OBAMAS FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE

Sarkozy's pet project takes a step toward reality as diplomats finesse Israeli-Arab disputeBy COLLEEN BARRY | Associated Press Writer 5:51 PM EST, November 4, 2008

MARSEILLE, France (AP) Countries bordering the Mediterranean edged closer to establishing their Euro-Med Union on Tuesday by finessing an Israeli-Arab dispute over the role of the Arab League.The union — a pet project of French President Nicolas Sarkozy that is more ambitious in symbolism than content — is envisaged primarily as a forum for cooperation and dialogue. Unlike the similarly named European Union, the 43 countries from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa probably will not have open borders, common regulations or truly interlocked economies.Still, the group is important to the participants as a bridge between Europe and its poorer neighbors.French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, the host, declared the two-day meeting a success even though thorny issues, like the naming of a secretary-general, remained unresolved.People said this wasn't going to be a success. It has been, Kouchner said.Under the agreement, the 22-member Arab league will participate in the new union as an observer but will not have voting rights, a condition sought by Israel. Israel and the Palestinian Authority will each hold deputy secretary general posts, giving them a stake in the success of the venture.

For a Europe that fears unchecked immigration from Africa and hostility from the Muslim world, the new organization is an important outreach program. And for some Europeans, by including Israelis and Palestinians — which both border the Mediterranean — it also offers a forum for European diplomacy.Sarkozy, the founding force behind the organization, and his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak, will decide on the secretary-general and the allocation of five to six deputy posts before the end of the year, Kouchner said.The expanded union is expected to focus on mostly development-oriented projects, such as cleaning up the Mediterranean, creating new maritime and land highways and solar energy.Kouchner's comments reflected the sense of diplomatic breakthrough, however modest and unrelated to the grander territorial disputes still unresolved.The Israelis finally accepted the presence of the Arab League, Kouchner said. Israel will be accepted as deputy secretary-general of an international organization for the first time in history.9Barcelona was chosen as the headquarters of the fledgling union over Tunisia and the Mediterranean island nation of Malta.France and Egypt will continue as co-chairs of the union for its first two years, with the Czech Republic joining during its six-month EU presidency beginning in January.

Euro-Med Foreign Ministers decided 2009 work programme and cooperation fields Wednesday, 05 November 2008

The institutional structures of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, its work programme for 2009, the fields of cooperation to be pursued in 2009 and the state of progress in the implementation of projects listed in the Annex to the Paris Declaration, are the four issues addressed in the 28-page Final Declaration adopted by the Euro-Med Foreign Ministers at their meeting in Marseilles.The Ministers propose that as from the Marseille meeting (3-4 November) the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean should be called Union for the Mediterranean and decided that the League of Arab States shall participate in all meetings at all levels contributing positively to the objectives of the process, namely the achievement of peace, prosperity and stability in the Mediterranean region.On the structure of the Union for the Mediterranean, one of the decisions taken is that the co-presidency shall apply to summits and meetings and that one of the co-presidents will be from the EU and the other from the Mediterranean partner countries. The seat of its Secretariat will be in Barcelona.The Ministers propose an indicative list of ministerial meetings for 2009, including four that would be held for the first time, on Sustainable Development Projects, Food Security, Agriculture and Rural Development, Justice, Liberty and Security and Human Development.The fields of cooperation to be pursued are: political and security dialogue, maritime safety, economic and financial partnership (energy, transport, environment, information society, tourism), and social, human and cultural cooperation. The Ministers decided the actions to be taken towards the goal of establishing a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area. They also refer to the important role of reliable statistics as an important factor in decision making and note the statistical services in the partner countries are receiving technical assistance from the regional MEDSTAT II programme, that will run until September 2009.Mention is also made to the role of other regional programmes funded under the priority fields of cooperation, such as Euro-Med Justice II and Euro-Med Police II.On strengthening the role of women in society, they decided that in order to prepare for the coming Ministerial Conference two working groups should be organized during 2009, while on youth cooperation they say the Euro Med Youth IV Programme will continue to run in conjunction with the Youth in Action Programme.

References are made to other issues on the agenda, such as the need for more visibility to the Partnership to achieve understanding and acceptance, as well as its accountability and legitimacy, and tackling migration issues, on which they note the launching of the regional Euro-Med Migration II Programme (2008-2011).Taking note of a recommendation from the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, the Ministers underline that the position of the EMPA should be further consolidated and its work better articulated with the other institutions of the Partnership. They also stress the need to promote the implementation of concrete action at local and regional level and take note of the important role and contribution of civil society as well as the Economic and Social Councils and Similar institutions.With regard the implementation of projects included in the Paris Declaration (13 July), they welcome the progress on de-pollution of the Mediterranean, they note the work done towards developing a Motorway of the sea project, and make references to progress made and suggestions on civil protection, alternative energies: Mediterranean Solar Plan, higher education and research and the Mediterranean Business Development Initiative

Furthermore, the Ministers reaffirm their commitment to achieve a just, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and mention other relevant issues, including the indirect talks between Israel and Syria, under Turkey’s auspices and the establishment of relations between Lebanon and Syria.They also welcome the dedication and interest expressed by three new members of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Croatia and Montenegro, together with Albania, to add their efforts in contributing to a successful integration of the Adriatic countries in the existing and future initiatives and projects in the Euro-Mediterranean region.The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean will meet in the second half of 2009 in order to take stock of the progress achieved in the implementation of the working programme for 2009, and the projects agreed and in particular the key initiatives as agreed at the Paris Summit, as well as prepare for the next summit in 2010.

Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean: Ministers meet in Marseille to endorse its working modalities and to agree priorities for 2009 Reference: IP/08/1611 Date: 31/10/2008

IP/08/1611

Brussels, 31 October 2008

Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean: Ministers meet in Marseille to endorse its working modalities and to agree priorities for 2009
Foreign Ministers from all 43 states of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership meet in Marseille on 3-4 November to endorse plans for the mandate, structure and institutional governance of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean. The initiative, launched at the Paris Summit of 13th July, aims at injecting a renewed political momentum into the EU’s relations with the Mediterranean through the reinforcement of shared ownership and the achievement of wider visibility through a far-reaching programme of projects. To these ends, Ministers will examine the details of the Commission's proposals for the functioning of the co-presidency as well as the composition, seat and funding of the Secretariat. In efforts to advance the regional integration process, Ministers will also agree on priorities for the 2009 working programme

Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said: The global and regional challenges we jointly face underline the political and practical imperatives of upgrading our relations with our neighbours. The Barcelona Process has served us well over the past thirteen years; the achievements testify to this – but certain setbacks and limitations remind us also that there is still much to do. And she added: At the Summit of the Union for the Mediterranean in Paris we agreed to continue working on and to reinforce the positive elements of the Barcelona Process, through closer ties between all members, enhancing their sense of ownership of the process and delivering more concrete benefits for citizens of the region. Now, in Marseille, we will take the next steps forward by confirming the new institutional arrangements and agreeing on a work programme for 2009. I am confident that this will add new direction and dynamism to our relations.Ministers will decide on the remit and governance of the new institutional structure, the functioning of the co-Presidency and the composition, seat and funding of the Secretariat, taking into account the discussions and proposals submitted by partners. The new proposed architecture will build on the existing foundations and structures of the Barcelona Process. Projects are at the core of the restructured Partnership, and in their sourcing and administration, the Secretariat will strive to ensure that the selected projects promote growth, employment, regional cohesion and socio-economic integration. The Paris Summit has already identified a number of key areas: de-pollution of the Mediterranean; maritime and land highways; civil protection; Mediterranean Solar Plan; Euro-Mediterranean University; and a Mediterranean business development initiative.

Following the Ministers’ endorsement the Secretariat will seek the necessary additional funding from outside the traditional existing budget allocations. These funds are expected to come from the private sector, international financial institutions and bilateral cooperation as well as contributions from EU member States and Mediterranean Partners.Bearing in mind the Barcelona 5-year work programme and the Declaration of the Paris Summit, ministers will outline their Ministerial meetings agenda and agree on the priorities for the 2009 work programme, in line with the key areas identified in Paris. Ministerials are planned for 2009 in the following sectors: Transport; Higher Education; Environment; Trade; Justice, Liberty and Security; Economy and Finance; Sustainable development; and Strengthening the role of women in society. While the European Neighbourhood Policy will continue to drive bilateral relations in the region with a differentiated approach the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean will complement this policy by strengthening regional cooperation. More information at:
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/euromed/index.htm

OPEN LETTER TO MR SARKOZY LEADER (PRESIDENT) OF THE EUROPEAN UNION.

AND WHILE WERE AT IT HERES AN OPEN LETTER TO MR SARKOZY. PLEASE DISMISS THE USA FROM BEING IN THE ISRAELI-ARAB PEACE PROCESS. CONVINCE OBAMA AND HIS CREW THAT THE EU MUST BE THE GUARENTOR OF THE ISRAELIS. MAKE A 7 YEAR PEACE TREATY WITH ISRAEL AND THE ARABS. MR SARKOSKY IN THIS 7 YEAR TREATY YOU MUST HAVE IT STATED THAT ISRAEL WILL BE ABLE TO REBUILD THE 3RD TEMPLE WITH EUROPEAN UNION TROOPS PROTECTING THE SITE AS TO GUARENTEE ISRAELS SECURITY ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT. THE DOME OF THE ROCK DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DESTROYED AS THE ISRAELIS 3RD TEMPLE WILL FIT ALSO ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT BUT TO THE NORTH OF THE DOME BY THE DOME OF THE SPIRITS. THIS WILL GIVE THE ISRAELIS THEIR 3RD TEMPLE TO SACRIFCE TO THEIR GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WHOLE WORLD. THE VATICAN COULD MAYBE BUILD A CHURCH ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT ALSO SO THE CHRISTIANS COULD ALSO PRAISE THE GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WORLD KING JESUS FROM THE TEMPLE MOUNT ALSO. THE EUROPEAN UNION COULD PROTECT ALL 3 GROUPS OF WORSHIPPERS AND ESPECIALLY PROTECT ISRAEL WHILE THEY SACRIFICE THEIR ANIMALS IN THE 3RD TEMPLE. AND THE CHRISTIANS COULD MAYBE SOMEHOW WATCH AS THESE SACRIFICES REPRESENT THE BLOOD OF THEIR KING AND SAVIOUR CHRIST JESUS (ALL GOD AND ALL HUMAN). BUT MR SARKOZY LET ISRAEL BE IN CONTROL OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT, THEY HAVE THE SAY IN ALL THAT IS DONE ON THE MOUNT EXCEPT YOUR EUROPEAN UNION TROOPS ARE ALLOWED ON TO GUARENTEE ISRAELS SECURITY AND RIGHT TO PRAY AND SACRIFICE TO THEIR AWESOME GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WHOLE EARTH. THANK YOU MR SARKOZY FOR SECURING ISRAELS SECURITY AS USE TAKE FULL AND ONLY CONTROL OF THE ISRAELI-ARAB PEACE PROCESS. REMEMBER MR SARKOZY THE TRUE MESSIAH OF ISRAEL WILL BE RULING FROM THERE IN THE FUTURE SO YOU PROTECT ISRAEL WITH YOUR RAPID REACTION FORCES AND PAVE THE WAY OF SAFETY AS THE TRUE MESSIAH SOON WILL RULE FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER. OH AND ONE LAST THING MR SARKOZY LET THE ISRAELI SANHEDRIN HAVE THEIR ROLE IN THE REBUILDING AND BEING JUDGES LIKE IN BIBLE TIMES.

