OBAMA DIVISION OF JERUSALEM

JERUSALEM DIVIDED

ZECHARIAH 12:1-5 King James Bible
1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

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

ZECHARIAH 14:1-9 King James Bible
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

OH BUT I THOUGHT OBAMA THE DECIEVER SAID HE WOULD NOT DIVIDE JERUSALEM. WELL THE MUSLIM FAVORATISM IS BEGGINING TO SHINE ALREADY I SEE AND HES NOT EVEN THE PRESIDENT YET.

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU Obama pledges state to Palestinian leader Follows report Democrat confided he supports dividing Jerusalem November 18, 2008 5:14 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein 2008 WorldNetDaily

Mahmoud Abbas
JERUSALEM – President-elect Barack Obama today phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and pledged to work to establish a Palestinian state as soon as possible, a senior PA negotiator told WND.Obama expressed his full support for a Palestinian state. He told the president (Abbas) he will continue to promote the peace process, which will end with a two-state solution, said the PA's second most senior negotiator, Saeb Erekat.Obama said he will keep working in collaboration with the Israeli government and PA to reach a final solution. He said he'll do everything in his power to help create a Palestinian state as soon as we can, Erekat told WND.

It was the first phone call between Abbas and Obama, Erekat added.Obama's transition spokesman Nick Shapiro did not immediately return a WND e-mail and phone request seeking comment.The call comes two weeks after a reported flair-up on Election Day in which a senior Palestinian official told WND the Obama campaign urged Palestinian officials to deny an Arab media report that the then-Democratic nominee confided to Palestinian leadership that he supports their right to a capital in eastern Jerusalem.The episode began after a Lebanese newspaper story Nov. 3 quoted sources in Ramallah who claimed that in a meeting in July with Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the two heard from Obama the best things they ever heard from an American presidential candidate.The report in the Al-Akhbar daily, known to have close contacts to Palestinian leaders in Lebanon, claimed Obama told Abbas and Fayyad he supports the rights of the Palestinians to east Jerusalem, as well as their right to a stable, sovereign state, but he petitioned them to keep the remarks confidential.Asked for comment by WND, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat at the time would neither confirm nor deny knowledge of Obama's purported remarks. Abbas political adviser Namer Hamad subsequently issued a denial to reporters.But a senior official confirmed to WND that Obama said in a July trip to the region he favored a negotiated settlement that may grant the PA control over sections of Jerusalem.The official, a longtime reliable source, claimed to WND that Obama advisers on Election Day engaged in a series of intense conversations asking that Abbas' office issue a denial.The Lebanese report echoed a similar exclusive WND article immediately following Obama's meeting with Abbas and Fayyad in which a senior Palestinian source said Obama informed the Palestinians he supports a negotiated settlement that may grant the PA control over sections of Jerusalem.

He assured us there was a misunderstanding when he said in [June] he supports the Israelis' rights to hold on to Jerusalem, the PA official, who took part in the meeting with Obama, told WND at the time. He told us he corrected this right away and that he supports a negotiated settlement that will give the Palestinians territory.The official was referring to a speech Obama delivered in June to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in which he stated if he is elected president, Jerusalem would remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided.
Immediately following the speech, Obama reversed himself during a CNN appearance, explaining he meant Jerusalem shouldn't be physically divided with a partition.Well, obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations, he said in response to a question about whether Palestinians have a legitimate claim to the city.Obama said that as a practical matter, it would be very difficult to execute a division of the city.And I think that it is smart for us to, to work through a system in which everybody has access to the extraordinary religious sites in Old Jerusalem but that Israel has a legitimate claim on that city.

THE RESULT WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.

2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL

REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THIS IS THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY,THEY CROSS OVER).

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

VIDEO TO GO WITH STORY
http://www.cuatower.com/2008/11/14/cardinal-at-cua-obama-is-‘aggressive-disruptive-and-apocalyptic’/

Cardinal at CUA: Obama is Aggressive, Disruptive and Apocalyptic November 14, 2008 by Elizabeth Grden

His Eminence James Francis Cardinal Stafford criticized President-elect Barack Obama as aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic, and said he campaigned on an extremist anti-life platform, Thursday night in Keane Auditorium during his lecture Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II: Being True in Body and Soul.Because man is a sacred element of secular life, Stafford remarked, man should not be held to a supreme power of state, and a person’s life cannot ultimately be controlled by government.

For the next few years, Gethsemane will not be marginal. We will know that garden, Stafford said, comparing America’s future with Obama as president to Jesus’ agony in the garden. On November 4, 2008, America suffered a cultural earthquake.Cardinal Stafford said Catholics must deal with the hot, angry tears of betrayal by beginning a new sentiment where one is with Jesus, sick because of love.The lecture, hosted by the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, pertained to Humanae Vitae, a papal encyclical written by Pope Paul VI in 1968 and celebrating its 40 anniversary this year.Stafford also spoke about the decline of a respect for human life and the need for Catholics to return to the original values of marriage and human dignity.If 1968 was the year of America’s suicide attempt, 2008 is the year of America’s exhaustion, said Stafford, an American Cardinal and Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary for the Tribunal of the Holy See. In the intervening 40 years since Humanae Vitae, the United States has been thrown upon ruins.This destruction and America’s decline is largely in part due to the Supreme Court’s decisions in the life-issue cases of 1973, specifically Roe v. Wade. Stafford asserted these cases undermined respect for human life in the United States.

Its scrupulous meanness has had catastrophic effects upon the unity and integrity of the American republic, said Stafford.Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) reaffirms traditional Catholic teachings regarding abortion, contraception and other human life issues. Pope Benedict XVI said in May it is so controversial, yet so crucial for humanity’s future…What was true yesterday is true also today.Monsignor Livio Melina, president of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, gave the opening address at the lecture and spoke about the importance of agape love to gain knowledge.Love itself is a form of knowledge, and this knowledge cannot be objectified, said Melina. It is a unique relationship between the believer and God.Stafford said the truest reflection of the love between the believer and God is that of the relationship between husband and wife, and that contraceptive use does not fit anywhere within that framework.According to Stafford, the inner dynamic of a spousal relationship is much like the body itself, which speaks in terms of masculinity and femininity.The experience of love introduces us in a specific way to moral knowledge, added Melina.

