SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL GROWS

1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-2 earthquakes shake Tokyo and Japan. 3-Spring's slow arrival hits crops, baseball. 4-Spring storm drops snow, spawns tornado. 5-The Nation's Weather. 6-EU official sees Mideast peace momentum. 7-Asian hornets a new menace in France. 8-Two men charged with firebombing Jewish school, centre. 9-Street preacher vows to stay loud and proud. 10-Constitution by the backdoor. 11-The Emerging Church: Straying from the Gospel. 12-Barroso seeks road map for EU Constitution. 13-Solana against setting outer border for EU. 14-support for Jews among Christians is growing.

EARTHQUAKES

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

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

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

WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)

Update time = Sat Apr 14 11:10 AM EDT

APR 14,07
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.4 ECUADOR
MAP 2.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.9 WEST CHILE RISE
MAP 3.2 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.4 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.1 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

APR 13,07
MAP 4.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 5.1 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 2.6 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.6 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 3.4 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 5.8 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
MAP 5.3 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 2.9 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.8 MICHOACAN, MEXICO
MAP 4.5 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 3.4 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.9 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 2.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.0 KEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA
MAP 5.5 KEPULAUAN SULA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.4 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 6.0 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 4.4 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 4.8 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.2 FIJI REGION
MAP 2.9 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.7 KURIL ISLANDS

2 earthquakes shake Tokyo and Japan APR 14,07

TOKYO — Two earthquakes shook Tokyo and northeastern Japan early Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. There were no tsunami warnings from the two temblors, the Meteorological Agency said.A quake with preliminary magnitude of 5.4 struck off the coast of Hachijo-Jima island in the Pacific Ocean at 3:15 a.m. Saturday. About two and half hours later, a magnitude 4.5 quake centered off the coast of Ibaraki jolted dozens of towns in northeastern Japan.Hachijo-Jima is about 185 miles south of Tokyo, and Ibaraki is about 125 miles northeast of the capital.

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.

Spring's slow arrival hits crops, baseball By Andrew Stern Fri Apr 13, 1:18 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wheat fields ruined by freezing temperatures, snowed-out baseball games in Cleveland and Chicago, and shivering vacationers have made this spring one to forget across much of the United States.

After the warmest winter ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere and much talk of global warming, weather watchers say occasional snowstorms in the Midwest and Northeast, and unseasonable cold gripping much of the eastern two-thirds of the nation, is rare though not unprecedented.It's pretty unusual, said University of Wisconsin-Madison atmospheric scientist Jonathan Martin.Once every 10 years or so we have a snow 5 inches event or greater (in Wisconsin) in the first half of April. It hasn't happened for about 12 years but it certainly happened onWednesday for us when more than 5 inches fell, he said.

Such an event is probably a once every 10- or 20-year event for the Great Lakes region. Since this has been so widespread and so extreme for these last seven or eight days -- that might put it in the once-every-30-years category, he added.As much as one-quarter of the nation's hard red winter wheat and nearly half of its soft red winter wheat has been damaged by the sub-freezing temperatures, leaving farmers scrambling to replant ruined fields with scarce corn seeds or soybeans, agriculture experts said.Resulting price jumps for wheat could affect the cost of producing staples such as bread and crackers.The cold, wet spring has also kept Midwestern farmers from starting on this year's planting. Forecasts for continued below-normal temperatures in the nation's breadbasket will keep soils too cool for seeds to germinate, meteorologists said.

It's looking like not much corn planting is going to get done in the Midwest during April. The first half of May is going to be more of a ball game, said Mike Palmerino, forecaster with DTN Meterologix weather service.Actual ball games have been tougher to come by as the boys of summer have become springtime refugees -- the Cleveland Indians baseball team had to move this week's scheduled home games from snowy Jacobs Field to the Milwaukee Brewers' stadium, which used its retractable roof.

