN - Heavy storms that struck the Baltic Sea region forced the cancellation of flights and sea travel, sunk a fishing boat and left a passenger ferry damaged.The Finnish fishing vessel Borka sunk in Estonian waters at 11 p.m. on Oct. 26 in heavy wind.The boat’s four crew members were rescued by nearby ships which battled rough seas to answer a distress call.With wind speed at 25 meters per second, and gusts of up to 32 meters per second, the smaller passenger ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki abandoned their voyages. Other larger ships delayed their voyages by several hours.

The storms also felled trees and branches, damaged roofs, and knocked out power to thousands of households.

PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS

JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME

ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE FINAL JUDGEMENT).

WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

World Christian Persecution(Crosswalk.com)
Assyrian Christian Teen Reportedly Beheaded

According to ASSIST News Service, an Assyrian Christian teenager has reportedly been decapitated while at work.

The Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) reported that according to the Assyrian website www.ankawa.com, a 14-year-old Christian Assyrian boy, Ayad Tariq, from Baqouba, Iraq was beheaded at his work place on Oct. 21. Ayad Tariq was working his 12-hour shift, maintaining an electric generator, when a group of disguised Muslim insurgents walked in at the beginning of his shift shortly after 6 a.m. and asked him for his ID. According to another employee who witnessed the events, and who hid when he saw insurgents approach, the insurgents questioned Ayad after seeing that his ID noted he was Christian. The insurgents asked the boy if he was really a Christian sinner. Ayad reportedly replied, Yes, I am Christian, but I am not a sinner. The insurgents immediately said, dirty Christian sinner! Then they proceeded to each hold one of the boy’s limbs, Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar! while beheading him.

Eritrean Police Arrest 150 More Christians

Compass Direct News reports that in a large-scale roundup the past week, Eritrean authorities have detained 150 Christians from at least five of the country’s outlawed churches. Starting Wednesday (October 25), security officers in the town of Mendefera began going from house to house, arresting local Christians from a list they compiled of known members of Pentecostal churches and the Orthodox renewal movement.

During the first day’s raids, a total of 38 men and 17 women were incarcerated at the military fort in Mendefera, 30 miles south of Asmara. Local sources confirmed to Compass that police authorities were subjecting the detained Christians to beatings and other physical mistreatment. According to eyewitnesses, at least 10 nursing mothers were among the new prisoners, all of them forced to leave their infants behind.

New Believer in India Arrested, Urged to Frame Pastor

Police recently arrested a convert in Mayapuri, Madhya Pradesh state for the second time in three days in an apparent attempt to pressure him to give evidence that his pastor forcibly converted him, Compass Direct News reports. By nightfall in India, the new believer was charged with insulting religious beliefs.Dewas Gate police again detained Ramesh Thakur, 37, at 9 a.m. after having arrested him on Tuesday (October 24) and releasing him the next day after intense questioning. The pastor of his church in Ujjain district, Jagdish Bharti, is already fighting charges of insulting religious beliefs.The officer-in-charge of the Dewas Gate police station, R.R. Malvi, told a church member that he was under tremendous political pressure to charge Thakur. Viju Varghese, Global Council of Indian Christians co-ordinator in Madhya Pradesh, told Compass that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had offered Thakur 25,000 rupees (US$552) to implicate Pastor Bharti in a charge of allurement to convert.

Missionaries Hike to Share Jesus on Appalachian Trail

Craig and Suzy Miles’ mission field is located amongst the pines and hardwoods of the Appalachian Mountains. They share it with hikers, the occasional black bear, snakes and other creepy-crawly things better left alone. The Christian couple witnesses to people with funny names like Chicken Wing,Kentucky Fried and Rabbit’s Foot. According to Baptist Press, for three years now, the Mileses as Mission Service Corps missionaries for the North American Mission Board have operated Appalachian Trail Servants, a mission organization dedicated to sharing Christ with hikers along the famous Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian Trail is a marked, yard-wide footpath winding 2,175 miles through the Appalachian Mountains from Springer Mountain in north Georgia to Mount Katahdin in central Maine. Conceived in 1921 and completed in 1937, it passes through 14 states. More than 4 million people hike some part of the trail each year. Their ministry began when one morning on the way to work, Craig stopped by his Baptist church and prayed a simple prayer: Lord, how can you use our time and talents for your glory? Right after I prayed that prayer, I spotted a missionary magazine on a table next to me,Miles said. On the cover was a story about extreme hiking in China. It just clicked in my head that we needed to start a ministry on the Appalachian Trail. Suzy and I were seeing hundreds of hikers pass over the roads and trails and through the woods of north Georgia, but we knew their spiritual needs were not being met.

