SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

VIDEO BY A JEWISH RABBI ON THE END OF DAYS IN THE TITLE.

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.

Weather keeps Southern California wildfires burning
By Rex Crum, MarketWatch Last update: 2:53 p.m. EDT April 27, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Unseasonably hot temperatures are expected to continue for several days, making it difficult to continue a southern California wildfire that has so far caused the evacuation 300 homes near Los Angeles.Published reports said that the fires, centered around the city of Sierra Madre, Calif., have so far burned 350 acres as temperatures neared 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Officials in Sierra Madre, which is about 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles, said they believed it would take two to three days before the fires are under control.

Firefighters are trying to get the blaze under control in order to prevent a repeat of last year's fires that destroyed thousands of homes between Santa Barbara and the Mexican border.
Rex Crum is a reporter for MarketWatch in San Francisco.

1,000 flee foothill homes as wildfire burns near Los Angeles By JOHN ANTCZAK, Associated Press Writer APR 28,08

SIERRA MADRE, Calif. - Darkness didn't keep firefighters from continuing to gain ground Monday on a 400-acre wildfire they have been battling all weekend near Los Angeles. It just meant a change in tactics.The hand crews are still making progress against the flanks of the fire, Cliff Johnson, fire information officer for the Angeles National Forest, said early Monday. (But) no aircraft are being used in the darkness.All of Sierra Madre's schools have canceled Monday classes, and the early season wildfire forced the evacuation of at least 1,000 people from their homes in the foothills. Authorities said no homes have burned.About 500 firefighters attacked the blaze, aided during the daytime by two helicopters and water-dropping air tankers, said city of Sierra Madre spokeswoman Elisa Weaver.This is pretty serious, Weaver said. Some of these areas have not burned in over 40 years.By Sunday evening crews had the fire 30 percent contained, Sierra Madre spokesman James Carlson said. Light winds and rising humidity were aiding firefighters, who hoped to have the blaze fully contained within a week, Carlson said.

Monday morning will see the return of firefighting aircraft and likely more ground crews, Johnson said.On Sunday, helicopters made water drops on a steep ridge above Sierra Madre near Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park, about 15 miles northeast of Los Angeles and just east of Pasadena. A fixed-wing water tanker also dropped flame retardant.Aircraft also were helping fire officials assess the movement of the blaze, which was had been creeping northwest into Angeles National Forest, Battalion Chief Tim Davis of the Forest Service said.It's very steep, inaccessible terrain, and it's very heavy brush, Davis said at a news conference. Very difficult and arduous labor for these crews. You can't get bulldozers into the majority of where these fingers of fire run.Two firefighters had minor injuries — one was treated for heat exhaustion, another for a strained knee, authorities said.The blaze stranded 50 guests from a wedding party at the Chantry Flats ranger's station on Saturday until they were airlifted out Sunday afternoon, Weaver said. It took five helicopter trips from the ranger's station to the wedding's parking area. The party then was escorted out by road.

Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the fire, first reported on a windy Saturday afternoon as temperatures approached 100 degrees.

Hundreds flee wildfires in Spain Sunday, 27 April , 2008, 09:18

San Sebastian (Spain): Hundreds of people fled wildfires on Saturday on the Spanish island of La Gomera, with some residents taking refuge on the beaches, provincial authorities said. Separate blazes broke out around the towns of Hermigua, Vallehermoso and Agulo in the northern part of the island. There were no immediate reports about the source of the fires. At least one house was destroyed by late Saturday. There were no reports of casualties.

Amid high winds driving the wildfires, dozens of fire-fighters and volunteers were battling the flames, with aerial support from tanker planes. Spanish military troops in the Canary Islands were expected to join the effort. La Gomera's Garajonay National Park, which is listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site, could be endangered by the blazes on the island.

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.

Series of quakes takes toll on rattled residents of Reno By MARTIN GRIFFITH, Associated Press Writer Sun Apr 27, 10:20 PM ET

RENO, Nev. - Dozens of minor earthquakes shook Reno on Sunday as a series of temblors entered its third month and prompted some frazzled residents to leave their homes. More than 150 aftershocks have been recorded on the western edge of northern Nevada's largest city after a magnitude-4.7 quake hit Friday night, the strongest quake in a sequence that began Feb. 28. There were no reports of injuries or widespread damage.Scientists have urged residents to prepare for worse, saying the recent activity is unusual because the quakes started out small and continue to build in strength.

After being awakened as many as four times a night by quakes, retiree Sandra Petty decided to spend nights 10 miles away at the Sparks home of her daughter, Stefanie McCaffrey.The quakes have sent her emotions and nerves into a tailspin, McCaffrey said Sunday. She was exhausted, and she couldn't relax or unwind. She just needed to get away so she could have a good night's sleep.

Keith Phillips said he's going to live somewhere else, possibly with his children, until the activity settles down. He lives about a block from the epicenter of Friday night's quake, which cracked walls in his house and pushed one of his garages off its foundation.

