COLD SNAP IN NORTH AMERICA

Tuesday January 16,2007 12:00 AM

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Moderate quake jolts central Japan, felt in Tokyo. 3-First dose of winter slams central Canada. 4-More snow on way for B.C. south coast. 5-At least 17 die in US winter storm. 6-Winter blitz nails Northeast. 7-Rains force 100,000 in Malaysia to flee. 8-EU Countries Back Plan to Link Police Databases to Fight Crime. 9-EU Hopes to Close FTA With Gulf Nations. 10-Asian Leaders Plan Free-Trade Area From India to N.Z. 11-Iran says pressing ahead with expanded enrichment. 12-Black Sea Jews Plan E.U. Entry. 13-A Challenge for 2007: Be Guided by the Bible.

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 = Tue Jan 16 12:00 AM EDT

JAN 16,07
MAP 5.2 TAIWAN REGION
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA

JAN 15,07
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 CENTRAL EAST PACIFIC RISE
MAP 3.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.0 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.9 NEAR THE SOUTH COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 CENTRAL AFGHANISTAN
MAP 4.7 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.1 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 5.0 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.9 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.0 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA

JAN 14,07
MAP 2.7 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 4.8 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.8 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 5.1 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.0 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 4.7 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.9 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.9 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.3 KIRIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 5.1 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.7 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 4.9 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 4.9 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA

Moderate quake jolts central Japan, felt in Tokyo JAN 15,2007

TOKYO (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 jolted central Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake, at 3:18 a.m. (1818 GMT), was also felt in Tokyo. There were no reports of injuries or damage.The focus of the tremor was 170 km (105 miles) below the surface of the earth, in Shizuoka prefecture, 150 km west of Tokyo, the JMA said.The earthquake measured 3 on the Japanese intensity scale, which measures ground motion.Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring more than 3,000.That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.

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.

First dose of winter slams central Canada
Monday, January 15, 2007 - CBC News

Central Canada finally got a taste Monday of what the weather-weary West has been feeling a blast of cold, harsh winter.A severe storm hit Ontario and southern Quebec, causing whiteout conditions and raining down ice pellets as the massive front migrated eastward.An ice storm coats the streets of downtown Toronto with slush in the city's first taste of winter weather in 2007. Snow also hit Ottawa and Montreal as storm warnings moved to the Maritimes.(CBC) In Montreal, snow removal crews expected to be working throughout the night to clear the 15 to 25 centimetres of snow forecast to be dumped on the city.But temperatures were holding steady at –9 C and the city experienced minimal closures and delays for flights at Trudeau International Airport.While Montreal had snowfall warnings, the city was mostly spared the ice that wreaked havoc in neighbouring Ontario.

The morning's freezing rain in Toronto coated the roads with ice, causing commuter chaos on major highways and cancelling more than 100 inbound and outgoing flights at Pearson airport because of a backlog of planes being de-iced. Some GO Transit riders waited on train platforms for an hour before boarding. According to Environment Canada, temperatures in Canada's largest city will plummet to –15 C or lower, without wind chill, by Monday evening. The city has issued an extreme cold weather alert but it should not see much more than light snowfall Monday night.

Out of practice with winter driving

The Ontario Provincial Police logged about 400 fender-benders by noon, after hours of freezing rain coated the roads in slush and ice.The majority of them, thankfully weren't very serious, OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley said. But it's really frustrating for us. Everyone knew the storm was coming and we've been warning everyone to slow down…. A lot of drivers have become complacent and out of practice with winter driving.Southern Ontario and Quebec aren't the only parts of Canada rediscovering winter.The ice storm which was the same severe weather system blamed for 30 deaths in the United States is at Atlantic Canada's doorstep.The same thing that's hitting Ontario is actually now hitting the Maritimes, the CBC's Nick Czernkovich said.Generally speaking southeastern New Brunswick is looking to be the hardest hit in terms of snowfall amounts. It's up towards 15 to 25 centimetres, that's what Environment Canada is saying.Residents throughout most of Nova Scotia can expect up to 15 centimetres of snowfall by Tuesday morning.

