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NEWS VIDEOS AUG 17,08
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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.

Tropical storm winds, rain buffet Cuba By Jeff Franks AUG 17,08

HAVANA (Reuters) - Gusty winds and blowing rain buffeted eastern Cuba on Saturday as Tropical Storm Fay neared the island after killing at least five people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Cuban officials ordered evacuations from flood-prone areas of coastal provinces where Fay was expected to come ashore on Sunday before crossing the Caribbean nation and heading toward Florida as a likely hurricane.As of 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT Sunday), Fay had top winds of near 45 miles per hour (72 km per hour) and was located about 175 miles southeast of Camaguey, Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Florida said.Weather reports showed the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay was getting rain and winds gusting up to 52 mph (83 kph).Fay was cruising west at 14 mph (22 kph) across very warm waters -- 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 C), said an official at Cuba's Meteorological Institute -- and therefore was likely to strengthen before crossing the island.It was possible Fay would clip the communist island twice, once in the southeast near Guantanamo Bay, and again in the center as it begins a turn to the northwest and eventually the north.The U.S. hurricane center did not expect Fay to become a hurricane, which has top sustained winds of at least 74 mph (118 kph), until it passed through Cuba, but hurricane watches were posted for a large stretch of the island's central provinces.Cuban forecasters predicted rains of up to 8 inches from the storm.

FIVE DEAD

Heavy rains from the storm killed at least five people on the island of Hispaniola, shared by the Dominican Republic, a major tourist magnet, and impoverished Haiti.

A 34-year-old Dominican woman died and two nephews, aged 13 and 5, were missing after their truck was engulfed by flood waters raging through a gully 86 miles east of Santo Domingo, the Caribbean country's emergency operations center said.Four people died in Haiti, at least three of them drowning in rain-swollen rivers, said Alta Jean-Baptiste, head of the country's civil protection office.The hurricane center said Fay, after emerging from Cuba on Monday, was likely to brush the Florida Keys and hit the west coast of Florida as a hurricane on Tuesday.The state government of Florida declared an emergency to free up federal funds to deal with the approaching storm and the authorities in the low-lying Florida Keys said they expected to order tourists to evacuate on Sunday morning.The state's most densely populated areas around Miami and Fort Lauderdale, in the southeast, were not out of the line of fire should the storm steer more to the east than expected.Areas of the Gulf of Mexico where around a quarter of U.S. oil and 15 percent of U.S. natural gas are produced did not appear to be at immediate risk.But long-range storm forecasts are prone to error, especially when it comes to intensities, and Shell Oil Co said it was pulling 200 workers from offshore operations in the eastern Gulf of Mexico ahead of the storm.In addition to the hurricane alert in Cuba, tropical storm warnings and watches were in effect for the central Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. (Additional reporting by Michael Christie in Miami, Erwin Seba in Houston, Manuel Jimenez in Santo Domingo and Joseph Guyler Delva in Port-au-Prince; Editing by Eric Beech)

Tropical storm leaves 4 dead in Haiti, DR By EVENS SANON, Associated Press Writer Sat Aug 16, 8:20 PM ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Flooding from Tropical Storm Fay killed four people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and authorities warned Saturday that the storm could reach hurricane strength as it barrels toward Cuba. Florida's Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency and said Fay threatened the state with a major disaster. Forecasters said Fay could bring hurricane-force winds to the Florida Keys as soon as Monday.The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said that on Saturday night the storm was located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. It was heading west at about 14 mph (22 kph), with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (70 kph).A man died Saturday in Haiti while trying to cross a river in Leogane, south of Port-au-Prince, said Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, head of Haiti's civil protection department. No further information was immediately available.Rice fields in the Artibonite Valley, Haiti's most fertile region, were flooded, according to reports from Radio Ginen. And Fay's heavy winds destroyed banana crops in Arcahaie, north of the capital, although it is unclear how many acres were affected, Jean-Baptiste said.Haiti has struggled to cope with a food crisis that sparked deadly riots in April.The capital's airport reopened Saturday afternoon, but heavy rains were still expected in the south.