I grew up in the Bay Area and went through some major quakes down there, Phillips told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Since we're right on top of the epicenter, I've never felt anything like this.The strongest aftershock Sunday measured 3 and was recorded shortly before 11 a.m.Three other quakes larger than magnitude 3 have struck areas scattered hundreds of miles apart across northern Nevada since Friday night's 4.7 quake in Reno.The quakes around Reno began a week after a magnitude 6 one in the northern Nevada town of Wells, near the Utah border. The Feb. 21 quake has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks.Scientists said they're unsure whether the seismic activity across the state, unusual for its basin-and-range topography, is related.Not enough is known about the faults and their history and what their role is, said Ken Smith of the seismological laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno.

The Reno temblors have prompted a flood of calls from homeowners to insurers about quake insurance.MetLife placed a 30-day moratorium on new coverage after a 4.2 quake jolted Reno on Thursday. Until then, the strongest quake in the sequence had been 3.6 on April 16.

Other insurers were expected to follow suit.

It probably will be extended, unfortunately, because of the one (Friday) night, MetLife agent Charlotte Eckmeyer said, adding that quake coverage just about doubles premiums.Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the nation behind California and Alaska. Reno's last major quake measured 6.1 on April 24, 1914.

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.

Flood forces 2nd day of evacuations in northern Ontario
Sun Apr 27, 12:12 PM

ST..JOHNS (CBC) - As many as 2,000 people were expected to be airlifted Sunday from three communities in northern Ontario after rapidly rising water levels and melting ice prompted local leaders to declare an emergency.The rising Albany River is threatening the communities of Kashechewan and Fort Albany near James Bay. Rising water levels were also threatening the community of Attawapiskat.
Hundreds of the most vulnerable residents were the first to be evacuated by plane on Friday and over the weekend. They were put up in motels, hotels or other accommodations in Cochrane, Greenstone, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.The Ontario communities of Kapuskasing, Elliot Lake and Geraldton and as far south as Stratford will also be receiving people.The evacuation plan had been in place for about a year, and the federal and provincial governments were awaiting a call from the community to kick their plans into gear, said Barry Radford, a spokesman for Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources in Huntsville, Ont.
Radford said the evacuations would depend on the weather and the water levels: That'll determine when we start and when we finish, he said.Although Kashechewan is perennially beset by flooding, conditions this year are particularly bad, Radford said.Residents are expected to be away from home for six to eight weeks.With files from the Canadian Press.

Fierce snowstorm temporarily closes Trans-Canada Highway
Sun Apr 27, 9:48 AM

A stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in southeastern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario was reopened Sunday, a day after poor visibility and treacherous driving conditions forced police to shut it down.The highway was closed for about 24 hours from Falcon Lake, Man., to Thunder Bay, Ont., as a snowstorm hammered the area, bringing high winds and up to 20 centimetres of snow.The closure forced dozens of cars and trucks to turn around. Many drivers waited out the storm in Falcon Lake, about a 90-minute drive east of Winnipeg.In Winnipeg, about 20 people were stranded at the Greyhound bus depot after their driver was forced to turn back from Falcon Lake.While the highway has been reopened, a Department of Transportation spokesman told CBC News that road conditions were still far from ideal on Sunday morning.Most highways in southeastern Manitoba were in poor shape with icy and snow-packed sections.

Northeast soaker ahead Mark Avery APR 28,08

Heavy rain is expected over much of the Northeast over the next couple of days. An area of low pressure will move up the Appalachians through Wednesday. This low will bring in moisture off of the Atlantic Ocean, and with an upper level trough digging into the region, brings a chance at some heavy rain particularly over New England. Rainfall amounts over 2 inches are expected from around Philadelphia to Burlington, Vermont, to near Bar Harbor, Maine. Rain over 3 inches is expected from New York City to Augusta, Maine, to near Albany. This amount of rain can and will cause localized flooding, especially in New England at least through Wednesday. Flood watches are posted for much of New Hampshire and western Maine, with more possible. The upper trough, currently moving out of the Great Lakes, will stall out over eastern Canada over the next several days, bringing a chance at some scattered showers to the interior Northeast for much of the week ahead. Farther south, locally heavy rain is also possible as far south as North Carolina. Rainfall amounts are not expected to be quite as dramatic as what is expected in the Northeast, but much of North Carolina and Virginia could see around an inch of rain before ending tonight.

FAMINE

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 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.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)

Oil nears $120 following labor and military strikes By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer APR 28,08

VIENNA, Austria - Oil prices hit an all-time high near $120 a barrel Monday after a weekend refinery strike closed a pipeline system that delivers a third of Britain's North Sea oil to refineries in the U.K. The shutdown comes amid supply outages in Nigeria that have helped to support oil against a strengthening dollar.We've got a confluence of a number of events that have really disrupted crude oil supply, said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. That's what's driving oil to a new record even though the U.S. dollar actually strengthened a bit.Light, sweet crude for June delivery rose to a record $119.93 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract eased back to $119.04 a barrel by noon in Europe, up 52cents from Friday's close of $118.52.BP PLC on Sunday shut down the Forties Pipeline System that carries more than 700,000 barrels of oil a day to the U.K. because of a 48-hour walkout by employees at a refinery in central Scotland.

