1,300 DEAD IN GEORGIA - RUSSIA ROW

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.

Quake jolts Tokyo, no damage reported Fri Aug 8, 12:32 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - A short, sharp quake of magnitude 4.5 jolted Tokyo on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage and the Japan Meteorological Agency said no tsunami warning was issued.

The tremor was centered in western Tokyo, 40 km (25 miles) below the surface of the earth, the Agency said.Japanese broadcaster NHK said trains and highways were operating as usual.Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring more than 3,000.

That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds and Yoko Kubota; Editing by Rodney Joyce)

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.

MORE HURRICANES PREDICTED FOR ATLANTIC
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=9183171&src=news

Hernan hits Category 2 strength in remote Pacific Sat Aug 9, 5:50 AM ET

MEXICO CITY - The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Hurricane Hernan has strengthened far off Mexico's Pacific coast into a Category 2 storm. The center says the fifth hurricane of the eastern Pacific season poses no threat to land. But Miami-based forecasters reported Hernan's top sustained winds were close to 100 mph early Saturday. That was up from 90 mph a day earlier when Hernan formed as a Category 1 hurricane.Hernan was centered about 970 miles southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula and moving west-northwest, farther out to sea.The hurricane center says Hernan is expected to begin weakening in the next 24 hours as it heads toward cooler Pacific waters.

Heavy monsoon rains kill 18 in India Sat Aug 9, 5:17 AM ET

HYDERABAD, India - Monsoon rains crumpled homes and triggered flash floods in southern India, killing 18 people, an official said Saturday. Parts of Hyderabad and two other districts of Andhra Pradesh state were inundated when 4.7 inches of rain fell in less than five hours Friday, said Navin Mittal, a government official. He said it was the heaviest downpour there in eight years.A mother and her child were among the 13 people killed in house collapses in Hyderabad, the state capital, Mittal said. Three others died in Medak district and two in Vijaywada, raising the state's death toll to 28 in the past week.The deluge left thousands of vehicles stranded in up to three feet of water in Hyderabad.Monsoon rains, vital for India's farmers, bring massive destruction across the country. Thousands die every year as a result of flooding, broken houses and other rain-related incidents.Floods, mudslides, house collapses and lightning strikes have killed at least 184 people across the country so far this year. The monsoon season began in June and ends in September.

DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS

REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.

REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (DRUGS), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Drug dealers turn Wash. vineyards into pot farms By SHANNON DININNY, Associated Press Writer Sat Aug 9, 7:05 AM ET

WAPATO, Wash. - Across central Washington's fruit bowl, farmers are buying vineyards, hoping to establish roots in the area and capitalize on the booming wine industry. Authorities believe some of the buyers are living in Mexico and their vineyards are producing tens of thousands of illegal marijuana plants — a crop that could easily surpass grapes in value this year.Law enforcement officials in the Yakima Valley already have converged on seven vineyards that had been converted to marijuana operations this summer. At least five had been recently purchased — the buyers are still being tracked — and one had been leased to pot growers by an unknowing owner.Pot growers aren't just hiding their crops in national forests and random cornfields any more, said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Richard A. Beghtol.They are able to amass a huge amount of money and using that money to go out and buy land to do their marijuana cultivation, Beghtol said. It's their big moneymaker.The valley, home to acres of fruit orchards and hop fields, has long been recognized as an important pipeline in the drug trade with easy interstate access to Seattle, Portland and points east.Crackdowns at the Canadian and Mexican borders have made it more difficult to ship marijuana into the United States, prompting dealers to establish U.S. growing operations.A bust of more than 60,000 plants on the Yakama Indian Reservation in 2004, one of the biggest nationwide at the time, was traced to organized crime in Mexico and valued at more than $35 million.

By 2006, authorities were seizing more than 144,000 marijuana plants across Washington state. That number more than doubled the following year to 296,611 plants, reflecting a rise in both drug activity and enforcement efforts, said Rene Rivera, the Drug Enforcement Agency's agent in charge in Yakima.This year, we're probably going to surpass 2007 easily, just given the way we're starting, Rivera said.Water use is often a vital clue. Beghtol has noted that grape vines require much less water than marijuana, which needs daily irrigation.Drug enforcement teams have confiscated approximately 110,000 marijuana plants valued at more than $100 million this spring and summer in the Yakima Valley alone, and they haven't even begun their annual aerial surveillance.

In 2006, grapes ranked No. 11 among Washington state crops with a value of $144.2 million. Vineyards cover about 31,000 acres.Finding farmers willing to sell their property isn't difficult. Fewer farmers have children who want to take over the family business, and rising costs have driven many farmers off the land despite increasing prices for their crops.But dealers aren't just limiting their property buys to older sellers, Beghtol said.In one case, drug operatives approached a farmer who didn't have his farm listed for sale. He resisted until, asked to name a price. He threw out a figure: $263,000 for 27 acres and no building. The buyer showed up a few days later and bought the property in cash, Beghtol said.

The seller had no idea the farm would become a marijuana operation.