In neighboring Dominican Republic, a 34-year-old woman drowned when a family tried to cross a swollen river in a car, civil defense agency director Luis Luna Paulino said. The bodies of her missing 13-year-old niece and 5-year-old nephew were found Saturday afternoon, but her husband swam to safety.A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Cayman Islands, and a tropical storm watch remains in effect for the Bahamas and Jamaica.Cuba's government said hurricane watches were in effect for the provinces of Villa Clara, Cinefuegos, Matanzas, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila and Sancti Spiritus. Fay's path was expected to take it over the southern coast of the eastern Cuba late Saturday or Sunday and over the island's west near Havana on Sunday night or Monday.Officials in Cuba's eastern province of Santiago met to discuss ordering tourists to evacuate low-lying coastal hotels and camp sites, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported on its Web site. They also advised farmers to move cattle and other animals to higher ground.There were no official details on how many tourists had been evacuated, but a receptionist at the Melia Santiago hotel, located in Cuba's second-largest city, said it was preparing to receive a small number of tourists evacuated from coastal areas. She said she was not authorized to be identified by name in the foreign media.Forecasters said Fay could hit the U.S. as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane, with winds perhaps reaching more than 100 mph (160 kph).
Associated Press writer Ramon Almanzar contributed from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Southeast Asia flooding hits cyclone-weary Myanmar Sat Aug 16, 5:48 AM ET

BANGKOK, Thailand - Severe flooding triggered by torrential rains has struck areas of Myanmar still recovering from a cyclone that killed more than 84,000 people, a state-run newspaper said Saturday. Flooding has also hit parts of Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. In Laos, at least four people died from their injuries in landslides triggered by flooding after levels in the Mekong River reached record highs.In Myanmar, the floods hit areas of Yangon and the Irrawaddy delta, where Cyclone Nargis left a swath of devastation early May, as well as other regions of the country, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper said. No casualties were reported.Residents fled from their homes, schools were closed and rice fields submerged in regions ranging from Karen and Mon states in the southeast to Mandalay in central Myanmar.The water quickly receded and damage to rice fields was not reported, the newspaper said.In Laos, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yong Chanthalansy said Friday that four people died outside the capital, Vientiane, after being injured in landslides triggered by the flooding. The state news agency KPL said one of the dead was a child.Speaking by telephone from Vientiane, Yong said that there were reports that the flooding was receding Friday after water levels in the Mekong had reached 44.8 feet, beating the previous record high of 40.61 feet in 1966.The flooding also cut electricity in some parts of the old royal capital of Luang Prabang, a popular tourist destination, the Web site reported. It added that the main road between Vientiane and Luang Prabang had been cut off by a landslide.Thailand's national news agency said areas of three northeastern provinces bordering the Mekong River and Laos were badly affected, with flooding causing damage to dikes and thousands of acres of farmland.In Nong Khai province, more than 1,000 houses were flooded, with some villagers evacuating. Two hospitals were hit and patients and medical supplies were moved to higher ground, the Thai News Agency said.Some 128,000 people in Nakhon Phanom province were also affected, the agency said.

Iselle falls to tropical depression off Mexico Fri Aug 15, 11:23 PM ET

MEXICO CITY - Forecasters say Tropical Storm Iselle has been downgraded to a depression off Mexico's Pacific coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Iselle's winds have fallen to under 35 mph (55 kph), and the system is expected to weaken further over the weekend and dissipate.Iselle was located late Friday about 340 miles (550 kilometers) southwest of the tip of the Baja California peninsula.The system was moving northwest and heading farther out to sea.

