US CAUTIOUS OF CLUB MED BLOC

FRANCE CELEBRATES BASTILLE DAY
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WORLD LEADERS ATTEND BASTILLE DAY
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protest against syrian president
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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.

AROUND THE WORLD DISASTERS
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N.J DEATHS BLAMED ON BERTHAS WAVES
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BERTHA RAISES RED FLAGS
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Bermuda launches cleanup as storm heads to sea By ELIZABETH ROBERTS, Associated Press Writer JULY 15,08

HAMILTON, Bermuda - Tropical Storm Bertha headed back out over open ocean and away from the U.S. mainland Tuesday after it battered Bermuda, knocking out electricity to thousands on the Atlantic tourist island. The government dispatched cleanup crews and expected to restore power to 200 remaining customers by the end of the day. Bertha's heavy rains flooded roads and its winds felled utility poles, leaving up to 7,500 without electricity on Monday. There were no reports of injuries.Bertha was centered 260 miles (415 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda Tuesday morning, with sustained winds near 70 mph (110 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It had dumped 4.7 inches (12 centimeters) of rain on the island and was moving northeast at 12 mph (19 kph).Bertha became the Atlantic season's first hurricane on July 7, but later weakened into a tropical storm. It is expected to re-strengthen into a hurricane by late Tuesday or early Wednesday, the center said. The storm whipped up dangerous rip currents along the U.S. East Coast from the Carolinas through southern New England, contributing to at least one drowning Saturday along a New Jersey beach, officials said.On Monday, Elida became the second hurricane of the Eastern Pacific region's season, scattering rains across Mexico's central coast. The storm, with winds of nearly 80 mph (130 kph), was headed away from land and was expected to gradually weaken during the next 48 hours.Elida was centered about 475 miles (765 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula on Tuesday, and was moving northwest about 12 mph (19 kph).

FROM UNDER FIRE TO FIGHTING FIRE
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Mudslides hit Calif. town near Sequoia forest Tue Jul 15, 9:00 AM ET

LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. - A mudslide near an area scarred by fire poured into this small town near the southern end of the Sequoia National Forest, shortly after officials urged people to evacuate low-lying areas. The slide Monday afternoon was nearly 3 feet deep and has people's belongings in it, Donna Campbell, who works in the town, said early Tuesday.She said the slide covered one block of Lake Isabella Boulevard but was not as bad as others that happened during the weekend following heavy thunderstorms.Flash flood watches were issued for Tuesday afternoon and evening in the mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Heavy rain on Monday caused flooding in sparsely populated areas in northern Ventura County in the Los Padres National Forest, said Dave Bruno, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.Kern County authorities had recommended evacuations for about 80 homes in Lake Isabella because of concerns about flash floods and mudslides near a wildfire that has charred 57 square miles of the national forest. It was the third such warning in three days for the town about 90 miles north of Los Angeles.Monday's flow was made up of a mixture of mud and ash, said Jim Bagnell, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

Cleanup crews were still busy on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, where a mudslide damaged dozens of homes and covered a highway during the weekend in the town of Independence, some 200 miles north of Los Angeles.The Independence mud flow destroyed part of the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery and its brood stock of rainbow trout, said hatchery manager Robert Wakefield.

Tropical depression less likely in Atlantic: NHC Tue Jul 15, 7:55 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday environmental conditions were becoming less favorable for the low-pressure system about 950 miles east of the Lesser Antilles to develop into a tropical depression. But the NHC noted the system still has the potential to become a tropical depression within the next day or so.On Monday and early Tuesday, the NHC said the system could develop into a tropical depression over the next day or so.

Earlier Tuesday, the NHC said the system was moving westward at about 15 miles per hour across the Central Atlantic.If it strengthens into a tropical storm, with winds of 39 to 73 mph, the NHC will name it Cristobal.Weather models forecast the system will cross the Lesser Antilles and reach the central or western Caribbean Sea south of the Greater Antilles over the next five days or so.The Lesser Antilles include the Caribbean Islands from the Virgin Islands south to Trinidad.The Greater Antilles include Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.Energy traders watch for storms that could enter the Gulf of Mexico and threaten U.S. oil and gas production facilities.Commodities traders also watch storms that could hit agriculture crops like citrus and cotton in Florida and other states along the Gulf Coast.(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by John Picinich)

Tropical Storm Bertha speeds away from Bermuda JULY 15,08

HAMILTON (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Bertha sprinted away from Bermuda on Tuesday, after lashing the mid-Atlantic British colony with storm-force winds and heavy rains, cutting power to thousands and forcing airlines to cancel flights. Police in Bermuda, a wealthy offshore finance center, reported no injuries. Clean-up crews had to remove some fallen trees from roads and a car fell into a sinkhole.The storm knocked out power to around 7,500 homes as it passed by but all but a relative handful -- 150 customers -- had their electricity restored before Tuesday morning, a spokeswoman for the Bermuda Electric Light Co. said.At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), what had been for a while the first hurricane of the 2008Atlantic storm season was located around 260 miles to the north-northeast of Bermuda and it was moving away at 12 miles per hour (19km per hour), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.Bertha had not strengthened back into a hurricane while clearing Bermuda, as the hurricane center had said might be possible, but it still had the potential to do so as it moved out over the open ocean. Tropical storms become hurricanes when their top sustained winds reach 74 mph (119 kph).The Miami-based hurricane center said Bertha was likely to hold together as a hurricane or a tropical storm for several days as it moved northeastward on a track that ought eventually to take it to the hurricane graveyard of the North Atlantic.Bertha at its peak became a major Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.