Updated Oct. 30, 2006 23:17
Time to give way on civil marriage in Israel?
By DAVID J. MARTIN (Jpost)

Recent political machinations have again raised the prospect of civil marriage in Israel. Unfortunately, this issue is so laden with partisan emotion as to prevent a clear analysis of the situation. The result is that state-mandated Orthodox halachic restrictions on matrimony have created a festering wound in Israeli society. An objective review of the legal and religious reality leads to the conclusion that civil marriage, if properly instituted, is an appropriate solution. Under Israeli law, an individual may only be married in accordance with the procedures of his religious community. Thus, Jews may only be married through the Orthodox rabbinate. Since the rabbinate implements religious law Halacha Jews may not marry non-Jews and a kohen may not marry a divorcee.

With several hundred thousand halachically non-Jewish Russian immigrants in Israel (who are nonetheless entitled to rights under the Law of Return), the number of couples who wish to wed in Israel, but may not, is increasing. Even more problematic are the pesulei hitun non-marriables the child born to a Jewish mother conceived from an adulterous union or even to a Jewish mother who was divorced (abroad) in a civil proceeding but never received a get. Such a child is a mamzer and essentially may never marry at all. The only relief available to those wishing to contract religiously unlawful marriages and to the non-marriables is to be married in a civil ceremony outside of Israel, which is recognized by Israel under its private international law commitments, but not recognized by Halacha.

For instance, a former Supreme Court justice, a kohen now deceased went abroad to contract a marriage with a divorcee. But for the vast majority of people, this relief is both undesirable and unworkable. ON THE face of it, resolution of the situation is actually simple namely, to create an alternative system of civil marriage, alongside the religious law, which would apply to those marriages that would not be permitted under religious law: Jew and non-Jew, mamzer, divorcee to kohen, etc. The secular community has long sought such a resolution. The Orthodox religious establishment has, with few exceptions, expressed vehement opposition. Why?

First, the religious establishment is concerned that, given the choice, a large percentage of Israelis would choose the civil marriage route, thus eroding the power base of the religious authorities. Second, the religious community still holds on to the imaginative idea that Israel is a Jewish state, based on principles of Jewish law, and that the essentials of Jewish practice (Sabbath, holidays, marriage) are accepted by a consensus of the population, notwithstanding the fact that the overwhelming majority of Israeli residents do not practice a halachic lifestyle.

Third, some believe that an alternative route for recognizing and liquidating marriages would create a societal divide those whose marriages and births were sanctioned by the rabbinate and those who were not so sanctioned, with the attendant consequences.Fourth, many rabbis believe that civil marriage would nonetheless be considered as a valid marriage under Jewish law in light of the halachic rule that marriage may be contracted not only by means of a ceremonial act but also by the very conduct of intimate relations. Thus, civilly married women would nonetheless require a Jewish divorce the get failing which a subsequent child would be considered a mamzer, who may never marry.

NONE OF these objections holds water. If a large percentage of Israelis would prefer civil marriage, so be it. Coercive marriage has never brought anyone back to the fold. To the contrary, the marriage registration practices of the rabbinate are generally deemed to turn off most secular and non-Orthodox Israelis. If the rabbinate is faced with competition, it will have to shape up or ship out. The
time has come to face reality most Israelis do not feel any connection to the basic tenets of Jewish law. They cannot be attracted by coercion. As to the population divide, it already exists. There are hundreds of thousands of halachically non-Jewish citizens of Israel, who speak Hebrew, serve in the army and meet Jewish members of the opposite sex. If the religious status of an individual is important to a potential suitor, the need for research already exists.

The fourth problem, namely the halachic status of a person who contracts a civil marriage, is not new. Such marriages have been the subject of religious legal decisions by the outstanding rabbis of the past century, including particularly the late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the leading decisor of Jewish law in the United States. According to these decisions, when a couple contracts a civil marriage in circumstances which indicate that they did not intend to create a Jewish, legal, marital relationship then, indeed, no such relationship is created.

The woman is not married for purposes of Halacha, the dissolution of the marriage does not require a get, children born of the relationship are both Jewish and marriageable and children born of adulterous unions during such marriages or even after such marriages have been dissolved without a get are unblemished as regards their right to marry under Jewish law.

So how does a couple demonstrate circumstances which indicate that they did not intend to create a Jewish, legal, marital relationship? Simple as part of the civil marriage proceeding, the parties would execute a document stating that they have chosen the civil marriage route for reasons of conscience or other reasons and that they do not intend to create a Jewish, legal, marital relationship.The time has come (unfortunately) to offer civil marriage for those who do not wish to be, or cannot be, married under Jewish law. A halachic solution, which is quite consistent with considerations of conscience, exists to solve the problem. The religious establishment must face up to reality and withdraw its opposition to such a solution. The writer is an international lawyer based in Tel Aviv and adjunct professor of law at Cardozo Law School in New York.