Workers walked out of the Grangemouth refinery vowing not to give ground in their dispute with refinery owner Ineos over plans to close a generous pension scheme to new employees. Ineos chief executive Tom Crotty said it could take a week for the plant to return to production once the strike ends on Tuesday. BP said its pipeline could be up and running within 24 hours.BP's Kinneil plant, the onshore processing center for the pipeline system, is powered from the Grangemouth site.With the refinery being shut down, it will affect supplies from the North Sea and that has a potentially significant impact, said David Moore, a commodity strategist with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney. That comes at the same time that there's production disruptions from Nigeria so the combined effect of those is the immediate factor that's put pressure on oil prices.Analyst Stephen Schork also attributed the bullish market to the combination of events stoking supply concerns.News that BP shut-in 40 percent of the Forties Pipe compounded the latest headline out of Nigeria regarding a rebel attack near that country's largest oil and gas export terminal on Bonny Island, he said, in his Schork Report. Thus, all of that bubble talk aside, the market looks stronger than ever.In Nigeria, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, said its fighters hit an oil pipeline late Thursday, the fourth conduit the group has attacked in the past week. MEND said the pipeline belongs to a Royal Dutch Shell PLC joint venture. A Shell spokesman confirmed one of its pipelines had been hit, but provided no additional details.Separately, workers at an ExxonMobil Corp. joint venture there cut production by an unspecified amount to demand more pay.Demand is high for Nigeria's light, sweet crude, which is easily refined. After years of militant attacks, however, Nigeria's output is dropping and the country can produce only about 75 percent of its official production capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day.

This week, the oil market is also expected to closely watch the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.The central bank's policymakers will meet to decide whether to lower interest rates again and to issue an updated assessment of the U.S. economy and financial system. Most investors believe the Fed will lower rates by another quarter percentage point — and that it will also suggest it may temporarily halt its round of recent cuts.There are a lot of expectations that the Fed will make an announcement that they will take a pause in interest rate cuts, Shum said. If that's the case, then the U.S. dollar may bottom out and that could cause some pullback in oil pricing.Many analysts believe the weakness of the dollar is a bigger factor than supply and demand because the soft dollar draws investors worried about inflation into commodities such as oil and gold. It also makes commodities less expensive for buyers operating in other currencies.In other Nymex trading, heating oil futures were flat at $3.310 a gallon while gasoline prices moved up slightly to fetch $3.0568 a gallon. Natural gas futures added over 10 cents to sell at $11.072 per 1,000 cubic feet. Brent crude futures rose 73 cents to $117.07 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London. Associated Press writer Gillian Wong contributed to this report from Singapore.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

Stocks head for higher open amid merger talk, earnings reports By JOE BEL BRUNO, AP Business Writer APR 28,08

NEW YORK - Stocks headed for a higher open Monday amid more speculation about mergers and acquisitions, and ahead of a handful of earnings reports on tap for the session. Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. shares will be in focus after The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported that Mars Inc. and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. may be close to buying the company for more than $22 billion. The acquisition of the maker of Doublemint gum could be announced as early as Monday.Meanwhile, Continental Airlines Inc. said late Sunday it would not be part of any merger in the near future, a surprise announcement after weeks of speculation it would link up with United Airlines to create the world's biggest airline. Continental Chairman and Chief Executive Lawrence Kellner told employees the Houston-based airline was better off alone just one week after United shocked Wall Street with a $537 million first-quarter loss.Visa Inc. will post quarterly results late in the day. The world's largest credit-card processor is expected to report strong profits for the second quarter, driven by faster growth overseas.Health insurer Humana said Monday that increased Medicare Advantage membership helped drive first-quarter profit above Wall Street expectations, as it raised its outlook for the full year.

Humana Inc.'s net income grew to $80.2 million, or 47 cents per share, from year-ago profit of $71.2 million, or 42 cents per share.
Others reporting results include Verizon Communications Inc., Sysco Corp., and Tyson Foods Inc. So far about half the Standard & Poor's 500 have reported results.Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 35, or 0.31 percent, to 12,910. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were up 5.70, or 0.41 percent, at 1,402.80, while Nasdaq 100 index futures added 8.00, or 0.43 percent, to 1,929.00.Stocks finished mostly higher on Friday, with the Dow industrials rising 42 points and the S&P 500 up 9 points. The major indexes finished last week moderately higher.Bond prices were expected to decline ahead of the Federal Reserve policy-setting meeting on Wednesday, where central bankers are expected to lower interest rates by a quarter point. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 3.89 percent from 3.87 percent late Friday.A spike in oil prices is also expected to pressure stocks. A barrel of light crude rose 48 cents to $119 in premarket trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.The dollar was lower against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 0.22 percent. In morning trading, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.67 percent, Germany's DAX index added 1.10 percent, and France's CAC-40 rose 0.93 percent.On the Net:New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com.Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

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).

Confusion reigns on EU treaty
27 April 2008 By Tom McGurk

Do you have any idea what you’re being asked to vote on in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty? Here we go again: it’s European déja vu time. Once more, we are facing into a monumental political decision that will define our democracy for generations to come. Once more, we are being reminded that we are only being asked because apparently our Constitution is tiresomely democratic. Once more, we have hardly any idea just what it is we are being asked to do.Once more, we are being asked to trust those who apparently know better than us: the political classes and the Eurotocracy. In the meantime, as the argument rages on and on, don’t for God’s sake let anyone mention the European Constitution.If you thought the Maastricht and Nice masterpieces needed a whole afternoon in a political seminar to understand, then try Lisbon. It is the Finnegans Wake of EU treaties, a masterclass in confusion and obscurity.It would be funny if it weren’t so serious; indeed, were any student in Europe to submit the Lisbon Treaty as an academic political thesis, they might well be thrown out of their faculty.

