GOLD HITS $1,000 YESTERDAY

picture from Laurie Roth site-COME QUICKLY KING JESUS THE GOD OF ISRAEL AND THE WHOLE EARTH.



Is this going to be the fate of the U.S.???? - picture from Laurie roth site.



open2.net/blogs picture-GOLD HIT $1,000 ON TUESDAY 1ST DAY OF BACK TO SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN AT THE INDOCTRINATION CENTERS.



AP – Cars are partially submerged near the sea, following flash floods in Selimpasa, a suburb of Istanbul.




Media & Blogosphere React To Sheen’s Request For Meeting With Obama
Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The media and the blogosphere have begun to react to actor Charlie Sheen’s call for a meeting with President Obama to discuss the 9/11 cover-up, with even some of Sheen’s detractors praising the style of his 20 Minutes WIth The President letter.

With big corporate media networks expected to wade in on the controversy today or tomorrow, as happened when Sheen first went public with his 9/11 questions in March 2006, the first responses have originated from online only news websites and blogs.

One of the first to react was Kim LaCapria of the Inquisitr blog, who lauded Sheen’s style of fanfic writing in the form of his mock meeting with the President.Charlie Sheen has taken questioning the official account of September 11th to a whole new level,writes LaCapria, adding,He’s written a fanfic about it. He doesn’t call it fanfic, but any of us who used to be addicted to Harry Potter fanfic know what fanfic is – we recognize it when we see it.As a native New Yorker who thinks the 9/11Commission Report was an insult and that the previous administration is at least guilty of criminal negligence, I don’t begrudge Sheen his fervor on the subject,she adds.A Gawker.com report on the story was more sophomoric than complimentary, but still acknowledges the piece as a breathtaking piece of fantasy journalism.
Meanwhile, over on the AfterEllen website, a poster describes Sheen’s efforts as pretty creative and encourages everyone to read his letter to Obama.A World Entertainment News Network report on the story, picked up by the Houston Chronicle, presents a balanced and neutral view of the issue, noting that Sheen hopes his letter will make the president will take note of his campaign and grant him a meeting.

A decidedly more vicious response carried by the Associated Content website attempts to link Sheen to recently resigned Obama jobs czar Van Jones and portray 9/11 truthers as a psychologically disturbed fringe, while failing to mention the fact that thousands of credible individuals both in and out of government, military leaders, intelligence professionals, legal scholars, architects and engineers, and indeed the majority of the 9/11 Commission members have all publicly questioned the official 9/11 story.Separately, a few other blogs were up in arms about Sheen’s letter being a hoax because the disclaimer clarifying that the meeting with Obama was a stylized fictional account and not a real event did not get added to the bottom of the article until a little later due to technical snafus and a bombardment of traffic that shut down servers and locked out Infowars and Prison Planet webmasters. With the Infowars version having been copied across from Prison Planet, both original versions did not contain the disclaimer until the error was brought to our attention and promptly fixed as soon as we could gain access to servers that kept crashing, as many readers noted at the time. We added the disclaimer as soon as possible as well as other information that should have been included at the bottom of the original article regarding Sheen’s appearance on the show. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and are trying to move our servers in house to prevent this routine occurrence from happening again.Others expressed disappointment that the announcement wasn’t big enough, but as Alex Jones stressed on several occasions, Sheen’s letter is only the start of a chain of events that will put 9/11 truth firmly at the forefront of public attention during the week of the 8th anniversary since the tragic events of that day.The issue is set to gain more prominence today as Sheen’s brand new full 20 minute interview on the subject airs on The Alex Jones Show with a call to action video to follow on Thursday and the Sheen set to appear live on the show on Friday.We would like to thank Charlie Sheen for his courageous stance for 9/11 truth in the face of what promises to be an establishment backlash and encourage everyone to get behind him in bringing these issues to the forefront of national consciousness in this anniversary week.

JUDGE ORDERS OBAMA TRIAL ON ELIGIBILITY JAN 11,10
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=109242
Beck Forecasts: Revelations By Week’s End – People Will Go to Jail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=havg6pp0hUY&feature=player_embedded

TODAY IS 09,09,09 TURNED UPSIDE DOWN IT WOULD BE 06,06,06 EITHER NEW AGE NUTCASES OR NEW WORLD ORDER NUTCASES COULD DO A FALSE FLAG TERRORIST ATTACK TODAY OR SOMETHING.SPECIFIC NUMBERS MEANS SPECIFIC THINGS TO NUTCASE NEW AGERS AND NEW WORLD ORDER DESTROYERS.

Why 09/09/09 Is So Special LiveScience.com heather Whipps
special To Livescience – Tue Sep 8, 10:46 am ET

Have special plans this 09/09/09?

Everyone from brides and grooms to movie studio execs are celebrating the upcoming calendrical anomaly in their own way.In Florida, at least one county clerk's office is offering a one-day wedding special for $99.99. The rarity of this Sept. 9 hasn't been lost on the creators of the iPod, who have moved their traditional Tuesday release day to Wednesday to take advantage of the special date. Focus Features is releasing their new film 9,an animated tale about the apocalypse, on the 9th. Not only does the date look good in marketing promotions, but it also represents the last set of repeating, single-digit dates that we'll see for almost a century (until January 1, 2101), or a millennium (mark your calendars for January 1, 3001), depending on how you want to count it.

Though technically there's nothing special about the symmetrical date, some concerned with the history and meaning of numbers ascribe powerful significance to 09/09/09.For cultures in which the number nine is lucky, Sept. 9 is anticipated - while others might see the date as an ominous warning.

Math magic

Modern numerologists - who operate outside the realm of real science - believe that mystical significance or vibrations can be assigned to each numeral one through nine, and different combinations of the digits produce tangible results in life depending on their application.As the final numeral, the number nine holds special rank. It is associated with forgiveness, compassion and success on the positive side as well as arrogance and self-righteousness on the negative, according to numerologists.Though usually discredited as bogus, numerologists do have a famous predecessor to look to. Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and father of the famous theorem, is also credited with popularizing numerology in ancient times. Pythagoras most of all seems to have honored and advanced the study concerned with numbers, having taken it away from the use of merchants and likening all things to numbers, wrote Aristoxenus, an ancient Greek historian, in the 4th century B.C.As part of his obsession with numbers both mathematically and divine, and like many mathematicians before and since, Pythagoras noted that nine in particular had many unique properties.Any grade-schooler could tell you, for example, that the sum of the two-digits resulting from nine multiplied by any other single-digit number will equal nine. So 9x3=27, and 2+7=9.Multiply nine by any two, three or four-digit number and the sums of those will also break down to nine. For example: 9x62 = 558; 5+5+8=18; 1+8=9.Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2)...

Loving 9

Both China and Japan have strong feelings about the number nine. Those feelings just happen to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Chinese pulled out all the stops to celebrate their lucky number eight during last year's Summer Olympics, ringing the games in at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08. What many might not realize is that nine comes in second on their list of auspicious digits and is associated with long life, due to how similar its pronunciation is to the local word for long-lasting (eight sounds like wealth).Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms.Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however.In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky - second only to four, which sounds like death.Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals, if the building planners haven't already eliminated them altogether.

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.

3RD JIHAD TRAILER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJy9tpGHGXM&feature=player_embedded
3RD JIHAD MOVIE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gt9UGB1-tQ&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbnaWpSS8Dk&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1d0Lx8MPtI&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZdhKcFk5vg&feature=player_embedded
SHARIA LAW IN AMERICA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuEy0uiyvNw&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppTo-TTtJQo&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqV-CtEVUU&feature=player_embedded

FAITH UNDER FIRE We need to kill Christian girl,Teen who fled Muslim family gets online threat September 08, 2009 9:08 pm Eastern 2009 WorldNetDaily

An Internet blogger who has followed closely the case of a teenager who fled her Muslim family after she converted to Christianity, expressing concern she would become the victim of an honor killing,is reporting an Internet threat to the life of the young girl. Blogger Pamela Geller, writing at Atlas Shrugs, has posted screen captures of the alleged threat to Rifqa Bary, whose future remains to be decided by a court process in Florida.Alleged threat on Internet, as documented by blogger Pamela Geller.I have said from the very first that Rifqa Bary is the highest value target in America, Gellar wrote.Apostasy is the most egregious crime against Islam. Her crime is not just against the family. It is against Islam.I know Ohio law enforcement and Florida law enforcement found no threat to Rifqa, but perhaps they can put down the kool aid for five minutes and do their job, she continued. There is a pro-Islamic site on Facebook that threatens Rifqa Bary with death. Will everyone stop the PC, religion of peace nonsense … and get serious? Is law enforcement going to stop playing games and protect this young girl or what? Robert Spencer, the terror expert who posts at JihadWatch.org, noted that as soon as Gellar posted information about the threat, the Facebook site on which it appeared was taken down.