Forecasters: Floridians should prepare for hurricane By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer AUG 17,08

KEY WEST, Fla. - Residents and tourists in the Florida Keys prepared Saturday for Tropical Storm Fay, which forecasters said could strengthen to a hurricane and begin battering the island chain as soon as Monday. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency because Fay threatens the state of Florida with a major disaster, he wrote in an executive order.Forecasters predicted Saturday evening that the sixth named storm of the 2008 season would make landfall somewhere along western coast of Florida on Tuesday as a hurricane, said Corey Walton, a hurricane support meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.Officials in the Keys' Monroe County said they would likely order an evacuation of all visitors on Sunday morning. A decision on whether to require all residents to evacuate was to come, county spokeswoman Becky Herrin said.Keys emergency officials often take the precaution of ordering early evacuations when a storm threatens, because traffic can back up for miles on the single highway to Florida's mainland.Besides the threat of damage from high winds, most of the islands sit at sea level and could be flooded by Fay's storm surge. Flooding from the storm on Saturday killed four people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.At 11 p.m. EDT, Fay's center was located about 100 miles north-northeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and moving west at 14 miles per hour. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.State officials in Tallahassee opened their emergency operations center, said Blair Heusdens, a spokeswoman for the state's Division of Emergency Management.We like to have the executive order in place before the storm, Heusdens said. That way we can have our resources ready.

Tourists and locals still packed downtown Key West on Saturday, seemingly unfazed by the approaching storm.Todd Hitchins, 36, of Big Pine Key, about 30 miles east of Key West, said he planned to stock up on water and propane for his grill but wasn't too worried.This will be good practice, mused Hitchins, who said he's lived here during much more powerful storms. But you've got to be prepared, be ready.Jeff Emmett, operations manager at Fairfield Inn and Suites in Key West, said Saturday afternoon the hotel had no cancellations or early check-outs.Business as usual, Emmett said. Right now, we're just keeping the guests informed.Chris Celestina, 24, was sitting at the hotel's poolside bar while on vacation with four friends from Pennsylvania.

We're not really worried, Celestina said as he ordered a drink. Whatever happens, happens. If we get evacuated, that will definitely put a damper on our plans, but until we have to, we're not moving.Some Keys residents were preparing for the aftermath.Andrew Cardwell, 26, filled up nine 5-gallon gas cans for his employer, Pirate Scooter Rentals, early Saturday afternoon. As soon as the storm passes through, people are going to want to rent mopeds, Cardwell said. We're just getting it while we can.

Eurozone swings closer to economic recession
LUCIA KUBOSOVA 15.08.2008 @ 09:31 CET

The eurozone's economy has slipped further towards recession, with fresh output figures pointing to an economic downturn in the 15-strong zone as well as in the whole of the European Union, while inflation remains at a record high.According to early predictions by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, gross domestic product (GDP) in the euro area dropped by 0.2 percent during the second quarter of 2008. This makes it the very first time that the monetary bloc's economy declined since the launch of euro. Similarly, the GDP for the whole of the EU shrank by 0.1 percent during the same period, with the worst performance recorded in the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia.The gloomy forecasts – published on Thursday (14 August) - have reinforced concerns about the European economy moving closer to recession, with both Germany and France as the two biggest countries showing signals of an economic slow-down.The German economy dropped by 0.5 percent - which was less than analysts had predicted – while France's shrunk by 0.3 percent.Amelia Torres, European Commission spokeswoman for economic and monetary affairs, refused to speculate on recession fears and suggested that the latest figures were of no surprise to the EU executive, referring to unexpectedly high growth rates in the first quarter of 2008. I think it's a bit exaggerated to use that word, she told reporters in Brussels. But she admitted that the signs are not really very good for the future.According to eurozone figures, no eurozone country is yet officially in recession – seen as two consecutive quarters of economic decline – but within the whole of the EU, Estonia has officially slipped in recession. Along with the declining growth, inflation in the eurozone remained at a record high of 4 percent in July, unchanged from June. A year earlier the rate was 1.8 percent.