The Yakima Valley is a huge player. These are big operations that are difficult to track down, Beghtol said. They use fictitious names, they put property in daughters, wives names to conceal identity and try to thwart law enforcement from going forward with civil forfeiture.There have been 22 arrests this year. Authorities expect that number to rise as aerial surveillance begins later this summer. As arrests mount, vineyard purchases by marijuana growers will likely decline, predicts Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. I suspect after you've had numerous busts, somebody's future plan for growing pot in vineyards is going to be thwarted, she said.

Syria says IAEA can't visit suspect site again By ALBERT AJI, Associated Press Writer AUG 9,08

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria says U.N. nuclear inspectors cannot make a return visit to a suspect site bombed by Israel last year because its agreement with the U.N. agency allowed only one check. The U.S. alleges that the remote site was a near-finished plutonium-producing reactor built with North Korean help and that Damascus is hiding linked facilities.

Syria denies the allegations.

A Foreign Ministry official said Saturday Syria has told the International Atomic Energy Agency it is ready to answer any questions. The official, who was not authorized to speak to the media, spoke on condition of anonymity.

Palestinians close down Hamas charities in WBank Sat Aug 9, 9:31 AM ET

HEBRON, West Bank (AFP) - Palestinian security forces have shut down four Hamas-linked charities and two printing presses in and around the southern West Bank town of Hebron, a security official said Saturday. Security forces loyal to president Mahmud Abbas shut down all six on Friday after raiding the buildings and confiscating a number of items from them, the official said.In recent weeks Abbas's forces have taken increasingly strict measures against Hamas, which seized power in the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after routing his forces from the impoverished territory in a week of street battles.Israel has also taken stricter measures against Hamas in recent weeks, shutting down several organisations and businesses it said were linked to the movement, which is considered a terrorist organisation in the West.

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.

EU diplomats fly out to mediate in Georgia-Russia war
Georgian soldier takes aim - the photo relates to previous events in 2004 (Photo: wikipedia)PHILIPPA RUNNER AUG 9,08 Today @ 11:01 CET

EU and US diplomats are arriving in Georgia on Saturday (9 August) to try to broker a ceasefire in a fast-escalating conflict between Georgia and Russia, after fighting intensified and spreadovernight, with casualties mounting despite international appeals. Russian jets have bombed the town of Gori near Tbilisi and oil installations in the southern Georgian port of Poti. Georgia has evacuated government buildings in the capital and president Mikhail Saakashvili has moved to a safe location, where he formally asked parliament to impose martial law.

Meanwhile, Russian tanks and Georgian armour continued to pound each other inside the breakaway Georgian republic of South Ossetia, with both sides making wildly different claims over who controls the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.Georgia says 30 of its men have been killed, while Russia says 15 of its soldiers are dead. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov estimated that over 1,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed, with Tskhinvali in ruins and refugees streaming north across the Russian border.The EU delegation is being led by South Caucasus envoy Peter Semneby, with the US sending its top South Caucasus diplomat, Matthew Bryza. Lithuanian foreign minister Petras Vaitiekunas is also going on a separate, fact-finding mission for the EU. The French EU presidency says it has had multiple contacts and is in liaison with all the protagonists to try and stop the fighting, while EU top diplomat Javier Solana has spoken by phone with the Georgian and Russian foreign ministers.

Diplomatic solution difficult

Prospects for a diplomatic solution remain uncertain, however, after a second meeting of the UN security council on Friday failed to agree on a ceasefire resolution, with the US and the UK at odds with Russia on the wording of the text.France, Germany, the UK and NATO have all urged an immediate end to hostilities, but steered clear of apportioning blame. The US statement was the most hawkish, deploring Russia's use of bombers and missiles as a dangerous and disproportionate escalation and calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops.The shooting began on 4 August between Georgia and South Ossetian separatists, in what at first looked like just another skirmish in a so-called frozen conflict that dates back to 1991, when South Ossetia began a war of independence during the break-up of the Soviet Union.But the rebels kept firing on ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia all week. On Friday morning, Georgia launched an offensive to restore constitutional order and capture the separatist capital. Hours later, Russia reacted by sending tanks across the Georgian border and ordering air strikes against its small neighbour. In the broader context, Russia has long-supported the South Ossetian separatists by smuggling arms, handing out Russian passports and stationing 2,500 Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia, in what Georgia sees as a Russian effort to stop it from joining NATO and to unseat its pro-western government.

Who is to blame?

Some analysts are blaming Georgia for the current crisis, saying its attempt to retake Tskhinvali has misjudged the international mood and has destroyed its chances of joining the North Atlantic military alliance.He [president Saakashvili] is in big danger of losing the cachet he built up for himself in being pro-western and the restraint he has often shown in the face of provocation by Russia, London's Royal Institute of International Affairs expert, James Nixey, told Reuters.I don't think he can count on the [US] cavalry riding in, Brussels' EU-Russia Centre analyst James Cameron said. You don't bring in [to NATO] a country that has this sort of trouble, RAND Corporation expert and former US ambassador to NATO, Robert Hunter, told Bloomberg.European Council on Foreign Relations analyst, Nicu Popescu, said the timing of Georgia's assault on Tskhinvali - the same day as the opening of the Beijing Olympics - may be significant. It might be a signal to the Russians saying that the [2014] Sochi Olympics will not go the way Russia wants if there is no progress on the settlement.