Read about Islam's Mahdi and Christianity's Antichrist, and the arguments that they are one and the same! Will any authorities take this seriously? Or will they continue to swallow whole the pleasing deceptions coming from the mainstream media and Islamic leaders in Ohio and Florida, to the effect that Rifqa is in no danger at all? he wrote.The terse threat is contained in the words, we need to kill her that appeared on the page.Fathima Rifqa Bary, 17 (Facebook photo)WND reported earlier that the Muslim parents of the 17-year-old are devout members of a mosque with ties to numerous terrorist leaders, according to her attorneys.As WND reported, Fathima Rifqa Bary, an honor student and cheerleader, was raised in a Muslim family in Columbus, Ohio. She became a Christian four years ago as a result of her interactions with children at school.But Bary, a native of Sri Lanka, hitchhiked to a bus station and ran away from home July 19 because she says her family will murder her in what is known as an honor killing for converting to Christianity. In Islamic tradition, an honor killing is the killing of a person believed to have brought dishonor upon his or her family. The United Nations tabulates about 5,000 such honor killings annually around the world, and they have been documented even in the United States.Bary sought refuge with a church group in Florida but has been in state foster care by court order. A judge has ordered mediation to be attempted next in her case.Orlando, Fla., trial lawyer John Stemberger, attorney for Barry, said he would outline in court documents the Bary family mosque's ties to terrorism.

I knew from the beginning that this young lady was in danger. It is no joke, and the she knew she was in danger. I wonder why she isn't being protected? Why? Because we don't want to upset the radical Muslims that live in our country,wrote a forums page participant on Geller's site.Geller earlier reported the girl's friends accompanied her to the school counselor after they noticed bruises covering her arms and legs that allegedly resulted from beatings by her father.Beatings were random, violent, unprovoked,Geller reported.Take, for example, when Rifqa and her father Mohamed were driving in the car. He would force her to wear the hijab (head covering), which she hated. In her discomfort she would slouch down, embarrassed, and her father would haul off and sock her in the face so that she never forgot to sit up straight in her costume. The beatings were regular and so much a part of the landscape of Rifqa's life, she became inured to them.Bary's attorney confirmed that the teen had been a victim of beatings at the hands of her father.Her father has slapped her with such force that it has knocked her over,Stemberger said. "Her father asked her to wear the official headdress of Islam. Because she lowered her body down in the car so she couldn't be seen, he punched her on the side of her face with great force because she was ashamed of that.The Christian teen turned to pastors Blake and Beverly Lorenz of Global Revolution Church in Orlando, Fla., whom she met through Facebook. She has been placed in foster care by the Florida Department of Children and Families, or DCF.

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

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(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

DICK MORRIS-This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don’t look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels.

AS WE READ IN THE SCRPTURES ABOVE THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE ECONOMIC,POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS CONTROL OF THE WORLDS CITIZENS.AND THESE ARE JUST YESTERDAYS STORIES ALL OF THEM.

UROPEAN UNION MILITARY RECOMMENDS THAT THE EUROPEAN UNION COUNCIL INVITE THE WEU(ARMY NATIONS) AS MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION TO Forge a common EU-US strategy for joint action within existing and emergent forums for global (WORLD) governance (GOVERNMENT) such as, for example, G 20;

The United Nations has called for the establishment of a new global reserve currency to be overseen by a bank of the world in an effort to reduce the role of the Dollar in international trade.Details of the proposal were outlined in a report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development. The report also calls for the new global reserve bank to monitor and manage the national exchange rates of member states.

The top climate science advisor to the German government has proposed that everyone on the planet should have a personal CO2 budget and be forced to pay a tax if they exceed it, adding that westerners have already exceeded their allocations and should pay climate reparations to poorer countries.This is not just another tax being rammed through using the phony pretext of global warming, it’s the entrée for complete government tracking and control over your personal life.

GLOBAL TAX HEADLINES A WORLD CARBON TAX
Jose Manuel Barroso: plan for EU tax to appear on all receipts All shopping and petrol station receipts in Britain could in future include the amount of VAT or fuel duty that goes directly to Brussels as an EU tax, according to Jose Manuel Barroso.

France Mulls CO2 Taxes on Citizens.

German Government Advisor Proposes Personal CO2 Budget For Everyone On Planet Says westerners should pay climate reparations to poorer countries.

Irish Government Moves to Impose Carbon Tax.

UN Calls For Bank Of The World, New Global Currency - Proposals for a new centralized economic world order outlined in globalist report.

SO WE SEE THE BIBLE COMING TO PASS BEFORE OUR EYES AS THE EU WILL CONTROL THE WORLD ECONOMIES WITH A FEIRCE MILITARY AND A FALSE RELIOUS SYSTEM.

German lower house passes EU treaty law
HONOR MAHONY Today SEPT 9,09 @ 09:19 CET

Germany's lower house on Tuesday (5 September) passed legislation allowing the final ratification of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, pushing the focus once more back to Ireland and its referendum.In a special sitting, 446 deputies in the Bundestag voted in favour of a package of laws that would give it more say over EU affairs, and 46 voted against.Germany has been scrambling to ready the legislation since the country's constitutional court in June ruled that while the Lisbon Treaty was in line with the German charter, the proposed national laws accompanying its ratification did not give parliament enough oversight over EU decisions.The tweaked proposals, comprising four laws in total, involve the parliament in any possible future changes to the Lisbon Treaty. One clause in the treaty allows for moving from an issue that needs unanimity for a decision to qualified majority voting if all member states agree.A second law governs the changes that need to be made to the German constitution for ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, while the third says the government must in writing inform the parliament of its intentions on EU issues. The parliament is also allowed to take a position on the issue and while government is not obliged to follow the parliament's position in Brussels, it must then justify why it did not.

The parliament's approval will be needed for the opening of EU membership negotiations with a country as well as for beginning negotiations on changing an EU treaty.A fourth law spells out how Germany's regions and the government should co-operate on EU affairs.The upper house, or Bundesrat, still has to approve the laws in a vote on 18 September before the final step of ratification of the Lisbon Treaty - signature by German President Horst Koehler - can be taken. The whole process is expected to be wrapped up before the country's general election on 27 September.The German parliament's vote will mean that renewed focus is expected on Ireland, which is facing a referendum on the treaty on 2 October.Falling support for the document - although 46 percent plan to say yes and 29 percent no according to the most recent poll - as well as a government distracted by the economic crisis has led to concern in Brussels about the outcome.Poland and the Czech Republic have also yet to complete ratification, with their presidents waiting for the outcome of the Irish vote before putting pen to paper.

Socialists in disarray over Barroso
HONOR MAHONY Today SEPT 9,09 @ 15:20 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Socialists remain in disarray over whether to support Jose Manuel Barroso for a second term in office following a three-hour discussion with the European Commission president today (9 September).Martin Schulz, head of the European Parliament's Socialists group, emerged from the meeting to face a barrage of cameras and journalists but refused to give a definitive position of the group, whose support will be key to Mr Barroso getting re-elected next week.I personally will not vote for him,said the German politician, but admitted he is having trouble finding a unified line among his 184 strong-group, the second largest in the EU assembly.He said, he would try to convince his group not to be split when it takes its final position on the Barroso question next Tuesday evening (15 September).In a reference to Britain and Spain, he pointed out that some MEPs in his group belong to parties who support Mr Barroso. I must take into account that seven Socialist prime ministers supported this man,he added.Adding spice to the Socialist power mix is the fact that they have to use their voting leverage to win concessions on portfolios for future commissioners or policy issues because some social democratic governments - such as Austria and Spain - are not expected to send Socialist commissioners to Brussels.The number of Socialist commissioners in the commission will not be very high, but the influence of my group by the commission building is high and this we will use to increase as much as possible influence on the composition of the commission and the programme,said Mr Schulz.While he continued to avoid a commitment on the part of the group, others were less circumspect.

Abstention or no vote

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the head of the umbrella European Socialist Party, said the group had no choice but to go for either abstention or a no vote.He criticised Mr Barroso for not committing to a new employment initiative or to reforming the workers directive, a controversial law governing the rights of workers abroad.On the financial market, he [Mr Barroso] said some general things but he didn't assure us that he is ready to close the loopholes in his directive on hedgefunds and private equity,Poul Nyrup Rasmussen added.On the floor among MEPs milling around after the meeting the message was mixed. Portuguese Socialists indicated Mr Barroso would get a majority while some Slovenians felt the group would go against him.For his part, Mr Barroso said he was confident of getting the support of many left-wing MEPs.In my perception there is going to be a significant number of Socialist deputies that will vote in my favour. Yes, that is honestly my conviction, he said following the meeting.The next stage in the re-nomination saga which has been the talk of Brussels for several weeks will take place Thursday (9 September) when the political leaders decide whether to put the Barroso candidacy to vote next week.If, as expected, they agree to do so, the vote will take place on Wednesday 16 September. The ballot is secret, adding to the uncertainty of the result.Mr Barroso can be sure of the support of the centre-right EPP group, which has 265 MEPs, and the anti-federalist European Conservatives and Reformists. The direction of the Liberal group, as third biggest group, remains unclear while the Greens are expected to vote against him. A simply majority of those present in the room would secure a second innings in the commission but it is generally agreed that an absolute majority of the 736 MEPs would give Mr Barroso more political clout.