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.

Indonesia says 10,000 displaced by earthquake Updated November 19, 2008 09:27:45

Indonesian authorities say almost 10,000 people have been displaced after an earthquake off the island of Sulawesi.The 7.5 magnitude undersea quake struck early on Monday, killing at least six people and injuring more than 150. Two more bodies were pulled from the rubble on Tuesday, adding to the four already reported dead.

Local officials say more than a thousand buildings were damaged across two provinces, forcing many people out of their homes.The shallow quake struck in the middle of the night off the coastal town of Gorontalo. Authorities immediately warned it was strong enough to cause a tsunami but no wave materialised.

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 WED NOV 19,2008

09:30 AM -2.39
10:00 AM +50.82
10:30 AM -2.35
11:00 AM -133.01
11:30 AM -181.48
12:00 PM -174.35
12:30 PM -230.26
01:00 PM -160.65
01:30 PM -225.25
02:00 PM -173.08
02:30 PM -227.34
03:00 PM -200.48
03:30 PM -257.03
04:00 PM -427.47 7997.28

S&P 500 806.58 -52.54

NASDAQ 1386.42 -96.85

GOLD 734.0 +1.3

OIL 53.08 -1.31

TSE 300 8490.56 -345.17

CDNX 730.09 -20.16

S&P/TSX/60 512.88 -21.60

MORNING NEWS,STATS

Housing Starts -4.5% in October.
Crude Oil hit $53.30 over night, a 22 month low.
Auto Industry looking for $25 BILLION.
Big 3 in Washington at 10AM looking for Bail out cash.
Dow -30 points at 4 minutes into trading today.
Dow -41 points at low so far today.
Dow +15 at high so far today as of 9:40AM

PLATTS EIA ESTIMATES
-Crude Oil +1.2 MILLION BARRELS.
-Gasoline +700,000 BARRELS.
-Distillates +900,000 BARRELS.
-Utilization -0.3% to 84.3%
RESULTS
-Oil Inventories +1.2 MILLION BARRELS.
-Gasoline Inventories +500,000 BARRELS.
-Distillate Inventories -1.5 MILLION BARRELS.
-Refinery UTILIZATION +0.3% to 84.9%

Financials dropping today so far.
Fannie Mae could be delisted from the NYSE due to under $1 on exchange.
Dow -133 at low so far today.
Dow +73 at high so far today.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS

MARKETS AT NOON WHILE 3 AUTOS IN WASHINGTON
-Taiwan Weighted -21.09,Hang Seng -100.09,Nikkei -55.19,CAC 40 Index -129.51,Xetra Dax -225.38,Ftse 100 -202.57,DJ Utilities -5.18,DJ transports -179.60,DJ wilshire 5000 -258.93,Russell 2000 -17.35,NYSE Composite -188.38,S&P 500 -24.87,Nasdaq -44.27,Dow -181.20.

BIG 3 STATS
If bailout approved
-Chrysler will apply for $7 BILLION.
-GM will apply for $10-12 BILLION.
-Ford will apply for $7-8 BILLION.
-GM will run out of cash in early 2009 if no bail out.
-Chrysler is currently spending about $1 BILLION a month more than taking in.
-Ford is the only one that could afford not to have bailout.
-Auto companies together employ 239,000 in the USA.
-GM takes out full page add today in WSJ explaining their progress.
LOSING PR BATTLE
-CEO'S flew to washington in Private Jets.
-Wagoner's trip cost $20,000.
-Romney today let Detroit go Bankrupt.
SUPPORTERS OF BAILOUT
-2 MILLION jobs directly or indirectly tied to Auto sector.
-If industry bankrupts,loss of $100 BILLION in tax revenue over next few years.
CRITICS OF BAILOUT
-Giving money would delay inevitable.
-Bankruptcy best option to reorganize into smaller efficient firms.

WSJ:Microsoft's Ballmer says acquisition talks with yahoo finished,We have moved on,but very open to search deal with yahoo.

Dow -234 at low so far today.
Dow +73 at high today so far.

FED:Pushes off return to normal growth to 2010-11.
FED:expects above trend growth in 2011.
FED:Outlook for growth and unemployment worsens dramatically for 2008-09.

FED COR PCE PROJECTIONS
-2008 old 2.3,new 2.4
-2009 old 2.1,new 1.75
-2010 old 1.9,new 1.6
-2011 old 0.0,new 1.5

FOMC minutes:FED staff expects GDP to contract thru mid 2009,expects modest growth 2nd half 2009.Some members also concerned about funds rate hitting zero.Concerns raised over Deflation.

WRAPUP,NEW,STATS

Dow down 5.1% today.
Dow down 14.2% this month,fell 14.1% in October.
Dow drops 39.7% this year.
Dow still above intraday low of 7882 on October 10,08.
Dow moves below closing low of 8176 on October 27,08.
Dows first close below 8000 points since march 31,2003.
Dows 6th biggest percentage drop this year.
Dow,Nasdaq November drop bigger than Octobers.
Dow,S&P 500,Nasdaq lower for the 8th in last 11 sessions.
Dow,S&P 500,Nasdaq on pace for 3rd consecutive weekly drop.
S&P down 6.1% today.
S&P near 88 points today.
S&P falls below intraday low of 818.91 set on November 13th,08.
S&P's 5th biggest percentage drop this year.
S&P drops 16.7% this month,fell 16.9% in October.
S&P 500 down 45.1% this year.
Nasdaq down 6.5% today.
Nasdaq below 1400 points today.
Nasdaq down 19.4% this month,fell 17.7% in October.
Nasdaq down 47.7% this year.
Nasdaq is now 50% below most recent closing high in October 2007.
S&P,Nasdaq touch lowest levels in 5 1/2 years.
ALL 30 DOW STOCKS FALL TODAY.
Major averages have not had monthly gain since August 2008.
Stocks close near days low.
Stocks finish at 5 1/2 year lows today.
Stocks plunge again in last half hour of trading today.
Worst day for stocks in a month.
Stocks slump anew following release of latest FOMC minutes.
Treasury prices soar as investors seek safe havens.
Defaults on Commercial Mortgages are starting to rise.
General Electric down 10% today.
J P Morgan drops 11% today.
Alcoa drops 14% today.
Bank of America down 14% today.
Citigroup down 23% today.
Citigroup falls below $7 to fresh 13 year low.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway down 12% to 3 year low.
Major Banks Market caps have declined almost $125 BILLION in last 2 weeks.
Major Banks include:Citi,Bdfa,J P Morgan Chase,Goldman Sachs,Morgan Stanley.

