IAEA NUKE FREE WORLD

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS. 2-Moderate quake shakes southeast Alaska. 3-Quake rattles northwestern British Columbia. 4- Lake-effect snow off Lakes Erie and Ontario. 5-Nicaraguan volcano erupts, spewing ash. 6-continue our study this week in the Time of Jacob's Trouble. 7-Brush fire destroys homes in millionaire's enclave of Malibu. 8-2006 warmest on record in United States: NOAA. 9-Project Aims to Tag Tokyo Neighborhood With RFID. 10-Plans for European far-right group intensify. 11-Israel's Foreign Ministry Hosts First Israel Model United Nations. 12-Israel Soon to Launch New Anti- Missile Drone. 13-Catastrophic: Now thousands of birds fall from sky. 14-ElBaradei renews call for nuclear bomb-free world.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

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

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

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Wed Jan 10 12:39 AM EDT

JAN 10,07
MAP 3.1 MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA

JAN 09,07
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.6 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
MAP 3.1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.5 WYOMING
MAP 5.3 MYANMAR
MAP 4.9 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

JAN 08,07
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 OKLAHOMA
MAP 6.2 FIJI REGION
MAP 5.0 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.1 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 6.1 KYRGYZSTAN
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 6.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 4.7 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

Moderate quake shakes southeast Alaska Tue Jan 9, 1:16 PM ET

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A moderate earthquake jolted Southeast Alaska on Tuesday and was widely felt throughout the Panhandle.

There were no immediate reports of damage, according to the Alaska Earthquake Information Center in Fairbanks.The quake, at 6:49 a.m., had a magnitude of 5.7, according to preliminary estimates, the center said. It was centered 57 miles west of Haines at a depth of five miles.The earthquake was felt in Haines, Juneau, Sitka and numerous other communities. Haines is about 900 miles northwest of Seattle.

Quake rattles northwestern British Columbia Tue Jan 9, 8:09 PM ET

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) A moderate earthquake rattled northwestern British Columbia and the Alaska Panhandle on Tuesday, but there were no reports of damage, seismologists said.

The quake at 7:49 a.m. PST was centered in the mountains of British Columbia about 192 km (120 miles) southwest of Whitehorse, Yukon, in a sparsely populated area prone to earthquakes, according to Natural Resources Canada.Canadian seismologists said the quake was magnitude 5.6, having initially estimated it at 6.0 magnitude. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center put the strength at magnitude 5.7.

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.

Lake-effect snow off Lakes Erie and Ontario B. Bernard, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel Tue Jan 9, 4:06 PM ET

Lake-effect and upslope snow prevails from the Great Lakes southward into the southern Appalachians this afternoon. Lake-effect snow warnings remain posted for areas of New York state east of Lake Ontario and southeast of Lake Erie.

Up to two feet of fresh snow may pile up in localized areas east of Lake Ontario into the Adirondacks by tomorrow, while as much as a foot-and-a-half could accumulate in southwestern New York state south of Buffalo and in extreme northwest Pennsylvania. A lake-effect snow warning is also in effect for a small portion of northwest lower Michigan. In the Appalachians, up to 6 or 8 inches of new snow may coat the mountains of West Virginia by tomorrow morning, while 2 to 5 inches of wind-driven fluff are expected in the southern Appalachians (Tennessee/North Carolina) above 3000 feet. Elsewhere, red flag warnings for high wildfire danger are posted in the mountains of Southern California, much of Georgia and most of Florida. In the West, gusty winds will buffet Washington and Oregon as a strong Pacific cold front slams through the Northwest late today and tonight.

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.

Nicaraguan volcano erupts, spewing ash JAN 9,07

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Nicaragua's Telica volcano spewed ash into the air Tuesday but caused no major damage or forced any evacuations, officials said. The eruption 55 miles west of the capital of Managua was the 3,500-foot volcano's first in more than two years.The National Institute of Territorial Studies said the ash erupted about 1,500 feet above the volcanic crater.The eruption did not endanger nearby residents and there were no immediate evacuations.

SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE (NOT THE WORLD) THE WORLD GOES ON FOREVER.

GENESIS 1:14
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:(ISRAELS HOLY DAYS AND SABBATH STARTS AT 6PM) And for SIGNS (PROPHECY SIGNS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, OUR DAY)

ISRAELS TROUBLE

JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.

DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)

We want to continue our study this week in the Time of Jacob's Trouble.DR JACK VAN IMPE JAN 9,07

The First Seal is found in Revelation 6:1,2: And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals.... 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.The seals speak of the political, economic, and religious problems that will occur during the Tribulation. A world leader appears who seems to have the answers for peace. He rides a white horse.

Commenting on the first seal, Dr. H. A. Ironside wrote:

This rider on the white horse evidently pictures man's last effort to bring in a reign of order and peace while Christ is still rejected. It will be the world's greatest attempt to pull things together after the church is gone. It will be the Devil's cunning scheme for bringing in a mock millennium without Christ.The second seal reveals that this peace is short-lived. One who rides a red horse is given power to take peace from the earth and a terrible war follows (Revelation 6:3,4). And when he had opened the second seal.... there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another.The third seal announces famine, inflation, and shortages, well-known companions of war (Revelation 6:5,6). And when he had opened the third seal.... lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not
the oil and the wine.

The fourth seal announces plagues, sicknesses, and all kinds of violence, bringing death to many (Revelation 6:7,8). And when he had opened the fourth seal.... behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The fifth seal reveals religious persecution and indicates that multitudes will be martyred during this terrible time (Revelation 6:9,10) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

The sixth seal pictures ecological upheavals that challenge description. Generations of pollution combined with the problems in nature brought on by nuclear warfare may contribute to the chaos in nature pictured here. However, it is clear that the wrath of God is the moving force in this frightening rebellion of the creation (Revelation 6:17). And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?The seventh seal, described in Revelation 8:1, depicts the lull before the storm. The catastrophic trumpet judgments are so horrendous that all heaven sits in awesome silence before the blitzkrieg begins. That is why the text reports, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Then each of the seven angels sounds a trumpet before each calamitous judgment begins.

First Trumpet

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 (Rev. 8:7).

Second Trumpet

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

Third Trumpet

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter (Rev. 8:10,11).

Fourth Trumpet

And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! (Rev. 8:12,13).

Fifth Trumpet

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death
shall flee from them (Rev. 9:1-6).

Sixth Trumpet

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt (Rev. 9:13-19).

Seventh Trumpet

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.... And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail (Rev. 11:15,19).The trumpets sound the coming of divine judgments. The Tribulation period is a time of wrath God's wrath. And the plagues that descend are reminiscent of those brought upon Pharaoh by the hand of Moses under the direction of God. There is hail and fire mingled with blood. Trees and grass are burned. Water is turned to blood. Great turbulence comes to the sea, destroying ships and marine life. There are disturbances in the heavens and on earth. The stars fall. Darkness descends.

Demonic activity is widespread. An army of unprecedented size, numbering 200 million, moves from the east toward Jerusalem. It will be a fearsome time to be alive.The blast of the seventh trumpet also begins the seven vial judgments, which we will cover in our next newsletter.

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.

Brush fire destroys homes in millionaire's enclave of Malibu Tue Jan 9, 6:21 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A wildfire tore through the exclusive enclave of Malibu north of Los Angeles, devastating eight homes as it ripped through several acres of prime real estate, fire officials said.

The fire erupted at around 5 pm (0100 GMT) local time, with high winds sending flames roaring through 20 acres (eight hectares) of tinder-dry brush, officials said, destroying Pacific Ocean-front properties worth millions of dollars.There were no immediate reports of injuries.Malibu is popular with A-list celebrities from the film, television and music industries. Hollywood stars such as Mel Gibson, Robert Redford, Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks all own homes in the area.Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla said 200 firefighters from across the district had been mobilized to help tackle the blaze, both on the ground and in the air.Four water-dropping helicopters have been deployed to try and douse the blaze, reports said.

Another LA County Fire Inspector Ron Haralson later said eight buildings had been destroyed while a further five had suffered damage. Officials had earlier said 10 buildings had been lost.Haralson said 300 firefighters were on the scene.Dramatic television footage showed fires blazing on land adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, with several beach-front properties in flames.Houses in the affected area are situated between the oceanfront and the famous Pacific Coast Highway. According to property website Zillow.com, homes in the district are valued at between two and 10 million dollars.It was not known what had caused the blaze. Padilla said wind conditions would play a key part in how the fire develops.It all depends on the wind, Padilla said.If the fire gets directed towards the sand it's going to run out of fuel.The blaze immediately evoked memories of 1993 fires which devastated Malibu. Three people were killed in the blaze, and around 400 homes were gutted by the flames, including properties belonging to actors Sean Penn and Ali McGraw.The fires, which were blamed on arsonists, caused hundreds of millions of dollars damage. A 1996 fire in Malibu injured 11 people and gutted six homes.