The Chicago Cubs also postponed a contest due to a stinging snowstorm.Another violent storm swept out of the southern plains on Friday, blanketing Colorado and Kansas with snow, and stormy weather was expected to batter the East Coast over the weekend.But Friday dawned bright and sunny in Madison, Wisconsin.The sun is so high in the sky and so powerful after the spring equinox (which occurred on March 20 this year), that as soon as it comes out, the melting begins, Martin said.
(Additional reporting by Julie Ingwersen and Chris Stebbins)

Spring storm drops snow, spawns tornado By JEFF CARLTON, Associated Press Writer APR 14,07

DALLAS - A severe storm dropped nearly a foot of snow on parts of the central Plains Friday and spawned at least one tornado in Texas, where one death was blamed on high winds. The storm shattered glass at a Forth Worth grocery store, injuring five people, while a man unloading his truck elsewhere was crushed under his load of lumber, fire spokesman Lt. Kent Worley said.In nearby Haltom City, several homes and businesses were damaged and about a dozen tractor-trailers were pushed onto their sides. The Valley Missionary Baptist Church there was destroyed.Amanda Rymer, 21, said she had a split-second to pull her 2-year-old daughter safety.I felt my house start shaking like the wind and I ran in here and grabbed my little girl, she said. As soon as I moved her, the roof fell in right where she was standing.Rymer said she rushed her daughter into a bedroom and pulled a mattress over her. Then she ran back to the living room for her 2-month-old son, who was sitting in a baby swing.

I didn't know if I was going to come out here and my little boy would be dead or alive or even here, she said.About 23,000 customers were without power Friday because the storms downed trees and power lines, said Gailee Cardwell, a spokeswoman for TXU Electric Delivery.

The storm also forced the cancellation of NASCAR Nextel Cup qualifying races at Texas Motor Speedway. Thousands of fans were advised to move to safety as tornado sirens blared at the speedway in Fort Worth.To the north, the storm caused whiteout conditions on Kansas highways and forced some schools to close early.Truck stop worker Sylvia Smith-Metcalf said conditions were so bad that she would not be able to make a 30-mile drive home to Jetmore when her shift ended.They got me a motel room right next door, she said. I'm supposed to get off work at 10, provided the person on the next shift can get in.

A tornado was spotted near Bedford, a suburb in between Dallas and Forth Worth, though no damage was reported, according to the National Weather Service.The storm system was headed toward the East Coast, where it was expected to create a messy weekend.Winds up to 25 mph were forecast for the Carolinas on Saturday before the storm was to hit the Northeast with heavy snow or rain by Sunday. Forecasters also warned of possible flooding.The storm's combination of snow, rain and high wind was unusual for this time of year, said Brian Korty, a National Weather Service forecaster in Camp Springs, Md.Jan Mahon said people around McCook, Neb., have spring fever and are eager to get out and do some gardening at home or start planting crops in the fields. But after years of abnormally dry or drought conditions near McCook, residents do see the benefit of the snow.Everybody's tired of it, Mahon said. We like the moisture, but we'd rather have rain.It follows an earlier system that grounded hundreds of flights in the Midwest on Wednesday before delivering up to a foot fresh snow to northern New England on Friday.

The Nation's Weather By WEATHER UNDERGROUND, For The Associated Press
Sat Apr 14, 5:47 AM ET

A major storm will continue developing Saturday as it moves through the Southeast toward the eastern seaboard. The storm is expected to bring heavy winds, rain and thunderstorms to the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

As it approaches the East Coast, the storm is expected to intensify, climaxing on Sunday.Rain is expected in the Northwest, and snow is likely in higher elevations. Temperatures in the region are expected to range from the 30s in higher elevations to the 60s in lower ones.Inland areas of California should get temperatures in the 60s and 70s, and temperatures in parts of the Southwest should reach the 80s. Temperatures are expected to range from the 30s to 50s in the Northeast and 60s and 70s in most of the Southeast. The upper Midwest should experience temperatures in the 40s and 50s, while temperatures in Florida could reach the 90s. Temperatures in the lower 48 states Friday ranged from a low of 3 degrees at Yellowstone, Wyo., to a high of 97 degrees at Laredo, Texas.

EU official sees Mideast peace momentum By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer APR 14,07

UNITED NATIONS - There is new momentum in the Middle East peace process, a high-ranking European Union official said Friday after meeting the U.N. secretary-general. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU external relations commissioner, pointed to a recent Arab League peace initiative, a new Palestinian unity government, and regular meetings between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.I think the recent developments ... have brought indeed a new momentum to this peace process, she said.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Ferrero-Waldner discussed these developments and the next meeting of the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers — the U.N., EU, Russia and the U.S.Last month, the Arab League relaunched a proposal based on a dormant 2002 Saudi plan offering peace with Israel in exchange for a full withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Mideast War. Olmert has hailed the plan as a revolutionary change but has also expressed reservations.

