OIL RISES

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Quake sets off Asian tsunami alert. 3-Britain has biggest mainland earthquake of the year. 4-Quake jolts central Japan. 5-Quakes hit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea. 6-Heavy snow warnings Northwest and Southeast. 7-Violent Christmas storms rip up Florida. 8-New woes for Aceh as floods kill 90, force 300,000 to flee. 9-At least 200 killed in fire at vandalised pipeline in Nigeria. 10-The United States to Support Palestinian State With Temporary Borders. 11-Achmadinijad's Secret Weapon. 12-Nepal's mystery Buddha boy reappears. 13-Hindu Extremists in India Beat Christian Couple, Pastor. 14-vatican: Whatever happened to Christmas. 15-Religious Education and Neighborhood Rehabilitation Endangered. 16-Jordan Invites Hamas PM, Abbas For Talks-Palestinian Aide. 17-Likud Leaders: Olmert's Policies Threaten Central Israel. 18-Oil rises to near $63 as Iran bristles at sanctions. 19-Views on Enlargement Differ in European Union.

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 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Wed Dec 27 12:01 AM EDT

DEC 27,06 NO QUAKES YET

DEC 26,06
MAP 5.2 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.4 TAIWAN REGION
MAP 5.4 TAIWAN
MAP 5.6 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.4 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 7.0 TAIWAN
MAP 7.1 TAIWAN REGION
MAP 4.7 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 SOUTHWEST OF AUSTRALIA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.5 JUJUY, ARGENTINA
MAP 2.9 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 2.9 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII

DEC 25,06 CHRIST MAS DAY (PRAISE OUR SAVIOUR)
MAP 2.8 NEVADA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.8 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.8 INDIAN OCEAN TRIPLE JUNCTION
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.5 NEVADA
MAP 2.6 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 CENTRAL ALASKA

DEC 24,06
MAP 2.5 OREGON
MAP 5.8 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 5.1 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.4 NEW MEXICO
MAP 4.5 CRETE, GREECE
MAP 5.2 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 5.2 BALI SEA
MAP 4.5 LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA
MAP 5.0 NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
MAP 5.7 NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 3.4 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NEVADA
MAP 4.0 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.5 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.9 SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
MAP 4.9 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 3.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA

Almost another disaster after Christmas, No Tsunami this time Thank God, but a warning put Christ back into the season or trouble to come bigtime. Can't take Christ out of the World and expect to survive.

Quake sets off Asian tsunami alert 31 minutes ago DEC 26,06

MANILA (AFP) - A major 7.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Taiwan set off a tsunami warning in the Pacific but there were no immediate reports of significant damage. The quake came two years to the day after the Asian tsunami disaster, as jittery nations were remembering the devastation that left 220,000 people dead across the region.The US Geological Survey reported two quakes, one of 7.1 magnitude and one of 7.0 magnitude.An undersea quake reportedly hit at 8:26 pm (1226 GMT) just off the southern tip of Taiwan, where authorities reported that two more earthquakes, measuring 6.4 and 5.2 in magnitude respectively, followed shortly after the first one.Another quake, measuring 5.5, later hit in the same area, they said.A 34-year-old man in Taiwan died when a furniture shop collapsed in southern Pingtung county, rescue officials said.Seven others were also initially trapped in the shop, and two of them, including a boy, were still waiting to be rescued.

At least 29 others were injured.

Taiwanese television reports showed people in the city of Pingtung rushing into the streets in panic. High-rise buildings across the island were rattled and telephone services in southern Taiwan were disrupted.

Japanese authorities said a one-metre (three-foot) tsunami could be headed toward the Philippines, while the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) cautioned nations in the region to be on alert.Earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of the earthquake epicentre, the PTWC said on its website.Authorities in the region of the epicentre should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action, it said.The Japanese Meteorological Agency said the quake was able to trigger a one-metre high tsunami that would be on course to hit Basco in the northern Philippines.

But since it's been nearly two hours since the quake without any tsunami being observed, the possibility is declining, an agency official said.The epicentre of the undersea quake was believed to be just 23 kilometres (14 miles) off the southernmost point of the island of Taiwan, not far from the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.Taiwan, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, is regularly shaken by earthquakes. The country's worst-ever quake, 7.6 in magnitude, killed some 2,400 people in September 1999.

