EU TRADE COMMISSIONER REMARKS

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.

Mega-tsunami hit southeast Asia 700 years ago By Tan Ee Lyn Tan Ee Lyn – Wed Oct 29, 2:09 pm ET Reuters

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A mega-tsunami struck southeast Asia 700 years ago rivaling the deadly one in 2004, two teams of geologists said after finding sedimentary evidence in coastal marshes.Researchers in Thailand and Indonesia wrote in two articles in Nature magazine that the tsunami hit around 1400, long before historical records of earthquakes in the region began.Tsunamis are something we never experienced before and after 2004, people thought it was something we would never experience again, Kruawun Jankaew of Thailand's Chulalongkorn University told Reuters by telephone.But from this, we are able to identify that the place has been hit by a mega tsunami in the past. So even though it is infrequent for this part of the world, it still happens and there is a need to promote tsunami education for coastal peoples.The 2004 tsunami left 230,000 people either dead or missing across Asia, from Sri Lanka and India to Thailand, the Maldives and Indonesia. More than 170,000 of these victims were in Aceh province in Indonesia.Jankaew's team studied a grassy plain on Phra Thong, an island north of Phuket in Thailand, where the 2004 tsunami reached maximum wave heights of 20 meters (65 ft) above sea level.A separate team led by Katrin Monecke from the University of Pittsburgh looked at the sedimentary records on coastal marshes in Aceh, where the waves reached 35 meters.

They explored low areas between beach ridges called swales -- which are known to trap tsunami sand between layers of peat and other organic matter -- and discovered a layer of sand beneath the most recent layer (2004), from 600 to 700 years ago.

Depending on where the depression is, it (the layer of the 1400 sand) can be 10 cm. But on higher ground, it can be two to five cm. Organic materials like bark and leaves, which contain carbon, were used for dating, Jankaew said.The scientists are now trying to find out the scale of that catastrophe 700 years ago.We will look at the thickness and grain size of the sediment and we can calculate how fast the tsumani was, how far inland it went, and the floor depth, she said.Jankaew said there are two more layers of sand under the 1400 layer but more studies would need to be done to date these.Some experts blame the massive loss of lives in 2004 on ignorance of the region's tsunami history.Very few people living along the coasts recognized natural tsunami warnings, such as the strong shaking felt in Aceh and the rapid retreat of ocean water from the shoreline that was observed in Thailand.But on an island just off the coast of Aceh, most people safely fled to higher ground in 2004 because the island's oral history includes information about a devastating tsunami in 1907.(Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami biggest in 600 years Wed Oct 29, 2:00 pm ET

NEW YORK – The tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 2004 was the biggest in the Indian Ocean in some 600 years, two new geological studies suggest.That long gap might explain how enough geological stress built up to power the huge undersea earthquake that launched the killer waves four years ago, researchers said.The work appears in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. Two research teams report that by digging pits and taking core samples in Thailand and northern Sumatra, they found evidence that the last comparably large tsunami struck between the years 1300 and 1400.The researchers found deposits of sand that were apparently left by the waves, and estimated their age with carbon dating of associated plant debris.The December 2004 disaster killed people in 14 countries. Waves more than 100 feet high struck northern Sumatra and deposited sand more than a mile inland, researchers said. In Thailand, the waves also ran more than a mile inland, leaving deposits of sand some 2to 8 inches thick.On the Net:Journal Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature
Tsunami basics: http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/basics.html

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.

Freezing Pakistan quake survivors wait for aid by Hasan Mansoor Hasan Mansoor OCT 29,08

WAM, Pakistan (AFP) – Thousands of villagers in southwest Pakistan waited for aid in freezing conditions Thursday after a powerful earthquake that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least 170 people.The 6.4-magnitude pre-dawn quake on Wednesday flattened mud-brick houses and triggered landslides in the impoverished province of Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan, killing or injuring their occupants as they slept.

We are doomed, said Mohammed Hashim, a resident of Wam, the worst affected of eight villages that were hit hard by the quake.We have nothing left to save our families from the cold in the night.Destitute survivors sat beside campfires as the night brought sub-zero temperatures to the mountainous quake zone bordering Afghanistan.

International and Pakistani agencies were struggling to get help to survivors of the quake.The World Health Organisation said it was sending enough medical aid and supplies for 50,000 people. It is also flying trauma supplies stored at the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai to treat 400 people into the region.In Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands may have lost their homes and hundreds may have died in the temblor.The United States also offered to send humanitarian relief.We are currently working with the Pakistani government, the UN (United Nations) and other potential donors to assess the damage, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters on Wednesday.Once we are able to make that assessment and also talk to the Pakistani government about what their needs might be, we will stand ready to provide an assistance package.Neighbour and rival India has also offered to help.Some 46,000 people living in the wider region, especially near the historic hill resort of Ziarat, could now be in need of shelter and other assistance, officials said.An AFP correspondent in Wam said emergency tents had not arrived by Wednesday night, forcing exhausted villagers to hunker down in the ruined shells of their homes.

They spent the day in a desperate search for loved ones or burying the dead in mass graves, as aftershocks nearly as big as the initial quake pounded the landscape, sending rocks spewing from nearby peaks and sparking fresh panic.Virtually all houses were reduced to rubble either in the initial quake or by aftershocks. Schools and hospitals were also damaged, he added.Soldiers, helicopters, tents, blankets, food and medical help have been sent from Quetta, the provincial capital, to Ziarat and an aerial assessment of the damage has begun, the Pakistani military said. A 7.6-magnitude earthquake in northwest Pakistan and Kashmir killed 74,000 people and displaced 3.5 million in October 2005. In 1935 a massive quake killed around 30,000 people in Quetta, which at the time was part of British-ruled India.

Quartet to meet in Egypt next month By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer OCT 29,08

ABC News RAMALLAH, West Bank – A senior Palestinian official said Wednesday the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers will meet early next month at Sharm el-Sheik to assess progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting's date has not been announced, said the gathering in Egypt would include U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.The aim is to hear the progress Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have made in their talks. The so-called Quartet is made up of the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia.Rice had asked Egypt to host the meeting before President Bush's term ends in January. Bush hosted a peace conference in Annapolis, Md., a year ago and has expressed hope for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before year's end.Separately, Nabil Shaath, a top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Abbas will go to Egypt for the Nov. 9 start of power-sharing talks with Hamas. Abbas has shunned Hamas since the group seized the Gaza Strip by force in 2007.The Quartet is expected to meet sometime around that date.Hamas and Fatah are to talk about forming a joint Palestinian government, rebuilding the security forces and setting a date for presidential and legislative elections.Several rounds of power-sharing talks have failed since Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006. Egypt has been mediating contacts between the rival groups.