THIS IS A DIFFERENT STORY I MUST ADMIT....WOW

Sarkozy loses voodoo doll case

A French judge has rejected President Nicolas Sarkozy's attempt to stop sales of a voodoo doll in his image. Dismissing the case, the Paris judge said the doll was within the authorised limits of free expression and the right to humour. Mr Sarkozy's lawyer said the president would appeal against the decision. The doll comes with pins which users can stick into memorable quotes from the president printed on the doll, such as work more to earn more. Mr Sarkozy took the makers of the kit - publishing company K&B - to the courts after it went on sale on 9 October. His lawyer said Mr Sarkozy had exclusive and absolute rights over his own image.

Sales boost

The company refused to stop selling the kit, saying Mr Sarkozy's reaction was totally disproportionate. The case has attracted a fair amount of mockery in France and boosted sales of the kit, says the BBC's Alasdair Sandford in Paris. K&B also released a similar doll of Segolene Royal, Mr Sarkozy's rival in the presidential elections last year. She has decided not to take action against K&B, saying: I have a sense of humour. This is Mr Sarkozy's sixth legal action since he was elected last year, but it is the first case the courts have rejected. Voodoo has become associated with zombies and sticking pins into dolls to curse an enemy, but practitioners say this misrepresents their religion.

Obama calls for swift action on economy By NEDRA PICKLER and LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writers NOV 7,08

AP – President-elect Obama answers questions during a news conference in Chicago, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. (AP … CHICAGO – President-elect Obama assembled his economic team Friday and soberly told the nation that strong action is needed to confront the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime.In his first news conference since being elected Tuesday, Obama called on Congress to extend unemployment benefits and pass a stimulus bill. But his more ambitious remedies, he said, must wait until he takes office Jan. 20.Obama displayed an air of authority and confidence, standing before a dozen economic advisers and rows of American flags as he spoke for 20 minutes. He mixed lighthearted remarks about family pets (even calling himself a mutt) with grim-faced assessments of the nation's economic predicament.Some of the choices that we make are going to be difficult, he said, reading a statement before taking several questions. It is not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in. But America is a strong and resilient country.Obama urged Congress to pass an economic stimulus measure and extend unemployment benefits either before or just after he takes office. As for bigger decisions, he said, the nation has only one government and one president at a time, and now it is President Bush.However, he said, immediately after I become president, I will confront this economic crisis head-on by taking all necessary steps to ease the credit crisis, help hardworking families, and restore growth and prosperity.I'm confident a new president can have an enormous impact, he said.Obama said he would focus on producing jobs, and he mentioned actions to help the auto industry, small businesses and state and local governments.

He left open the possibility that economic conditions might prompt him to change his tax plan, which would give a break to most families but raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 annually.I think that the plan that we've put forward is the right one, he said, but, obviously, over the next several weeks and months, we're going to be continuing to take a look at the data and see what's taking place in the economy as a whole.Obama said he will review a congratulatory letter from Iran's leader and respond appropriately. It's not something that we should simply do in a knee-jerk fashion, he said. Obama said he wants to be careful to send the signal to the world that I'm not the president and I won't be until Jan. 20.He said he appreciated the cooperation Bush has offered in smoothing his transition to the White House and the president's commitment that his economic policy team keep us informed. He expressed gratitude to Bush for inviting him and his wife, Michelle, to the White House on Monday.Obama said he expected to have a substantive conversation with Bush. I am not going to anticipate problems, he said.As he prepares to join an exclusive club of presidents, Obama said, I've spoken to all of them that are living.

I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any seances, he said with a grin, an apparent exaggerated reference to the former first lady's fondness for astrology.Also in a lighter vein, the president-elect said his family is looking for a dog that will not trigger his daughter Malia's allergies. Ideally, he said, it would come from an animal rescue shelter, but obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.He presumably was referring to his heritage: his father was from Kenya, his mother was from Kansas.Obama and Biden met before the news conference with the transition economic advisory board, a high-powered collection of business, academic and government leaders. They included Lawrence Summers, who some have mentioned as a candidate for Treasury secretary, a post he held in the Clinton administration; Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, whose state has been hit hard by losses in the auto industry; Google CEO Eric Schmidt; and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. Others attending included executives from Xerox Corp., Time Warner Inc.; and the Hyatt hotel company. Investor Warren Buffett called in by telephone. Obama has been meeting privately with his transition team, receiving congratulatory phone calls from foreign leaders and intelligence briefings, and making decisions about who will help run his government. One person frequently mentioned for a Cabinet post, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, will not be available until 2011, officials close to him said Friday. Rendell has two years left of his term, and Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll, a Democrat, is ailing. Next in line to be governor is the Republican president pro tempore the state Senate. Rather than take the chance that the GOP would gain control of the governor's office, Rendell has signaled he will stay put for the time being. On Friday morning, Obama and his wife, Michelle, attended a parent-teacher conference at the University of Chicago Lab School where their daughters, Malia and Sasha, are students. Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so he and his staff can rest after the grueling campaign. He is planning a family getaway to Hawaii in December before they move to the White House, and to honor his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who died Sunday at her home there. Liz Sidoti reported from Washington.

EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)

REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

WORLD GOVERNMENT

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.

REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

OLD BUT INTERESTING STORYS ABOUT INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ARCHITECTURE

First Thoughts on the Okinawa Summit, 21-23 July 2000
http://www.g7.utoronto.ca/evaluations/2000okinawa/bayne.html

NOTES ON THE NEW GLOBAL HUMAN ORDER
http://www.acs-aec.org/About/SG/Girvan/Speeches/nworder_eng.htm

FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT HEARINGS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY
http://www.un-ngls.org/documents/text/roundup/65ffd.htm

A summary of recent initiatives by various international financial bodies
http://www.pust.edu/oikonomia/pages/2002/2002_ottobre/avvenimenti.htm

IMF Admits Bankruptcy;Wall Street Alternatives a Fraud
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2001/2847imf_bankrpt.html

Statement by Governor Nout Wellink, on behalf of Gerrit Zalm, Minister of Finance of the Netherlands Representing the constituency consisting of Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, the Netherlands, Romania, and Ukraine International Monetary and Financial Committee Fifth Meeting April 20, 2002 Washington, D.C.

Economic outlook: finding the way up

There are increasing signs that the world economy has turned the corner and has steered clear of a global recession. Amidst positive projections for this and particularly next year, it is easy to forget how close a call it was. As some observers have noticed, it's the recession that wasn't. Although Japan experienced its most severe recession of the last decade, the US and the euro area still registered positive growth in 2001, whilst the financial system displayed its resilence in the aftermath of some global shocks. Today there seems to be a growing denial that the global economy was ever in any real danger. Although good prospects are preferable to bad memories, the current optimism bears two serious risks.

First, structural imbalances have largely remained. Containing the US current account and private sector debts, restructuring the Japanese financial and corporate system, and reforming Europe's product and labour markets will be crucial to put the world economy on a high and sustainable growth path. Besides, there are a number of potential threats to a strong economic recovery in the short run, notably the uncertainties related to the war against terrorism, the instability in the Middle-East, which has already pushed up oil prices, and possible risks of the economic situation in Latin America.

Secondly, it should be noted that while global growth was still positive in 2001, world trade growth slowed almost to zero from no less than 12 percent in the previous year. This was a considerably sharper fall than in 1991, which registered as a year of global recession. Although the current trade outlook is far more positive, it risks being undermined by indications that major economies are not committed to free international trade. The US curbs on steels imports not only disrupt world trade, but also send a wrong signal to the developing world. They might even overshadow the powerful impetus that was given to the start of the global trade liberalisation round last year. Together with our European partners, we therefore call on the US administration to also remain committed to free trade principles and practices, as well as to the rules of the WTO.

The international financial architecture: work in progress

In response to the various crises of the nineties, the IMF has played a crucial and constructive role in reforming the international financial architecture. But this architecture - consisting of measures to prevent and resolve financial crises - needs continuous maintenance and fortification, as illustrated by recent cases of Argentina and Turkey. There are three main players in the resolution of financial crises: the national authorities, the international community, notably the IMF and, last but not least, the private creditors. Financial crises should therefore also be managed by these three parties. As outlined below, strengthening the international financial architecture implies a stronger role for the Fund in surveillance, more private sector involvement in crisis resolution and greater country ownership of adjustment programs through a streamlined conditionality. Incentives need to be created to get all three parties on board.

IMF surveillance: the key pillar of crisis prevention

The effectiveness of surveillance as a crisis prevention tool depends on its ability to detect potential vulnerabilities in member countries. In this context, significant progress has been made in adapting the IMF surveillance to the changes in the global financial environment, particularly to the stronger integration of financial markets. Against this background, we support the work aimed at strengthening the financial sectors via the FSAPs and the Netherlands is keen to participate in such a program in 2003. We also welcome the Fund's efforts to intensify its assessments of offshore financial centres, since these centres play an increasingly large role in the intermediation of international capital. Cyprus was the first country to complete a full OFC-assessment, while also the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are in the process of doing so. Moreover, we attach great significance to an effective Fund surveillance and invite the MD to develop proposals to making it more transparent, accountable and objective.

To this end, we would like to share five concrete and practical suggestions. First, we propose that every Article IV report contains debt sustainability analyses (including stress tests) as well as an assessment of the soundness of the financial sector. Second, in order to enhance transparency vis-à-vis private parties and the public at large, we encourage the Fund and its member states to move towards full publication of Article IV reports. If needed, the reports published might be filtered for market sensitive information. Third, to give Article IV consultations more bite, missions should be planned less on the basis of staff schedules and more on the basis of the agenda of the national policy debate. For example, missions could be held in the initial stages of the country's budget preparation or after rather than before national elections. Fourth, each program document could start with a brief account of past surveillance. This would directly promote the accountability of the IMF surveillance, indicate to what extent national authorities have adhered to IMF advice in the past as well as indicate to what extent earlier surveillance had rightly signalled risks. Finally, we call for enhanced co-ordination between the different surveillance activities of the Fund, such as Article IV consultations, FSAPs and ROSCs, which would foster its overall effectiveness.

Resolving financial crises: from bail-outs to work-outs

The application of the PSI-principles, agreed in Prague in 2000, in the management of the crises in Argentina and Turkey has been disappointing. In both cases, the Fund supplied exceptionally large financing packages, while the private sector was not involved in a systematic manner. However, in crisis management, it takes three to tango. Against this background, we strongly welcome the initiative taken by Fund management for a formal mechanism to facilitate an orderly restructuring of sovereign debt (SDRM). The rationale for such a mechanism is four-fold: it could help solve creditor coordination problems, prevent the building up of excessive debt positions, strengthen crisis management and enhance the credibility of the Fund's access policies. Although the IMF's diagnosis is widely shared, there is unfortunately less agreement on the proposed cure. In this regard, we are particularly puzzled by assertions that the proposed bankruptcy mechanism would not be market-oriented. Something that is a cornerstone of a market economy on a national level cannot suddenly become market-unfriendly when implemented on a global level1. This is not to deny that there are considerable differences between corporate and sovereign bankruptcy procedures.

We encourage the elaboration of the SDRM-proposal, aiming at a statutory solution to the restructuring problem. In this context, we feel that the role of the Fund in the various stages of application of the mechanism could remain `light', as recently suggested by Ms. Krueger. Key decision-making powers would then be placed in the hands of the member country and the supermajority of the creditors. At the same time of course, the interests of debtor countries should not be overlooked. While supporting the SDRM, we acknowledge that, in light of the political and legal challenges it raises, it should be seen as a medium term goal. In the meantime, other complementary approaches to enhance the application of PSI should be pursued with urgency. In particular, it is important that a widespread use of collective action clauses is actively promoted. These clauses can play a key role in facilitating restructuring in the interim period before the new debt restructuring mechanism is in place and in restructuring in the `shadow of the law' once it has been established. Indeed, the two approaches should be viewed as mutually supportive, since collective action clauses will only bind in holders of the same bond issue, and thus will take us only part of the way. Other complementary measures are also needed: ensuring that predetermined access limits are adhered to; fleshing out the `lending into arrears policy in order to facilitate informal standstills; and deepening the analytical basis for the assessments of debt sustainability.

