STRONG EURO FAVORS CONSUMERS

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Scientists Spot Tsunami on the Sun. 3-Tropical storm heads toward Philippines. 4-New floods at Kenyan refugee camps as US military airdrops begin. 5-Tropical Storm Utor forms. 6-Towns on alert as fires rage in state's east. 7-ATTENTION HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS: YOUR TESTIMONIES CAN HELP DEFEAT IRAN'S HOLOCAUST DENIAL CAMPAIGN. 8-Stop Iran's nuclear bomb - protect Israel. 9-Saint Paul's tomb found, Vatican sez. 10-Religion News in Brief. 11-Norwegian state church leadership favors cutting bond between state and Lutheran church. 12-UN to Aid Palestinian Authority, Congress Bans Talks with Hamas. 13-House OKs oil, gas drilling in Gulf area. 14-Livni begins American trip amid fears that US policy shift will cut Israel down to size. 15-EU Pushes for Cross-Border Defense. 16-Barroso: Strong Euro Favors Europeans.

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 = Sat Dec 9 12:30 AM EDT

DEC 09,2006
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.3 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.8 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 4.9 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR

DEC 08,2006
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.3 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.2 TONGA
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 MAUI REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.7 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.9 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS

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.

Scientists Spot Tsunami on the Sun Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer,SPACE.com ,Fri Dec 8, 2:45 PM ET

A major flare on the Sun earlier this week generated what scientists are calling a solar tsunami.The tsunami-like shock wave, formally called a Moreton wave, rolled across the hot surface, destroying two visible filaments of cool gas on opposite sides of the visible face of the Sun.Astronomers using a prototype of a new solar telescope in New Mexico recorded the action.These large scale blast waves occur infrequently, however, are very powerful, said K. S. Balasubramaniam of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Sunspot, NM, They quickly propagate in a matter of minutes covering the whole Sun, sweeping away filamentary material.

It is unusual to see such an event from a ground-based observatory, Balasubramaniam said. And it was also unusual that it occurred near solar minimum, when the Sun is at its least active during an 11-year cycle.But solar activity can come at any time.
Flares like this one are spawned by sunspots, which are dark, cool regions that cap magnetic activity below. When the caps pop, colossal doses of superheated matter and radiation are unleashed.Sunspot 929 began kicking up flares Tuesday, when a major X-9 event was detected by a space-based observatory.When another flare erupted Wednesday, the NSO's Optical Solar Patrol Network (OSPAN) was watching.

A shock wave propagated like the splash from a rock thrown into a pond.

This was seen as a brightening from compressed and heated hydrogen gas. Astronomers enhanced the contrast of the images to bring out the detail, and they created an animation of the event.Later, the shock wave swept across two dark filaments widely seprated on the solar surface, and they disappeared for a few minutes. Scientists are unsure whether the filaments were blown off or were compressed so they were temporarily invisible, according to an NSO statement.Forecasters say there is a 40 percent chance of more major flares through this weekend.

Skywatchers in Alaska, Canada and the very northernmost United States should be on the lookout for colorful Northern Lights generated by the space storminess.Original Story: Scientists Spot Tsunami on the Sun. Visit SPACE.com and explore our huge collection of Space Pictures, Space Videos, Space Image of the Day.

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.

Tropical storm heads toward Philippines Fri Dec 8, 6:13 AM ET

CEBU, Philippines (AFP) A tropical storm packing maximum winds of 95 kilometers (59 miles) an hour was barrelling toward the Philippines, which said it was the reason for cancelling summit meetings here next week.

