ISRAELI ELECTIONS NOT COMPLETE YET

Likud extends primary vote to determine party list Mon Dec 8, 3:51 pm ET

Reuters JERUSALEM – The hardline opposition Likud Party extended its primary election at least into the early hours of Tuesday after computer glitches led to long lines and disappointed voters, Israeli media reported.The vote will decide the opposition party's candidates for the Feb. 10 national elections, which polls indicate could sweep Likud to power. Candidates winning high spots in the primary voting would be well-set for a senior Cabinet post in a government headed by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu.Voting was to continue at least two extra hours, until 1 a.m. Tuesday, and Likud officials planned to discuss during the night whether to allow further balloting in the morning, Israeli media said.Even Netanyahu, a former prime minister, had to ask for help when he voted Monday morning at a computerized station, calling over an expert who joined him behind the cardboard barrier hiding the computer.There is no doubt that computerized voting has a long way to go, Netanyahu told reporters later, outside a crowded Jerusalem voting station Monday evening.The computer foul-up followed a similar fiasco during primary elections last week for the centrist Labor Party, which canceled the electronic voting and rescheduled its primary two days later with paper ballots.Netanyahu has been trying to portray himself as a moderate. He fears a strong showing by extremists in the primary would weaken Likud in the general elections.February's elections are coming 18 months ahead of schedule. They were set in motion in September when Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, then head of the centrist Kadima Party, resigned to battle corruption charges.(This version CORRECTS Corrects that Netanyahu voted Monday morning, talked to reporters Monday evening. Voting extended until at least 1 a.m. (6p.m. EST).)

Challenges still hinder Sarkozy plan for union 2008 The Washington Times, LLC Some see it as second-rate alternative to EU Anne-Laure Buffard THE WASHINGTON TIMES Monday, December 8, 2008

An effort by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to get nations bordering the Mediterranean to cooperate on mutual problems has achieved some diplomatic success, but still has many skeptics. The Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, as it is formally known, held its latest meeting in Marseilles, France, last month.

Launched in October 2007, Mr. Sarkozy's plan for a new North-South partnership initially aroused mistrust among France's European Union allies, especially Germany and Britain, and suspicion from Turkey, which saw it as a poor substitute for the EU membership it desires. A year later, Mr. Sarkozy was still struggling with thorny issues, such as bringing Israel and its Arab rivals to the same table and deciding on a headquarters location without offending nations on both sides of the Mediterranean. AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner announces at last month's EU meeting in Marseille, France, that Barcelona, Spain, would serve as headquarters for the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean. On Nov. 4, however, after two days of diplomatic wrangling, the French and Egyptian foreign ministers - Bernard Kouchner and Ahmed Aboul Gheit - announced that Barcelona, Spain, would host the headquarters and that Israel and the Arab League would take part side by side. It wasn't supposed to work, and yet it did, Mr. Kouchner said. The essential points were accepted completely and without reservation by all 43 states, he said, referring to 27 European countries and 16 from North Africa and the Middle East. France regards the union as one of the major achievements of its six-month presidency of the European Union, which ends Dec. 31.

According to the agreement, the 22-member Arab League will be allowed take part in every meeting with the right to speak, but not to vote. In exchange, Israel received one of five deputy secretary-general posts for an initial three-year period. Now everyone is completely onboard, said Emmanuel Lenain, spokesman for the French Embassy in Washington. For us, the meeting is a real success. We voted an ambitious political statement. We agreed on the structure. Everything is getting under way.The deputy posts will rotate among three European members and two on the southern side of the Mediterranean. Besides Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Greece, Malta and Italy will serve three-year terms. The initiative is aimed at reviving the Barcelona Process, a previous EU initiative that began in 1995 but stalled in part over Arab-Israeli disputes. European and Middle East specialists in Washington said they are more hopeful about the new effort. In the United States, the Barcelona Process was widely unheard of. But everybody is now talking about the Union For the Mediterranean, said Ian Lesser, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund. Some say it's the Sarkozy effect, he joked, but something new was required. Mr. Lesser said the union serves U.S. interests even though the United States is not a member.

The Mediterranean is a place where Americans and Europeans could be better coordinated on security and development, he said. Stephen McInerney, of the Project on Middle East Democracy, a nonprofit organization, agreed. Supporting this project can be useful for the United States, he said. Ordinarily, we are tackling the Mediterranean issues separately. The union could help us build bridges between capacities that overlap geographical divisions.On the Arab-Israeli conflict, Mr. McInerney added that the United States should better understand the need for European involvement. The union could help, strengthening Europe cooperation with the U.S. on this issue, he said. Hosting European, North African and Middle Eastern leaders in Paris in July, Mr. Sarkozy called the Mediterranean union the best news for peace in the Middle East, and he boasted about having Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad at the same table - even though the two apparently did not speak to each other. Germany and Britain were initially skeptical about the union, fearing that it would exclude them, but use EU funds.