Its surprisingly vigorous growth from a tropical storm and formation far in the eastern Atlantic, near Africa, so early in the six-month storm season could herald a busy summer. The Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1, rarely gets into gear before August.Oil markets have paid close attention to Atlantic storms since a series of powerful hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 toppled oil rigs and severed gas pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, where the United States gets a third of its domestic crude supply.

On Tuesday, energy traders were keeping an eye on an area of disturbed weather between the Caribbean islands and Africa.That area of low pressure had not developed overnight and conditions were becoming less favorable for it to grow into a tropical depression, the precursor to a tropical storm, the hurricane center said.(Reporting by Matthew Taylor in Hamilton, Editing by Michael Christie and David Wiessler)

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)

ITALIANS FIGHT MOSQUITO VIRUS
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INFLATION AT 11 YR HIGH
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ASIA STOCKS FALL TO 2 YR LOW
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Oil prices plummet $8 on spreading economic fears By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer JULY 15,08

NEW YORK - Oil prices plunged Tuesday as worries about the nation's economic health moved to the fore and OPEC warned that high pump prices are likely to erode global demand for crude. Prices at one point dropped more than $10 a barrel from the day's high. By early afternoon, light, sweet crude was down $7.33 to $137.85 in an extremely volatile session.The turnaround may not signal a lasting shift in sentiment — prices have swung violently in recent days as they flirted with record highs. But it does underscore investor uncertainty about the sustainability of sky-high prices and potentially long-lasting effects on the broader economy.They're slamming this pretty good. But remember, these (big) moves are becoming a little more commonplace, said Phil Flynn, analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago.Earlier, the contract rose as high as $146.73 and fell as low as $135.92.Mounting worries about the health of the U.S. economy helped spur the sell-off.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress that numerous difficulties are racking the economy of the world's largest oil consumer, and warned that rising prices for energy and food are heightening the risk of inflation accelerating.At the same time, the Labor Department reported that wholesale inflation jumped by 1.8 percent last month, a larger-than-expected gain. Over the past year, wholesale prices have risen 9.2 percent, the most since 1981.

Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates, said economic worries likely contributed to Tuesday's declines.Traders get spooked and simply sell positions, he said. The threat of recession, at some point the market's going to plug that in.Bernanke's sobering comments helped drive stocks down sharply, although they recovered by midday as oil prices fell. Lingering concerns about the health of the financial sector continued to weigh on banking stocks in particular.The energy markets are not immune to the credit problems rattling financial service companies.Since investment banks have been increasing their ... exposure to commodities, their current distress can have (a) significant impact on oil prices if they are forced to liquidate commodity positions in a run for cash, Olivier Jakob, an analyst at Petromatrix in Switzerland, said in a research note.The latest monthly market report from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries gave traders further reason to unload oil.The cartel predicted world oil demand will rise by 900,000 barrels a day in 2009, or 100,000 barrels per day less than this year. OPEC blamed the slowdown on a slumping economy and high pump prices in richer industrialized countries.Retail gas prices in the U.S. remained at a record near $4.11 a gallon, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. Diesel rose six-tenths of a penny to its own high of $4.83 a gallon.

Meanwhile, a five-day strike by Brazilian oil workers that began early Monday is having less effect on output than feared. The labor action cut production of government-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, by only about 4 percent by Monday evening. Petrobras produces about 1.6 million barrels of oil a day.We are not making a big case of the strike in Brazil as it is well defined in time, hence carries little un-priced risk. Furthermore the output loss estimates have been continuously revised down, Jakob said. The dollar fell to a new low against the euro, but that did little to halt oil's fall. A weaker dollar has been a major factor driving prices sharply higher in recent months, enticing investors to pump money into oil as a hedge against inflation and making crude cheaper for overseas buyers. General Motors Corp., the leading U.S. automaker, said it is assuming oil prices will hover between $130 to $150 a barrel next year. The company made the prediction as it laid out plans to slash jobs and truck production, suspend its dividend and borrow up to $3 billion as it grapples with an ailing U.S. economy and record high fuel prices. In other Nymex trading, heating oil futures fell more than 16 cents to $3.903 a gallon, while gasoline futures tumbled nearly 19 cents to $3.3684 a gallon. Natural gas dropped 45.4 cents to $11.505 per 1,000 cubic feet. In London, August Brent crude fell $6.22 to $137.70 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

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

ECONOMY FACES DIFICULTIES
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THE GOOD AND BAD ECONOMY
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Bernanke: Markets under stress; outlook uncertain By Emily Kaiser and Mark Felsenthal JULY 15,08

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A weakening housing market, strained banking system and rising oil prices threaten the U.S. economy, and restoring financial market stability is a top priority, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday. It was a gloomier assessment than the central bank's policy-setting panel gave in late June, when it said risks to growth had diminished somewhat.

Bernanke, in his semi-annual testimony on economic conditions to lawmakers on Tuesday, acknowledged that financial markets had grown increasingly anxious in recent weeks, particularly over the financial condition of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae (FNM.N) and Freddie Mac (FRE.N).He stressed that the outlook for economic growth and inflation was unusually uncertain. Investors took that as a signal that the Fed would keep interest rates unchanged at least through August, and perhaps through the end of the year.The possibility of higher energy prices, tighter credit conditions, and a still-deeper contraction in housing markets all represent significant downside risks to the outlook for growth. At the same time, upside risks to the inflation outlook have intensified lately, he said.Bernanke said the slumping housing market was the most critical and central issue that we face, because it held the key to consumer spending as well as banks' financial health.His comments come just two days after the Treasury Department, in close coordination with the central bank, announced measures to aid Fannie and Freddie, which have been under pressure as the housing market has deteriorated.Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, in prepared testimony, said the government-sponsored enterprises have the potential to pose a systemic risk to the financial system, and urged Congress to pass legislation creating a stronger regulator.Paulson, Bernanke, and Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox are due to testify before the Senate Banking Committee later on Tuesday about Fannie and Freddie.

