PACIFIC TROPICAL STORM

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

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.

Strong earthquake rocks Iceland MAY 29,08
Footage from around Iceland of the moment the quake hit

A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 has hit southern Iceland, 50km (30miles) from the capital, Reykjavik. In the town of Selfoss, near the epicentre, buildings were damaged and up to 20 people needed treatment for minor injuries, reports say. Residents in the capital felt buildings shake and aftershocks were felt in the south-west of the country. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 1546 GMT at a shallow 6.2 miles (10 km). Paul Enarson, Professor of Geophysics at the Institute of Earth Sciences in Iceland, told the BBC that the earthquake happened in an area popular with tourists:

It was close to the town of Selfoss and there is apparently, according to the preliminary news, considerable damage in that town, he said. Iceland is sitting on a plate boundary where the North America and Eurasian plates are drifting apart. So it's a country of volcanoes and earthquakes and so earthquakes are common but large earthquakes are relatively rare, he added.

People terrified

It was quite a lot of shaking... It was quite a big one, Ivar Ingimarsson, a footballer who plays for Britain's Reading club but who is now in Reykjavik, told the BBC. Danny Austin, a Briton who has been living in the Icelandic capital for a year, told the BBC the earthquake lasted about eight seconds: It was fairly noisy. It sounded like thunder coming from the ground. The whole house was shaking, although we haven't had much damage here, he said.

Audbjorg Olafsdottir, an economist in Reykjavik, told Reuters news agency that the glass in the windows shook and everybody was just really scared. Iceland experienced a series of tremors in the same area in 2000 In Selfoss, where it happened, I heard everything is broken and people are standing outside in the street and everybody is terrified, she added. Iceland's national broadcaster RUV radio reported that the road between Reykjavik and Selfoss had been closed due to damage. Authorities have advised residents in the area to leave their homes because of the possibility of aftershocks. Iceland, which has a population of about 300,000, is a geologically unstable volcanic island in the north Atlantic. A spokesman for Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences said the country had been expecting further quakes after a series of tremors in the same area in 2000.

Chinese troops race weather to defuse quake dam MAY 30,08

CHENGDU (Reuters) - Chinese troops racing to drain an earthquake lake ahead of more rains made substantial progress digging a diversion channel and have created emergency escape paths in case a mud and rock dam gives way.The landslide-blocked river at Tangjiashan in southwest China's Sichuan province is now the most pressing danger after an earthquake devastated the region on May 12.

Hundreds of troops have removed more than one third of the earth for a channel intended to ease pressure from the rising waters, an official spokesman said on Friday.The work on the blocked lake is going smoothly and at this pace it should be completed soon, said Zhou Hua, an official from nearby Mianyang city involved in the drainage effort, told Reuters.Zhou declined to say when the operation was likely to finish. But up to 190,000 residents downstream had moved to higher ground -- usually hillsides close to where they were living before -- to avoid a surge of water if the blockage suddenly gives way, he said.At this stage, the situation is under control, but we've set in place this contingency plan to minimize any possible damage,Zhou said.The official Xinhua news agency said the water level was nearly 23 meters (75 feet) below the lowest point of the barrier, which experts have said could give way quickly once breached. Troops have also built escape paths in the event that happens, Xinhua said.The death toll from the quake is over 68,500 and is sure to rise, with 20,000 still reported missing. Aftershocks have toppled 420,000 houses, most already uninhabitable.The reconstruction work has only just begun, and thousands of survivors are now threatened by the quake lakes, formed by landslides, that could break through the natural dams, flooding downstream towns and dams.But rain has hampered the efforts by more than 600 soldiers to open a giant sluice to discharge the floodwaters. Helicopters shipping in equipment were unable to take off, and some 1,000 soldiers had to carry in 10 metric tons of diesel by foot to fuel bulldozers.

A massive relief effort to provide food, tents and clothing for millions and rebuild houses and infrastructure, including many destroyed schools, is expected to take up to three years.China enacted a special statute to punish those found misusing relief goods and donations, and Beijing sent 300 auditors to the area.
Donations from home and abroad had reached 37.3 billion yuan ($5.38 billion) by Thursday, up 2.5 billion yuan from the previous day, the Information Office of the State Council said.South Korean President Lee Myung-bak would visit Sichuan on Friday.(Reporting by Tara Dempster; Writing by Chris Buckley; Editing by Ken Wills and Bill Tarrant)

WAITING GAME IN CHINA
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Round-the-clock battle to clear quake lake in China by Robert J. Saiget MAY 30,08

DUJIANGYAN, China (AFP) - China was rushing Friday to clear quake lakes made even more dangerous by persistent rain, as millions of people in danger of being flooded waited downstream. Heavy downpours prevented helicopters carrying equipment from taking off on Thursday, hampering attempts to drain the Tangjiashan lake, which is threatening to burst its banks and flood vast and densely populated areas.Draining the lake has become one of the top priorities in the aftermath of the May 12 quake, which flattened entire towns in Sichuan province, leaving nearly 88,000 people dead or missing and displacing 15 million others.Helicopters have been used to airlift supplies to hundreds of soldiers working desperately to create a channel that can drain the lake, which contains enough water to fill over 50,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.