At 4:00 pm (0800 GMT) Tropical Storm Utor was 350 kilometers (200 miles) east-southeast of the central island of Samar heading west towards Cebu, the resort island where the ASEAN and East Asia Summits were to take place.It will be the fourth tropical storm or typhoon in as many months to hit the Philippines, with previous storms causing widespread damage and leaving nearly 2,000 people dead or missing.Utor is expected to make landfall on Saturday on the island of Samar, roughly 200 kilometres away from Cebu.Joel Desusa, a forecaster with the Philippine weather bureau, said: Ninety-five kilometers may not sound very strong but it is enough to cause serious damage here in the Philippines. It can uproot trees and destroy huts.Desusa said the storm was expected to keep to its current path over Samar and northern Cebu towards the northern tip of the western island of Palawan.After then we expect it will intensify into a typhoon with winds in excess of 145 kilometers an hour as it heads into the South China Sea.The storm comes days after Typhoon Durian slammed into the country's Bicol region, leaving more than 1,300 dead or missing.It could have a big impact on the area, said Florentino Sison, operations chief of the civil defense agency.Anthony Golez, deputy director of the civil defense office, said those hit by typhoon Durian in Bicol may have to be moved to special holding areas for about 12 hours until the storm passes.Cedric Daep, head of the provincial disaster coordinating center, said the mayors of the affected towns were meeting to discuss when people would be evacuated and where they could be moved.Evacuations could begin on Saturday, he said, adding that as many as 20,000 families may be forced to seek shelter at the holding areas.Hundreds of houses are still covered with mud and most of the region still has no power, telephone or water services.The postponement of the summits was announced one day after Britain, the United States, Australia and other governments warned of a possible imminent terror attack on Cebu.Officials insisted that the postponement was due to the weather.

New floods at Kenyan refugee camps as US military airdrops begin by Matthew Lee Fri Dec 8, 2:18 PM ET

NAIROBI (AFP) - Fresh rains have caused new flooding in northeast Kenya, compounding the misery of flood-hit Somali refugees at United Nations camps, the UN has said, as the US military began aid air drops. The UN refugee agency UNHCR said Friday its
Dadaab complex of three camps, where more than 100,000 of 160,000 residents have been left without shelter due to the floods, had been struck again with downpours after a brief respite.After a break of some five days, heavy showers have started falling again in Dadaab, causing new flooding, it said in a statement released in Nairobi.Some parts of the camps are inaccessible and the fresh rains have led to the further deterioration of roads within the camps, it said.At least three Somali refugees at Dadaab, about 470 kilometers (290 miles) northeast of Nairobi, have died in the floods that began in late October, crippling large swathes of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.

A total of 251 people have been killed in the three countries by the floods, man-eating crocodiles and waterborne diseases, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced and more than a million affected, officials say.The World Health Organization said Friday it was deeply concerned by the health situation in the Horn of Africa where up to 1.8 million people are at risk of diseases such as cholera, measles, malaria, as well as malnutrition.The floods are expected to continue until at least the end of December if not into early next year, said Dr David Okello, the WHO representative in Kenya.We are already experiencing a serious situation where people are dying from diseases related to the water and sanitation situation, he said in a statement. Malaria will become a very serious problem in the weeks to come.The three countries now hit by floods were at the epicenter of a recent scorching drought from which they were just recovering when the rains began that exacerbated the damage from the floods.

Due to previous droughts, people in the region have experienced severe food shortages and high rates of malnutrition, WHO said. People's immunity is weakened, making them more vulnerable to diseases.Relief agencies have made urgent appeals for aid, including the UNHCR, which said the US military had begun airdropping assistance to the Dadaab refugees at its request on Friday, 24 hours earlier than expected.UN and US officials confirmed that a US Air Force C-130 transport plane from the Djibouti-based Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa had started the first of about 15 planned flights over Dadaab to deliver 240 tonnes of aid.

The supplies include plastic sheets, blankets and mosquito nets and the emergency airdrops are to continue until Wednesday, UNHCR said.Dadaab has been cut off for weeks since the unusually heavy seasonal rains washed away major parts of the only road connecting the remote area near the Somali border with Nairobi, it said.Air drops are necessary since the small Dadaab airstrip cannot take the weight of a heavy plane like a C-130, it said.Standing water at the camps has also raised fears of water-borne diseases and respiratory infections, further compounding the misery of the refugees, many of whom fled drought and conflict in Somalia.