WIDE NET

Bernanke's comments offered little comfort to investors. U.S. stock prices fell, although they clawed back some of those losses by late-morning as oil prices dropped. The dollar weakened and U.S. Treasury debt prices rose as a safe-haven alternative to riskier assets.In its semi-annual monetary policy report to Congress, the Fed raised its projection for growth in 2008 to a range of 1 percent to 1.6 percent from the 0.3 percent to 1.2 percent range it forecast in April, on expectations of stronger consumer spending.

President George W. Bush said the economy was still growing, although he acknowledged obvious financial uncertainty.With energy costs rising, the Fed also raised its inflation forecast to a range of 3.8 percent to 4.2 percent, up substantially from its previous 3.1 percent to 3.4 percent projection.The net is now extremely wide for the Fed, with upside inflation pressures and considerable downside growth risks, said Dustin Reid, senior currency strategist with ABN AMRO in Chicago. The Fed's having a difficult time, as are most other central banks, as to what the next (interest rate) move should be.

TIGHT SPOT

Sluggish economic growth and stubborn inflation have put Bernanke in a tight spot as he tries to keep a lid on pricing pressures without tipping the economy into a deep recession.The usual policy prescription of hiking rates to curb the acceleration in prices, largely coming from costlier energy, might dampen an already slow pace of economic activity. Pressure has grown -- both inside his policy-making committee and out -- for the Fed to consider raising interest rates after cutting them by 3.25 percentage points to 2 percent since mid-September. Shortly before Bernanke testified, government reports underlined the dilemma. Sales at retail stores barely edged up in June but producer prices, which reflect wholesale inflation, jumped a larger-than-expected 1.8 percent.

News from the corporate arena was no more reassuring. General Motors Corp (GM.N), struggling with declining vehicle sales, said it will cut 20 percent of its salaried work force, while Kimberly-Clark Corp (KMB.N) cut its profit outlook because of high energy costs. Bernanke said the Fed's efforts to date, including the rate cuts and a series of new lending facilities, had positive effects but the economy still faced numerous difficulties.Many financial markets and institutions remain under considerable stress, in part because the outlook for the economy, and thus for credit quality, remains uncertain, he said. Helping the financial markets to return to more normal functioning will continue to be a top priority of the Federal Reserve, he added. (Additional reporting by Steven C. Johnson in New York and David Lawder in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

FANNIE, FREDDIE RESCUSE PUSHES AID
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Wholesale prices soar in June; Sales are sluggish By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer JULY 15,08

WASHINGTON - The economy showed the depth of its twin problems on Tuesday, slow growth and rising inflation, as the nation wrestled with a teetering financial system, a slumping dollar and rising prices for food and fuel. The Labor Department reported that soaring costs for gasoline and food pushed inflation at the wholesale level up by a bigger-than-expected 1.8 percent in June, leaving inflation rising over the past year at the fastest pace in more than a quarter-century.Over the past 12 months, wholesale prices are up 9.2 percent, the largest year-over-year surge since June 1981, another period when soaring energy costs were giving the country inflation pains.Core inflation, which excludes energy and food, was better behaved in June, rising by just 0.2 percent, slightly lower than expectations.A separate report from the Commerce Department showed that all the economy's problems were weighing on the consumer. Retail sales edged up by a tiny 0.1 percent in June, weaker than had been expected, as consumer spending was held back by a sharp plunge in sales at auto dealerships.

U.S. stocks headed for a sharply lower open as the reports on inflation and retail sales failed to cool concerns about the financial sector. Banking stocks were pounded on Monday despite the government's efforts to calm concerns with a support package fashioned over the weekend for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that the fragile economy was being confronted by numerous difficulties including persistent strains in financial markets, rising joblessness and housing problems. He said rising prices for energy and food were elevating the risks of inflation.Delivering his midyear economic report to the Congress, Bernanke said the current situation poses significant challenges for Fed policymakers as they try to chart the best course for keeping the economy growing, while making sure inflation doesn't dangerously flare up.The Fed signaled an end to an aggressive rate-cutting campaign in June because of growing concerns about inflation. Bernanke kept up his tough anti-inflation talk on Tuesday but stressed many other problems that could short circuit economic growth.In a third economic report, the Commerce Department said business inventories rose at a slower-than-expected pace in May, a possible indication that the weakening economy is making companies cautious on their restocking plans.

The department said inventories held on shelves and backlots edged up 0.3 percent in May, smaller than the 0.5 percent gain that many economists had been expecting. It was the smallest monthly increase since inventories had risen just 0.2 percent in April.Many economists are worried that a host of problems from a lengthy slump in housing to a severe credit crunch could push the country into a recession. But so far, the overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, has managed to stay in positive territory, helped in part by companies rebuilding their inventories.For June, energy prices at the wholesale level shot up by 6 percent; the price of unleaded regular gasoline surged by 9 percent following an even bigger 9.6 percent increase in May.The 0.1 percent rise in retail sales was even weaker than the 0.4 percent gain that analysts had been expecting.That small rise reflected a 3.3 percent drop in sales at auto dealerships, offsetting a big 4.6 percent jump in sales at gasoline stations, an increase that largely mirrored last month's huge jump in pump prices.General Motors said Tuesday that it plans to lay off salaried workers, cut truck production and suspend its stock dividend, showing the depth of the U.S. auto industry's mounting troubles as it adjusts to a declining U.S. market.GM said it would also borrow $2 billion to $3 billion as part of an effort to raise $15 billion to help turn around its North American operations.