Geopolitics in play

Others say the surprise summer war was engineered in Moscow.

The goals behind Moscow's operation are threefold, Jamestown.org analyst Vladimir Socor explained. To re-establish the authority of Russian-controlled negotiating and peacekeeping formats...to capture Georgian-controlled villages in South Ossetia [and] to dissuade NATO from approving a membership action plan for Georgia.

The Russians want a more direct confrontation with the west and I hope the Bush administration has the wisdom not to give them that satisfaction, Globalsecurity.org analyst John Pike told newswires.

What is being decided here is whether bordering Russia and simultaneously being a US ally is a suicidal combination. Whichever way this works out, the dynamics of the entire region are about to be turned on their head, Strategic Forecasting Inc said in a flash report.

US, Europe scramble to stop Georgia-Russia war Sat Aug 9, 7:02 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and European Union are leading a diplomatic push to prevent all-out war between Georgia and Russia, calling for a ceasefire as Russian tanks rolled into a rebel Georgian province. Envoys from the US, EU and Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were being deployed to Georgia to seek an end to the fighting in Russian-backed South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Western-backed Georgia.On Friday, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte summoned Russian Charge d'Affaires Alexander Darchiyev to the State Department to press Moscow to cease military operations in Georgia.The United States calls for an immediate ceasefire to the armed conflict in Georgia's region of South Ossetia, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement Friday.We call on Russia to cease attacks on Georgia by aircraft and missiles, respect Georgia's territorial integrity, and withdraw its ground combat forces from Georgian soil, she said.The United States was working actively with its European allies to launch international mediation to end the crisis, Rice said, adding that senior US officials have spoken with the parties in the conflict.We underscore the international community's support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, as articulated in numerous UN Security Council resolutions, she said.

US president George W. Bush spoke to Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley about the crisis from Beijing, where he is attending the Olympic Games, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.Russian tanks and troops surged into South Ossetia on Friday to repel a Georgian offensive to reclaim the region amid fighting said to have left hundreds dead.On Saturday, the Russian army announced it had liberated the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali as Georgia declared a state of war.South Ossetia broke from Georgia in the early 1990s. It has since been a constant source of friction between Georgia and Russia, which disputes Tbilisi's hopes of joining NATO.South Ossetia has long sought unification with North Ossetia, which is inhabited by the same Ossetian ethnic group but ended up across the border in Russia after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.The Georgian government, led by President Mikheil Saakashvili, announced it would withdraw its 2,000 troops that are part of the US-led coalition in Iraq to help the fight in South Ossetia.The EU presidency said it was in contact with all protagonists and working to secure a ceasefire so as to avoid an extension of the conflict.

The EU calls on all parties to cease hostilities and to resume, without delay, so as to secure a political solution to the crisis, which respects Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, it said.EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has been busy on the phone talking with, among others, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Georgia's Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili, a spokeswoman said.At the United Nations, however, the Security Council failed to agree Friday on a statement calling for an immediate truce in South Ossetia. The 15-member body was scheduled to try again on Saturday.Diplomats said a Belgian-drafted compromise text also urges the warring sides to show restraint and to refrain from any further acts of violence or force, calls for respect by the parties of past accords and for the provision of humanitarian aid to victims. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin insisted on the need for Georgia to agree to a formal renunciation of the use of force by either side. Georgia's reintegration minister, Temur Yakobashvili, told France's Le Figaro newspaper's website that Western diplomats would have a huge say over the outcome of the conflict. Asked what will happen next in the Caucasus, he said, much will depend on the reaction of the West.

The Washington Post called the situation in South Ossetia Saturday a grave challenge to the United States and Europe.The newspaper said in an editorial it was unrealistic to expect UN Security Council action because of a likely Russian veto. Thus, the United States and its NATO allies must together impose a price on Russia if it does not promptly change course, the editorial concluded.

Georgia: Russia enters into war in South Ossetia.Over 1,300 people are reported dead after Russian forces responded to a Georgian attack on rebels in the breakaway province of South Ossetia by mounting a full scale invasion. By Adrian Blomfield in Gori 1:29AM BST 09 Aug 2008

Columns of Russian tanks plunged the two neighbours into war as they filed into South Ossetia, marking the Kremlin's first military assault on foreign soil since the Soviet Union's Afghanistan intevention, which ended in 1989. Russian tanks rolled towards the capital of South Ossetia and fighters bombed Georgian air bases after Georgia launched attacks on rebels in the breakaway region. South Ossetia won de-facto independence in a war which ended in 1992but has been a source of tension ever since, along with Abkhazia, another separatist region. Russian peacekeepers have suffered 12 dead and 150 wounded, the peacekeeping forces were quoted as saying by Russian news agencies, while over 1300 civilians are reported to have been killed. Now our peacekeepers are waging a fierce battle with regular forces from the Georgian army in the southern region of Tskhinvali, a representative of the Russian force was quoted as saying by Interfax.

Reports last night claimed that Russia had started to bomb civil and economic infrastructure, including the Black Sea port of Poti and the military base at Senaki. Between 8 and 11 Russian jets reportedly hit container tanks and a shipbuilding plant at the port. I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings, in cars, said Lyudmila Ostayeva, 50, who had fled with her family to Dzhava, a village near the border with Russia. It's impossible to count them now. There is hardly a single building left undamaged.