CMBS EXPOSURE
C $16.9 BILLION % of equity 11%.
JPM $9.3 BILLION % of equity 5%.
GS $3.0 BILLION % of equity 4.5%
BAC $7.48 BILLION % of equity 4%
BAC+MER $20.2 BILLION % of equity 8%

CITIS BALANCE SHEET
-$2.05 TRILLION in assets.
-10.4% Tier 1 Capital ratio.
-3.35% loan loss allowance.
-Citi shares fall below $7 a share today.
-340 MILLION shares traded today,twice normal volume.
-Government has put $25 MILLION in Citi already.Its losing it fast.

TODAYS ISSUES
-FED cut 2009 GDP growth forecast.
-Defationary concerns.
-Flight to treasuries.
-pressure on financials and commodities in last half hour destroyed market today.
-CDS spreads widening.
-Auto Bankruptcy worries.

Dow at low today -435 points.
Dow at high today +73 points.
Loss of stocks $100 BILLION this year.

Dow plunges nearly 430 to fall below 8,000 mark By JOE BEL BRUNO and SARA LEPRO, AP Business Writers NOV 19,08

AP – Trader Michael McCabe works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008. Wall … NEW YORK – Wall Street hit levels not seen since 2003 on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average plunging below the 8,000 mark as the fate of Detroit's Big Three automakers amid a slumping economy disheartened investors.A cascade of selling occurred in the final minutes of the session as investors yanked money out of the market. For many, the real fear is that the recession might be even more protracted if Capitol Hill is unable to bail out the troubled auto industry.Investors also scoured economic data that included minutes from the last meeting of the Federal Reserve in which policymakers lowered projections for economic activity this year and next. Economic worries caused across-the-board selling, with financial stocks particularly hard hit.The S&P 500, widely considered the broadest snapshot of corporate America, slipped 6.12 percent to 806.58; and the Dow gave up 5.07 percent to 7,997.28. Both closed at their lowest levels since March 2003.The financial crisis has already wiped out $6.69 trillion of value from the S&P 500 since its October 2007 high, and many fear more is to come. Stocks have traded with high volatility in the past few months, with the major indexes soaring only to plunge an hour later as the market looks for a bottom.I don't know what the catalyst is going to be where we turn the corner and people start buying stocks wholeheartedly again, said Jon Biele, head of capital markets at Cowen & Co. People got out of the way. The financial situation hasn't changed.The selling on the New York Stock Exchange was staggering — only 158 companies that trade there finished the day positive while 2,943 declined. Volume again was light, a symptom of the market's recent volatility, with 1.63 million shares exchanging hands by the close.Smaller stocks also got clobbered. The Russell 2000 index gave up 35.13, or 7.85 percent, to 412.38.

Auto aid plan heads for defeat as Big Three teeter By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer Julie Hirschfeld Davis,NOV 19,08

AP – Auto industry executives, from left, General Motors Chief Executive Officer Richard Wagoner; Chrysler … WASHINGTON – A Democratic Congress, unwilling or unable to approve a $25 billion bailout for Detroit's Big Three, appears ready to punt the automakers' fate to a lame-duck Republican president.Caught in the middle of a who-blinks-first standoff are legions of manufacturing firms and auto dealers — and millions of Americans' jobs.U.S. auto companies employ nearly a quarter-million workers, and more than 730,000 other people have jobs producing the materials and parts that go into cars. About 1 million on top of that work in dealerships nationwide. If just one of the auto giants were to go belly up, some estimates put U.S. job losses next year as high as 2.5 million.If GM is telling us the truth, they go into bankruptcy and you see a cascade like you have never seen, said Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, who was working on one rescue plan Wednesday. If people want to go home and not do anything, I think that they're going to have that on their hands.The automakers — hobbled by lackluster sales and choked credit — are burning through money at an alarming and accelerating rate: about $18 billion in the last quarter alone. General Motors Corp. has said it could collapse within weeks, and there are indications that Chrysler LLC might not be far behind. Ford Motor Co. has said it could get through the end of 2008, but it's unclear how much longer.For now, however, with the federal emergency loan plan headed for a roadblock in the Senate, lawmakers in both parties are engaged in a high-stakes game of chicken, positioning themselves to blame each other for the failure.The Congress need do nothing during its postelection session this week, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the majority leader, said Wednesday, although he also said he still hoped lawmakers could strike an elusive deal to carve $25 billion in new auto industry loans out of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue fund.