Boosting ownership through streamlining conditionality

In 2000, the majority of the IMF membership supported proposals of MD Köhler to focus and streamline conditionality and enhance country ownership of IMF-supported programs. One year and a half down the road, following profound discussions on both the coverage and the instruments of conditionality, the commitment to these objectives seems to be dwindling. This is the more worrying since actual progress has been limited so far, and the burden of conditionality on debtor countries remains considerable. We strongly encourage further efforts to deliver results in this field and are in favour of revising the conditionality guidelines, which is scheduled for this year's Annual Meeting.

Against this background, we would like to share four suggestions to promote national ownership. This would, in turn, enhance the effectiveness of IMF-lending and clean up IMF's reputation as an institution that micro manages on a macro-scale. First, in designing adjustment programs, missions should discuss with the national authorities alternative policy scenarios to achieve the agreed program objectives and should spell out the trade-offs involved rather than prescribing a single set of detailed policy actions. Second, outcome-based conditionality should be promoted as much as possible. At the same time, we recognize that in the first phase of a program, monitoring may often still need to be based on the implementation of policy measures, which are considered time sensitive as well as essential. Thereafter, more emphasis may be placed on outcomes achieved. Outcome-based conditionality is therefore especially suitable for programs with their focus on structural policies, sustained economic growth and poverty reduction. In certain cases, this may be combined with so-called floating tranche disbursements, which would further increase the scope for ownership. Third, restraint should be exercised in using prior actions. The IMF should always justify why certain prior actions have been included in the program by spelling out why these are crucial for macro-economic and financial stability. Consideration could be given to setting a specific threshold with respect to the number of prior actions above which formal reporting to the Board would become mandatory. The use of prior actions could further be reduced by specifying these measures, if possible, as floating tranche conditions. Finally, important measures outside the Fund's mandate should primarily be dealt with by other institutions, notably the World Bank. We therefore support a further improvement in the mutual co-operation on this account. We hope these suggestions further stimulate a discussion on what we earlier labelled the four M's of conditionality: Mandate, Macro-management, Motivation and Multilateral cooperation.

Other areas of concern

The role of the IMF in poor countries. The Financing for Development conference was a success. We commend the IMF and the World Bank on their key roles to mobilise support to increase development assistance in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The PRSP/PRGF review has revealed significant progress. But local capacity and genuine country ownership often remain the Achilles' heel of the PRSP-process and need to be addressed energetically. In order to sustain the success of the HIPC-initiative over the next years, its expected financing gap of at least US$ 0.7 bln needs to be dealt with soon.

Money laundering and financing of terrorism. We strongly back the international fight against money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. Given their potential adverse impact of these subversive activities on national and international financial stability, the IMF, together with the World Bank and FATF, is encouraged to keep playing an active role in this field. In order to be effective the role of the IMF should remain within its mandate and expertise. A strict division of labor and responsibilities with other relevant organizations should guarantee a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of money laundering and terrorist financing in individual country assessments, based on the ROSC principles of being uniform, cooperative and voluntary. A possible extension of IMF conditionality critically rests on the assumption that measures with respect to money laundering and financing of terrorism are essential for macro-economic and financial stability.

Independent Evaluation Office. We believe that the newly established Evaluation Office can play an important and constructive role in further shaping the role of the IMF in strengthening the international financial architecture. In this respect, we hope that it will pay due attention to all three parties involved, especially to ways the IMF has attempted to involve the private sector, when it analyses recent capital account crises.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1As noted by Rogoff and Zettelmeyer (2002), Adam Smith already advocated in 1776 in The Wealth of Nations: when it becomes necessary for a state to declare itself bankrupt, in the same manner as when it becomes necessary for an individual to do so, a fair, open and avowed bankruptcy is always the measure which is both least dishonourable to the debtor, and least hurtful to the creditor.

HURRICANE IN CARIBBEAN

REBUILT 3RD TEMPLE (THE EU DICTATORS TEMPLE)

REVELATION 11:1-2
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

DANIEL 9:27
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

REBUILT 4TH TEMPLE (THE TRUE MESSIAHS TEMPLE)

ZECHARIAH 6:12-13
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

ISAIAH 60:9-10
9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

ISAIAH 2:1-5
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

MARK 11:9-10,15-17
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

EZEKIEL 40 TO 48 IS THIS 4TH TEMPLE TO BIG FOR THE MOUNT I BELIEVE TO BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM JERUSALEM.

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU Jewish Temples never existed, says top Palestinian negotiator ,Official leading peace talks claims Israel trying to invent historical Jerusalem link November 06, 2008 10:55 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein 2008 WorldNetDaily

JERUSALEM – The Jewish Temples never existed and Israel has been working to invent a Jewish historical connection to Jerusalem, the chief Palestinian negotiator asserted.

Ahmed Qurei, the Palestinian Authority official leading all peace talks with the Jewish state, made the controversial statements in a small media briefing Wednesday attended by WND as well as by a Palestinian media outlet and an Arab affairs correspondent for a major Israeli newspaper.But the Israeli publication decided not to print Qurei's comments, while the Palestinian publication, the Al-Ayam daily newspaper, made news of the remarks.Qurei said Israeli occupation authorities are trying to find a so-called Jewish historical connection between Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, but all these attempts will fail. The [Temple Mount] is 100 percent Muslim.The world must be mobilized against all these Israeli attempts to change the symbols and signs of Jerusalem, he said. There is nothing Jewish about the Al Aqsa Mosque. There was no so-called Jewish Temple. It's imaginary. Jerusalem is 100 percent Muslim.

Continued Qurei: The Arab world is called to interfere to stop the Israeli plans in Jerusalem, to stop the Israeli attempts to create a Jewish character to Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa mosque. Also to the Old City, which is the first step in the war to defend Jerusalem and Al Aqsa.They are competing against time in order to create facts on ground in the surrounding the imaginary Temple, Qurei added.The chief Palestinian negotiator was reacting to the reopening last month of a long-closed synagogue just 100 meters from the Temple Mount. The holy structure, located in what is now known as the Muslim Quarter, was abandoned in 1938 in the wake of extreme Arab violence targeting Jews. At the time, thousands of Jews lived in the Quarter. The synagogue is closer than any other Jewish house of prayer to the Temple Mount.

Qurei, who is considered moderate by U.S. and Israeli policy, has been leading talks with Israel initiated at last November's U.S.-sponsored Annapolis Summit, which seeks to create a Palestinian state, at least on paper, before President Bush leaves office. Israel is widely expected to offer the Palestinians near complete control of the West Bank and significant control of undisclosed parts of eastern Jerusalem.

Holiest site

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. The First Jewish Temple was built there by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's shechina or presence dwelt. All Jewish holidays centered on worship at the Temple. The Jewish Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place for the Jewish people.According to the Talmud, the world was created from the foundation stone of the Temple Mount. The site is believed to be the biblical Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.Jewish tradition holds Mashiach, or the Jewish Messiah, will return and rebuild the third and final Temple on the Mount in Jerusalem.The Kotel, or Western Wall, is the one part of the Temple Mount that survived the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans and stands today in Jerusalem.Throughout all notorious Jewish exiles, thorough documentation shows the Jews never gave up their hope of returning to Jerusalem and re-establishing their Temple. To this day, Jews worldwide pray facing the Western Wall, while Muslims turn their backs away from the Temple Mount and pray toward Mecca.The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph.About 100 years ago, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem became associated with the place Muslims came to believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jerusalem, however, is not mentioned in the Quran.Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from a sacred mosque – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to the farthest mosque, and from a rock there ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah that became part of the Quran.

Palestinians today claim exclusivity over the Temple Mount, and Palestinian leaders routinely deny Jewish historic connection to the site, but historically, Muslims did not claim the Al Aqsa Mosque as their third holiest site and admitted the Jewish Temples existed.According to research by Israeli author Shmuel Berkovits, Islam previously disregarded Jerusalem. He points out in his book How Dreadful Is this Place! that Muhammad was said to loathe Jerusalem and what it stood for. Berkovits wrote that Muhammad made a point of eliminating pagan sites of worship and sanctifying only one place – the Kaaba in Mecca – to signify the unity of God.As late as the 14th century, Islamic scholar Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, whose writings influenced the Wahhabi movement in Arabia, ruled that sacred Islamic sites are to be found only in the Arabian Peninsula and that in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred, and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron.It wasn't until the late 19th century – incidentally when Jews started immigrating to Palestine – that some Muslim scholars began claiming Muhammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and associated Muhammad's purported night journey with the Temple Mount. A guide to the Temple Mount by the Supreme Muslim Council in Jerusalem published in 1925 listed the Mount as the site of Solomon's Temple. The Temple Institute acquired a copy of the official 1925 Guide Book to Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which states on page 4, Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which David built there an altar unto the Lord.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Fierce early-season blizzard traps SD motorists NOV 7,08

RAPID CITY, S.D. – A wintry blast of punishing wind and close to 4 feet of snow in places pummeled the Northern Plains on Thursday, stranding unknown numbers of motorists for a day or more and knocking out power to thousands.State officials said some people could be without power for days, but they had a simple message for anyone thinking of trying to drive in western South Dakota's blizzard: Don't.This is a dangerous storm, Gov. Mike Rounds told reporters in a telephone conference call Thursday evening. Western South Dakota is basically under a no-travel advisory.A long stretch of Interstate 90 was closed, and Rounds said most of the dozens of vehicles stranded along the stretch of highway had not been moved. Some have been stranded for more than 24 hours, he said, adding that search teams can't get to them because of zero visibility.We cannot see a thing in many areas where we're out actually searching for people, said Tom Dravland, state Public Safety secretary, who added that the top speed for some rescue crews was as little as a half-mile per hour.

Dravland said he did not know how many people are stranded. The Highway Patrol has responded to more than 400 calls for assistance, including 10 crashes. No fatalities were reported by late Thursday afternoon.The storm already has dropped 45.7 inches of snow near Deadwood, in the northern Black Hills. Reports of 10 inches to 2 feet of snow were received from many West River counties. In some towns, residents reported drifts were blocking their doorways, and in the southwestern corner of the state, 20-foot snowdrifts were reported on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.Dozens of schools, agencies, businesses and attractions, including Mount Rushmore National Memorial, were closed because of the weather, which included wind gusts higher than 50 mph.The snow started Wednesday afternoon and was moving east. Greg Harmon of the Sioux Falls National Weather Service office said winds should subside in the west early Friday and in the east later in the day.The wind and heavy snow caused many power failures, but repair crews can't get to the downed lines because of the blizzard, Rounds said. More than 10,000 customers lost power at some point in Nebraska and South Dakota.In North Dakota, parts of Dunn County received about 9 inches of snow, the Weather Service said.The wind is blowing so hard it's hard to tell how much snow we got, said Terry Sarlsland, street superintendent in Bowman, N.D. We got 4-foot drifts in some places.Sharon Gjermundson, a postmaster in Taylor, N.D., said that about a foot of snow kept her from punching in at work Thursday, and that she and her husband were worried about their livestock.We hope all the cattle are OK, she said.