The confrontation between the two countries deepened in April when Nato promised that Georgia would be allowed to join - although no clear timetable was offered. The European Union was trying to secure a ceasefire in the pro-Russian enclave. The United States and the EU sent a joint delegation to the region in a bid to halt the fighting, while Nato called for an immediate end to the clashes and for direct talks between Russia and Georgia. Any ceasefire would be unlikely to hold. Hours after President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, a devoutly pro-Western leader, declared a unilateral ceasefire on Thursday night, his forces began an artillery barrage against Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital.

The fighting broke out as much of the world's attention was focused on the start of the Olympic Games. Many leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President George W Bush, were in Beijing watching the opening ceremony. Mr Putin declared: War has started. Victor Dolidze, Georgia's ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said: If this is not war, then I wonder what it is. Mr Dolidze told the OSCE's permanent council in Vienna that Russian forces had been bombing Georgian territory since the morning, according to a diplomat who attended the 45-minute meeting. Vladimir Voronkov, Russia's representative, told the assembly that the true story is very different. He accused the Georgian side of launching a massive attack in defiance of diplomatic efforts. As the roar of warplanes and the explosion of heavy shells sounded outside Tskhinvali, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, accused the Georgians of driving people from their homes. We are receiving reports that a policy of ethnic cleansing was being conducted in villages in South Ossetia, the number of refugees is climbing, the panic is growing, people are trying to save their lives, he said in televised remarks from the ministry. Georgia, which would be hugely outnumbered in an all-out confrontation with Russia, said that it had control of the capital, but there were reports of Russian tanks on the outskirts and that Georgian forces had started to retreat. Georgia will withdraw 1,000 soldiers from its military contingent of around 2,000 troops in Iraq to help in the fighting against South Ossetian separatist rebels, a top Georgian official said. Georgia has asked the US military to provide aircraft to move Georgian troops home from Iraq as fighting rages in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region, a US military official said Friday. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia. The United States calls for an immediate ceasefire to the armed conflict in Georgia's region of South Ossetia, Rice said in a statement. We call on Russia to cease attacks on Georgia by aircraft and missiles, respect Georgia's territorial integrity, and withdraw its ground combat forces from Georgian soil, she said.

The United States is working actively with its European allies to launch international mediation to end the crisis and senior US officials have spoken with the parties in the conflict, she added.

A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana: We repeat our message to all parties to immediately stop the violence.In Washington, State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said the US was sending an envoy to the region to engage with the parties in the conflict.

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 keeps ticking without Lisbon treaty, report says
HONOR MAHONY 08.08.2008 @ 09:17 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Europe continues to work without the Lisbon treaty and the demise of the document would not be a catastrophe for the bloc, an influential think tank has said.In an assessment of Ireland's referendum rejection of the EU treaty published on Thursday (7 August), the London-based Centre for European Reform concludes that Europe works fairly well in many areas with the current treaties.Croatia: could future accession provide a solution to the Irish EU treaty question? (Photo: European Commission)It notes that the 27-nation bloc continues to achieve results and integrate using intergovernmental bodies such as the European Defence Agency and through new laws such as those on liberalising the energy market in Europe or the Emissions Trading Scheme.But the paper suggests that the EU would be much better off with the Lisbon Treaty - already ratified by 23 member states - as it would clear up the dreadful arrangements for managing EU foreign policy, currently a mishmash of personalities and responsibilities. It would also allow easier decision-making in the area of justice and home affairs and give more power to national parliaments, writes Charles Grant, the author of the report and director of CER.His assessment concludes that there are three possible options ahead, with the treaty needing ratification by all member states if it is to go into place.

Under the first scenario, Ireland would hold a second referendum having secured reassurance from its EU partners that certain areas such as tax, neutrality and abortion would not be affected by the treaty. Timing would be important. If Dublin does not hold the referendum before April next year, then the current rules for reducing EU commissioners - and the haggling this entails - will remain in place.The second scenario envisages Dublin refusing to have a second referendum although this is likely to result in huge pressure from the French EU presidency, amongst others. This would likely mean that while the Lisbon treaty as a whole would be ditched, governments would try and salvage parts of it using Croatia's accession treaty. Croatia is due to join the EU in a few years and parts of the treaty could be tacked onto its accession package, something that has to be ratified by all member states but which is not normally put to referendum.Under the third most poisonous scenario, Ireland would hold a second referendum and vote No, leading to internal divisions, with countries such as Britain and central European states likely to block any attempt to kick the country out of the EU.The paper predicts that whatever eventually happens with the Lisbon Treaty, it is likely to be the last attempt by the EU to adopt a big, comprehensive treaty. Instead the bloc will probably opt for sectoral treaties in areas such as energy or migration policy in future.

Denmark

While the Irish government contemplates its next move following the 12 June referendum, other countries have already made decisions in light of the rejection.Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called off plans to hold a referendum on the country's four opt-outs from the current EU treaties.We had originally made reservations for an EU debate in the autumn and perhaps a referendum. Due to the Irish referendum, the situation is now so unclear that the plan is no longer current, he said in an interview with Danish daily Jyllands-Posten on Thursday (7 August).According to a fresh opinion poll published in business daily Borsen on Friday, a majority of Danes is in favour of scrapping the four opt-outs. A large majority is ready to join EU defence co-operation while a slim majority is in favour of taking part in the euro, fully joining EU justice and home affairs and accepting EU citizenship.