Bush, Olmert to meet soon: White House Wed Oct 29, 1:35 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President George W. Bush will meet with outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert when he visits Washington sometime in the coming weeks, the White House said Wednesday.President Bush spoke by phone with Prime Minister Olmert today. The two leaders look forward to meeting at some time in the coming weeks here in Washington, spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a brief statement.In Jerusalem, Olmert spokesman Mark Regev described the telephone call as a friendly discussion which covered a number of issues and that the leaders agreed to meet soon in Washington at a date yet to be fixed.Neither side spelled out the aims of the talks, which come as Bush prepares to leave office January 20, while the prime minister, hounded by a series of corruption scandals, formally resigned on September 21.But the meeting comes with Israeli-Palestinian peace talks unlikely to yield a major breakthrough, partly because of political turmoil in Israel, where Olmert heads a caretaker government ahead of February 10 early elections.On Monday, the White House pledged to keep working on creating an independent Palestinian state, while acknowledging that the situation in Israel may complicate those efforts.No doubt we have an uphill climb, but they have always had an uphill climb in the Middle East, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said at the time, joking that Israeli politics were like full-court karate.Perino also said that US General Jim Jones, former British prime minister Tony Blair and others will continue their work to improve the Palestinian economy, political institutions and security forces.Blair is the special envoy of the so-called quartet of diplomatic powers working on Middle East peace, while Jones is the special US envoy tasked with helping the Palestinians bolster their security forces.The current peace talks were relaunched at a US-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November 2007, but have made little visible progress since.

CNN NEWS VIDEO
http://edition.cnn.com/video/

YAHOO NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video

MIDEAST CONFLICT NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/1874;_ylt=A0wNcxFdg6xIgbkAwD6z174F

ABC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2461

FOX NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3074

FOX BUSINESS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3045

AP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2529

BBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2918

REUTERS VIDEO NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2704

AFP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3091

CNBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3245

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

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

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

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

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

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

WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS THU OCT 30,2008

09:30 AM +123.46
10:00 AM +171.09
10:30 AM +123.54
11:00 AM +131.98
11:30 AM +98.69
12:00 PM +15.14
12:30 PM +70.48
01:00 PM +52.33
01:30 PM +114.38
02:00 PM +120.91
02:30 PM +182.80
03:00 PM +161.37
03:30 PM +135.80
04:00 PM +189.73 9180.49

S&P 500 954.09 +24.00

NASDAQ 1698.52 +41.31

GOLD 740.8 -13.2

OIL 65.90 -1.60

TSE 300 +354.65 9,856.21

CDNX +21.43 879.75

S&P/TSX/60 +21.26 597.47

Dow at high this morning was +273.
Dow at low this morning was +98.
Dow on pace for biggest weekly point gain on record.
Dow on pace for biggest weekly percentage gain since AUG 1982.
Dow,S&P 500 have not gained for 2 straight sessions since Sept 25-26,2008.
S&P 500 on pace for biggest point gain since JUNE 2000.
NASDAQ on pace for biggest weekly gain since April 2001.

GMAC seeks Bank Holdings status.
GM/CHRYSLER merger talks still underway,but hinges on Government aid.
Key ? Were does the $5B-$10B fed money come from for General Motors.

AFTERNOON STATS

Dow was at +275 at high today.
Dow was at -1 at low today.
Late surge lifts stocks.
Dow back near 9200 points.
Dow gains over 2% today.
S@P 500 up almost 3% today.
NASDAQ up over 2%.

GROWING US LAYOFFS
-American Express 7000
-Motorola 3,000
-Visteon 800

MORTGAGE RATES TODAY-LAST WEEK
-30 yr fixed 6.35%-5.92%
-15 yr fixed 6.02%-5.57%
-5/1 Arm 6.10%-6.07%
-30 yr jumbo 7.64%-7.39%

THE PUMMER PLAN OF PAYMENTS ON MORTAGES @3.9% (30 YEAR FIXED)
-$100,000=$472.00 month.
-$200,000=$943.00 month.
-$300,000=$1,415.00 month.
-$400,000=$1,886.00 month.

DOW DAYS WITH NET GAIN (RECORDS

RANK-DATE CLOSE NET CH-% CHG
0001-10/13/08-9387.61-936.42-11.08%
0002-10/28/08-9065.12-889.35-10.88%
0003-03/16/00-10630.60-499.19-04.93%
0004-07/24/02-8191.29-488.95-06.35%
0005-09/30/08-10850.66-485.21-04.68%
0006-07/29/02-8711.88-447.49-05.41%
0007-03/18/08-12392.66-420.41-03.51%
0008-03/11/08-12156.81-416.66-03.55%
0009-10/20/08-9265.43-413.21-04.67%
0010-09/18/08-11019.69-410.03-03.86%

ALL THE REST OF DOW JONES RECORDS
http://www.djindexes.com/mdsidx/index.cfm?event=showAvgStats#no4

SPREAD THE WEALTH OBAMA PLAN - VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moTAI4VDIJw

NWO GENERATED CRISIS TO CONTROL THE WORLD.NAOMI BLAMES BUSH BUT THE LEFT DEMOCRATES WILL DO THIS WHEN OBAMA GETS IN.

NAOMI KLEIN THE SHOCK DOCTRINE P1-6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka3Pb_StJn4
NAOMI KLEIN THE SHOCK DOCTRINE P2-6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du3mpRkaz8g&feature=related
NAOMI KLEIN THE SHOCK DOCTRINE P3-6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og2gYUVURAI&feature=related
NAOMI KLEIN THE SHOCK DOCTRINE P4-6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRvuGLM_Pe4&feature=related
NAOMI KLEIN THE SHOCK DOCTRINE P5-6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7FcoU0LLUU&feature=related
NAOMI KLEIN THE SHOCK DOCTRINE P6-6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG_xRZW32X0&feature=related

EUROPE AT RISK WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=157322&bolum=105

Brussels doubles emergency funding to EU economies
LUCIA KUBOSOVA Today OCT 30,08 @ 07:17 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has unveiled a draft version of its plan for the economic recovery of the European Union, a plan that includes an even more generous boost to the emergency fund for EU economies battered by the global financial crisis than had previously been proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.Europe must confront the economic downturn with the same robust and coordinated approach we have taken on the financial crisis, commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday (29 October), after an extraordinary college meeting devoted to the ongoing market mayhem.As part of the commission's plan - to be published at full length on 26 November - Brussels is proposing to more than double the existing financial facility used to provide loans to EU countries facing difficulties.The fund's ceiling currently stands at €12 billion. The commission is now suggesting it should be topped up to €25 billion. On Tuesday night, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency until the end of December, had proposed a limit of €20 billion.