Active 2008 Hurricane Season Winds Down Andrea Thompson Senior Writer
LiveScience.com – Thu Nov 6, 11:50 am ET

Early season blizzard blasts South Dakota AP The curtain is starting to fall on a 2008 hurricane season, which was above-average as predicted, with some truly devastating storms. Barring huge surprises, however, this year was no match for the record-setting 2005 season's 28 storms. The big names of this season, which began on June 1 and will end on Nov. 31, were Ike and Gustav. Hurricane Gustav narrowly missed hitting New Orleans head-on when it came ashore on Sept. 1, though it killed dozens of people as it churned across the Caribbean. Hurricane Ike crashed into the Texas coast on Sept. 13 near the barrier island city of Galveston, inundating the area, destroying homes and knocking out power and other services for several days in some areas. To date, the 2008 season has seen 16 named storms, a list that includes both tropical storms and full-blown hurricanes. Tropical Storm Paloma is currently off the coast of Nicaragua and Honduras. Seven of those named storms became hurricanes, with four, including Ike and Gustav, turning into major storms. A Colorado State University forecasting team had predicted for this year 15 named storms, with eight of those having been expected to become hurricanes and four developing into major storms. Major storms are those whose sustained winds exceed 110 mph (Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale). Government forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami had predicted 12 to 16 named storms for the 2008 season, with six to nine hurricanes, and two to five major storms. Comparing predictions to what actually happened, forecasters hit the 2008 season pretty much on the nose. Predictions for other recent seasons haven't been quite as close. Like the 2007 and 2005 seasons, the 2008 season has been an above-average one. An average Atlantic hurricane season has 11 named storms, with six of those becoming hurricanes, and two of those becoming major storms. Average is a relative term, however, since hurricane season activity runs in decades-long cycles. For example, back in the 1990s, several years saw only 7 or 8 named storms. As the month of November progresses, storm formation becomes less and less likely as ocean temperatures cool, cutting off the fuel source of tropical cyclones. Paloma is the most recent November storm since 2005 when Tropical Storms Gamma and Delta and Hurricane Epsilon formed in that month.

Hurricane Paloma forms in Caribbean, churns toward Cuba NOV 7,08

HAVANA, (AFP) – Tropical Storm Paloma strengthened rapidly into a hurricane Thursday as it churned northward across the Caribbean, picking up momentum as it headed for the Cayman Islands and storm-battered Cuba, meteorologists said.The Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported that Paloma, which formed early Thursday east of the Nicaragua-Honduras border, was packing sustained winds near 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour, with higher gusts.At 7:00 pm (0000 GMT Friday) the NHC put the hurricane's center about 270 kilometers (165 miles) south of Grand Cayman and about 450 kilometers (280 miles) west-southwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was traveling north at 19 kilometers per hour (12 mph).Paloma continues to rapidly organize and additional strengthening is likely, it said, adding that the storm was forecast to intensify Friday from a category one to a category two hurricane on the 1-5 Saffir-Simpson scale.Coming at the end of the Caribbean hurricane season, which stretches from June 1 to November 30, Paloma was expected to hit the Cayman Islands late Friday and could produce rainfall of 10 to 20 centimeters (four to eight inches) across the Caymans, with up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) in some places, the NHC said.The hurricane is forecast to then track northeast and strike Cuba's south-central coast by Sunday, the NHC said.The tempest, which would be the fifth to strike Cuba this hurricane season, represents a potential high risk for central and eastern Cuba when it hits as a hurricane on Sunday or the early hours of Monday, said the head of the Cuban Meteorological Institute (INSMET) Jose Rubiera.

Cuba's Civil Defense said authorities have mobilized in all provinces to study the best ways to guarantee the protection of the public and economic resources.The busy 2008 hurricane season, including devastating Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, has killed hundreds across the Caribbean and in Mexico and wrought billions of dollars in damage across the region.Gustav and Ike, which struck Cuba on August 30 and September 9, caused an estimated 9.3 billion dollars in damages, almost double the original estimates, according to official reports.They leveled thousands of Cuban homes and buildings, devastated much of the island's agriculture, and gave its ecotourism industry a lashing.A hurricane warning was in effect Thursday for the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory comprised of three islands in the western Caribbean that are popular tourism getaways. Some 50,000 people live there.

If Paloma turns more sharply to the northeast Friday or Saturday it could threaten the island nation of Jamaica.At present the United States is not within the storm's cone of uncertainty, which has Paloma tracking northeast beyond Cuba to the Bahamas and then into the open Atlantic.

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 FRI NOV 07,2008

09:30 AM +70.89
10:00 AM +72.22
10:30 AM +187.81
11:00 AM +172.15
11:30 AM +91.67
12:00 PM +174.27
12:30 PM +164.79
01:00 PM +190.76
01:30 PM +191.47
02:00 PM +186.38
02:30 PM +176.02
03:00 PM +145.99
03:30 PM +95.10
04:00 PM +248.02 8943.81

S&P 500 930.75 +25.87

NASDAQ 1647.40 +38.70

GOLD 736.9 +4.6

OIL 61.12 +0.35

TSE 300 +40.80 9,596.21

CDNX +1.72 921.85

S&P/TSX/60 +3.89 580.10

Billy Graham Turns 90 today.
Dow up +117 points in first 5 minutes.
Unemployment Rate rose 6.5% in OCT.Highest in 14 years.
USA lost 1.2 MILLION jobs this year.
Ford lost $129 MILLION in the 3RD QUARTER.
Ford plans to layoff 10% of work force in the USA.

NYSE STATS AS OF 10:30AM
Advances 2,172,Declines 637,Unchanged 78.
New Highs 1,New Lows 49.
NASDAQ STATS AS OF 10:30AM
Advances 1,644,Declines 617,Unchanged 143.

Dow at high this morning +223 points.
240,000 jobs lost last month OCT 2008.
650,000 jobs lost in the last 3 months.

AFTERNOON STATS

GM:WHAT HAPPENS
GM out of cash in a few months.
SEEKING
GMAC becomes bank holding company.
Direct infusion from TARP.
Sell Auto assets(loans)to TARP?
LIKELY SCENARIO
GM survives as smaller company.
25% of vehicle sales to 15%.

WOULD A GM/CHRYLER MERGER MAKE SENSE.
1-Still liquidity problems.
2-Still need to cut products and jobs.
3-Huge restructuring costs.

GM NUMBERS CAME IN AT 11:00AM (RESULTS)
GM suspends talks with Chrysler.
GM Q3 negitive adjusted cash flow of $6.9 BILLION.
GM Q3 ($7.35 B)VS ($3.70 B)EST.
GM Q3 REVS. $37.9B VS $39.405B EST.
If GM continues burning cash at $2.3B month,they will not make it past 2009.
FORDS CASH BURN Q3 EARNINGS REPORT
Burned through $7.7B in cash in Q3.
Attributed to the lower production volumes.

PAUL KRUGMAN ON THE ECONOMY
Advice to Obama:Whatever financial system needs,money fine,fiscal stimulus big,fast.
-Worst slump in 25 years possibly since depression.
-Started at wallstreet but now hit mainstreet.
-4% of GDP needed or another $600 BILLION package.
-I think we will have a trillion dollar deficit next year.
-Later on we will pay the bills.Short term pump cash into the Economy.
-2010-11 before it possibly digs itself out,the economy.
-High speed job loses,worst is yet to come.
-Jobless rate expect to go to 8 to 10% yet,before turnaround.
-Collapse started in U.S HOUSING,destroys ICELAND,now HUNGARY,POLAND worries.
-This is Global,Gigantic,the closest thing i came to seeing 1932.

OBAMA NEWS CONFERENCE ON THE ECONOMY AT 2:30PM

A WASTE OF 20 MINUTES BUT OBAMA ECONOMY WRAPUP
Markets at beggining of speech 2:53 PM +244.36
Markets at end of speech 3:12 PM +136.20
-We woke up to more soboring news about the economy.
-240,000 lost jobs,10th straight month of loss of jobs.
-Nearly 10 million Americans lost jobs.
-Families struggling,facing economic challenge of life time.
-Bush will keep us informed until Jan 20,09.
-Immediately when i'm in office i;ll deal with this crisis head on.
-I will take steps to ease the credit crisis.
-Help hard working Families,restore growth,prosperity.
-My Economic team will help guide transition team.
-Developing a strong set of policies to respond to this crisis.
-We need a rescue plan for middle class that invests in jobs.
-Provide relief to families shrinking pay checks and life savings disappearing.
-Extention of UI benefits for workers who can't find work.
-A fiscal Stimulus plan that will jump start economic growth.
-Small business we must help.
-We must have a GLOBAL response to this GLOBAL CRISIS.
-Our team will help the Auto industry adjust.
-We want to stabalize Financial Markets while protecting Tax payers.
-Help home owners and control Financial owners.
-Treasury to work closely with FDIC,HUD and other agencies.
-To use the authority they have to help families in forclosure.
-We will grow our Middle class and strengthen our economy.
-We must move forward with CLEAN ENERGY, HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, and tax relief for middle class Families.

FRIDAY WRAPUP OF THE MARKETS
Financials down 8.2% this week.
Modest advance on light Volume.
GM:big loss,burn through cash,S&P lowers debt rating.
Obama,no specifics.
NEXT WEEK-RETAIL SALES and RETAIL EARNINGS.
4 MILLION shares by Wells Fargo for sale at 4PM.
Dow up 2.9% today.
Dow above 8900 points today.
Dow drops 4.1% this week.
S&P up 2.9% today.
S&P cut losses for the week to 3.9%
NASDAQ up 2.4% today.
NASDAQ drops 4.3% this week.

Dollars lining up for civilian national security force?
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=80298

EU leaders to debate new model for world finance
RENATA GOLDIROVA Today NOV 7,08 @ 09:15 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU leaders are meeting in Brussels on Friday (7 November) to have lunch, with an overhaul of the international finance system the sole item on the menu. France - currently sitting at the EU's helm - has tabled a three-page document consisting of five key priorities that should be agreed no later than on 15 November, when global economic players meet to discuss the same topic in Washington.

The priority list, seen by EUobserver, suggests that no market segment, territory and financial institution, including hedge funds, should escape regulation or supervision.It urges obligatory registration of the rating agencies; the convergence of accounting rules; and a review of the way in which the fair‑value rule in financial institutions is applied. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should also be given primary responsibility to recommend the necessary measures to restore confidence and stability as well as the necessary funds and the appropriate instruments to support countries in difficulty, Paris says.The French EU presidency wants to see all five priorities translated into concrete, operational proposals within 100 days from a G20 summit in mid-November. The summit, hosted by the US, will bring together the G7, the EU and 12 other major economies: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.The three-page paper to be discussed by EU heads of state and governments is a shorter version of a document - labelled International Financial Architecture - that was discussed by EU finance ministers earlier this week (4 November). At the time, French finance minister Christiane Lagarde said the French initiative enjoyed massive support among member states, except for a suggestion to encourage an internationally co-ordinated response to the macroeconomic challenges to come.

This point was objected to by countries such as Germany, one EU diplomat told EUobserver, as it could imply a possibility to shape economic policies above the national level. According to another diplomat, some ministers expressed concerns about potential over-regulation, with Sweden reportedly objecting tight regulation of hedge funds. We should not turn financial markets into steady waters, the diplomat said.

Europe unveils its vision for global financial reform
LUCIA KUBOSOVA Today NOV 7,08 @ 19:34 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU leaders have agreed on a set of principles that should guide future talks on the reform of the global financial architecture, urging for more regulation and transparency in the sector that has delivered the world's biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.No financial institution, no market segmentation and no jurisdiction must escape proportionate and adequate regulation or at least oversight, states the document adopted at an extraordinary summit on Friday (7 November).The list of desired measures will be presented at the G20 summit of industrialised and emerging economies on 15 November in Washington. The measures includes a call for transparency of financial transactions through revised accounting standards, an early warning system to tackle risks and a central role for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a more efficient financial architecture.We don't want to move from the total lack of regulation to too much regulation, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy whose country currently holds the six-month presidency of the 27-strong Union.