Most EU leaders stay away from Olympic ceremony
PHILIPPA RUNNER 08.08.2008 @ 09:10 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Just nine European Union leaders plan to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing on Friday (8 August), where France will officially represent the EU. Most member states are keeping a low profile instead, with a handful boycotting the festivities over China's human rights record. The presidents of France, Slovakia, Latvia, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Finland and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg will watch alongside 70 or so other world leaders as 15,000 Chinese performers enact a three and a half hour-long spectacle starting at 8.08pm Beijing time (2.08pm CET). China has regained her standing among the greatest nations, French president Nicolas Sarkozy told Chinese state news agency Xinhua ahead of his arrival. It is as it should be: China, with her rich civilisation and hardworking people, now has the ability to make a decisive contribution to the emergence of a world of development and peace.

France, which currently holds the EU presidency, had in March threatened to stay away after Chinese soldiers shot protesters calling for a free Tibet. Citing repression of ethnic minorities and the arrests of dissidents and journalists, the European Parliament in April also called for EU leaders to snub Beijing, with parliament head Hans-Gert Poettering and European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso avoiding the Olympic opening.In contrast to US president George Bush's pre-Olympics speech urging a free press, freedom of assembly and labour rights, Mr Sarkozy did not mention any thorny issues in the Xinhua interview, noting instead that this is the first time a French president will be participating in the capacity of European Union president-in-office.

The French chief declined an invitation to meet Tibet leader-in-exile the Dalai Lama in Paris next week. His Beijing delegation includes businessmen such as the CEO of supermarket chain Carrefour, while pro-free speech NGO Reporters Sans Frontieres and Chinese minority groups were banned from picketing the Chinese embassy in Paris on Friday. We are asking for progress on human rights and that is something to be done looking each other straight in the eye, face-to-face, former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who will also travel with the French delegation, told AFP. You don't talk to the Chinese via newspaper articles.

Washing their hair

The other big EU countries have avoided controversy by keeping a low profile. Germany's Angela Merkel said she cannot go to the opening because she is on holiday. UK prime minister Gordon Brown will attend the closing ceremony instead. Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi said Beijing is too hot and humid. Both Italy and Spain will send foreign ministers to save face. Many smaller member states have followed suit. Greece is sending its foreign minister to the opening. Sweden, Denmark, Portugal and Ireland are sending sports and culture ministers. The Belgian prime minister will attend the closing ceremony only. Austria, Hungary and Estonia indicated that their absence is nothing to do with politics. Poland has taken the sharpest position, with the country's president and all members of the government boycotting the event on human rights grounds. The presence of politicians at the Olympic inauguration seems inappropriate. I will not be going to the Olympics, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said following the Tibet crackdown earlier this year.Czech and Lithuanian leaders also stood on their ethics, with Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek wearing a Tibetan-flag lapel pin while making his TV announcement not to go to the opening party. Mr Topolanek and Lithuanian prime minister Gediminas Kirkilas aim to attend sporting events in a semi-private capacity, however.A recent survey by the International Herald Tribune and France 24 showed that just 23 to 44 percent of people in France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain would like their leaders to boycott the Beijing ceremony. Between 50 and 65 percent wanted to see actions by athletes instead. But just 17 to 29 percent thought Beijing should be a politics-free zone. One hundred and twenty seven sportsmen, 40 of whom will compete in China, this week signed an open letter to the Chinese government calling for a peaceful solution on Tibet, release of political prisoners and a halt to the death penalty, with individual athletes expected to shout slogans or carry political banners at the opening parade.

Olympic spirit

We oppose those things. Also we hope and we believe that all the athletes involved in the Olympic games know they should not go against the spirit of the Olympic games, Chinese Olympics committee official Zhang Heping said.Some observers will be watching Beijing to see which of the old and new global superpowers will scoop the most medals, in a throwback to Cold War times, when the US and Russia tried to demonstrate the superiority of capitalism and communism through sporting prowess. In Athens in 2004, the US won 36golds, China took 32 and Russia 27, with Germany the closest EU country on 13. Last month, the head of the European Commission's office in Austria, Georg Dutlik, urged media to count EU medals in China instead of giving country-by-country European tallies, to foster a certain pride in Europe. The EU gold total for Athens was 90.

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.

Death toll rises to 25 from Iraq market bombing By BUSHRA JUHI, Associated Press Writer AUG 9,08

BAGHDAD - The death toll from a blast in a market in the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar rose to 25 on Saturday, after four of the six dozen people injured died from their wounds, a security official said. The predominantly ethnic Turkoman town was under an indefinite curfew following Friday's bombing, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to the speak to the media.The official, who was familiar with the police investigation, said the blast was carried out by a lone Sunni Turkoman suicide bomber from Tal Afar, whose identity was established after forensic tests on his remains. The bomber had been released from detention four months ago under an amnesty passed by parliament earlier this year, he added.The bomber may have avoided detection at a checkpoint leading to the busy market by having a man ride with him in the passenger seat, said the official. The passenger got off after the checkpoint, he added, quoting witness reports.Suicide car bombers are known to mostly ride alone, so having a fellow passenger could help avoid detection. Tal Afar, a frequent target of suicide bombings, has banned men from driving alone.The top U.S. diplomat and military commander in Iraq condemned the attack in Tal Afar, located 260 miles northwest of Baghdad.

Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus said in a joint statement Saturday that the senseless attack will further unite the Iraqi people to reject al-Qaida in Iraq and the indiscriminate violence it inflicts on civilians.The bombing, which bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida, could further stoke tensions among ethnic groups in northern Iraq, embroiled in a dispute over control of the oil-rich region of Kirkuk. The city is claimed by the Kurds who want to annex it to their self-ruled region, but Arab and Turkomen residents want to remain under central government control.Northern Iraq has been getting the lion's share of insurgent attacks while the rest of the country has seen lowest levels of violence in four years. That improvement has been attributed to the dispatch of additional U.S. troops last year, a cease-fire by a Shiite militia and a revolt by Sunni tribesmen and insurgents against the al-Qaida in Iraq.But Friday's deadly bombing was a grim reminder that al-Qaida in Iraq and other militant groups remain capable of executing major attacks, despite the presence of about 145,000 U.S. troops and improved Iraqi security forces.It came days after two Iraqi officials said the Americans had agreed to remove all U.S. troops from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and withdraw combat units by October 2010. All American troops would be gone around 2013, the Iraqis had said on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing. U.S. officials in Washington insisted that no firm dates have been agreed.Meanwhile, Georgia — the third largest contributor to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq — said it's pulling out its 2,000-strong contingent from Iraq to join the fighting in the breakaway province of South Ossetia.Col. Bondo Maisuradze, commander of the Georgia brigade, told The Associated Press that all his troops would be leaving, but he couldn't say when because transportation arrangements had not been finalized. All the Georgian guys will be leaving for the homeland, he said.A U.S. military spokesman said the departure of the Georgians will have some impact in the near term but no significant long-term effect on Iraq's security. The Georgians have asked the United States to provide transportation, and U.S. spokesman Capt. Charles G. Calio said all options are being considered.In scattered violence Saturday, a bodyguard who works for Youth and Sports minister Jassim Mohammed Ja'afar was gunned down outside his home near the city of Kirkuk, according to a police source who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to disclose the information.Also in northern Iraq, unidentified gunmen shot dead a 50-year-old woman outside her home in the al-Maamoun district in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

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Stocks jump as oil prices fall sharply By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer Fri Aug 8, 5:52 PM ET

NEW YORK - Wall Street rebounded smartly Friday, shooting higher as a surge in the dollar and another plunge in oil prices eased some of investors' worries about losses at mortgage finance company Fannie Mae. The Dow Jones industrials soared more than 300 points, more than wiping out a big loss from the previous session, and all the major indexes had their best weekly gains since April. The session extended a streak of volatility that has seen the Dow making frequent triple-digit moves as investors reacted feverishly to news about the financial sector, corporate earnings and the economy.On Friday, the dollar, which has sagged along with the economy, reached its highest level against the euro since February, and in the process sent a wave of confidence through the stock market. And because the dollar's strength has contributed to the recent skid in oil prices, light, sweet crude dropped sharply again, falling $4.82 a barrel to settle at $115.20 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That brought crude's decline over the past four weeks to more than $30.Investors see the drop in oil as a big boost for the economy, because it should allow consumers to spend more freely. For the moment, that has allowed the market to set aside nervousness about the financial sector, which is still contending with the fallout from the year-old credit crisis.

Fresh financial worries surfaced Friday after Fannie Mae, the largest U.S. buyer and backer of home loans, reported a quarterly loss more than three larger than what Wall Street had expected and said it would slash its quarterly dividend to conserve cash.Philip S. Dow, managing director of equity strategy at RBC Dain Rauscher in Minneapolis, said that while the strength in the dollar and the resulting drop in oil were attracting buyers Friday, Wall Street's recent back-and-forth trading illustrates investors' great anxiety.

We live in a market where people react, they don't anticipate, he said. So you've got this market that's kind on a seesaw every day reacting to news.The Dow rose 302.89, or 2.65 percent, to 11,734.32. The blue chips fell nearly 225 points Thursday after concerns about the financial sector, a weak showing by retailers in July and a spike in weekly unemployment claims; Friday's advance marked the seventh time in two weeks that the Dow rose or fell by triple digits.Broader indicators also rose sharply Friday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index advanced 30.25, or 2.39 percent, to 1,296.32 and the Nasdaq composite index advanced 58.37, or 2.48 percent, to 2,414.10.For the week, the Dow rose 3.6 percent, the S&P gained 2.9 percent and the technology-heavy Nasdaq jumped 4.5 percent. It was their best weekly performance since the week ended April 18.Bonds ticked lower as stocks jumped, easing demand for the safety of government debt. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its prices, rose to 3.94 percent from 3.93 percent late Thursday. Gold prices fell. Prices rebounded in after-hours trading, sending the 10-year yield to 3.93 percent.The dollar's rise against the euro came after the European Central Bank and the Bank of England separately left their benchmark interest rates unchanged Thursday. With the ECB signaling more rate hikes aren't likely, the euro wasn't as attractive as an investment option.