The latest quakes came two years to the day after a massive 9.3-magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia set off massive tsunamis that battered countries around the region, leaving around 220,000 people dead.It was one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history.After Tuesday's alert, there was some immediate confusion about the strength and danger to the region.

In the Philippines the earthquake set objects swaying in the Batanes islands and in the northern half of the main island of Luzon, but there were no immediate reports of casualites or damage. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said they received a tsunami warning from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, but that it was later cancelled. Annie Onie, a tourism aide in Basco, told AFP: The first we heard of the tsunami was on the news. There was no panic and noone was evacuated from low-lying areas as far as I know. Basco resident Oliver Hidalgo said that after the quake, I went down to the pier (to check for a tsunami) but saw nothing unusual. In Vietnam, authorities called for a huge stretch of its coastline to be evacuated, but later cancelled the advice. Residents of the 1,500 kilometre stretch of coast, running from the centre of the country to its southernmost point, were urged to move between 300 and 500 metres from the shoreline and seek out higher ground. But the warning was lifted an hour later.

Taiwan's central weather bureau said it only issued tsunami warnings when earthquakes measured more than 7.0 magnitude, and Taiwanese officials said the largest had measured less than that. In Hong Kong, residents said they felt their high-rise buildings shake gently around the time the largest quake was said to have hit.

Britain has biggest mainland earthquake of the year Tue Dec 26, 9:01 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - Britain has had its biggest mainland earthquake of the year when tremors measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale shook buildings in south-west Scotland, the Geological Survey said.It was felt by quite a lot of people and was obviously a large earthquake in UK terms. In world terms, there are thousands of these every year, said David Galloway, a BGS seismologist based in Edinburgh on Tuesday.People in the Dumfries area of the Scottish borders reported their houses shaking violently at about 10:45 am (1045 GMT) Tuesday but no serious damage or injuries were reported, police said.Quakes of similar magnitude happen in Britain about once or twice per year, Galloway said. The largest recorded this year -- measuring 3.8 -- was in the northern North Sea in February but was not felt on land.(Tuesday's quake) was felt because it's Boxing Day (a public holiday), there's not a lot of traffic,
no-one at work and there's more people at home.It's the biggest in the UK this year, he added.

Galloway said there was no connection whatsoever to a huge quake off the coast of Taiwan, which triggered a tsunami warning in the Pacific Ocean, two years to the day after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.Britain, which sits on the Eurasian plate, has about 200 earthquakes each year. The largest was in the North Sea in 1931 and measured 6.1 on the Richter scale.

Quake jolts central Japan Mon Dec 25, 7:09 PM ET

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 jolted central Japan early Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, the Meteorological Agency said. The quake struck at 5:17 a.m. and shook Niigata prefecture (state) and other areas in central Japan. It was centered near Sado Island in the Sea of Japan at a depth of about 19 miles. No tsunami warnings were issued, the agency said.A magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit Niigata in October, killing 40 people and damaging thousands of homes. It was the deadliest to hit Japan since 1995, when a magnitude-7.2 quake killed 6,433 people in the western city of Kobe.A magnitude-5 earthquake can potentially cause considerable damage.Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

Quakes hit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea Sun Dec 24, 3:25 AM ET

SYDNEY, Australia - Moderate earthquakes hit off the coasts of Indonesia and neighboring Papua New Guinea on Sunday, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages. A magnitude-5.8 quake struck about 70 miles east of Papua New Guinea's island of New Britain and was centered 53 miles below the seabed. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center at Ewa Beach, Hawaii, did not issue a tsunami warning for the quake.Earlier Sunday, a 5.7-magnitude quake hit about 90 miles southwest of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, some 55 miles beneath the Sunda Strait, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.The archipelago nations are prone to seismic upheaval due to their location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

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.

Heavy snow warnings Northwest and Southeast B. Bernard, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel DEC 26,06

Heavy snow warnings are posted for diverse areas of the nation today: parts of Washington state and portions of North Carolina. A heavy snow warning is in effect for the eastern slopes of the southern Washington Cascades, including the cities of Wenatchee, Ellensburg and Yakima (winter storm warning), where up to 8 to 12 inches of snow may fall by tomorrow morning. A heavy snow warning is also in effect for the mountains of North Carolina where chilly northwest winds are expected to deliver 3 to 4 inches of snow (locally 5 or 6 inches) to areas above 3500 feet by tomorrow morning. Farther north, 4 to 8 inches of snow are forecast for the Adirondacks of New York state and for northeast Vermont and the Green Mountains of central Vermont. In northern Maine, 4 to 7 inches are expected to accumulate. Heavy rain, meanwhile, continues to soak portions of western Oregon and northern California.