Why is this? Why is it so beyond the literary abilities of our Brussels bureaucrats to produce something that is reasonably intelligible? The answer, I believe, is neither sinister nor conspiratorial as some have suspected, but rather more arcane.

Lisbon represents the final confused consensus of over 20 governments all seeking simultaneously to do two opposite things: to create a new governing structure for Europe, while at the same time covering their political backs.Their agreement was the mere icing on an enormous cake of confusion which now threatens to collapse under the weight of its hundreds and hundreds of parliamentary drafts and redrafts. Is it any wonder how it tastes, given the number of cooks of this broth? Here is a document of monumental confusion for a new European political experiment, which in itself reeks of monumental confusion. European federal state or European super-state or European union of states: basically, it’s whatever you are having yourself.So, let’s start this whole debate leading up to our referendum by asking some leading questions. I won’t attempt to answer them myself for the very good reason that I don’t have all the answers, but apparently those who are recommending a Yes vote to Lisbon do.

1. Does Lisbon implement the 2004 EU Constitution indirectly, rather than directly? Does Lisbon in effect make us citizens of a supranational European Federation? While we would retain our Irish citizenship, would the rights and duties attaching to our EU citizenship have primacy over those of our national citizenship in any case of conflict between the two?

For example, look carefully at the wording of part of the amendment that we are being asked to accept: No provision of this (Irish) Constitution invalidates laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by the state that are necessitated by membership of the European Union, or prevents laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by the said European Union or by institutions there of, or by bodies competent under the treaties referred to in this section, from having the force of law in the state. In other words, is this the moment when primacy passes from the Irish Constitution to the European version?

2.Howcan the total change in the EU’s qualified majority voting methods envisaged by Lisbon not diminish Irish ambitions? For example, when Ireland joined the EEC in 1973,we had three votes in the formation of European laws, as against ten each for the big states, slightly under one third the weight of the big boys.

Under the current Nice Treaty arrangements, we have seven votes as against 29 each, just less than one-quarter. Under Lisbon, Ireland’s vote would be based on relative populations: we would have four million people as against Germany’s 82 million, that is one-twentieth, and an average of 60 million each for France, Italy and Britain, one-fifteenth.

Under Lisbon, Germany’s relative voting weight vis-a-vis the other 26 member states would more than double, from its current 8 per cent to 17 per cent; France’s would go from 8 per cent to 13 per cent and Britain and Italy’s from 8 per cent to 12 per cent each.

Ireland’s voting weight would fall to one-third its present level of 2 per cent to 0.8 per cent. Ireland’s share in a blocking minority in Council of Ministers voting would go from its current 7.7 per cent to 2.4 per cent, while Germany’s would go from 32 per cent to 48 per cent.

3.Lisbon will reduce EU Commissioner numbers from 27 to 18, meaning that, for five out of every 15 years, there will be no Irish voice on the commission. Is this acceptable?

4.Lisbon envisages that, in future, countries can only suggest someone for membership of the commission, instead of proposing them, as is the case now. Is this acceptable?

5.Who can deny that Lisbon will utterly transform law-making in the EU? It envisages the EU- as opposed to the Dáil - making new laws in some 30 new areas, including civil and criminal law, justice and policing, public services, immigration, energy, transport, tourism, space, sport, culture, civil protection, intellectual property, public health and the EU budget.

There would be majority voting, too, by EU foreign ministers as regards implementation of decisions in foreign policy. Furthermore, under Lisbon, the Irish government has retained the right to opt into or out of specific EU laws or measures in the crime and justice area, in order to keep in line with Britain’s similar opt-out. However, the government has indicated its desire to opt in fully to EU crime and justice laws at the earliest opportunity and it states that, if Lisbon is ratified, it will review its position in three years.

Of course, there are other major questions, like the militarisation of the EU and the future power of the European Court as the final arbiter of our rights, as opposed to the current status of the Irish Supreme Court and Strasbourg.Astonishingly, the Lisbon Treaty, which will so utterly transform EU citizenship, has sought no wider popular mandate other than a parliamentary one, with the sole exception of Ireland. So are we to be seen as Europe’s democratic saviours or as Europe’s political boot-boys? As we ponder this truly unreadable document, why should we be treated with contempt by some Europeans for even pondering it? And, most importantly of all, could voting No to it be our attempt to save Europe from itself?

Finally, given that we have already rejected notions of ‘European constitutions, what did Valery Giscard d’Estaing mean when he said: The difference between the original constitution and the present Lisbon Treaty is one of approach, rather than content . . .The proposals in the original constitutional treaty are practically unchanged.They have simply been dispersed through the old treaties in the form of amendments. Why this subtle change? Above all, to head off any threat of referenda by avoiding any form of constitutional vocabulary. . .But lift the lid and look in the toolbox: all the same innovative and effective tools are there, just as they were carefully crafted by the European Convention.