Warming trend on the way for Prairies

A heavy snowfall warning is also in place for P.E.I. and southeastern New Brunswick, with more than 15 centimetres expected. In Newfoundland and Labrador, temperatures plunged into the –40 C range, with the wind chill. There may be a bit of relief, at least, for the Prairie provinces, after a blizzard slammed Saskatchewan and Manitoba over the weekend. There's a bit of a warming trend on the way, Czernkovich said. Alberta's not too bad, we're back into the single [minus] digits, but even Northern Alberta should warm up as we head into [Tuesday].Forecasters expect the mercury to rise to a relatively balmy –10 C.Meanwhile, there was another weather warning for British Columbia's south coast. The province has issued a snowfall warning for Greater Victoria, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley and is expecting five to 10 centimetres of snow by Tuesday.Environment Canada also predicts heavy snow and winds to whip coastal sections of B.C. at speeds of 60 to 90 km/h.

More snow on way for B.C. south coast
Canadian Press - Monday, January 15, 2007

VANCOUVER There's still no break for weather-weary West Coasters after more than a dozen wind, rain or snow storms since November.A snowfall warning has been issued for Greater Victoria, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.The storm is expected to hit the south coast this evening, bringing five to 10 centimetres of snow before it ends late Tuesday morning.A cold spell that has chilled southwestern B.C. since last week is expected to ease with rising temperatures through the week.Environment Canada has also issued a wind warning for northern Vancouver Island, the central and north coast, and the Queen Charlottes.Wind speeds of 60 to 90 kilometres are forecast, along with heavy snow in the inland north coast.

At least 17 die in US winter storm Mon Jan 15, 12:35 PM ET

CHICAGO (AFP) - Four days of winter ice, snow and powerful winds in the US Midwest have claimed at least 17 lives, officials in the hard-hit states of Oklahoma and Missouri have said. In Oklahoma, authorities said Monday 11 people had died on state roads since the storm began last week, prompting President George W. Bush to declare an emergency in the central state. The decision makes Oklahoma eligible for federal funds.Officials in Missouri reported that six people had died, five in traffic accidents and one from carbon monoxide poisoning, a common cause of death when those without power use fuel-burning stoves after their heating goes out.Half a million homes lost power in Missouri due to the storm, the state government reported Sunday. One line worker was injured when he fell from a utility pole, authorities said in a statement.Tens of thousands of residents without electricity have crowded into shelters, while power outages have hit retirement and nursing homes in several counties of Missouri, according to a statement on the government's website.At least 230 people were treated for various storm-related injuries, the Oklahoma health department said. And about 122,338 customers were without power in Okla.

Winter blitz nails Northeast B. Bernard, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel JAN 15,07

While Missouri, Oklahoma and much of Texas are catching a bit of a breather today, the ongoing winter blitz is nailing the Northeast. The worst of conditions appears to be in southern New Hampshire and portions of northeastern Massachusetts (north of Boston) where freezing rain has downed trees and power lines. The icing is expected to continue into the evening. Earlier, freezing rain snarled traffic and knocked out power in central New York state. Temperatures there have risen above freezing, however, and the icing problems have shifted northward. Near the Canadian border eastward into Maine, snow is the featured precipitation this afternoon. As much as 8 to 12 inches of additional snow may coat the northern two-thirds of Maine by tomorrow morning. In Texas, only spotty, light freezing rain and sleet remain this afternoon, but another round of wintry precipitation is likely across the southern portion of the state tomorrow. Heavy rain extends from Louisiana northward into Kentucky, but the downpours are shifting rapidly eastward and that should stem the flooding problems in and around the Ohio Valley.

Rains force 100,000 in Malaysia to flee Sun Jan 14, 10:32 PM ET

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - More than 100,000 people were evacuated from their homes in southern Malaysia after heavy rains over the weekend caused massive flooding, officials said Monday. The evacuations came just a couple weeks after many residents had returned home to clean up from flooding in late December and early January that killed at least 17 people and caused more than $28 million in damages, officials said.One town in the hardest-hit area, Kota Tinggi, has been completely cut off from the rest of Johor state, just north of Singapore. Floodwaters as high as 13 feet have engulfed houses, gas stations and roads in the town, the New Straits Times newspaper said.Several relief centers in the area are overcrowded and cannot take in any more evacuees, an official at the Johor state flood operations center said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.He said there were about 105,000 flood victims in more than 300 relief centers in the state.We need donations of food. Some (relief) centers have no more space already, the official said. Blankets and warm clothing are also needed.Malaysia's Meteorological Service said heavy rain was forecast for the area until the middle of the week, the national news agency Bernama said.