Kelli Hill, a portfolio manager at Ashfield Capital Partners in San Francisco, said a more robust dollar not only makes commodities like oil less expensive but can also offer a much-needed dose of faith in the U.S. markets and economy.People want to sell on anything or buy on anything, she said, noting that light trading volume can exacerbate the market's gyrations. Strengthening in the dollar is a good thing not only for business but also to build back confidence both domestically and internationally.She is optimistic the markets will recover and said the rebound could come swiftly once the money sitting on the sidelines gets a sense that the economy is poised to turn higher.The falling price of oil also overshadowed a Labor Department report showing that U.S. workers' efficiency grew at a slightly slower pace in the second quarter. Worker productivity grew at an annual rate of 2.2 percent. Economists surveyed by Thomson/IFR had predicted growth would come in at 2.7 percent compared with 2.6 percent in the first quarter. Still, some market watchers said any gains are positive.Fannie Mae reported a loss of $2.3 billion, or $2.54 a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected the company to report a loss of 68 cents a share. The company also said it would cut its quarterly dividend to 5 cents from 35 cents. Fannie Mae fell 90 cents, or 9 percent, to $9.05.The report from Fannie Mae follows a loss Wednesday from fellow mortgage financier Freddie Mac that was more than three times larger than Wall Street analyst had expected.

McDonald's Corp. said strong demand for breakfast items helped lifted global same-store sales 8 percent in July. The world's largest hamburger chain said same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, rose 6.7 percent in the U.S. The stock, one of the 30 that comprise the Dow industrials, rose $3.81, or 6.2 percent, to $65.67 after reaching a new high of $66.24.

While the drop in oil helped stocks in general, certain sectors like the airlines, which have been hit by soaring fuel prices, showed steep gains. United Airlines parent UAL Corp. jumped $1.52, or 16 percent, to $11.13, and Continental Airlines Inc. rose $1.73, or 12 percent, to $16.48. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 3 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to a relatively light 4.82 billion shares compared with 5.09 billion shares traded Thursday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 20.89, or 2.93 percent, to 734.30. Global wasn't affected by a 4.5 percent drop Friday in the Shanghai Composite Index. China's benchmark index fell to its lowest level in nearly 19 months over investor disappointment that a rally tied to the Beijing Olympic games didn't develop. Elsewhere overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 0.33 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.21 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.28 percent, and France's CAC-40 rose 0.77 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average ended the week up 408.00, or 3.60 percent, at 11,734.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 index finished up 36.01, or 2.86 percent, at 1,296.32. The Nasdaq composite index ended the week up 103.14, or 4.46 percent, at 2,414.10. The Russell 2000 index finished the week up 18.14, or 2.53 percent, at 734.30. The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index — a free-float weighted index that measures 5,000 U.S. based companies — ended Friday at 13,197.13, up 308.92 points, or 2.40 percent, for the week. A year ago, the index was at 14,641.03. On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Fannie Mae loses $2.3B in quarter as defaults rise By ALAN ZIBEL, AP Business Writer Fri Aug 8, 6:42 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Fannie Mae is making bold cutbacks that will send shock waves through the mortgage market, after posting a quarterly loss Friday that was three times larger than Wall Street expected.

To slow its financial decline, the mortgage finance giant slashed its dividend to 5 cents a share from 35 cents a share and said it will eliminate loans for borrowers with solid credit scores, but little proof of income or small or no down payments.The company also is raising its mortgage fees, which will be passed onto borrowers as higher interest rates or closing costs.With Fannie Mae and its sibling company Freddie Mac becoming more risk-averse, fears are building that mortgage rates will keep climbing, making it harder for people to afford a mortgage or refinance their home, and spur even more foreclosures.We are already in that spiral, said Chris Mayer, real estate professor at Columbia Business School.

Volatility and disruptions in the capital markets worsened in July. And though Fannie Mae's losses should still peak this year, said Chief Executive Daniel Mudd, he couldn't predict how long the housing recession will last or how low prices will fall.The housing market has returned to earth fast and hard, Mudd said.Disappointed stockholders sent Fannie Mae's shares down 9.1 percent, or 90 cents, to $9.05 Friday.Investors continue to worry that Fannie and Freddie will be overwhelmed by losses and require government aid. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are the biggest buyers of U.S. home loans from banks and other lenders. Together they own or guarantee nearly half of outstanding U.S. mortgage debt.Under the housing bill signed by President Bush last week, the government may boost lines of credit to the companies or buy their stock.Mudd, however, said the company has no plans to use that financial lifeline. We're going to manage our way through it, he said.While Fannie and Freddie generally had higher standards for lenders than the subprime mortgage companies that started going belly-up at the end of 2006, the duo lowered their standards during the housing boom and bought securities linked to riskier loans.