Clear votes for new EU Treaty in Denmark, Austria and Germany[de] Published: Friday 25 April 2008

The ratification process for the new Treaty gained momentum yesterday (24 April) as the Danish and Austrian parliaments approved the text, which also easily passed Germany's lower House. The votes in Vienna and Copenhagen mean the Treaty has now been adopted in 11 out of 27 countries.

In Denmark, parliament ratified the new Treaty with a clear 90-25 majority, while 64 MPs, including Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, were absent during the vote. The populist Danish People's Party, which has otherwise backed Rasmussen's minority government in recent years, voted against ratification. Earlier on Thursday, Austria's upper House followed the example of the lower House in approving the treaty with a strong 151-27 majority thanks to the support of the ruling Social Democrats, the conservative People's Party and the opposition Greens. The two right-wing opposition parties, the FPÖ and the BZÖ, voted against it. President Heinz Fischer now has to sign the Treaty for it to be ratified, but this is considered a formality. Commission President José Manuel Barroso welcomed the support for the Treaty in Austria and Denmark, saying the ratification process is now well advanced and I look forward to its successful conclusion.

Meanwhile, the lower House of the German parliament, the Bundestag, approved the treaty with 515 MPs voting in favour and only 58 against it - a considerably higher show of support than the required two-thirds majority. A second and final vote is now expected to take place in Germany's upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, next month. Speaking ahead of the vote, Chancellor Angela Merkel described the treaty as good for Europe and a win for Germany. It would provide a solid basis for Europe to move forward, said the chancellor, who was one of the main driving forces towards agreeing the treaty. Joseph Daul, the leader of the EPP-ED group, called the vote a milestone in the ongoing ratification process.

Bavarian MEP Peter Gauweiler of the Christian Socialist Party (CSU) was among the few not to join the pro-European chorus, announcing that he planned to take legal action against ratification of the Treaty before the country's highest court. What the Treaty brings Brussels in terms of new competences is not compatible with our democratic principles, Gauweiler told the Saarbrücker Zeitung.

Simlar feelings are being voiced by the eurosceptic Czech parliament. It asked the nation's Constitutional Court yesterday (24April) to review whether or not the Lisbon Treaty is constitutional. The proposal was initiated by the right-wing Civic Democrats of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who founded the party, is also a critic of the treaty but has pledged not to block its ratification. For the Treaty to enter into force, all 27 member states have to ratify it. Ahead of Austria and Denmark, nine countries had already given their approval to the next, namely Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Malta, Romania, Slovenia and Portugal.Ireland is set to be the only country to hold a referendum on the Treaty, which is scheduled for 12 June.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

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

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

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

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

Europe News
Czech Republic and Slovakia agree to form joint military unit
Apr 26, 2008, 8:14 GMT

Prague - The Czech Republic and Slovakia have agreed to form a joint military unit of 1,500 soldiers, reports said Saturday in Prague-based newspapers. The unit is expected to operate from 2009 in the European Union. The project is one of the largest between the two countries since they split amicably in 1993, Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova and Slovakian Defence Minister Jaroslav Baska said at the signing of the agreement. The unit would form part of the EU's planned rapid reaction force for international conflicts.

SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS

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

EU's GPS satellite in orbit Sun Apr 27, 5:52 AM ET

MOSCOW - An experimental satellite for a much-delayed European Union rival to the United States' GPS navigation system blasted into orbit Sunday after a successful launch atop a Russian rocket, the Russian and European space agencies said. The Giove-B satellite shot into space atop a Soyuz-FG rocket launched from the Baikonur facility in Kazakhstan, entering orbit at 8:01 a.m. (0201GMT) as planned, the Russian space agency Roskosmos said.The EU called the launch a key step toward its planned global satellite navigation system, Galileo.The launch of Giove-B is the best possible proof that Galileo is well on its way and is the symbol of European excellence in this new and major technology, an EU statement quoted Jacques Barrot, the European Commission's vice president in charge of transport, as saying.Barrot and other senior EU officials monitored the launch from the Fucino control center in Italy.Giove-B is the second satellite to be launched for Galileo. It will test technologies to be used in the system, including an atomic clock that the EU says will be the most accurate in space.Touted as technologically superior to GPS, Galileo is scheduled to be operational by 2013 but has encountered delays. Its first satellite was launched in 2005, but the second missed its late 2006 launch due to a short-circuit problem in final testing.Late last year, European Union governments had to agree to a taxpayer bailout after a consortium of private companies from France, Germany, Spain, Britain and Italy walked away from the project in a financing dispute.

Galileo promises to more than double existing GPS coverage, providing navigation for motorists, sailors, pilots and emergency rescue teams. It would improve coverage in high-latitude areas such as northern Europe, and in big cities where skyscrapers can block signals.Galileo is to include 30 satellites. The next step is the planned launch by 2010 of four operational satellites designed to ensure that the system works.