Georgia: Russian forces control half of country USATODAY By Vasily Fedosenko, Reuters AUG 17,08

A column of Russian troops stops for a short rest while traveling in the direction of Tskhinvali, near the town of Alagir, Georgia.

By Jeffrey Stinson, USA TODAY
TBILISI, Georgia — The Georgian government said Saturday night that Russian forces control half the country and that the nation's railroad system has been shut down after a bridge was blown.It also accused Russian forces of deliberately setting fires that threaten electricity and some cellphone communications as far as Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.The actions, the government said, are occurring despite Russian President Dmitry Medvedev having signed a cease-fire agreement earlier in the day.

The cease-fire agreement, which Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili signed on Friday, calls for the withdrawal Russian combat troops from the country. It was unclear Saturday night how soon that would be and what sort of actions will occur in Russian-occupied territory before they do..Eka Kguladze, deputy interior minister, said that rail service was shut down after a bridge was blown in central Georgia along a key east-west line. Moscow denied it had done so.She said that power lines and cellphone towers are threatened by several fires raging in various parts of the country in areas that the Russians control. Russia has refused to let Georgian firefights or fire-fighting aircraft in from neighboring countries to put them out, she said.The death toll, meanwhile, continues to rise in the Russia-Georgia war that broke out Aug. 8 and has raised tensions between Washington and Moscow. Georgia is a U.S. ally.Georgian Health Minister Sandro Kvitashvili put the death toll from the conflict at 182. Of those, 115 are military deaths and 167 civilian. Those injured and in hospitals number 479, of which 157 are civilians.He said the number of deaths and injuries are increasing especially among civilians, although major military action largely ended Aug. 9. Moscow has said 2,000 people were killed when Georgian forces sought to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia, which sparked the war. Those numbers, however, cannot be confirmed.The death toll could go higher, he said, because Russia is denying safe access to the areas they occupy to pull out the dead and wounded. He said he didn't know when he would be allowed in.The United States insists that Russia pull its combat troops out of Georgia immediately and to borders that existed before Aug. 8. Under the deal, Russia can keep peacekeeping forces in a breakaway regions.A fast Russian pullout won't happen, Moscow said earlier Saturday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia needed to strengthen its peacekeeping forces before it could pull back. He gave no timetable, telling reporters that the withdrawal would take as long as it takes.

Bush Says Breakaway Regions Must Remain Part of Georgia Saturday, August 16, 2008 AP

President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speak with reporters about Georgia at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Saturday.CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush said Saturday that the two disputed regions at the center of the conflict between Georgia and Russia must remain part of Georgia, but called the signing of a cease-fire between the two nations a hopeful step.Russia's president signed the cease-fire plan Saturday, a day after Georgia's president reluctantly agreed to the pact after lengthy talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Russian forces started to pull back, but later in the day reports were widespread that the military was still digging in, maintaining outposts in Georgian territory.

Bush, speaking at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, issued a stern warning to Russia, whose president said Friday that it's unlikely the two breakaway regions — South Ossetia and Abkhazia — will be able to stay in one state with Georgia.A major issue is Russia's contention that the region of South Ossetia and Abkhazia may not be a part of Georgia's future, Bush said. These regions are a part of Georgia — and the international community has repeatedly made clear that they will remain so.No Room for Debate Bush said the United States fully recognizes Georgia's borders and that the country continues to stand behind Georgia's democracy and sovereignty. Bush said Russia must abide by the cease-fire that Georgia and Russia have signed.Georgia's borders should command the same respect as every other nation’s. There’s no room for debate on this matter, he said.Russia's foreign minister has said that Georgia could forget about getting back those provinces.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met in the Kremlin this past week with the leaders of those regions. That was seen as a sign that Moscow could absorb the areas.Rice did not specify what, if any, repercussions Russia might face for its actions.We'll take our time and look at further consequences for what Russia has done, she said. The U.S. and the European Union already have raised concerns about the way Russia has done this. I think you will start to see reports come out about what Russian forces engaged in.She said that unlike in the past, Russia cares deeply about its global reputation. I think actually Russia will care about this talk, because it's not just talk, it's about Russia's standing in the international community, Rice said.