OZONE DEPLETION

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

2006 warmest on record in United States: NOAA Tue Jan 9, 3:07 PM ET

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - The year 2006 was the warmest in the contiguous United States since record keeping began 112 years ago, due in large part to an unusually warm December, U.S. government weather forecasters said on Tuesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) preliminary forecast released in mid-December forecast 2006 as the third warmest year on record.NOAA said in a written statement that no state was colder than average last month and five states had their warmest December on record Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire.The average temperature in the United States in 2006 was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2.2 degrees (1.2 degrees Celsius) above the average temperature recorded from 1901 to the end of 2000.

The warm start to the winter was tied partly to the rarity of Arctic outbreaks across the country because of El Nino, NOAA said.El Nino, which is Spanish for the little boy, is an abnormal warming of water in the Pacific Ocean every three or so years that can wreak havoc with global weather patterns. It usually brings warmer weather to much of the United States.Weather forecasters said another factor in the record warmth was a long term warming trend some have linked to increases in greenhouse gases.This has made warmer-than-average conditions more common in the U.S. and other parts of the world, NOAA said. It is unclear how much of the recent anomalous warmth was due to greenhouse-gas-induced warming and how much was due to the El Nino-related circulation pattern.NOAA began keeping records in 1895.

Dec 27, 2006 - Project Aims to Tag Tokyo Neighborhood With RFID

A location-based services trial that will see a famous Tokyo neighborhood blanketed with about 10,000 radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and other beacons got its start earlier this month.The Tokyo Ubiquitous Network Project seeks to install RFID, infrared and wireless transmitters throughout Tokyo’s Ginza area, which is the most famous shopping area in the capital. The tags and transmitters will provide location-related information to people carrying prototype readers developed for the trial, said Ken Sakamura, a professor at The University of Tokyo and the leader of the project.The system works by matching a unique code sent out by each beacon with data stored on a server on the Internet. The data is obtained automatically by the terminal, which communicates back to the server via a wireless LAN connection and requests the data relevant to the beacon that is being picked up.Sakamura envisages the system will be able to provide users with basic navigation and information about the shops and stores in the area in at least four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.

For example, bringing the terminal close to an RFID tag on a street lamp will pinpoint the user’s location, and the system will be able to guide the user to the nearest railway station, while walking past a radio beacon in front of a shop might bring up details of current special offers or a menu for a restaurant.Ginza is the most famous shopping district in Japan, said Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara at an event to launch the project. In every building there are many shops, bars and clubs and it can be difficult to find the one you want. With this, you can just push a button and find the where you want to go even if you’re drunk! The terminal being used in the Ginza trial has been developed by Tokyo’s Ubiquitous Computing Technology Center, which is a joint venture between the Japanese government and some of the country’s largest high-tech companies including Fujitsu, NEC, Hitachi and NTT East.It features a 3.5-inch organic light emitting diode touch-panel display and a host of networking interfaces. There is RFID, infrared and 429MHz wireless for interacting with the beacons in the trial, wireless LAN for connection to the Internet and a Bluetooth link.

General trials in Ginza are scheduled to begin on Jan. 21 and will run until March.
The project is supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MILT) and is one of several taking place in Japan.In one of the trials, RFID tags have been embedded in yellow studded rubber tiles that are often put onto pavements as an aid to blind or partially sighted people. An RFID reader at the tip of a cane picks up the tags, and a transmitter box mounted higher on the cane sends the tag’s ID to the prototype terminal, which gets relevant information from the server. In a demonstration of the system, the terminal alerted the user that the pavement was coming to an end but that there was a ramp to the right and stairs to the left.By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)

Plans for European far-right group intensify
08.01.2007 - 09:17 CET | By Honor Mahony (Eu Observer)