After three days of non-stop efforts, the soldiers had dug a 50-metre (164-foot) wide channel 300 metres long, but despite the frantic pace the work would not be completed until next Thursday, the state-run China Daily reported.The government has warned that more than a million people would be affected if the lake overflowed, sending cascades of debris-filled water down into lower-lying areas.Nearly 170,000 people have already been evacuated while many others have been doing regular drills to move quickly to higher ground in the event that the lakes does burst.However, it was not the only area of Sichuan at risk. Of the 34 lakes created by the quake, 28 are at risk of bursting, the official Xinhua news agency reported, while other unexpected danger continues to cause problems.Gas from a chemical fire in Leigu town, near the epicentre of the quake, poisoned four people and forced more than 800 to evacuate on Thursday, Xinhua reported, citing a local official.

The fire occurred when bleach powder, used as a disinfectant, self-ignited when it reacted with leaked rainwater, said Song Ming, Communist Party secretary for Beichuan county, one of the worst-hit areas.More than 800 people near the site were evacuated after dense chlorine gas poisoned two rescue soldiers and two medical workers, according to the agency.The four were rushed to a military field hospital and were later reported out of danger.Meanwhile, state press reported the world-famous Wolong Giant Panda Reserve had been so badly damaged by the earthquake that it would probably have to be relocated.It's better to move, I think, said Zhang Hemin, the head of the reserve, according to the China Daily.Five staff members died and one panda is missing after the quake, whose epicentre was only 32 kilometres (20 miles) away from the reserve, according to the paper.The death toll from the quake has reached 68,516, with another 19,350 missing, according to the most recent data from the government.

Amid the tragedy, the quake has also caused a wave of international sympathy, helping to strengthen ties not least with China's close neighbours.South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, on an official state visit to China, will tour Sichuan on Friday, the foreign ministry in Beijing announced, making him the first foreign head of state to visit the quake zone. But old sensitivities remained. Japan said Friday it had decided against sending military aircraft to China to deliver aid for victims of this month's devastating earthquake. Japan plans to charter a commercial flight instead to fly tents and other relief supplies to China, said top government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura. Currently we have no plan to use aircraft of the Self-Defence Force, he told reporters, noting that there had been some cautious discussions on the Chinese side about the use of Japanese military planes. Japan had said Wednesday it was considering sending its first military air mission to China since the end of World War II to fly aid for quake victims, in response to a request by Beijing.

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.

Rain-induced landslide kills MAY 30,08

ROME - A landslide killed two people Thursday in an Alpine valley in northwestern Italy as heavy rains battered the area. Two other people, including a child, were missing. One man died when a home in the Pellice Valley was hit by the landslide and another man was found dead nearby in his car, the Civil Protection agency said. Rescuers picked through the wreckage of the leveled home in search of a missing woman and her child.Officials believe a swollen stream sent the mass of mud, stones and broken trees sweeping through the valley.After days of heavy rains in the Piedmont region, authorities monitoring the levels of rivers in the area have raised the alarm over possible floods.The ANSA news agency said dozens of people living near the Dora Riparia river were evacuated from a village west of the northern city of Turin. The river flows through Turin, where it meets the larger Po river, and bridges in the city have been closed or are being closely monitored as the waters rise.
Authorities also ordered all schools in and around Turin closed on Friday.

Tropical storm pounds Central America By FILADELFO ALEMAN, Associated Press Writer MAY 30,08

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Tropical Storm Alma slammed into Nicaragua's coast Thursday as the first such storm of the eastern Pacific season, forcing tens of thousand of people to evacuate and flooding low-lying areas, before pushing into neighboring Honduras. The National Hurricane Center said Alma was the first tropical storm in the available records to make landfall on Central America's Pacific coast. Such storms normally make landfall farther west, along Mexico's Pacific coast. Tropical storms often hit Central America's Atlantic coast.Alma reached land near the Nicaraguan colonial city of Leon, whose Mayor, Transito Tellez, said houses had been destroyed and power knocked out by the storm. Rescue personnel described houses whose roofs had been blow off, and homes that had been crushed by fallen trees.The storm forced the evacuation of as many as 25,000 people in the area, and telephone service was also knocked out, said Civil Defense Director Mario Perez Cassar.