But it's really up to President George W. Bush's team to act, he said.If we can't do it here legislatively, I would hope that the secretary of Treasury would listen loud and clear, because they could take this into their own hands and do what I think is appropriate, the Democratic leader said.Not our responsibility, countered the White House.If Congress leaves for a two-month vacation without having addressed this important issue ... then the Congress will bear responsibility for anything that happens in the next couple of months during their long vacation, said Dana Perino, the White House press secretary.She said there was no appetite in the administration for using the financial industry bailout money to help auto companies.The White House and congressional Republicans instead called on Democrats to sign on to a GOP plan to divert a $25 billion loan program created by Congress in September — designed to help the companies develop more fuel-efficient vehicles — to meet the auto giants' immediate financial needs.Voinovich and Missouri Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., were at work on that measure Wednesday, toiling to placate skeptical Democrats by including a guarantee that the fuel-efficiency loan fund would ultimately be replenished.It is the only proposal now being considered that has a chance of actually becoming law, said Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.But there was little sign that Democratic leaders would go along. They are vehemently opposed to letting the car companies tap that money — set aside to help switch to vehicles that burn less gasoline — for short-term cash-flow needs.All of which leaves the Big Three bracing for a bleak winter without government help.GM CEO Rick Wagoner told a House committee Wednesday that the downfall of his industry would ripple through communities around the nation. Pressed by lawmakers, Wagoner wouldn't say precisely when GM would run out of money without a government lifeline, but disclosed that the company now was burning through $5 billion each month.Still, with the $25 billion emergency package, we think we have a good shot to make it through this, Wagoner said. Many lawmakers in both parties are now openly discussing whether bankruptcy might be a better option for auto firms they regard as lumbering industrial dinosaurs that have done too little to adjust their products and work forces for the 21st century. The carmakers argue that bankruptcy would devastate their companies, but proponents say it would give them a chance to reorganize and emerge stronger and more competitive. It's unclear, though, whether Democrats controlling Congress are willing to risk being blamed for letting one of the Big Three — symbols of the nation's once-mighty manufacturing sector — go under. Bailout-shy lawmakers got an earful from jittery constituents last month when the House let an early version of the Wall Street rescue fail, sending the Dow Jones industrials tumbling and erasing more than a trillion dollars in retirement savings and other investments. Congress took a deep breath and reconsidered, passing the plan a few days later.

Faced with a similar collapse in the auto industry, the Bush administration might yet decide to step in to help the auto companies, or the Federal Reserve could step in — though both have steadfastly refused to do so. If not, lawmakers have left themselves a contingency plan: Come back to Washington in December for yet another postelection session where they might be able to strike the deal that now seems beyond reach. Democratic leaders are planning to gather for an economic conference the week of Dec. 8, noted House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md. That is available, Hoyer said this week. The year has not ended.Associated Press Writers Sam Hananel in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

Wall Street pulls off final-hour rebound By JOE BEL BRUNO, AP Business Writer – Tue Nov 18, 6:08 pm ET

NEW YORK – Wall Street rebounded Tuesday in another turbulent session, as investors rushed back into the market after the Standard & Poor's 500 index tested a 2003 low.

The market, which had been down four of the past five sessions, has been volatile amid worries about how long a recession might be. That's driven many retail investors to the sidelines, while big institutional traders like hedge funds keep major stock indexes vacillating.That was the case on Tuesday as stocks rallied in the final hour of trading. At least some of the buying was because fund managers whose portfolios are tied to the S&P 500 had to find a replacement for Anheuser-Busch Cos. The brewer was officially removed from trading at the market's close after its takeover by Belgium's InBev SA was completed.Investors also used the market's big drop earlier in the session as chance to scoop up undervalued stocks. There was some encouragement about corporate earnings after Hewlett-Packard Co. said fourth quarter and 2009 results will sail past Wall Street expectations.But still underpinning the market were concerns that the economy has fallen into a recession that could be the worst downturn in more than two decades. A disappointing reading on wholesale prices and the housing market only confirmed this.The Labor Department reported that wholesale prices plunged a record amount in October, a drop that could indicate a rising threat of deflation. Meanwhile, homebuilders' confidence in a near-term housing recovery sank to a new all-time low this month, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo housing market index. NAHB Chairman Sandy Dunn said the report shows that we are in a crisis situation.Analysts said the market continues to search for a much-elusive bottom, and could yet again retest lows. The major indexes continued to attempt some sort of recovery from October's devastating losses.We're going to need more strength from here for a period of time to develop a convincing story that the market has bottomed, said Alan Gayle, senior investment strategist at RidgeWorth Investments.

The Dow ended up 151.17, or 1.83 percent, to 8,424.75.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 8.37, or 0.98 percent, to 859.12, after earlier in the drifting toward its 2003 low of 818.69. The Nasdaq composite index rose 1.22, or 0.08 percent, to 1,483.27. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 3.79, or 0.84 percent, to 447.51.Declining issues narrowly beat advancers on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to a light 5.9 billion shares. The fact that trading volume remains low is also a concern for analysts because that tends to skew the market's moves.The uncertainty on Wall Street has kept Treasury bonds in high demand. Longer-term Treasurys also moved higher, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year note falling to 3.53 percent from 3.66 percent. The three-month T-bill, considered one of the safest assets around, remained at 0.10 percent from Monday's close.Yields that low suggest that investors are willing to earn virtually nothing on their investments as long as their principal is preserved.Analysts warn not to take Tuesday's gain as a sign the stock market is ready to stage a recovery. Many believe the economy has fallen into a recession that could be the worst downturn in more than two decades.There is no enthusiasm on the buy side right now, said Joe Keetle, senior wealth manager at Dawson Wealth Management. You got a little spurt of it today because Hewlett-Packard's earnings were good and their outlook was good.There also remains uncertainty in the financial system as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke were grilled on Capitol Hill about their management of a $700 billion financial bailout. Paulson told the House Financial Services Committee that the U.S. has turned a corner in averting a financial collapse, but more work needs to be done.Paulson also said during his testimony that the administration remains firmly opposed to dipping into the government's financial bailout fund for a $25 billion rescue package for Detroit's Big Three automakers, no matter how badly they need the help.

There are other ways to help them, Paulson said.

Executives of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC and the head of the United Auto Workers union testified at a Senate Banking Committee hearing about a potential bailout. The automakers, seeking $25 billion in government aid, have the backing of Democratic congressional leaders, but the Bush administration and Republican lawmakers are against the proposed bailout. The consensus among the three automakers is that if even one of the companies failed it would be a catastrophe to the industry. Ford shares fell 4 cents, or 2.3 percent, to 1.68; GM fell 9 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $3.09. Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli said during his testimony that the automaker needs immediate federal help or its cash could fall below of the amount needed to stay in business. The company is owned by an investor group that includes private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. Investors found some encouragement in an unexpected announcement from Hewlett-Packard Co. that fourth-quarter and 2009 earnings will come in above Wall Street projections. The results signal HP, the world's largest-maker of personal computers, is weathering the economic crisis that has siphoned off sales at other technology companies.

HP vaulted $4.25, or 14.5 percent, to $33.59.