Rehn presents Iceland with EU membership survey
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today SEPT 9,09 @ 09:19 CET

Iceland's prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, was presented on Tuesday (8 September) with an extensive questionnaire by European enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn, which will form the basis of assessing the country's ability to meet EU membership obligations.The survey of the North Atlantic nation contains some 2,000 questions covering 33 accession chapters.How Reykjavik responds will frame the drafting of an opinion on Iceland's EU membership application by the European Commission, which will then be submitted to EU member states.Receiving the questionnaire marks yet another step by Iceland on its journey towards full EU membership,said Ms Sigurdardottir.Iceland is already an active participant in European co-operation as a full member of the EU's single market and the Schengen Agreement, and a founding member of Nato and the OSCE. We are well prepared and believe we will be able to submit our answers to the EU within a reasonably short time,she added.The country's various ministries and other government authorities will now start preparing answers to the questionnaire, which is to be concluded in the coming months.The commission has set a deadline of 16 November for the quiz to be filled out and handed in, according to foreign minister Ossur Skarphedinsson.

Commissioner Rehn was in Iceland on Tuesday to hand over the papers. He is to meet with Mr Skarphedinsson and finance minister Steingrimur Sigfusson on the trip. On Wednesday, Mr Rehn is to deliver a lecture at the University of Iceland.Separately, Joseph Stiglitz, the past winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, is also in Iceland at the moment, and has suggested that the country could get by without depending on the International Monetary Fund or loans from Nordic countries, as it has done since the bottom fell out of its economy last winter.Speaking to Rikisutvarpio RUV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, Mr Stiglitz said that dependence on the IMF had been successful up until now, but that this may no longer be necessary.It may have been a cornerstone at a critical moment and they were perfectly right about that, given that the government of the time was the government that had made all the mistakes, was floundering, he said, according to RUV, following his participation in a symposium with a group of Icelandic economists at the University of Iceland.He added, praising the international financial institution, that the IMF had been fairer in its dealings with the island nation than it has been in the past with other countries in similar situations.Mr Stiglitz, who the government is believed to be attempting to headhunt as an advisor, met with eight Icelandic government ministers yesterday.Iceland formally submitted its application on 23 July and hopes to join the EU by 2012.

EU's east-west divide shifts on US and Russia
VALENTINA POP Today SEPT 9,09 @ 17:00 CET

EUOBSERVER/BRUSSELS – The traditional European east-west divide towards the US and Russia is shifting, with 'Obama-mania' and the willingness to stand up to Moscow more frequent among western than eastern Europeans, a survey of the German Marshall Fund reveals.US-EU relations rebounded once US president Barack Obama took office, with an unprecedented surge in popularity in Germany, Britain and France, where he enjoys more support than at home, the latest Transatlantic Trends show.The survey was carried out by the Washington-based German Marshall Fund of the United States, a think-tank focusing on transatlantic relations. Polling was conducted in June and July 2009 in the US, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The results show that three in four people in the EU and Turkey support Mr Obama's handling of international affairs, a quadrupling in approval compared with their judgment of president Bush in 2008.But while western European pro-US sentiments are skyrocketing, central and eastern Europeans appear less impressed by Mr Obama.

Poles, Romanians and Slovakians went from being Europe's biggest backers of George W. Bush last year to Barack Obama's least enthusiastic supporters.And fewer respondents in central and eastern Europe (53 percent) than in western Europe (63 percent) see America in a positive light. Only 25 percent of the people in the region believe that relations between the US and Europe have improved in the last year, compared to 43 percent in the western European countries.The shift is also perceived in pro-Nato sentiments, with 53 percent of Easterners backing the Alliance, compared to 63 percent of Westerners.If there is a part of Europe where the Obama administration has yet to connect with the public, it is in central and eastern Europe,the survey analysis recommends.

West more concerned about Russia

Transatlantic Trends find a generalized disquiet about Russia all across Europe, but it is more the western Europeans who are upset about Russia as an energy provider and who are willing to stand up to Moscow than the central and eastern Europeans. The popular image of a Russia-phobic central and eastern Europe and a more Russia-friendly western Europe was not found in the Transatlantic Trends 2009 data, the survey analysis notes.The weakening of Russian democracy troubled two thirds of respondents in western countries, compared to half in central and eastern ones. On the issue of Nato enlargement, however, support for defying Russia is strongest in central and eastern Europe.Anxiety about Moscow's treatment of its neighbors has gone up all over Europe over the last three years, but in 2009, more people in the West (69 percent) than in central and eastern Europe (63 percent) expressed concern.

Some 70 percent of western Europeans and 66 percent of eastern ones support EU security assistance to countries like Ukraine and Georgia. Over 60 percent of all Europeans also back such aid by Nato.However, more than 40 percent of Westerners said they were willing to abandon certain Western alliance policies, such as Nato enlargement, in order to secure energy supplies from Russia.By comparison, only 28 percent of Bulgarians, Poles, Romanians and Slovaks would consider such a move.

DISEASES

REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

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.

France to use swine flu to gut laws: report
Sep 8 01:46 AM US/Eastern

In case of a swine flu pandemic the French government has a plan to introduce emergency measures that would gut legal protections for citizens, the daily Liberation reported Tuesday. According to documents provided to the daily by a judges' union, the plan would extend the period police can keep a suspect in detention without charge or a hearing before a judge to up to six months.Suspects would also not be able to contact a lawyer until after spending 24 hours in custody.

Under the plan children could be tried in adult courts and more trials held behind closed doors.The Syndicat de la Magistrature called the measures revolting and said they would amount to liberticide,and called on Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie to abandon the plan.The union was due to release on Tuesday the text of the government plan, which it said was provided to heads of courts in great secrecy in July, the newspaper reported.Swine flu, or the A(H1N1) virus, the first pandemic to be declared by the World Health Organization in this century, has so far claimed 15 lives in France, out of at least 2,837 worldwide.The French government has conducted extensive planning to prepare for an expected new wave of infections as the autumn flu season approaches in the northern hemisphere.

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.

Flash floods slam Istanbul, kill at least 20 By IBRAHIM USTA, Associated Press Writer – SEPT 9,09

ISTANBUL – Flash floods roared across a major highway and a commercial district in Istanbul on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people and forcing dozens to scramble onto the roofs of cars and trucks. Some of the dead drowned inside their vehicles.

Fueled by the worst rain in 80 years, waters rose up to six feet (2 meters) high in the city's Ikitelli district, cutting off the route to Istanbul's main airport and the highway to Greece and Bulgaria on the European side of the sprawling city.Gov. Muammer Guler said 20 people were killed, eight people were missing and 20 others were injured. The deaths raised the overall toll in floods that have slammed northwestern Turkey since late Monday to at least 28.The surging water flipped trucks, cars and buses over like matchsticks, crushing them into piles of debris. Trapped motorists desperately climbed out of their vehicles, hoping to be rescued. Helicopters lifted stranded people off rooftops, while inflatable boats fought the swirling waters to go from vehicle to vehicle, picking up survivors.Some rescuers used nothing but ropes to drag people across the torrent to safety.Mithat Demirata was traveling in Ikitelli when the waters suddenly rose.I grabbed my daughter, left my car and escaped for my life, he told Associated Press Television News.I am sure many people were not able to save their lives.The waters came suddenly and flowed over my car,said Suleyman Kucukkaya, another witness.We were dragged away up to some barriers. There were cars in front of us and behind us.Hikmet Cakmak, Istanbul's deputy governor, described the scene at Ikitelli as a disaster and said four helicopters and eight boats were sent to help in the rescues.Istanbul firefighters recovered seven bodies Wednesday at a truck parking lot in Ikitelli, Anatolia reported. The parking lot was littered with upended trucks.

Seven other bodies were found outside a textiles factory in the nearby district of Halkali. Guler said the victims were female factory workers who drowned, trapped inside a van that had just brought them to work. Television footage showed seven bodies covered in white sheets, placed in a row.There was no escape other than the back door and it was stuck by the pressure of the flooding water, Guler said.This is a result of a great negligence.He did not give a breakdown for the six other deaths.

Two people died Tuesday in Istanbul's Catalca suburb and six people were swept away by floods in Saray, in Tekirdag province.Flights continued at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, an official said, but many passengers could not reach the airport or leave it once they arrived.The heavy rains caused two Istanbul streams to overflow, also inundating hundreds of homes and workplaces. The state-run Anatolia news agency said one building collapsed, but there were no reports of any casualties.Rapid population growth — fueled by decades of emigration from Turkey's impoverished rural regions — has meant that the metropolis of 15 million has developed without adequate infrastructure and poor city planning.The rains are not able to reach the sea through natural channels due to skewed and unplanned development and inadequate infrastructure, said Filiz Demirayak, the World Wildlife Fund's Turkey director.

Government officials blamed illegal construction in riverbeds in Istanbul for the heavy damage and casualties.There is huge damage to infrastructure,said Procurement Minister Mustafa Demir.We need to be more careful when designing infrastructure and cities.The Dogan news agency showed dramatic footage of a man being rescued from atop an overturned van. He let himself go in the swirling water and swam toward four men with ropes who caught him and pulled him out of the flood.Television showed rescuers in an inflatable boat assisting another man stranded inside a van. A military helicopter lifted around 10 people from the top of a roof.A thick trail of mud was left as waters later receded in parts of Ikitelli.Police were deployed to prevent people from looting factories or shops affected by the floods, but an Associated Press photographer saw people pillaging goods from abandoned vehicles. A group of men were seen looting rifles from an overturned cargo truck on a highway, according to private NTV television. Police soon arrived but some looters had already left.Meteorology Chief Mehmet Caglar described the downpour that hit Istanbul as once in a century. More rains were forecast for northwestern Turkey throughout the week.Associated Press Writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.