The cease-fire agreement calls for both forces to pull back to positions they held before fighting erupted Aug. 8. That was when Georgia launched a massive barrage to try to take control of the Russian-backed separatist region of South Ossetia. The Russian army quickly overwhelmed the forces of its small U.S.-backed neighbor, and Moscow's troops drove deep into Georgia.The agreement, Rice said, is specific about future Russian troop presence in Georgia.The world has watched with alarm as Russia invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatened a democratic government elected by its people, Bush said in his weekly radio address. This act is completely unacceptable to the free nations of the world.Keeping up the diplomatic pressure, Rice planned to go to Brussels next week for meetings with the foreign ministers of NATO allies and European Union officials.Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden, D-Del., also announced he will visit Georgia over the weekend to meet with the president and Georgians forced to flee their homes.White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush spoke with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili Saturday afternoon, and reiterated United States support for the government and people of Georgia.The crisis has chilled relations between the United States and Russia. The fighting comes as the U.S. is sealing the deal on a missile shield in Europe — an issue already unraveling ties between the two former Cold War foes.Poland and the U.S. signed a deal Thursday for Poland to accept a missile interceptor base as part of a system the U.S. says is aimed at blocking attacks by adversaries such as Iran.

Moscow feels it is aimed at Russia's missile force. A Russian general was quoted by Interfax News Agency on Friday as saying that by accepting a U.S. missile defense battery, Poland was exposing itself to a strike.The missile deal awaits approval by Poland's parliament and signing by Rice during a future visit to Warsaw, possibly in the week ahead.That is sure to further antagonize Russia. But the U.S. wants to be careful to alienate Moscow and drive Russian leaders away from further integration with the West.Russia's actions in Georgia raise serious questions about its role and its intentions in the Europe of the 21st century, Bush said. In recent years, Russia has sought to integrate into the diplomatic, political, economic, and security structures of the West. The United States has supported those efforts. Now Russia has put its aspirations at risk by taking actions in Georgia that are inconsistent with the principles of those institutions.To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States, Europe, and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must act to end this crisis.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukraine vows to implement orders on Russia fleet 14 Aug 2008 17:22:38 GMT
Source: Reuters By Yuri Kulikov

KIEV, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Pro-Western Ukraine vowed on Thursday to make Russia seek official permission for movements of its warships based in the ex-Soviet state despite Moscow's objections, placing the neighbours on a collision course.Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based on Ukraine's Crimea pensinsula under an agreement signed by the two ex-Soviet states. Kiev's jurisdiction over the area remains a highly sensitive issue among Russian nationalists and in the peninsula dominated by ethnic Russians.Ukraine's plans for tougher rules on Russian naval moves, announced by President Viktor Yushchenko on Wednesday, are the latest affront to Moscow after Kiev's sharp criticism of its military incursion into Georgia in support of breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia.Tension between the two states had already been simmering due to Moscow's opposition to Kiev's efforts to join NATO, and past disputes over gas prices and property.On Thursday, Georgian Chief of Staff Serhiy Kirichenko said Yushchenko's decree would be carried out, no matter what.

There is a presidential decree and it will, naturally, be implemented, Interfax Ukraine quoted him as saying. I guarantee that we will do everything to ensure the president's decree is carried out.Investors priced Ukrainian assets sharply riskier amid concerns over the row with Russia, with the cost of insuring Ukrainian government debt widening sharply.Yushchenko's decree on Wednesday required the fleet to secure permission for any movements 72 hours in advance.In Moscow, the deputy head of Russia's general staff dismissed it as irrelevant.We have one general commander for the Black Sea fleet. It is the President of Russia, Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said. And all commands from outside are illegitimate to us.