Yahoo Inc. shares spiked 92 cents, or 8.7 percent, to $11.55 after founder Jerry Yang announced that he was stepping down as chief executive of the Internet company. Many analysts believe the departure will accelerate an overhaul of Yahoo and lead to a sale to Microsoft. The dollar fell against most other major currencies. Gold prices also fell. Light, sweet crude for December delivery fell 56 cents to settle at $54.39 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In Asian trading, Japan's Nikkei index fell 2.28 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 4.54 percent. In European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.47 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.49 percent, and France's CAC-40 rose 1.11 percent. On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Big 3 carmakers beg for $25B, warn of catastrophe By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer NOV 19,08

AP – Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs hearing on the … WASHINGTON – Detroit's Big Three automakers pleaded with a reluctant Congress Tuesday for a $25 billion lifeline to save the once-proud titans of U.S. industry, pointedly warning of a national economic catastrophe should they collapse.Millions of layoffs would follow their demise, they said, as damaging effects rippled across an already-faltering economy.But the new rescue plan appeared stalled on Capitol Hill, opposed by the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress who don't want to dip into the Treasury Department's $700 billion financial bailout program to come up with the $25 billion in loans.Rank and file Republicans and Democrats from states heavily impacted by the auto industry worked behind the scenes trying to hammer out a compromise that could speed some aid to the automakers before year's end. But it was an uphill fight.Our industry ... needs a bridge to span the financial chasm that has opened up before us, General Motors Corp. CEO Rick Wagoner told the Senate Banking Committee. He blamed the industry's predicament not on management failures but on the deepening global financial crisis.And Robert Nardelli, CEO of Chrysler LLC, told the panel the bailout would be the least costly alternative when compared with damage from bankruptcy.Under questioning from skeptical senators, both said they'd be willing to consider slashing their salaries to $1 to show a willingness to sacrifice for federal help.

Sympathy for the industry was sparse, however, with bailout fatigue dominating Capitol Hill. Lawmakers bristled with pent-up criticism of the auto industry, and questioned whether a stopgap loan would really cure what ails the companies.At the start of a more than four hour grilling before his committee, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., told the leaders of GM, Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. that the industry was seeking treatments for wounds that I believe to a large extent were self-inflicted.
You're asking an awful lot, Dodd, the panel chairman, said at the close of the session. I'd like to tell that you in the next couple of days this is going to happen. I don't think it is.Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., complained that the larger financial crisis is not the only reason why the domestic auto industry is in trouble.
He cited inefficient production and costly labor agreements that put the U.S. automakers at a disadvantage to foreign companies.Ford CEO Alan Mulally told senators the auto industry was a pillar of our economy.GM's Wagoner refuted criticism that his company was not keeping pace with the times, saying it had been on the brink of a turnaround before the financial meltdown hit, reducing sales to the lowest per-capita level since World War II.Failure of the auto industry would be catastrophic, he said, resulting in three million jobs lost within the first year and economic devastation (that) would far exceed the government support that our industry needs to weather the current crisis.

Chrysler's Nardelli sought to respond to those who suggest the automakers seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as have some airlines that later emerged restructured and leaner.We just cannot be confident that we will be able to successfully emerge from bankruptcy, Nardelli said.Chrysler was bailed out by the federal government once before, in 1979, with $1.2 billion in loan guarantees. The company repaid the loan, plus interest, ahead of schedule. Back then, former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca reduced his salary to $1. Under questioning from Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Mulally didn't join the other two executives in saying he'd do the same now. I sure respect the intent of it, but the most important thing is that we not degrade our ability to be competitive and deliver this plan, Mulally said.

Joining the Big Three CEOs, Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Auto Workers union, said the emergency loans were important for the survival of the industry and union jobs. He said the UAW recognized that in order for these companies to be competitive, we had to make tough calls in labor concessions. My sense is that nothing's going to happen this week, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said at Tuesday's hearing. Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana said he also smelled a flameout. I sense that nothing is going to be passed, the Finance Committee chairman said.

Earlier, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Congress might have to return in December — rather than adjourning for the year this week, as expected — to consider an auto bailout. Dealing with the automobile crisis is a pressing need. We are talking about a lot of people ... and a great consequence to our economy, said Hoyer, D-Md. The financial situation for the automakers grows more precarious by the day. Cash-strapped GM said it will delay reimbursing its dealers for rebates and other sales incentives and could run out of cash by year's end without government aid. In the Senate, Democrats discussed but rejected the option favored by the White House and GOP lawmakers to let the auto industry use a $25 billion loan program created by Congress in September — designed to help the companies develop more fuel-efficient vehicles — to tide them over financially until President-elect Barack Obama takes office. There is a way to do this, said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other senior Democrats, who count environmental groups among their strongest supporters, have vehemently opposed that approach because it would divert federal money that was supposed to go toward the development of vehicles that use less gasoline. I don't think that's going very far in our caucus, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Instead, they want to draw the $25 billion directly from the $700 billion Wall Street bailout — bringing the government's total aid to the car companies to $50 billion. A Senate vote on that plan, which would also extend jobless benefits, could come as early as Thursday, but it currently lacks the support to advance. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson renewed the administration's opposition on Tuesday. Even the car companies' strongest supporters conceded Tuesday that changing the terms of the fuel-efficiency loan program might be the only way to secure funding for them with Congress set to depart for the year and the firms in tough financial shape. If in the short run the only way we have to be able to get some immediate help is to take a portion of that, I would very reluctantly do that — but only because I believe President-elect Obama is going to be focused on retooling and on a manufacturing strategy next year, said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. The White House said the government shouldn't send any more money to the struggling auto industry on top of the already-approved loans. We don't think that taxpayers should be asked to throw money at a company that can't prove that it has a long-term path for success, said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino. Associated Press Writers Ken Thomas and Tom Raum contributed to this story.