The downpours have reached as far south as Marin County.

Violent Christmas storms rip up Florida DEC 26,06

MIAMI (AFP) - Violent rainstorms and a tornado swept through central Florida, leaving a dozen people injured and damaging more than 200 homes on the Christmas holiday, local authorities said.The storms ripped through several counties but the most significant damage has been reported north of Deland and in mainland Daytona Beach, two cities in Volusia County in the east of the state's peninsula, said Volusia County Emergency Management.Ten people were taken to hospitals in Volusia Country and six were awaiting rescue services, although injuries were minor.The tornado damaged 200 trailer-homes in Deland and 240 apartments in a residential complex in Daytona Beach, forcing the evacuation of some 150 people, authorities said.

More than 3,000 households were left without electricity in Volusia and neighboring counties and a fleet of aircraft was damaged at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, where a fire broke out.Meteorological forecasters in Floria have predicted an unseasonably warm winter from the effects of El Nino, a warming of water in the South Pacific that limited the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic this year and is unsettling weather conditions.The next storm system is forecast to impact the state on New Year's weekend with another potential round of severe weather, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said.This increasingly stormy weather pattern is a result of the moderate El Nino conditions in place across the equatorial Pacific.

New woes for Aceh as floods kill 90, force 300,000 to flee by Adek Berry
Mon Dec 25, 1:57 PM ET

BIREUEN, Indonesia (AFP) - Two years after the devastating tsunami, Indonesia's Aceh province was grappling with more tragedy after floods and landslides killed at least 90 people and left thousands waiting to be rescued. Troops and volunteer rescue workers were attempting to reach thousands of people trapped by the floods, which have forced around 300,000 to flee their homes on the island of Sumatra.Aceh was the worst hit, with 60 dead in one district alone as the region prepared to mark the second anniversary of the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean catastrophe.Whole villages have been swallowed by flood waters following a week of torrential rains.Aceh governor Mustafa Abubakar said six helicopters were transporting supplies to people stranded by the floods. A navy warship was already in the area with another on the way, said Abubakar, who is coordinating relief and rescue efforts.

Relief efforts are starting to be more coordinated. We've started dropping relief supplies from the air in isolated areas, he told AFP. Only house roofs and the minarets of mosques showed above the muddy brown waters in the worst-hit district of Aceh Tamiyang in aerial photographs taken by the Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency.Villagers were shown sheltering on higher ground surrounded by flood waters, with some people floating precariously on logs.Some 150,000 people in Aceh Tamiyang have taken refuge on higher ground but water levels remained high, local police chief Agus Santoso told ElShinta news radio.Water levels in the upstream areas in Aceh Tamiyang remain about two metres (more than six feet) in some areas. The area is surrounded by rivers and the water level has not receded, he said.

Villagers said they were running short of food.

We have not received any food, we have not eaten rice for five days. We're surviving on sweet potatoes and bananas, Anto, a resident of Tenggulun village in Aech Tamiyang, told ElShinta.Many children are getting sick with fever and diarrhoea, he said.In North Aceh, two people were killed and more than 140,000 people fled their homes, deputy district head Nasrullah told AFP. We need food, clothes and tents for the displaced people, he said.Water has receded in some places, but it's flowed to lower areas and flooded more villages, he said.In the neighbouring province of North Sumatra, at least 19 people were killed in a landslide which buried dozens of houses while nine others died in the floods.Television pictures showed villagers perched under makeshift shelters along railway tracks built on banks which remained above the waters.

We are now concentrating on evacuating people who are trapped in their homes in the town of Kuala Simpang in Aceh Tamiyang district, Ghufran Zainal Abidin, the local chairman of the Prosperous Justice Party, told AFP from the worst-affected area. We have not received any more reports of dead victims as we are concentrating on saving the ones that are trapped in flooded spots, said Abidin, who reported 60 dead in Aceh Tamiyang district Sunday. Around 1,000 troops have been dispatched to Aceh and North Sumatra along with heavy equipment and helicopters, Commodore Mohammad Sunarto Sjoekronoputro said, according to the official Antara news agency.Two Hercules transport aircraft loaded with tents, field kitchens and inflatable boats were being sent to the affected region. Floods also hit neighbouring Malaysia, where seven people were killed in the worst affected southern state of Johor. Some 74,000 were still sheltering at relief centres.

Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla has pointed the finger at illegal logging as one of the causes of the deadly floods, and pledged that the government would intensify its efforts to replant the forests. Last June, floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains killed more than 200 people in South Sulawesi province. Separate floods killed more than 20 people and forced 40,000 people from their homes in Borneo in the same month.

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

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.

At least 200 killed in fire at vandalised pipeline in Nigeria by Helen Vesperini DEC 26,06

LAGOS (AFP) - An explosion and blaze at a vandalised oil pipeline in Nigeria's main city Lagos killed at least 200 people, most of whom had been scooping fuel from it, a Red Cross official said. Scores of charred bodies were lying in the foam and water that firefighters used to fight the blaze in the commercial capital's densely populated northern district of Abule Egba, according to an AFP correspondent at the scene.By late afternoon fire fighters had extinguished the blaze but smoke still rose from the site and a pervasive smell of fuel prompted the police to advise all those present to leave.We're still looking at a death total of around 200 but with the possibility it might rise beyond that, a Nigerian Red Cross official told AFP.Casualty figures for those who survived the fire with burns varied wildly, from around 60 to some 300. Red Cross officials said counting the injured was difficult because they had been sent to several different hospitals and clinics.Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited the scene of the fire on Tuesday afternoon, said he was saddened at the tragedy and promised that an investigation would be carried out.

Residents said the pipeline was vandalised by thieves stealing fuel on a large scale. The fire, they said, started later in the morning, some time around 8:00 am (O7OO GMT) when local residents arrived with jerrycans to help themselves to small quantities of fuel.

They came and tapped the pipeline, filled the tankers with the fuel and went away with them, witness Joe Okah said. Then people here who were suffering came to fill jerrycans and then there was the explosion.Around the bodies, some charred to an extent where they were barely recognisable as human, lay burnt out vehicles and charred wooden market stalls.There was disagreement amongst residents as to whether the fire had been started by an accidental spark or by a disgruntled thief lighting a match.Bystanders alternately edged forward through the mud to look at the corpses, covering their noses with their shirts because of the smoke, and then surged back, shocked at what they had seen.

To die like that for a few thousand naira! The families won't even be able to identify them, rued an elderly man in a blue vest, shaking his head and lamenting that people should be so desperate as to risk their lives to steal a jerrycan full of fuel.Several local people said they tried to alert both the fire service and the police to the fact that the pipeline had been vandalised and was leaking fuel long
before the blaze started but that no help had been sent.Police at the scene refused to give estimates of the number of dead and injured. A senior Lagos State police officer tried to play down the impact of the blaze, insisting in mid afternoon that the death toll was still only between 40 and 100.An oil industry source earlier Tuesday estimated that the number of dead ran into the hundreds.

The Nigerian Red Cross said the final toll could be higher than expected Tuesday as normally in such cases many injured people hide for fear of being prosecuted.A statement from the Nigerian Presidency in early evening referred to scores of dead and injured and said President Olusegun Obasanjo was shocked and saddened by the report of the vandalisation of the pipeline.Obasanjo is particularly saddened that this vandalisation continues despite his warning that the vandalisation of pipelines carrying petroleum products is not only illegal but a dangerous pursuit, the statement said. In a statement, the Finnish presidency of the European Union expressed its grief at the loss of life and offers its condolences to the government and people of Nigeria, and to the families, relatives and friends of those who have died.

More than 2,000 people have died in a series of similar tragedies within a decade, mainly in the south of the oil-rich country, where poverty is widespread and fuel can run short though Nigeria is a major petroleum exporter. Pipeline tapping is frequent in Nigeria, where Lagos and other cities are prone to fuel shortages. Nigeria is Africa's biggest crude producer but heavily reliant on imports for its refined product requirements. Petrol stations in many Lagos neighbourhoods have been short of fuel for the past week or 10 days, causing bigger than usual traffic jams and fraying tempers as residents try to do their shopping for the festive period and visit family and friends.

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(MOSCOW) 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,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)

The United States to Support Palestinian State With Temporary Borders
Dec 24, '06 / 3 Tevet 5767

(IsraelNN.com) The weekly Forward reports that the U.S. administration to trying to rally support in Congress for transferring $100 million to Abu Mazen and is also considering a plan for a Palestinian state with temporary borders by the end of 2007.According to the report, the borders of the state would be based upon the second stage of the Road Map plan.