Since the militant Hamas group swept parliamentary elections last year, EU has paid hundreds of million of dollars in social assistance directly to the people and projects, bypassing the government.

Palestinians installed the new government, a coalition of Hamas and the moderate Fatah party, last month in hopes of persuading international community to end a year of bruising sanctions.Ferrero-Waldner told reporters that she and Ban both welcome the national unity government as indeed an important step towards Palestinian unity.But she stressed that the EU will only support those in the new Palestinian government who accept the Quartet's principles Israel's right to exist, past peace agreements signed by the PLO and renunciation of terror and violence.

Asian hornets a new menace in France By PAUL LAUENER and MARIE-LAURE COMBES, Associated Press Writers SAT APR 14,07

PARIS - Ambushing locals as they return home from work, foreign invaders are dismembering French natives and feeding them to their young. This horror scenario is playing out in France's beehives, where an ultra-aggressive species of Asian hornets — who likely migrated in pottery shipped from China — may be threatening French honey production.The hornets are thought to have reached France in 2004 after stowing away on a cargo boat, said Claire Villemant, a lecturer at Paris' Natural History Museum.She said a France-based bonsai merchant traveled to the Yunnan province of southern China to buy ceramic pots for his trees.

He saw the hornets in that region, she said. When he saw them again, they were buzzing around his property in the southwestern French village of Tonneins.Since then, they hornets have been establishing themselves in their adopted country, concentrating mostly on building imposing nests. It took until last summer for their numbers to start threatening honey production, said Henri Clement, president of the National Union for French Beekeeping. He said it was too early to give figures on the hornets' economic impact, but he is bracing for a tough summer.The situation is very worrying, he said. If the hornets keep attacking the bees then their number will be reduced and honey production will be severely handicapped.France's 1.1 million hives produce up to 30,000 tons of honey a year, about 2,500 tons of which are exported, according to the French national agency for fruits, vegetables and horticulture.

Experts fear the hornets — which also sting humans — may spread to the warmer reaches of southern Europe. They could begin colonizing Spain as early as this summer, Villemant said. Even Britain could be vulnerable if they hornets cross the English Channel through freight, she said.Mike Hood, entomology professor at Clemson University in South Carolina, warned, If it could spread to France, it could spread to other regions of the world, so that would be a concern for the U.S.North America is already suffering its own bee troubles.An invasion of highly aggressive Africanized bees has spread across the southern United States. These killer bees are easily provoked and attack in huge numbers. Since the hybrid Africanized bees are considered less efficient than European bees, beekeepers worry they could lower honey production and pollination.

A mysterious illness has killed tens of thousands of honeybee colonies in at least 22 U.S. states, threatening honey production. The cause of the ailment, called Colony Collapse Disorder, is unclear.In France, the Asian hornets have spread quickly and turned once-tranquil hives into battlefields, since there are no natural predators in the region.Bigger and bulkier than their European cousins, the hornets have no trouble overcoming honeybees. They ambush beehives and dismember the bees, ripping off their heads, antennae, and wings and reducing them to a paste to feed the hornet queen and her larvae.The honeybees are beginning to mount a counteroffensive, Villemant says: They gather around an invading hornet, flap their wings to increase the temperature and effectively roast it.Beekeepers also are fighting back they can change the size of the entrances to the hives so the smaller bees can get in but not the hornets. Some have suggested destroying all hornet nests in the region, including those of French and European hornets. But Villemant says that would be ecologically disastrous. Hood said French beekeepers could go back to where (the hornets) came from to find natural predators. But he added, You have to be careful with this kind of solution as what you bring back might be worse than the pest problem you already have.