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE (THE EU DICTATORS TEMPLE)

REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

REBUILT 4TH TEMPLE (THE TRUE MESSIAHS TEMPLE)

ZECHARIAH 6:12-13
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

ISAIAH 60:9-10
9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

ISAIAH 2:1-5
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

MARK 11:9-10,15-17
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

EZEKIEL 40 TO 48 IS THIS 4TH TEMPLE TO BIG FOR THE MOUNT I BELIEVE TO BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM JERUSALEM.

Jerusalem's Wailing Wall at risk of collapse
By Carolynne Wheeler in Jerusalem
Last Updated: 2:16am BST 28/04/2008

For thousands of years it has withstood fires, floods and earthquakes. But now a portion of one of Judaism's holiest sites, Jerusalem's Western Wall, is crumbling.The rabbi charged with watching over the structure, which the faith believes to be the last remnants of a retaining wall from the ancient Second Temple, has warned that a section repaired more than a century ago is again at risk of falling.Mourning prayer: a young Jew at Jerusalem's Western Wall which is losing its mortar to the rain.Because the weakened stonework is high on the 60ft wall, the danger from any falling fragment to the crowds who pray at its foot each day is particularly acute.We found that the stones at the bottom of the wall, the stones from the Second Temple period, were strong and stable, said Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch. However, we discovered that there are problems with the smaller stones, those at the top of the wall.

His warning came as Israel hosted record numbers of tourists for the Passover holiday and prepares for high-profile visitors for the 60th anniversary of its founding, next month. World leaders including the American President, George W Bush, the former prime minister Tony Blair, and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, are to be joined by others such as the Google founder, Sergey Brin, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerman at a conference hosted by Israel's president, Shimon Peres.A pilgrimage to the wall is a standard part of dignitaries' visits and it receives an estimated six million visitors each year, including Israeli army recruits and tour buses of young Jews on their first visit to the Holy Land. Last week, the grand limestone plaza in front of it, also known as the Wailing Wall or in Hebrew as Ha Kotel, was crowded with families holding bar mitzvahs for excited young sons, tour groups and visitors from around the globe.The damage was discovered just before Passover as religious leaders cleared thousands of written prayers tucked into the stones of the wall, according to Jewish tradition. Twice a year, thousands of such entreaties, which also arrive by email and post, are gathered and buried on the Mount of Olives so as not to desecrate the contents.The Western Wall is believed to date from 20BC, when King Herod the Great first ordered the construction of the Second Temple, a project that took 46 years to complete. Roman legions razed the temple in AD70, and today the wall that remains is thought to be the only surviving portion of Judaism's holiest site.Along with the massive stones commissioned by Herod, the wall contains stones placed by the Umayyad dynasty in an eighth?century restoration. But the section crumbling is at the very top, where a series of smaller, uniformly sized stones were added in the 1800s under the financing and supervision of British financier and philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore. Restoration experts say the more modern cement used as mortar to hold those stones together has been eroded more quickly by wind and rain than the ancient preparations used on the lower levels. The result is that several are now poised to fall.

Israel's Antiquities Authority has said there is no immediate risk to visitors, since the heavy winter rains have passed. But the repair work is to begin almost immediately, to ensure it is completed before the return of worse weather in the autumn.We know it is old stone and we have some crumbling, said Raanan Kislev, head of the conservation at the authority. The repair will be a delicate operation: Jewish religious law forbids the removing of any stone from the wall, and rabbis are divided over who is even permitted to carry out such work.Traditionally, Jews are forbidden to set foot on the ancient site of what they believe to be the Temple Mount, so the rabbi said much of the work would have to be conducted using cranes rather than scaffolding. Jewish workers on the project will also have to undergo ritual baths.

Jews in Israel and the Diaspora follow the peace process closely and a majority of them favour the two-state solution. As Yoram Ettinger explains below, this is due in part to their fear of the alleged Demographic Time Bomb. TED BELMAN ISRAPUNDIT

Yoram Ettinger explains.

1. Support – among Israeli Jews – for the proposed Palestinian state (Two States Solution) is soft and reluctant, according to a March 31-April 1 poll conducted by the Tel Aviv University Center For Peace Research.

2. The establishment of the proposed Palestinian state is supported by 68%, many of whom – other than the Israel ’s traditional Left – subordinate their security and historical concerns to their demographic concern. However, the demographic scare has been debunked by the Bennett Zimmerman-led American-Israel Demographic Research Group (AIDRG), as summarized below.

3. 55% of Israeli Jews define Judea & Samaria as Liberated Territory ,compared with 32% who consider it Occupied Territory , in defiance of a 15 year old Political-Correctness promoted by Israel ’s government, media, academic and k-12 education systems.

4. 57% of Israeli Jews do not accept the Green Line as Israel ’s border, compared with 23% who accept it.

5. 49%:43% oppose an agreement, which entails painful concessions -a code name for substantial withdrawals.

6. 47%:40% of Israeli Jews consider the 1993 Oslo Accord a mistake.

7. 75% of Israeli Jews don’t believe that negotiation would lead to an agreement with the Palestinians. 75% believe that even if an agreement would be concluded, the Palestinians would not consider it an end to their conflict with Israel .