9:20 a.m. - Weather update: Tropical Storm Utor forms
Pacific Daily News ,news@guampdn.com

9:20 a.m., Dec. 8 - Tropical Storm Utor has officially been logged by the National Weather Service.Currently there are no watches or warnings in effect. At 7 this morning, the center of Utor was located near 10.1 degrees north latitude and 133.3 degrees east longitude. This is about 810 miles west-southwest of Guam.Utor is moving west-northwest at 9 mph, and is forecasted to maintain movement in this general direction today with an increase in forward speed.Maximum sustained winds are 40 mph, and Utor is expected to continue intensifying and may become a typhoon in the next 36 hours, according to NWS.Log on throughout the day for updates.

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.

Towns on alert as fires rage in state's east
Dan Oakes,December 8, 2006

THE army and a group of New Zealand firefighters have joined the battle as Victoria's monster bushfires increase in size and ferocity.

As Premier Steve Bracks warned that the blazes were comparable to the state's worst bushfire disaster, 1939's Black Friday, dozens of towns in the north-east and east from Myrtleford to Sale were on standby.Almost 50 fires have so far razed 100,000 hectares.Late yesterday, almost 2000 firefighters, with nearly 400 vehicles and 45 aircraft, were tackling fires that are expected to strengthen over the weekend due to high temperatures and a northerly change.This (fire) is following a similar pattern to Black Friday in 1939 and this is a similar area and, of course, this area has burnt out before said Mr Bracks. That was an extensive fire which raged right through the alpine areas in Victoria and eventually, after months, burnt out at the coastline.Authorities believe the fires could combine into a 600,000hectare super fire on Saturday.

Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesman Stuart Ord said last night: The fires will get bigger and the fires will merge, so we're not looking forward to the weekend.Gippsland communities are making preparations as a number of massive blazes hover to their north. The biggest of these is the 30,000-hectare Mount Darling-Mount Cynthia fire, part of the Bairnsdale group.The Heyfield group of fires, further to the west, covers 16,400 hectares, but will also grow quickly as the conditions change.The northerly winds expected to arrive later today will then push the fires towards towns such as Maffra, with a population of 4200, and Bairnsdale (11,000), for the first time in half a century.The third of the southern groups is the 9000-hectare Jamieson group, of which the largest fire is around Mount Terrible. It continues to threaten small communities along the Jamieson-Woods Point Road.

Tonight's change will push the Mount Terrible fire towards Woods Point and the Thomson Dam catchment area, which firefighters are preparing furiously to defend.

Half of Woods Point's 30 residents had already evacuated as the fire front edged within 10 kilometres of the township, the owner of the Wood's Point General Store & Post Office, Bill Smithett, said last night.Those that are staying behind are likely to take refuge in an abandoned mine, which has been set up with a toilet, water and blankets.Mr Smithett plans to leave today. I've just had hip surgery and I'm simply not fit enough to stay and fight, he said.Geelong Grammar yesterday evacuated its Timbertop campus, near Mansfield, due to the threat of bushfires.Near Lake Eildon, a wall of smoke had grounded air firefighting operations.

The 13,000-hectare Wangaratta group of fires, which includes the Black Range and Rose River blazes, continues to threaten towns including Cheshunt, Edi Upper and a number of farms.Further east, the 18,000hectare Ovens group of fires has jumped control lines near Rose River, Abbeyard, Catherine River and Dandongadale.Ian Millman, of the New Zealand Rural Fire Authority, said 45 firefighters arrived in Melbourne last night and would be deployed to the Jamieson region.While the NZ reinforcements are comfortable working in remote high country, he conceded the size of the Victorian blazes was daunting.An army crew was dispatched from the Puckapunyal military base to help fight the fires and Mr Bracks has asked the Prime Minister for additional tractors and bulldozers and for defence personnel to remain on standby.Emergency Services Commissioner Bruce Esplin said the speed of the fires' spread had made the firefighters' task difficult but not impossible.With CAMERON HOUSTON, ANDREA PETRIE, SARAH SMILES, AAP,http://geobay.com/f7d456

ATTENTION HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS: YOUR TESTIMONIES CAN HELP DEFEAT IRAN'S HOLOCAUST DENIAL CAMPAIGNPLEASE SEND US YOUR TESTIMONIES TODAY!