Russian Reserves Drain Away, Threatening Economy (Update1) By Maria Levitov

Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Russia's foreign-exchange reserves are draining fast and may take almost a decade of economic stability with them. Russia's international reserves, the third-biggest after China's and Japan's, have fallen $122.7 billion, or 21 percent, since Aug. 8 as the central bank tried to shore up the ruble. At the same time, President Dmitry Medvedev, 43, has pledged more than $200 billion of tax cuts, loans and other measures to maintain economic growth, threatened by plummeting oil prices and investor flight. The reserves' decline increases the chance the central bank, which signaled last week it is willing to gradually weaken the ruble, will stop supporting the currency. And rising bailout costs would make it harder for Russia -- which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, 56, earlier this year called an island of stability -- to blunt the impact of the financial crisis. The draining of reserves is dangerous, said Elena Sharipova, an economist at Moscow-based Renaissance Capital. They ensure macroeconomic stability.Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, 48, backed by then-president Putin, championed the accumulation of currency reserves over the past decade to ensure the government wouldn't default on debt as it did in 1998, the last time commodities prices plunged. The reserves, including oil funds that exclusively act as a safety cushion for the budget, stood at $475.4 billion on Nov. 7.

Lessons From 1990s

The build-up of reserves reflects Putin's determination to avoid a repeat of 1998, when reserves fell to $12.3 billion as President Boris Yeltsin struggled to defend the currency after a spendthrift seven years following the collapse of communism.

Emergency loans from the International Monetary Fund failed to prevent Russia defaulting on $40 billion in domestic debt that year. Industrial production slumped, banks collapsed leaving depositors penniless and unemployed workers marched in Moscow. The economy shrank for five successive quarters in 1998 and early 1999 and Yeltsin's rule ended with many Russians calling for a return to the more stable days of totalitarianism. So far, the nation's fiscal policy and its substantial financial reserves have protected Russia from deeper consequences of the current global turmoil, the World Bank said in a report yesterday. Short-term macroeconomic stabilization has to be the immediate priority as the authorities continue to adjust their short-term policy responses to changing economic circumstances.Capital flight has gathered pace as revenue from oil and gas, the nation's biggest export earners, declined. The Micex stock index has fallen 64 percent since Aug. 1 and the ruble is down 17 percent against the dollar. Investor anxiety over the global financial crisis has been exacerbated by Russia's August war with Georgia and a 67 percent decline in the Urals blend of crude, Russia's biggest export earner.

Biggest Test

The policy of accumulating reserves and setting aside money is now facing its most crucial test. Bank Rossii, the central bank, which manages the ruble's exchange rate against a dollar-euro basket, sold as much as $15 billion last week, after the last official figures for reserves were released, according to estimates by Moscow's Trust Investment Bank. Alfa Bank analysts including Natalia Orlova put the figure at $16 billion, predicting the central bank will likely continue losing its reserves.
Kudrin told lawmakers last week that the decrease in oil prices will in no way affect the execution of the budget next year because even if the budget goes into deficit, the shortfall can be financed by the $134.6 billion Reserve Fund, the nation's oil fund. This year's budget surplus reached $100 billion, or 7.8 percent of gross domestic product, by November.

More Losses Seen

Not everyone is convinced. The central bank will continue losing reserves if the situation doesn't change, said Anton Struchenevsky, an economist at Moscow-based brokerage Troika Dialog. Russia's economic growth, which Putin touted as a major achievement before stepping down in May after eight years as president, is set to slow to 3 percent next year after average expansion of 7 percent a year since 1999, the World Bank says. The central bank estimates net capital outflow will reach $20 billion this year, compared with a record net inflow of $82.3 billion in 2007. Arkady Dvorkovich, Medvedev's top economic aide, said last month that any value of the reserves above $100 billion is good for Russia today.

Buffer Minimum

Sharipova and other economists including Vladimir Osakovsky, senior economist at UniCredit Bank in Moscow, estimate that Russia needs more than $200 billion to maintain a comfortable buffer. Should the reserves drop far below $500 billion, the estimated level of the nation's total foreign debt as of Oct. 1, Russia runs the risk of being downgraded by ratings companies, Troika's Struchenevsky said. Standard & Poor's already has lowered Russia's long-term sovereign credit rating outlook to negative, on concern the cost of the government's $200 billion financial rescue package may increase. The government and the central bank have sufficient reserves to protect Russia's currency and the financial system, Putin said on Sept. 19. Dvorkovich reiterated on Oct. 31 that the government isn't concerned about the declines. However, central bank Chairman Sergey Ignatiev, 60, said on Nov. 10 that the ruble may have a certain tendency toward weakening, after capital outflows totaled a net $50 billion in October. The central bank allowed the ruble to fall 1 percent against its dollar-euro basket on Nov. 11 and raised interest rates. The ruble was little changed at 27.4722 versus the dollar at 12:46 p.m. in Tokyo today.

Speculative Attacks

The 1 percent devaluation feeds into capital flight, said Osakovsky. It helps fuel speculative attacks on the ruble. There will be a few small devaluations and eventually they will be forced to accept a floating currency rate.That's not necessarily bad news. The dollar-denominated revenue from energy exports would rise in ruble terms, making it easier to balance the budget even with lower oil prices. At the current level of 27 rubles per dollar, the 2009 budget would, be balanced at an average Urals price of $55 a barrel, according to Struchenevsky's estimates. The only solution is to devalue the ruble, to stop supporting it, Renaissance Capital's Sharipova said. To contact the reporter on this story: Maria Levitov in Moscow at mlevitov@bloomberg.net

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

Brussels encourages EU states to open labour markets
ELITSA VUCHEVA 18.11.2008 @ 09:29 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Contrary to common widespread fears, the two EU enlargements of 2004 and 2007 have not led to a massive influx of central and eastern European workers to the old member states, according to a European Commission report to be released on Tuesday (18 November).The number of workers from the countries that joined the EU in 2004 now living in the 15 old member states has only grown from 0.3 percent of their total population in 2003 to 0.5 percent by the end of 2007, with those workers mostly heading to Ireland and the UK.Meanwhile, the number of Bulgarian and Romanian workers has increased from 0.2 to 0.4 percent over the same period, with most of them opting for Italy and Spain as their destination.In total, there are still more migrants from states outside the EU coming to work in the EU-15 countries than nationals from the countries that joined the bloc since 2004, according to the commission's data.In addition to the size of intra-EU migration remaining relatively stable, the new workers have not caused serious disturbances on labour markets, the report concludes.Workers from the new EU member states have also contributed to the economic growth by bringing more workers where they were most needed, and have had little or no negative impact on wages and unemployment levels.