He admitted that the three-hour debate with his EU counterparts was pretty intense but it did amount to a united message that they will send to other world powers next week.We will be defending a common position, a vision for restructuring our financial system, said the French leader.Both Sweden and Britain reportedly expressed some unease about too much pro-regulation activism on France's part. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the EU agreed there would be no place for protectionism in the global talks next week. The EU's scenario also included a chapter about the need to overhaul pay policy for company executives. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the issue of executive remuneration is important and should be linked to long-term performance, although he did not endorse Belgian plans to limit executive pay-outs to a maximum of 12 months' salary.We are not for interventionism, we are for a good performance of the markets, we are for a social economy of the markets, commented European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Great expectations

Mr Sarkozy said that he had spoken to both outgoing US President George W Bush and his successor, Barack Obama, about next week's meeting in Washington.The document endorsed by all EU leaders states that within 100 days of the top-level global talks, measures to implement the principles desired by Europe should be drawn up.It has to be a real historic meeting, said Mr Barroso. The French leader argued that additional countries, such as Spain and the Netherlands, should be invited to the G20 meeting, adding that Paris, which as both a G7 member and current chair of the six-month rotating EU presidency temporarily has two seats at such meetings, will offer one of its two places to Madrid.Meanwhile, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg's premier and finance minister as well as president of the Eurogroup, said he requested on Friday a single seat for the eurozone countries within the international financial institutions, with non-euro countries represented separately.But he admitted that his idea was too difficult for prime ministers to cope with, yet maintained confidence that this would happen eventually, as most of the EU countries, including the UK, will be part of the eurozone in 10 years.He said he was not offended for not having been invited to the G20 meeting on 15 November - a day he would instead spend between his bedsheets. Still, he criticised the fact that the EU has the tendency to be over-represented in the financial institutions, noting that the European Commission was not a G20 member, but will still take part in the global talks.

GM reports $2.5B 3Q loss, says running out of cash By TOM KRISHER and JEFF KAROUB, AP Business Writers

F 2.02 +0.04
GM 4.36 -0.44
GOM 7.00 -0.39

AP – The GM logo hangs over an unsold 2009 Acadia sports-utility vehicle on the lot at a GMC Truck dealership … DETROIT, Mich. – General Motors Corp. reported a $2.5 billion loss in the third quarter and warned Friday that it could run out of cash in 2009 if the U.S. economic slump continues and it doesn't get government aid.GM also said it has suspended talks to acquire Chrysler. While it didn't specifically name the automaker, GM said it was setting aside considerations for a strategic acquisition.While the acquisition could potentially have provided significant benefits, the company has concluded that it is more important at the present time to focus on its immediate liquidity challenges and, accordingly, considerations of such a transaction as a near-term priority have been set aside, the company said in a statement.Privately held Chrysler said it won't comment on GM's statement, but added it remains focused on returning to profitability.GM said its cash burn for the quarter accelerated to $6.9 billion, and government aid will be essential because of the slow economy and credit crisis.If companies run out of cash, generally they can sell assets, cut costs or file for bankruptcy protection to keep creditors at bay while they develop a financial reorganization plan.But in a conference call with reporters and analysts, GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said the company will take every action we possibly can to avoid bankruptcy.We're convinced that the consequences of bankruptcy would be dire, he said, adding that the company will use every source of funding it can.We need to find a way to get through this, and that's really our focus.

The company also said it will indefinitely lay off about 3,600 workers beginning early next year as it slows production at 10 of its assembly plants.The news came hours after Ford Motor Co. said it lost $129 million for its third quarter and will cut about 2,260 more white-collar workers in North America as the industry tries to weather the worst economic downturn in decades. As U.S. and global economies have rapidly deteriorated, auto sales have nearly shut down.Wagoner had said in a statement earlier that the third quarter was especially challenging for the auto industry.Consumer spending, which represents close to 70 percent of the U.S. economy, fell dramatically, and the abrupt closure of credit markets created a downward spiral in vehicle sales, he said.The nation's biggest domestic automaker reported a net loss of $4.45 per share during the quarter, compared with a record-setting loss of $39 billion, or $68.85 per share, a year ago. Its adjusted loss was $4.2 billion, or $7.35 a share, with an adjusted loss of $2.8 billion for its automotive operations.Revenue fell to $37.9 billion from $43.7 billion, due largely to credit freezing across the globe.The loss exceeded Wall Street estimates. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters predicted a loss of $3.70 per share on sales of $39.4 billion.The struggling company announced it would improve liquidity by $5 billion by the end of next year by cutting capital spending, reducing sales promotions, and further cutting production in the first quarter.The company also suspended its matching contribution for employee 401K plans, and suspended tuition reimbursement. In addition, salaried employees will not get incentive pay next year for their work in 2008, GM said.

It said it will slow down assembly line rates at North American factories beginning next year, but it gave no details. It also said several vehicle new vehicle programs would be delayed, but it would spend more on its Chevrolet Volt electric car and other fuel-efficiency programs. But the cuts and delays may not be enough. Even if GM implements the planned operating actions that are substantially within its control, GM's estimated liquidity during the remainder of 2008 will approach the minimum amount necessary to operate its business, the company said in a news release. Looking into the first two quarters of 2009, even with its planned actions, the company's estimated liquidity will fall significantly short of that amount unless economic and automotive industry conditions significantly improve or it receives government funding, the news release said. Ray Young, chief financial officer, said GM expects significantly lower cash burn in the fourth quarter. GM said it had $16.2 billion in cash, marketable securities and readily available assets at the end of September, down $4.8 billion from the $21 billion it reported on June 30. GM has said in the past it needs a minimum of $11 billion to $14 billion to run the company. GM officials said in the conference call that it intended to cut a total of 7,000 white-collar jobs this year, up from 5,100 announced in July. GM had 32,000 U.S. salaried workers at the end of last year, down from 44,000 in 2000.

The automaker had a net gain of $1.7 billion in the quarter, including a $4.9 billion gain due to the shift in its retiree health care expenses to a union-administered trust starting in 2010. But the health care gain was offset by a $1.7 billion noncash charge due to elimination of salaried retiree health care benefits, $652 million for Delphi's bankruptcy proceedings, $251 million for write-downs at its financial arm, GMAC LLC, and $641 million in restructuring related and other charges. GM owns 49 percent of the money-losing GMAC, with the remainder owned by Cerberus Capital Management LP. Cerberus also owns a majority stake in Chrysler, and has reportedly been in talks about selling the Chrysler auto operations to GM possibly in exchange for a part of GM's stake in the GMAC business. In an e-mailed statement, Chrysler LLC Chairman and Chief Executive Bob Nardelli said the company doesn't comment on its private business meetings, but will continue to explore potential strategic alliances and partnerships. Cerberus said in its own statement, As a matter of policy, we do not comment on market rumor or speculation. We are consistently evaluating potential alliances and investment opportunities.GM shares fell 46 cents, or 9.8 percent, to $4.34 in late afternoon trading. Ford said in its earnings report earlier in the day that it burned through $7.7 billion in cash in the third quarter. Its global automotive operations had a pretax loss of $2.9 billion for the quarter, compared with a pretax loss of $362 million a year earlier.

Sales fell 22 percent to $32.1 billion from $41.1 billion due to lower volume and the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover. While Ford has been dramatically affected by the difficult business environment, we remain absolutely convinced that we have the right plan and are taking the right actions to weather this difficult period and emerge as a lean, globally integrated company poised for long-term profitable growth, Alan Mulally, president and chief executive, told industry analysts during a teleconference.Ford shares rose 2 cents to $2 in afternoon trading.

Asian stocks mixed on grim corporate forecasts By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, AP Business Writer NOV 7,08

TM 67.09 -13.28
^GSPC 904.88 0.00
^IXIC 1,608.70 -72.94

AP – A businessman walks past an electric market board in Tokyo, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. Japan's Nikkei 225 … HONG KONG — Asian markets were mixed Friday with Japan's key stock index down 1.6 percent as grim profit forecasts from Toyota and other companies, combined with sluggish U.S. economic data, stoked pessimism about the global economy.The Nikkei 225 stock average dropped 144.24 points to 8,754.90. Investor sentiment took a hit after Japan's top automaker Toyota slashed its annual forecast a third of what it was a year ago. Its shares plunged 10 percent.While Australia's market was down, other markets recovered from early drops to climb higher. Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index was up 1.1 percent to 13,964 by midday.

In South Korea, the Kospi stock index rebounded from a 4.9 percent fall after the country's central bank cut interest rates by a quarter of a point — the third cut in less than a month in a bid to boost an economy hammered by the global financial crisis.The move followed interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank and the Bank of England overnight.Investors looking to U.S. markets for guidance found little encouragement. Wall Street's stock indexes plunged more than 4 percent on widespread anxiety about the economy after computer gear maker Cisco Systems warned of easing demand and retailers reporting weak sales for October. A jump unemployment benefits aggravated concerns.We're seeing data every day that looks really bad, said Nicole Sze, Singapore-based investment analyst at Bank Julius Baer & Co., which manages about $300 billion in assets. The question is, has all the bad news been factored in? That's what investors are asking themselves.Markets were likely to see more volatility as along as more bad news forced investors to readjust their expectations about the scope of a recession and its impact on company profits, analysts said.Weakening prices for metals and oil pressured Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index, down 3.6 percent, as resource giants like BHP Billiton Ltd. slumped. Singapore's index was flat after the city-state's biggest bank, DBS Group Holdings Ltd., posted a worse-than-expected fall in quarterly profits.Toyota Motor Corp. shares sank to 3,430 yen after the company on Thursday afternoon cut its net profit forecast for the fiscal year through March 2009 to 550 billion yen ($5.5 billion). That's half of its earlier projection of 1.25 trillion yen ($12.6 billion), and about a third of the previous year's profit of 1.72 trillion yen. If that projection holds, it would be the smallest annual profit in eight years.Japan's leading automaker blamed a contracting U.S. auto market, strong yen and higher materials prices. Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kinoshita went so far as to call it an unprecedented situation.In Europe on Thursday, the Bank of England slashed its key interest rate by 1.5 percentage points to its lowest in more than 50 years in a dramatic bid to cushion its economy, while the European Central Bank, which sets rate for the 15-nation zone that uses the euro, settled for a more conservative half-point trim.In New York on Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 443.48, or 4.85 percent. The losses combined with another decline Wednesday represent the Dow's worst two-day percentage decline since the October 1987 crash.

U.S. stock index futures were up, suggesting Wall Street would rebound Friday morning. Dow futures were up 110 points, or 1.3 percent, to 8,810, while S&P futures were up 13.6 points, or 1.5 percent, to 918.1.Oil prices rebounded modestly after plummeting overnight, with a barrel of light, sweet crude for December delivery up 59 cents to $61.36 in Asian trade. The contract fell 7 percent, or $4.53, to settle at $60.77 overnight.In currencies, the dollar fell to 96.96 yen from 97.30 late Thursday in New York. The euro rose to $1.2763 from $1.2681 the day before.

Oil steady at $61 after 2-day plunge By ALEX KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer NOV 7,08

^DJI 8,695.79 -443.48
^GSPC 904.88 0.00
^IXIC 1,608.70 -72.94

SINGAPORE – Oil prices were steady near $61 a barrel Friday in Asia, pausing after a two-day plunge, but vulnerable to another steep fall as evidence of a severe U.S. recession continues to mount.Light, sweet crude for December delivery was up 59 cents at $61.36 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Singapore. Oil prices overnight fell $4.53 to settle at $60.77 after dropping $5.23 the previous day.There's a lot of gloom and doom right now, said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. Mounting bad news on the economic front is negatively affecting oil.A slew of grim economic news Thursday led traders to dump oil on concerns over weakening demand for crude products, such as gasoline.The number of Americans continuing to draw unemployment benefits surged to a 25-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, and the U.S. retailers saw their sales plummet last month to the weakest October level since at least 1969.The bad news sparked a sell-off in equity markets as well. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 4.9 percent Thursday, and Asian markets followed suit Friday. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average fell 0.4 percent.

