DEAD BIRDS - GAS SCARE

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Moderate quake rocks northwestern Japan. 3-Moderate quake off Nicobar islands. 4-Storm damages homes in South. 5-Gas-like odor worries workers across NYC. 6-Bird deaths shut down downtown Austin. 7-Israel Rafalovich: E.U. to Toughen Policy on Russia. 8-New IDF Regulations for Launching Counter-Terror Raids.
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 9 12:00 AM EDT

JAN 08,07
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 6.2 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.9 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 6.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 4.9 NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.7 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS

JAN 07,07
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.6 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.0 SOUTH OF ALASKA
MAP 3.1 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.4 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.0 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 MAULE, CHILE
MAP 4.8 MYANMAR
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.5 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.9 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 3.0 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 3.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.2 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.7 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.8 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.0 NORWEGIAN SEA
MAP 5.0 GUAM REGION
MAP 3.6 NEVADA

Moderate quake rocks northwestern Japan Mon Jan 8, 7:20 AM ET

TOKYO - A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 struck northwestern Japan Monday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, the Meteorological Agency said. The quake jolted Niigata state and other areas in central Japan, but no tsunami warnings were issued, the agency said.The tremor struck at around 6:59 p.m. and was centered in the state's Chuetsu region at a depth of about 6 miles.A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Niigata in October 2004, killing 40 people and damaging thousands of homes. Niigata is about 159 miles northwest of Tokyo.Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

Moderate quake off Nicobar islands JAN 08,07

PORT BLAIR, India (Reuters) - A moderate undersea earthquake occurred off the west coast of India's Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and disaster control officials said. There were no reports of damage or casualties in the Indian archipelago of 38 islands and there was no threat of a tsunami, an official from the islands' disaster control room in Port Blair told Reuters.The USGS said the 5.7 magnitude quake was recorded at 6:18 p.m. (1248 GMT), with the epicentre around 395 km south of Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar island chain.About 3,500 people out of the archipelago's 370,000 residents were killed or went missing in the 2004 tsunami that hit the region.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Storm damages homes in South Sun Jan 7, 10:50 PM ET

ATLANTA - Severe storms swept through the South on Sunday, spawning possible tornadoes, damaging homes and bringing the threat of flooding.Severe thunderstorms Sunday night in north Georgia damaged houses and toppled trees and power lines, but no injuries were reported.Mike Leary, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, said he was pretty sure a tornado struck Coweta County south of Atlanta, where a half-dozen homes were damaged or destroyed.We are going back in the morning and check it, Leary said.Up to 4 inches of rain fell earlier in parts of Alabama, where a flash flood warning was issued for six counties.

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
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 through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Gas-like odor worries workers across NYC By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer JAN 08,07

NEW YORK - Authorities were investigating the source of a mysterious gas-like odor Monday that wafted over a large part of Manhattan, from Rockefeller Center through Greenwich Village. The Fire Department began getting calls about the odor around 9 a.m. Monday, said spokesman Tim Hinchey. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey temporarily suspended some of its PATH commuter train service between New Jersey and Manhattan as a precaution.Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there was no indication that the air was unsafe to breathe, and he said sensors did not show an unusually high concentration of natural gas.

It may just be an unpleasant smell, Bloomberg said.There was a small gas leak in Greenwich Village, but it wouldn't have been enough to account for the pervasive odor, the mayor said.Department of Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said there was no indication of terrorism and no credible intelligence to suggest any imminent threat to the city. He said the agency is closely monitoring the situation.Utility crews from Consolidated Edison were investigating, but they had found no abnormal changes in the gas flow with in its transmission system, said spokesman Chris Olert. If there was a big leak, we would see a change in the gas flow, he said.In some areas, office buildings and apartment buildings were evacuated as a precaution.The smell was very strong. It was very scary, said Yolanda Van Gemd, an administrator at ASA, a business school near the Empire State Building that was evacuated.In August, seven people were treated at hospitals after a gaseous smell in the boroughs of Queens and Staten Island.

Natural gas is odorless; it is the chemical that is added to it that gives it the recognizable odor.

Bird deaths shut down downtown Austin By JIM VERTUNO, Associated Press Writer JAN 08,07

AUSTIN, Texas - Police shut down 10 blocks of businesses in the heart of downtown early Monday after dozens of birds were found dead in the streets, but officials said preliminary tests showed no dangerous chemicals in the air. As many as 60 dead pigeons, sparrows and grackles were found overnight along Congress Avenue, a main route through downtown. No human injuries or illnesses were reported.We do not feel there is a threat to the public health, said Adolfo Valadez, the medical director for Austin and Travis County Health and Human Services. He said preliminary air-quality tests showed no dangerous chemicals and the area should reopen around noon.U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said officials had no credible information to suggest any imminent threat to the city.

