DAY 20 ISRAEL IN GAZA PROTECTING ISRAELIS

AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)

EZEKIEL 39:21
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

ISAIAH 18:1-2
1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

JEREMIAH 50:11,37,12
11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;(BACKSLIDERS)
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.(A NATION OF MINGLED PEOPLE)
12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed:(MOTHER ENGLAND) behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

JEREMIAH 51:13,7,53
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

REVELATION 18:3,5,7
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK ATTACK)

REVELATION 18:10
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.

Atheists want God stricken from inaugural oath Wed Jan 14, 7:54 pm ET

WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama wants to conclude his inaugural oath with the words so help me God, but a group of atheists is asking a federal judge to stop him.California atheist Michael Newdow sued Chief Justice John Roberts in federal court for an injunction barring the use of those words in the inaugural oath.Newdow and other atheists and agnostics also want to stop the use of prayers during the inaugural celebration.Newdow, who lost a Supreme Court battle to get the words under God taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance, has failed in similar challenges to the use of religious words and prayers at President George W. Bush's inaugurations.

Roberts' attorney Jeffrey P. Minear filed a document in Newdow's lawsuit saying that Obama wants the words so help me God included in his oath of office.The Justice Department and attorneys general from all 50 states have filed motions at the federal court asking for the lawsuit to be thrown out.The oath dictated by the Constitution is 35 words long and reads: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.The National Archives says that George Washington added the words so help me God when he took the oath at his 1789 inaugural, and most presidents have used it since. However, some have argued that the first eyewitness account of a president using those words came at President Chester Arthur's inauguration in 1881.Named in Newdow's lawsuit are Roberts; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; and the two pastors invited to the event, the Rev. Rick Warren and the Rev. Joseph Lowery.U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton will hear arguments on Thursday.

REVELATION 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

THESE GODLESS DON'T THINK THEY HAVE TO GIVE ACCOUNT TO JESUS,WELL DO I HAVE NEWS FOR THEM AT THEIR DEATH,THEN AT THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST FOR SINNERS.

Atheist advertising campaign spreads to Spain JAN 14,09

Adverts denying the existence of God began appearing on buses in Spain on Monday as part of a campaign inspired by a similar initiative that got underway earlier this month in Britain.BARCELONA -The ads on buses that service two routes in Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city, read: There's probably no God. Stop worrying and enjoy your life in Catalan.They were paid for by the Catalan branch of Spain's Union for Atheists and Free Thinkers (UAL).The same message was plastered on roughly 800 buses and in London's subway system several weeks ago, angering believers in Britain.The Barcelona archbishop's office has already condemned the campaign, saying in a statement that for believers, faith in God was not an obstacle to enjoying life, but a solid foundation to live life with an attitude of solidarity, peace and a sense of transcendence.This campaign is not against believers, it is not even addressed to them. It is addressed to atheists, who are regularly threatened with punishments in a country with a strong Catholic tradition, the president of the Catalan branch of UAL, Albert Riba, told AFP.We want to tell non-believers: Relax, God probably does not exist, he added.The association wants to extend the campaign to the rest of the country, on buses in Madrid, Valencia on the Mediterranean coast, Bilbao in the northeast and Seville in the southwest.It has so far collected 15,500 euros (21,000 US dollars) through its web site to finance the ad campaign.In anticipation of the atheist advertising campaign, an evangelical pastor in Madrid has already paid for an opposing message to appear on a suburban bus route in Madrid that says: Yes, God exists. Make the most of life with Christ.[AFP/ Expatica]

PSALMS 20:1-9 PRAY THIS FOR ISRAEL EVERY DAY OF THIS WAR
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.

ISRAELS INHERITED LAND IN THE FUTURE

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.

Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.

ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.

HAMAS AT THERE WORST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UptNr0v1p3E

WAR COVERAGE
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Special/War/

Israel Sets Terms as Hamas Inches Closer to 10-Day Ceasefire
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu JAN 15,09

(IsraelNN.com) Hamas is inching closer towards accepting a 10-day ceasefire in Gaza, and Amos Gilad, head of the security-political bureau of the Defense Ministry, is to visit Cairo Thursday to hear details. Israel has set its conditions for a halt to the fighting, and it is not year clear what Hamas will accept and demand.Hamas sounded less militant, with terrorist spokesman Ghazi Hamad telling the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), I am optimistic now because I think there is no other choice for us.... This kind of agreement can be done now, and I think now there is good progress in Egypt. We hope that now Egypt will contact Israel and talk about all issues.However, warring factions in Hamas show a split in unity, which has been magnified by local leaders' being under pressure from outside control of Iran and Syrian-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal.We do not agree with the initiative as it stands now, Beirut-based Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera television.

Israel has demanded ironclad guarantees from the United States and the international community that Hamas will not exploit a ceasefire to continue smuggling weapons into Gaza by land and sea. The government has not mentioned the return of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit nor has it spoken of the terrorist army and arsenal of rockets that Hamas would retain during a truce. The Egyptian ceasefire proposal includes a 10-day halt to the fighting until details are worked out for security at the border between Egypt and Gaza. Israeli forces would remain in Gaza, a condition that Hamas previously has rejected but now is considering, according to the Associated Press.

Israel continued to strike deep into Gaza overnight Wednesday, killing at least two suspected terrorists outside the home of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar. Fighting intensified in the Gaza City neighborhood el-Hawa as the Gaza death toll passed 1,000, mostly members and terrorists of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other factions.At least seven terrorists were killed late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

IDF HITS FROM,AIR,GROUND,SEA
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129432

Rockets in South, False Alarm in Jerusalem
by Maayana Miskin JAN 14,09

(IsraelNN.com) Gaza terrorists fired several rockets at southern Israel early on Wednesday afternoon. The attacks took place during the daily three-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, during which the IDF stops fighting to allow humanitarian supplies to reach civilians.Terrorists aimed rockets at Ashdod, Ashkelon, Yavne, Be'er Sheva, Sderot and small towns in the Gaza Belt area. Strikes were reported in open areas outside Be'er Sheva, Yavne and Ashdod. The rockets did not cause injury or damage. One rocket hit a small agricultural community in the Sdot HaNegev region, causing damage but no injury.