Achmadinijad's Secret Weapon by Moshe Feiglin DEC 24,06

Why does Achmadinijad keep banging on the Holocaust drum? What does he need it for? Achmadinijad is very smart.

His world view is grounded in the labyrinths of the Middle East, but he understands the weak spots of the West. Achmadinijad understands that the Holocaust created the world opinion that gave birth to the State of Israel.

It is hard to argue with him on that point. The chance that the UN would have decided on the establishment of the State of Israel before the Holocaust is miniscule. But the Holocaust is not just a one-time tool that Israel used to tweak the conscience of the world before the fateful vote. It is the tool that the State of Israel uses until this very day to justify its existence. Just like a beggar who displays his open wounds to drum up business, Israel coerces every VIP who visits here to run directly from the airport to the horrors of the Holocaust Museum in
Jerusalem. Between us -- have you ever seen another country that justifies it existence by explaining that there is no other choice?

Look Mr. President... Please understand, Mr. Prime Minister, did you see what they did to us when we had no State? After pictures like these, can you even ask why Israel must exist?

The ploy worked for fifty years. But the world is already tired of it. It is very unfortunate that you were once persecuted, but it doesn't give you the right to steal the land of a different nation -- that in the meantime has also learned how to create photo-ops of wretchedness and suffering, entangling the entire Western world in a struggle with the Islamic world. Achmadinijad clearly identifies the weak point of Israel's claim: If the only justification for Israel's existence is the Holocaust, then you know what? We'll find the Jews a solution in Europe or in outer space...And if the world will close its eyes again, as it managed to do in 1944, I am willing to do the dirty work and rid the world of the Jewish problem. I even dare to claim that the Holocaust never occurred, and nothing happened to me. If you don't get in my way, I will finish the job for you. It won't take more than a few minutes. By the time you open your eyes, it will all be over. We won't even have to deny anything.

Achmadinijad is also smart enough to surround himself with Jews. That way, he can say to the world, What do you mean that I am Hitler? Did you ever see Hitler hug a Jew? On the contrary! I like Jews. All that I oppose is the Zionist attempt to turn the Jews into a nation that works within history and influences it.In truth, I do not understand why everybody is so up in arms over the Ultra-Orthodox Jews that attended the Holocaust denial conference in Iran. Achmadinijad has not yet killed one Jew. Arafat, on the other hand, declared that his goal was to destroy Israel and never renounced it. Not only did he make declarations, he also acted on them. He murdered more Jewish citizens than any person since Hitler. But Arafat was the darling of Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu and a long line of Israeli personalities. So what does everyone want from an odd Jew from Brooklyn? Is he the Prime Minister of Israel? A Knesset Member? A prominent journalist? If Binyamin Netanyahu could warmly shake Arafat's hand and tell the world that he had found a new friend, why should we be appalled by some bizarre Jews from the most eccentric fringes of Ultra-Orthodox Jewry who also found a friend from the same neighborhood?

The hugs that Arafat received from the representatives of the State of Israel obliterated Israel's most basic survival instinct. Not only did we no longer see any justification for our existence other than the Holocaust, we even began to accept the opposite claim -- that suggests that our existence be terminated.Achmadinijad's best weapon is his claims. On one hand, they are based on Israel's inability to justify its existence for positive reasons. On the other hand, they play on Western Anti-Semitism and get additional maneuvering space in exchange. That is exactly what Hitler did. When the American bombers flew over Auschwitz without bombing it, he got additional time to finish his job.To deal with Achmadinijad, we must deal with his claims. Israel currently fears the Jewish answer, rendering it incapable of justifying its existence. As a result, it cannot protect itself. Not from the Kassam and not from a nuclear Iran.

Nepal's mystery Buddha boy reappears By Gopal Sharma
Mon Dec 25, 11:02 AM ET

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - A mysterious teenaged boy believed by some to be a reincarnation of Lord Buddha has reappeared in eastern Nepal after vanishing for nine months, a witness and a television channel said on Monday.Sixteen-year-old Ram Bahadur Bamjon was spotted on Sunday by villagers in the remote and dense forests near Piluwa village in Bara district, 150 km (95 miles) east of Kathmandu, local journalist Raju Shrestha, who visited the boy, told Reuters.Bamjon disappeared in March from the forests in nearby Ratanpuri village where he had reportedly been meditating without food or water for almost 10 months.I have been wandering in the forests since then, Shrestha quoted Bamjon as telling him.I am engaged in devotion which will continue for six years, the boy told Shrestha.