After Mr. Sarkozy agreed to enlarge the initiative, however, they dropped some of their objections. Andreas Prothmann, political counselor at the German Embassy in Washington, said he hoped the organization would foster more cooperation on higher education and research, business development, and maritime and land traffic. During a recent visit to Spain, Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi warned that the union faces other obstacles, including insufficient funding and potential quarrels over the political compromise that led to the creation of five deputies to the secretary-general. This is a far cry from the slimmed-down, nimble governing structure at first envisaged for the union, he said. Mr. Ghannouchi's pessimistic tone in part reflected disappointment that Tunis was not chosen for the headquarters. Zeyno Baran, a Turkish-American scholar and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, said Turkey fears that the union may be seen by the Europeans as a substitute for Turkey joining the European Union. No one thinks Sarkozy came up with this just for Turkey, but given his strong opposition to Turkey joining the EU, there is unease about the French and others like Germany eventually suggesting this as a privileged partnership option, she said. Turkey wants full membership, period.

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.

Moderate earthquake hits Pakistan DEC 8,08

HONG KONG (AFP) – A moderate 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck mountainous southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, seismologists said.The shallow quake, at a depth of just 10 kilometres (six miles), was centred 54 kilometres from Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province, the US Geological Survey said.There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which hit at 7:46 am (0246 GMT).About 300 people were killed and 70,000 left homeless when a powerful 6.4-magnitude quake hit Baluchistan in late October.

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 TUE DEC 09,2008

09:30 AM -42.27
10:00 AM -151.18
10:30 AM -87.46
11:00 AM -17.29
11:30 AM -121.23
12:00 PM -96.38
12:30 PM -107.13
01:00 PM -130.71
01:30 PM -157.07
02:00 PM -168.46
02:30 PM -254.32
03:00 PM -191.32
03:30 PM -235.68
04:00 PM -242.85 8691.33

S&P 500 888.67 -21.03

NASDAQ 1547.34 -24.40

GOLD 776.8 +8.5

OIL 42.13 -1.58

TSE 300 8388.33 -178.79

CDNX 686.17 -12.01

S&P/TSX/60 508.91 -13.02

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

Dow -135 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -166 points at low today.
Dow -17 points at high today.

Airlines to lose $2.5 BILLION in 2009.
Dow minus for the 3rd time in last 12 sessions only.

Illnois GOV.Rod Blagojevich,Chief of Staff John Harris arrested on corruption charges,accused of conspiring to sell U.S Senate appointment.To sell Obamas seat. Both accused in pay to play schemes.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS

Dow -166 at low so far today.
Dow -17 at high so far today.

DOWNTURN DEFINITIONS
-RECESSION:2 consecutive quarters of falling GDP.
-DEPRESSION:A severe and prolonged downturn in the economy.
-3Q GDP -0.5%.
-2Q GDP 2.8%.
-1Q GDP 0.9%.
DEPRESSION CONDITIONS
-Falling Prices.
-High Unemployment.
-Low Productivity.
-Shrinking wages.

Theres 8,268 U.S credit Unions of which 8,101 Federally insured.
A Credit Union is a member owned non-profit coop financial Institution.
5,036 U.S Federal credit unions hold $418 BILLION in Assets.
3,065 state chartered federally insured credit unions hold $336 BILLION.
NCUA charters and regulates federal U.S credit Unions.

WRAPUP,NEW,STATS

Dow -272 points at low.
Dow -17 points at high.

Dow -2.6% today.
S&P -2.3% today.
Nasdaq -1.5% today.

The Caribbean for Reform in World Finances DEC 09,08

Santiago de Cuba, Dec 8 (Prensa Latina) Leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) demanded on Monday changes in the world financial system, the crisis of which threatens small economies particularly.Goals of the Third Summit of heads of State and Government of Cuba and the 14 independent member countries of CARICOM include agreeing on actions to face the current financial conflict.In this regard, president pro-tempore of the regional bloc demanded more democratization and regulation of financial policies and a more active UN role in international economy.Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and current president of CARICOM, Baldwin Spencer, also demanded a debt re-orientation to secure room for the most vulnerable economies.He considered that the small Caribbean countries are facing greater challenges in the current chaotic situation, which puts social and economic achievements in danger.