East Africa: EAC Treaty Makes Political Federation Inevitable
Jerry Okungu,Nairobi

The East Africa Community National Consultative Committees will commence a sensitisation campaign in all the three partner states in a week's time.The million dollar question facing the Committees is: Will the benefits of economic integration be realised and sustained without a central political authority?The answer is yes. The Treaty of the East African Economic Community signed in 1999 is specific and categorical that in the final analysis, the move to political federation is unstoppable.

The leaders who signed it have since left office, apart from President Museveni of Uganda. President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania was witness to it as a member of the Council of Ministers, by virtue of his being a foreign minister then. President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya was an opposition Member of Parliament then, but was aware of the discussions.At the centre of this question lies the sensitive issue of sovereignty that the three partner states now enjoy. With sovereignty comes real autonomy, independence and complete if not absolute instruments of state power.

Heads of State currently are in charge of foreign policy, defence, security and numerous authorities that govern virtually every sphere of life of their citizens. As heads of state, they are also heads of government, a position that has invested in them executive authority to run their governments the best way they see fit.HAVING A central political authority for the three partner states will imply that states and their presidents give up certain powers, roles and functions to the super state. Such powers may in effect reduce the current presidencies to the level of federal governors such as those in the United States of America, Nigeria or Canada.

Alternatively, there may be a situation where the central authority takes the shape of the European Union where individual state instruments and structures remain intact except for the common currency, unified border controls, standardisation of goods and services and abolition of border controls for member states of the EU.

While signing the 1999 East African Community Treaty, the Summit members were acutely aware of the lessons learnt from the collapsed EAC of 1967-1977.

IT WAS then decided to put in place safeguards that would shield the Community from collapse a second time. The partners opted for a gradual approach to the regional integration process. They decided to start with the critical Customs Union, a move that would ease trade, movement of people and goods and spur economic growth.The second phase entails putting structures in place to create the East African Common Market. A single market for the region will the expand consumer base to support and sustain our local industries and services. These will in turn spur economic growth and create jobs for our growing population.

Once the Customs Union and Common Market have stabilised and taken root, the region will move to the third stage and create a Monetary Union a very critical stage politically. Critical in the sense that a single currency will evolve from first freely exchanging the three currencies easily across borders. It will also abolish restrictions on cash transfers across our borders. When finally adopted, the three partner states will adopt a common currency that will be the sole legal tender in the three countries.Once all the three stages are adopted, the three states will then embark on the road to the final stage, that of the political federation.IN ALL this process, the Summit and Council of Ministers Members have all along been acutely aware that, the four stages do not in themselves guarantee sustainability of the process. They realised that a sensitive venture like creating a federation among three independent states in peacetime will require more good will from a wide section of the citizenry.It is also necessary to deal with the concentration of powers in the Summit, an issue that accelerated the collapse of the first EAC in 1977. At that time, the Summit was the organ that made virtually every decision and its members appended signatures on every document. Therefore, when differences between Summit members became irreconcilable during the Idi Amin era in Uganda, the Summit paralysed the operations of the Community.

This time round, the Summit gave authority to the Council of Ministers through the 1999 Treaty to deal with most of the functions of the Community and only refer to the Summit for ratification.More than the deconcentration of Summit powers, it has been found prudent if not mandatory to solicit the support and endorsement of the citizens of East Africa, civil society and private sector throughout the process. Using the lessons learnt from the first EAC, the architects of the new Community have created more stringent withdrawal procedures for members who have signed the treaty and joined the Community.BUT PERHAPS the more compelling reason why the Community will thrive and blossom into a political federation is the fact that in today's world, the trend is towards mergers and regional integrations. Economic and political blocs are the way forward.Bigger markets such as the EU, the US, China and India are taking advantage of their numerical strength and consumer base to dictate terms at forums such as the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank, the International Labour Organisation and the International Telecommunications Union.

Smaller and poorer states are at their mercy.

If East Africans come together as one economic bloc, they will bring to the international negotiating table a consumer base of more than 100 million. This is by any standards an attractive consumer market for any industrialist or service provider looking to invest.

In Africa, East Africa will be next only to Nigeria. By the time Rwanda, Burundi and Southern Sudan join, the region will be at par with Nigeria and half the present population of the US.What makes big markets such as the US, India, China, Russia and Nigeria work? All these economies enjoy the comfort of a single authority. Power has to emanate from a single source with clear rules and guidelines. If the centre is working and holding, the rest will work.The East African. AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).