Budapest is so far the only EU capital that has recently put in a request for some of the bloc's emergency lending, but EU economy commissioner Joaquin Almunia has indicated that more countries could follow suit.We know some other members of the EU are under stress in the financial markets and we are ready to act, he said.

Other measures

Other measures proposed by the commission for Europe's economic recovery mainly include the deployment of existing instruments within the bloc's budget.We must keep unemployment to the absolute minimum and support those who have lost their jobs. We will review how we can reinforce the effectiveness of the globalisation adjustment fund, said Mr Barroso.He referred to the fund, worth €3.5 billion between 2007 and 2013, that is designed to help workers whose employers have moved to other states outside Europe in search of cheaper labour and production costs. But so far, the fund has not been used to an enormous extent by the bloc's member states.The commission is also promoting a link between the current financial needs to boosting public investments and the EU's green agenda.Investment in energy efficiency in buildings can provide the opportunities for the construction sector while contributing to tackle climate change. We also need to look at other areas of green technology - for example cleaner cars, insisted Mr Barroso.But the European Socialist Party quickly responded with criticism of the commission's unambitious recovery plan suggesting It is far too little for the scale of the crisis we are facing.Events - including national government actions - are moving faster than the European Commission. It needs to act now if it is going to co-ordinate, and create synergy between, national government recovery plans," said the party's president, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen.Construction, automobile and textile industries are expected to be hit the hardest by the global credit crunch that first broke out last summer in the US and which is due to lead to the loss of 20 million jobs worldwide, according to the International Labour Organisation.

EU to raise ceiling of aid for troubled member states
www.chinaview.cn 2008-10-30 02:57:25

BRUSSELS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is ready to raise its ceiling of aid to member states facing financing troubles to 25 billion euros (32 billion U.S. dollars), an EU official said on Wednesday. Joaquin Almunia, EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, told a press conference in Brussels that he had made the proposal for more EU aid to member states, which is due to be discussed by EU finance ministers at their monthly meeting next week. We sent to the council (of member states) proposals for increasing this ceiling to 25 billion euros, he said.

Under current rules, the EU can only provide as much as 12 billion euros in the form of so-called medium-term financial assistance facility to help non-euro member states stabilize their economies before they adopt the single currency. Earlier Wednesday, the EU announced that it would lend Hungary 6.5 billion euros, which came from the facility, in a joint bid with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help the country deal with its economic woes arising from the global financial crisis.

Hungary is so far the only EU member state to seek international aid, but other member states, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, are also facing a difficult time due to less inflow of foreign capital. We know some other members of the EU are under stress in the financial markets and we are ready to act, Almunia said.Editor: Mu Xuequan

Delta-Northwest merger creates huge US airline
Wed Oct 29, 6:50 PM

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it had merged with Northwest Airlines to create one of the world's biggest carriers after winning approval from US antitrust authorities.Delta announced late Wednesday that the merger was completed, creating a premier global airline with service to nearly all of the world's major travel markets.The takeover by Delta, the nation's third-largest airline, of number-five Northwest creates a new mammoth airline that keeps the Delta name and, like its namesake, is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.The new airline serves customers in 66 countries and more than 375 worldwide cities -- more than any other airline -- with a worldwide workforce of approximately 75,000 employees, Delta said.The airline industry faces a very difficult economic environment around the world and this merger gives Delta increased flexibility to adapt to the economic challenges ahead, said Delta chief executive Richard Anderson.With the completion of the merger, Northwest Airlines is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta, it said.

The merger comes amid consolidation in the aviation sector as airlines struggle to survive amid high fuel prices and economic turmoil.The company said its strong liquidity balance will help it cope with the challenges of the weakening global economy.US antitrust authorities earlier Wednesday cleared the proposed merger of Delta and Northwest, the final hurdle in the deal.The Justice Department said it concluded a six-month antitrust review and determined that the merger is likely to produce substantial and credible efficiencies that will benefit US consumers and is not likely to substantially lessen competition.The new Delta is the world's leading passenger carrier, with an estimated 285.5 billion revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, according to 2007 data from the International Air Transport Association.The Justice Department's antitrust division said the airlines currently compete with a number of other legacy and low-cost airlines in the provision of scheduled air passenger service on the vast majority of nonstop and connecting routes where they compete with each other.The agency said the merger likely will result in efficiencies such as cost savings in airport operations, information technology, supply chain economics, and fleet optimization that will benefit consumers.The new Delta will remain a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, which includes AirFrance-KLM, China Southern Airlines and Korean Air. Delta and Northwest were members of the 11-airline alliance.Delta and Northwest estimated the combined airline would reap 500 million dollars in cost savings in its first year.Both airlines were in the throes of restructuring amid a credit crunch and until the past few weeks, painfully high jet fuel costs that have thrown US airlines into a tailspin.