The wind whipped up the sand, and it lashed your face like sandpaper, said Erasmo Lopez, a fisherman in the coastal hamlet of Poneloya, near where Alma made landfall. The trees were shaking like crazy, cars were shuddering, and you couldn't even see in front of you.Nicaragua's Radio Ya reported that a 30-year-old man was electrocuted in Trasbayo, 40 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of Managua, after a power line snapped under high winds.The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Alma was weakening as it headed inland. By late Thursday it had maximum sustained winds of around 45mph (75 kph) as it moved over southern Honduras at a speed of 9 mph (15 kph).It was expected to weaken to a tropical depression before reaching Guatemala or Belize late Friday or Saturday.The fast-growing storm took forecasters and many in Central America by surprise. Residents scrambled to prepare for the storm before it hit.People crowded Managua supermarkets to buy food, water, candles and batteries, and schools canceled classes and were on standby to become temporary shelters. Many flights were also grounded.The storm wrapped the Costa Rican capital of San Jose in a dense fog, slowing traffic to a crawl and causing dozens of accidents.

Along the coast, some 200 families were evacuated to more than 160 storm shelters set up after Alma dumped rain over the country for 24hours. Landslides blocked a few highways.Last year, a little water came in the house, but now it is completely flooded, Clara Bermudez said as she was taken by boat to a shelter in Parrita.The eastern Pacific hurricane season began May 15.Associated Press writers Marianela Jimenez in San Jose, Costa Rica; Marcos Aleman in San Salvador, El Salvador; and Freddy Cuevas in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; contributed to this report.

Storms leave county under water MAY 29,08

The flooding prompted hundreds of calls to emergency services
Torrential storms have led to flooding across half of Somerset. A fire service spokesman asked people only to phone 999 if there was a risk to life, as they had been inundated with calls. Motorists were being warned not to go out in their cars as many roads have been left impassable. People attending the annual Bath and West show have been stuck in mud and long queues as they tried to leave the flood-hit Bath and West Showground. However organisers said they hoped the show would still go ahead on Friday, despite the poor weather. Areas in the south of the county have been particularly badly hit including Castle Cary, Ilminster, Crewkerne and the Mendips. Fire crews were carrying out salvage duties, clearing blocked drains and waiting for the Highways Agency to provide sandbags and further drain clearance. Andy Newland of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service advised people to use sandbags or fill black bags with soil to prevent water coming into their properties.

People leaving the Bath and West showground in heavy rain

However, if the situation became extreme, people would need to move upstairs, he added. An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said the force had received a huge number of calls but the bad weather was moving up out of the area and things were calming down, although there were a number of minor road collisions and minor roads flooded. The Environment Agency said most of the flooding was surface water building up and drains proving unable to cope.

RESIDENTS ARE NOT READY FOR HURRICANE
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Coastal residents urged to prepare for hurricanes Thu May 29, 1:11 PM ET

MIAMI - Coastal residents from Texas to Maine are being urged to prepare for the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins Sunday.

National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and emergency management officials warned residents Thursday not to wait until a storm is approaching to stockpile three days worth of food and water. Florida's emergency management director, Craig Fugate, says residents need to be self-sufficient after a storm hits because it could be days before government services become available.For 2008, researchers have predicted 15 named storms and a better than average chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S.Hurricane season continues through Nov. 30.

Storm derails train, damages buildings in Nebraska By NATE JENKINS, Associated Press Writer MAY 30,08

AURORA, Neb. - A storm bearing hail and possible tornadoes struck central Nebraska Thursday night, damaging businesses, derailing train cars, tearing down trees and disrupting power to thousands.

A possible tornado touched down near Aurora, about 70 miles west of Lincoln, damaging a few businesses and damaging at least one house on the outskirts of town.There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.Tornadoes were also reported in Kearney, about 60 miles west of Aurora, where 90 rail cars were blown off the tracks outside the city limits. There were reports of downed trees and power lines throughout Kearney, and reports of damage on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus and at a county fairgrounds.Initial reports from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency indicated several dozen homes were damaged in both Aurora and Kearney.A tornado also swept through a rural area near Belleville in north-central Kansas Thursday night, damaging about six homes, but no injuries were reported.

Some residents were stranded in their damaged homes until they were rescued before midnight, said Raymond Raney of Republic County's emergency management department.Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman declared a state of emergency Thursday night, which allows access to state and federal resources for storm cleanup. He readied the Nebraska National Guard in case its help was needed.We won't know the full extent of the damage until tomorrow. However, it appears that Kearney was hardest hit and that is where our assistance will be focused overnight, Heineman said.Heineman planned to travel to those areas Friday.Downtown Aurora appeared mostly untouched by the storm, but there were twisted trees and metal buildings on the outskirts. State officials closed down a section of Interstate 80 nearby because of downed power lines.State officials were headed to Kearney to assess the damage. Jen Rae Hein, spokeswoman for Gov. Dave Heineman, said the state's emergency operations center was set up Thursday evening.Buffalo County residents were warned to remain indoors and travel was discouraged.Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Mark Becker said 12,000 Kearney customers were without power Thursday evening.The National Weather Service issued several advisories for Nebraska and Kansas into Friday morning, including flooding warnings for areas already struggling from heavy rains earlier in the week. That storm system dumped 7 inches of rain on some parts of central Nebraska.Associated Press writer Timberly Ross in Omaha contributed to this report.