Tornado, storms kill up to 15 in Argentina, Brazil AccuWeather SEPT 8,09

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – A violent storm that spawned a tornado has killed as many as 15 people across northern Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay, authorities said Tuesday. Dozens were injured in the winds and hail as their homes were destroyed.At least 10 died in Argentina, said Ricardo Veselka, civil defense director for San Pedro, a town near the Brazilian border.Four people died in the Brazilian city of Guaraciaba near Argentina, officials said. Brazilian news media reported that a woman also died in a Sao Paulo suburb when her house collapsed, and rescue workers were searching the rubble Tuesday afternoon for her two missing children.The worst damage was in the small Argentine towns of Santa Rosa and El Progreso, where officials said houses and even a city health center were blown away early Tuesday. Trees fell on cars, blown down by winds of more than 60 mph (100 kph).

Whole houses disappeared,Veselka said.There are posts down, trees down, and there are more than 50 injured.Extremely heavy rains tangled traffic for most of the day and cut off phone service in some neighborhoods in Sao Paulo, South America's largest city. Two rivers overflowed onto major highways in the city.

Tropical Storm Fred strengthens in eastern Atlantic SEPT 8,09

MIAMI (AFP) – Tropical Storm Fred grew in strength in the eastern Atlantic Tuesday and was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday, US meteorologists said.At 1500 GMT Tuesday, Fred was about 555 kilometers (345 miles) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, generating sustained winds near 100 kilometers per hour (65 miles per hour), with stronger gusts, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.The storm was churning westward at 22 kph (14 mph) but was expected to slow its forward progress and track to the northwest in coming days as it gains strength.Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days and Fred is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday,the NHC said in an updated advisory.No land masses were under immediate threat, and by the weekend Fred is expected to still be in the middle Atlantic.This year's Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1 and ends November 30, has seen a handful of tropical storms but just a single major one, Hurricane Bill, which grazed the US east coast and eastern Canada last month.

Israel's 455 new settler homes appease Netanyahu allies By Joshua Mitnick – Tue Sep 8, 5:00 am ET

Tel Aviv – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to build 455 new homes in the West Bank achieved its primary goal of rallying support from conservative political allies, paving the way for an expected settlement freeze. Though the move stoked frustration in the US, Europe, and especially in Arab countries, Netanyahu appears to have reduced the risk of a right-wing rebellion over what is expected to be a temporary building moratorium. While the US hoped that such a freeze would help jumpstart peace negotiations, the Israeli prime minister was concerned it could have triggered the deterioration of his governing coalition.Risking a government meltdown for a settlement freeze alone would have been unwise, says Gidi Grinstein, president of the Reut Institute, a Tel Aviv think tank. Netanyahu's challenge is to keep his coalition together until a moment of truth, out of which he may emerge without a coalition, but with a historic achievement,he says.This is not a time that merits him using up political capital.The new housing units help hard-liners like Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman argue that the government is actually sidestepping a freeze.He said,We don't mention this word, says Tal Nahum, a spokesman for Lieberman's right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party.Lieberman supports Netanyahu's efforts to seek a compromise on the US demand for a settlement freeze, believing that the prime minister must engage Washington to reestablish more permissive bilateral understandings on natural growth of West Bank settlements that Israeli officials claim prevailed during the Bush administration, Nahum said.

US envoy arrives this week
Middle East envoy George Mitchell is scheduled to visit the region later this week for another round of talks on the settlements. The US is also trying to win gestures from Arab governments on normalizing ties with the Jewish state as a sort of quid pro quo, but Netanyahu's new building plan puts that goal in jeopardy.On Sunday, the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa warned that the reaction would be tough on any Arab country normalizing ties with Israel in response to the deal. The Palestinians have called the building totally unacceptable.

Bitter reality
This is not the best option for either for president Obama, the Palestinians or the Israeli left, but this is the bitter reality of realpolitik,says Meir Javedanfar, a Middle East analyst based in Tel Aviv, adding that the only other option would have been the disintegration of his coalition.With no Israeli government, the peace process [would] be set back even further.Israeli officials say the new units are in addition to the 2,500 homes already in the construction pipeline which won't be stopped by a moratorium expected to last a few months. Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the 455 new buildings on Monday, though the center-left Haaretz newspaper reported that some of the buildings have already been erected and others had already received authorization but had been frozen.

But construction approvals hasn't mollified settler leaders.

Judea and Samaria will not rise or fall on another 500 homes,says Shaul Goldstein, the head of the Etzion Bloc regional council of settlements, noting the number represents a 1 percent increase on the current number of housing units in the West Bank.We believe that if Netanyahu surrenders to the pressure now, he will surrender to the pressure later when he tries to restart building.

UN caught in Gaza dispute over study of Holocaust By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer – SEPT 8,09

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Gaza students won't learn about the Holocaust this year.

Angry protests by Palestinians have disrupted tentative plans to introduce information about the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews into the curriculum in U.N. schools.The dispute touches on one of the largest psychological barriers dividing Arabs and Jews: Arabs see the Holocaust as an excuse for Israel's creation, and Jews see Arab Holocaust denial as a rejection of Israel's right to exist.The uproar has left the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which runs 221 of more than 600 primary and secondary schools in Gaza, caught between the territory's Hamas leaders — some of them ardent Holocaust deniers — and outraged Jewish groups.Some in Hamas accused the U.N. agency of trying to generate sympathy for Israel and conspiring against the Palestinians. In turn, Jewish activists demanded to know why the subject of the genocide wasn't part of the human rights syllabus in the first place.Now we are being bashed from all quarters,the agency's chief in Gaza, John Ging, told The Associated Press.The controversy erupted last week, after an umbrella group for Palestinian refugees in Gaza protested what it said were plans to teach eighth-graders in U.N. schools about the Holocaust.U.N. officials denied they had such intentions for this school year and insisted they weren't scaling back in response to public pressure.

Regional agency chief Karen Abu Zayd suggested information about the Holocaust could be included in later years, as part of lessons about the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UNWRA's Web site mentions general plans to include the Holocaust in lessons on the historical context that gave rise to that declaration.Abu Zayd said the UNWRA field office in Gaza is still developing the curriculum, which would be presented to parents and others in the community before it is introduced.It is very much a draft,she said.A U.N. employee involved in shaping the curriculum, who was not authorized to discuss the subject and spoke on condition of anonymity, said that as recently as three months ago, the lessons had been under consideration for the 2009-10 human rights course.U.N. officials said their schools in Gaza already have the most detailed and advanced human rights courses, and teaching the Holocaust would break new ground.The subject is not taught in U.N.-run schools for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Nor is it taught in Palestinian government schools in the West Bank or Gaza.

The backlash in Gaza has highlighted why.

Holocaust denial is still common in the Palestinian territories, with many apparently fearful that acknowledging the genocide would diminish recognition of their suffering or claims to an independent state. Such sentiments seem particularly strong among Gazans, who have had only limited access to the outside world since 2007, when Israel and Egypt imposed a border blockade in response to the violent Hamas takeover of the territory.Palestinians complain that Israel refuses to recognize their hardship, including the expulsion and exile of hundreds of thousands during the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948, which Palestinians refer to as the naqba, or catastrophe.Israel's education minister, Gideon Saar, decided this summer to delete references to the word naqba from textbooks for Arab third-graders in Israel, though he said teachers can discuss tragedies that befell the Palestinians.

Jihad Zakarneh, the deputy education minister in the West Bank, the territory run by Palestinian moderates, said teaching Palestinian children about the Holocaust has to wait until there is a peace agreement with Israel.When Israel ends its occupation of our land and our people and gives us our right of independence and self-determination, then we discuss this issue with them, he said. The Gaza dispute over the syllabus also signaled growing tensions between Hamas and UNRWA, the largest independent organization in Gaza. Hamas has been trying to cement control over Gaza, while the U.N. agency is increasingly emerging as a shadow government, providing services to some 1 million of Gaza's 1.4 million people. Ging said he believes the dispute over the syllabus has more to do with attempts by Hamas to meddle in the U.N. organization's affairs than with the Holocaust.The U.N. schools in Gaza are required to follow the Palestinian curriculum but are allowed to make some changes, Ging said. The schools have added enrichment lessons on human rights since 2002, initially for elementary school students.Ging said he feels any human rights course is incomplete without discussing the Holocaust. But, he said, it would exceed UNWRA's mandate to write texts about the Holocaust and the Palestinian uprooting, subjects he said are better left to Israelis and Palestinians as part of future peace efforts.Critics of the U.N. said the events of the Holocaust cannot be omitted from a human rights curriculum.By disconnecting the Holocaust from human rights, (the U.N. agency) is highlighting the anti-Semitic bias that pervades the U.N. system,Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican congresswoman from Florida, said in a statement.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading Jewish advocacy group and tracker of Nazi war criminals, called for the dismissal of Abu Zayd and Ging and demanded the U.S. and Canada suspend funding for the U.N. agency — which provides services for Palestinian refugees around the Mideast — until the issue is sorted out.The U.S. was the second-largest donor to the agency in 2008, giving it nearly $96 million of its $541.8 million budget. The European Commission was the largest donor, providing close to $140 million, according to U.N. figures.Marie Okabe, a U.N. spokeswoman in New York, said the world body stands by Ging and Abu Zayd.They are ably continuing their jobs and carrying the mandate to bring assistance to those in desperate need in the West Bank and Gaza,she said.There is no truth to accusations that they are denying the Holocaust.