EU, IMF Agree to Multibillion-Dollar Rescue Package for Hungary
By Stefan Bos Budapest 29 October 2008

The International Monetary Fund, the European Union and World Bank have agreed to a $25 billion economic rescue package for Hungary to strengthen confidence in its economy. It has been described as the largest financial aid measure for an emerging-market economy since the start of the worldwide financial troubles, and the first for an EU-member country. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest on the reasons for the package and its expected impact. Stock prices on screen in downtown Budapest after Hungary reached agreement with IMF and EU on economic rescue package, 29 Oct 2008 .They still sing Hungarian folksongs while baking bread and cookies at an old pensioners club in Budapest. But they may soon sing the blues when hearing of government plans to freeze or reduce their pensions. Hungary's Socialist-led government also wants to suspend salary bonuses for state employees. Cutting spending is a key condition for Hungary to receive more than $25 billion in international aid as it struggles with the worst global financial crisis in 80 years. The International Monetary Fund says it will grant Hungary a standby loan of nearly $16 billion while the European Union has offered over $8 billion and the World Bank more than $1 billion. Hungary is particularly hard hit. Last year it had Europe's largest budget deficit, with most of its overspending on social benefits. In addition, most households took loans and mortgages in foreign currencies, such as euros, Swiss francs or Japanese yen, because interest rates were better. With the Hungarian currency, the forint, plunging to record lows, many Hungarians are unable to pay-off their financial obligations.But Hungary's main center-right opposition party, Fidesz, has criticized the government for accepting the financial rescue package, saying it could compromise the country's sovereignty.Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany shrugs off this criticism. He says the loans Hungary receives will not restrict the country's right to make its own political decisions and introduce reforms.

We will remain an independent country, he added. But Mr. Gyurcsany admits his government can not take up the responsibility to pay automatically 13th month wages and pensions, because we do not know from where to cover these expenses.One in five Hungarians, about 1.5 million people, are expected to be impacted by the measures.

Hungarian pensioners find it difficult to prepare for the upcoming holiday season without their bonus extra month's pay. We are always counting how many nights we have to sleep to receive the 13th month pension, said one woman.But bread-and-butter concerns seem far removed from the daily reality of traders at the Budapest Stock Exchange, seen as a key indicator of Hungary's overall economic situation. Men in suits are glued to their computers as they try to cope with unprecedented volatility in Hungary's stock market. The Hungarian forint and the Budapest Stock Exchange were both significantly higher Wednesday, but nobody knows for how long after weeks of turmoil. Hungary's financial situation is closely monitored by Europe's other former Communist countries, where governments have slashed economic growth forecasts and expect budget revenues to dwindle. Analysts say it comes at a time when their ability to borrow more on international debt markets has been squeezed by the global credit crunch.The larger-than-expected rescue for Hungary, the biggest for an emerging market economy since the global crisis began, is the first for an EU member. It also dwarfs the $2 billion and more than $16 billion sums offered by the IMF earlier to fellow strugglers Iceland and Ukraine.

INDIA HAS FINALLY MADE THE CUT
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=3&theme=&usrsess=1&id=228824

Closing remarks by EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton at BusinessEurope Conference Going Global Source: European Commission Published Wednesday, 29 October, 2008 - 11:17

I am particularly pleased to be here today. It is my first public intervention since taking up my role as European trade commissioner.It is particularly relevant that it should be to talk about Europe's competitiveness in the world – how we are doing and what more we need to do, against a backdrop that has changed radically in the last two years. Against an economic backdrop that makes it all the more important that we create new for opportunities for trade, not shut them down. That we protect openness, not unravel it. That we make the case for positive engagement by Europe and European business in the global economy.The case we must make is at heart a simple one. Open economies at home and abroad are critical to our economic well-being. We are producers and innovators, but above all - and more than anyone else in the world – we are traders and investors. In a global market, with global supply chains, our companies need to import to export. The growing inter-dependence between economies means that all have a stake in other’s prosperity and development. As new markets develop, our long-term prosperity depends on our ability to invest and to trade.The economic crisis we face underlines, not undermines this case. Trade and investment flows are declining. Demand is falling in developed markets as consumer spending contracts. We will probably see similar weakening in emerging economies.

It remains to be seen how severe the downturn will be. But our policy response must minimise the damage and help chart the way out. The risk, particularly if the downturn is severe, is that countries restrict markets in an attempt to isolate themselves or seek to blame others – whether in the developed or emerging world – for the difficulties facing their economies. I am convinced that this is a dead end. Not because openness is an end in itself, but because experience has taught us that it is the most effective way to achieve our broad economic, social and indeed political goals.But it is equally clear that we must reform our systems of regulation at national, regional and global levels – smarter regulation - tightening European-level regulation and helping to shape reform at the global level. The task for politicians, and business leaders, in the months ahead will be to explain the difference between, on the one hand, the steps necessary to help our economies weather the downturn and to ensure that the regulatory gaps of this crisis are not repeated; and on the other hand, interventions and excessive use of public subsidies - while attractive today, will damage us tomorrow.We all know that protectionism makes recovery harder. But sometimes in the face of crisis, we risk throwing away what we know.I have no doubt that a global trade deal has its part to play in addressing the current crisis. It will deliver new market opportunities. But far, far more importantly, it will lock in the openness of the international economy. I can think of no more urgent priority for long-term global welfare. As we seek to complete the DDA, I hope we will all bear this in mind. We must all look after our interests. But now more than ever, as we negotiate over final details of market access, we must not let the common good fall by the wayside. If ever there were a time for leadership, for seeing the big picture, it is today.

The DDA is vital. But it is not the beginning and end of our trade policy. We must also step up our engagement with the major economies of the next generation, particularly in Asia. And we need to tackle new issues that are impeding world trade and which will determine the EU’s competitiveness in the 21st century as European companies seek to move up the value chain; issues such as investment, public procurement, competition, enforcement of intellectual property rights and access to resources. In short, market access must remain a critical component of European trade policy, adapted to the market conditions of the 21st century. We are moving to a world in which tariff barriers to trade are only part of the picture. We must take a comprehensive approach, addressing the total business environment in the markets we trade into. This is the reality to which European trade policy must respond.That is why we are pursuing free trade agreements with India, Korea and South East Asian countries. It is why we have focused new resources on improving intellectual property rights protection, on tackling the barriers to exports in our most important markets. We are also focussed on ensuring that European companies have fair access to raw materials for manufacturing – the Commission will publish a strategy on raw materials next week.Our clear priority in the coming months ahead should be delivering on what we have started. We must show that Europe can bring benefits to EU economy and EU citizens. We will pursue our FTA negotiations, focusing our efforts on those partners who are willing to move forward and with ambition.We must ensure that our exporters, no matter how big or small, get fair treatment abroad. This includes our renewed market access strategy and our IPR enforcement strategy. We have set up a new market access partnership between the Commission, Member States and EU industry.The foundations are healthy and commitment is there. We must build on this, together and ensure that we are delivering for SMEs in particular.We also need to ensure we get the fit right between trade and other policies. Our energy and climate change policies are key. We have a clear overarching objective to move to a low-carbon, high growth economy. I know there are concerns in parts of our industry about how we do that. We will have to address these in context of Copenhagen. But we also have pro-active agenda which we must pursue. I would like to see us, for example, improving access for European environmental investment and technologies in big emerging industrial markets where they can contribute to the shift to low-carbon growth. This is something I will seek to put high on our trade agenda with China.Finally, I want to say a word about the broader external economic policy in the 21st century. One of the central tasks not only for Europe's trade policy, but our broader economic policy in the years ahead, is to tackle the new barriers to trade – to address the whole operating environment for business. As part of that, we must, I believe, strengthen our economic and trade relations with the major world economies. In the Commission, we have made a start through the Transatlantic Economic Council with the United States and High Level Mechanism with China. Both are in their infancy. They must be supported, and to be supported, they must be seen to deliver.