False Alarm in Jerusalem
At 1:00 p.m. a rocket alert siren sounded in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and Maaleh Adumim. The siren caused mild panic, and hundreds of residents called MDA paramedics for instructions.Home Front Command officials said the alarm was caused by a technical malfunction. No actual attack took place, and no trial of the system had been scheduled.Some residents of Beit Shemesh reported hearing an explosion following the alarm. Defense officials conducted a brief investigation and determined that the noise did not result from an attack, but rather was related to ongoing work in the area.

Gaza Terrorists Fire Phosphorus Shell
by Maayana Miskin JAN 15,09

(IsraelNN.com) A phosphorus mortar shell was among the 16 rockets and shells fired at Israel by early Wednesday afternoon. Gaza terrorists fired the shell at the Eshkol region. The shell hit an open area and did not cause injury.Local officials expressed concern over the use of a new, more deadly weapon. The potential danger is enormous, one warned. The phosphorus shell is more dangerous than the usual rockets and mortar shells fired at the region, he explained.Eshkol Council head Chaim Yelin said the attack showed that Hamas is using illegal weapons.While expressing concern over the attack, Yelin said he was more concerned by the frequency of rocket attacks on the region. While the frequency of attacks on large cities has dropped, the Eshkol region is still hit by several rockets each day, he said. Israel must continue to fight until the region is quiet, he said, adding, We must not forget that we went to war in order to bring quiet to communities on the front line.

Earlier this week Hamas accused Israel of using phosphorus in Gaza. Several foreign officials working with Gaza humanitarian groups have echoed the claim while taking care to state that the allegations have not been proven. IDF officials have rejected the allegations.Phosphorus bombs and shells scatter burning phosphorus on impact. A phosphorus head makes a rocket more likely to cause a serious fire or to burn anyone in proximity of a strike.

10-day truce proposed in talks with Hamas, Israel By SALAH NASRAWI and LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writers JAN 14,09

CAIRO, Egypt – Egypt and Hamas are close to a deal for a 10-day cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group in Gaza, where the death toll from the Israeli offensive exceeded 1,000, officials said Wednesday. Egyptian and Hamas officials expressed optimism that an agreement for a temporary halt in fighting could be sealed soon and presented to Israel.But even if all sides sign on, further talks will be needed to resolve contentious disputes over policing Gaza's borders and ensure a longer-term truce.We're working with Hamas and we're working with the Israeli side. We hope to reach an outcome soon, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki told the British Broadcasting Corp.Nine Israeli human rights groups accused the army of endangering Gazan civilians and called for a war crimes investigation. The groups wrote to Israeli leaders that the Gaza campaign has left civilians with nowhere to flee. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel supports freedom of expression, even if an opinion is not based on any solid evidence and even if it is tainted with political bias.Guerrillas in Lebanon sent rockets crashing into northern Israel on Wednesday for the second time in a week, drawing an Israeli artillery barrage and threatening to drag the Jewish state into a second front.Egyptian and Hamas officials held intensive talks in Cairo. Late Wednesday, Salah al-Bardawil, a Gaza-based Hamas official, stopped short of saying Hamas had accepted the Egyptian proposal. He told reporters that we submitted our points of view on the proposed deal, adding, We hope that this Egyptian effort will succeed.Ghazi Hamad, another Gaza-based Hamas official, told the BBC, I am optimistic now because I think there is no other choice for us. ... This kind of agreement can be done now, and I think now there is good progress in Egypt. We hope that now Egypt will contact Israel and talk about all issues.But there were signs Hamas' leadership-in-exile had reservations. Osama Hamdan, a leading Hamas official in Beirut, said there were still points Hamas had not agreed to. We do not agree with the initiative as it stands now, he told Al-Jazeera TV.

The contradictory comments were the latest sign of cracks between Hamas leaders under fire in Gaza and the leadership-in-exile, which is largely based in Syria and is seen as more hard-line. Hamas officials, however, insist that the movement is unified, and it was not clear if Hamdan's tougher tone was a negotiating tactic or a sign of division.Israel launched its offensive Dec. 27 to halt years of Palestinian rocket attacks. It has said it will press forward until Hamas halts the rocket fire and receives guarantees that Hamas will stop smuggling weapons into Gaza through the porous Egyptian border.The offensive has killed at least 1,025 Palestinians, about half of them civilians, including 300 children and teenagers, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Gaza Health Ministry. The toll included 68 Palestinians who were killed or died of wounds Wednesday. More than 4,500 Palestinians have been wounded, medical officials said. Thirteen Israelis have also been killed, four by rocket fire from Gaza.Jakob Kellenberger, head of the international Red Cross, welcomed the three-hour daily lulls in the fighting set by Israelis to let groups send in aid and assist the wounded in Gaza, but he said more time was needed.You must have access at any time to people who are wounded, he said.Israel showed no signs of slowing its bruising offensive as fighting raged early Thursday north and south of Gaza City, where explosions and gunfire could be heard. Hospital officials said seven people were killed — four militants shortly after midnight in southern Gaza and three people an hour later in Gaza City.On Wednesday, Israel struck some 60 targets. One airstrike hit an overcrowded cemetery, spreading human remains over a wide area. The army said the airstrike targeted a weapons cache hidden near the graveyard. And two firefighters were killed in an airstrike as they extinguished a blaze started by a shell in a residential building, Palestinian medics said.Under the Egyptian proposal, Hamas would back off its demand that Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza and borders be opened immediately as part of any halt in fighting.Instead, Israeli forces would remain in place during a 10-day cease-fire until details on border security are worked out, Egyptian and Palestinian officials close to the talks told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of the closed-door negotiations.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met late Wednesday with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to discuss the cease-fire efforts. In a sign of progress, Israel's chief negotiator, Amos Gilad, planned to fly to Egypt on Thursday to present Israel's stance, a senior defense official said. Gilad had put off the trip in recent days, saying the time was not yet ripe. A senior Israeli official said it was far from certain that Israel would accept the deal. He said Israel welcomed many parts of the plan, but is concerned that Hamas will not respect a cease-fire as long as troops are in Gaza. The Israeli officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. Israel has made clear that the Cairo talks are key to determining whether it widens its offensive.