Hundreds of curious onlookers, including many Buddhists, thronged the site to see the boy, sitting in a meditating position.A local TV station showed people pressing their palms together and lowering their heads in devotion in front of him.I don't think he is a Buddha. But he has some sort of extra strength to meditate. He eats herbs, Shrestha said.Before his disappearance, an estimated 100,000 people from Hindu-majority Nepal and neighboring India flocked to see him meditate. They were not allowed to get closer than 50 meters (165 feet).Shrestha, who met the boy up close, said he had shoulder-length hair and sat cross-legged under a small tree.He has an ash-color shawl wrapped across his chest, he said, adding the boy had a flat-ended scimitar next to him.

Buddha was born a prince in Lumbini, a dusty village in Nepal's rice-growing plains about 350 km (220 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu more than 2,600 years ago.He is believed to have attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, which borders Nepal.

Hindu Extremists in India Beat Christian Couple, Pastor DEC 25,06

Hindu extremists launched two known attacks against Christians last week, beating a couple in the northern state of Haryana yesterday and assaulting a pastor in the central state of Chhattisgarh on Sunday (December 17), Compass Direct News reports.

About 50 Bajrang Dal extremists attacked the Christian couple, Rakesh Sen and Suman Sen, at about 8 a.m. yesterday at their home in Lakarpur, Faridabad district. The attackers were upset at the couple for regularly allowing their New Life Fellowship church to meet in their home and warned them against doing so in the future. In Raipur, a group of about 50 extremists from the Dharam Raksha Sena beat an independent pastor on Sunday (December 17) and accused him of forced conversions. They attacked Philip Jagdalla as he returned to his home after teaching Sunday school at his church.

vatican: Whatever happened to Christmas? DEC 25,06

A giant 33-meter-tall Christmas tree from the South Italian region of Calabria is set in place in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. A Vatican newspaper has spoken of a war against traditional Christian values once highlighted at Christmas.The traditional Christian values once feted at Christmas have evaporated, with some countries, especially Britain, waging a veritable war against Christmas, the Vatican paper L’Osservatore Romano wondered last week.The paper said the strongest sign of the changing face of Christmas was the disappearance of all religious references on stamps especially printed for Christmas, which now feature snowmen and deer but no longer the Magi or the star of Bethlehem.

In Europe, and more particularly in England, there is a real war against Christmas, which has been denounced by the daily The Sun war that tends to erase all the traditions of Christmas, the paper added in an article signed by journalist Mario-Gabriele Giordano.L’Osservatore Romano said that people today wanted Christmas to be no more that “a simple festivity of easy pleasure instead of it being, as it should, a time of meditation by authentic believers.

Religious Education and Neighborhood Rehabilitation Endangered
By Hillel Fendel (INN) DEC 26,06

The Knesset Education Committee has asked Prime Minister Olmert and Finance Minister Hirschsohn to restore 60 million shekels to the sharply-decreased religious education budget.The committee is headed by Labor-Meimad MK Michael Melchior, and includes MKs of the coalition Kadima and Labor parties, as well as Arab MKs. Non-member MK Nissan Slomiansky joined his party colleague - committee member Zevulun Orlev of the National Religious Party - at last night's special session at which the letter to the Prime and Finance Ministers was drafted.Religious-Zionist yeshiva and ulpanah high schools struck on Sunday for one day in protest of the massive budget cuts in religious-Zionist education over the past four years. As a result of the closing of the Religious Affairs Ministry in 2002, the funding that had been funded via its offices simply got swallowed up somewhere in the Finance Ministry.

This led to a drop of 130 million shekels, out of a total of some 285 million shekels, in the total budgeting.Last year, with the help of then-Finance Minister Ehud Olmert and others, 47 million shekels were returned to the religious education budget. In this year's current budget proposal, however, this sum does not appear. Elchanan Glatt, head of the Religious Education Forum, says that some schools may be forced to close.Despite the committee's letter to Olmert and Hirschsohn, it is not considered likely that the full sum will be restored.