The European Parliament looks set to have a far-right grouping within its corridors by mid-January, with MEPs from new member states Bulgaria and Romania helping to make the formation possible.Under EU rules, there need to be at least 20 MEPs from six different member states for a political group to be formed.The bloc's 1 January expansion means that the group-in-making is likely to get one MEP from Bulgaria's extreme Ataka party and five MEPs from Romania's nationalistic and anti-Roma Greater Romania Party.Attempts to form a far-right political party in the Brussels assembly have been on-going in recent years but have generally been hampered by divisions among the various national groups and the lack of a common political platform.But according to Austrian MEP Andreas Moelzer, who has been one of the main proponents of forming a European far-right movement, the group could be established on 15 January and is expected to be called Identity, Sovereignty and Transparency (IST).Mr Moelzer told Austrian news agency APA that the new group is expected to be headed by Bruno Gollnisch, a member of France's National Front.

There are still a few imponderables, but it is pretty much watertight, Mr Moelzer told APA of the 15 January plans.He said the group is likely to have at least 20 members and will have a minimal consensus programme being broadly against immigration, against Turkey's EU membership, against the EU constitution for its tendencies...towards a central government.The loose programme marks the disharmony between the different national elements with one of their main motives for forming a group being to get more say in the European Parliament.It is more a technical than a political group, Alessandra Mussolini, grand daughter of the facist Il Duce, told APA.We are mainly getting together out of necessity. Survival is only possible in a political group, she added, referring to the fact that groups have a right to more funds and political positions in the European Parliament, something non-attached MEPs do not have.Should the far-right party get off the ground, it will bring together a motley group of politicians.

Mr Gollnisch is waiting for a court verdict on charges of questioning the Holocaust. Bulgarian would-be member Dimitar Stoyanov late last year circulated a derogatory email in the European Parliament about Gypsies after a Hungarian Roma MEP was nominated for MEP of the year, while the Greater Romanian MEPs come from a party whose leader, Cornelio Vadim Tudor, has drawn attention for his racist tones.Other MEPs that may join the group include two independent members, Italy's Luca Romagnoli and the UK's Ashley Mote, as well as MEPs from the Flemish Vlaams Belang.

Israel's Foreign Ministry Hosts First Israel Model United Nations Jan 08, '07

(IsraelNN.com) Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded its two-day U.N. model conference on Monday. The Model United Nations is an international project, held in dozens of countries around the world, in which 11th and 12th grade students represent various member states of the U.N. and simulate the General Assembly and committee debates. Through participation in the project, students learn about the work of the United Nations, as well as international conflicts and global problems faced by the member states.In preparation for the simulated General Assembly, the students also learn about the work of the diplomat: rules of behavior and debate, public speaking, drafting resolutions, and even code of dress.The opening ceremony, held at the Moshe Sharett Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by the representative of the U.N. Secretary General to the Middle East, the head of the Jerusalem Education Administration and principals of the seven high schools taking part in the project.

Israel Soon to Launch New Anti- Missile Drone
By Hana Levi Julian(INN) JAN 09,07

A new drone designed to identify, intercept and destroy ballistic missiles as they are launched from the ground will soon make its debut. The drone, designed and produced by the Israel Aircraft Industries, is the largest unmanned aircraft in the world.

It is a huge aircraft, almost the same size as a Boeing 737 passenger airliner with a wing span of 110 feet (35 meters), said a security official quoted in the daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot. The aircraft is designed to fly at high altitudes and is equipped with cameras which identify the missiles as they are launched. It is also armed with missiles, which are used to intercept and destroy those which are fired by the enemy. Named the Eitan, the unmanned aircraft will be used for long-range operations and is expected to make its first flight within the near future.The development of the new anti-missile system comes as the Jewish State eyes with concern the increasing threat to its existence by sabre-rattling calls from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to wipe Israel off the map.

Hizbullah terrorists in southern Lebanon fired Iranian-made long-range missiles at Israel during the war last summer, hitting an Israeli naval vessel in Mediterranean waters and killing four sailors. Syria and Iran have also broadened military cooperation in recent months. Iran agreed last June to sell missiles and establish weapons production plants in Syria. Defense ministers of the two Muslim countries said the agreement was intended as a move against Israel and the United States. Earlier in the year, Iran conducted a successful test launch of its Shehab-3 surface-to-air (SAM) ballistic missile. The weapon is designed to carry a non-conventional weapon, such as an atomic warhead, according to a report that was published in the British Telegraph. Russia has also been arming the Islamic Republic. Iran received the first of 29 surface-to- air missile systems from Russia in November, according to the Tass news agency.