Israeli leaders signaled that they have crippled Hamas to their satisfaction after 19days of heavy bombardment and ground fighting, but were holding out for international guarantees that weapons would no longer be smuggled into Gaza. The rocket fire from Lebanon caused no injuries, but sent residents scurrying to bomb shelters. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and speculation focused on small Palestinian groups. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed guerrilla group that fought a monthlong war with Israel in 2006, denied involvement in last week's attack. In a Web audiotape Wednesday, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden urged Muslims to launch a holy war against Israel. Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious opinion, or fatwa, forbidding the purchase of any Israeli goods or trade with Israeli companies. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a visit to the Mideast on Wednesday, urging an immediate halt to the violence. It is intolerable that civilians bear the brunt of this conflict, he said after talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Negotiations need to be intensified to provide arrangements and guarantees in order to sustain an endurable cease-fire and calm.Ban is scheduled to arrive Thursday in Israel. He will also visit Jordan, the Palestinian-controlled West Bank, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Kuwait. His itinerary does not include a stop in Gaza because of the ongoing conflict. In Paris, the French and German foreign ministers urged an immediate Gaza cease-fire, saying in a statement that such a measure would provide space to address the humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, both Venezuela and Bolivia broke diplomatic ties with Israel over Gaza, a week after Venezuela expelled Israel's ambassador. Both Latin nations have cultivated ties to Iran, which supports Hamas.

If a cease-fire is reached, it would aim to give 10 days of quiet to work out the contentious issues of a longer truce, according to the framework outlined by the Egyptian and Palestinian officials close to the talks. During that time, Egyptian, Turkish and other international mediators would try to negotiate an arrangement for policing Gaza's borders — particularly those with Egypt — to prevent weapons smuggling into the territory, the officials said. This would likely entail some kind of international monitors on the Palestinian side of the border — but the two sides remain far apart on who would make up the force, where they would be deployed and their mission. Hamas has so far publicly resisted deploying international monitors and has demanded a role in policing the borders. Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group and has always rejected a policing role. Only after a deal on border security has been reached would the crossings be opened and Israel withdraw, the officials said. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit underlined that all elements must fall into place — the cease-fire, the security arrangements, and the eventual opening of border crossings and Israeli withdrawal. Otherwise, we will end up with a truce but without reconciliation or with a truce that will be broken, he said. Also, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah called for a meeting of Gulf countries on Gaza Thursday, while Qatar sought an emergency summit Friday of the Arab League. Arab countries have been struggling with how to address the crisis, with some pushing for a strong response against Israel and others willing to put more pressure on Hamas.

Maj. Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, said the army has destroyed 60 percent to 70 percent of the smuggling tunnels along the Egyptian border. She also said Israel has reduced Hamas' rocket capabilities by 90 percent, from about 200a day before the offensive to 20 or 30 each day. Hamas militants fired a phosphorus shell into Israel for the first time, hitting a field near the border town of Sderot but causing no casualties, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. Associated Press writers Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Amy Teibel in Jerusalem and Sarah El Deeb in Cairo contributed to this report.

Brussels freezes talks on closer EU-Israel relations
LEIGH PHILLIPS 14.01.2009 @ 23:36 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Brussels has paused negotiations with Tel Aviv over a planned upgrade to EU-Israel relations, as the Palestinian death toll passed the 1,000 mark on Wednesday (14 January).The priority at the moment is to achieve a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and that is what we need to concentrate on now, not the upgrade, European Commission external relations spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann told EUobserver.No activities that could be considered related to the upgrade are taking place due to the situation on the ground, Czech EU presidency spokesman Jan Sliva said.The EU-Israel Association Council - a group headed by foreign ministers that conducts bilateral relations between Israel and the EU - announced last June that Brussels would upgrade relations with Tel Aviv.EU leaders in December launched accelerated negotiations on increased diplomatic co-operation, Israeli participation in European programmes and agencies and possible Israeli integration into the European single market.The European Commission was tasked with technical talks on participation in programmes and agencies while EU member states were to forge closer political links. The current pause in negotiations relates to the commission's technical talks.The EU's ambassador to Israel, Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal, also told reporters in Jerusalem on Wednesday that the two sides have imposed a mutually agreed time-out in the negotiations, Reuters reports.In a war situation, in a situation in which Israel is at war, using its war means in a very dramatic way, in a powerful way in Gaza, everybody realises that it is not the appropriate time to upgrade bilateral relations which normally take place in a more ...peaceful context, he said.An Israeli diplomat pointed out that the Czech EU presidency continues to place improved EU-Irsaeli relations at the top of its agenda.

It is only that technical work has been postponed, the contact said. So we don't see any obstacle to the upgrade at all.Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek told MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday that he was still committed to strengthening EU-Israel ties.
The current dramatic events in this region must not deter us. On the contrary, they emphasise the necessity of finding a peaceful solution, he said.The vast majority of MEPs at a European Parliament debate on Gaza called for an immediate ceasefire, voicing shock at the suffering of the civilian population and deploring strikes against civilian and UN targets.UK liberal deputy Chris Davies, who recently returned from a trip to the conflict zone, criticised the EU for not doing enough to bring a halt to the violence.Saying Israel had turned Gaza into Hell and calling the Jewish state's war on the occupied territory evil, he asked why Europe makes allowances for Israel that we wouldn't for any other states.His remarks came as Palestinian medical officials on Wednesday said 1,013 people have died so far, over 300 of whom are children and 76 are women, with a further 4,500 injured. Thirteen Israelis have also been killed since fighting broke out on 27 December.

Bin Laden urges jihad against Israel over Gaza
Updated Wed. Jan. 14 2009 1:05 PM ET The Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt -- Osama bin Laden urged Muslims to launch a jihad against Israel and condemned Arab governments as allies of the Jewish state in a new message aimed at harnessing anger over Israel's Gaza military offensive. The al Qaeda chief spoke in an audiotape posted Wednesday on militant websites where the group usually issues its messages. It was his first tape since May and came nearly three weeks after Israel started its campaign. Bin Laden also vowed that the terror network would open new fronts against the United States and its allies beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. He said president-elect Barack Obama has received a heavy inheritance from George W. Bush -- two wars and the collapse of the economy, which he said will render the United States unable to sustain a long fight against the mujahedeen, or holy warriors. There is only one strong way to bring the return of Al-Aqsa and Palestine, and that is jihad in the path of God, bin Laden said in the 22-minute audiotape, referring to the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The duty is to urge people to jihad and to enlist the youth into jihad brigades.Islamic nation, you are capable of defeating the Zionist entity with your popular capabilities and your great hidden strength -- without the support of (Arab) leaders and despite the fact that most of (the leaders) stand in the barracks of the Crusader-Zionist alliance, bin Laden said. The authenticity of the tape could not be independently confirmed, but the voice resembled that of bin Laden in previous messages. The White House dismissed the tape, saying it reflected bin Laden's isolation and shows the al Qaeda leader is trying to remain relevant at a time when his ideology and mission are being questioned and challenged. The tape, entitled A Call for Jihad to Stop the Aggression on Gaza, was played over a still picture of bin Laden and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City, one of Islam's holiest sites. But there were no English subtitles and flashy production graphics that usually accompany such messages.