Therefore, he urged for stepped up regional links to face the dark shadow of the world financial crisis and the effects of climate change.In this regard, he highlighted recent entry of Cuba to the Group of Rio, as well as prospects of the coming Summit of Latin American and Caribbean Integration, in Brazil.We expect valuable, timely initiatives to create spaces for dialogue and integration, said Spencer.He praised Cuba's wise leadership of the Non Aligned Movement and its role in the region.Cuban President Raul Castro inaugurated the meeting to be in session the whole day, at the end of which a final declaration is expected to be approved.

Yesterday, the Caribbean leaders paid tribute to national heroes Jose Marti and Antonio Maceo and received a message of salutation from leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro.ef rma cmv PL-22.

Congress sends White House auto aid plan with czar By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer DEC 8,08

WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats and the White House worked to resolve their last disputes Monday over terms of a $15 billion bailout for U.S. auto makers — complete with a car czar to oversee the industry's reinvention of itself — that's expected to come to a vote as early as Wednesday.Top Democrats gave the White House their proposal for rushing short-term loans to Detroit's Big Three through a plan that requires that the industry remake itself in order to survive. The Bush administration gave a cool initial response, saying the measure didn't do enough to ensure that only viable companies would get longer-term federal help. Negotiators worked into the night Monday to resolve differences.We've made a lot of progress in recent days to develop legislation to help automakers restructure and achieve long-term viability, Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, said in a statement. We'll continue to work with members on both sides of the aisle to achieve legislation that protects the good faith investment by taxpayers.President George W. Bush himself said it was hard to tell if a deal was imminent because definite conditions had to be met. These are important companies, but on the other hand, we just don't want to put good money after bad, he said in an interview with ABC's Nightline.Despite optimism on both sides that Congress and the White House could reach a swift agreement on the measure, it was still a tough sell on Capitol Hill.

While we take no satisfaction in loaning taxpayer money to these companies, we know it must be done, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. This is no blank check or blind hope.The bill puts a government overseer named by Bush — a kind of car czar — in charge of setting guidelines for an industrywide overhaul, with the power to revoke the loans if the carmakers weren't taking sufficient steps to reinvent themselves.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the restructuring would require tough concessions from management, labor, creditors and others.We call this the barbershop. Everybody's getting a haircut here, Pelosi said.Still, the White House said a preliminary look at the draft didn't appear to contain strict enough conditions to ensure that long-term financing would be available only to companies that could survive, according to officials who would comment on the continuing negotiations only on condition of anonymity.The crux of the White House's concern is that there may not be enough clear, immediate protection for taxpayers if a company is not meeting its own promises for long-term viability after review by the president's overseer. The latest proposal suggests Congress may have to get involved again in a few months and pass a law to force a company to stick to its own plan — a potentially unwieldy political step.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the House Financial Services Committee chairman who is leading negotiations on the measure, said he was optimistic that the differences could be resolved.There are a couple of specific issues to be negotiated. I think they can be worked out, Frank said Monday afternoon.Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., a key ally of the auto industry, said getting the roughly 15 Republicans needed to support the plan was an uphill battle.This is a real hill to climb even if we can get agreement between the White House and congressional leaders, he said.Even sympathetic Republicans weren't ready to sign on. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, has numerous concerns about the bill, including the strength of the taxpayer protections and the role of the so-called car czar, said spokesman Chris Paulitz.There are lingering differences between the administration and Congress on details of the czar's role and responsibilities, essentially a proxy fight between the White House and Democrats over whether Bush or President-elect Barack Obama should have the final say on who runs the auto industry restructuring.Democrats are pressing to allow the president to choose other people beside the czar to help oversee the bailout, while the White House wants just one person tapped by Bush to have control.