On Monday, December 11, 2006 the Simon Wiesenthal Center will convene Witness To The Truth, a videoconference of 70 survivors of the Nazi Holocaust in Los Angeles, New York and the Toronto headquarters of Canadian Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center who will present their personal testimonies to debunk the Iranian regime sconference entitled, The Holocaust: A World Prospect,taking place on December 11-12. The conference organizers have indicated that 70 Holocaust revisionists from 30 countries will participate. The Tehran conference, sponsored by the Iranian government, comes after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Nazi Holocaust a myth.

We are therefore asking Holocaust survivors from around the world to join in our conference and debunk the deniers by sending their testimonies by fax: 310-553-4521 or e-mail: witnesstothetruth@wiesenthal.net to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.Witness to the Truth will be held at the Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance and linked by videoconference to the Center’s New York Tolerancenter and its Toronto office.

In Los Angeles, artifacts from the Nazi's Final solution from the Center shistorical archives will be on display.

We thank Holocaust survivors for their courage and commitment and for once again sharing their painful legacy.Please send your testimonies to the Simon Wiesenthal Center:Fax: 310-553-4521 Email: witnesstothetruth@wiesenthal.netSimon Wiesenthal Center,1399 South Roxbury Drive,Los Angeles, CA 90035,310.553.9036,www.wiesenthal.com

Stop Iran's nuclear bomb - protect Israel DEC 07,06

An Iran with nuclear weapons is our worst nightmare – for Israel, and for Western civilization. Iran must be stopped before it is too late. Your generous donation allows The Israel Project to educate the media about issues of importance to Israel. Please give now.

Dear Supporter of Israel,

I am writing with an urgent appeal for financial support.

Please read on. This is too important to ignore. We need whatever assistance you can provide today so we can achieve what’s become our highest priority to educate American and European audiences about the frightening dangers of a radical regime in Iran that is aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons.Why must we do this? Because we need the United States and its European allies to adopt smart policies to confront this danger. The people of America and Europe must understand the danger if they are going to support those policies. And we don’t have a moment to waste.At The Israel Project, we work every day to educate the media about issues of importance to Israel. Today, nothing is more important than the prospect of an Iran with nuclear weapons.http://www.theisraelproject.org/donate

How big is this menace? An Iran with nuclear weapons is our worst nightmare for Israel, and for Western civilization.

Iran is already the world’s most active state sponsor of terrorism, providing $100 million a year to Hezbollah and a total of $200 million a year for terrorist groups in general. When the United States and Europe froze funding to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas victory in Parliamentary elections, Iran came through with a pledge of $50 million. Iran is headed by a President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who repeatedly denies the Holocaust and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. He has also set his sights on the United States, declaring that a world without America is attainable and surely can be achieved. Subscribing to a radical strain of Islam, Ahmadinejad believes it’s his religious destiny to provoke a violent confrontation with the West to help bring about the return of the so-called Twelfth Imam (or Mahdi in the well), a messianic figure who will, in turn, announce the end of the world. Does he really believe it? Well, as President, Ahmadinejad gave about $20 million to the mosque from which the Mahdi supposedly will emerge, and he proposes to shape all of his economic, cultural, and political policies around the Mahdi’s return. Previously, as Tehran’s mayor, he ordered an urban reconstruction project so the city would be more presentable to the Mahdi when he arrived.

All of that is frightening enough. But the radical regime over which Ahmadinejad presides is seeking the one tool that could turn his apocalyptic vision in reality – nuclear weapons.The United States and its European allies have tried to convince Iran to drop its nuclear program – a program Iran kept secret for 18 years until a dissident group brought it to light in 2002. Great Britain, France, and Germany negotiated with Iran for three years, offering a wide variety of incentives. The West even offered fuel for a peaceful, civilian nuclear program. But Ahmadinejad scoffed, making clear that Iran will push ahead – no matter what.No one knows for sure when Iran will have the technology and the know-how to develop nuclear weapons, but intelligence sources estimate that it could be only a year away. One thing’s for sure – each day, the Islamic Republic is making progress toward that goal.What would an Iran with nuclear weapons mean for Israel? It’s almost too frightening to contemplate. Any or all of the following could occur:

A nuclear attack, enabling Iran to fulfill the goal of destroying Israel. Every Iranian leader has held that goal since the 1979 revolution brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power.