THE EU DICTATOR

REVELATION 6:1-2,13:1-3,7-9,16
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(THIS IS THE EU DICTATOR)
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(7 HEADS ARE THE 7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY (THE EU) AS WELL AS THE VATICAN WHICH IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS. 10 HORNS ARE 10 KINGS THAT ARISE FROM THE EU, THEN #11 COMES ON THE SCENE BECOMES THE HEAD OF 3 OUNTRIES AND THEN THE EU DICTATOR, COMES FROM 1 OF THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT RULE FOR THIS TERM. I BELIEVE THE 3 COUNTRIES RULING AT THE TIME ARE SPAIN AND 2 OF THE ORIGINAL 6 THAT STARTED THE EU. FROM 1 OF THESE 3 COUNTRIES COME THE FUTURE EU DICTATOR PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION WHO GUARENTEES ISRAELS SECURITY FOR A LAND FOR PEACE 7 YEAR TREATY.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(THE JEWISH EU DICTATOR GETS HIS POWER FROM SATAN,HE COMES FROM THE OCCULT).
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE DICTATOR HAS A FALSE RESURRECTION. JUST LIKE JESUS HAD A LITERAL RESURRECTION THIS DICTATOR GETS MURDERED AT THE 3 1/2 YR MARK OF THR 7 YEAR TREATY AND COMES BACK TO LIFE. THIS IS HOW HE CAN CLAIM TO BE GOD AND GET AWAY WITH IT AND CONTROL THE WHOLE EARTH.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) 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 A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) 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 (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, 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.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

EU Countries Back Plan to Link Police Databases to Fight Crime
By Claudia Rach

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) The interior ministers of the 27 nations that make up the European Union signaled today that they back plans to link national police databases to fight crime more effectively, German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said. The proposal, to be discussed in the months ahead, will be based on a treaty signed by seven EU states, including Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany in 2005. That accord sets out the rules for greater cooperation between police forces and judicial authorities in combating terrorism, cross-border crime and illegal migration. International crime has become easier in Europe as many EU members reduced or abolished passport and border controls along internal borders. Sharing information and allowing police to chase suspects into other countries will help fight illegal activities.

Countries will be able to access each others national DNA databases, fingerprint files and motor vehicle registers. Access to national police databases will be a quantum leap' in sharing information, Schaueble said. The U.S. government has also shown interest in the treaty, Schaeuble said, adding that if the EU wants to cooperate with the U.S. as closely as possible both partners need to discuss the possibility of a similar mechanism. To contact the reporter on this story: Claudia Rach in Dresden at crach1@bloomberg.net.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

EU Hopes to Close FTA With Gulf Nations
Monday January 15, 6:36 am ET - AP. EU Expects to Close Free Trade Deal With Gulf Nations In the Near Future

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union said Monday it expects to complete a free trade agreement with Gulf nations in the near future after making progress at talks last week.The 27-nation EU is the largest trade partner for the Gulf Cooperation Council, a political and economic alliance gathering Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.A deal should set common rules that would encourage trade in goods and services, increase investment, protect intellectual property rights and open up public procurement.It would also cover human rights, illegal immigration and the fight against terrorism.It would not affect EU imports of oil from the Gulf as they are not charged with any tariffs.The European Commission said a deal would be built on existing World Trade Organization agreements to deepen trade liberalization in goods and services.

Such bilateral pacts have taken on more importance after prospects for a new, more ambitious global trading deal faltered last year. Key actors in the WTO negotiations meet next week in Switzerland to see if it is possible to grab a narrow window of opportunity to move forward.The EU and the Gulf states started discussing a free trade deal in 1990 but that stalled as the GCC moved to form a customs union by 2005, aiming to boost the region's economy.Both sides will meet again next month for technical discussions that could pave the way for the deal to be signed soon.I believe that we are now in a position to resolve final issues and complete an EU-GCC FTA deal in the near future, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said in a statement.The six Gulf nations are the sixth largest export market for the EU. European exports were worth euro40 billion ($51.6 billion) in 2004, around half of that machinery and transport goods such as power generation plants, railway engines and aircraft. EU imports from the Gulf in that year totaled euro25 billion ($32.2 billion), mostly oil.

Asian Leaders Plan Free-Trade Area From India to N.Z.
By Arijit Ghosh and Francisco Alcuaz Jr.