Neighborhoods in Danger

Another casualty of the budget appears to be the long-running Israeli government program called Neighborhood Rehabilitation (Shikum Shchunot). At the behest of Housing Minister Meir Sheetrit, 65 out of 100 underprivileged neighborhoods will have their special funding cut.Last night, in the last budget sessions before the Knesset is to vote on it, the Labor Party asked that 250 million shekels be restored to the 25-year-old Neighborhood Rehabilitation project. However, in the framework of the coalition parties mutual rescinding of their special funding demands, this one, too, was withdrawn.Among the neighborhoods that will lose their special funding are Patt, Katamon 8 and Katamon 9 in Jerusalem, Hatikvah and the Argazim in Tel Aviv, the Taanachim near Afula, and neighborhoods in Haifa, Shlomi, Bat Yam, Eilat, Be'er Sheva and more.The Knesset Social Lobby convened this afternoon for an emergency session today to discuss the ramifications of the budget on national social issues. Former Bank of Israel Governor David Klein said that the government essentially does not have a clearly-defined national welfare strategy or program.

Jordan Invites Hamas PM, Abbas For Talks-Palestinian Aide DEC 25,06

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)--Jordan has invited Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas for talks in Amman, the Jordanian capital, a Palestinian official said Monday.

Palestinian government spokesman Ghazi Hamad of Hamas said Haniyeh was expected to go to Jordan this week, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would also attend.There was no immediate comment from Jordan.Talks between Haniyeh and Abbas of the moderate Fatah over a joint government have broken down, and there have been clashes between armed forces loyal to the rival movements. Jordan has offered to mediate in the past. (END) Dow Jones Newswires

Likud Leaders: Olmert's Policies Threaten Central Israel
By Hillel Fendel (INN)

The Likud party convened last night in Kfar Saba in a show of vigor, concentrating on Netanyahu's Israel Strength Program in response to what they call Olmert's dangerously misguided policies.

Binyamin Netanyahu's program, which he has presented to the public in bits and pieces over the past several months, includes long-range social and educational steps.Speaking before some 1,000 party members, including MKs and Central Committee members, Netanyahu sharply attacked Prime Minister Olmert's willingness to give up on Jewish dreams and agree to the establishment of a PLO state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Referring specifically to Olmert's speech at David Ben-Gurion's gravesite last month, Netanyahu said that such statements prepare the way for further concessions of the Land of Israel and bring Hamas rockets closer to central Israel.Giving away territory, the former and possibly future Prime Minister said, means giving them launching pads for rockets on Ben Gurion International Airport and Kfar Saba. Kfar Saba was chosen as the site for the gathering specifically because of its vulnerability in the event that Olmert's withdrawal plans are carried out.

It's hard to tell the truth to the public, Netanyahu said, but you can't simply look at the reality with rose-colored glasses. They said about Jabotinsky, too, that he was imagining things and a doom-sayer.

Seven months ago, they called us the same - but the public has now finally begun to understand. But the government still has not.All the warnings of those who opposed withdrawals over the past year and years have come true, Netanyahu said, including even on the Iranian front. He explained that Iran was able to strengthen itself towards its goals of destroying Israel partially because official Israel ignored the threat.Netanyahu also criticized the intention to cut back sharply on government aid to underprivileged neighborhoods, the need to return to Jewish values, and more.

Other speakers included MKs Limor Livnat, Yisrael Katz, Gideon Saar, Silvan Shalom, Danny Naveh and Yuval Shteinitz. Leaving all internal party differences aside - Shalom would like to unseat Netanyahu as party leader - all attacked Olmert for his policies towards Iran and the Palestinian Authority, including the $100 million in tax monies that Olmert has decided to unfreeze for the PA.

Several speakers called on Shas leader Eli Yishai and Yisrael Beiteinu head Avigdor Lieberman, right-wingers at heart, to leave the government.Shteinitz said about Olmert, Whoever is unable to deal with Kassams and Katyushas is also unable to deal with the Iranian threat. Facing these threats is a man who is not serious, not determined and lacking historic consciousness. Olmert, go home! Your time is up! Netanyahu and other opposition politicians have attacked Olmert for his continued restraint in the face of ongoing rocket attacks at the Negev. A leader needs to be an active authority, not passive and not a man of restraint and inaction, Netanyahu declared last week.

Oil rises to near $63 as Iran bristles at sanctions Tue Dec 26, 7:28 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil rose to around $63 a barrel on Tuesday after Iran warned it could use its oil exports as a weapon following the U.N. Security Council's decision to impose sanctions on its trade in nuclear goods. News Abu Dhabi was set to be the first to implement a new round of OPEC supply cuts added to the gains that followed two days of losses.U.S. crude climbed 54 cents to $62.95 a barrel by 1221 GMT. Brent crude jumped 66 cents to $63.08.Public holidays across Europe meant trading volumes were very thin.