Customers furious in Day 2 of IndyMac fed takeover JULY 15,08

LOS ANGELES - Police ordered angry customers lined up outside an IndyMac Bank branch to remain calm or face arrest Tuesday as they tried to pull their money on the second day of the failed institution's federal takeover. At least three police squad cars showed up early Tuesday as tensions rose outside the San Fernando Valley branch of Pasadena-based IndyMac.Federal regulators seized Pasadena-based IndyMac on Friday and reopened the bank Monday under the control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Deposits to $100,000 are fully insured by the FDIC.Worried customers with deposits in excess of insured limits flooded IndyMac Bank branches on Monday, demanding to withdraw as much money as they could or get answers about the fate of their funds.When it was clear some wouldn't get in before closing, FDIC employees apparently took down names and told them to return Tuesday.Other customers began lining up at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, and by dawn, tensions escalated because people on the list were getting priority.By 8 a.m., about 50 people on the list waited in one line and many more waited in another. Five people were allowed in at a time.Customers became infuriated, and police told them they could be arrested if they didn't remain calm.Police stood by at some other branches around Southern California but there were no other reports of problems.

Mystery insect bugging experts at London museum By MEERA SELVA, Associated Press Writer Tue Jul 15, 6:41 AM ET

LONDON - The experts at London's Natural History Museum pride themselves on being able to identify species from around the globe, from birds and mammals to insects and snakes. Yet they can't figure out a tiny red-and-black bug that has appeared in the museum's own gardens. The almond-shaped insect, about the size of a grain of rice, and was first seen in March 2007 on some of the plane trees that grow on the grounds of the 19th century museum, collections manager Max Barclay said Tuesday.Within three months, it had become the most common insect in the garden, and it was also spotted in other central London parks, he said.The museum has more than 28 million insect species in its collection, but none is an exact match for this one. Still, Barclay is cautious about calling it a new discovery.I don't expect to find a new species in the gardens of a museum, he said. Deep inside a tropical rainforest, yes, but not in central London.The bug resembles the Arocatus roeselii, which is usually found in central Europe but is a brighter red and lives on alder trees. Entomologists suspect the new bug could be a version of the roeselii that has adapted to live on plane trees, but acknowledge it could be a new species.Either way, it appears the museum's tiny visitor, which appears harmless, is here to stay.

We waited to see if the insect would survive the British winter, Barclay said. It did and it's thriving, so now we had better figure out what it is.

THE POPE IN AUSTRALIA
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100,000 Catholics gather for youth event in Sydney By TANALEE SMITH, Associated Press Writer JULY 15,08

SYDNEY, Australia - More than 100,000 Roman Catholic pilgrims from around the world swarmed Sydney Harbor on Tuesday, waving the flags of their countries and singing as they awaited a Mass opening the World Youth Day festival. The star of the show, Pope Benedict XVI, remained ensconced at a retreat on Sydney's outskirts where he was resting before joining the celebrations Thursday.The scale of World Youth Day was revealed when pilgrims arrived in droves and gathered along a waterfront near the city's landmark harbor bridge for a twilight Mass.Rites, including the Holy Communion, hymn singing and a sermon delivered by Sydney's Archbishop Cardinal George Pell, left many in tears.Nearly 250,000 people registered for World Youth Day, more than half from overseas. By Tuesday's opening ceremony, they had arrived — thousands of young people were staying in churches, schools and volunteers' homes. They thronged the city with their official yellow, red and orange backpacks, singing songs, strumming guitars and shouting greetings to strangers on the streets.The scene resembled a city-sized school camp more than a religious gathering.

Tuesday's Mass began with a procession of groups from 168 countries, waving their national flags as they entered a former commercial wharf in downtown Sydney, renamed Barangaroo.Aborigines in traditional clothing and white body paint danced and chanted to the strains of a didgeridoo. Addressing the crowd, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd acknowledged the Aborigines as Australia's original owners and read welcomes to pilgrims in various languages, including Italian, French, Korean, the Philippines' Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia.G'day, and have a great time down under, Rudd said.

Rudd, who was raised in a Catholic family but now regularly attends an Anglican church, said Australia would be enriched by the pilgrims' presence.Some say there is no place for faith in the 21st century. I say they are wrong, Rudd said to resounding cheers.In his homily, Pell urged the pilgrims to keep the faith through self-discipline and prayer.Many of you have traveled such a long way that you may believe that you have arrived indeed at the ends of the Earth, Pell said. If so, that's good, for our Lord told his first apostles that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem and to the ends of the Earth.As they flooded into the waterfront site, pilgrims scarfed down traditional Australian meat pies, sang and chatted. Parts of the city came to a standstill.A group of French pilgrims wore stuffed roosters on their heads. Nearby, parishioners from Nottingham, England, sported green felt Robin Hood hats and matching shirts.You see so many nationalities and you realize the church is not just Nottingham. It's a world Church, said Father David Cain, who traveled to Sydney with 20 members of the Nottingham diocese.Later, revelers bopped to a pop concert whose performers pranced on a floating stage in the harbor.The six-day celebration began when a giant digital countdown clock at the gothic St. Mary's Cathedral downtown ticked past midnight Monday and flashed G'Day Pilgrims, drawing cheers from youths who had gathered to watch. There were signs Tuesday the pope is going high-tech. Registered pilgrims received the first of what will be daily text messages from Benedict: Young friend, God and his people expect much from u because u have within you the Fathers supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus. It was signed BXVI.Meanwhile, a court on Tuesday struck down a law that banned causing annoyance to the pilgrims, clearing the way for a protest Saturday by activists opposed to Benedict's policies on contraception, abortion and homosexuality. We now have a lot more confidence to take to the streets to condemn Pope Benedict's policies, said Rachel Evans, one of the plaintiffs. We are glad that the court has ruled that we do have the freedom of expression to communicate our political views.