Brussels also stresses that most of the migrant workers are young, single and working, with 80 percent of those coming from one of the ten countries that joined the EU in 2004 - as well as 70 percent of Bulgarian and Romanian migrants - being younger than 35. Consequently, the commission encourages member states to lift restrictions to the free movement of workers as quickly as possible, and reminds that freedom of movement is a right for every EU worker and is one of the four fundamental freedoms of the European Union.It also believes that lifting the limitations would decrease the levels of undeclared work and the negative consequences on the economy, as well as the social costs that go with it.

Most countries closed for Bulgarian and Romanian workers

EU member states have been able to restrict access to their labour markets for new EU countries' workers for a set period of a maximum of seven years, after which all of them must fully open to the newcomers.Currently, most of the EU-15 countries – with the exception of Germany, Austria, Belgium and Denmark – have lifted the restrictions for citizens from Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Slovenia, while limitations were not imposed on Cypriot or Maltese workers.However, all of the EU-15 states but Finland and Sweden have kept those restrictions in place for Bulgarian and Romanian workers, while some of them – including France, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg – have put in place more relaxed regimes for certain jobs and for workers with certain qualifications.

The member states concerned have to notify the commission by 31 December of whether they intend to keep the restrictions in place for three more years for Bulgarians and Romanians.According to press reports, however, some of them – notably Ireland – have already indicated that this is likely to happen.For their part, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Denmark have until 31 April 2009 to inform Brussels of their plans for workers from the 2004 enlargement countries, but if they intend to keep the limitations in place for a final two-year period, they have to show that they expect serious labour market disturbances, or serious threats for the labour market balance.The commission has no answer, however, as to what it would do in case it estimated those member states' justifications insufficient, and simply says that all options are open.In contrast, all of the countries affected by the barriers but Hungary have fully opened their labour markets to workers from all across the EU.

Only a third of Croats enthusiastic for EU membership
ELITSA VUCHEVA 18.11.2008 @ 09:27 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Citizens from the western Balkans have mixed feelings regarding their countries' EU future, with Kosovars and Albanians being particularly optimistic, but barely a third of Croats consider EU accession to be a good thing, a new survey has shown.While those living in Kosovo and Albania back their countries' EU integration almost unanimously (89% and 83% respectively), only 29 percent of Croats think Zagreb's EU membership would be beneficial, while 26 percent say it would be a bad thing, according to a Gallup survey presented in Brussels on Monday (17 November).Croatia is ahead of the other western Balkan countries on the road to EU membership, with the European Commission confirming earlier this month that it could conclude EU accession talks next year. Albania, on the other hand, is much less advanced, while Kosovo only declared unilateral independence from Serbia nine months ago.But in Croatia, respondents' national pride and attachment to the country was particularly high, Robert Manchin, founder and managing director of Gallup Europe, told reporters while introducing the survey's results.Additionally, it is normal for EU enthusiasm to decrease in candidate countries the closer they get to EU membership, as it is then when painful reforms carried by their governments in order to make the accession happen are most felt by the citizens, Fabrice de Kerchove of the Belgian King Baudouin Foundation added.

The most wanted

Kosovar and Albanian respondents to the survey felt the most wanted by the EU, both by its institutions (respectively 82% and 67%), and by its citizens (75% and 55%).On the other end of the scale, 46 percent of Croats thought the European Commission wanted them to join the EU, while 42 percent felt welcome by European citizens. The figures were similar in Bosnia and Herzegovina (43% and 46%, respectively). The strong pro-EU sentiment in Kosovo in particular is a necessary naivety that people need to have in order to go through the difficult process [of EU integration], Veton Surroi, editor of Kosovo's Koha Ditore newspaper told a conference organised by the European Policy Centre think-tank later on Monday.The fact that they feel so wanted also speaks well of the European Union's PR and derives from the lack of knowledge about the whole process, he added. For his part, Giuliano Amato, former Italian prime minister and former chair of the International Commission on the Balkans, said the pro-EU feelings in the region could only be cultivated in the long run if the countries would be offered something concrete in return for their efforts to carry out the EU-required reforms.Simply keeping [them] busy in a bureaucratic way becomes too long after a while and a sense of urgency has to be restored somehow to give the whole process a real meaning, Mr Amato argued.One way to do this, according to him, would be further relaxation of the EU's visa policy towards the western Balkan countries.

Almost half of Serbs believe Karadzic is innocent

The Gallup survey also looked into the western Balkan citizens' general perception of their lives, economic situation, relations to the neighbouring countries, or their attitudes towards their respective governments.It also asked respondents about their views on international institutions and organisations – such as the International Crime Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), with which most countries of the region have to fully cooperate in order to be let into the EU.

People in the different countries were divided on the issue, with a majority of Albanians (69%) and Kosovars (68%) saying the tribunal was helping reconciliation and strengthening peace in the region.A majority of Macedonians (52%), Croats (53%) and especially Serbs (64%) disagreed however, and thought that not only did the ICTY not serve the interest of the region, but it was simply fuelling past conflicts.

Additionally, in all countries but Albania and Kosovo less than a third of the respondents thought the court's proceedings were impartial and their outcome was open.The survey also showed that the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the tribunal and who was arrested in Belgrade this summer, is far from being unanimously welcomed in Serbia.Less than a quarter (23%) of Serbs thought Mr Karadzic was really guilty of the crimes he is charged with, while 47% said he was innocent. However a majority of 53 percent said his arrest was good for Serbia's EU aspirations, while 45 percent thought it was positive for the country's future in general.The survey was carried in September and October in all of the western Balkan, and some 1,000 people per country were asked their opinion in face-to-face interviews.