After months of deadlock, the Security Council agreed on Saturday to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in nuclear materials and technology, drawing a warning from Tehran.If necessary, Iran will use any weapon to defend itself, Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency on Tuesday.

In the past he has said Iran would prefer not to play the oil card.Iran, the world's fourth-largest crude producer, has condemned the resolution as illegal and on Sunday vowed to speed up enrichment work, which could heighten tensions. Oil prices rose earlier in the year in response to fears Iran might cut its oil exports or disrupt Gulf shipping as its row with the West over its nuclear program escalated. The issue had faded since summer as the U.N. appeared unable to agree on how to deal with Tehran.Some analysts said traders might disregard the latest developments unless they saw evidence of supply disruption.It is certainly a bullish factor, but I think geopolitical matters will be ignored unless clearer risks materialize, said Makoto Takeda, energy analyst at Bansei Securities Co.

OPEC CUTS

Prices also drew support after Abu Dhabi's state oil firm, the main producer in the United Arab Emirates, said it would cut exports of nearly half its crude grades by 3-5 percent in February.The statement was the first sign the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries intended to comply with a second round of output reductions agreed this month.The new 500,000 barrels per day cuts are scheduled to take effect in February, giving the producer group time to assess whether peak winter demand will be enough to reduce swollen consumer inventories.Unusually warm weather in the United States has curbed fuel demand and helped to pull prices just over $1 lower last week.DTN Meteorlogix said on Monday temperatures in the U.S. Northeast had averaged 10-16 degrees Fahrenheit above normal over the long Christmas holiday weekend. But conditions were set to grow colder, nearing normal by Saturday.Given growing geopolitical risks and the start of a new year, some analysts predicted a new flow of investment-class money could further fuel any rally.We expect another influx of financial money into oil in the coming weeks, and geopolitical threats, such as Iran and Nigeria, remain active, said Mike Wittner, head of energy market research at Calyon Corporate and Investment Bank.

Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Views on Enlargement Differ in European Union,December 26, 2006

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Poland, Slovenia and Greece are clearly in favour of allowing more countries to become

members of the European Union (EU), according to the Eurobarometer conducted by TNS Opinion & Social. At least 71 per cent of respondents in the three countries support the further enlargement of the continental group.Slovakia is next on the list with 69 per cent, followed by Lithuania and Romania with 68 per cent, Bulgaria with 67 per cent, and Cyprus and Malta with 66 per cent. The lowest support for EU enlargement was registered in Britain with 36 per cent, France with 34 per cent, Luxembourg with 32 per cent, Austria with 31 per cent, and Germany with 30 per cent.In September, the EU announced that Romania and Bulgaria would become members of the continental group in 2007, but urged both countries to closely monitor issues such as food safety, EU subsidies and justice. In October 2005, Croatia and Turkey began accession talks.

Earlier this month, European Commission president Jose Durao Barroso discussed Croatia’s bid, saying, I cannot at this stage commit myself or the commission to a specific date. The key for the speed of the (EU accession) process is in the hands of Croatia.The Croatian government is looking at 2009 as the possible entry date, but the EU has urged the country to reform its judicial system and fight corruption.

Polling Data

Do you support the further enlargement of the European Union (EU) to include other countries in future years?
(Support answers listed)

European Union
46%
Poland
76%
Slovenia
74%
Greece
71%
Slovakia
69%
Lithuania
68%
Romania
68%
Bulgaria
67%
Cyprus
66%
Malta
66%
Czech Republic
65%
Hungary
65%
Croatia
64%
Latvia
63%
Estonia
59%
Portugal
54%
Sweden
53%
Spain
51%
Turkey
50%
Denmark
48%
Ireland
48%
Italy
47%
Belgium
46%
Netherlands
45%
Finland
43%
Britain
36%
France
34%
Luxembourg
32%
Austria
31%
Germany (takes over EU Presidency JAN 01,07)
30%

Source: TNS Opinion & Social / Eurobarometer
Methodology: Interviews with 29,152 people ages 15 and over in the 25 European Union (EU) member nations, two acceding countries, two candidate countries and the Turkish Cypriot Community, conducted from Sept. 6 to Oct. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.