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) Asia's largest economies will start planning a free-trade zone that would rival the U.S. and the European Union, after overcoming China's reluctance to include India and Australia. Leaders of 16 nations endorsed the plan for a trade zone stretching from India to New Zealand in a meeting in Cebu, the Philippines. The proposal may ultimately lead to lower tariffs and increased trade in a region with a combined economic output of $9 trillion that is home to almost half the world's population. It's the first time Asian nations agreed on an integration similar to the creation of the EU, where per-capita gross domestic product rose more than fivefold in the last 30 years even as the bloc grew and its population rose almost 80 percent. China and Japan now see it in their national interests to play a more active role' in regional integration, said Malcolm Cook, program director for Asia and the Pacific at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. If Asia is a more united region, they are going to want a greater role in global affairs.

Both the Australian and New Zealand dollar rose against the U.S. dollar on the news.

This trade deal will have huge economic benefits, said Warwick McKibbin, a professor of international economics at the Australian National University and a member of the Reserve Bank of Australia's policy-setting board. It gives Asean some teeth, although it may complicate world trade talks.

Earlier Discord

The first East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur in December 2005 ended in disagreement over the concept. Japan backed a free- trade plan that included all 16 nations. China wanted a 13- nation bloc that excluded India, Australia and New Zealand. Today's meeting was attended by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Australian Prime Minister John Howard, New Zealand Premier Helen Clark and leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Japan, the region's largest economy, will fund an $85 million study of the proposal. There was acceptance that a study be done and New Zealand strongly supports that, Clark told reporters in Cebu. This will be a very, very significant bloc. Of course, it's not the only horse running around the Asia-Pacific area.

Rival Plans

The proposed free-trade area will rival a similar plan by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, which includes the U.S., China, Russia, Japan and South American nations. It will take years for either plan to be realized, said Charles Adams, a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. China's relations with both Japan and India have improved since the 2005 summit. President Hu Jintao went to India in November, the first visit by a Chinese head in a decade. Hu said he wanted to increase mutual trust' and signed 13 agreements. Japan's Abe visited Beijing in October to repair ties damaged by visits by his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, to Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine, a war memorial. India and China are the powerhouse economies in Asia and the world, so it's fitting to include both of them in such a trade bloc, said Peter Drysdale, a professor in Asia-Pacific relations at the Canberra-based Australian National University.

16 Nations

The 16 countries that would be included in the free-trade area are Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. In the back of everyone's minds is that the WTO has stalled and that major economies like the U.S. are coming up with their own trade-bloc proposals, said Song Seng Wun, regional economist at CIMB-GK Securities in Singapore. If Asia doesn't do something, it faces marginalization. This is a pragmatic response rather than an anti-American one. Leaders should try to revive the World Trade Organization talks that began five years ago, said Adams of the Lee Kuan Yew School. We should still give primary focus to the WTO, he said. Setting up so many regional agreements can be messy, and there is the risk of undercutting the multilateral system. For leaders of the 10-member Asean group, who proposed the bloc to avoid being left out as investors focus on India and China, the meeting in Cebu has been a success as nations signed trade accords and a treaty to counter terrorism, and Asean got tough on itself by setting up rules for the first time in four decades.

Home Runs

The Asean group hit home runs on multiple fronts, Robert Lees, president of business lobby group the Pacific Basin Economic Council, said in an interview. Asean is getting its act together, speaking more and more with a single voice. Asean has also proved itself as the lead organization for bringing Asian nations together, said Sheng Li Jun, senior fellow of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. China, Japan and India need Asean as a platform to discuss regional integration; they can't deal directly, bilaterally, because of border rivalries or historical mistrust, he said by telephone today. Asean is in the driver's seat of Asian economic integration, and it can stay there, if only as a taxi driver.

Nafta and EU

Integration in Europe and North America has fostered growth in trade among the members of the trading blocs in those regions. Trade among the 15 members of the European Union at the start 2004 accounted for 34 percent of the total EU GDP that year, up from 26 percent in 1993, according to the bloc's statistics office. Across the Atlantic, trade among the three countries in the North America Free Trade Agreement -- the U.S., Canada and Mexico -- doubled in the first decade after that deal took effect in 1993, according to International Monetary Fund data. The Asian leaders also agreed to reduce dependence on conventional fuels such as coal and invest in biofuels and nuclear energy. Each nation said it would adopt a 12-point plan to reduce fossil fuels and invest in so-called green energy to combat climate change. The leaders said global energy needs are growing rapidly and fossil fuel supplies are limited. They also said world oil prices are unstable and there is an urgent need to address global warming and climate change. To contact the reporters on this story: Arijit Ghosh in Cebu at aghosh@bloomberg.net ; Francisco Alcuaz Jr. in Cebu at falcuaz@bloomberg.net