8. Most Israeli Jews oppose the tangible – potentially lethal - consequences of the Two State Solution. Their soft & reluctant support of the Two State Solution has been based on unfounded demographic fatalism. It has benefited from the absence of a systematic, full scale educational media campaign, highlighting historical, security and demographic aspects of Judea & Samaria mountain ridges (the Golan Heights of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the 9- 15 mile sliver along the Mediterranean, surrounded by the conflict-ridden, volatile, violent, non-compliant Arab Mideast, which is yet to experience inter-Arab peace).The American-Israel Demographic Research Group (AIDRG) Key Findings April 2008

Western taxpayers have provided, since 1994, a multi-billion dollar foreign aid to the PA, based on dramatically inflated Palestinian numbers. President Bush stated that Prime Ministers Sharon and Olmert argued that Israeli territorial concessions were required, in order to spare Israel a demographic calamity. Really?

I. AIDRG documents a 1.1MN (46%) inflation in the official number of Palestinians in Gaza, Judea & Samaria (2.7MN and not 3.8MN) and a 53% inflation in the official number of Palestinians in Judea & Samaria alone (1.5MN and not 2.3MN). The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) includes in its census some 400,000 overseas residents, 200,000 Israeli ( Jerusalem ) Arabs who are also counted as Green Line Arabs, ignores about 200,000 emigrants (since 1997), etc. The World Bank documents a 32% gap between the PCBS and the Palestinian Ministry of Education - documented – number of Palestinian births.

II. A long-term 67% Jewish majority on 98.5% of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean (without Gaza ). A long-term 60% Jewish majority west of the Jordan River compared with 33% and 8% minority in 1947 and 1900 respectively.

III. Arab fertility rate (within the Green Line) has declined 20 year faster than conventionally projected – due to modernity and integration - while Jewish fertility rate is rising.

IV. A 40% rise in annual Jewish births (from 80,400 to 112,000) and a stagnation of annual Arab births (39,000) in the Green Line during 1995-2007. Arab-Jewish gap of fertility (number of children per woman) reduced from 6 in 1969 to 0.8 in 2006. Arab fertility rate has declined, in Judea & Samaria, to about 4.5 since its peak (about 8) in the late 1980s.

V. Arab-Jewish fertility rates have converged in Jerusalem – 3.9 children per woman – for the first time since 1948.

VI. Net annual emigration of over 10,000 has characterized Judea & Samaria (mostly) and Gaza Arabs since 1950: 12,000 in 2004, 16,000 in 2005 and 25,000 in 2006.

VII. The Jewish State has benefited from annual Aliya (immigration) since 1882. Repeatedly, since 1948, Israel ’s demographic establishment has projected no waves of Aliya.

VIII. Secular Olim (immigrants) from the former Soviet Republics experience fertility increase from the Russian rate of one child per woman toward the average secular Israeli rate of 2.2.

IX. Repeatedly, projections of demographic doom have been refuted by robust Jewish demography between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean . For example, Ben Gurion was urged by Israel ’s demographers to delay declaration of independence, lest the 600,000 Jews of 1948 become a minority by 1967!

X. There is a demographic problem, but it is not lethal, and the demographic trend is Jewish and not Arab. The demographic momentum is shifting from the Arab to the Jewish sector. Demography constitutes a strategic asset, not a liability, for the Jewish State.

As Israelis come to understand there is no demographic time bomb, they will be more inclined to vote against the two-state solution. But many will still favour the two-state solution because they do not want another 1.1 million Arabs in the country even if Israel gets to keep the Westbank and Jerusalem.But what happens if that ratio is improved by a program to induce Arabs to leave with generous financial support and by expelling everyone connected to terror.And what if a constitution is passed which protects Israel as a Jewish state and new citizenship rules are passed which require a loyalty test and knowledge of Hebrew and National service.

This suggests they will strongly support annexation of Judea and Samaria rather than painful concessions.Ted Belman

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.

American, Iraqi troops kill 38 militants in Baghdad By SELCAN HACAOGLU, Associated Press Writer APR 28,08

BAGHDAD - American and Iraqi troops killed 38 militants in the fiercest clashes with militants in weeks in Baghdad, including 22 who attacked a military checkpoint in a Shiite militia stronghold, the U.S. military said Monday. Suspected Shiite extremists, apparently taking advantage of a sandstorm that blanketed the capital, attacked several checkpoints and hammered the U.S.-protected Green Zone in the fiercest salvo in weeks on Sunday. The sandstorm had grounded the American aircraft that normally prowl for launching teams.Attacks continued Monday morning as insurgents lobbed more rockets or mortar shells toward the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. embassy and much of the Iraqi government on the west side of the Tigris River, benefiting from continued limited visibility that gave cover to the launching teams. Alarms could be heard and the public address system in the area warned residents to take cover and stay away from windows.The U.S. Embassy on Monday confirmed the area was hit by indirect fire, the military's term for rocket or mortar attacks, and said there were no reports of serious injury or deaths at this time.While the sandstorm eased, the militants continued to benefit from low visibility that gave cover to the launching teams from the U.S. attack aircraft that normally target them.The fighting escalated as anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, rejected terms set by the Iraqi government for lifting a crackdown against his Mahdi Army militia.