The criticism has been just as strong from the other side.

A Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, said the U.N. agency must stick to its mandate and not venture into politics.Hamas rejects any attempt to introduce the Holocaust into the curriculum as a kind of normalization with Israel and an attempt to bridge the psychological gap between Israel and the Palestinians,he said.The Palestinian refugee group that first raised the proposed Holocaust lesson plans called the Nazis' attempt to eradicate European Jewry a lie made up by the Zionists.AP correspondent Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.

Obama-Netanyahu-Abbas summit scheduled for Sept. 22 in New York Wednesday, 09 September 2009 11:18 News from Jerusalem

Barack Obama determined to kick off peace talks.The Obama administration early Wednesday Sept 9 decided to schedule a tripartite US-Israeli-Palestinian summit at UN center in New York for Sept 22, DEBKAfile's Washington sources report, the day before the US president meets Russian president Dmitry Medvedev at the UN General Assembly.The three leaders will declare Middle East peace talks resumed from that point. Defense minister Ehud Barak was referring to this development when he warned Tuesday night that Israel must brace for hard decisions.DEBKAfile's political sources note that the US president's scheduling of the tripartite summit will require Netanyahu, Barak and foreign minister Lieberman to be present in New York and away from Israel over the New Year Festival.Our Middle East sources report that the Arab leaders, Saudi King Abdullah and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, are working hard to beat the rival Palestinian side into shape and force them to bury the hatchet, at least ad hoc, in order to send a united delegation to the peace talks. Their heavy arm-twisting has kept Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and their parties airborne between Gaza, Damascus, Cairo and Riyadh for the last couple of weeks. A prisoner trade to free the Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit was not at the forefront of their meetings, as widely reported by Israeli media.

Past Saudi and Egyptian efforts to mend the rift in Palestinian ranks have consistently failed, but Middle East sources insist that this time Abdullah and Mubarak are determined not to take no for an answer.The Saudi king had Abbas on the carpet in Riyadh this week to warn him that disobedience would lead to the cutoff of the oil kingdom's financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority and himself as its head. And senior facilitator, the Egyptian intelligence minister, Omar Suleiman, warned the Damascus-based Hamas chief Meshaal that persevering in his quarrel with the Fatah would bring about the severance of Cairo's ties with his organization and the tightening of its siege on the Gaza Strip.Abdullah and Mubarak plan to use September for hammering out a Hamas-Fatah power-sharing accord to establish a unified Palestinian national government capable of deputizing a large Fatah delegation headed by Fatah veteran Nabil Shaat to the peace talks with Israel. This would be a first since the Hamas coup drove the Palestinian Authority and its dominant Fatah out of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.If the two Arab rulers achieve their objective, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will be confronted at the negotiating table by a Palestinian delegation representing a government in which the extremist Islamic Hamas organization is broadly represented.debka

Saudi Arabia cooperating with Israel Wednesday, 09 September 2009 05:33 News from Jerusalem ,Kingdom sharing information regarding possible Iran attack

Saudi Arabia is cooperating with Israel on the Iranian nuclear issue, an Egyptian intelligence official told WND.The official said Saudi Arabia is passing intelligence information to Israel related to Iran. He affirmed a report from the Arab media, strongly denied by the Israeli government, that Saudi Arabia has granted Israel overflight permission during any attack against Iran's nuclear facilities.The official previously told WND that Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, has been involved in an intense, behind-the-scenes lobbying effort urging the U.S. and other Western countries to do everything necessary to ensure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons. Such weapons would threaten Saudi Arabia's position of influence in the Middle East.

The Egyptian official said his country believes it is not likely Obama will grant Israel permission to attack Iran.He spoke in the past about other Arab countries' efforts to oppose an Iranian nuclear umbrella but did not comment on Egypt's own position on the matter.Egypt recently granted Israel permission to conduct naval exercises off Egyptian coastal waters. Those military drills clearly were aimed at Iran.Until now, the Obama administration has sent mixed signals about green-lighting Israeli military action against Iran while stressing it supports diplomacy with an Iranian leadership.In June, Vice President Joe Biden said during a CNN interview the U.S. would not stand in the way if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes Israeli military action is needed to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat.But other administration officials warned against an Israeli attack. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in April such a strike would have dangerous consequences and asserted Tehran's acquisition of a bomb can be prevented only if Iranians themselves decide it's too costly.His views have since been echoed by other Obama officials such as White House national security adviser Jim Jones.Gates recently visited Israel reportedly to dissuade Jerusalem from any action until Obama's diplomacy is given a chance.Obama has set a rough deadline of this fall for an answer from Iran about whether the country will talk. The deadline had been postponed from a previous rough deadline of June.Gates has said if Iran doesn't come to the bargaining table soon, the next step could be harsher international sanctions.wnd

Netanyahu not extreme on Jewish construction Tuesday, 08 September 2009 05:47 News from Jerusalem Settlement near Jerusalem

Despite screaming headlines that the Israeli government's approval of hundreds of new Jewish homes in the strategic West Bank is defying U.S. and Palestinian demands, Arab countries and even the Palestinian Authority quietly recognize that there have been far fewer settlements built since Prime Minister Benjamin Netantanyahu came to office.These new homes are just meat to be thrown to Netanyahu's right wing base, said a Jordanian government official, speaking to WND from the Middle East.Even the Palestinian Authority knows that since Netanyahu came to power, there have been less settlements constructed than during any other recent time period,the Jordanian official said.Defense Minister Ehud Barak yesterday signed permits needed to construct 455 new houses in West Bank Jewish communities. The new housing was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The construction will take place in the settlement blocs that Israel wants to keep under any peace agreement with the Palestinians.President Obama has demanded a total halt to Jewish construction in the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem. Clearly the approval of any construction in those areas defied Obama's demand for a total settlement freeze.

White House officials the past few days have labeled Jewish housing in the West Bank and Jerusalem as impediments to peace, while not calling for reciprocal demands from the PA, which last month held a major conference at which it refused to recognize Israel's existence.Netanyahu told ministers of his Likud party yesterday an agreement with the Obama administration on a partial settlement freeze likely will be finalized later this week.Contrary to public claims by the Palestinian Authority that Israel's reported approval of some 455 new Jewish homes in the West Bank is a major escalation, there has actually been a decrease in Jewish construction in those areas under Netanyahu.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government allowed thousands of homes per year to be built in the West Bank. Even Barak, whose tenure was marked by extreme concessions to the Palestinians, oversaw large expansion of Jewish communities in the West Bank.Meanwhile Saeb Erekat, a chief Palestinian negotiator, told WND Israel's latest approval of Jewish construction was an escalation that undermines efforts to reach a peaceful settlement.wnd

Israel's inner cabinet focuses on Iran, PM Netanyahu tours security facility
Tuesday, 08 September 2009 05:23 News from Jerusalem

The second Israeli cabinet-level discussion in the last few days on the Iranian threat - nuclear and regional - took place Monday, Sept. 7, in the inner cabinet, on the heels of a recent security cabinet meeting which surveyed Israel military and homeland security preparations for a missile attack from four sources, Iran, Syria, the Lebanese Hizballah and the Palestinian Hamas in Gaza.The Monday meeting was held behind closed doors but DEBKAfile's military sources report that speakers underscored the rapid tempo of the developing Iranian threat. Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu went on to pay an extended visit to a security facility which continued into the night.Monday, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he was willing to discuss global challenges with US president Barack Obama but repeated his government's standing refusal to negotiate his country's inalienable nuclear rights. This put the lid on the US president's policy of dialogue with Tehran on its nuclear program and rendered the European engagement initiative pointless.Monday, too, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, said talks with the Islamic republic were at a stalemate. He delivered a bleak account of Iran's nuclear compliance to a board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.Yet tougher UN sanctions are a diminishing prospect in the light of Russian and Chinese objections.

Saturday, Sept. 5, DEBKAfile reported the growing concern in security circles over the failure of the US, Israel and other international parties to put the brakes on Iran's fast-paced advance toward a nuclear weapon although Obama had been in office for nine months and Netanyahu sat down in the prime minister's office all of six months ago. Tehran seized this inaction for the biggest leap forward since its hidden nuclear program was launched.debka

TERROR STORM MOVIE(GOVERNMENT FALSE FLAG ATTACKS TO GET CONTROL OVER CITIZENS)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5948263607579389947#

THE SAUDIS ARE TALKING WITH ISRAEL AND AMERICA SAYS IRAN IS CLOSE TO THE BOMB.THIS COULD BE THE TIME NOW THAT AMERICA GOES AFTER IRANS SITES SO THE SAUDI OIL FIELDS WILL BE PROTECTED AND ISRAEL WILL STAY OUT OF THE BOMBING I PREDICT.THIS COULD BE THE FALSE FLAG ATTACK OBAMA USES TO GET THE HEALTHCARE BILL PASSED AS WELL AS THE FALSE FLAG FLU PANDEMIC.