Iranian leaders have even boasted that a nuclear exchange with Israel would be well worth the cost – it would only damage Iran, but it would surely destroy the Jewish State. The sharing of nuclear weapons with Hezbollah, Hamas, or other terrorist clients that also have vowed to destroy Israel. The ability to threaten Israel with a nuclear attack when Israel seeks merely to defend itself, such as when Hezbollah and Hamas recently kidnapped Israeli soldiers in cross-border raids. The ability to blackmail Europe, which Iran already can reach with missiles, to put unrelenting pressure on Israel not to defend itself. The ability to blackmail America and the West to pressure Israel into submission, simply by threatening to disrupt oil deliveries from the Middle East to the West. We need your support. And we need it now! Please give whatever you can at http://www.theisraelproject.org/donate.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Founder and President
The Israel Project

P.S. Your tax-deductible contribution can help us tell the truth about Iran and the danger it represents to our American way of life.

Please give generously today at http://www.theisraelproject.org/donate!

Saint Paul's tomb found, Vatican sez DEC 08,06

ROME - Vatican archaeologists have unearthed a sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of the Apostle Paul that had been buried beneath Rome's second largest basilica.The sarcophagus, which dates back to at least A.D. 390, has been the subject of an extended excavation that began in 2002 and was completed last month, the project's head said this week.Our objective was to bring the remains of the tomb back to light for devotional reasons, so that it could be venerated and be visible, said Giorgio Filippi, the Vatican archaeologist who headed the project at St. Paul Outside the Walls basilica.Two ancient churches that once stood at the site of the current basilica were successively built over the spot where tradition said the saint had been buried.Originally called Saul, St. Paul was born in Tarsus in what is now Turkey and converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus.According to Christian tradition, he was beheaded in Rome around the year A.D. 67.News Wire Services

Religion News in Brief
By The Associated Press 12.07.06, 12:07 PM ET

American Jewish leaders and a top executive of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) say their relations have taken a significant turn for the better after a crisis over the Protestant group's policy toward Israel.In a joint statement Monday, leaders of the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism, along with the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the Presbyterian stated clerk, pledged to work jointly toward Mideast peace despite any differences.

Together, we affirm that peace for Israel and the Palestinians should be built on the foundations of security, justice and the establishment of two viable states, the leaders said, following a Nov. 29 meeting in Louisville, Ky.Our specific approaches to peace differ, but we believe that we can, and must, be strong advocates together and together with other Christian and Muslim colleagues for a renewed peace process, they said.The 2004 Presbyterian national assembly had vexed some grass roots Presbyterians and Jewish groups by authorizing phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel because of its policies toward Palestinians.

This past summer, the assembly changed course, voting to soften its policy. The new policy says that church assets should be invested in only peaceful pursuits in Israel and the Palestinian territories.The Jewish community was represented at the meeting by Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; Carl Sheingold, executive vice president of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation; and Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism.The religious leaders also promised to work together on other public policy issues, including raising the minimum wage, helping immigrants and protecting human rights in Sudan.

Norwegian state church leadership favors cutting bond between state and Lutheran church DEC 08,06

OSLO, Norway (AP) - The governing body of the state Church of Norway has voted for the separation of church and state as a step toward ending 469 years of Lutheranism as the Nordic nation's official religion, the church said Wednesday.In April, the Norwegian government opened a series of hearings on the state church system, seeking input from more than 2,500 congregations, cities and groups on the proposal by Dec. 1.The general synod, comprised of 11 bishops and 11 diocese councils, voted 63-19 at an annual meeting during the weekend to amend the constitution to drop Lutheranism as the state religion.The church said new legislation would be needed to transfer powers - including the authority to appoint clergy - from the government to the synod.