TENSION

Ukraine's leaders, like the United States, have backed Georgia throughout the conflict and urged Moscow to withdraw troops from its smaller neighbour's territory.

On Thursday, Yushchenko's Website said the president had spoken to U.S. President George W. Bush and praised Washington's clear and consistent position.Under the terms of Wednesday's presidential decree, Ukrainian authorities must inform fleet commanders of their consent for the movement of warships and aircraft 24 hours before their scheduled departure.Should commanders fail to comply with the rules, Ukraine's foreign ministry would be empowered to ask the vessel or aircraft to leave Ukrainian territory.The conflict in South Ossetia has given rise to suggestions that disagreements between Ukraine and Russia could rekindle tension between the two neighbours over the fleet and Crimea that existed throughout the early post-Soviet years.Under a 1997 agreement, Ukraine agreed to lease harbour space in the Crimea peninsula base of Sevastopol until 2017.Yushchenko and other officials say Ukraine has no intention of extending the lease and have called for negotiations to ensure for an orderly departure of the fleet by 2017 -- a position strongly criticised by the Kremlin.Nationalist Russian politicians regularly suggest that Moscow should reclaim Sevastopol -- or even all of Crimea -- as its own territory.Crimea, part of Russia from the late 18th century, was handed to Soviet Ukraine by Kremlin leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1954 when the collapse of communism was unthinkable. It reverted to independent Ukraine when Soviet rule collapsed in 1991. (Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Caroline Drees)

Israel's Barak meets with Palestinian prime minister Sat Aug 16, 4:32 PM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak held talks Saturday evening on security and political matters, officials from both sides said. The two men meet at Barak's residence in Tel Aviv for discussions on security and political questions according to a defence ministry statement.The talks touched on the expected release of more than 150 Palestinian prisoners Sunday, along with the deployment of new Palestinian police forces in the West Bank, military radio reported.Barak and Fayyad met in Jerusalem in June with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Iran training Iraqi hit squads: US military by Jim Mannion
Fri Aug 15, 12:05 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iraqi assassination squads are being trained in Iran by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force and Lebanese Hezbollah for attacks in Iraq, a US military official said Friday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Shiite special groups were being trained in Qom, Tehran, Mashad and Ahvaz in assassination and bombing techniques to target specific Iraqis as well as US troops and Iraqi security forces.We have intelligence reports confirming Iranian-sponsored groups are planning to return back to Iraq and are targeting specific coalition forces, ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) and Iraqi citizens, the official said.The intelligence, if it proves out, raises the prospect of a deadly new security challenge at a time when the US military is hoping to make further cuts in its forces.The official, who spoke from Iraq, said the information has been turned over to the Iraqi government and they are taking the lead in handling the situation.The groups were being trained in reconnaissance, small arms, small unit tactics, cellular operations, EFPs and other IEDs, RPGs and assassination techniques, the official said.

EFPs, which stands for explosively formed projectiles, are armor-piercing bombs that have proven highly effective against US armored vehicles. The US military charges that components for the bombs are made in Iran.The official said the special groups were being deployed to carry out terrorist acts against specific individuals as well as US and Iraqi forces.The special groups have been associated in the past with radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi army, but the official would not link those being trained to Sadr.Among the Iraqi groups identified as involved in the training were Kitaib Hezbollah, which he described as a criminal group supported by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that has claimed a number of sophisticated attacks since 2005.The official identified a second Iraqi group as As Said Al-Haq.They are being trained by Quds Force under the leadership of Qassim Suleimani and Lebanese Hezbollah, the official said.The US military many times in the past have accused Iran of fomenting violence in neighboring Iraq, supplying Shiite groups with arms and training for attacks on US forces.But the violence has fallen off sharply in the wake of a US surge strategy that helped turn Sunni tribes against Al-Qaeda and Iraq's Shiite led government against Shiite militias and the so-called special groups.US military officials have said many special group leaders fled to Iran, but were believed to be biding their time for a return.Also contributing to the drop in violence has been a unilateral cease-fire declared a year ago by al-Sadr, who the US military believes is in Iran.Sadr announced in June that he would replace the 60,000-strong Mahdi Army with a smaller fighting force to target the US-led occupation.