U.S. says Iran nearing atomic bomb capacity By Mark Heinrich – Wed Sep 9, 6:33 am ET

VIENNA (Reuters) – The United States said on Wednesday Iran was nearing the ability to make atom bombs by stockpiling enriched uranium and, with EU allies, prodded Tehran to engage in talks now on its nuclear ambitions.Western powers spoke at a U.N. nuclear watchdog meeting as Iran's state television announced that it would hand over a long-awaited package of proposals for talks very soon amid Western moves to consider much harsher sanctions against Tehran.We have serious concerns that Iran is deliberately attempting, at a minimum, to preserve a nuclear weapons option, U.S. envoy Glyn Davies told the 35 nations on the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors.Iran is now either very near or in possession already of sufficient low-enriched uranium to produce one nuclear weapon if the decision were made to further enrich it to weapons-grade ... (This) moves Iran closer to a dangerous and destabilizing possible breakout capacity,Davies said.The U.S. national intelligence chief said earlier this year Iran probably would be unable technically to weaponize enrichment before 2013.IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has said Iran's threat has been exaggerated. But Davies' remark pointed to growing Western disquiet about Iran's nuclear advances.An August 28 IAEA report said Iran had somewhat improved cooperation with U.N. inspectors by approving tighter monitoring of its Natanz enrichment plant and restoring limited IAEA access to a heavy-water reactor site of proliferation concern.But it also said Iran had increased its number of installed centrifuge machines by 1,000 to 8,300, boosting potential enrichment capacity, and was still blocking an IAEA inquiry into allegations it has tried to weaponize the enrichment process.Except for Iran's two new gestures of cooperation, On all ... issues relevant to Iran's nuclear program, there is stalemate, ElBaradei told IAEA governors on Monday.Iran has said its package for world powers addresses global challenges but also reaffirmed an unwillingness to negotiate on its campaign to enrich uranium, a process Western powers suspect Iran will eventually put to making atom bombs.

Iran says it wants only electricity from enrichment.

Britain, France and Germany, among the six powers dealing with Iran's nuclear challenge, said Tehran's persistent defiance and point-blank refusal to suspend enrichment, and its avoidance of negotiations, as demanded by U.N. Security Council resolutions since 2006, was unacceptable.Iran's responses so far have been neither positive nor satisfactory, German Ambassador Ruediger Luedeking said, speaking for France and Britain.We again call on Iran to engage in meaningful negotiations with a view to achieving a comprehensive diplomatic solution. Iran should make use of the window of opportunity now, he said.We have extended a hand and we appeal to Iran to take it.(Reporting by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Ahmadinejad declares end to debate over Iran's nuclear ambitions Tuesday, 08 September 2009 06:17 News from Jerusalem Ahmadinejad - nuclear debate is over

Barack Obama’s hopes of persuading Iran to renounce its nuclear ambitions appeared to have been dashed yesterday after the UN watchdog admitted that it had reached a stalemate with Tehran, and President Ahmadinejad declared the nuclear debate over.Mr Ahmadinejad’s show of defiance came as the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gathered in Vienna to discuss the failure of Tehran to answer questions about an alleged military dimension to its nuclear programme.The Iranian leader vowed to forge ahead with uranium enrichment, even as a deadline of the end of this month, set by Mr Obama for Iran to resume negotiations, approaches. From our point of view, Iran’s nuclear issue is over,Mr Ahmadinejad said during the first press conference he has given since he was sworn in for a second term as President.

His remarks came only days after the Iranian parliament approved all but three of his Cabinet choices, sparing him a bruising confirmation battle after his disputed election victory. While foreign and nuclear policy lie, technically, outside the President’s remit, the strong support he enjoyed from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, through the post-election crisis suggests that he speaks with high-level backing.Mr Ahmadinejad’s high-stakes snub sets the stage for a battle between Western powers on one side, and China and Russia on the other, over tough sanctions directed at the Iranian energy sector. China and Russia are reluctant to stymie their lucrative trade relations with Iran and it looks increasingly likely that the West may have to go it alone.Venezuela announced a deal yesterday to supply Iran with 20,000 barrels of petrol a day, underlining the difficulty of isolating Tehran without broad international consensus. The UN Security Council has imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran since 2006, focusing on Iranian companies and individuals linked to the nuclear programme. Washington and its European allies are setting their sights on Iran’s petroleum imports in the next round of sanctions.Despite being the fifth-largest oil exporter in the world, Iran has the refinement capacity to meet only about 60 per cent of its needs.In Vienna, Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the IAEA, still pinned his hopes on reviving dialogue, urging Iran to re-engage with his agency and accept the US offer. He admitted that he had reached a stalemate with Tehran despite late concessions allowing inspectors greater access to its facilities. Iran continued to enrich uranium — which can be used for nuclear fuel or, after further enrichment, to produce material for a warhead — and still would not adequately address questions about the military dimensions of its nuclear project, he said.

Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities or its work on heavy water-related projects as required by the Security Council, nor has Iran implemented the Additional Protocol,he added.This would open its nuclear facilities to unannounced and more intrusive inspections.It is essential that Iran substantively re-engage with the agency to clarify and bring to closure all outstanding issues,he said. Iran needs to respond fully to all the questions raised by the agency in order to exclude the possibility of there being military dimensions to its nuclear programme.Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, claimed that his country had provided the IAEA with all the information it needed.In our view, we believe that the agency should finalise the outstanding questions,he said.Iran insists that its nuclear programme is peaceful but there is a widespread belief that Tehran is intent on building a bomb. The race to stop it gained momentum this year when the IAEA said that Tehran had stockpiled enough low-enriched uranium to make a bomb.Israel has threatened military action to stop Iran from becoming the second nuclear power in the Middle East. Israel maintains its own covert nuclear deterrent.
Times

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/
CNBC VIDEOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15839263/site/14081545/?tabid=15839796&tabheader=false

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS WED SEPT 09,2009

09:30 AM +1.10
10:00 AM +30.23
10:30 AM +31.14
11:00 AM +23.81
11:30 AM +57.36
12:00 PM +63.41
12:30 PM +63.78
01:00 PM +62.88
01:30 PM +65.22
02:00 PM +52.45
02:30 PM +15.80
03:00 PM +10.81
03:30 PM +30.91
04:00 PM +49.88 9547.22

S&P 500 1033.37 +7.98

NASDAQ 2060.39 +22.62

GOLD 992.60 -7.20

OIL 71.52 +0.42

TSE 300 11,000.17 -105.13

CDNX 1235.65 -5.41

S&P/TSX/60 659.81 -7.33

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow +8.21%
S&P +13.52%
Nasdaq +29.22%
TSX Advances 900,declines 645,unchanged 195,Volume 520,418,536.
TSX Venture Exchange Advances 485,Declines 410,Unchanged 327,Volume 245,057,830.

Dow -6 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -20 points at low today.
Dow +81 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1000.10.OIL opens at $71.53 today.

INVENTORIES
CRUDE OIL-THURSDAY IT WILL BE OUT DUE TO HOLIDAY THIS WEEK
GASOLINE
REFINERY UTILIZATION
REMEMBER AUDIT THAT FED HAS 282 HOUSE AND 23 SENATE MEMBERS SIGNED UP.THAT $23.7 TRILLION GIVIN BY THE FED,TREASURY AND ADMINISTRATION HAS TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow - 20 points at low today so far.
Dow +81 points at high today so far.

DAY TODAY PERFORMANCE - 12:30PM STATS
NYSE Advances 2,641,declines 951,unchanged 102,New Highs 159,New Lows 44.
Volume 2,698,969,120.
NASDAQ Advances 1,833,declines 710,unchanged 97,New highs 85,New Lows 6.
Volume 1,112,706,985.
TSX Advances 690,declines 593,unchanged 226,Volume 228,523,156.
TSX Venture Exchange Advances 309,Declines 319,Unchanged 278,Volume 100,073,110.

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -20 points at low today.
Dow +81 points at high today.
Dow +0.53% today Volume 190,820,966.
Nasdaq +1.11% today Volume 2,401,044,947.
S&P 500 +0.78% today Volume N/A

RATING OF ALL AMERICAS BANKS
http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/COE/reports/8680/Strongest-and-Weakest-Banks-and-Thrifts.pdf

UN wants new global currency to replace dollar Wednesday, 09 September 2009 05:11 News from Jerusalem

A number of countries, including China and Russia, have suggested replacing the dollar as the world's reserve currency.The dollar should be replaced with a global currency, the United Nations has said, proposing the biggest overhaul of the world's monetary system since the Second World War.In a radical report, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said the system of currencies and capital rules which binds the world economy is not working properly, and was largely responsible for the financial and economic crises.It added that the present system, under which the dollar acts as the world's reserve currency , should be subject to a wholesale reconsideration.Although a number of countries, including China and Russia, have suggested replacing the dollar as the world's reserve currency, the UNCTAD report is the first time a major multinational institution has posited such a suggestion.In essence, the report calls for a new Bretton Woods-style system of managed international exchange rates, meaning central banks would be forced to intervene and either support or push down their currencies depending on how the rest of the world economy is behaving.