NY TO RECOGNIZE SAME SEX MARRIAGE
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DISEASES

REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

Study: Bacteria may be link in sudden baby deaths By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer MAY 30,08

LONDON - A baffling phenomenon known as sudden infant death syndrome is one of the leading causes of death for children under 1. Now, British researchers say they may have found a contributing factor: bacteria. They found potentially dangerous bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli in nearly half of all babies who died suddenly and without explanation over a decade at a London hospital. Their findings are in Friday's Lancet medical journal.

This may be another piece to the puzzle, said Marian Willinger, a SIDS expert at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development who was not connected to the British study.The researchers cautioned, however, that while the bacteria were found in the SIDS babies, that does not necessarily mean the bugs were responsible. Bacterial infections have long been suspected by some doctors to play a role in SIDS.We don't know whether it's a cause or if it's identifying another potential risk factor, said Dr. Nigel Klein, a professor at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, where the study was conducted, and one of the paper's authors.He said that the higher level of bacteria might be evidence of another condition that killed the baby, such as a room that was too hot or had poor ventilation. Or it may have been coincidental.

A SIDS diagnosis means that no other cause of death can be found in an otherwise healthy infant who dies suddenly, usually in their sleep. In the United States, SIDS kills more than 2,000 infants every year.The researchers used autopsy samples from 470 infants who died suddenly and unexpectedly between 1996 and 2005. They found dangerous bacteria in 181 babies, or nearly half of the 365 whose deaths were unexplained. There were similar bacteria in about a quarter (14 of 53) of the babies who died of known causes, excluding those who died of bacterial infections.Most of the bacteria were detected in the babies' lungs and spleens.At birth, mothers transfer some of their antibodies against infection to their babies. But when babies are from 8 to 10 weeks old, the maternal antibodies have nearly run out and the babies typically have not started producing enough of their own.That could make them particularly vulnerable to bacterial infections, said James Morris, a pathologist at the Royal Infirmary in Lancaster, who co-authored an accompanying commentary in the journal.SIDS typically strikes when babies are between 8 and 10 weeks old.The study is a good indicator that certain bacteria might be involved in causing sudden infant deaths, he said.

Willinger suggested that bacterial infections in infants might simply aggravate other risk factors for SIDS, such as smoke exposure or babies sleeping on their stomachs.The bacteria in combination with other co-factors might push these babies over the edge, she said.Recommendations for preventing SIDS include putting babies to sleep on their backs and avoiding putting too many blankets on them.The study was paid for by the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, a British charity.

POWER OUTAGE

REVELATION 16:10-11
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Blackouts sweep the country in electricity shutdown
By Danny Fortson, Business Correspondent
Wednesday, 28 May 2008

Britain was hit by electricity blackouts as a string of power station shutdowns wreaked havoc on the national generating system yesterday. National Grid issued a highly unusual plea to electricity suppliers to reduce the voltage to homes after a raft of power plant closures threatened a supply shortage during the hours of peak demand last night. The operator of the country's power grid sent out its plea after several regions, including south-west London, Merseyside and Cheshire, suffered power cuts following the unexpected shutdown of British Energy's Sizewell B nuclear reactor during the morning. British Energy refused to reveal the reason for the incident but said it had already begun to get the plant up and running again. National Grid cut off supplies automatically to protect the integrity of the network, a spokesman said. As the day wore on, however, a total of nine power stations shut down for various reasons, forcing National Grid to issue three increasingly urgent notices. The last – a so-called demand control imminence notice – is rare and is sent out about once every four years. It was issued yesterday after it became clear that the country's electricity supply could fall short by about 400 megawatts – equivalent to just under 1 per cent of national demand.

David Hunter, an energy analyst at McKinnon & Clarke, said theincident reflected the crumbling nature of the insufficient infrastructure on which homes and businesses depend.A spokesman for National Grid said some customers would have noticed a slight dimming of the lights last night as the power delivered to their homes was reduced slightly to spread the load elsewhere. There was speculation among energy traders that the highly unusual shutdown of so many plants at once was caused by some companies trying to cash in on the rising wholesale price of electricity by taking supply out of the market. The wholesale price jumped by 13 per cent yesterday as the margin between supply and demand tightened. However, others experts said this was unlikely because any generator that closed down a plant had to buy the power to cover its commitments. More power was pumped into the grid as a result of the notices and National Grid said it expected it to be business as usual today.