But I believe we must go further in drawing together the strands of our trade, regulatory and broader economic relations, not only with the United States and China, but with other key partners such as Japan. There will be no single model for our relation with all our partners. But I am convinced that in the months ahead, we must find ways better to co-ordinate the internal and external dimensions of our policies and to engage in comprehensive dialogues with our key partners.This is an ambitious agenda. But the circumstances demand ambition. This is a key moment for our economies, for the multilateral trading system and indeed for the future of global governance. The support of business in Europe and around the world for an open trading system will be critical in the months ahead. I need to hear your views, your priorities as we move ahead. I look forward to continuing that dialogue in the months ahead.

Poland adopts step-by-step euro entry plan
PHILIPPA RUNNER 29.10.2008 @ 09:22 CET

The Polish government has adopted a detailed timetable designed to replace the Polish zloty with the euro on 1 January 2012, but question marks remain over a potential referendum on the move.The four-stage plan will kick off in November when Warsaw appoints a top official to co-ordinate technical and legal preparations. The first stage will culminate in a change to the Polish constitution and formal agreement on Polish entry with the European Commission and EU states in early 2009, PAP reports.The second phase is to start in June 2009, when Poland pegs zloty fluctuation to the euro in the so-called ERM2 mechanism. The rest of 2009 and 2010 will be spent deciding the design of Polish euro coins and creating a code of ethics to stop businesses hiking prices after the change-over. Eurozone finance ministers will by mid-2011 decide on the final zloty-euro exchange rate.The third step - in the second half of 2011 - will focus on practical preparations: minting coins, delivering banknotes to shops and banks, tweaking cashpoint machines and IT systems. The year will end with a media campaign and dual display of both zloty and euro prices in Polish shops.Final adoption, at the start of 2012, will see both currencies in circulation for an as yet undecided spell before the zloty ceases to become legal tender.It remains unclear when or if a referendum on euro-adoption will be slotted into the timetable and whether it will ask if Poland should enter the euro or when. A negative answer to an if referendum would put Poland at odds with its legal commitment to enter the single currency under its 2004 accession treaty.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Tuesday (28 October) night said the currency switch could cause inflation and damage small businesses. But the president took a softer line than his twin brother and leader of the eurosceptic opposition Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who opposes the 2012 date and has called for a referendum on the switch. For me it's a matter for discussion. We will reflect deeply on the issue, Mr Lech Kaczynski said, Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza reports, with obstruction by the president or Law and Justice to potentially delay the four steps in the outline.Poland would become the 17th member of the eurozone in 2012 as things stand, although the three Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - are already in ERM2 and are likely to make it first.Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus were the first new EU states to join, with Slovakia to enter in 2009.

Harper puts feminine face on new cabinet
By The Canadian Press OCT 30,08

OTTAWA - Stephen Harper has put a feminine face on his new cabinet while turning to a trio of Ontario heavyweights to help lead the country through tough economic times. The prime minister vaulted three rookie women MPs into senior ministerial portfolios in a sweeping shuffle Thursday as he launches his newly re-elected government. The appointments of Leona Aglukkaq to Health, Lisa Raitt to Natural Resources, and P.E.I.'s Gail Shea to Fisheries - as well as Lynne Yelich to a junior position - boosts the number of women in the Conservative cabinet to 11 from seven.

The overhaul expands cabinet to 38 members, up from 31, including 11 ministers of state - so-called junior portfolios. More women voted for the Conservatives in this month's federal election and Harper seemed prepared to reward them with more seats at the cabinet table. And in an apparent nod to his newfound strength in vote-rich Ontario, Harper put three MPs from the province in top economic posts as the government grapples with a global financial crisis. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is staying put as the minority Tories seek to project economic and financial stability.

Two other colleagues of Flaherty in the former Mike Harris Ontario government move into other key positions - Tony Clement at Industry and John Baird at Transport.
Clement will quickly have to deal with a manufacturing sector crisis that has hobbled the auto industry in his home province. Baird will be responsible for doling out billions of dollars in budgeted, but unspent, money for infrastructure projects. That spending is expected to be one of the few stimulative levers the government will have to pull at a time of looming deficits. Harper said the new cabinet will be charged with protecting Canadians in a time of increasing global economic instability. While the fundamentals of Canada's economy remain stronger, more stable and more durable than those of many other nations, it is clear that we are not immune to what happens outside our borders, he said in a statement. This is the right team for these times. We will build a foundation of strength that will protect the earnings, savings and financial security of Canadians and ensure that Canada emerges from this time of global turmoil stronger than ever before.Harper seemed intent on imparting the notion of a strong team after the opposition painted the last cabinet as a largely hapless bunch muzzled by the prime minister. Among the major players, Lawrence Cannon is promoted to Foreign Affairs, Jim Prentice moves to Environment, Peter MacKay remains at Defence, and Rob Nicholson stays at Justice.
But the new lineup failed to impress the Liberals. Canada is facing significant challenges in this period of international economic turmoil, yet Mr. Harper is playing the same old song, said Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale. It will be difficult for Mr. Harper's cabinet members to establish themselves as competent economic managers unless they correct the fiscal irresponsibility that brought our economy to the brink of deficit in the first place.Liberal MP John McCallum, a former chief economist for the Royal Bank of Canada, slammed Harper for keeping Flaherty at Finance. Canadians want a finance minister who will outline a clear plan to help them protect their savings, their pensions and jobs, he said.

Mr. Flaherty's record proves he is not the man that should be managing Canada's finances in a time of economic crisis.McCallum noted that Canada has gone from a $12-billion surplus under the Liberals to the brink of deficit in less than three years.