Congress Republicans and the White House also are balking at a requirement Democrats included in their proposal that the carmakers drop their opposition to efforts by California and several other states to impose stricter emissions rules than the federal standard. Pelosi is seeking that bar at the behest of environmentalists who are angry that money to bail out the auto industry will be drawn from an existing loan program that was meant to help the Big Three build greener vehicles that burn less gasoline. That's just one of several restrictions the bill places on the automakers while they're receiving the loans. Among the requirements included in Democrats' draft proposal is one that the carmakers getting federal help get rid of their corporate jets — which became a potent symbol of the industry's ineptitude when the Big Three CEOs used them for their initial trips to Washington to plead before Congress for government aid. The automakers also would be subject to some of the same restrictions imposed on banks as part of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, including limits on executive compensation, a prohibition on paying dividends, and requirements that the government share in future profits and taxpayers be repaid before any other shareholders. The special inspector general overseeing the Wall Street rescue also would keep tabs on the carmaker bailout. The Senate on Monday confirmed Neil M. Barofsky, a federal prosecutor in New York, for that post. The proposed automakers' bailout also gives the car czar say-so over any major business decisions by the companies while they're taking advantage of federal aid. The companies would have to open their books to the government, including informing the overseer of any transaction of $25 million or more. Under the plan, the carmakers' could get emergency loans right away. Then the overseer would write guidelines, due on the first of the year, for restructuring the Big Three. In testimony before Congress last week, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, which have said they are weeks from collapse, made it clear they would need a total of $14 billion to $15 billion to survive through early 2009. Ford Motor Co. has said it has enough money to stay afloat unless one of the other Big Three goes under or the economy deteriorates more sharply. While the measure would put an administration official selected by Bush in charge of setting terms for restructuring, the decision about whether the terms were being met would not be made until Obama had been sworn in. Some Democrats were pushing to name Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the federal Sept. 11 victims' compensation fund, to the post, but top congressional officials said there had been no discussion of that. In the latest gauge of public opinion, people were split about evenly over providing federal money to keep the car companies functioning. Forty-five percent approved and 44 percent were opposed, according to a CBS News poll released Monday. Nearly six in 10 Democrats favored the aid, while nearly the same share of Republicans opposed it. About seven in 10 said the government should have a say in managing the companies if taxpayers provide assistance, and nearly as many said requiring more alternative fuel vehicles should be a condition of such aid. Fifty-six percent blamed management for the companies' problems, double the number who blamed uncontrollable economic problems. Associated Press writers Devlin Barrett, Ken Thomas, Ben Feller and Alan Fram contributed to this report.

Wall Street extends big rally to 2nd session By JOE BEL BRUNO and TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer – Mon Dec 8, 7:13 pm ET

NEW YORK – The stock market showed renewed confidence Monday, extending its rally and lifting the Dow Jones industrials to their highest level in a month following President-elect Barack Obama's promise to increase infrastructure spending to lift the economy.The Dow advanced nearly 300 points, gaining 560 points in the last two sessions to extend a period of relative tranquility on Wall Street. The Dow and the Standard & Poor's 500 have risen in nine out of 11 sessions with investors absorbing bad economic news without signs of the panic that rocked the market for much of the fall.The Dow rose 298.76, or 3.46 percent, to 8,934.18, its highest close since it finished at 8,943.81 on Nov. 7. The blue-chip index, which added 259 points on Friday, is now up for December.Broader indexes also rose. The Standard & Poor's 500 index advanced 33.63, or 3.84 percent, to 909.70; and the Nasdaq composite index jumped 62.43, or 4.14 percent, to 1,571.74.The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks rose 20.29, or 4.40 percent, to 481.38.Obama's plan calls for the largest U.S. public works program since the creation of the interstate highway system a half-century ago. That could bolster the economy by putting thousands of people to work building schools and other construction projects.His weekend announcement lifted a range of companies, from machinery makers to materials producers. Alcoa Inc., the world's third-largest aluminum producer, surged 18 percent on the news; while heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. jumped 11 percent.

Investors also grew more confident as the government neared a deal to dole out billions to America's three biggest automakers. The White House said Monday that it was very likely to strike an agreement with Congress on funneling money to General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co. The package is expected to total about $15 billion.The stock market has surged despite a host of bad economic news, including Friday's Labor Department report that showed the nation lost more than a half million jobs last month. The report raised hopes that the government would take more steps to stimulate the economy.I think people recognize that the government is going to throw everything that they can at this market, everything they can at the economy to make it work, said James Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group. We had bad jobs numbers on Friday. To be able to overcome those type of job losses and have that kind of rally, that is technically significant. If that doesn't make you bullish, I don't know what does.Still, many analysts, cognizant of the fact that recoveries from bear markets tend to be tumultuous, were still cautious despite the market's recent string of gains.My gut feeling is investors aren't going to quite believe this rally and there is probably going to be some profit taking, said Tobias Levkovich, chief U.S. equity strategist at Citigroup Inc. There are a lot of different balls bouncing in the air right now. You still have a pretty jittery investor base out there.While big moves in stocks have continued in recent weeks the trading has much of the time been more orderly. There have been some gyrations, like a 680-point drop in the Dow on Dec. 1, but some market observers contend that the market is slowly forming a bottom. Stocks are up sharply from Nov. 20, when the benchmark S&P 500 finished at its worst level since April 1997. Since then, the S&P 500 is up 20.9 percent, the Dow is up 18.3 percent and the Nasdaq is up 19.4 percent.