He also has threatened to launch an open war against the U.S.-led foreign troops — a move that would lift a nearly 8-month-old cease-fire and jeopardize recent security gains.In a step to avoid a full-blown confrontation with the government, al-Sadr on Friday called for an end to Iraqi bloodshed. But the attacks against Iraqi military checkpoints Sunday suggested that patience was running thin within the ranks of the Mahdi Army.American commanders have blamed what they call Iranian-backed Shiite factions they say have broken with a cease-fire imposed by al-Sadr in late August.The clashes Sunday were concentrated in Sadr City, the stronghold of the Mahdi Army, where U.S. soldiers used Abrams main battle tanks to repel the attackers.The American and Iraqi soldiers came under attack by a large group of criminals, the U.S. military said in a statement.Fifty-eight people, including five children and eight women, were also injured in clashes in Sadr City since Sunday, local health officials said Monday.On Sunday, the U.S. military claimed success with operations that have effectively sealed off the southern section of Baghdad's Sadr City, a militia stronghold that is believed to be one of the prime launching sites for the Green Zone attacks.The Green Zone has been regularly shelled since fighting broke out over a U.S.-backed government crackdown against militias that began in late March. American commanders have blamed what they call Iranian-backed Shiite factions they say have broken with a cease-fire imposed by al-Sadr in late August.

On Sunday, Al-Sadr's spokesman in the holy city of Najaf called the Shiite-led government's terms for ceasing the crackdown against the militias illogical.Salah al-Obeidi accused Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, himself a Shiite, of wanting to resolve the problem by force instead of dialogue. Chief among al-Maliki's demands announced Friday were that the militias surrender heavy weapons and hand over all wanted people.Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, the Iraqi military spokesman for Baghdad operations, on Sunday said the government would maintain the crackdown.Meanwhile, representatives from rival factions in Iraq — senior Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish politicians — said Monday that all parties agreed to renounce violence at weekend talks in Finland facilitated by former peace negotiators in Northern Ireland and South Africa. The representatives said that all parties agreed that foreign troops must leave Iraq, but only when Iraqi forces are ready to assume responsibility for security. Associated Press writer Hamid Ahmed in Baghdad and Matti Huuhtanen in Helsinki, Finland, contributed to this report.

Passenger train collision kills 70 in eastern China By ANITA CHANG, Associated Press Writer APR 28,08

BEIJING - A high-speed passenger train jumped its tracks and slammed into another train in eastern China on Monday, killing at least 70 people and injuring more than 400. Authorities were quoted as saying human error was to blame. The death toll could rise, with 70 people hospitalized in critical condition after the pre-dawn crash in a rural part of Shandong province, the official Xinhua News Agency said.It said a total of 420 people had been hurt in China's worst train accident in a decade. No foreigners were among the dead.Xinhua said investigators had ruled out terrorism as a cause of the crash. Its English report said it was human error, while its Chinese-language report attributed the crash to negligence, without giving other details.Xinhua said two high-ranking railway officials in Shandong had been fired.The crash just before the May Day long weekend holiday happened when a train traveling from Beijing to Qingdao — site of the sailing competition during the Olympics in August — derailed and hit a second passenger train just before dawn. Nine of the first train's carriages were knocked into a dirt ditch, Railway Ministry spokesman Wang Yongping said in a statement.

The second train on its way from Yantai in Shandong to Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu province was knocked off its tracks although it stayed upright. News photos showed several of its carriages sitting across the train tracks just outside the city of Zibo.News photos showed rescuers pulling passengers from a carriage sitting on its side. Survivors bundled in white bed sheets from the sleeper cars stood or sat near the wreckage.Xinhua said bloodstained sheets and broken thermos flasks could be seen on the ground beside the twisted train cars.It did not say how many people were on both trains.Most passengers were still asleep, but some were standing in the aisle waiting to get off at the Zibo railway station, one passenger surnamed Zhang told Xinhua.I suddenly felt the train, like a roller coaster, topple ... to one side and all the way to the other side. When it finally went off the tracks, many people fell on me, Zhang said.Zhang, who was on the train from Bejing, was injured when the train toppled into farmland beside the track. She said local villagers used farm tools to smash train windows to pull out trapped passengers.I saw a girl who was trying to help her boyfriend out of the train, but he was dead, Zhang said.A 38-year-old woman told Xinhua that she and daughter, 13, escaped unhurt by scrambling through a huge crack in the floor of their carriage.

Four French nationals — three from one family — were among the injured.Xinhua said heavy cranes were being used to move the wrecked rail cars, with workers aiming to reopen the line by early Tuesday, a little more than 24 hours after the accident.One villager who witnessed the rescue operation said ambulances ferried the injured away for more than three hours. There were a lot of police and soldiers around and I saw a lot of ambulances going back and forth, the villager told The Associated Press. He would give only his surname, Wang. It was the second major railway accident in Shandong this year. In January, 18 people died when a train hurtling through the night at more than 75 miles per hour slammed into a group of about 100 workers carrying out track maintenance near the city of Anqiu. According to the 163.com news Web site, it was the worst train accident in China since 1997, when another collision killed 126 people. Trains are the most popular way to travel in China, and the country's overloaded rail network carried 1.36 billion passengers last year, Xinhua said. That is slightly behind India, which had 1.4 billion passengers last year, according to the Indian National Railways Web site.