Israel puts off evacuating illegal wildcat settlement by Marius Schattner
Fri Aug 15, 5:15 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - The Israeli government has decided to put off for the time being its promised evacuation of the largest Jewish wildcat settlement in the occupied West Bank, the defence ministry said on Friday. The ministry told the Israeli High Court the Migron settlers -- about 200 people living on private Palestinian land -- can remain until new homes are built for them on public land.We have told the court we will announce within 45 days the new location of Migron, a ministry spokeswoman said. The ministry did not say when the settlers would be moved.In January the government told the court it would evacuate Migron by August.The government's new plan to move the settlers later has the backing of the main West Bank settlers' organisation, but the Migron residents, some right-wingers and anti-settler activists reject it.The government caved in to settlers who threatened to use violence if they are evacuated while they illegally occupy private Palestinian land, said Yariv Oppenheimer of the Peace Now group, which had filed a petition before the High Court seeking the evacuation.The Yediot Aharonot daily quoted the Committee of Settler Rabbis as saying: The thought of evacuating Migron is against the Torah and basic human morals.Some ultra-orthodox Jews believe they have a divine mission to settle the whole of the Biblical land of Israel, including the Palestinian territories.But other right-wingers believe that the Migron settlers would benefit from the legal recognition they would get by moving.Migron is the largest of some 100wildcat settlement outposts dotted around the West Bank that were erected without Israeli government authorisation.Most consist of just a few trailers but Migron has several houses, dozens of mobile homes, a synagogue, a ritual bath, a kindergarten and greenhouses.The international community regards all West Bank settlements as illegal, regardless of whether they were built with Israeli authorisation.Washington has exerted particular pressure on Israel to dismantle the wildcat outposts.A lawyer who in 2004 assessed the legal situation of the settlements on behalf of the government called the Migron decision strange, to say the least.Migron was erected in a fraudulent manner on private land taken from Palestinians. The same settlers who violated the law are now seeing their actions sanctioned by the law, Talia Sasson told Israeli public radio.In another development, an internal police report cited by Haaretz says the number of settler attacks against Palestinians and clashes with police have increased significantly.The daily cites the report as saying there were 429 such incidents in the first six months of the year, compared with 551 in all of 2007.More than 260,000 Israelis are estimated to live in government-authorised settlements across the West Bank, with another 200,000 in settlements in annexed east Jerusalem.

Oil touches 3-month low on stronger US dollar By STEVENSON JACOBS, AP Business Writer Fri Aug 15, 5:11 PM ET

NEW YORK - Oil fell to its lowest price in three months Friday, briefly touching the $111 level after the dollar muscled higher and OPEC predicted the world's thirst for fuel next year will fall to its lowest point since 2002. Light, sweet crude for September delivery fell $1.24 to settle at $113.77 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after falling to $111.34, its lowest price since May 2 and more than $35 — or 24 percent — below its July 11 trading record above $147.As high energy costs force countries around the globe to cut back on consumption, crude prices have plummeted and are now within striking distance of $100 a barrel, a level first reached Feb. 19.