That suggested the message had been hastily put together and issued to best exploit anger in the region over the Gaza offensive, which Palestinian medical officials say has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, half of them civilians. Israel said the offensive aims to halt rocket fire from Gaza against Israeli towns. Bin Laden accused Arab leaders of avoiding their responsibility to liberate Palestine. If you are not convinced to fight, then open the way to those who are convinced, he said.

Bin Laden and his lieutenants frequently use the Palestinian issue to try to rally support for al Qaeda and often call for holy war to free Jerusalem. But there has been little sign that the group has carried out attacks in Israel. Bin Laden made no direct reference to Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. Al Qaeda leaders have frequently criticized the group for participating in elections and failing to seriously pursue jihad against Israel. The al Qaeda leader also said the world economic crisis was a sign that the United States' power was falling apart. The Islamic nation's jihad is one of the main causes of these destructive results for our enemies, he claimed. Pointing to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, bin Laden said al Qaeda was prepared to fight for seven more years, and seven more after that, then seven more.We are on the way to opening new fronts, he said, urging Muslims to join hands with the mujahedeen to continue the jihad against the enemy, to continue bleeding them on these two fronts and on the others that are open to you.The question is, can America continue the war against us for several more decades? The reports and signs show us otherwise, he said. He said Bush had left his successor with a heavy inheritance, forcing Obama to choose between withdrawing from the wars or continuing. If he withdraws from the war, it is a military defeat. If he continues, he drowns in economic crisis, bin Laden said. It was the first time bin Laden have spoken of Obama, though he did not mention him by name. Bin Laden's top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri has previously spoken against Obama, warning Muslims he will not bring major change in American policies.

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.

Harsh winter winds blow across Canada
Updated Wed. Jan. 14 2009 6:02 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff

Canadians in more than half a dozen provinces are being warned to bundle up for at least a few more days, with wind-chill and snowfall warnings in effect across the country, including the East Coast.The deep freeze that hit Western and Central Canada earlier -- taking temperatures to between -20 and -50 with wind chill -- could last until next week in some areas, warned Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson. As of Wednesday morning, Manitoba was experiencing particularly extreme wind chills and temperatures. Winnipeg residents were being warned of wind chills as low as -45.The statement this morning out of Manitoba was mentioning brief wind chills as cold as minus 50, Coulson told CTV's Canada AM. When we get to those kinds of wind chills we are talking about potential frostbite within a matter of minutes.Calgary residents, on the other hand, could actually find themselves enjoying a relatively- warm 10 degrees above freezing on Thursday, and with only a hint of sub-zero temperatures for the rest of the week.But the city still has to deal with snowfall tonight that could cause accumulation problems. Residents are already making a high volume of calls to city staff, according to the City of Calgary website.To the east, in Saskatoon, Sask., the winds had calmed down and temperatures plummeted to -32. Things were just as bad in Regina, where residents saw midday temperatures of -28 with a wind chill of -37. In Thunder Bay, Ont., on Wednesday, it was -24 with the wind chill taking the temperature to a frigid -36. Toronto was a little warmer, with temperatures at -16 with the winds standing still in the early afternoon. In Montreal the temperature was -22 with wind chill making it feel like a frigid -33.

Coulson said the duration of the deep freeze will vary depending on the province - with those in the east likely to feel the effects of the cold front longer than those in the west. It looks like Saskatchewan will begin to see some relief from the bitter cold by Friday, he told CTV's Canada AM. For Manitoba it's Friday and into Saturday. Northwestern Ontario should be seeing some relief on Saturday, Southern Ontario probably into Sunday before we see somewhat milder temperatures, and in Quebec it's probably going to be right into early next week before they see some relief.In the East Cost, parts of northern and northwestern New Brunswick were expected to see extreme wind chill values as well, with Environment Canada predicting wind chills below -35 on Wednesday night.Most of Prince Edward Island was also under a wind-chill warning, with the cold breeze expected to make temperatures feel like -40. Nova Scotia appeared to have escaped the cold, except for a few counties like Colchester and Cumberland.Coulson warned that frostbite and freezing can set in within minutes when temperatures reach such lows -- and people should avoid unnecessary risks. In this type of weather, really, if you don't have to be out there you shouldn't be out there, he said. If you have to be out there for any length of time -- and some folks it's their job, they have to be -- these people are well prepared, dressed in layers, making sure they've got all their extremities covered to try to keep as much as the body warmth in as they can.Even after next week, Canadians aren't necessarily in the clear. Coulson warned that it's possible we'll experience another cold snap before the winter is over. We're still in the middle of January,Coulson said. These types of cold outbreaks are still quite possible as we head through the rest of the month of January and right into February. Hopefully not of this scope and this depth of cold, but we still have a ways to go this winter.

Biting cold hits Northeast, keeps even skiers home By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer JAN 14,08

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The cold wave that stunned the nation's midsection expanded into the Northeast on Wednesday with subzero temperatures and biting wind that kept even some winter sports fans at home. The wind chill hit 33 below zero during the night at Massena, N.Y., and the National Weather Service predicted actual temperatures nearly that low in parts of the region by Thursday night. The weather service said Flint, Mich., set a record low early Wednesday at 19 degrees below zero.Forecasters also issued a lake effect snow warning Wednesday night for southwest Michigan, where a foot of snow or more could fall.Winter-hardened people across northern New England bundled up amid warnings about how fast exposed skin can freeze.Anyone who sends their kid out today is out of the running for parent of the year, said Eric Friedman, a spokesman for Mad River Glen ski area in Fayston, Vt. A frostbite caution sign was posted at the ticket office, but few skiers were there to see it because of the 5-below-zero cold, Friedman said.Schools from Iowa to North Carolina opened late so kids would not have to be out in the coldest part of the morning. Some schools closed altogether.Awful, said University of Dayton student Lauren Weining, who put on two pairs of pants and three sweaters under her coat for a 10-minute walk to her job on the Ohio school's campus. It's the longest 10 minutes I ever had this year.No deaths were reported in the Northeast, but snowy conditions caused a 14-car crash Wednesday on Interstate 75 in Ohio and a truck that slowed to avoid the wreckage slammed into a car, killing the car's 55-year-old driver, said Tipp City patrolman Greg Adkins.Also on Wednesday, two men died in a 20-vehicle pileup in near-blizzard conditions on the Indiana Toll Road.A day earlier, a Wisconsin man died of exposure after wandering from his home; relatives said he was prone to sleepwalking. Poor visibility in blowing snow was blamed for a 20-car pileup that killed two people Wednesday in Indiana.Snow also cut visibility in Chicago, where airlines canceled around 250 flights Wednesday afternoon at O'Hare International Airport.In New York, where light snow was forecast and overnight lows Thursday near Albany were expected to be around minus 10, the frigid conditions caused complications for highway managers because road salt doesn't melt ice in subzero temperatures.Once we get into minus 10, minus 20, in some cases we have to go to just straight sand, a light dusting of sand, on the highway to get some grit, provide some traction, said Mike Flick of the state Transportation Department in Pamelia.