Bond prices fell as investors put money back into stocks. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 2.74 percent from 2.70percent late Friday. The yield on the three-month T-bill, considered one of the safest investments, was unchanged at 0.01 percent, still indicating a high degree of investor uneasiness.The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.David Kelly, chief market strategist at JPMorgan Funds, said professional investors are being drawn to the market by cheap stock prices and a sense that while the economy is weak now it will eventually begin to regain its strength.The reality in the economy is it's getting worse but eventually the economy will turn around, he said. Even if the economy is lousy in 2009 stocks are a long-term investment and are cheap.But Scott Fullman, director of derivative investment strategies with WJB Capital, warned that the move higher for U.S. markets should be treated cautiously. He said credit still remains tight around the world, and that there are still a number of other worries hanging over the market. I'd be very cautious about jumping in with both feet and expecting what could be a Santa Claus rally going into the New Year, he said. The fact is, we're not seeing the credit markets opening up, we're not seeing buying of the distressed debt, and that leads to additional worries for stocks.With little in the way of economic data to trade on, investors closely monitored corporate news for direction. Among the automakers, GM rose 85 cents, or 21 percent, to $4.93, while Ford rose 66 cents, or 24.2 percent, to $3.38. Chrysler isn't publicly traded. Consumers hungry for a deal boosted worldwide sales at McDonald's Corp.'s established locations by 7.7 percent in November. The company said that U.S. same-store sales — or sales at locations open at least a year — rose 4.5 percent. Shares of the company fell $1.80, or 2.9 percent, to $60.92. Tribune Co. filed for bankruptcy Monday, as expected. The privately held owner of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, other newspapers and the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, is struggling with $13 billion in debt. A steep slump in advertising revenue has hurt the company. Most of its debt stems from a complex transaction in which the company was taken private by real estate mogul Sam Zell last year. Oil prices bounced off four-year lows after OPEC's president suggested the group could surprise investors with a large production cut later this month. Light, sweet crude rose $2.90 to settle at $43.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The move higher follows a global rally as investors took heart from signs the world's largest economies are redoubling efforts to revive growth. In China, government officials this week are meeting to discuss possible new steps to expand the $586 billion stimulus that is already in place. Stocks that rose outpaced those that fell by about 4 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 6.42 billion shares compared with 6.03 billion shares traded Friday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index vaulted 8.7 percent to its highest close in seven weeks, while Japan's Nikkei 225 average rose 5.2 percent. Major European bourses also showed big gains. Britain's FTSE-100 climbed 6.2 percent, Germany's DAX jumped 7.6 percent, and France's CAC-40 surged 8.7 percent. On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Canada to finalize auto aid by late January: minister DEC 8,08

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian government aims to hammer out details of a multibillion-dollar aid package for the struggling auto industry by its next federal budget in late January, the federal industry minister said on Monday.As the White House and U.S. Democrats moved toward a deal to rescue Detroit's Big Three automakers, valued as high as $17 billion, Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement said Ottawa would demand eventual payback of any money it contributes.None of us are considering a bailout without strings attached, Clement told CBC Television. We're looking at loans. We're looking at increasing the supply of credit, those kinds of things where we would get our money back for the taxpayer in years to come.General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC have asked the Canadian and Ontario governments for aid that reports have pegged at least C$6 billion ($4.8 billion).The major carmakers employ thousands of workers at their plants in Ontario, and an extensive parts industry is also dependent on their financial wellbeing.Clement said Ottawa will be interested in oversight if it agrees to funding. He also said he understands the need to move quickly.We ultimately have to make a decision and obviously it will be sanctioned by any budget we bring down in January,he said.($1=$1.25 Canadian)(Reporting by Jeffrey Jones; editing by Rob Wilson)

Czech President tussles with Danny the Red on Lisbon
RENATA GOLDIROVA 08.12.2008 @ 10:36 CET

A meeting between Czech President Vaclav Klaus and a top-level delegation of MEPs descended into verbal fisticuffs on Friday (5 December) after the co-leader of the Greens in the parliament attacked Mr Klaus for his opposition to the Lisbon treaty and his relations with Irish No campaigner Declan Ganley.I don't care about your opinions on [the Lisbon treaty]. I want to know what you will do if both the Czech Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approve it, Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit asked, according to a transcript of the meeting - designed to debate the upcoming Czech EU presidency - published by Mr Klaus. Will you respect the will of the people's representatives? You will have to sign it.The German Green also called on the Czech president to explain the level of his relations with Declan Ganley, the founder of the Ireland's Libertas group, which emerged before the June vote to fight the treaty. A man in your position is not supposed to meet him, he said, citing unclear and problematic funding of Mr Ganley's political activities. Mr Klaus responded by saying that nobody had talked to him in such a way in the six years since he was elected president, calling the conversation unprecedented.You are not on the Paris barricades here, he said, referring to the Green leader's past life as a 1968 Paris protester. I thought that these practices had ended for us 19 years ago. I see I was wrong. I would not dare to ask how the Greens' activities are funded, Mr Klaus said.