Iran says pressing ahead with expanded enrichment By Parisa Hafezi
Mon Jan 15, 1:26 PM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it was pressing ahead with a plan to install 3,000 atomic centrifuges and achieve industrial-scale production of nuclear fuel, which the West fears is part of a program to make bombs. Tehran, countering diplomatic reports of delays, seemed to be reaffirming a defiant vow, made after the U.N. Security Council slapped limited sanctions on it last month, to start rigging up 3,000 centrifuges at its fuel-enrichment plant.Experts say that number could enrich enough uranium for power plant fuel, or one bomb within a year.A senior diplomat familiar with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections in Iran said on Monday there was no evidence yet Tehran had started centrifuge installation in the cavernous underground section of the Natanz enrichment complex, but said there were indications this could begin in a few days.We are moving toward production of nuclear fuel which needs 3,000 centrifuges and more than that, Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham told a weekly news conference.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, visiting Ecuador, told a Reuters reporter later in the day that the expansion of uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz would take place very soon, bit by bit.Iran has vowed not to shelve enrichment work. It says its nuclear program is solely aimed at generating electricity.The United States and the European Union suspect Tehran is seeking to build nuclear bombs and say it will face broader, financially harsher sanctions if it ignores the U.N. resolution, which gave Iran 60 days to stop enrichment activity.Iran already operates two experimental cascades of 164 centrifuges, which spin at supersonic speeds to purify uranium.Another senior diplomat versed in the operations of the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said Tehran still appeared to be both feeding uranium into these centrifuges, enriching token amounts, and test-running them empty, a pattern prevailing for some months.

IAEA INSPECTORS VISIT NATANZ

Senior IAEA inspectors went to Natanz last week for a fresh look at both the above-ground research wing and the underground hall and were expected to return to Vienna later this week.The diplomat said the inspectors did not expect to find any change in operations in the experimental section.At last report, they had not yet installed piping and casing in the (underground section) required to put in the centrifuges, so we will now see how far along they are with preparations, he said.But diplomats close to the IAEA said Iran looked unlikely to bring on line 3,000 centrifuges by its announced deadline of March 20, the end of the Iranian year. It will probably take some months yet, the second senior diplomat said.Diplomats said the pace of enrichment at Natanz still seemed slow and cited several possible reasons technical problems; political second thoughts after moderates counseling nuclear restraint did well in nationwide elections against hardliners close to Ahmadinejad; or a secret plant where Tehran had already mastered the process there is no known intelligence information to suggest that.Iran has struggled to get centrifuges to run smoothly. Fifty of them blew up during testing last April when their power supply regulator malfunctioned, atomic energy organization chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh was quoted as saying by local media.

President Ahmadinejad called me ... and said, 'Even if something goes wrong 10 times, don't worry, (build) it again, Aghazadeh was quoted by Ayand-ye newspaper as saying on January 4. Iran has a plan to build 20 nuclear power plants and says it wants to make the low-enriched fuel itself, rather than rely on imports. Its first atomic plant is being built with Russian help. We need to produce fuel on an industrial scale for those power plants, Elham said. He said Iran's nuclear activities were being supervised normally by the IAEA, but repeated a threat made by other Iranian officials to consider leaving the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if pushed. Additional reporting by Mark Heinrich in Vienna)

Black Sea Jews Plan E.U. Entry
Michael J. Jordan - JTA Wire Service - JANUARY 15, 2007 - Sofia, Bulgaria

Lela Sadikario works to link young Jews of southeastern Europe in much the same way the youth of the Baltics, Central Europe and other small Jewish communities are uniting with brethren across borders. Starting next week, Sadikario's job will become a bit tougher. As Romania and Bulgaria prepare to join the European Union on Jan. 1, a stark reality is dawning: The E.U. border and visa regime will create new divisions among Jews psychologically between those inside and outside of the European Union, and physically between those who can travel freely and those who need to apply and pay for a visa to visit. Specifically, it will slice through the Balkan and Black Sea Region that Jewish communities have been stitching together, comprising Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia, Turkey, Moldova, southern Ukraine and E.U. member Greece.