At the pump, retail gas prices also continued falling, with a gallon of regular shedding about half a penny overnight to a new national average of $3.771, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. Gas peaked at $4.114 on July 17.Crude fell after the dollar gained strength against the euro on U.S. data showing that industrial output rose more than expected in July. The 15-nation euro has lost some of its luster compared to its American rival amid growing evidence that European economies are slowing. The euro bought $1.4675 in trading Friday, down from $1.4811 late Thursday.A rising dollar typically pushes oil prices lower as investors who buy crude and other commodities as hedges against inflation start dumping their positions to cut their losses. A stronger greenback also makes dollar-denominated commodities more expensive to overseas buyers, further eroding demand.The dollar is on fire again so that's causing people to re-evaluate everything, said Phil Flynn, oil analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago. It means oil prices could fall dramatically. We could see prices get to double digits if this continues.An OPEC forecast of lower demand also put downward pressure on prices.In its monthly oil report, the organization forecast world appetite for oil this year overall will fall by 30,000 barrels a day. While forecasting demand growing by a daily 1 million barrels a day this year, and another 900,000 barrels in 2009, the report noted that world demand growth next year will also be the lowest since 2002, with demand growth from the major industrialized countries actually declining.They're basically saying we could have an oil glut because demand is slowing, Flynn said. It's obvious that high prices do slow down demand and the market works.The OPEC report came two days after the U.S. Department of Energy highlighted the ongoing drop in U.S. demand for energy as Americans struggle with high costs for gasoline, food and other goods.Oil's steady decline has continued despite the simmering weeklong conflict between Russia and Georgia over two breakaway provinces. Western leaders worked Friday to persuade Russia to pull troops out of Georgia, but regional tensions soared after a top Russian general warned that Poland could face attack over its missile defense deal with the United States.

British oil company BP PLC said Thursday it has resumed pumping gas into the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline that runs through Georgia, but two oil pipelines remained closed. BP's Baku-Supsa oil pipeline was shut as a precaution, and the larger Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan line, a key supplier to Western countries, remains shut after a fire earlier this month on the Turkish section of the line.Analysts noted that the conflict in Georgia, while likely not driven primarily by energy concerns, highlights Moscow's influence over oil and natural gas reserves in the region. Russia exports more oil than any country except Saudi Arabia, and is the world's leading producer of natural gas.Only weeks ago, such a clash would likely have sent oil prices soaring. But the market has largely ignored the fighting in Georgia because traders have already priced in the geopolitical risk, analysts say. Crude's monthlong nosedive has also made it harder for bullish traders to spark a rally, despite a possible threat to oil installations.Also weighing on prices Friday was the expiration of September oil contract options at the end of the day, a trading cycle that often increases volatility.In other Nymex trading, heating oil futures rose 2 cents to settle at $3.1191 a gallon, while gasoline prices slipped 5.18 cents to settle at $2.8602 a gallon. Natural gas futures fell 4.4 cents to settle at $8.092per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, September Brent crude fell $1.13 to settle at $112.55a barrel. Associated Press writers George Jahn in Vienna, Austria, Adam Schreck in Dubai and Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.

Salmonella outbreak winds down; questions remain Fri Aug 15, 3:14 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The nationwide salmonella outbreak is finally winding down but federal health officials can't yet say how the few tainted Mexican peppers they've found could explain such widespread illness. The outbreak isn't considered over yet, Food and Drug Administration food safety chief Dr. David Acheson cautioned Friday. The outbreak strain has been confirmed in 1,423 patients, with the latest known illness beginning July 24.The FDA is focusing its probe on some farms in Mexico where a handful of jalapeno and serrano peppers, and some irrigation water, tainted with the outbreak strain of salmonella were traced. At least one of the farms also grew tomatoes — the initial suspect — as well as peppers. And two of them sent produce to a common packing facility, raising the prospect that contamination there could have spread to a much higher volume of food.The FDA said Friday it is still working with Mexican authorities to determine exactly what happened in that packing facility.And the agency has expanded testing of certain Mexican produce, uncovering more cases of salmonella contamination — just not the same strain that caused this particular outbreak — in jalapenos, basil and cilantro. While Acheson wouldn't say how much salmonella is being found, the agency has put a dozen Mexican growers or distributors on its import alert list for tougher border screening this month alone.