Others in the parliamentary delegation then entered the fray, with Irish MEP Brian Crowley telling Mr Klaus he was offending Ireland.By meeting [Mr] Ganley, you insulted the Irish people. That man has failed to [disclose] the funding of his campaign. It is an insult to meet someone without a mandate. I just want to inform you how the Irish feel, Mr Crowley said. Mr Klaus responded that the biggest insult to the Irish is the refusal to accept their vote in the referendum. I met someone representing a majority view in Ireland, while you, Mr Crowley, represent a minority opinion. That is the tangible result of the referendum, he said, which only won him further criticism from the MEPs.You will not tell me what the Irish think. As an Irishman, I know it best, Mr Crowley insisted.

Bumpy road to treaty ratification

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic's ruling conservative Civic Democrats (ODS) have agreed to open the door to Lisbon treaty ratification, as long as the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) accept US plans for placing part of its missile defence shield on Czech soil. At their party congress on Sunday (7 December), the Civic Democrats strongly recommended that their legislators first approve the US-Czech agreement on the American plan and then allow for a vote on the Lisbon Treaty by deputies and senators.The Chamber of Deputies is expected to debate the Lisbon treaty at an extraordinary session on Tuesday (9 December) - a move initiated by the Social Democrats. According to the ANSA news agency, the Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, confirmed that the vote on the Lisbon treaty and the US radar should be linked. If the Social Democrats reject the shield, we will reject Lisbon, he said on Sunday.Asked when parliament will vote on the Lisbon Treaty, he said it was hard to say, but added that it would be for sure during the Czech EU presidency term. The Czech Republic takes over the EU's rotating presidency from the French in January, and will be at the helm of the 27-country bloc until June.

MEP attacks EU consular reaction in Mumbai
PHILIPPA RUNNER 08.12.2008 @ 17:19 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU citizens need legally-binding rules on consular protection abroad after the Mumbai terrorist strike exposed flaws in the current set-up, a senior Spanish MEP has said, accusing a German official of shameful conduct in India.We need to make it compulsory for consuls to behave in a certain manner in situations of crisis, Spanish Liberal MEP Ignasi Guardans - who was leading a European Parliament trade delegation to Mumbai when armed groups attacked the city on 26 November - told EUobserver.European citizens need to know that when they need the European Union, they have 27 consular services at their disposal in case of emergency, so that they can be as proud of being European citizens as Americans are [of being US citizens].The Spanish deputy was sheltering near the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai with a group of other MEPs and assistants on the night of the attacks, when the German consul general arrived on the scene. He came and he picked up only the Germans, saying that memorable sentence which I will never forget I can take only the Germans and then he left, taking only his fellow citizens and leaving everyone else, Mr Guardans said.Germany and France also mistreated a dual-nationality parliamentary aide, with France at first refusing to issue her laissez-passer documents needed to leave the country and Germany asking her to go to its consulate to fill out forms despite an ongoing state of emergency, the Spanish deputy added.

In the aftermath of the attacks, France failed to give laissez-passer documents to other delegation members, causing people to scramble for help from their national consulates. France and Spain also gave misleading information about special planes sent from Europe to take the parliamentarians home.The attitude of the German consul was shameful, and I use the word in its full sense. The attitude of the French authorities was at the very least extremely bureaucratic, Mr Guardans said.

Letter of the law

Article 20 of the EU treaty says that every citizen of the union shall ... be entitled to protection by the diplomatic or consular authorities of any member state, on the same conditions as nationals of that member state. But there are no legal rules on implementing the principle, despite EU efforts to make more detailed arrangements after the 2004 tsunami in Asia.An EU official told this website that if Mr Guardans' accusation is correct, the German official violated the EU treaty and should be reprimanded by the German foreign ministry.Germany disputes the Spanish deputy's take on events, however. The criticism that he [Mr Guardans] made is to be categorically rejected. The consul general did all he could to help the Germans and all the others involved, a German foreign ministry spokesman said.The French EU presidency has also defended its actions, saying that Paris mobilised and co-ordinated responses by all the EU consulates on the scene, with European officials working in chaotic conditions to get all EU citizens home.French presidency spokeswoman Marie de Carne added that officials sometimes have to make tough calls in emergency situations and to manage the expectations of their own nationals on top of EU treaty requirements.