The synod's decision is historic, said Jens Petter Johnsen, director of the Church of Norway national council. What matters is the relation between church and people, not between church and state.Even if a majority of other groups and congregations also support the change, it could not be done before 2013 because two consecutive parliaments must each approve constitutional amendments.

The government is expected to deliver its state church proposals to parliament in late 2008.Lutheranism became Norway's official religion in 1537 by royal decree.Denmark has a similar Lutheran state church, while Sweden ended its state church system on Jan. 1, 2000.

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)

UN to Aid Palestinian Authority, Congress Bans Talks with Hamas
By Hana Levi Julian (INN) DEC 08,06

Quartet-member UN is making an about-face, despite the avowed freeze on funds to the Hamas-led PA until the terror group recognizes Israel.

Meanwhile, Congress bans talks and aid with Hamas. On Thursday, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) kicked off a campaign to raise $450 million for the terrorist-led government so it could meet its obligations to its population. The U.N. calls it the third-largest fundraising campaign in the world.The Quartet of Nations, which includes the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia, demanded in January that Hamas formally acknowledge the State of Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and uphold peace agreements with Israel signed by the previous PA administration. PA prime minister Ismail Haniye of Hamas reiterated again yesterday that Hamas would never recognize Israel.

Just this past Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning the executive branch from holding talks with Hamas, and cutting off aid (except for humanitarian) to Hamas. The ban is in force until the terror group acknowledges Israel’s right to exist, renounces terrorism and agrees to abide by agreements with Israel. The Senate passed the bill this past June, and it now awaits President Bush's signature.The terrorist-led PA government has lost billions of dollars as a result of the freeze on international funds. OCHA head David Shearer announced at a news conference that the new funding will be earmarked for cash assistance, food, the PA health and education systems, and a project to create jobs. PA sources said the European Union, another member of the Quartet, sent a payment of 185 euros to each of some 73,000 households to alleviate some of the financial problems they face.

The PA has not paid its 160,000 government workers in months, despite pledges of millions of dollars in funding from Qatar and other member nations of the Arab League.U.N. officials now claim that unemployment in the PA stands at 29%, with 65% of PA residents living at or below the poverty line almost half of whom they say do not have reliable access to food. The PA health care system is reportedly running out of medicine and is on the verge of collapse, said Shearer.Israel has contributed humanitarian aid to PA families in a number of different ways.

The Save a Child’s Heart organization, albeit a private project, has helped more than 100 PA children this year alone, with life-saving heart surgery performed by top doctors at Wolfson Hospital in Holon. PA doctors are being trained through the program in pediatric cardiac surgery as well. A Jordanian paper reported that about 1,000 PA residents receive medical treatment each month in Israel.Earlier in the year, Israel said it would back a Quartet decision to bypass Hamas and transfer money directly to individuals. It is known that the Quartet wants to promote humanitarian aid, said Israel’s former ambassador to the U.S., Danny Ayalon. But paying the salaries of civil servants isn’t the way.

Israel agreed in May to the Quartet process of managing the humanitarian funds, but foreign diplomats said at the time that the same mechanism might later be used to pay the salaries of professionals employed by the PA government. Despite border crossing closings in and out of Gaza due to constant terror warnings, Israel has allowed shipments of food, medicine and other humanitarian items to pass through.According to the United Nations, however, Israel needs to do more. U.N. officials criticized the border closures, saying the security restrictions limit PA Arabs’ access to health service centers, schools, markets and places of employment. While humanitarian aid can slow the deterioration, said Shearer, what is really needed is a political settlement.