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.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

EU says Union for the Mediterranean to benefit Lebanon
Daily Star staff Friday, May 30, 2008

BEIRUT: The European Commission Delegation in Beirut said on Thursday that the recent adoption of proposals for the Union of the Mediterranean would benefit all participants of the Barcelona process, including Lebanon. In a statement issued on Thursday the commission said that it adopted on May 20 its proposals for upgrading relations with its Mediterranean partners through the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean.Following the decision of the Spring European Council, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner presented the outline of the structures of the Barcelona Process which aim at giving renewed vitality and visibility to the EU's relations with partners in the Mediterranean region. These structures include the setting up of a secretariat and the creation of a permanent committee of Euro-Mediterranean representatives.

The policy paper also outlines ideas for the kind of projects that would constitute visible and tangible efforts at improving the lives and livelihoods of the region's citizens. This latest initiative underlines the EU's continued commitment to the Mediterranean region, an area of vital strategic importance in both political and economic terms, the commission's statement said.The statement added that the proposals contained in the policy paper would be presented at the inaugural summit of the Barcelona Process in Paris on July 13, 2008.This is a pivotal moment for the EU and our Mediterranean Partners. The Barcelona Process has proven its value to build bridges between Mediterranean partners, said European Commission President Jose Manual Barroso.Barroso added that it will take stronger political will, in both sides of the Mediterranean, to seize this opportunity to enhance understanding, peace and prosperity among all our nations, cultures and religions, for the benefit of our citizens.Ferrero-Waldner, however, said that the Barcelona Process has its champions and critics.

Since its launch in 1995, the Barcelona Process has been the central instrument for Euro-Mediterranean relations, representing a partnership of 39 governments and over 750 million people. The EU states the process has been the engine for movement toward peace, security and shared prosperity in a region where long-running conflicts and tenuous reform efforts have often impeded progress.
Against this background the partnership provides a framework for continued dialogue, engagement and development. The European Commission has supported the Barcelona Process with the provision of over 16 billion euros ($24 billion) from its budget since 1995.

We are deeply committed to the Mediterranean region. Today's proposals underline that commitment, and our desire for a more coherent partnership based on co-ownership of the process, Ferrero-Waldner added. According to the commission's statement, the present policy paper takes stock of the achievements of the Barcelona Process and envisages the new initiative to build on and reinforce these successes, while also acknowledging the shortcomings that have compromised more rapid development. The statement added that projects are at the heart of the new initiative. The Commission has identified possible areas for projects that strive to promote growth, employment, regional cohesion and economic integration. These areas include energy and energy security, the environment, civil protection and transportation.The implementation of such projects will be dependent on the mobilization of additional funding outside the traditional existing budget allocations, the statement said.Financial resources are expected to come from the private sector, international financial institutions and bilateral cooperation and contributions from EU member states and Mediterranean partners,it added. - The Daily Star

MEPs in dispute over political group sizes
27.05.2008 - 17:45 CET | By Honor Mahony

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - MEPs on Tuesday (27 May) rejected a proposal to raise the threshold of deputies needed to create a political group in the European Parliament, with critics saying it would threaten political diversity in the EU assembly. But the proposal still has a chance of being passed in July.UK centre-left MEP Richard Corbett had suggested that the number of MEPs needed to form a political group - and be eligible for the funds, speaking time and staff allowances that go with such a designation - be raised from 20 to 30 after the 2009 elections.He argued that the current rules need updating and that a change would prevent a repeat of last year's events when far-right MEPs managed to scrape a group together. It subsequently collapsed after internal bickering.Let's look at all financial and human resources provided to groups: is it right for us to have such a low threshold? he said during the debate in the Constitutional Affairs Committee.Mr Corbett says that the current threshold represents just 2.55 percent of the parliament's membership - but that in 21 of the 25 parliaments in the EU that have rules on political groups, the threshold is higher. It is highest in the Luxembourg parliament - at 8.5 percent.

If the new threshold was set at 30 deputies in a parliament of 750 MEPs - as it will be after 2009 - this would correspond to four percent.But the proposal led to a lively debate in the committee. Liberal MEP Andrew Duff said it could force deputies into one or other of the biggest political groups - currently the centre-right and the Socialists.Is it right to limit pluralist debates?, asked Hanne Dahl, from the Independence / Democracy group - one of the factions likely to be threatened by the rule change. Every call for efficiency is a risk for democracy, she added.The amendment was only narrowly voted down (15 to 14 MEPs in favour of leaving the threshold as is) but it is set come before the plenary as a whole in July when a similar debate is expected.The Liberals, as third biggest group in the parliament, accused the conservative and socialist groups of using a loophole to manoeuvre the report on to the plenary agenda for July.All political voices must be heard in the European Parliament and have the right to form a group, as is the case in our national parliaments. The [conservatives] and the [socialists] want to reduce the European Parliament to a rubber stamp of the Council of Ministers, French Liberal MEP Marielle de Sarnez.MEPs also voted on a separate report by Mr Corbett on changing the rules on MEPs tabling written questions to the commission or council (representing member states).Under the proposed changes, written questions will have to fall within EU's competences, be concise and not contain offensive language.The final decision on whether a question is eligible falls to the parliament's president - something that has been criticised as undemocratic by some deputies.