The proposals would also imply that surplus nations such as China and Germany should stimulate their economies further in order to cut their own imbalances, rather than, as in the present system, deficit nations such as the UK and US having to take the main burden of readjustment.Replacing the dollar with an artificial currency would solve some of the problems related to the potential of countries running large deficits and would help stability, said Detlef Kotte, one of the report's authors. But you will also need a system of managed exchange rates. Countries should keep real exchange rates [adjusted for inflation] stable. Central banks would have to intervene and if not they would have to be told to do so by a multilateral institution such as the International Monetary Fund.The proposals, included in UNCTAD's annual Trade and Development Report , amount to the most radical suggestions for redesigning the global monetary system.Although many economists have pointed out that the economic crisis owed more to the malfunctioning of the post-Bretton Woods system, until now no major institution, including the G20 , has come up with an alternative.Telegraph

Laurie goes off! The Planet is Freezing now Laurie Roth SEPT 9,09

I am most concerned about the mental health of so many environmental geniuses who don’t seem to know the difference between hot and cold and world disaster and normal temperature changes. Then there is the confusion about stealing and working for a living.Mental illness and pathological like confusion even permeates our award givers. Even with hundreds and hundreds of renowned and published scientists completely refuting Global warming, the award elite police gave the Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore, that is Dr. I don’t know where I am, but it sure is hot…Al Gore. Who was one of the low life wanna bes who lost the bid for the Nobel Peace Prize in favor of Mr. Gore? Only a German woman who just passed a way in her mid 90s and what did she do? She only saved over 2500 Jewish children, sneaking them out in her cleaning truck, day after day, week after week, eventually being caught by the Nazis and being beaten within an inch of her life. That is why I cry mental illness folks. Do we not know real courage from cowardess? Do we not know a real hero from a fraud and moron? Apparently we don’t.Now scientists are boldly lining up crying global cooling. Most scientists now are finally admitting that the Polar Bear population is increasing. The ice caps are getting colder and the temperature around the world is getting rather cool. What I want to know is that with all the drama queen and greedy antics around the mythology of global warming, trying to get massive billions from us taxpayers to solve this non-existent nightmare, what kind of drama will we see with global cooling?

Are we going to start press conferences to raise money to harvest heat from the sun with Russian rockets? Are we going to outlaw vacations to Hawaii and other tropical resorts because it sucks up much needed heat that could be dispersed to freezing areas of the world? Will the Government take over the Wool industry and sheep farming so they can control the thickness of Wool coats for this long winter? With all the nonsense, distortion and frankly greed displayed by the now debunked global warming crowd, I’m wondering if a few more of the sane scientists who don’t want to take over the world and control people and land, would please come forward and put some sanity back in our science, text books and press conferences! When you look behind the curtain on so many EXTREME CRISES issues you see the classic manipulation of communistic goals, the same ones that have been used countless times to take over people and a nations…..a HUGE environmental crises, the Government will solve it with your money and a ton of regulations; a HUGE big financial meltdown, the Government will solve it with your money and a ton of regulations. Now we are morphing toward massive gun control, parental rights controls,special rights for all except tax paying normal citizens, on and on it goes.Hold on to your hat, coat and gloves….you may need them.

Currencies The Dollar Collapses Carl Gutierrez, 09.08.09, 04:05 PM EDT
Commodities, stocks and foreign currencies all rise as investors sell dollars.

The U.S. dollar reached its lowest point against the euro this year due to a myriad of forces including rising global stocks and commodities prices, low interest rates, and investors diversifying out of Treasury debt and into other assets including U.S. stocks with the Dow Jones industrial average approaching 9500 in late afternoon trading.Stocks in Asia and Europe saw big gains, and gold topped $1,000 an ounce. (See Stocks, Commodities Rally After Long Weekend.) Oil also gained 4.9%, or $3.31, to $71.33, on the New York Mercantile Exchange, due in part to Goldman Sachs affirming its year-long outlook. By midday trading one euro traded for $1.45, meanwhile the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies, fell to its lowest level since September of 2008.It isn't as if the fundamentals are better in Europe, said Jessica Hoversen, a foreign exchange and fixed income futures analyst at MF Global.There are other factors outside of economic growth taking hold in the market.Japan's special drawing rights holdings hit a record $18.5 billion, from $3 billion in July. SDRs are the currency of the International Monetary Fund and other international institutions. It's a basket of currencies composed of the dollar, euro, sterling and yen in a fixed weighting determined by the IMF and World Bank every five years.One of the reasons cited for the rise is an increased in commitment in overseas aid, but Hoversen noted that to a certain degree it speaks to the general demand for the dollar, and that scares the market.It doesn't necessarily mean diversification away from the dollar, but there is a heightened sensitivity about the topic,Hoversen said.Currency investors have been obsessed with the prospect of central banks diversifying out of the dollar. (See Spotlight On The Dollar.) The fixation has been fueled by meetings under the G20/G8 framework, as well as candid comments from some of the largest reserve managers, namely Russia and China. The prospects of a massive diversification are low though, at least in the short-term, because most of the alternatives, including using SDRs as a global reverse currency are unrealistic.

The three-month London Interbank Offer Rate, commonly known as the Libor, which reached a record low of 30 basis points and that also contributed to the dollar's slide.It makes the dollar the cheapest interest rate differential in the G10 on a Libor basis,Hoversen said.The dollar's fall follows a United Nations report released Monday calling for a reduced role of the dollar as the world's primary reserve currency.This is not the first time the U.N. has called for this, but it's the most recent,Hoversen said. The report, which was produced by the U.N. conference on Trade and Development, stated that a viable solution to the exchange-rate problem would be a system of managed flexible exchange rates targeting a rate that is consistent with a sustainable current-account position.What the U.N. may be trying to do is eliminate global dependence on the dollar, Hoversen said.However, more details would be needed on the mechanism for adjustment to judge how it would affect the global currency markets.Visit The Forbes.com Digg ChannelTo be sure, the U.S. isn't solely responsible for the global imbalance. While the U.S. current account deficit is being funded by developing countries, the demand from developed countries is improving their living standards. Meanwhile, developing countries have kept their currencies low in order to stimulate economic growth via their export market, and ultimately change will be required on both sides. (See Decouple Or Die.)

Hoversen also pointed out that curves of the overnight index swaps have Norway and Australia pricing interest rate hikes first.They gain on the idea the global economy is going to recover,Hoversen said.Their central banks have also been more hawkish than other banks.Commodity-based economies will be on the ground floor of supplying the increased demand. Moreover, Australia and New Zealand will be greater beneficiaries of the Chinese stimulus than other commodity currencies. G20 members also promised to keep fiscal and monetary stimulus running on full cylinders, suggesting an increased amount of risk, Hoversen said.

OPEC committee recommends no oil production cut By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, AP Business Writer – SEPT 9,09

VIENNA – OPEC appeared poised to hold oil production quotas unchanged Wednesday, with its ministers voicing satisfaction with current global crude prices.Instead, the focus at the organization's meeting in Vienna was to be on persuading members not to sell more oil than their quotas permit.Kuwait's oil minister, Sheik Ahmed Al Abullah Al Sabah, said OPEC's markets monitoring committee would suggest to the 12-country group that oil output targets be held steady at the organization's meeting Wednesday in Vienna. The gathering is being held in the evening since it falls during the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk.The recommendation offers further indication that ministers from the bloc — supplier of roughly 35 percent of the world's crude — are turning their aim toward encouraging member discipline. Compliance with the output limits, which are designed to support prices, has been waning.Prices are now roughly double their levels from December, when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced its record 4.2 million barrel per day cuts from September 2008 levels. The price rally has been welcome news for cash-hungry member governments, but also a temptation to sell more oil.U.S. benchmark light sweet crude for October delivery was hovering at around $71 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The level is well within the range that OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia has said it would like to see.Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Naimi, whose country is OPEC's top producer and most influential member, told reporters Tuesday that crude's current prices is good for everybody: consumers and producers.OPEC leaders are concerned a price spike could hurt the nascent global economic recovery after the world's worst recession in decades destroyed demand for crude, the chief foreign revenue source for the majority of OPEC's members.

The economy seems to be doing OK,Algerian Oil Minister Chakib Khelil said, echoing other ministers.Things look all right. Prices are holding.But even as he acknowledged that lots of uncertainties remain, Khelil said the careful implementation of the group's last round of output cuts will help stabilize the market within the next six months.All we need to do is comply with what we have decided to do,he said.Adhering to those quotas has typically been one of OPEC's chief weaknesses.Compliance could be better, Mohammed bin Dhaen al-Hamli, the United Arab Emirates' oil minister, told reporters Wednesday. But al-Hamli, too, discounted the need for an output cut, saying that we are comfortable with the market at the moment.With quota adherence down to around 70 percent, the group can ill afford to look the other way at a time when global crude demand remains weak, oil inventories high, and major non-OPEC producers like Russia showing little indication they are willing to do more than pay lip service to OPEC's calls for broader coordination on production.Given their current overproduction, OPEC cannot say we're going to cut because no one will believe them,said John Hall, of London-based John Hall Associates.Credibility matters.That puts OPEC in a difficult position. Global crude inventories in the West remain well above the 52 to 54-days of forward cover the group sees as comfortable. Inventories of refined oil products generally in demand in winter months are also high, meaning that OPEC cannot count on refiners to churn out more products and, in the process, run down crude stocks.