The Tory government will kick off the new session of Parliament with a throne speech on Nov. 19. Among other notable cabinet posts: -Embattled Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz hangs on to his job. -Gary Lunn is demoted from Natural Resources to minister of state for sport. -Gordon O'Connor drops from Revenue to minister of state and chief government whip. -Jason Kenney is promoted to Immigration. -Stockwell Day moves to International Trade from Public Safety. -Peter Van Loan takes over at Public Safety. -Rona Ambrose moves to Labour from Intergovernmental Affairs. -Josee Verner moves to Intergovernmental Affairs from Heritage. -James Moore takes over at Heritage. -Diane Finley moves to Human Resources from Immigration. -Jay Hill becomes government House leader. -Bev Oda holds on to International Co-operation. -Chuck Strahl stays at Indian Affairs. -Vic Toews remains as president of Treasury Board.
-Rookie Toronto MP and veteran broadcaster Peter Kent becomes minister of state of foreign affairs (Americas.)

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

Financial crisis should not delay US missile shield
RENATA GOLDIROVA 29.10.2008 @ 15:50 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The global economic downturn and a potential Democratic win in US elections should not delay plans to build parts of a missile shield in Europe, the head of the US Missile Defence Agency, general Henry Obering, has said. If you don't have national security it won't matter what your economy is doing because you won't be able to protect your citizens and their jobs, he said in an interview with EUobserver on Tuesday (28 October). Speaking hours before a trip to Poland and the Czech Republic - where the US missile shield components are to be placed - the general described the project as a prudent investment in security, which remains necessary to counter the continuing proliferation of a ballistic missile threat around the world. To support the case, he compared the $83 billion (€66 billion) damage of the 11 September 2001 attack on New York alone to the approximately $120 billion spent on the missile defence programme since it was created in 1983. In an uncertain future we have to make prudent investments in security and we believe missile defence is one of them, general Obering said. Earlier this year, Poland and the Czech Republic agreed to host parts of a US system that is to protect America and Europe from rogue states such as Iran and that is to become an integral part of a future anti-missile defence umbrella under NATO.The US aims to place 10 interceptor missiles on Polish territory, while the Czech Republic is to host a radar base on its soil. According to general Obering, the first interceptor could be installed in 2012, while the radar could be operational one year later. Then we would finish everything about 2014. That is the timeline that we are on right now.

But it remains to be seen how the project will progress under the new White House chief - to be elected on 4 November. While Republican John McCain is a strong proponent of the scheme, Democrat Barack Obama pledged in July to shift federal resources away from an unproven missile defence system to proven technology.When asked about Mr Obama's comment and the risk of delay in the programme, general Obering said quite a bit [of the risk] is because we have to do a better job in educating both campaigns where we are today in technology and testing.I believe this is a matter of better education and better information that will update the candidates whoever wins in the elections, he concluded. According to Tomas Valasek from the London-based Centre for European Reform, campaign speeches tend to differ from real action and even a president from Democratic camp is likely to find himself under pressure to show leadership and strength on security. Although senator Obama is surrounded by people who have expressed doubts about parts of the missile defence system, they do not question its philosophy as a whole, the expert on foreign and defence policy told EUobserver. In addition, it is more difficult for a politician to defend a milder stance on security when faced with the basic argument of why should we protect our people less sufficiently, Mr Valasek added. Differences are stronger, however, when it comes to the idea of using space for military purposes, for example by launching laser weapons or micro-sattellites to intercept enemy missiles during their flight, the analyst said. Senator Obama also said in July he would not weaponise space.But according to Mr Valasek, the argument enjoys support beyond the Democratic party, with many saying that an arms race in space would be the most damaging to the US because of the country's clear primacy in the area for now.

McCain faults paper for not releasing Khalidi tape By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer OCT 29,08

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin accused the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday of protecting Barack Obama by withholding a videotape of the Democrat attending a 2003 party for a Palestinian-American professor and critic of Israel. The paper said it had written about the event in April and would not release the tape because of a promise to the source who provided it.McCain and Palin called Rashid Khalidi a former spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization, a characterization Khalidi has denied in the past. Both candidates said guests at the party made critical comments about Israel.Khalidi is a professor of Middle East Studies at Columbia University and a longtime friend of Obama's. Khalidi has publicly criticized Israel, but he and Obama have both said they hold very different opinions on Israeli issues.McCain also has ties to Khalidi through a group Khalidi helped found 15 years ago. The Center for Palestine Research and Studies received at least $448,000 from an organization McCain chairs.On Wednesday, McCain said 1960s radical Bill Ayers had attended the same party in 2003. McCain and Palin have criticized Obama for his ties to Ayers and questioned what the videotape of the party might show.Among other things, Israel was described there as the perpetrator of terrorism rather than the victim, Palin said at a rally in Ohio. What we don't know is how Barack Obama responded to these slurs on a country that he professes to support.In a story published in April, the Times said Obama spoke out at the event on the need for common ground on the Israel-Palestinian issue. Obama has said during the campaign that his commitment to Israel's security is nonnegotiable.More than six months ago the Los Angeles Times published a detailed account of the events shown on the videotape, Jamie Gold, the newspaper's reader's representative, said in a statement. The Times is not suppressing anything. Just the opposite — the L.A. Times brought the matter to light.Los Angeles Times spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan refused to elaborate on the paper's statement or respond to the criticism from the McCain campaign.She would not provide any details on further communication between Times' reporters and the source who provided the video.McCain and Palin cited the paper's position as evidence of media bias. The Times has endorsed Obama.If there was a tape of John McCain in a neo-Nazi outfit, I think the treatment of the issue would be slightly different, McCain said in an interview with Hispanic radio stations.Palin said the Times should win a Pulitzer Prize for kowtowing.It must be nice for a candidate to have major news organizations looking out for their best interests like that. Politicians would love to have a pet newspaper of their very own, she said.

Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor dismissed the complaints as a recycled, manufactured controversy meant to distract voters.Barack Obama has been clear and consistent on his support for Israel, and has been clear that Rashid Khalidi is not an adviser to him or his campaign and that he does not share Khalidi's views, Vietor said.Khalidi taught at the University of Chicago until 2003. Obama and his wife, Michelle, often socialized with Khalidi and his wife, Mona, and the Khalidis hosted a political fundraiser for Obama in 2000.The Woods Fund charity gave money to the Arab-American Action Network, run by Mona Khalidi, while Obama served on the charity's board. Ayers also served on the board. The Center for Palestine Research and Studies conducted regular public opinion surveys in the West Bank and Gaza with financial support from various foundations and from the International Republican Institute, an organization that promoted democracy around the world. McCain was the IRI chairman when it gave $448,873 to the research group in 1998, according to IRI's tax return. Ayers was a founder of the radical group the Weather Underground, which set off bombs at the Capitol and the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War. McCain has criticized Obama for having had a friendly relationship with Ayers, with whom Obama worked on two community organizations several years ago, and for downplaying their ties. Obama has noted that he was a child when Ayers, now a university professor, was with the Weather Underground. The Democratic candidate has condemned Ayers' radical past and violent activities.

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 RUSSIA-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.

Gaddafi visits Russia on arms, energy drive By Tom Pfeiffer Tom Pfeiffer – Wed Oct 29, 6:03 pm

ETTRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi makes his first visit to post-Soviet Russia on Friday, seeking to deepen a budding energy and military partnership with Moscow and counterbalance his fast-expanding relations with the West.The visit, Gaddafi's first to Moscow since 1985 according to Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily, is the latest step in a bold push by the former outcast state to accelerate overseas trade and investment for its booming post-sanctions economy.Examples of that drive include a rapid expansion of a Libyan state holding in Italian bank Unicredit and a growing list of Libyan deals in Africa and Europe, including a refinery in Egypt and a wheat farming agreement in Ukraine.Libya wants to increase its overseas exposure and is showing a surprising sophistication about it, given their years of isolation, said Geoff Porter, an analyst at Eurasia Group.Arms and energy are the focus of the three-day trip. Gaddafi will meet President Dmitry Medvedev six months after welcoming his predecessor and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the first visit by a Kremlin leader to Libya since 1985.Russia's Interfax news agency said Libya might agree to buy more than $2 billion worth of Russian weapons during the visit, reviving part of a Cold War-era relationship that saw Moscow arming much of Libya's military.Libya is interested in buying surface-to-air missiles, fighter aircraft, dozens of helicopters and about 50 tanks, Interfax quoted a source in Russia's arms industry as saying.Moscow also is seeking rich energy contracts in Libya, owner of Africa's largest oil reserves, and state gas monopoly Gazprom is showing interest in taking part in the construction of a new gas pipeline linking Libya and Europe.

INVESTMENT RUSH

The North African country aims to become a big gas producer and expand production to 3 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) by 2010, with a potential for 3.8 bcfd by 2015 versus 2.7 bcfd now.In April, Libya and Russia signed agreements on debt, energy, railways and investment, marking a renewed effort by Moscow to compete in a market aggressively contested by Western and Asian companies seeking state infrastructure projects.Libya has seen a foreign investment rush since 2003, when the U.N. Security Council lifted more than a decade of sanctions imposed for what the West called Libyan support of terrorism.But at least in public, politics may get equal billing with business, analysts said, noting Gaddafi told Putin in April that the world needed a Russian superpower to counter an unbalanced international system -- a reference to U.S. global power.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week "the aim of the visit is to develop bilateral relations and exchange views on regional problems which are of mutual interest.Clearly the Russians have been courting Libya on energy, and so you'll have some pipeline politics on this trip, but you'll also have the Gaddafi world view, said Jon Marks, editorial director of industry newsletter Africa Energy.Gaddafi sees a multipolar world and he sees the Russians willing to play. This trip shows he's needed and loved, said Marks, noting Libya's drive for influence in Africa and the Arab world had not always lived up to Gaddafi's hopes.Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Gaddafi in Libya, the first such visit in 55 years, in a move to end years of enmity. But there are no plans as yet for a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush or his successor.It was a historic moment, but it's clear that as far as ties to the U.S. are concerned, there's not going to be a leader-to-leader meeting, Marks said.

WASHINGTON NOT TROUBLED

The United States is not troubled by Gaddafi's trip, noted a diplomat with deep knowledge of Libyan thinking, saying Tripoli told Washington about it well in advance and that senior Libyan officials see their interests as more allied with the West. Basically, there is contained enthusiasm for this there. It's one of those things they feel they must do but they are not all that keen on it, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition that he not be identified. The diplomat said the Libyans now saw Europe and the United States as more natural partners, were nervous about what he called the economic aggrandizement of the Putin regime and hoped, ultimately, to buy weapons from the West as well. They feel the Russians, who have long been their preferred providers of military equipment, gouged them on prices (in the past) ... and they don't like to be taken for a ride, he said. What they would like to do is develop military trade with the West in order to be able to get better equipment but also to get more competitive prices (from) a diversity of suppliers.
(Additional reporting by William Maclean; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Ukraine: Concern About Russia By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: October 28, 2008

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France said Tuesday that Moscow had been issuing Russian passports in Crimea, a region in southern Ukraine where Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based. We all know that they are handing out Russian passports over there, Mr. Kouchner said in an interview with Kommersant, a Russian online newspaper. The government of Ukraine has said it wants the fleet to leave the Crimean base in Sevastopol when its lease runs out in 2017. But the Russian naval authorities have indicated that they want to retain the base. Mr. Kouchner said Russia might try to make advances in Crimea after the success of its military operations in Georgia in August.

Diplomats: IAEA says Syrian nuke info needs probe By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer – Tue Oct 28, 4:09 pm ET

VIENNA, Austria – Freshly evaluated soil and air samples from a Syrian site bombed by Israel on suspicion it was a covert nuclear reactor provide enough evidence to push ahead with a U.N probe, diplomats said Tuesday.The findings are important after months of uncertainty about the status of the investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency.Preliminary results regarding environmental samples collected from the site by an IAEA team and made public earlier this year were inconclusive, adding weight to Syrian assertions that no trips beyond the initial IAEA visit in June were necessary. But the diplomats told The Associated Press that the IAEA's final evaluation, completed a few days ago, has the agency convinced it needs to press on with its investigation.The agency feels there is enough evidence there to warrant a follow-up said one of the diplomats. He, and a colleague from another IAEA country demanded anonymity in exchange for divulging confidential information, which is not meant to be made public until the IAEA's meeting of its 35-nation board of governors next month.Damascus denies running a covert program. On Tuesday, Ambassador Mohammed Badi Khattab — his country's chief IAEA delegate — told the AP he was unaware that the evaluation had been completed and could not comment until his country was told of the findings.Ibrahim Othman, Syria's nuclear chief, has said his country would wait for final environmental results before deciding how to respond to repeated IAEA requests for follow-up visits to the one in June, when the samples were collected. Khattab repeated that stance, saying further developments will depend on us receiving the final result.In an oral report to an IAEA board meeting last month, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei told the board meeting that preliminary results from the environmental samples came up with no indication to back the claims that the destroyed target was a nuclear facility.