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)

EVIL INVENTIONS ARE PREDICTED IN THE BIBLE.

ROMANS 1:29-32
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

REVELATION 9:7-8
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

France sees Poland as partner on EU defence
28.05.2008 - 09:29 CET | By Philippa Runner

As French president Nicolas Sarkozy visits Warsaw on Wednesday (28 May) to upgrade Franco-Polish relations, France is beginning to see Poland as a key partner in building an EU military capability alongside NATO.It's important that Poland take its rightful place in the mission of strengthening Europe's defence capacity. Our two countries' views are largely similar and we will work together on this under the French EU presidency, Mr Sarkozy said in an interview with Polish daily Dziennik on the morning of his trip.I'd like to congratulate Poland on its contribution to the European Union mission in Chad, he added, in a statement full of praise for Warsaw's European credentials. In just a few years you have taken a deservedly important place in the actions of Europe all over the world.The French president's visit will see him meet his Polish counterpart, Lech Kaczynski, amid full military fanfare in the centre of Warsaw, and make a public address to the Polish parliament.

He will also sign a strategic partnership with Poland, launching new bilateral working groups on scientific, agricultural and energy supply cooperation, and announce that France will open its labour markets to eastern European workers later this year. I hope this will be an important moment in relations between our two countries, he told Dziennik. Today - when we are both working together in a unified Europe - we have to give them a new momentum.The warm rhetoric on Poland's importance in the EU stands in stark contrast to French President Jacques Chirac's statement in 2003 that Poland should have kept quiet on the Iraq war, which marked a nadir in Franco-Polish co-operation. The countries of the former eastern bloc were long considered as second class EU members, but now want a more intensive dialogue with France, a French diplomat told AFP. With these strategic partnerships, we are showing we do not treat them with scant regard.This is a propitious moment for improving relations between Paris and Warsaw, Polish analyst Ena Kolarska-Bobinska told Les Echos. Relations between France and Germany, the EU's two leaders, are not so good right now, so the smaller countries in the union can play a more important role.

Pressure increases on Israeli prime minister By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer MAY 30,08

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suffered another blow Thursday when a key rival for power in his political party suggested the embattled leader should be replaced because of a widening corruption investigation. With the comments from Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Olmert now encounters an open rebellion in his Kadima party, making it increasingly unlikely he can survive the public uproar that has gripped the country since a key witness described illicit cash payments to the luxury-loving Israeli leader.

Livni's comments came a day after Ehud Barak, the powerful defense minister, called for Olmert to go and threatened to pull his Labor Party, a key coalition partner, out of the government and force new elections if he didn't comply.Livni, one of Israel's most popular politicians, suggested a change of leadership was required to maintain the party's dignity, becoming the first senior party member to openly come out against Olmert.I think the reality has changed since yesterday and Kadima has to make decisions, Livni told reporters. I suspect that Kadima needs to start right away acting for every eventuality, including elections.Olmert has faced considerable public pressure to resign since U.S. businessman Morris Talansky testified in court this week that he handed Olmert $150,000 over the years, in addition to unspecified sums from other donors. Olmert insisted on getting the money in cash, and used it to help finance his penchant for high-living, including luxury hotels and first-class travel, Talansky testified.Olmert has weathered a string of scandals since he took office two years ago and has vowed to fight the latest accusations. His lawyers are set to cross-examine Talansky on July 17.Olmert has denied any wrongdoing and said he would resign only if he is indicted. But he may not last that long.Politically, he is finished. Now it's just a matter of time, said political analyst Hanan Crystal.

Olmert has a reputation as a savvy politician and has dodged all five other investigations into his affairs since he was elected two years ago. Crystal doubted he'd survive this one, calling the Talansky testimony a smoking gun, and said the only question was what would force Olmert out first — the investigation or new elections.A general election is set for late 2010, but if Olmert loses his parliamentary majority, it could be called earlier.Polls indicate that if elections were held today with Olmert heading his party, hard-line opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu would easily sweep to power. Therefore, Livni and Barak would prefer to depose Olmert without going to a national ballot just yet.Last year, Livni called on Olmert to resign after a government investigation slammed his handling of Israel's war in Lebanon in 2006. She was criticized by politicians and the media for not following through by resigning. Barak likewise never carried out a threat to force Olmert out after the report.But on Thursday, Livni and Barak raised the stakes.The die has been cast, Barak told a meeting of his Labor Party in Tel Aviv. We should prepare for elections. ... In my estimation we are going to elections, it could be before the end of this year.The speech resembled a campaign rally, as Barak, a former army chief and prime minister, spoke of the nation's security challenges and the military backgrounds of Labor Party leaders.