The New South Wales government had granted authorities extra powers for World Youth Day, saying they were the same as those exercised at big sporting events. Critics said the regulations impinged on free speech. On Thursday, Benedict will get a traditional Aboriginal welcome and tour Sydney's harbor by boat before delivering a major address at Barangaroo. A papal Mass on Sunday before thousands at a racetrack in the city is scheduled to end the proceedings. Associated Press writer Kristen Gelineau contributed to this report.

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).

Sarkozy beaming at birth of Mediterranean Union
ELITSA VUCHEVA 14.07.2008 @ 08:19 CET

EUOBSERVER / PARIS – France officially announced the launch of the Union for the Mediterranean on Sunday (13 July) – the brainchild of its president Nicolas Sarkozy, who did not hide his pride in seeing the project's official birth.We had dreamt of it. The Union for the Mediterranean is now a reality, a visibly content Mr Sarkozy told journalists in Paris after a four-hour long working session with leaders of the countries members of the Union.The Mediterranean Union summit was held in Paris' glass-doomed Grand Palais. (Photo: EUobserver.com)

The project – under its official name Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean – regroups 43 states, including all EU members, and will be co-presided over by one EU and one Mediterranean country – currently Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, and Mr Sarkozy himself.The goal is to boost ties between the EU and its southern neighbours, while the aim of the co-presidency will be to improve the balance and the joint ownership of the Union, reads the final declaration adopted by the 43 leaders. Some critics of the project however had accused European states of wanting to dominate their southern partners.But north and south will be on an equal footing … We have exactly the same rights, exactly the same obligations, said the French president during the opening of the summit.Details of the Union for the Mediterranean's institutional structure are still to be sorted out, but it will have a Joint Permanent Committee based in Brussels that will assist in the preparation of meetings of senior officials; and a joint Secretariat – whose political mandate, location, as well as the nationality of its director, are to be decided by the Union's foreign ministers, who will meet in November.A Union for the Mediterranean high-level summit will take place once every two years, while its foreign ministers will meet once a year.

Concrete projects

Central parts of Paris were blocked off on Sunday and the city was under high surveillance, as some 18,000 policemen were mobilised to co-ordinate the 43 leaders' security.The only one who was invited but declined to attend was Libya's Muammar Gaddafi – an outspoken opponent of the project, while the kings of Morocco and Jordan did not come, but instead sent representatives.The leaders unanimously adopted a declaration deciding to work on six concrete projects as initial activities, Mr Sarkozy said.The new grouping will address the cleaning up of Mediterranean pollution; development of maritime and land highways; or setting up a joint civil protection programme on prevention and response to disasters.The yet to be established Secretariat will also aim to explore the feasibility, development and creation of a Mediterranean Solar Plan, looking into solar energy as an alternative source of energy.A Euro-Mediterranean University, whose seat will be somewhere in Slovenia, hopes to contribute to the establishment of a Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education, Science and Research area.Additionally, a so-called Mediterranean Business Development Initiative will support small and medium-sized enterprises.However, criticism has already been raised about some controversial issues – such as immigration – being left out of the Union's scope at this stage.

A diplomatic success?

But the project's overarching goal is to progressively lead to peace in the Middle East, Mr Sarkozy said. Conflicts in the region are seen as the main reason preventing the Barcelona Process – an initiative started in 1995 with similar ambitions to the new project – from achieving significant results.On Sunday, over the course of four hours, everybody was there. Everybody spoke, discussed and agreed [on things] … If it is possible during four hours, if we could agree on all these projects, we will continue, we will go further, Mr Sarkozy told the press, stressing there had been no incidents at the summit, despite the tense relations between some of the leaders, and said he already saw a chance for peace from this first meeting.Prior to his statement, Israel's premier, Ehud Olmert, said Israeli and Palestinians had never been so close to reaching a peace agreement as now.Furthermore, the French president announced on Saturday that Syria and Lebanon had agreed to establish diplomatic relations – an act he called historic.

Relations between the two countries have been particularly tense since the assassination of Lebanon's former premier, Rafiq Hariri, in April 2005 – followed by Syria's troops' forced withdrawal from Lebanon. Damascus has denied any involvement in Mr Hariri's killing, but a number of UN inquiries have suggested that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence forces had played some role in the assassination.Our position is that there is no problem with the opening of embassies between Syria and Lebanon … If Lebanon is willing to exchange embassies, we have no objections to doing it, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was quoted as saying by French news agency AFP.But the two countries must define the steps to take to arrive at this stage" before mutual recognition, he stressed.