Two men charged with firebombing Jewish school, centre
Friday, April 13, 2007 CBC News

Montreal police arrested two men Friday in connection with three bombings, including explosions at a Jewish community centre and a Jewish school.The men — Omar Bulphred, 24, and Azim Ibragimov, 22 — have been charged with arson, uttering death threats and possessing arson materials, police said.The two Montreal men were arrested in connection with:The explosion of a small bomb in front of the Ben Weider Jewish Community Centre in Côte-des-Neiges on April 3. A firebomb thrown at the front door of the Taldos Yakov Yosef school in Outremont that sparked a small fire on Sept. 2.
The bombing of a car in Mercier on Sept. 12. No one was injured in any of the incidents.A bail hearing will be held next week, police said.

Street preacher vows to stay loud and proud Friday, April 13, 2007 CBC News

A Calgary preacher plans to keep spreading the word of God with loudspeakers on the street, despite a court order.The grace period the city allowed Art Pawlowski over the Easter weekend has expired, but the preacher said that's not going to stop him.Without the speakers, we cannot proceed. Because of the overpass and the noise from the cars, it's impossible to communicate with anyone over there.

His street church meets across from the Drop-In Centre, a homeless shelter, on weekends.Court of Queen's Bench ruled on April 5 that Pawlowski must abide by the restrictions on his 2007 parks permit preventing him from using loudspeakers to preach.Pawlowski believes the city is persecuting him because of his religious message.

The city of Calgary is prejudiced against our message of hope in the name of Jesus and there is some witch hunt against the cross, he said.City bylaw director Bill Bruce said the noise restrictions have nothing to do with religion. He said if Pawlowski uses the speakers Friday night, there will be consequences.He's going to have to decide how that goes. There is a permit in place, the court has said the permit stands, and it needs to be honoured.Bruce said if Pawlowski defies the order, he could be fined a couple of hundred dollars. He could also have his permit revoked and be issued a mandatory court appearance for non-compliance.

Constitution by the backdoor
14.04.2007 - 17:25 CET | By Jens-Peter Bonde

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT This week the European Parliament's constitutional committee had debates with two former members of the convention the body that drew up the EU constitution. Both presented different methods for getting the major parts of the rejected constitution approved, by the backdoor, with no referendums.The new Dutch minister of European affairs, Frans Timmermans, would change the name Constitution to a new treaty and delete the EU state symbols - the flag and the hymn - from the treaty, but not from the real world.He suggested turning Part II of the proposed constitution on the charter of fundamental rights into one line, accepting them without mentioning them.Part III should be changed into amendments to the actual treaty of Nice incorporating most of the 59 new areas with qualified majority voting.

Essentially, that would mean the same content, only avoiding a referendum.Meanwhile, Pierre Lequiller, head of the National Assembly's EU delegation, proposed a similar outline bringing the treaty down to 116 articles. He would, however, include the fundamental rights part.It was striking that they both seek to avoid asking the opinion of their people on any new EU treaty. This is also the policy of the favourite candidate for the French Presidential elections, Nicholas Sarkozy.He is the Coup d'Etat candidate, aiming to adopt a rejected constitution with no new consultation of the people.

No more referendums! This is the lesson after the French and Dutch No.They had the opportunity to vote yes, which they did not do and now they will not be asked again.
How naive to believe it will work. The voters in France and the Netherlands are not blind. They opposed a constitution against the advice of 90 per cent of their own parliamentary representatives. But the democratic opposition in Europe has not gone into hiding and we will certainly mobilise the citizens for a democratic procedure to be followed.We will now reshape a European referendum campaign to call for referendums in all member states, which could occur on the same day across Europe. (A referendum petition webs ite can be found here www.X09.eu )I strongly believe we should have a new elected convention and referendums the same day throughout the EU. That method will foster the transparency, proximity and democracy rules we all deserve.

Final roadmap in June

This non-consultation method is being echoed at the highest levels. The German EU presidency has already started bilateral talks on the constitution with every single member state, avoiding general consultation and keeping stumm about what other governments have said.The German chancellor will then deliver the final roadmap with the suggested content to the incoming Portuguese presidency at the 21-22 June summit in Brussels.To keep complete control, the German presidency has established a three-country-leadership whereby the following Portuguese and Slovenian presidencies are involved so that everyone remains on message. Berlin can then also use its role as paymaster in the EU to force difficult countries like Poland and the Czech Republic to play ball and its special relations to France and the Netherlands to finalise negotiations on the next treaty.