Livni said she favored holding a party primary. In this way, we can operate to restore the trust in Kadima, she said, without mentioning Olmert by name.Opinion polls show Livni to be the party's most popular politician with the public but she faces stiff competition inside the party. Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter said Thursday he would seek the leadership and two other ministers, Shaul Mofaz and Meir Sheetrit, are also expected to join the fray. Political analyst Yaron Dekel said the constitution of the young party, formed in 2006 by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, had no specific formula for ousting a sitting leader. In Kadima, it is very hard to replace the prime minister — the party leader — there is no set procedure for his dismissal, he told Channel 1 TV. Olmert has not commented publicly about Talansky's testimony and has tried to maintain a business-as-usual appearance.

On Thursday, he hosted the Danish prime minister, and his office released a busy schedule of events for next week, including a trip to Washington to meet President Bush. The Justice Ministry said investigators are speeding up their corruption inquiry to try to conclude the case. Prosecutors are looking into possible bribery, campaign funding violations and money-laundering. There is an overriding public interest to wind this thing up quickly, Justice Ministry spokesman Moshe Cohen said. This is not a regular investigation.The outcome of this latest political crisis could have a profound effect on the fate of Israel's peacemaking with the Palestinians, and on talks with Syria, recently relaunched after breaking down eight years ago. Washington has been prodding Israel and the Palestinians to try to conclude a blueprint for a peace deal by the end of Bush's term in January. White House press secretary Dana Perino said Olmert's political trouble obviously takes up some oxygen when it comes to negotiating Mideast peace, but that it's a matter of internal Israeli politics. The State Department declined to speculate on the possible effect of a change in leadership in Israel on the U.S.-backed peace process.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he considers the matter an internal Israeli issue. But his aides have said they are worried about the effect Olmert's woes will have on peacemaking.

Turkey-mediated talks with Syria were only disclosed last week, and there has been no comment from Damascus on Olmert's troubles.

Livni: Rising star of Israel's troubled political establishment by Ron Bousso Thu May 29, 2:17 PM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who on Thursday challenged the Kadima party leadership of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, under investigation for alleged corruption, is seen as as rising political star and a contender to be its second woman leader. The 49-year-old lawyer, who defied her staunch nationalist background to become the number two in government and in the centrist Kadima, is today the most popular member of government.

She is seen as the strongest candidate to succeed Olmert as Kadima's head and enjoys high public approval ratings, though she still trails right-wing Likud party chief Benjamin Netanyahu in polls as a potential premier.Today Livni heads the peace negotiations with the Palestinians, launched late last year in a US conference, but which have since made little visible progress.She has met frequently with her US counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, on improving conditions for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where she is committed to the creation of a Palestinian state but also ensuring Israel's security and fight against terror.The creation of a Palestinian state, of a Palestinian economy, is clearly in Israel's interests, and we share the Palestinians' desire, just as cracking down on terror is a Palestinian interest, Livni said, while attending a donors conference for the Palestinians in Paris in December.In April she took the rarely available opportunity of visiting an Arab country, attending a democracy forum in Qatar, where she lobbied for support against Iran's nuclear drive and urged Arab states to forge ties with Israel.Ironically, Livni was virtually born to be a luminary in Likud. Her Polish-born father Eitan was director of operations for the Irgun, the hardline nationalist group that fought British rule through World War II and was one of the main factions that later formed the Likud.Yet she was among the first ministers to join former premier Ariel Sharon in breaking with Likud before the March 2006 elections, becoming one of the new party's founders.With her mother Sarah also an Irgun militant, Tzipi was brought up steeped in the vision of a Greater Israel that would include what are now the Palestinian territories.

But under Sharon's tutelage she swung round to his conviction that the only way to preserve Israel as a Jewish state was to relinquish at least some of the land occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War.Livni was born in Tel Aviv on July 8, 1958. She received a law degree from Bar-Ilan University, and practiced law in a private firm for 10 years before entering public life. She specialised in commercial, constitutional and real estate law.An MP since 1999, she was appointed to the cabinet in March 2001, becoming minister of regional cooperation. She has since also held the agriculture, immigration and justice portfolios.Before following her father into politics, she worked in a commercial law partnership after four years in the legal section of the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service.She is married and has two children.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

In Paris, Putin details new role as prime minister By CHRISTINE OLLIVIER, Associated Press Writer MAY 30,08