We've been trying to break down walls between young people, to bring them together to realize there's a whole Jewish community around them, said Sadikario, 25, a Macedonian Jew of a community of just 200 people who works in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.

However, with an E.U. border encircling Romania and Bulgaria, she said, We will feel more unstable, as connecting and mobilizing people will be more difficult. Attila Gulyas, 27, a Romanian Jewish youth leader, agrees. Having 30 or 40 young people at an event is not the same as having 200 or 300 at a regional event, which makes you feel like you're a part of something bigger, Gulyas said. Not that the situation is so easy right now. A recent youth event in Sofia drew together several dozen Jews from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Serbia, kicking off with a Shabbat dinner of bourekas, cheese and cake. But the event also came with a price: $600 for visas to bring the four young Turkish Jews by overnight bus. The fee, a small fortune for such communities, was paid by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. With the new E.U. border looming, a large annual gathering in 2007 has been planned for Skopje, the Macedonian capital, as Sadikario and other organizers figured it might be the least complicated place to gather all participants from the region.

Farther north, the E.U.'s new eastern frontier will divide Romania from Moldova. The impoverished ex-Soviet republic was part of Romania until 1940, and even today some three-quarters of its population is of Romanian descent. Recent months have seen the Romanian Jewish community strengthening its cultural ties to the more numerous but poorer Moldovan Jewish community. It's unclear whether the European Union, acknowledging the historic links between Romania and Moldova, will allow for special visa concessions. It could be a small problem for the Moldovans, said Aurel Vainer, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania and a member of the Romanian Parliament. But Vainer, 74, said E.U. membership also represents an opportunity.

Once we're in the E.U., perhaps we can advocate on behalf of the Moldovan Jewish community, and for Moldova to join the European Union, Vainer said from his richly wood-paneled office, lined with antique Judaica, in the Romanian capital of Bucharest.

Logistical hurdles aside, the Jews of Romania and Bulgaria see only the upside to E.U. membership, as the history of their respective countries two of the poorest in Europe today have been marked mostly by invasion, occupation and dictatorship. Many people, especially the elderly, fear a rise in prices for goods and utilities, but average salaries in both countries are climbing. The Romanian and Bulgarian economies are roaring, with annual growth of 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively; jobs are more plentiful; and both countries expect a multibillion-dollar infusion of E.U. aid and foreign investment. E.U. membership is also expected to bolster democracy, which is still a work in progress even within the region's Jewish communities.One Sunday morning in early December, for example, hundreds of members of Sofia's Jewish community gathered to elect their president. The mostly elderly crowd was not offered a ballot box or the chance to pull a lever in a private booth.

Instead, they did it the old-fashioned way: The capacity crowd was asked to vote on each candidate with a simple raising of the hand the incumbent and his challenger were seated in the front row, looking on. Most of the people in this hall are in their golden age, and for 50 years during communism, everything in life was conducted by someone else, somewhere else, and their opinion didn't count, Jewish activist Viktor Melamed said. Like their compatriots, Jews in Romania and Bulgaria expect their day-to-day lives to improve after joining the European Union. Take corruption, which Brussels ranked among its top concerns for both countries. During the 1990s, mass privatization of state-owned properties, coupled with widespread poverty and the glacial pace of reform, fueled graft at every level of society. With average monthly salaries hovering in the $200 to $300 range, virtually all professionals police, doctors, professors, bureaucrats, city officials, judges expect bribes for service. According to Transparency International's recently released 2006 Global Corruption Barometer, roughly one in four Romanians said he or she paid a bribe over the past year, while up to 70 percent of both Romanians and Bulgarians believe corruption affects political life to a large extent. Among E.U. members, only Greece generated comparably poor numbers. However, the lure of E.U. membership has empowered reformers to press the authorities to change, which they've begun to do.

It's also expected that these governments will adhere even more strictly to higher E.U. standards regarding anti-Semitism. We have witnessed positive improvements made by both countries in combating anti-Semitism and providing for improved Holocaust education, Pierre Besnainou, president of the European Jewish Congress, said in late September after Brussels formally announced the admission of Romania and Bulgaria. Meanwhile, both Jews and non-Jews in Romania and Bulgaria say one thing that can't be underestimated is the symbolism of receiving an E.U. passport, which will eliminate the need to stand in longer, non-E.U. lines at airports.They'll also have greater freedom to travel, work and study in Western Europe, a fact that reportedly has led hundreds of Israelis of Romanian and Bulgarian descent to pursue Romanian and Bulgarian passports. Whether Western Europe actually treats the Balkan newcomers as equals is another question. Even Jews here, who joined the European Jewish Congress and other Western Jewish organizations in the early 1990s, say it has taken years to feel equal in those forums. European Jews viewed them as the poor cousins, much like Europe views their countrymen, said Emil Kalo, president of Shalom, the organization of Jews in Bulgaria.