Alluding to Othman's stance, he said Syria would decide on whether to provide more information and allow further IAEA visits depending on the results of the samples taken during the first visit — implying that Damascus could shut the doors on the probe if the all the samples came up empty.A diplomat attending that closed meeting told the AP Khattab suggested Syria would not allow further visits under any circumstances because it was still technically at war with Israel and was concerned any additional IAEA probe would expose some of its non-nuclear military secrets.

Another cited ElBaradei as saying the corpse is gone — alluding to the difficulty of investigating the bombed site months after it was hit last year by Israel and subsequently cleaned up and altered by the Syrians.But — while the diplomats queried Tuesday had no specifics on what the samples contained — one of them said it convinced the IAEA it needs to press on with its probe.Another said that ElBaradei was planning a written report on Syria for the upcoming board meeting starting Nov. 27 — something he had said he would do only if he had substantive developments to share.Beyond wanting to revisit the site bombed nearly 14 months ago by Israel, IAEA experts also want to follow up on U.S, Israeli and other intelligence that North Korea was involved in building the alleged Syrian program.As well, IAEA officials have been seeking permission to visit three other sites purportedly linked to the alleged reactor destroyed by the Israelis — although Syria has already said that those locations are off limits because they are in restricted military areas.Syria fears the IAEA probe could lead to a massive investigation similar to the probe Iran has been subjected to for more than five years — and to related fallout. Iran is under three sets of U.N. sanctions because of its refusal to heed Security Council demands to curb its nuclear activities.IAEA experts came back June 25 from a four-day visit carrying environmental samples from the Al Kibar site hit by Israel. But intelligence suggests that radioactive material had not yet been introduced into the alleged reactor before it was destroyed, so swipes taken in search of radioactive traces were unlikely to have been of use.That left the inspectors looking for other components, including minute quantities of graphite, a cooling element in the type of North Korean prototype that was allegedly being built with help from Pyongyang. Such a reactor contains hundreds of tons of graphite, and any major explosion would have sent dust over the immediate area.But — if the Syrians were interested in a cover-up — they would have scoured the region to bury, wash away and otherwise remove any such traces.

Syria hardens stance after deadly US raid By ALBERT AJI, Associated Press Writer OCT 29,08

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria threatened Wednesday to cut off security cooperation along the Iraqi border if there are more American raids on Syrian territory, and the U.S. Embassy announced it would close Thursday because of a mass rally called to protest a deadly weekend commando attack.Thousands were expected to participate in the government-sanctioned protest. Though authorities usually keep Syria under tight control and Americans have generally been welcomed, violence against U.S. and European interests at protests has erupted in the past.The U.S. Embassy will be closed on Oct. 30th due to past demonstrations which resulted in violence and significant damage to U.S. facilities and other embassies, the embassy said on its Web site.It also said an American school in the Syrian capital would temporarily shut its doors Thursday and warned U.S. citizens in Syria to be vigilant.The Syrian government already ordered the closure of the school and an American cultural center linked to the embassy. In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Syria formally notified the U.S. that the cultural center should shut down immediately and the school by Nov. 6.We are looking at how to respond, Wood said, adding that in the meantime: We expect the Syrian government to provide adequate security for the buildings in which the American Cultural Center and Damascus Community School are housed.

Earlier, the Syrian government demanded that Washington apologize for Sunday's cross-border helicopter strike by American special forces that killed eight people. U.S. military officials said the raid killed a top al-Qaida in Iraq operative who was about to conduct an attack in Iraq.Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad said Syria wants assurances Iraqi territory will not be used again to raid Syria.We have demanded that an investigation be conducted and that Iraq not be used for attacks against Syria. Otherwise, this would torpedo all agreements reached during the Iraq neighbors' meetings and bilateral agreements, he told The Associated Press in an interview.Iraq also demanded Wednesday that a crucial security deal under discussion with the U.S. must include a ban on American troops using Iraqi territory to attack neighboring countries.Though Syria has long been viewed by the U.S. as a destabilizing country in the Middle East, attacks on its territory are rare and Damascus has been trying in recent months to change its image and end years of global seclusion.Syrian President Bashar Assad has pursued indirect peace talks with Israel and says he is open to direct talk as early as next year. Syria also has agreed to establish diplomatic ties with Lebanon — a country it used to dominate — for the first time in their history.But the U.S. still accuses Syria of doing too little to prevent foreign fighters from crossing into Iraq. Syria says it is doing all it can to safeguard the long, porous border.Despite its opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Syria has moved to improve relations with Baghdad, sending an ambassador earlier this month for the first time in 25 years.Mekdad demanded the U.S. and Iraq apologize for the attack and asked for American compensation.What is required of the American government is to confess to this aggression and not be cowardly, he said.There has been no formal acknowledgment of the raid from the United States. But U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said the target was Badran Turki al-Mazidih, a top al-Qaida in Iraq figure who operated a network of smuggling fighters across the border. The Iraqi national also goes by the name Abu Ghadiyah.Mekdad rejected the U.S. reports and insisted all those killed were Syrians. The allegation that this person was killed is a false claim. Therefore, a search for him by world intelligence agencies, including Syria's, should continue, he said.

With tensions between the U.S. and Syria on the rise, the U.S. Embassy advised Americans to avoid Thursday's demonstrations and review their personal security. Past protests have occasionally turned violent. In 1998, small groups trashed the U.S. ambassador's residence and entered the American and British cultural centers in Damascus to protest U.S.-British airstrikes on Iraq. In 2006, thousands protesting newspaper caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad burned the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus. Despite the warning, some Americans living in Syria said they were not too worried. I feel that it might be tough for me to say that I am an American, for a while, but I don't have any concerns for my personal safety, said Kate Alberswerth, a 24-year-old New York native who is studying Arabic in Damascus.