PARIS - Vladimir Putin made his first major foray abroad as Russia's prime minister Thursday, insisting that managing the economy — rather than ensuring human rights are respected — is now his main job. While Putin is no longer Russia's president, he didn't hesitate to use a visit to Paris to address the issue of human rights, which he said was no longer part of his official bailiwick.Honoring protocol, Putin spoke to reporters with his French counterpart, Francois Fillon, before moving on for dinner with President Nicolas Sarkozy in the kind of event generally reserved for heads of state.Putin's trip to Paris, his first high-profile venture abroad in his new role, was likely to be scrutinized for signs of who's behind Russia's foreign policy now that his protege Dmitry Medvedev is in the president's seat.Putin used the chance to draw the line between their roles.The government handles the economy, he said. Dealing with human rights is the area of competency of the president, he said before raising questions about that issue in France.Concerns about the lack of human rights in Russia are strongly exaggerated. And in general, this theme is an instrument for pressure on Russia, he said, adding that any country has human rights problems.Let's take the example of, I don't know, the situation in prisons in France and other detention centers. Is everything OK there for you? Why don't we look into it? he said.

Fillon didn't contradict his guest. He instead noted how he was impressed by the breadth of reforms achieved in Russia since 1999, when Putin became president.We don't teach lessons to anybody, Fillon said.On the table were issues like energy, particularly nuclear, oil and gas. Europe's energy security comes first through calm, more confident relations between the European Union and Russia, Fillon said.Few clear signs have emerged about who will lead Russian foreign policy now that Putin's hand-picked successor Medvedev has taken over the Kremlin. Traditionally Russia's president holds that responsibility, but many expect Putin to retain a substantial say in policy as prime minister.

OIL INVESTIGATION
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8038179&ch=4226720&src=news

Oil prices fall to near $126 a barrel By THOMAS HOGUE, AP Business Writer MAY 30,08

BANGKOK, Thailand - Oil prices fell to near $126 a barrel Friday in Asia, extending a decline of more than $4 in the previous session despite a huge unexpected drop in U.S. crude oil stocks. The U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said delays in unloading oil tankers along the Gulf Coast had led to the 8.8 million-barrel drop in crude oil inventories for the week ended May 23. Analysts surveyed by Platts had expected a gain of 750,000 barrels. Usually such a discrepancy would send prices soaring.It was so unexpected that the majority of traders simply brushed it off ... as not a reliable indication, said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore.It was such a deviation from expectations, so probably there was some problem in the reporting, he said, and traders were willing to accept the EIA explanation that it was a timing issue on imports.Traders instead focused on gains in the U.S. dollar, he said, which hit a three-month high against the yen overnight. In Asia currency trading in Tokyo, the dollar has held near 105.50 yen, while the euro is trading around $1.55.Investors who buy commodities such as oil as a hedge against inflation when the dollar is falling tend to sell when the greenback strengthens. Also, a stronger dollar makes oil more expensive to investors dealing in foreign currencies.

Midday in Singapore, light, sweet crude for July delivery was down 33 cents at $126.29 a barrel in electronic trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange.The contract fell $4.41 to settle at $126.62 a barrel overnight, the lowest settlement in two weeks and the biggest single-day price drop since March 19.The market has lost some attraction on the upside, Shum said.Concerns about U.S. gasoline demand also weighed on prices, with many investors and analysts expecting record high retail prices to continue to impinge on American driving habits.In Washington, meanwhile, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission revealed that it is six months into a wide-ranging investigation of U.S. oil markets, with a focus on possible price manipulation. The CFTC also announced a handful of initiatives designed to increase transparency of the energy futures markets.Disclosure of the investigation may have contributed to oil's declines, analysts said.In its weekly inventory report, the EIA also said gasoline supplies fell 3.2 million barrels. Analysts surveyed by energy research firm Platts had expected an increase of 400,000 barrels.But the EIA also offered a rare explanatory note on the Gulf Coast tanker problems, and Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago, said Gulf ports have closed many times in recent months due to fog.Also putting some weight on prices were supplies of distillates, including heating oil and diesel fuel, which the EIA said rose 1.6 million barrels last week, double what analysts had expected.In other Nymex trading, heating oil futures were flat at $3.6885 a gallon while gasoline prices dropped 0.92 cent to $3.395 a gallon. Natural gas futures rose 2.6 cents to $11.50 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, July Brent crude fell 33 cents to $126.56 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Israel names biblically banned Hoopoe national bird Thu May 29, 11:22 AM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - It may not be kosher, but the Hoopoe was chosen Thursday as Israel's national bird. The Hoopoe, or Duchifat in Hebrew, is listed in the Old Testament as unclean and forbidden food for Jews.President Shimon Peres declared the pink, black and white-crested bird the winner of a competition timed to coincide with Israel's 60th anniversary. It beat out rivals such as the Yellow-vented Bulbul and the Palestine Sunbird.The Book of Leviticus groups the Hoopoe with birds such as the eagle, vulture and pelican that are abhorrent, not to be eaten.Israel is a main crossroads for birds migrating between Europe and Africa. Some 155,000 Israelis cast ballots in the national bird vote.(Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Julian Rake and Ibon Villelabeitia)