We'd all go to dinner, Kalo recalls, and they were very polite: Please, let us pay. And my reaction was simply: I will pay my bill; nothing less, nothing more. Gulyas, whose Hungarian-speaking family hails from the once-Hungarian, now-Romanian province of Transylvania, said he has experienced the same phenomenon when visiting his extended kin in Budapest.They see me as the poor Transylvanian relative, Gulyas said. And if it happens at the family level, for sure it happens at the communal level. These lessons have been absorbed by the broader Jewish community, Kalo said, and should be learned by Bulgarian and Romanian societies on the brink of becoming virtual E.U. welfare states, receiving billions of dollars in assistance. You will only earn respect, Kalo said, when you start paying your own bills.

A Challenge for 2007: Be Guided by the Bible
Dr. Jack Graham - PowerPoint Ministries JAN 15,07

There is a critical war being waged in our world as we enter the new year. I’m not talking about the war on terror, or even a war being fought with weapons. I’m talking about a war of a completely different kind.This war is a war over the Word of God. It’s a battle for the Bible. And this battle is being fought with questions like:Is the Bible a word of God… or the Word of God? Is the Bible a miraculous book… or a man-made book? Is the Bible the record of God’s revelation to man… or a record of men concerning God?

Questions like these are certainly being debated in the secular world today. Yet these debates aren’t limited to our secular culture… they are heating up in evangelical and Bible-believing churches and circles all around us! Now, you may ask, Pastor, why are you making such a big deal out of this? How does this really affect my day-to-day life as a Christian?

I’m glad you asked!

We live in a generation where truth is up for grabs. Nothing is black and white anymore. Everything is subject to societal and cultural interpretation. There is no absolute truth! And as a result, many people and sadly, many Christians have no real authority in their lives, no real basis for truth and guidance.But truth is not relative… it is not up for grabs! It is found in the pages of our Bible. Because the Bible is the Word of God.It is a miraculous book… it’s the revelation of God concerning man. And even though it is the most scrutinized and criticized book in the world, no ancient manuscript of any kind contains the kind of preservation and integrity that the Bible holds.But I believe there is a more compelling reason to believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. It is found in Matthew 5:18-19 when Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Here, Jesus lets us know what He believes about the Bible.

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.In many ways, Jesus was a rebel against the religious traditions of His time. Yet while Jesus rebelled against the false teaching of men, He bowed Himself as the Son of God to the Holy Scriptures. He believed in the authority and truth of Scripture to lead His life! You know, some books can change your thinking about various subjects. Other books can give you immense amounts of knowledge. But only the Bible can change your heart. Only the message and the truth of Scripture can change your very nature. Now, if you’re not interested in God changing and leading your life, you’re not going to be very interested in the Bible. The Bible is for people who want to know God. The Bible is a book for people who want:

To know forgiveness and experience the reality of a relationship with God.To know how to have power over the enemy and how to defeat temptation.To have strong, vibrant, growing marriages and families, and healthy relationships.To have comfort in their pain.

To learn how to control their emotions, anxieties, and fears.To know how to truly live! Jesus knew this and believed this. He took the Bible seriously. And since you can’t take Jesus seriously without taking His Word seriously, you and I must believe what Jesus believed about the Bible.So my challenge to you is to trust the Bible fully to guide you this coming year. You can trust it because Jesus trusted it each day He lived and breathed and walked on this earth. It’s my prayer that you will let God’s Word lead you… as it led Jesus!

PowerPoint® Ministries started as a vision of Dr. Jack Graham and his wife Deb. They believed that the power of God was evident in their growing church and that His Gospel message should be spread beyond the walls of that church to the world at large. They put their faith into action and purchased airtime on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. PowerPoint® Ministries was then officially launched in April 1994. PowerPoint® Ministries now reaches 31 cities and 18 states in the United States through their radio and television stations. In addition, they broadcast in over 70 countries including the U.S., Great Britain, South Africa, Iraq, Israel, and more.