Mercifully, no major precipitation was forecast for New England. Parts of the region are still recovering from a Dec. 11 ice storm that tore down trees and power lines, cutting electricity to about 1 million homes and businesses in the Northeast some for more than a week.This was just arctic cold, the kind that numbs the face, kills car batteries and freezes unguarded water pipes. Residents of Ironwood, Mich., were told to keep faucets running to prevent freeze-ups after a major break left the city without water, said Gogebic County emergency services coordinator Jim Loeper.It slows you down a little bit. Your body doesn't move as fast as it should, said Shane West, 35, a roofer working on a house in Montpelier in 2-below cold. Even for us, it can become a problem sometimes, he said, referring to Vermonters accustomed to cold weather.A temperature around zero didn't faze truck driver Gary Jacobs, 49, of Barre, Vt., bundled in five layers — T-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, hooded sweatshirt and coat, in addition to snowpants, boots and a knit cap.People in Arizona say It's a dry heat. This is a fresh cold, Jacobs said.But people who had a choice stayed inside — even skiers. Vermont's Bolton Valley ski resort, where it was 10 below Wednesday morning, canceled night skiing through Friday night for fear that skiers could freeze if they were marooned on a malfunctioning ski lift. A couple of ski areas in northern Minnesota closed for the day because of temperatures that reached 38 below zero at International Falls, with the wind chill during the night estimated at 50 below. Homeless shelters were busy. We don't want anyone out there, said Kathryn Paquette, homeless outreach specialist of Southern New Hampshire Services in Nashua, N.H., which found rooms at rooming houses, motels and shelters for dozens. Honda Motor Co. canceled two shifts at three Ohio plants so their roughly 5,000 workers wouldn't have to risk the cold and slippery roads, spokesman Ron Lietzke said. Maine residents braced for nighttime readings down to 40 below zero. And in the Midwest, Iowans were warned that temperatures could drop as far as 27 below zero during the night, matching a Jan. 15 record set in 1972. Temperatures on Thursday were expected to range from 10 below zero in the far north to the low teens in southern coastal areas. Farther south, morning temperatures were in the 20s from Texas to Georgia, and along the Gulf Coast the weather service reported a low of just 28 at Mobile, Ala. Even northern Georgia and Kentucky could see single-digit lows by Friday, with zero possible at Lexington, Ky., the weather service warned. Kentucky hasn't been that cold since December 2004. Farmworkers in Florida, where the service forecast Thursday night lows in the teens to lower 20s, plucked ripened berries early as a precaution. Strawberry growers near Tampa and blueberry growers around Gainesville checked irrigation pumps, ready to spray fruit with water to create a protective ice coating if needed. But as the Gulf Coast city of Pensacola, Fla., fell to 40 degrees, Brazilian tourist Vitor Rocha wore shorts and sandals for a stroll with a friend. We are not disappointed in the weather today, this is something unusual for us, he said. Associated Press writers David Tirell-Wysocki in Concord, N.H.; Clarke Canfield in Portland, Maine; Roger Petterson in New York City; Jessica M. Pasko and Richard Richtmyer in Albany, N.Y.; Melissa Nelson in Pensacola Beach, Fla.; James Hannah in Dayton, Ohio; Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Ky., and James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D., also contributed to this report. On the Net:
Weather Service warnings: http://tinyurl.com/yfjlyf

Bitter cold worries farmers and ranchers By Carey Gillam Carey Gillam – Wed Jan 14, 2:46 pm

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) – A blanket of frigid air moving across part of the United States Wednesday tied up transportation and sparked farmer fears of damage to crops and livestock.In northern Minnesota, temperatures dropped to 40 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, and record lows near that were recorded in North Dakota as single-digit and sub-zero temperatures spread through a broad swath of the country's northern and central tiers.As the bitter cold moved south and combined with snow and ice in some areas, the sudden plunge in temperature fueled farmer fears that vulnerable young wheat plants could suffer, and ranchers fretted over how to keep weight on cattle and hogs for market.Everything is harder when it is cold, said Kevin Gilbert, a hog producer in Ionia, Iowa, where single-digit temperatures were forecast to fall to 18 degrees Fahrenheit below zero on Thursday.It is the wind that gets you,he added.The cold has had cattle eating through feed supplies so quickly that ranchers have been selling off animals to make the feed last, said Darryl Howard, chief brand inspector for the North Dakota Stockmen's Association.