New name - same content

The reborn constitution will not be called a constitution, but a basic treaty. But changing the name does not change the content.The June summit will see the final roadmap drawn up for the next treaty.

This will then be followed an intergovernmental conference and a special summit in the autumn in a Portuguese city after which the new document will be named.The German presidency will strive to avoid any fundamental change and safeguard the core which is qualified majority in 59 articles in addition to the existing treaty of Nice. It is also in its interests to push ahead because the rejected constitution contains the new double majority voting system meaning that German ministers and civil servants will double their say while smaller countries can half their votes in the Council. Unfortunately, German voters will not be asked their opinion on the document. It would be an interesting exercise as I have the impression that there is real anger in Germany at Brussels bureaucracy.

The former German president, Roman Herzog, recently wrote that Germany can hardly be called a parliamentary democracy because of the democratic deficit in EU law making.This is a poor reflection of democracy in the EU.

As I write this, I am thinking back to the EU's official 50th birthday celebrations in Berlin last month.An occasion with much pomp and ceremony and many inspiring speeches, it was a good reminder that it was the people outside, the ordinary citizens, who made it a really good party.The author is a member of the European Parliament for the Independence Democracy group

The Emerging Church: Straying from the Gospel
April 14, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Jerry Falwell

The late economist Peter Drucker said a few years ago: Every few hundred years in Western history there occurs a sharp transformation.

Fifty years later, there is a new world. And the people born then cannot even imagine the world in which their grandparents lived.I believe we are witnessing a modern effort to transform the church into an institution that experiences broad cultural acceptance. This effort, known as the Emerging Church, is a much-talked about movement that has brought new challenges into the Church of Jesus Christ. The so-called Emerging Church movement was formed out of frustration with dead and irrelevant evangelicalism. The problem is that it has decided to modernize and re-create the church so as not to offend sinners. This renders virtually meaningless the life-changing message of the Gospel.

John 8:32 tells us: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. This is not truth that can be modified to fit cultural whims; it is as relevant today as it was when John was inspired by God to write those words around A.D. 70. However, the website of The Leadership Network, the headquarters of the Emerging (or sometimes Emergent) Church movement, states that their outlook on truth offers a flexible approach to theology whereby individual differences in belief and morality
are accepted within reason.The site further states that members wish to reanalyze the Bible against the context into which it was written.This is very dangerous territory. Such a view opens perilous avenues that enable suggestions that Jesus is not the Christ, that the Bible is not inspired by God Himself and that there are ways to heaven other than through Jesus. Such notions counter the very fabric of the
Gospel.

In this era of diversity and political correctness, we can ill afford to weaken the very foundations of the Gospel. But the Emerging Church has determined that core doctrine and theology are sometimes roadblocks to converting the lost. This is the epitome of contradiction. Further, Emerging Church groups have decided that profanity and vulgar talk from the pulpit and elsewhere is acceptable because it is relevant to the culture. Such teachings counter the biblical teachings that Christians are new creatures in Christ.

Another problem of the Emerging Church is that its leaders, who no doubt started out with good intentions, have very little theological training. Their emphasis has been on appearances. Many of its leaders have been to conferences that tell them how to do things, but they don't know why they are doing them. Thus, they have a little bit of knowledge, but no wisdom. Dr. James McDonald spoke my feelings when he said: I resonate deeply with much of the criticism flowing from the Emerging Church against current Western Christianity, but I am deeply grieved to see the emergent remedies accepted so uncritically by those who feel gratified by the accuracy of their critiques.While I have no problem with the church adapting to the culture, we must ensure that we remain painstakingly true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we remain obedient servants to His truths. As Jesus stated: He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me (John 14:21).

Barroso seeks road map for EU Constitution Quote The European Union must agree at its June summit on a clear mandate for a path towards a new treaty. Jose Manuel Barroso, President, European Commission SMS NDTV Associated Press Friday, April 13, 2007 (Lisbon)

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Friday urged EU leaders to adopt a road map at their next summit that will guide them toward agreement on stalled plans for a constitution.