Oil continues to trade in lockstep with stock markets, said Shum. More bad news could push oil into the $50s.Oil prices have fallen nearly 60 percent since peaking at $147.27 a barrel in mid-July.The dollar retreating after a sharp rally Thursday gave some support to oil prices in Asia. The dollar surged after the European Central Bank cut its key rate by half a percentage point to 3.25 percent, joining the Bank of England, Swiss and Czech central banks as they confront a looming recession.Commodities such as oil are used as a hedge against inflation and a weak dollar. When a central bank cuts interest rates, it tends to weaken that nation's currency, meaning the dollar typically trades higher against it.The euro gained to $1.2742 on Friday from 1.2681 on Thursday while the dollar was steady at 97.40 yen.

In other Nymex trading, gasoline futures rose 1.0 cent to $1.35 a gallon. Heating oil gained 1.86 cents to $1.96 a gallon while natural gas for December delivery fell 2.8 cents to $6.95 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, December Brent crude rose 41 cents to $57.84 on the ICE Futures exchange.

Bank of Korea cuts key interest rate to 4 percent By KELLY OLSEN, AP Business Writer NOV 7,08

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea's central bank cut its key interest rate Friday for the third time in less than a month, stepping up efforts to stave off a sharp slowdown in an economy pummeled by the global financial crisis. Stocks rallied.The Bank of Korea announced during a regular policy meeting that it had lowered its benchmark seven-day repurchase rate to 4 percent from 4.25 percent.The move followed hefty interest rate cuts overnight in Europe. The Bank of England slashed its key rate by 1.5 percentage points and the European Central Bank eased half a percentage point.The domestic economic slowdown persists, the South Korean central bank's monetary policy committee said in a statement, which also highlighted instability in stocks and the difficulties companies are having raising funds because of tight credit conditions.The committee also suggested the rate could be lowered further, saying it will do what is needed to ward off the risk of a severe slowdown in economic activity brought about mainly by the financial market unrest.South Korea's benchmark stock rose after a sharp early decline. The South Korean won also gained.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index jumped 26.50 points, or 2.4 percent, to 1,118.72 in midafternoon trading after falling as much as 4.9 percent in the morning.

The won traded at 1,311 to the U.S. dollar, up 1.5 percent, after opening 2.5 percent lower.The widely expected cut follows one of a quarter percentage point on Oct. 9 and another of three quarters of a percentage point on Oct. 27 — the biggest ever — at an emergency meeting.The rate was last at 4 percent in June of 2006.In addition to the rate cuts, South Korean financial authorities have taken various steps to boost the economy.The government announced last month a $100 billion plan to guarantee overseas loans taken out by the country's banks.In New York on Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 443.48, or 4.9 percent, to 8,695.79 amid concerns about widespread economic weakness.The losses, combined with a steep decline Wednesday, represent the Dow's worst two-day percentage decline since the October 1987 crash.The Kospi has declined 41 percent so far this year as foreign investors have fled South Korean stocks. The outbreak of the global financial crisis accelerated losses at one point to over 50 percent.A series of policy measures by the South Korean government and recent gains on Wall Street, however, had helped stabilize local stocks. The Kospi had risen for five straight sessions through Wednesday.The won, which has also fallen sharply this year as stocks have dropped, is down 28.6 percent so far in 2008.APTN producer Hyun-ah Kim and APTN cameraman Yong-ho Kim contributed to this report.

Iceland joining the EU the only way, says Bjork
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today NOV 7,08 @ 09:28 CET

Enigmatic Icelandic pop-star Bjork has said that joining the European Union seems like the only way to escape the severe economic crisis her country is undergoing.The singer made the remark in Brussels, while supporting the United Nations Information Centre for Western Europe's launch of CoolPlanet2009, a campaign to raise awareness on environmental issues and to mobilise citizens in support of a new climate agreement.Asked by reporters after the launch of the campaign on Thursday (6 November) whether the crisis required the north Atlantic nation joining the EU, the singer replied: Right now I would say it looks like it's the only way.The campaign launch was also backed by Margot Wallstrom, vice-president of the European Commission; Gro Harlem Brundtland, United Nations Special envoy on climate change and Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and current vice-chair of the Club of Madrid.The centre piece of the campaign will be a website to be launched early 2009 that will include information on climate change and how individuals can act in a climate friendly manner in their daily lives.The aim is to build a groundswell of support amongst the public ahead of the Copenhagen COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The December 2009 conference is expected to establish a new global climate agreement for the period from 2012 when the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires.Bjork has increasingly taken an interest in the financial crisis and the environment. In late October, she wrote an opinion piece for the Times of London in which she argued that the crisis was the fault of bankers and multinational corporations and that the solution was a return to small-scale environmentally friendly enterprise.Having spoken to a number of small businesses in Iceland, the singer is now convinced that the euro must be adopted in her home country.Icelandic small businesses say that at the top of the list, they need the euro to stabilise the currency, so I would go for that, she said.She also worried that unemployment on the island could reach 20 percent by the end of the year.

France pushes for more EU engagement in Iraq
VALENTINA POP Today NOV 7,08 @ 09:58 CET

France, currently chairing the six-month rotating European Union presidency, is pushing for the bloc to engage more and without delay in Iraq, a working paper seen by Financial Times Deutschland reads. Our common goal is to contribute to Iraq's success. The EU is therefore ready to engage without delay in this country, says the confidential paper on transatlantic relations discussed on Monday at an informal foreign ministers meeting in Marseille, the German daily reports.According to diplomats close to the issue, the EU's help is unlikely to be military, but rather in terms of training the Iraqi police and judiciary, with countries such as Germany and Italy already involved in similar programmes.The eight-page-long reflection paper on transatlantic partnership is still subject to discussions and no decisions have been taken yet.The timing of such a move serves the interests of the new US president, as he is set to shift the US focus in its War on Terror from Iraq to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Aides to Mr Obama told the Wall Street Journal that the new administration is likely to deploy tens of thousands of additional US troops to Afghanistan, where security conditions have worsened in recent months. They said Mr Obama would also devote more attention to neighbouring Pakistan, whose support is seen as crucial against neo-Taliban insurgents and al Qaeda.

Alongside the 151,000 US troops, the UK and several eastern European countries still have soldiers in Iraq, mostly set to reduce their contingents or withdraw completely by next year.Afghanistan meanwhile is a NATO operation. Its 50,700-strong International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), contains 34,000 American troops. The German contingent makes up 3,220 soldiers, but has faced criticism from the Canadian and UK side for its non-involvement in dangerous zones as a result of the Bundestag's mandate, which does not permit German soldiers to take part in combat operations.

PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS

JESUS PERSECUTED BIGTIME

PSALMS 14:1
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

MATTHEW 9:34
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

JOHN 8:41
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

JOHN 10:20
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11(JESUS GETS REVENGE)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST AND FOR SINNERS, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE FINAL JUDGEMENT).

WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE TREATED THE SAME.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (WHY WE ARE PERSECUTED BY THE WORLD)
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

MATTHEW 5:10-12
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

MATTHEW 24:9
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me (JESUS) before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

FAITH UNDER FIRE Christians brace for gang-rape, slaughter,India's believers may face bloodbath after another Hindu activist is shot November 06, 2008 11:05 pm Eastern By Chelsea Schilling 2008 WorldNetDaily

Christians who have been persecuted by Hindu militants in 12 Indian states could face more bloodshed after another Hindu activist, Rashtriya Swayamsevak, was reportedly shot dead by Maoists this week.India's Communist Party estimates that more than 500 Christians have been killed by Hindu mobs in Orissa, 12 times more than official government claims of only 40 homicides. One official said he personally authorized cremation of more than 200 bodies found in jungles after Christians were blamed for the death of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on Aug. 24. They continue to be persecuted even though Maoists openly admitted to murdering Saraswati.According to the Communist Party report, Hindu extremists may have used government machinery to minimize the evidence and possibly destroy dead bodies.Thousands of homes and churches have been destroyed, and tens of thousands of Christians have been forced to flee the violence. Mission Network News estimates 5,000 Christian homes have been burned, 200 churches ruined, 10,000 people remain in government-operated refugee camps, and tens of thousands are living in forests – many seriously wounded.

Religious rights group Barnabus Fund told the group Hindu militants forced Christians in Orissa to convert to Hinduism by threatening them with rape if they refused.Neighbors reportedly gang-raped a Hindu woman after her Christian uncle refused to renounce his faith, according to reports.Another Christian woman named Jaspina was told by neighbors, If you go on being Christian, we will burn your house and your children in front of you. She and her family were forced to eat cow excrement to purify themselves of Christianity.Other Christians were doused with gasoline and told to participate in conversion ceremonies or be lit on fire.One Catholic nun has finally agreed to identify her attackers after she was gang-raped in Orissa in August. When she reported the crime, police warned her she could face consequences for her complaint. Authorities initially refused to make an arrest until the incident was publicized in a national newspaper. The nun claims policemen watched the attack without saying a word, and one officer appeared to be friends with one of her rapists.Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI has called on government and religious leaders to come together and stop cruel violence against Christians. Other church leaders are denouncing government inaction following waves of bloodshed.

OZONE DEPLETION

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

This year's Antarctic ozone hole is 5th biggest Wed Nov 5, 12:23 pm ET

NEW YORK – This year's ozone hole over Antarctica was the fifth biggest on record, reaching a maximum area of 10.5 million square miles in September, NASA says.That's considered moderately large, NASA atmospheric scientist Paul Newman said in a statement.NASA has tracked the size of the hole for 30 years. Last year, it was 9.7 million square miles, about the size of North America.The hole is an area of depletion in the stratospheric ozone layer, which blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from space. Created by human-produced gases, the ozone hole generally forms in August and grows to its maximum size in September or October before breaking up.On the Net:NASA's ozone hole watch: http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov

LAND FOR PEACE (THE FUTURE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH)

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.

THE WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

After years of Bush, Arabs see hope in Obama By LEE KEATH and HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press Writers – Thu Nov 6, 4:33 pm ET

CAIRO, Egypt – An Arab news network blared U.S. election coverage in a Cairo hair salon, and the barbers and beauticians watched the images of Barack Obama's victory in amazement. Then it cut to scenes from the latest Israeli-Palestinian violence and the funeral of Gaza fighters.Look, do you see that? That will end! It will get better! blurted Ayman al-Sawi, caught up in the Obama enthusiasm.Others in the shop sneered. All American presidents are the same: Pro-Israel, one man said. But al-Sawi stood his ground.It won't be perfect, but Obama will be kinder, insisted the owner of a nearby electronics shop, who was hanging out in the salon on a customer-less Wednesday morning. Look, I know America will always put Israel first, I'm not naive ... But at least with Obama, I feel he will throw us a bone.Almost despite themselves, many Arabs are daring to hope Obama will bring something new to the Middle East, where bitterness toward the U.S. is probably the highest in the world.

Part of the optimism is simple joy at the imminent end of the Bush administration. Few figures are more disliked among the Mideast public than President Bush.Over past years, the bloodshed in Iraq, fears of war with Iran, abuse at Abu Ghraib and prisoners at Guantanamo convinced many that the United States was an anti-Arab, anti-Muslim bully. A feeling of despair and hopelessness became widespread and few believed U.S. policies would ever change.Even before Obama's victory, Arabs cautioned themselves to be realistic. The U.S. will always throw its weight around and will always back Israel, they say; Obama, even if he really does want a new approach on Iraq, Iran, the Palestinians and the war on terror, may not be able to implement it — and in any case he'll be absorbed first with the U.S. economic crisis.