Women and children first

If some people are more shocked or injured than others, then you might have to choose to take them first. You have to react on the spot, she said. Of course, if you are a French citizen and you go to the French embassy, then you expect to be taken care of.Mr Guardans plans to brief EU justice commissioner Jacques Barrot next week on his ideas for legally-binding protocols for EU consular officials and to speak out on the Mumbai events at the December or January plenary session in Strasbourg.It is ridiculous that each consul gets to decide on his or her own how to proceed. They need very clear instructions, he said, adding that the legal initiative is a perfect topic to bring to the [European Parliament] elections in June 2009 to get Europeans more interested in the vote.

Court: No review of Obama's eligibility to serve DEC 8,08

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth. The court did not comment on its order Monday rejecting the call by Leo Donofrio of East Brunswick, N.J., to intervene in the presidential election.Donofrio says that since Obama had dual nationality at birth — his mother was American and his Kenyan father at the time was a British subject — he cannot possibly be a natural born citizen, one of the requirements the Constitution lists for eligibility to be president.Donofrio also contends that two other candidates, Republican John McCain and Socialist Workers candidate Roger Calero, also are not natural-born citizens and thus ineligible to be president.At least one other appeal over Obama's citizenship remains at the court. Philip J. Berg of Lafayette Hill, Pa., argues that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii as Obama says and Hawaii officials have confirmed.Berg says Obama also may be a citizen of Indonesia, where he lived as a boy. Federal courts in Pennsylvania have dismissed Berg's lawsuit. Federal courts in Ohio and Washington state have rejected similar lawsuits.Allegations raised on the Internet say the birth certificate, showing that Obama was born in Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961, is a fake.But Hawaii Health Department Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino and the state's registrar of vital statistics, Alvin Onaka, say they checked health department records and have determined there's no doubt Obama was born in Hawaii.The nonpartisan Web site Factcheck.org examined the original document and said it does have a raised seal and the usual evidence of a genuine document.In addition, Factcheck.org reproduced an announcement of Obama's birth, including his parents' address in Honolulu, that was published in the Honolulu Advertiser on Aug. 13, 1961.(This version CORRECTS that Hawaii officials, not secretary of state, confirmed Obama birth certificate.)

Liberal leader Dion will resign early By Randall Palmer Randall Palmer – Mon Dec 8, 5:12 pm ET

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada's Stephane Dion, who in October led the Liberals to their worst election showing since the 1800s, said on Monday said he would step down as his party's leader as soon as it picked his successor.That could come as early as Wednesday when the Liberal caucus in Parliament plans to meet. The front-runner is former Harvard don Michael Ignatieff, a legislator who heads the right wing of the Liberals, the official opposition party. Polls show the Liberals would do better under him than under Dion.Soon after the party's poor performance in the October 14 general election, Dion said he would turn over the reins to the winner of a leadership convention in May. But the Liberals last week were jolted by the realization they may have to face a new election before then -- with Dion still serving as leader.On Monday, under mounting pressure from the Liberal caucus in Parliament, Dion announced he would step down early, saying he agreed that a new leader needed to be in place before the House of Commons resumes on January 26.

The Conservatives plan to present their budget the next day, setting up a possible vote of no confidence should the Liberals decide to stick with a plan to team up with the two other opposition parties to topple the government.As always, I want to do what is best for my country and my party, especially when Canadians' jobs and pensions are at risk, he said in a statement after a flurry of calls and meetings.So I have decided to step aside as leader of the Liberal Party effective as soon as my successor is duly chosen.Dion remains unpopular with Canadians, and the party's fate was made more tenuous by the coalition deal Dion helped engineer with the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Quebecois.The deal, signed last week, was designed to remove the minority Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and replace it with a Liberal-NDP government. Harper's party has the most seats in Parliament but his government still needs the tacit support of at least one opposition party to survive.Harper forestalled any immediate defeat by getting Parliament suspended until January 26, and the opposition's maneuvering has generated a wave of public support for the prime minister. If an election were held now, he could win a majority mandate, polls suggest.As a consequence, the Liberals will probably ditch their plan to defeat the government in late January or early February. Even so, party elders have decided they need to start preparing as soon as possible for either a surprise election or rebuilding the party.