Even as the subprime mortgage market collapsed, the industry — backed by Fannie and Freddie — kept making risky so-called Alt-A loans. They made up about 15 percent of all loans in the first half of 2007, up from 13 percent in all of 2006, according to trade publication Inside Mortgage Finance.For Fannie and Freddie, these Alt-A loans made up roughly 10 percent of their portfolios but accounted for more than half of their losses in the second quarter. The souring loans were concentrated in California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona, where speculation was rampant, prices soared and homeowners stretched to the financial limit to afford a home.If Freddie Mac follows Fannie Mae and stops buying Alt-A loans, it means that market is not going to exist at all. It's barely hanging on now, said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance,

For homebuyers who don't have stellar credit and a big down payment, there are few options these days but loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Those loans require a minimum of 3.5percent down and full proof of income.What's more, Fannie Mae's new fees will price more borrowers out of the market. For a borrower with less-than-perfect credit, such fees could hike closing costs by $3,000 for a borrower with a $300,000 mortgage, or raise payments by $50 per month, said Patrick Cunningham, a vice president with Home Savings & Trust Mortgage in Fairfax, Va.To avoid such fees, paying attention to your credit is going to be paramount for people, he said.

But Fannie Mae didn't have much choice.

The Washington-based company lost $2.3 billion, or $2.54 a share, for the quarter that ended June 30. The loss, the company's fourth-consecutive quarter of red ink, compares with profit of $1.95 billion, or $1.86 a share, in the period last year. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected a loss of just 68 cents a share. While revenue rose to $3.97 billion from $1.42 billion a year earlier, Fannie Mae's losses from defaulting mortgages skyrocketed. Fannie Mae booked $5.3 billion in credit expenses, including a $3.7 billion addition to its loss reserves. Loans three-months past due or more than doubled last year's level to 1.36 percent. The company said it is boosting efforts to recover money from lenders who committed fraud in loans that were sold to the company. To speed up the sale of foreclosed properties, Fannie Mae is opening offices in California and Florida and said it would consider selling those properties in bulk to investors. I do not think this is a time to be holding onto (foreclosed properties) hoping for a better day, Mudd said.

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).

Rabies from bats suspected in Venezuela deaths By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer Fri Aug 8, 9:35 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela - At least 38 Warao Indians have died in remote villages in Venezuela, and medical experts suspect an outbreak of rabies spread by bites from vampire bats. Laboratory investigations have yet to confirm the cause, but the symptoms point to rabies, according to two researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and other medical experts. The two UC Berkeley researchers — the husband-and-wife team of anthropologist Charles Briggs and public health specialist Dr. Clara Mantini-Briggs — said the symptoms include fever, body pains, tingling in the feet followed by progressive paralysis, and an extreme fear of water. Victims tend to have convulsions and grow rigid before death.Dr. Charles Rupprecht, chief of the rabies program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, agreed with their preliminary diagnosis.The history and clinical signs are compatible with rabies, Rupprecht told The Associated Press on Friday. Prevention is straightforward: Prevent bites and vaccinate those at risk of bites.Venezuelan health officials are investigating the outbreak and plan to distribute mosquito nets to prevent bat bites and send a medical boat to provide treatment in remote villages on the Orinoco River delta, Indigenous Peoples Minister Nicia Maldonado said Thursday, according to the state-run Bolivarian News Agency.

Outbreaks of rabies spread by vampire bats are a problem in various tropical areas of South America, including Brazil and Peru, Rupprecht said.He said researchers suspect that in some cases environmental degradation — including mining, logging or dam construction projects — may also be contributing to rabies outbreaks.Vampire bats are very adaptable, Rupprecht said. And when their roosts are disrupted or their normal prey grow scarce, Homo sapiens is a pretty easy meal.More study is needed to confirm through blood or other samples from victims that it is the rabies virus in Venezuela, researchers say.At least 38 Warao Indians have died since June 2007, and at least 16 have died in the past two months, according to a report the Berkeley researchers and indigenous leaders provided to Venezuelan officials this week.

One village, Mukuboina, lost eight of its roughly 80 inhabitants — all of them children, Briggs said. All victims throughout the area died within two to seven days from the onset of symptoms, he said.

During a study trip Briggs and Mantini-Briggs made through 30 villages in the river delta, relatives said the victims had been bitten by bats. The couple have worked among the Warao in Delta Amacuro state for years and were invited by indigenous leaders to study the outbreak.It's a monster illness, said Tirso Gomez, a Warao traditional healer who said the indigenous group of more than 35,000 people has never experienced anything similar.Mantini-Briggs, a Venezuelan former health official, said she was surprised to find many Warao villages now have cats — a new development. The Waraos told us it was because there were too many bats that were biting the children, she said.Another tropical medicine expert, Dr. Daniel Bausch of Tulane University in New Orleans, agreed the symptoms and accounts suggest rabies transmitted by bats, and if confirmed, probably a vaccination campaign would be in order.The researchers have begun taking precautions. Mantini-Briggs said she started to wonder about her own health Friday while talking with biologist Omar Linares, a bat expert at Simon Bolivar University.

She remembered there was blood on her sheet after sleeping in a hammock in a Warao village two weeks ago. Initially she had dismissed it as an unimportant insect bite or something else, but she remembered her finger hurting that morning and that she saw two small red dots there.Confirming it must have been a bat bite, Linares suggested she get rabies shots immediately. I'm sure a bat bit me, she said. I remembered and said I'm going to get vaccinated.