Still, to many Obama seems to spell something different — whether because of the color of his skin, his Muslim family ties — his Kenyan father was a Muslim — or simply his charisma.Many believe he's more sympathetic to the Palestinians, or that he'll emphasize dialogue over what was seen as Bush's more bellicose tone. Some watched the dramatic vote and wished they could see similar democratic change in Arab countries, ruled by authoritarian leaders who stay in power through rigged elections.When Obama won, I felt it was the return of the American dream, Iman Bibars, an Egyptian women's activist and writer who is often sharply critical of the United States, told The Associated Press. I just cried through the whole thing, because it gave me hope that the good guy will win, in a world where good people don't normally win.Abdelmonem Mahmoud, a prominent young activist with Egypt's fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, says he's one of those who has fallen for the magic of Obama's charisma.He has created this mental state with the idea of change. Just the word has an effect, Mahmoud said Thursday. That's the emotional side. On the rational side, I have my doubts.I just hope he'll have real (Israeli-Palestinian) negotiations, whatever they lead to, he said. Maybe people have big dreams for him that aren't realistic. But it's realistic to hope he'll press for real negotiations.In Beirut, Sarah Haidar, an 18-year-old university student enveloped head-to-toe in an Islamic chador, said Obama's win gives some hope for a better future ... It's enough that he holds a positive view toward dialogue with Iran and Syria, which Bush considered evil.The Middle East poses some of the most monumental foreign policy challenges for an Obama administration. He has promised a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq by 2011, a position that pleases many in the Arab world, though it also raises fears of renewed chaos after the Americans leave.Also looming is the standoff with Iran over its nuclear program and its increasing influence across the Middle East. Obama has said he's open to direct negotiations with Iran, a welcome change to many Arabs who feared a war could break out.

Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered his congratulations to Obama on Thursday — the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In Israel, however, many fear Obama will make concessions that will open the way for Tehran to build a nuclear weapon, and some Arab governments are wary of anything that could allow rival Iran to strengthen its foothold in the region. But heaviest on most Arabs' minds is the question of how strongly Obama will push the peace process with Israel. The Bush administration put negotiations on the back burner for nearly seven years until a last-minute drive to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks. The negotiations have made little progress, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Thursday that a peace deal by a year-end deadline is no longer possible. Syria is also hoping for direct negotiations with Israel with U.S. mediation after months of indirect talks through Turkish intermediaries. Damascus also hopes for a thaw in relations with Washington, which have been bitter throughout the Bush administration. Arab news networks have run blanket coverage of Obama's win, with many analysts playing down expectations for dramatic shifts in U.S. policy. Also heavily covered was the history-in-the-making nature of Obama's win: Al-Jazeera repeatedly aired a long report on African-Americans and the civil rights struggle, with images of Martin Luther King Jr. In Sudan — another country with strong tensions with Washington — cell phone text message exchanges in Khartoum celebrated: Congratulations to Africa and Congratulations for Obama. Change is possible. Even some Islamic militants were inspired. One prominent hard-line Kuwaiti cleric, Sheikh Hamed al-Ali, said in a Web statement that the Islamic world should benefit from this example and request change also, and get rid of any regime that leads it with ignorance and injustice.At the Cairo hair salon, manager Mahmoud Hassan said he felt relief with Obama's victory. I see myself in him — like there is someone who looks like us, someone from Africa, who is the ruler of the world. If I met Obama, I would just tell him, Please don't let us down. Don't let this hope fade away, and let us feel safe with you.

Bush punts unfinished Mideast peace deal to Obama By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer – Thu Nov 6, 5:15 pm ET

JERUSALEM – The Bush administration has conceded that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is no longer possible by the end of its term and is preparing to hand the fragile, unfinished U.S.-backed peace effort to President-elect Obama.Obama may not want it, at least as designed by the Republican Bush administration, seen as slow to embrace the role of honest Mideast broker. Many of Obama's foreign policy advisers were players in the Clinton administration's extensive Mideast peace efforts and are unenthusiastic about President Bush's hands-off approach.After months of publicly insisting that an agreement still could be sealed by the year-end deadline set by the two sides and Bush last November in Annapolis, Md., U.S. officials said Thursday for the first time it would have to wait.We do not think it is likely it will happen before the end of the year, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in Washington after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged as much at the start of a Mideast trip.Bush has employed Rice as a goad and monitor, but not a central negotiator. The administration said that to be viable, any deal should come from the Israelis and Palestinians themselves. Rice's eighth visit to the region since the Annapolis peace conference had been intended as a push for urgent progress on the modest gains from a year of U.S.-sponsored talks between Israel and one part of the fractured Palestinian leadership.Instead, amid political uncertainty in Israel, where a corruption scandal is forcing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert from office, the administration is focused on keeping the two sides from backsliding. Rice wants them to produce a placeholding affirmation of their commitment to the peace process.

She said it remained an open question as to what form the affirmation would take, but said it was critical for the incoming Obama administration, as well as a new Israeli government to be elected in February, to inherit a solid framework to restart negotiations quickly.It should be carried forward, she said, stressing that progress, if not a full-on deal, had been achieved since Annapolis, including the fact that the two sides were talking again after years of Palestinian rebellion and international efforts to support the Palestinian people.She added that she hoped the Israelis and Palestinians would affirm that the Annapolis process and the framework it establishes is indeed the basis on which they believe they can come to a resolution of their conflict, regardless of anyone's timetables.It will be important to wrap up all of that work one way or another, she said.Negotiators from the two sides were to brief top officials from the international diplomatic quartet on the Middle East — the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia — in Egypt on Sunday on their progress to date.But it was not clear whether that meeting, which Rice also will attend, would produce a document or verbal statement that fits her bill, as Israel appears reluctant to put anything in writing that could memorialize specific results of the talks thus far.We hope that the current American administration will give the upcoming administration a positive opinion to continue this process, and bring it to a success, said Ahmed Qureia, the chief Palestinian negotiator.Rice's comments at times took the tone of a concession speech and came at a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Israel's chief negotiator in the talks. At it, the two women spoke of the importance of keeping the talks alive.It is important that we preserve the process within the structure that we have created, said Livni, a centrist who will be running against hardline former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Feb. 10 voting.Netanyahu currently is favored in most polls and has deep reservations about the peace process.Rice sees Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Friday before holding talks in Ramallah in the West Bank with Palestinian officials. She then makes a quick side trip to Aqaba, Jordan, to see Jordan's King Abdullah II before returning to the West Bank on Saturday and then heading to Egypt for the quartet meeting.Speaking to reporters aboard her plane en route to the Middle East, Rice lamented that Israel's political situation is a constraint on the ability of any government to conclude a deal. At the same time, she said it was the Bush administration's hope that Annapolis has laid groundwork which should make possible the establishment of a Palestinian state when the political circumstances permit.I think that whatever happens by the end of the year, you've got a firm foundation for quickly moving this forward to conclusion, she said. AP White House Correspondent Jennifer Loven in Washington contributed to this report.

DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS

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

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

Drug overdose kills one European per hour
ELITSA VUCHEVA 06.11.2008 @ 17:42 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Although drugs consumption in Europe in the last year has remained relatively stable, its levels are still alarmingly high, and the use of cocaine has even noted an increase in some countries, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction said on Thursday (6 November) in its annual report.One European dies every hour from drug overdose, with young people being particularly vulnerable, says the document, which covers developments across the EU as well as in Croatia, Turkey and Norway.Cannabis remains the most consumed illicit drug in Europe, with some 71 million people aged 15 to 64 years old having tried it at least once in their lives and 23 million having used it in the past year alone.Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, and France topped the list of cannabis consumers last year, while the lowest use of marijuana was found in Malta, Bulgaria, Greece, and Sweden.Some 4 million people across Europe, many of whom are young, are estimated to be using it on a daily or almost daily basis, although the report also underlines that the drug's global consumption seems to be stable or declining.On the other hand, however, the consumption of cocaine has noted an increase in seven member states – France, Ireland, Spain, the UK, Italy, Denmark and Portugal.Overall, 3.5 million young Europeans (15–34 years) have used cocaine in the last year, and 1.5 million in the last month.Cocaine is mostly to be found on the illicit stimulant market in the west and south of Europe, while elsewhere use and availability remain generally low, according to the report.In contrast, amphetamines and ecstasy remain the prevailing stimulants in most northern, central and eastern EU countries, especially in those which joined the bloc in 2004 and 2007.

One death per hour

Presenting the report at a press conference in the European Parliament, EMCDDA director Wolfgang Gotz underlined the harm caused by drug consumption and said drug overdose remained one of the main causes of death among the young people in Europe.

We estimate there are 7,000 to 8,000 drug-induced deaths in Europe per year, he said. In simple terms, we can say that one of our citizens dies per hour because of an overdose. We should really think whether we can allow ourselves this appalling waste of life.The majority of these deaths are related to heroin, he explained, but some 450 of them can be attributed directly to cocaine, which is now the worrying development.A couple of years ago, we were quite optimistic that the levels of drug-related deaths were falling and they were falling quite regularly - at least until 2003. But this seems to be no longer the case, Mr Gotz added.In reaction to the report, EU justice commissioner Jacques Barrot said that its alarming findings underlined the urgent need to highlight to young people the serious risks of taking drugs.Brussels said it is planning a major public campaign next year to discuss the risks related to drugs use and to make citizens aware of the figures.

Obama receives congratulations from world leaders By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer NOV 6,08

Tuscon CHICAGO – President-elect Obama accepted congratulations from nine presidents and prime ministers Thursday, returning calls from world leaders who reached out after his presidential victory.The global financial crisis was among the topics Obama discussed with key U.S. allies he'll deal with during his administration.Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the president-elect spoke to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.Sarkozy's office says they spoke for 30 minutes and characterized the discussion as extremely warm as the president congratulated Obama on a brilliant election victory. The statement said they discussed international issues, particularly the financial crisis, and agreed to meet in the quite near future.Harper's office said in a statement that they spoke about an international financial summit in Washington on Nov. 15 and its importance for addressing the global financial crisis. Obama had no plans to attend the meeting.The prime minister's office says the two leaders emphasized that there could be no closer friends and allies than the United States and Canada and vowed to maintain and further build upon the relationship. Harper's office called it a warm exchange and said they agreed to talk again soon.Calderon's office said Obama pledged continued U.S. support for Mexico's fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. A statement from the Mexican president's office says Obama told Calderon he was conscious of the difficulty of the battle and offered decisive U.S. support.Congress approved $400 million in anti-drug aid for Mexico last June, but has yet to release the money.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday congratulated Obama on his election win in a letter, — the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Iranian leader also said he hopes Obama will use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name for history during his term in office.In his conversation with Lee, Obama said the U.S.-South Korea alliance is a cornerstone of Asia's peace and stability, and promised improved relations between the countries, Seoul's presidential office said.The United States helped defend South Korea during the Korean war and is its No. 1 ally. About 28,500 American troops are still stationed there to deter threats from communist North Korea.Brown's Downing Street office says he and Obama spoke about several issues, including reform of the global financial system. Britain's Press Association newswire said the two had a very friendly and positive" 10-minute conversation, covering topics including the world economy, the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Middle East peace process.Australia's prime minister Kevin Rudd told reporters in Sydney that he spoke by telephone with Obama Friday to congratulate him on his historic win and discuss the various challenges the lie ahead for the world, chief among them the global financial crisis. The two also talked about the issues of national security and climate change during the 10- to 15-minute conversation, Rudd said.It was a good conversation, it was a friendly conversation, Rudd said. The challenges we face are great....But I believe we have a strong partner in the U.S.