I think the pressure was just too much in the last few days, and I respect his decision,Bryon Wilfert, Dion's closest confidant in Parliament, told CBC television. I regret it but I understand it.Ignatieff is the leading Liberal advocate for restraint in deciding whether to topple Harper, in contrast with Bob Rae, his rival in the leadership contest. Rae says the coalition should go ahead and bring Harper down at the first opportunity.My position can be summarized as coalition if necessary but not necessarily coalition, Ignatieff told CTV on Sunday.My view of this is that Canadians would not understand a party that said we're not even prepared to look at the (January 27) budget ... and we already know how we're going to vote.Liberal spokesman Daniel Lauzon said that if a leader resigns before a leadership convention, the party's national executive would choose an interim leader in consultation with the Liberal caucus in Parliament.Another leadership candidate, Dominic LeBlanc, pulled out on Monday afternoon and backed Ignatieff, calling for a choice to be made by the end of the month.Rae, a former Ontario premier who is on the party's left, said nobody should be chosen this week and called for public debates with Ignatieff. It's better to have the party as a whole involved in finding a solution than it is to have a solution imposed from above, he told a news conference in Toronto.(Editing by Frank McGurty)

Health groups: Unknown thousands dying in Zimbabwe By MICHELLE FAUL, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 8, 1:21 pm ET

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Thousands of Zimbabweans are dying, uncounted and out of sight in a silent emergency as hospitals shut, clinics run out of drugs and most cannot afford private medical care, health groups say.Even as deaths from a cholera epidemic climbed into the hundreds, international and local organizations say many more are dying needlessly in a disaster critics blame on President Robert Mugabe's government.The toll will never be known, according to Itai Rusike, executive director of the Community Working Group on Health — a civil society network grouping 35 national organizations.Zimbabwe used to have one of the best surveillance systems in the region, Rusike said in a telephone interview. But phones are not working, nurses are not there, so their information system has collapsed. ... It is very difficult to tell how many people have died.These are symptoms of a failed state, he said in a telephone interview. Nothing is working.The British charity Oxfam agreed with estimates of thousands of unreported deaths due to the collapse of the health system and says the situation will get worse with the onset of the rainy season, which lasts until February.When you look at people who are already weakened by hunger, many already weakened by HIV and AIDS, and with rainy season comes malaria, and we know anthrax is spreading, it's really just a recipe for disaster, spokeswoman Caroline Hooper-Box said in neighboring South Africa.

She said many people Oxfam interviewed in Zimbabwe say they have cut back to one meal in three days. Some are trying to survive on insects and berries.Once a major food exporter, Zimbabwe has been crippled by shortages of necessities including food and medicine as Mugabe, the leader since independence in 1980, clings to power.As businesses collapse, unemployment has risen to 80 percent with the majority of the population depending on handouts from a growing diaspora; more than a third of a population has fled, many to South Africa and former colonizer Britain, but some as far as New Zealand.In a new health report published last week, the civic group Women of Zimbabwe Arise recounted the case of an 8-year-old boy who fell in a school yard and twisted his knee.A week later, he was dead, the report said. The death certificate cited cause of death as swollen knee ... But the real cause of death is clear criminal negligence of the worst kind on the part of the ZANU-PF government.

The report was dedicated to two of the group's own leaders who it said died needlessly. One was Thembelani Lunga, a 32-year-old in Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo who was HIV-positive and had problems accessing life-preserving antiretroviral medication.Lunga died after being jailed for four days in Bulawayo Central Police Station, where she was denied access to AIDS medication, the organization said.To the cholera deaths, the report said, it was necessary to add people with diabetes who run out of insulin, appendicitis cases, asthma attacks, bleeding ulcers and septicemia — all treatable conditions from which thousands of deaths are now occurring.Save the Children, a British charity, said hundreds, if not thousands of pregnant women and their children stand a very high risk of death.

Zimbabwe director Rachel Pounds said the United Nations reported that 700 women were recently turned away from hospitals in Harare that are no longer able to provide maternity services.Last week, Health Minister David Parirenyatwa appealed for help from international organizations. Our central hospitals are literally not functioning. Our staff is demotivated and we need your support to ensure that they start coming to work and our health system is revived, he was quoted as saying in The Herald. Both Rusike, of the community health group, and Women of Zimbabwe Arise said the cholera epidemic could be linked directly to the government's failures. The disease is caused by contaminated water and food, in Zimbabwe's case the collapse of water and sewage services. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. would continue to press the international community to take action on Zimbabwe but also stressed the importance of pressure from the country's African neighbors. We made extensive efforts in the (U.N.) Security Council to get the international system to act. And we're going to continue those efforts, McCormack told a press briefing on Monday. But, quite frankly, some of the states of the region need to step up. They need to use their leverage.Rusike warned in June 2007 that Zimbabwe was in danger of suffering epidemics of cholera and malaria when he called for Parirenyatwa to intervene as water supplies became more erratic. Mugabe's government took control of water supplies from city and town councils when the councils were taken over by opposition politicians in elections three years ago.

Rusike said the government officials fired water engineers and other staff and replaced them with friends and relatives with no qualifications in water management.
Last week, water authorities cut all supplies in Harare, the sprawling capital of about 2 million people and the epicenter of the cholera epidemic, saying they had no purifying chemicals and feared piping contaminated water would help spread the disease.