Observers have adopted a cautious approach however, insisting that many things have been said about peace in the region over the years and one should wait for concrete results before claiming success.At the summit, Carl Bildt, Sweden's foreign minister, warned: The world is not going to be changed by the meeting today, reported AFP.
But the entire region will, hopefully, be changed over time by this particular approach, he added.

Berlusconi in bid to boost Italian in EU
ELITSA VUCHEVA JULY 15,08 Today @ 09:29 CET

Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has urged his ministers to boycott EU meetings where no documentation is provided in Italian in a bid to promote the language of Dante.They should walk out of those meetings where they are forced to speak a language other than their own, Mr Berlusconi wrote in a letter to his colleagues, the Guardian reports.It is essential that the EU also guarantees the dignity of those languages which are less spoken in the Union, the prime minister wrote.He said Italian officials should counteract the practice, begun by the European commission… [of] introducing the ambiguous notion of working or procedural languages, with the effect of creating a trilingual hierarchy with English, French and German as the main beneficiaries.The 27 member state bloc has 23 official languages, while English, French and German are the three working languages used for day-to-day business.

Mr Berlusconi said he wants constant monitoring of the languages used at EU meetings and insisted Italian ministers should avoid participating in discussions or votes during informal talks of EU ministers unless working documents in our language are made available.In addition, he urged his colleagues to take legal steps if they spot language irregularities.Former EU commissioner for Italy Franco Frattini has been assigned the task of leading the battle for the defence of Italian, according to daily Corriere della Sera.Meanwhile, the current Italian representative in the European commission, Antonio Tajani – in charge of transport - has already made Italian the working language in his cabinet in Brussels.He has also chosen to substitute his German service car with an Italian one, writes the paper.Italy, which, according to its prime minister's letter, has coordinated this language strategy with Spain, is not the first state to take issue with the use of its national language, however.Paris and lately Berlin have also been frequent complainants as English continues to increasingly dominate in Brussels.A few days before the start of the French EU presidency last month, the country's EU ambassador told a Brussels audience: The French presidency, ladies and gentlemen, will be carried out in French.France then ruffled a few feathers of non-French speaking journalists by insisting that only proficient French-speakers should attend get-to-know-the-French-presidency discussions in Paris at the beginning of July.When Germany chaired the EU presidency in 2007, it too insisted on using German as much as possible. Some of the country's MPs have also been complaining that not enough EU documents are available in German even though it is a working language of the bloc.

Belgian PM resigns as divided country thrown into fresh crisis LEIGH PHILLIPS JULY 15,08 Today @ 09:26 CET

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has offered his resignation to the divided country's king following failure to reach agreement between the governing parties on a reform of the state.The Christian Democrat Mr Leterme had set himself a deadline of 15 July to reach an agreement between the five French and Flemish-speaking parties in his fractious coalition on a devolution of powers to the regions.Despite all efforts and perseverance, the prime minister believes the foreseen deadline for a governmental accord has not been respected. It has turned out that the opposing visions between the communities for the necessary creation of a new equilibrium in how our state is constructed are today irreconcilable, Mr Leterme said in a statement.This reveals that the consultation model at an exclusively federal level has reached its limits, the statement continued, Yet a reform of the state remains an essential element of any government accord.The prime minister's audience with the king late on Monday evening lasted more than four hours. At 3:30 in the morning, the palace issued a communique signalling that the monarch would reserve its response as to whether he would accept Mr Leterme's resignation.

The fragile coalition has barely held itself together since the government was sworn in following an unprecedented nine months of negotiations after the general election. Agreement on a skeleton of economic and social measures had been agreed amongst the French and Flemish centre and right wing governing parties, but an impasse was reached when it came to the more contentious issues of a new division of powers and finances between the federal government and the provinces.Wealthier, Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north has long desired that a range of responsibilities over taxation and social security be devolved to the provinces from the federal level.

French-speaking Wallonia, whose manufacturing base has crumbled since the 1970s, fears the reduction in financial support this would deliver and believes devolution to be a stepping stone to a break-up of the country.A reorganisation of electoral boundaries on the bilingual outskirts of majority-French Brussels - which, complicating matters, lies in the heart for Flanders - also hit the buffers.

Polish leader pledges not to block EU treaty
LUCIA KUBOSOVA JULY 15,08 Today @ 09:27 CET

Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he will not create obstacles to the ratification of the EU's new Lisbon treaty following a chat with French leader Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Monday (14 July).

His u-turn comes despite previous suggestions that after rejection of the treaty in Ireland's 12 June referendum, it was pointless for the president to sign it.Lech Kaczynski now says Warsaw will not block the EU's Lisbon Treaty (Photo: Wikipedia.org)Mr Kaczynski said: The meeting was very good. I told [Mr Sarkozy] one thing: Of course, Poland will not be an obstacle to the treaty's ratification, several media reported.He also told journalists that he had agreed with the French leader on a joint plan concerning the EU's reform treaty, but he refused to reveal any details.France is currently holding the six-month rotating chairmanship of the 27-strong European Union and achieving a full ratification of its reform plan is among the most crucial goals of Paris. Speaking in the European Parliament last week, President Sarkozy promised he would seek a solution by October or December at the latest, while asking all other governments to keep their promise and allow ratification to be completed.Referring directly to comments made by Mr Kaczynski, the French leader said: The Polish president negotiated the treaty himself. He gave his word. He has to keep it. This is not about politics. This is about morality.Paris previously sent the same message to the Czech Republic - also hesitant about ratification - but Prague argues that it needs to wait until the country's constitutional court rules on whether the Lisbon Treaty is in line with the Czech charter.