EU member states have been deadlocked for two years over a proposed European Constitution that would reshape how the bloc works. Though there is broad consensus in the bloc that a new treaty is needed to prevent gridlock, there are deep differences over how far it should go.The European Union must agree at its June summit on a clear mandate for a path towards a new treaty, Barroso said in a speech to the Portuguese Parliament.Barroso said the split over the constitution put in question (the EU's) credibility. Failure to reach agreement will continue to weaken us internally and externally, he said.The plan is currently being drawn up by Germany, which holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency.Barroso said agreement in June would allow Portugal, which takes over the presidency July 1, to steer the bloc toward a summit convened specifically to adopt a constitution.A new treaty must be in place by spring 2009, ahead of that year's European Parliament elections, Barroso said.French and Dutch voters rejected the EU's draft constitution in referendums in 2005, pitching the bloc into crisis.The constitution would have created a bill of rights, a full-time EU president and foreign minister, and faster decision-making through more decisions by majority vote.

Germany, Spain and Italy want to preserve much of the substance of the original draft of the constitution. The Poles, Czechs and British are wary about any changes that shift power from national capitals to the EU.Large parts of the treaty should be kept. We can't revisit too many issues, Barroso said.Under the current EU treaties no more countries can join the bloc, placing in doubt the date of the next enlargement, which is expected to bring in Croatia.

Solana against setting outer border for EU Apr 11, 2007

Berlin - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana spoke out Wednesday against formally determining the outer borders of the European Union. The borders cannot be set in stone.

We should not finalize them, he said in an interview with the German magazine Die Zeit. Solana said the EU could, however, decide not to expand much further than the circle of countries with whom we have already started negotiations or have pledged a European perspective to, such as the Balkan states.

How far the EU should expand is an issue which has led to divisions within the 27-member bloc over how to proceed with the EU constitution, which has been on ice since its rejection by Dutch and French voters in 2005. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hoping to present a road map on how to proceed with a streamlined version of the document to the next EU summit at the end of June. Merkel, whose country holds the EU presidency, is due to discuss the issue with Czech President Vaclav
Klaus, a strong opponent of the constitution, at talks near Berlin on April 17. Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Local faithful to stand up for Israel APR 14,07
MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World file

John Swails, state executive director of Christians United for Israel, says support for Jews among Christians is growing. He will speak at A Night to Honor Israel on Monday.By BILL SHERMAN World Religion Writer 4/14/2007

Jews and Christians will meet Monday night in the new Victory Christian worship center to show support for the nation of Israel. Keynote speaker at A Night to Honor Israel will be the Rev. John Hagee, pastor of a San Antonio mega-church and longtime supporter of Israel and the Jewish people.

Hagee spoke at A Night to Honor Israel in Tulsa in 1982 and 1992. He recently founded Christians United for Israel, which is sponsoring the Tulsa event and about 40 other similar gatherings around the country. John Swails, state executive director of Christians United for Israel, said the events are timely because there is an increasing animosity toward Israel around the world.

This is the time for Christians to step up and recognize our opportunity to stand with and show solidarity for Israel and the Jewish people, said Swails, who is chairman of the department of history, humanities and government at Oral Roberts University. Historically, support among Christians for Jews has been minimal, said Swails, who lived for years in Israel.

But he said he now sees a mushrooming of support around the world.I think it's the Spirit moving. I was in Kazakstan as an election observer, and I saw tremendous support there for Israel, he said. Swails said Christians should support Israel for three reasons: Because they're our brothers; because FROM A-8 the same people who are after them are after us, we have a common enemy; and because it's the right thing to do. He said that in the past, Jewish people have been suspicious of the motives of evangelicals who say they support Israel, and I don't blame them.They've been viewed as conversion fodder by evangelicals with a hidden agenda to bring them an evangelical message. And many evangelicals have looked at them as pawns in a biblical end-times scenario.

Our organization exists simply and purely to support Israel and the Jewish people, and to support the Israel-United States relationship, he said. Swails will speak briefly at the event, along with Rabbi Marc Fitzerman of the Conservative B'nai Emunah congregation; Rabbi Charles Sherman of Temple Israel, a Reform congregation; and the Rev. Billy Joe Daugherty of Victory Christian Center. Daugherty and the Rev. Kenneth Hagin Jr. of Rhema Bible Church are state chairmen of Christians United for Israel. The two-hour program also will include music and other contributions from Jewish and Christian congregations.