House OKs oil, gas drilling in Gulf area By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer DEC 08,06

WASHINGTON - The House approved oil and gas drilling Friday in a vast area of the Gulf of Mexico south of Florida's Panhandle and agreed to steer hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty payments to Gulf states to restore coastal wetlands and repair hurricane damage.The drilling provision was attached to a package of popular tax breaks that were approved by vote of 367-45 as lawmakers scrambled to adjourn and end of the 109th Congress.The tax legislation, including the drilling provision, was expected to be combined with a trade bill and then sent to the Senate in hopes of prompt approval — assuming last-minute roadblocks can be avoided in the Senate. It wasn't clear late Friday when the Senate might take up the legislation.The House bill opens to energy companies 8.3 million acres in the east-central Gulf of Mexico that is currently off-limits to drilling. The Interior Department is required to issue its first leases for the area within a year and tap what is believed to be 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

The country uses about 21 million barrels of oil a day. The gas believed in the area would be enough to heat 6 million homes for 15 years.It was the revenue sharing provision that prompted the sharpest debate Friday.It calls on the Interior Department to provide Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama with 37.5 percent of future royalties collected from Gulf oil production. Louisiana would get about half. The states' share is anticipated to be several hundred million a year initially, and grow into the billions of dollars a year after 2017 because of increased production and expansion of the royalty sharing to all Gulf production.Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., called it a raid on the federal Treasury that could amount to as much as $170 billion over the next 50 years.Rep. Lois Capps (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said she could not understand funneling billions of dollars in royalties from oil and gas taken from federal waters to four states when this country has record deficits as far as the eye can see.The Gulf Coast states, which now get less than 2 percent of all the royalties collected from offshore production, have argued that new revenue sharing is long overdue.

For years the Louisiana delegation has been asking for help and it's been like the tree falling in the woods, unheard, complained Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La.An attempt by Markey to sidetrack the tax measure by adding an amendment that would have upended the delicate agreement with the Senate failed 207-205.The royalty recovery effort has broad support in both the House and Senate.But Rep. Bill Thomas, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said any change in the bill could undo the informal agreement reached with the Senate and kill any chance of getting the legislation through because of the time constraints before adjournment. Under Senate rules, a single senator can force considerable delay once a bill comes over from the House.The new drilling area was crafted to gain support of Florida's lawmakers, with its eastern edge more than 200 miles from state beaches.

This protects Florida, said Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla.The drilling provision is identical to a bill passed by the Senate earlier this year. House GOP leaders had sought much broader offshore energy development that would have lifted drilling bans that have been in place as long as 25 years across 85 percent of the U.S. coastline, essentially everywhere except for the western Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska.Senate leaders said the House measure couldn't pass the Senate. So, after suffering losses in last month's election, House GOP leaders accepted the Senate-passed bill that was limited to the Gulf region.The drilling measure is S 3711.

Livni begins American trip amid fears that US policy shift will cut Israel down to size By Agence France Presse (AFP) ,Saturday, December 09, 2006

JERUSALEM: Israel's foreign minister arrived in the United States Friday amid worries that the Jewish state's main ally could shift course after a report urged Washington to redouble Mideast peacemaking efforts. Tzipi Livni will meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other officials during her visit, which will focus on the repercussions of a report released Wednesday by the Iraq Study Group, her office said.This trip will be an occasion to review with her counterparts the report and to discuss its meaning, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.That report said progress toward Arab-Israeli peace was key to saving Iraq.

It also called for direct US talks with two of Israel's main foes, Syria and Iran.A day after receiving the top-level commission's report, the US and Britain signalled the start of a renewed diplomatic push in the region.

President George W. Bush promised concerted efforts to advance the cause of peace and said British Premier Tony Blair would soon travel to the region for talks with Israel and the Palestinians.Blair's visit was to set the stage for Rice, in early 2007, to make her eighth trip in two years to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Rice's spokesman said.The renewed focus on Mideast peacemaking and growing domestic pressure on US leaders to end the imbroglio in Iraq has Israelis worrying about a possible policy shift by Bush, who for six years has largely ignored the intricacies of Mideast peacemaking. http://www.dailystar.com.lb