Iranian crews were trained by Russia to man the weapons.

Catastrophic: Now thousands of birds fall from sky
Wildlife officers baffled, autopsies shed no light on mystery
Posted: January 9, 2007 - 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Thousands of birds inexplicably dropped like rocks from the sky over Australia. Thousands of wattle birds like this one have mysteriously dropped dead in Australia The mysterious catastrophe has taken place over a period of three weeks in Esperance, about 450 miles southeast of Perth. The area was declared a disaster zone by government officials. So far, authorities are clueless as to the cause. Autopsies on the birds have shed no light. The main casualties, according to Australian news sources, are wattle birds, yellow-throated miners, new holland honeyeaters and singing honeyeaters. Some dead crows, hawks and pigeons have also been found. Some birds were seen convulsing when they died. Wildlife officers are baffled by what they characterize as a catastrophic event. It does not appear to be weather-related.

District nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald said: It's very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead, although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of bushland. Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it had not heard of a similar occurrence. Not on that scale, and all at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different species, chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. You'd have to call that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned about. Just yesterday, some 60 birds fell out of the sky in Austin, Texas, without explanation. The incident prompted street closings for several hours. Officials said they had tested the air for dangerous substances but found nothing, and they declared the area safe. The dead birds – grackles, sparrows and pigeons – were being checked for avian flu, but officials said they saw no symptoms of the illness and believed it more likely they had been poisoned, possibly deliberately, or affected by near-freezing weather.

ElBaradei renews call for nuclear bomb-free world By William Maclean
Tue Jan 9, 10:25 AM ET

ALGIERS (Reuters) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohammed ElBaradei renewed a call on Tuesday for a nuclear weapons-free world, saying atom bombs and missiles held by nine nations could end life as we know it. In a speech to a conference in Algeria, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate added his agency enjoyed only uneven authority as it sought to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons among nations who have pledged to respect its watchdog role.Building a new international system of security that shunned nuclear weapons and placed fresh emphasis on negotiations and fighting poverty could help put that right, he said.

We should always remember that the goal of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a world free from nuclear weapons, he told the conference on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in Africa, a nuclear weapons-free zone since South Africa gave up its
nuclear arsenal over a decade ago.We have nine countries that possess nuclear weapons, we have 27,000 warheads in existence. We still have more than 30 countries that are members of alliances that rely on nuclear weapons as part of their security, ElBaradei said.ElBaradei did not name the nine countries. Known nuclear states are the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan and North Korea.Israel, widely believed to be nuclear armed, does not comment on the topic.We witness increasing concern regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons and with it the increased danger of both the intentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons that could end life as we know it, ElBaradei said.The IAEA plays a crucial role in this. However the extent of the agency's authority remains uneven from country to country, he added.He explained that too few countries had brought into force the Additional Protocol to the NPT that allows for intrusive, short-notice IAEA inspections of nuclear sites.Iran has also minimized its cooperation with U.N. nuclear inspectors after ceasing to implement the Additional Protocol.

Iran's nuclear energy program is seen by the West as a major proliferation risk. Gulf Arab nations who are uneasy neighbors of Iran say they will pursue nuclear power too.The U.N. Security Council imposed some sanctions on Iran last month for failing to heed its demand to suspend its nuclear energy program, seen as a possible smokescreen for assembling atom bombs since Tehran has impeded IAEA investigations. Iran says it has a right assured by its membership of the NPT to enrich uranium for nuclear power plant fuel. It denies any intent to divert enrichment activity into bombmaking.Reclusive North Korea drew international condemnation for an October 9 nuclear weapons test but has since agreed to return to six-party disarmament talks it had boycotted for a year.

Algerian President Bouteflika, in a speech, criticized what he called an unbalanced situation in which non-nuclear armed states were told to help fight the spread of nuclear weapons while nuclear armed states were being slow to keep promises to substantially cut stockpiles of atom bombs.ElBaradei, an Egyptian, and his agency won the Peace Prize in 2005 for fighting the spread of nuclear weapons.