WORLD GOVERNMENT

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he 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.

DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.

REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Mandelson issues warning ahead of crunch WTO meeting
HONOR MAHONY JULY 15,08 Today @ 09:17 CET

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has called on member states to present a united front in crucial world trade talks next week as national governments divide into neo-liberal and protectionist camps ahead of the negotiations.The commissioner's call comes after French President Nicolas Sarkozy in an unusually direct attack earlier this month accused Mr Mandelson of contributing to the Irish rejection of EU Lisbon treaty through his trade stance and of making too many promises on reducing subsidies for EU farmers.If, after seven years, you cannot complete a trade round, what does that say for your prospects of reaching a deal on climate change? (Photo: European Community, 2005)

According to the International Herald Tribune, he told a gathering of journalists on Monday (14 July) that the 27 member states should make a show of unity and noted that France is very mindful of its responsibilities as the presidency of the EU.Mr Mandelson, who is able to negotiate trade issues on behalf of member states but only within the remit they give him, warned that should the international talks on liberalising world trade talks fail, then there is a strong chance that other multilateral talks - such as those on climate change - will also fail.If, after seven years, you cannot complete a trade round, what does that say for your prospects of reaching a deal on climate change?, he is quoted as saying by the IHT.A concrete sign of how the EU will approach the talks beginning in Geneva next week is set to be given this Friday (18 July) when EU trade, development and foreign ministers meet to prepare the talks.France, a strong defender of the Common Agriculture Policy, from which it benefits the most of all member states, has been trying to win Spain and Italy to its side ahead of the Friday meeting.However, Mr Mandelson has support from other countries who favour more liberalisation. In an open letter to the International Herald Tribune on Monday six member states - Britain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia - noted that the EU had agreed that it wanted an ambitious deal during the WTO talks and urged a more united voice.The European Union's ability to remain a driving force in this crucial phase is dependent on our capacity to act in coherence, said the letter signed by trade ministers from the six countries.

We cannot afford to miss the chance to counterbalance the present negative trends in world economic affairs. The credibility and respect of the whole multilateral trading system must be maintained, it continued.For their part, EU farmers have also been complaining ahead of the talks suggesting that the terms of the deal currently on the table would result in over half a million job losses in Europe as well as costing billions of euros - way above the European Commission estimate of €18 million.An agreement would mean huge losses for European citizens and scarcely anything in terms of gains. Jean-Michel Lemetayer, the president of European farmers' lobby Copa, acording to AP.Copa is accusing Mr Mandelson of not securing enough concessions from developing countries to allow Europe to export electronic goods and services in return for allowing more farm goods from these countries into Europe.We challenge Peter Mandelson to name some concrete benefits he has gained so far for European citizens as a result of the negotiations on industrial goods or services, said Mr Lemetayer.The talks starting on 21 July are widely seen as a last attempt to secure an international trade deal. No agreement next week risks seeing the talks strongly delayed as the US heads towards its presidential election period.

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
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.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

ISRAEL - HEZBOLLAH PRISONER SWAP
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8826795&ch=4226714&src=news

BLAIR CANCELS GAZA VISIT
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=8825744&ch=4226714&src=news

Israel okays Hezbollah prisoner swap despite Arad snag by Albion Land JULY 15,08

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel's cabinet gave the final go-ahead on Tuesday for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah, despite complaining that the Lebanese Shiite movement had not fully kept its side of the bargain. The decision set the ball rolling for the release on Wednesday of five Lebanese prisoners, including the perpetrator of a brutal 1979 triple murder, in exchange for two soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas in a deadly 2006 raid that sparked a 34-day war.The government has ratified the deal, Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai told reporters after the cabinet meeting, which adopted the measure by a vote of 22-3.The families of the Two Israeli soldiers -- Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev -- have never been told by Hezbollah of their fate, although both are widely believed to be dead.The cabinet first approved the swap deal in June, but was asked to endorse it again after Israel received a Hezbollah report on missing airman Ron Arad, whose fate has long been a cause celebre in the Jewish state.Arad has been missing since his plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986 during that country's civil war, and although the report said he was probably dead, Israel has rejected its findings.A cabinet statement said the report does not meet the conditions of the agreement over the fate of Ron Arad. The Israeli government will continue in its efforts to retrieve any possible information over the fate of Ron Arad.Yishai said the swap came at a much lower price than what we had to pay in the past, with all the pain involved in it. We did not want to put the Regev and Goldwasser families in the same situation as the Arad family.

Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog said we should make every possible effort to get more information on Ron Arad and secure the release of Gilad Shalit.Shalit was captured in a 2006 raid by several Gaza militant groups including the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas that now rules the territory, and he is still being held.The issue of Ron Arad is an open wound that will not be solved through the release of Samir Kantar, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said. We will have to continue working in order to bring an answer to his family, the nation and the army.The UN-brokered swap, the eighth between Israel and Hezbollah since 1991, stirred controversy over the decision to release Samir Kantar , a Lebanese militant who murdered three Israeli civilians including a child in 1979.Israel will also hand over the remains of 200 Lebanese and Palestinians.