NKorea: Ready to deal with Obama administration By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer – NOV 7,08

SEOUL, South Korea – A North Korean diplomat says the communist country is ready to deal with any new U.S. administration following Barack Obama's election to the presidency as talks continued over dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program.Ri Gun, a North Korean nuclear negotiator, spoke Thursday in New York after a meeting with Sung Kim, the U.S. special envoy to the international negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear programs.We have dealt with various U.S. administrations, including an administration that sought dialogue with us and an administration that attempted to isolate and contain us, Ri said. Whatever U.S. administration comes forward, we are ready to deal with that administration's policy on Pyongyang.During his campaign, Obama tried to distance himself from the hard-line policies President Bush adopted in his first term on North Korea's nuclear weapons. He has emphasized his willingness to continue direct talks with the North — a policy Bush has now embraced.On Friday, Obama spoke by telephone with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and pledged to work closely together with the Asian ally to help resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff and the global financial turmoil.Obama called the U.S. alliance with Seoul a cornerstone of Asia's peace and stability, Lee's office said.

The United States helped defend South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. About 28,500 American troops are still stationed across South Korea to deter threats from the North.Lee, who took office in February, is a conservative with a harder stance on Pyongyang than most of his predecessors.Seoul's Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters Friday that there would be no big difficulties in coordinating North Korea policies with Obama's administration, because both countries share the same goal of denuclearizing Pyongyang and want to achieve that through dialogue.In New York, the senior U.S. and North Korean diplomats met Thursday to discuss the next steps in implementing Pyongyang's pledge to dismantle its nuclear program. President Bush removed North Korea from the State Department's state sponsors of terrorism list on Oct. 11 after the North relented on nuclear inspection demands.Kim said the meeting was substantive, detailed, and we look forward to continuing to keep in touch.Ri said We all agree (in) the exchange of views what we have to do more, and what is the next thing.Kim told reporters he expects China, which chairs the six-party talks, to propose dates sometime soon for the next round of talks.

WARS AND RUMURS OF WARS.

MATTHEW 24:6
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

MARK 13:7
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
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 through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Petraeus: Afghan tribes needed to fight militants By FISNIK ABRASHI, Associated Press Writer – Thu Nov 6, 8:51 pm ET

Reuters BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan – Afghan tribes are needed as crucial battlefield allies against the Taliban and other extremists in the same way local militias rose up to oppose insurgents in Iraq, the new military overseer of America's two wars said Thursday.The tactic has long been endorsed by Gen. David Petraeus — the former top U.S. commander in Iraq whose outreach to Sunni sheiks helped oust al-Qaida-inspired militants from key areas and sharply decreased attacks.

But his latest comments — on his first trip to Afghanistan since taking charge of U.S. Central Command last week — appeared aimed at pressing the Afghan leadership to recognize the need for tribal militia allies at a time when violence in Afghanistan is at its highest levels since 2001.It also reflects Washington's expected shift in military focus from Iraq to Afghanistan and the neighboring tribal areas in Pakistan, which President-elect Barack Obama has described as the main showdown against the resurgent al-Qaida, Taliban and other militants.This is a country in which support of the tribes, of the local communities, for the overall effort is essential, Petraeus told The Associated Press at the massive Bagram Air Base north of Kabul. He added that Afghanistan has not had a tradition of central government extending into the far reaches of its provinces and its districts.Petraeus declined to discuss details of efforts — spearheaded publicly by President Hamid Karzai's government — to bring Afghan militiamen into the battle alongside Afghan forces, U.S. soldiers and other NATO-led troops.Yet Afghanistan poses even more potential complications than the so-called Awakening Council movement in Iraq.More than 150 major tribes range across the eastern and southern border lands with Pakistan — where the majority of the extremist attacks occur — and any military alliances with selected groups risk stirring rivalries and internal power struggles in regions outside central government control.

The tribes in the areas are almost exclusively Pashtun, the majority group in Afghanistan. Perceptions of special favors to already powerful Pashtun tribes — including pay and possible weapons supplies — could bring backlash from other ethnic groups with their own militiamen and warlords that clashed in brutal civil wars in the 1990s.In Iraq, the equation was different: the Awakening groups came mostly from the minority Sunnis who lost their privileged status with Saddam Hussein's fall. Now, the Shiite-led Iraqi government is under pressure from Washington to incorporate the militias into the security forces.The Pentagon did not provide weapons directly to Awakening allies in Iraq. But Petraeus left open the possibility that Karzai could offer arms in exchange for tribal alliances.We will certainly support what President Karzai decides to adopt, said Petraeus. We traditionally have not armed tribes ... But again, we have to see how that evolves here and see what kinds of initiatives and structures might be looked at.Antonio Giustozzi, an Afghanistan expert at the London School of Economics, said the tribal groups are needed to cover the shortage of regular forces for the entire country: 67,000 Afghan soldiers, about 78,000 police and more than 60,000 U.S. and other foreign troops.

But he questioned whether the tribal chiefs would have the will to fight the Taliban as it strengthens and rebuilds its network in the border regions.The assumption is that there are many community leaders who are anxious to fight the Taliban, although I suspect that may no longer be the case in most areas, said Giustozzi. In the end, I believe it will boil down to bribing people into joining militias. How military effective these are going to be remains to be seen.Across the border in Pakistan, the government in Islamabad has already started arming tribal militias for roles as front line forces against al-Qaida and Taliban safe havens.And — like in Iraq — the payback from extremists can be deadly. Dozens of government-allied tribesmen have been killed in recent attacks in Pakistan.The message is clear to any Afghan tribal leader weighing offers to join Kabul's fight. A senior foreign diplomat in Kabul, who has long experience in tribal relations, said there is a risk the effort could backfire if tribes are seen as battling on behalf of foreign troops. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not want to speak publicly on internal Afghan affairs. Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, said in a recent interview with the AP that he is absolutely ready to reach out to tribes as an auxiliary force. He noted, however, that any deals would have to be in connection with the Afghan government.In Afghanistan, U.S. and other foreign troops use local militiamen for security at some bases. But the efforts so far have concentrated on training the country's fledgling security forces. In the interview, Petraeus said the war in Afghanistan is closely intertwined with the fight in Pakistan, and they need to be tackled together. But escalating U.S. missile strikes in Pakistan's tribal region — at least 17 since late summer — have strained Islamabad's ties with Washington despite some apparent successes against extremists.

Petraeus said recent U.S. missiles have killed three of the top 20 extremist leaders in Pakistan's border zone. He did not identify the leaders killed, but described the attacks as hugely important.On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani warned that the next U.S. president must halt the attacks. The prime minister said the U.S. should share intelligence with his country's military to allow Pakistan to go after the militants. Washington says Pakistan's tribal areas harbor many of al-Qaida's leaders, including Osama bin Laden.

MUSLIM NATIONS

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Was deadly Iranian ship bound for Israel? November 07, 2008 1:00 am Eastern
2008 HAL LINDSEY

In September, Somali pirates made headlines when they captured a Russian-flagged Ukrainian cargo ship bound for Kenya. This hijacking made news because the vessel was filled with Russian-made weapons on their way to Kenya's military.The pirates from Somalia have found their pot of gold. Merchant vessels are extremely vulnerable as they pass through narrow strait that leads from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea. Somalia's long coast borders this strategic international sea-lane.This has enabled Somali pirates to attack at least 77 ships this year. The vast majority of merchant ships are not armed or prepared to defend themselves against pirates. The raiders have very fast small rubber boats that are invisible to radar.The pirates are well-trained terrorist-types. They're heavily armed with compact, but very destructive and lethal weapons. Once they capture a merchant ship or freighter, they offer it up for ransom. The average ransom collected per ship is about $2 million.

But of even more interest than the Russian arms freighter is another hijacking that occurred in roughly the same time period. This incident involved an Iranian freighter: the MV Iran Deyant. The mystery is why this hijacking has been almost completely unreported, especially in the U.S. media. Somali pirates captured this state-owned Iranian merchant ship in August. It sailed from Nanjing, China, on July 28.According to its manifest, it was heading for Rotterdam. But the U.S. Coast Guard reports that Iran routinely falsifies its shipping manifests. The vessel's declared cargo consisted of minerals and industrial products. It was boarded by pirates on Aug. 21.By Sept. 1, 16 of the Somali pirates were dead. Others were covered with skin burns and suffered hair loss, nausea and other signs of radiation sickness. These kinds of injuries are consistent with exposure to radioactive materials – or possibly some form of biological weapons.So, what was the ship really carrying? Nobody is talking. Where was it really headed? Nobody knows for sure. The pirates released the ship back to Iran on Oct. 10, before the U.S. or NATO could get a good look inside.But there is plenty of speculation. Some believe it was a massive floating dirty bomb headed through the Suez Canal for a position off Israel's coast. Once there, it would be detonated and its cargo of fine, white, sandy soil would be blown into the air, eventually to settle to the earth in Israel.If 16 pirates died after minimal exposure to the cargo, how destructive would it be when it settled on large, metropolitan areas? Or, was it bound for America? Perhaps it carried chemical or nuclear materials for al-Qaida. Or Hezbollah. But now that it's back in Iran, how will we know? We'll keep an eye on this one.This story illustrates the danger that still lurks in this world. Since 9/11, Americans have been lulled once again into a sense of complacency. No harm, no foul. Because we've not been hit on our soil, we've assumed the danger has lessened. This disturbing incident illustrates the fact that it has not lessened, just held at bay.

We've discussed potential terrorist threats such as an electromagnetic pulse attack. We've discussed dirty bombs brought into American cities and Mexican gangs smuggling weapons materials across the border.I've told you about cyber attacks from various countries. We've even described how Islamic groups are buying up banking interests in the Caribbean and establishing bases off the coast of South America.But Americans only think in terms of sound bites and news cycles. Muslims think in terms of decades and centuries. Just because they've been unsuccessful recently doesn't mean they're not continuing to work toward another attack – and the bigger the better.
They have a sense of history; we don't. They are patient in working toward their goals. We aren't.

JPost.com International Nov 6, 2008 17:40
Gadhafi: Nations competing to sell arms to Libya By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said Thursday that Libya stands to profit from competition among Western and ex-Soviet nations for access to its lucrative arms market. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, left, greets Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi during their meeting in Moscow.Pictures of the week Gadhafi, who ended Libya's years of international isolation in 2003 when he renounced terrorism and gave up efforts to develop nuclear weapons, said the rivalry would allow Libya to get the most modern weapons for the best possible price. He spoke in Kiev at the end of a weeklong tour to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, all of which offered to supply Libya with weapons. He said Libya was also discussing possible arms deals with Britain, France and Italy. Everyone is trying to offer a better choice, Gadhafi said. Russia, which supplied billions of dollars' worth of aircraft, missiles and other weapons to Libya during Soviet times, has moved recently to rebuild ties that withered after the 1991 Soviet collapse. But it faces strong competition. Vladimir Putin visited Libya in April when he was still Russia's president, agreeing to write off $4.5 billion in Libyan debt in exchange for lucrative deals in energy and arms. In return, state-owned Russian Railways landed a 2.2-billion-euro ($2.8 billion) contract and Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom signed a deal to develop six prospective oil and gas fields in Libya.

But Russian media have reported that has been relatively little progress in talks on business deals and weapons contracts. Ukraine and Belarus could emerge as strong competitors since their numerous Soviet-era defense plants could offer similar products. Gadhafi said Thursday that during his visit to Moscow officials from the two nations signed a deal on cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy, but gave no details. He said Libya was ready to sign similar deals with the US, Japan and other nations. Russian media reports had claimed before Gadhafi's visit to Moscow that Libya could offer Russian ships permission to use its port of Benghazi. The issue wasn't publicly mentioned during Gadhafi's trip to Moscow, however, and the Libyan leader didn't comment on it. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov denied that the matter was ever discussed. Gadhafi, who is still viewed as an eccentric autocrat in the West, also claimed that he predicted Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential election in his Green Book, which was published in the 1970s and set out his political views. Everything that is happening now was written in the Green Book 30 years ago already, Gadhafi said at a news conference in the Ukrainian capital. And the Green Book says that dark-skinned people will rule the world.