It has taken a considerable toll on feed supplies, said Howard. It has caused some herd reduction.The harsh conditions were complicating truck transportation of grain and livestock in some areas, but river and ground movement of commodities through the Plains and Midwest remained mostly unhindered.Subzero temperatures were forecast through Friday morning. North-central Kansas and south-central Nebraska, key hard red winter wheat-producing areas, were forecast to see lows ranging for zero to -10 degrees F,This is the coldest weather we've seen in a few years, said DTM Meteorlogix forecaster Mike Palmerino.Soft red winter wheat areas in the southern Midwest were also threatened, Palmerino said.Frigid temperatures, coupled with a lack of snowcover, can kill off parts of the wheat plant if the ground lacks adequate protective snow and soil moisture.Still, the bitter conditions were expected to be short-lived, with a warming trend forecast for this weekend.It's chilly and it's getting colder, said South Dakota Agriculture Department deputy director George Williams. But we're dealing with it. We're used to it.(Additional reporting by Bob Burgdorfer and Christine Stebbins in Chicago; Editing by John Picinich)

PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH
http://www.pmw.org.il/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

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

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

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

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

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

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

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS THU JAN 15,2009

09:30 AM +1.04
10:00 AM -81.96
10:30 AM -172.99
11:00 AM -137.15
11:30 AM -111.62
12:00 PM -143.34
12:30 PM -180.32
01:00 PM -141.98
01:30 PM -139.70
02:00 PM -56.07
02:30 PM +9.64
03:00 PM +27.80
03:30 PM -13.06
04:00 PM +12.35 8212.49

S&P 500 843.74 +1.12

NASDAQ 1511.84 +22.20

GOLD 816.00 +7.20

OIL 34.70 -2.58

TSE 300 8850.29 +161.93

CDNX 844.30 -5.23

S&P/TSX/60 534.85 +10.57

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

Dow -2 points at 4 minites of trading.
Dow +9 points at high today.
Dow -174 points at low today.

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -6.57%
S&P -6.71%
Nasdaq -5.54%
TSX Advances 291,declines 857,unchanged 189,Volume 825,899,604.
TSX Venture Exchange Advances 268,Declines 462,Unchanged 280,Volume 146,308,231.
Oil opens at $36.28 today and Gold opens at $809.50 today.
Natural Gas Inventories -94 BCP.
NYSE STATS 10:30AM
Advances 374,Declines 2498,Unchanged 67,New highs 3,New Lows 73.
NASDAQ STATA 10:30AM
Advances 514,Declines 1744,Unchanged 203.
TSX STATS 12:30PM
Advances 329,Declines 682,Unchanged 207.
VENTURE EXCHANGE 12:30PM
Advances 182,Declines 310,Unchanged 211.
RICHARD HAAS HEAD OF COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS IS OBAMAS NEW ADVISER.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS

Dow +9 at high today.
Dow -180 at low today.
Dow on a 7 session losing streak and lost 10% during this time.
Dow on pace for biggest weekly drop since week ending OCT 10,2008.
Dow toches lowest level since NOV 20,2008.
Dow,S&P,Nasdaq have biggest 2-day drops since DEC 1,2008.

Behind JP MORGANS 4Q NUMBERS.
-$4.1 BILLION add to loan loss reserves.
-$2.9 BILLION marks on levered loans,Mortgages.
-$1.1 BILLION gain from merger related Items.

BANK OF AMERICA AND TARP
What if B of A took more TARP money?
-Treasury gets:1-Preferred Stock.
2-Coupon of 9% or higher.
3-Common dividend:Cut from $0.32 to $0.01.
TOP OF THE TARP
-Citigroup $45 BILLION.
-AIG $40 BILLION.
-Wells Fargo $25 BILLION.
-JP Morgan $25 BILLION.
-BOFA/Merrill $25 BILLION.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS

Dow +82 at high today.
Dow -205 at low today.
Dow +0.15% today Volume 434,907,317.00
Nasdaq +1.49% today Volume 2,147,483,648.00
S&P 500 +0.13% today.
AIRBUS A320 HITS FLOCK OF BIRDS AND IS DOWNED IN THE NY HUSON RIVER.

Report cites need for eurozone central regulator
ANDREW WILLIS 14.01.2009 @ 17:43 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - An Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report published Wednesday (14 January) cites the need for centralisation of financial regulation in the euro area. In a televised interview, senior OECD economist and head of the EU desk, Nigel Pain, said one way to achieve this aim is to have an agency which oversees the work of the existing national supervisors.A second way would be to set up a central agency with responsibility for actually supervising the large [financial] institutions directly, Mr Pain continued, referring to the increased number of cross-border institutions that have sprung up in recent years. Financial regulation in the European Union is predominantly carried out at the national level at present but analysts point to the borderless nature of international finance as a reason for supranational regulation. The existing system relies heavily on close co-ordination and information sharing between different regulators. It also imposes a considerable burden on cross-border firms that have to report to an array of different authorities, says the OECD report.A more centralised and uniform system for supervising large complex financial institutions would also have advantages by pooling information, regulating in a consistent way, enhancing preparedness for a crisis and reducing regulatory costs, the report continues.

European Central Bank (ECB) chief Jean-Claude Trichet said last week the bank was examining the possibility of an increased role in this area.The existence of large member states such as Poland and the UK outside the eurozone may limit the ECB's options however. In the interview, Mr Pain also said short-term measures were necessary to prevent future financial crises, including increased transparency of financial accounts and a reassessment of the role played by credit rating agencies.
The European Parliament is currently looking at measures regarding credit rating agencies put forward by Internal Market Commissioner, Charlie McCreevy.

Calls for further rate cut

The OECD report says growth will not move above trend rates until the second half of 2010, and is predicting that the fiscal deficit for the euro area in 2009 will increase by 0.8 per cent. Ageing and healthcare costs were cited as the major obstacles to long-term fiscal sustainability.Regarding interest rates, Mr Pain said: The ECB has to stand ready to ease monetary policy as inflation falls and we think they have plenty of scope to do so.Such calls are likely to increase pressure on the ECB board to cut interest rates when it meets Thursday (15 January). However, Mr Pain said the ECB should be ready to increase rates if inflationary risks increase.

Germany may change constitution over economic crisis
ANDREW WILLIS 14.01.2009 @ 09:25 CET

Germany is to take the radical step of changing its constitution in order to ensure excessive public borrowing is prevented, the country's chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced on Tuesday (13 January).The country is also to impose strict new rules to ensure that the extra debt created by its latest stimulus plan is paid off quickly.
Ms Merkel made the comments while unveiling a second stimulus plan worth €49.25 billion, to be spent over two years and made up of public investments and tax cuts.

The constitutional amendment would prevent German governments from raising the state's public deficit above 0.5 per cent of GDP in normal economic times, the Financial Times reports. This would have capped 2008 borrowing at €12 billion. The EU's Stability and Growth Pact, which limits Eurozone budget deficits to three per cent of GDP, was relaxed last year as the economic downturn escalated. In addition to Germany's proposed constitutional change, the finance ministry is to set up a redemption fund to ensure the government pays back the latest stimulus plan by a set date. The redemption fund could collect revenues from future government windfall taxes once economic growth reached a certain threshold.A similar fund was set up to pay back borrowing related to German unification.Both measures highlight German fears over the potential long-term damage to Europe's monetary union caused by excessive public borrowing, concerns shared by Belgium and the Netherlands. In a sign that investors are increasingly differentiating between Eurozone countries, yield margins between German and other Eurozone bonds have widened considerably in recent weeks.Yet even Germany failed to sell €6 billion worth of government bonds last week, a sign likely to worry other less prudent governments looking to raise money for spending projects.