Before the exchange can proceed, Israel's Supreme Court must also hear three petitions against it, and President Shimon Peres must formally pardon the five Lebanese.Peres said it was not a happy day for having to free such murderers but we have a moral responsibility to bring our soldiers home.His spokeswoman, Ayelet Frish, said he would sign the pardons Tuesday night.Meanwhile, there was still no word on how the Supreme Court ruled, but the tribunal was not expected to delay the swap.The Goldwasser and Regev families have been pushing hard for the swap. Goldwasser's father Shlomo told AFP that if his son comes home in a coffin, Hezbollah must pay the price. Our basic assumption has been that they were kidnapped alive. If they return in coffins it would mean they were killed. Those who killed them must pay with their lives and should join Imad Mughnieh if that is the case.Mughnieh was a top Hezbollah commander murdered in Damascus in February. Hezbollah blamed Israel for his death, but the Jewish state denied involvement. Come what may we are simply happy that the affair will be over, Goldwasser said. While the mood in Israel is sombre, Hezbollah plans a hero's welcome for its fighters, with celebratory banners and flags lining the main highway from the border with Israel at Naqura to Lebanon's southern port city of Sidon. We are a people who will not abandon our detainees in prison, reads one banner, taken from a pledge by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Thanks to the weapons of the resistance, we will free our prisoners, says another.

US cautiously supports Mediterranean summit Mon Jul 14, 2:44PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US State Department gave cautious support Monday to a Mediterranean summit in Paris aimed at spurring on Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations. We don't have an observer there. We don't have a place at the table. But I think, generally, it's an effort that we can, at the least, be supportive of, spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.What the specific outcomes of this grouping will be, you now, we'll see. We'll see. But it would appear that they had a good first meeting, he said.The United States hosted an international conference in Annapolis, Maryland last November that launched the first serious Palestinian-Israeli peace talks in seven years, but no concrete progress has been announced.In Paris on Sunday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and more than 40 leaders launched a new Union for the Mediterranean, hoping to inject momentum in Middle East peace efforts.The new forum brings together the 27 countries of the European Union with states from north Africa, the Balkans and Arab nations with Israel to foster cooperation in one of the world's most volatile regions.

In Paris, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad scored a comeback on the international stage after years of isolation, taking his seat alongside Arab leaders at the same table with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.A strong proponent of isolating Damascus, Washington has been lukewarm toward new Turkish-brokered indirect peace negotiations between Israel and Syria, adding the Israeli-Palestinian track is the most mature.French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday that Israel and the Palestinians disagreed over the final declaration at the Mediterranean summit and the wording will have to be changed.

Syria, Israel leaders mark Bastille Day in France By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Writer Mon Jul 14, 11:56 AM ET

PARIS - The leaders of Syria and Israel, countries with a bitter enmity, as well as the Palestinian and Lebanese presidents together marked France's Bastille Day on Monday in a diplomatic coup for French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Other leaders from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, also attended the traditional Bastille Day parade, where troops in their finery marched down the tree-lined Champs-Elysees, and jets trailing smoke of red, white and blue roared overhead.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and more than two dozen other leaders stood on the official grandstand, looking up the Champs-Elysees toward the Arch of Triumph. The leaders had stayed over following a summit Sunday that launched an unprecedented Union for the Mediterranean, a brainchild of Sarkozy's aimed at securing peace across the restive region.

In launching the Mediterranean union, 43 nations, including Israel and Arab states, agreed to work for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.Deep divisions still slice through the region and its population of 800 million people, and surfaced during Sunday's summit, highlighting how hard it will be to parlay the meeting's good will and words into real progress.Assad refused to shake Olmert's hand, and Morocco's king snubbed the meeting attended by the president of rival Algeria. It was also unclear how the countries would enforce their pledge to pursue a mutually and effectively verifiable Middle East Zone free of weapons of mass destruction.Still, Sarkozy reveled at having brought so many leaders to the same table for the first time. His office brushed off critics' complaints that Assad should not have been allowed to stay for Monday's ceremonies because of Syrian human rights failings and suspicions that Syria was implicated in a 1983 bombing in Lebanon that killed 58 French soldiers.Campaign group Reporters Without Borders called Assad an enemy of press freedom whose government is guilty of ruthless censorship.Assad, in dark glasses, showed no emotion as French actor Kad Merad read aloud an extract from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in front of the grandstand where the leaders stood.Associated Press Writer Christine Ollivier in Paris contibuted to this report.

Israel, Palestinians clash over summit text Mon Jul 14, 5:12AM ET

PARIS (AFP) - Israel and the Palestinians disagreed over the final declaration at a Mediterranean summit and the wording will have to be changed, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday. Kouchner said in a radio interview that the last-minute dispute between Israel and the Palestinians meant that the founding text of the Union for the Mediterranean will have to be corrected a bit.The dispute touched on the use of the term national and democratic state to describe Israel, a term that entails difficulties in terms of refugee return, Jewish or non-Jewish state, the foreign minister said.President Nicolas Sarkozy and some 40 leaders launched the new union at a Paris summit on Sunday, hoping to inject new momentum in Middle East peace efforts and bolster cooperation in the troubled region.There are words, or a phrasing of words that are not suitable because they invoke a historical legacy, a legacy of tragedy and murder also, said Kouchner.The final declaration was adopted with vague wording but negotiations on a definite formulation will continue along with talks on other details on the workings of the union such as the location of its permanent offices.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki said his delegation categorically opposed wording in the text submitted by Israel that referred to a state of the Jewish people.It was out of the question for us to accept this, he told AFP.Kouchner nevertheless hailed the inaugural summit of the union as a magnificent event, saying it was held against a backdrop of peace.Leaders agreed on a batch of modest projects such as cleaning up pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, improving shipping routes and developing solar energy.But the Middle East peace process loomed large over the gathering, with a flurry of meetings on the sidelines underscoring the need for progress.