On Congress Avenue, just outside the state Capitol, emergency workers donned yellow hazardous-material suits Monday morning, and dozens of fire trucks and ambulances were parked nearby.Workers were testing for any sort of environmental contaminant or gas or chlorine leaks that might have cause the bird deaths, said police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz. At least one bird carcass was being tested locally for other possible causes, and other carcasses were shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Texas A&M University.Valadez said the tests on the dead birds would likely take several days and look for signs of poisoning or viral infections, though he said officials do not think bird flu is involved.A 10-block stretch of Congress Avenue, several side streets and all buildings in the area were shut down and declared off-limits as a precaution, Chovanetz said.The street closure stretched from just outside the Capitol to a section of the Colorado River known as Town Lake. The Capitol opened on schedule Monday, the day before the legislative session was to begin.On the East Coast, New York City also had a scare Monday morning when a mysterious gas odor moved across Manhattan. It wasn't immediately clear what had caused the odor, and it dissipated fairly quickly. No injuries or damage to wildlife was immediately reported.

Israel Rafalovich: E.U. to Toughen Policy on Russia
2007-01-08 | Brussels

The European Union under the German Presidency, intends to toughen its policy on relations with Russia, on the subjects of human rights and energy, that is used by Russia as a political weapon, European Commission officials said under condition of anonymity.

The German government and the European Commission will discuss the details of the plan during their meeting this week in Berlin.

Officials in the German foreign ministry said, in telephone interviews from Berlin, that Germany will tell Russia that any attempt to divide Europe in order to prevent a strong common policy towards Russia will fail, underlining that the European Union is increasingly concerned about the Russian drift away from the rule of law and human rights.Furthermore, there are E.U. governments that expressed skepticism about the possibility of trying to draw Russia closer to the European Union and this especially while President Putin is in power.The European Union will also try to convince Russia to ratify the European Union energy charter that would give also foreign companies access to Russia's pipelines in order to transport oil and gas to Europe.

Moscow has repeatedly refused to ratify the energy charter.

The European Union is dependent on Russia energy but while this is unlikely to have an impact on the European Union, it raises concerns in regard to supply security.According to data from the European gas federation Eurogas, Russia supplied twenty four percent of the total gas needs of the European Union in 2005.By 2030, European Union estimates say that eighty percent of European gas needs will be met by non-European Union sources, naming Moscow as the main source.The fact is that Russia has trouble in living with the New Europe, as it had to accept the role of a bystander. For Russia, the New Europe remains a suspicious object.The Polish veto against negotiations with Russia is one example for the changes that occurred in the New Europe and this forces the European Commission to clarify its positions towards Russia.

This also shows how hard it is for Moscow to live the new realities on a changing European continent.

But, we should not forget, although Russia does not seem to be, at least for the moment, Europe's soulmate, at the same time, it is also not Europe's enemy.A new confrontation with Russia, now, will not be wise.To the contrary, a realistic approach which underlines the areas in which Russia and the European continent can cooperate will be the right beginning.At the same time, insisting on European positions will prove that a new realism in European foreign policy became fashionable again.Israel Rafalovich
U.N. OBSERVER & International Report.

New IDF Regulations for Launching Counter-Terror Raids
By Hana Levi Julian (INN) JAN 08,07

In the wake of Thursday's IDF counter-terrorism raid in Ramallah just before the Olmert/Mubarak summit, top brass has been instructed to change the rules for approval of military operations. Defense Minister Amir Peretz met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz and Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh Sunday night to review the findings of an investigation into Thursday’s IDF attempted arrest of a wanted terrorist in Ramallah.The terrorist was wounded, but succeeded in escaping. In the course of the mission, IDF troops encountered massive return fire and called in back-up forces. In the ensuing exchange of fire, four Ramallah Arabs were killed and some 20 were injured, including journalists. Four IDF soldiers were lightly wounded.Defense Minister Amir Peretz (Labor) and Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Tzachi HaNegbi (Kadima) both criticized the IDF for launching the counter-terror operation just hours before delicate talks between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were scheduled to begin. IDF leaders were slammed for not consulting the politicians before allowing the operation to go ahead on a day when Olmert was scheduled to meet with Mubarak - even though such operations are nearly a daily affair.The new protocols will include the mandate that diplomatically sensitive operations require the specific approval of the Chief of Staff or his deputy – who will decide whether the operation requires approval from the Defense Minister as well.