Portugal receives credit warning

Separately on Tuesday, Portugal received a warning from credit rating agency Standard & Poor's, the fourth Eurozone state to do so in as many days. On Monday, Spain was warned by the same agency that its rating was in danger of being downgraded, as were those of Ireland and Greece last Friday. High ratings are vital to enable cheap borrowing on international money markets and any downgrades could prove costly at a time when national governments are looking to spend considerably more than tax returns allow.

Czech PM gives scant praise to Lisbon treaty
HONOR MAHONY 14.01.2009 @ 17:43 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has trampled on the EU's unspoken rule that presidency countries do not offer a controversial opinion on the sensitive topic of the moment.Speaking to MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday (14 January), Mr Topolanek, in charge of the EU for the first half of this year, offered only half-hearted support for the EU's new rulebook - seven years in the making and facing an uncertain future - and expressed doubts that Czech citizens would approve it in a referendum.It's an average treaty, a bit better than the [current] Nice treaty, he said and expressed annoyance about the pressure on member states to ratify the Lisbon treaty.Telling member states in advance that they have to ratify the treaty and ...that they do not have the right ...to decide whether to approve it or not is absurd, Mr Topolanek said, according to AFP news agency.He noted that if there was a referendum on Lisbon in his country then it would also not be accepted in a comment unlikely to be welcomed by the Irish government, which is gearing itself up for a second vote on the charter after Irish voters rejected it first time round last year. His words were quickly seized upon by the anti-treaty camp in Ireland. Mary-Lou McDonald, an MEP for Sinn Fein which campaigned against the document, welcomed Mr Topolanek's candour and said it illustrated the massive discrepancy between the political establishment of Europe and member state citizens.

The Czech Republic is the only country which has not yet expressed itself on the treaty. Prague's treaty debate has become embroiled in domestic issues. In addition, several MPs do not like the document which is due to be voted on in the lower house of parliament on 3 February. For his part, Mr Topolanek told euro-deputies that as he had negotiated and signed off the Lisbon treaty, he personally would vote for it.
With or without the Czech leader's controversial words, the Lisbon treaty is set to stay high on the political agenda over the coming months.One of the main tasks for Prague will be to negotiate a legal framework for the political promises made to Ireland by other member states about the text - on tax issues, neutrality and family law.Dublin has indicated that it will hold its second referendum later this year - it is expected to take place in the autumn.

Gas war costing EU hundreds of millions a day
PHILIPPA RUNNER 14.01.2009 @ 17:35 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The cost of the Russia-Ukraine gas war to the EU economy is spiralling into the billions, experts warn, with the European Commission encouraging EU companies to take legal action. European gas companies are not selling gas to the tune of about €150 million a day. Electricity producers are also losing hundreds of millions a day, International Energy Agency (IEA) analyst Ian Cronshaw told EUobserver on Wednesday (14 January).In Bulgaria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic industry is being forced to slow down or shut down. This will spread as European [gas] stock volumes drop and the economic cost will go up exponentially at a time when Europe can least afford it.A meeting of the Gas Co-ordination Group - EU member states' energy ministry officials - in Brussels on 19 January is to pool data on the impact of the gas crisis so far. But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has already indicated that Brussels will back any legal claims. If the agreement sponsored by the European Union is not honoured as a mater of urgency, I will advise European companies to take this matter to the courts, he told MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday.The Hungarian government has also pledged diplomatic support for law suits after Hungarian energy firm Emfesz this week filed a claim in Budapest courts for €23 million against Ukraine gas transit firm Naftogaz.Most EU energy firms have contracts with Russian state gas supplier Gazprom or intermediaries. But the Ukrainian side may bear the brunt of attacks due to Gazprom's powerful market position.They will not sue Gazprom because they have signed supply contracts until 2030 or 2035. And you don't want to get into trouble with your partner if you have that kind of contract, European Council on Foreign Relations' (ECFR) expert Pierre Noel told this website.

The EU, Russia and Ukraine agreed to resume supplies on Tuesday after Brussels sent in a team of monitors to oversee transit. But the deal broke down when Ukraine accused Russia of holding back technical gas - needed to push EU volumes through its pipelines - and of pumping gas down a route that would force it to stop supplies to its own people.The IEA estimates that EU-wide gas stocks have dropped from 95 percent full to around 60 percent over the past week. Individual countries, such as Bulgaria and Slovakia, say they have just a few days' worth left.Meanwhile, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday proposed holding a gas summit with affected EU states and Ukraine, indicating the energy dispute will not be resolved before next week.

Sympathy remains

Ukraine diplomats fear that a vigorous Russian media campaign will see Europeans blame political infighting and high-level corruption in Kiev for the gas mess, damaging bilateral relations.The crisis comes ahead of an EU-sponsored donors' conference on modernising Ukraine's gas transit system in March and an EU summit on deeper integration with Ukraine and other post-Soviet states in April.But sympathy remains for Kiev in the EU capital after the commission's gas monitors in Russia and Ukraine reported on Tuesday that Gazprom's choice of transit route to resume EU supplies was not the best possible. To turn off the gas to a country of 45 million people [Ukraine] in the middle of winter is energy blackmail and nothing else, one EU official said, with Ukrainian companies also forced to cut production as stocks dwindle.