Dublin in talks with EU capitals to retain commissioner
LEIGH PHILLIPS 18.11.2008 @ 09:27 CET

The Irish foreign minister, Micheal Martin has said that Dublin is in talks with other European capitals to see if the retention of a commissioner for each member state is viable - a key concern of No voters in the June referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.Mr Martin made the announcement on Monday (17 November) speaking to Irish public broadcaster RTE.While abortion and gay marriage figured prominently amongst election literature, voters had other concerns about the treaty (Photo: We've had a number of discussions over the last couple of weeks, and those discussions are ongoing and have intensified in recent times, he said.Talks have looked at a range of issues, such as abortion, neutrality and taxation.The question of Ireland's traditional neutrality, which No campaigners argued was under threat from a growing militarisation of the European Union was one of the main reasons people voted No, according to a post-referendum commission poll. Taxation figured equally prominently according to the Eurobarometer survey, as did the loss of a commissioner. Abortion however did not figure prominently amongst people's concerns, being the reason for casting a ballot against the Lisbon Treaty for just two percent of No voters.

The loss of a commissioner Mr Martin highlighted as one of the more significant points of discussion with other member states.An Irish Times survey on Monday said that 43 percent the Irish would now vote Yes if the EU executive retained its current 27 commissioners.Clearly the issue of a commissioner almost signified what people perceived to be a loss of influence at the table, despite the fact that one has ministers at the table and civil servants at the table at different levels. So therefore we are in discussions on that specific issue.It's not a simple issue and is not one that can easily be wished away or dealt with, but nonetheless we're in discussions on it because I think it was a significant issue and encapsulates as it does the whole idea of people being at the table with additional influence being bought to bear collectively, he said.The foreign minister said on Sunday (16 November) that the Irish government would make a decision on whether to hold a second referendum on the treaty in the next few weeks.Before we make any decision as to what particular option we might take I think it is important that all of these issues are dealt with in the context of the discussions with our European colleagues, he said.Because if you recall when other countries had similar situations like our own, going back to the Danes in the early 90s and the French and the Dutch, other European member states and the commission engaged with those respective countries and managed to come up with solutions to their particular concerns.We're in the same process here. People have raised concerns on all of these issues and I think it is our obligation to see if we can find ways of satisfying the concerns of people and reconciling them through getting assurances, he said.The No side were quick to argue that voters concerns went well beyond those outlined by the government and that declarations alongside the same treaty text were insufficient to change minds.Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Lisbon campaign director for Sinn Fein, the sole major political party to oppose the EU documen, said in a statement: The government needs to go to December's [EU] summit with the firm intent of negotiating a better deal that includes a social progress clause for workers, strengthening of key vetoes on public services, taxation and international trade, the removal of all self amending clauses ... secure vetoes on all aspects of common foreign and defence policies, and the retention of Ireland's permanent commissioner.Obtaining declarations on a small number of issues that the government alone perceives as central to the No vote will not be enough, he added.Declan Ganley, who headed up the Libertas group, one of the main organisations behind the No vote, rubbished the idea that declarations had any legal weight.Not a jot or tittle - not a comma - of the text of Lisbon can be changed, for otherwise it would be legally a new treaty which would have to go around all 27 EU States for ratification again.The declarations referred to in the [Irish Times] opinion poll question are different from protocols in that they are not legally part of a Treaty, he added. Protocols are legally part of a treaty. There will be no protocols for Ireland over Lisbon, for that would be to reopen the Lisbon Treaty and would require all 27 EU States to ratify the new protocol, which would in effect be a new treaty.


Medvedev Says Parliamentary Republic Like Death For Russia NOV 18,08

MOSCOW (AFP)--Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday said Russia should never become a parliamentary republic as that would be like death for the country.A new clause in constitutional reform that would oblige the government to answer in front of parliament will not transform Russia into a parliamentary republic, Russian news agencies quoted him as saying.Russia must not become a parliamentary republic, for us that would be like death, he told local reporters on a visit to the industrial city of Izhevsk.The Russian parliament is to vote Wednesday in second and third readings on a series of constitutional amendments that will oblige the government to be answerable to parliament, as well as lengthen the president's mandate.Medvedev replaced Vladimir Putin as president in May, amid hopes he would take a more conciliatory line with the West and encourage democratic development more than his predecessor, who is now prime minister.However, Medvedev has done little to show he is adopting a different line from Putin and many observers suspect that the extension of the presidential term is aimed at preparing a return to the Kremlin for Putin. Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http:// www.djnewsplus.com/al?rnd=ca%2BNpgo7zosg6xjniF472A%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.(END) Dow Jones Newswires.

Russia warns Georgia against boosting military Tue Nov 18, 8:57 am ET

ANKARA (Reuters) – Russia's Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Tuesday he was concerned by what he called Georgia's efforts to boost its military potential, adding this could have bigger consequences than August's conflict.The Georgian side's efforts to increase the military potential is causing concern and I think those initiatives could have bigger consequences than what we saw in August, he told a news conference in Ankara. He did not elaborate.In a five-day war in August, Russian troops launched a massive counter-attack and took control of large swathes of Georgian territory after Tbilisi had tried to retake its rebel South Ossetia region by force earlier in the month.(Reporting by Zerin and Elci and Ibon Villelabeitia)

Russia To Open Military Bases In Abkhazia, South Ossetia In 2009
Georgia. by Staff Writers Moscow (RIA Novosti) Nov 18, 2008

Russia will open military bases in two Georgian breakaway republics, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, in 2009, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.
The source said the ministry plans to open one base in Gudauta, in the west of Abkhazia, and another in Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia.Georgia attacked South Ossetia on August 7-8 in an attempt to regain control over the republic, which, along with Abkhazia, split from Georgia in the early 1990s. Russia then launched a military operation to force Georgia to peace, which concluded on August 12, with Russian forces ending up deep in Georgian territory.In accordance with a French-brokered peace deal, Russia withdrew its forces from Georgian buffer zones ahead of an October 10 deadline. The peacekeepers were replaced by an EU monitoring mission to Georgia.Under the same agreement Russia is due to withdraw the majority of its troops currently deployed in Abkhazia, leaving about 4,000 military personnel at the former Soviet base in Gudauta.Russian General Staff chief Gen. Nikolai Makarov told journalists in Moscow in October that in line with friendship and assistance treaties, concluded with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, each base will deploy some 3,700 service personnel.Source: RIA Novosti.