The fact that he has decided to support Blair's visit to the region and present this trip as a joint mission of Britain and the US shows Bush intends to at least try to change his policy, Israel's Yediot Ahronot daily wrote Friday.The newspaper went on to slam the Iraq report, accusing its chief authors James Baker and Lee Hamilton of ignoring Israel while preparing the report.If the truth be told, they barely paid any attention to us, the newspaper lamented. For 14 years, Israel enjoyed warm and pampering attention, under Clinton and Bush. Now, in light of the catastrophe in Iraq, Baker and Hamilton wish to restore us to our proper proportions.Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert has also expressed dissatisfaction with the report's recommendations. He said Thursday that US problems in Iraq are entirely independent of the controversy between us and the Palestinians.In statements sure to allay Israeli concerns, Bush has rebuffed some of the report's recommendations and maintained his insistence that Damascus and Tehran renounce support for extremists and pledge support for Iraq's fledgling government and that Iran freeze sensitive nuclear work before direct talks. - AFP

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

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

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

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

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

EU Pushes for Cross-Border Defense,Thursday December 7, 1:07 pm ET
By Paul Ames, Associated Press Writer ,Verheugen: EU Push for Cross-Border Defense Market a First Step Toward Fairer Procurement

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) The European Commission launched a fresh drive Thursday to open up the EU's 30 billion euros ($40 billion) a year defense equipment market to increased cross-border competition by breaking down protection for national industries.This is a first step towards more open and fair markets for defense procurement, EU Enterprise Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said. In a statement, he said creating an open EU market for defense equipment was needed to keep the European defense industry competitive.Governments are allowed to protect their national defense industries because military contracts are largely excluded from EU legislation.The EU's executive branch set out guidelines Thursday to close loopholes in the law.Officials said it would make clear that the exemption should only be applied when national security is involved -- and not be used to cover products like uniforms, boots, stationary and tents, or even light arms and high-tech communications components which could have both military and civilian use.

The derogation has to be applied in a restricted way, said Ugo Bassi, an expert in the EU's internal market department.The guidelines are part of a wider push to open defense markets that would likely be included in a draft law to be presented late next year.EU officials claim the current fragmentation of the European market creates duplication and inefficiency, pushing up prices for Europe's armed forces and hampering efforts to develop an EU-wide defense industry capable of taking on international competitors.

But although governments agree in principle on the need to open markets, many have been reluctant to expose domestic defense contractors to competition within the 25-nation bloc.I have not the slightest idea how the member states will respond, Verheugen acknowledged over dinner with journalists and defense experts late Wednesday. It is so clearly based on European common sense, that I hope we will get the support.Among the barriers Verheugen wants to remove are stipulations that exporters must obtain security licenses to export defense-related goods to other EU nations, despite the close military cooperation among EU governments.

He said around 10,000 such requests for licenses are filed every year, and only about a dozen are refused. This is simply an additional cost factor that makes no sense, he complained.New rules would promote joint research into new defense technologies, ensuring more effective use of the European defense spending. We do spend a lot of money on defense and security, but we do not get the value we should, he acknowledged.Verheugen insisted governments' vital security interests would still be protected. No member state will have to abandon its sovereign rights, he said.In June, 22 of the 25 EU nations signed up to a voluntary code of conduct designed to open up defense contracts across the bloc. Bassi said that code of conduct was valid for weapons systems and other items that are clearly of a sensitive military nature, but binding legislation should be considered for other types of military equipment.EU nations spend around 170 billion euros ($226 billion) a year on defense, which includes 30 billion euros ($40 billion) for the acquisition of new equipment.

Barroso: Strong Euro Favors Europeans
Friday December 8, 7:42 am ET
EU's Barroso Says Strong Euro Favors European Consumers by Helping Control Inflation

JOUY-EN-JOSAS, France (AP) A strong euro is good for consumers in Europe because it helps control inflation, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Friday.It's thanks to inflation that we have bearable energy prices and historically
low interest rates which are needed for growth, Barroso said in a speech to students at a business school outside Paris. He added that a high euro also served to lower energy bills for European consumers. The sharp rise in the euro, which now trades at around US$1.32, has raised unease among several French politicians, including French President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Segolene Royal, the opposition Socialists candidate for next year's presidential elections.The politicians have voiced concern that a strong euro will have a negative impact on the country's economic growth and publicly appealed to the European Central Bank to consider the euro's impact when making decisions on its monetary policy.Barroso said the euro is referred to as a problem linked to exports but it is generally good for consumers to have a strong euro.