Telecom giant Nortel granted bankruptcy protection
Updated Wed. Jan. 14 2009 4:59 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff

Nortel Networks Corp. has been granted protection by an Ontario Superior Court judge from its creditors under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.A lawyer for Nortel said in court that the bankruptcy protection was necessary because the company was quickly burning through its cash reserves. Nortel has also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, the company announced Wednesday. It is expected to file for protection in Europe in the near future. The move comes just one day before the telecom firm was due to repay a $107-million interest debt on bonds, which would have amounted to about 10 per cent of the company's North American cash reserves. But the company is vowing to stay alive as a smaller operation, by ridding itself of non-core businesses and restructuring itself to deal with the North American recession. The moves mean more jobs will likely be shed from its 30,000 global workforce. The filing also will affect the company's sponsorships, but Nortel says it remains committed to sponsoring the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Nortel is also a major sponsor for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Once Canada's most valuable company, Nortel stocks traded as high as $124.50 a share during the tech boom in 2000. On Wednesday, it had dropped 24.5 cents to close at 12 cents on the TSX, off from a 52-week high of $14. People who are close to the situation are saying to us that although there is a great deal of equity in the company the possibility of it staying together as the Nortel Networks we knew is fairly slim, BNN's Michael Kane reported Wednesday. We're likely going to see it sold off in bits and pieces.Ian Lee, director of the MBA program at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business, told CTV Newsnet that he doesn't think investors are going to see a return from Nortel. I think you can them as wallpaper in your rec room, Lee said, referring to Nortel stock certificates. I don't mean to be flippant but I don't think the investors are going to see a return.While many on Bay St. are not confident for a Nortel revival, the company's CEO remains bullish on its prospects.

There are very significant changes happening in a very large industry, we refer to this as the world of hyper-connectivity, Nortel CEO Mike Zafirovski said. I believe we are very well positioned to do very well to profit from those significant changes in the marketplace.In an earlier press release Zafirovski called the bankruptcy filing imperative for the company's survival. Nortel must be put on a sound financial footing once and for all, Zafirovski said in a press release. These actions are imperative so that Nortel can build on its core strengths and become the highly focused and financially sound leader in the communications industry that its people, technology and customer relationships show it ought to be.The company's board of directors reportedly met in Toronto Tuesday to discuss the decision. In Wednesday's press release, Nortel said day-to-day operations are expected to continue without interruption. The global financial crisis and recession have compounded Nortel's financial challenges and directly impacted its ability to complete this transformation, said the press release. Nortel is taking this action now, with a $2.4 billion cash position, to preserve its liquidity and fund operations during the restructuring process.

Political reaction

In Ottawa, Industry Minister Tony Clement said the federal government was willing to provide financing to assist during the company's restructuring phase. The government of Canada appreciates the importance of the telecommunications industry to our economy and will continue to work with Nortel during its restructuring through Export Development Canada, Clement said in a statement. EDC has agreed to provide up to $30 million in short-term financing through its existing bonding facility and is open to discussing with Nortel post-filing financing in conjunction with other financial institutions.Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the province has $2 billion available in various programs to help struggling companies. However, he said Nortel hasn't applied for any money yet. We'll see how things shake out in the end and what it means specifically for jobs in Ontario, McGuinty said Wednesday. I remain hopeful that Nortel will experience ultimately a renaissance of some kind and that will be of benefit to the Ontario economy and to Ontario workers.After the telecom bubble burst, the company failed to re-establish itself and was plagued by accounting scandals and weakening demand. It has been a changing landscape that Nortel has been unable to adjust to, Kane said. Still, Peter A. Chapman, of Bankruptcy Creditors' Service Inc. in Pennsylvania, said Nortel could survive despite Wednesday's move. There's every indication at this early juncture that Nortel will survive, confirm Chapter 11 and CCAA plans, and successfully emerge from its restructuring, he said in an email to The Canadian Press. The Chapter 11 and CCAA proceedings will provide Nortel with the ability to sell useless assets, walk away from every bad business deal, improve its operations and operating margins, and knock its $11 billion debt load down to a reasonable level.Nortel employs about 32,000 people around the world, including several thousand in Ottawa and Toronto.
Chapman said shareholders will likely lose whatever money they had invested in the company.With files from The Canadian Press.

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

EU to launch biometric passports by summer
ELITSA VUCHEVA 14.01.2009 @ 17:45 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – MEPs on Wednesday (14 January) backed new rules on the introduction of biometric passports throughout the EU later this year, while exempting children under 12 years from having fingerprints included in their passports.The rules were approved at a first reading by an overwhelming majority of MEPs – 594 against 51, while 37 abstained.The parliamentarians underlined the need to improve document security in the EU by introducing more reliable biometric data, namely fingerprints, and highlighted the different criteria member states currently apply when checking the passport applicants' identity.Many countries require that the citizen applying for a passport actually present him or herself in person, together with their documents and photographs, and in these cases the officials at the passport-issuing office can see if that person bears a resemblance to the photo presented, Polish Christian Democrat Urszula Gacek said during a plenary debate on the issue in Strasbourg on Tuesday.But in some states, in particular the UK, "applications by post are the norm, and the authenticity of the photo is only confirmed by a so-called professional person who has known the applicant for at least two years, she indicated.The new rules stipulate that all EU countries, as well as in Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, should start issuing passports containing biometric elements - such as facial images and fingerprints - as of 29 June this year.States have until 2012 to fully implement the rules and current passports will remain valid for travelling for most countries until then.Meanwhile, some member states - such as Germany, France and the Netherlands - have started issuing the new passports before the June deadline.

Exemption for children under 12

However, under a compromise agreed by both the European Commission and the Parliament, children younger than 12, as well as people with certain disabilities making them unable to give finger prints, will benefit from an exemption from the rule.Although no exemptions were initially planned, pilot projects in some countries found the fingerprints of young children not to be sufficiently reliable, because they change as the child grows older.If an agreement had not been found [among the MEPs], everybody would have had to give their fingerprints, even the newborn, as long as they would travel abroad with a passport. So, I would really like to express the satisfaction of the commission about the compromise agreed, EU justice commissioner Jacques Barrot said during the debate.The new legislation also introduces the so-called one person, one passport principle, aiming particularly at combating the traffic of children by introducing passports for them. Up until now, parents' passports often covered their children as well.

Some concerns remain

Some MEPs expressed concerns about the biometric passports, however.Latvian Green MEP Tatjana Zdanok pointed to the dangers linked to the extensive use of biometrics.
We strongly oppose the extensive introduction of biometrics until its necessity is proven beyond reasonable doubt. We believe that it has crucial implications for personal data safety and for fundamental rights, she said.We strongly believe that biometrics in passports should only be used for verifying the authenticity of the document or the identity of the holder… We cannot agree that everyone holding a European passport should be thought of as a potential suspect, whose fingerprints are to be stored, she added.Cypriot MEP Adamos Adamou from the leftist GUE/NGL group echoed these concerns, saying: The political scope of this regulation clearly seeks to legalise the use of biometric data and puts us in a state of mind of constant surveillance and deprivation of privacy.More security measures and data collection only leads to abuses of authority and offences against political liberties, he added.