If they leave things as they are, that makes sense, as we're seeing signs of recovery,said Olivier Jakob of the Switzerland-based oil consultancy Petromatrix. But with the recovery still in the early stages. I don't think they want to rush in changing their output.The group's current production target is just under 25 million barrels per day, but output figures excluding Iraq indicate OPEC members are pumping around 26 million barrels per day, analysts say, adding that Angola, Iran and Venezuela have been particularly lax with their quotas. Kuwait's Al Sabah said Tuesday while a quick rebound in demand for crude was unlikely, he expected a noticeable improvement in the first and second quarters of 2010.That leaves the group will little room for error if it hopes to see current prices sustained through the year.I think we are going to stay where we are,said Algeria's Khelil.There will be lots of volatility because of the uncertainty that's tied to the economy, and we're going to see ups and downs. But I think we're going to stay in that level until early next year, and then by early next year, we should see prices rising.
Associated Press writers William J. Kole in Vienna and Adam Schreck in Dubai contributed to this report.On the Net: OPEC, http://www.opec.org

Oil pushes higher on weakening US dollar By Mark Williams, Ap Energy Writer – SEPT 9,09

Oil prices pushed higher for a second straight day Wednesday on continued weakening of the U.S. dollar and as investors awaited the outcome of an OPEC meeting that is expected to result in no change in production levels.Benchmark crude for October delivery climbed $1.15 to $72.25 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.On Tuesday, the contract jumped $3.08 to settle at $71.10 as the dollar fell to a low for the year against the euro.Because crude is priced in the U.S. currency, it essentially becomes cheaper when the dollar falls.This is all about the U.S. dollar, Jim Ritterbusch of Ritterbusch and Associates said of the rising price of oil.As the dollar stays weak, oil goes up.The 16-nation euro rose as high as $1.4600 in morning trading, its highest level this year. The dollar fell to its lowest level since last September against a basket of six major world currencies that includes the euro, yen, Canadian dollar, British pound, Swedish krona and Swiss franc.Ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which produces about 40 percent of the world's oil, seemed to be satisfied with current prices for crude. Instead, this week's meeting in Vienna is more about persuading members not to sell more oil than the quotas permit.Prices are about twice their levels from December, when OPEC announced its record 4.2 million barrel per day cut from September 2008 levels. The price rally has been welcome news for cash-hungry member governments, but also a temptation to sell more oil.Kuwait's oil minister, Sheik Ahmed Al Abullah Al Sabah, said OPEC's markets monitoring committee would suggest to the group that output targets be held steady.

Investors also are awaiting key data on Thursday that could drive prices for the rest of the week.The Paris-based International Energy Agency will release its monthly report on global oil demand followed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly inventory data.Analysts expect a decline in crude and gasoline stocks, but are looking for rise in distillates stocks used to make diesel fuel and heating oil, according to Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.Prices at the pump fell 0.5 cents overnight to a national average of $2.573, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. Prices are now 7.2 cents below where they were a month ago and $1.079 below the year ago average.In other Nymex trading, gasoline for October delivery was up 0.74 cents to $1.8363 a gallon while heating oil rose 2.63 cents to $1.8088 a gallon. Natural gas rose 13.3 cents to $2.94 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, Brent crude was up 91 cents to $70.33 on the ICE Futures exchange.Associated Press Writers Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary, Alex Kennedy in Singapore and Tarek El-Tablawy in Vienna and Tali Arbel in New York contributed to this report.

Oil shoots above $71 a barrel on weak dollar By DIRK LAMMERS, AP Energy Writer - SEPT 8,09

Crude prices settled above $71 a barrel Tuesday as a falling dollar pushed investors to seek out commodities such as oil and gold.Benchmark crude for October delivery gained $3.08 to settle at $71.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract had settled at $68.02 on Friday after rising 6 cents.The dollar fell to a low for the year Tuesday against the euro and several other currencies as gold prices surpassed $1,000 an ounce for the first time since February.Investors often turn to commodities as a hedge against inflation and dollar weakness, and gold seems to be pulling oil along for the ride, said PFGBest analyst Phil Flynn.The move in metals has oil reluctantly rallying higher,Flynn said in his morning report. Normally crude oil would be worrying about the upcoming OPEC meeting as opposed to worrying about the gold market.Leaders of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries have signaled they plan to keep output levels unchanged at the group's meeting Wednesday in Vienna. That could send oil prices lower as traders expect OPEC members to increasingly exceed the group's official production quotas.Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali Naimi said Tuesday that crude markets were in good shape,boosting expectations OPEC will use its meeting this week to stress compliance with output quotas instead of cutting production.The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline fell a half penny to $2.578, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's 6.5 cents more than a month ago, but $1.08 less than at this time last year.

In other Nymex trading, gasoline for October delivery rose 5.26 cents to $1.8289 a gallon, and heating oil gained 6.2 cents to $1.7825 a gallon. Natural gas rose 7.9 cents to $2.807 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, Brent crude was up $2.89 to $69.42 on the ICE Futures exchange.Associated Press Writers Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary, Alex Kennedy in Singapore, Tarek El-Tablawy in Vienna and Tali Arbel in New York contributed to this report.

Stocks gain on rising commodities, takeover news By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer –SEPT 8,09

NEW YORK – Rising commodity prices and stirrings of corporate takeovers are making investors more optimistic about the economy.Stocks rose for the third straight day Tuesday following gains among materials and energy stocks.Gold topped $1,000 an ounce for the first time since February and oil jumped more than $3 a barrel as investors look for more ways to profit from an improving economy. A weaker dollar also helped push commodity prices higher.

Talk of a revival in corporate dealmaking also lifted investors' confidence.

A takeover bid from Kraft Foods Inc. for rival Cadbury — even though Cadbury rejected it — combined with a big phone deal in England lifted hopes that takeover activity could be picking up. Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom said they planned to combine their British mobile phone units to form that country's biggest mobile operator.A weekend pledge by the world's 20 biggest economies to support the global recovery with stimulus efforts also helped keep the market's tone positive.George F. Shipp, chief investment officer at Scott & Stringfellow in Virginia Beach, Va., said U.S. markets are advancing in part to catch up with overseas trading after the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. He also said the takeover talk surrounding Cadbury underscores the fact that some companies are faring better than others.Some companies are doing reasonably well, Shipp said.Chocolate is less susceptible to whatever is going to happen in mortgages and banking and unemployment.According to preliminary calculations, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 56.07, or 0.6 percent, to 9,497.34. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 8.99, or 0.9 percent, to 1,025.39, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 18.99, or 0.9 percent, to 2,037.77.Bond prices fell, pushing yields higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.48 percent from 3.45 percent late Friday.The dollar fell against other major currencies and gold — which is typically bought as a safe haven asset — at times topped $1,000 an ounce before settling just short of that mark.Crude oil rose $3.08 to settle at $71.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Tom Phillips, president of TS Phillips Investments in Oklahoma City, said investors are buying gold because they are nervous about the economy and rising deficits but don't want to miss more gains in the stock market. The S&P 500 index has jumped 50 percent from a 12-year low in early March.It is a flight to safety. It's kind of like everyone is hedging their bets. They want to be in the market because they don't want to miss out, but they're spooked, he said.Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. rose $2, or 3 percent, to $68, while oilfield services company Schlumberger Ltd. rose $2.23, or 4 percent, to $58.10.Meanwhile, General Electric Co. led the 30 stocks that make up the Dow industrials, rising 63 cents, or 4.5 percent, $14.50, after J.P. Morgan upgraded the company's shares saying that the market had already priced in most problems with the conglomerate's lending arm.Among stocks moving on takeover talk, Cadbury jumped $14.42, or 38.5 percent, to $51.88. Kraft fell $1.65, or 5.9 percent, to $26.45.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 5.88, or 1 percent, to 576.38.

Three stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.3 billion shares compared with 1 billion traded Friday.Britain's FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX index rose 0.3 percent, while France's CAC-40 advanced 0.2percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 0.7 percent.

Fed: consumers cut debt by record $21.6B in July By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer – SEPT 8,09

WASHINGTON – Consumers slashed their borrowing in July by the largest amount on record as job losses and uncertainty about the economic recovery prompted Americans to rein in their debt.Economists expect consumers will continue to spend less, save more and trim debt to get household finances decimated by the recession into better shape. However, such action is a recipe for a lethargic revival, as consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity.The Federal Reserve reported Tuesday that consumers ratcheted back their credit by a larger-than-anticipated $21.6billion from June, the most on records dating to 1943. Economists expected credit to drop by $4 billion.Wary consumers and hard-to-get credit both factor into the scaled-back borrowing. But economists are split on which force — lack of demand by consumers or lack of supply from banks — is having the bigger influence.It's really a tug of war, said Mark Williams, professor of finance and economics at Boston University and a former Fed bank examiner.It's true that consumers are being more responsible, saying I don't really need that extra credit card, but it is more related to banks clamping down on lending.But Erik Hurst, economics professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, says it is impossible to know for sure.We are seeing declines in demand for loans from consumers but also declines in the supply of loans from banks. How much of the credit cutback is due to the decline in supply or demand, you can't really tell.Last month, the Federal Reserve, in a survey of bank loan officers, found somewhat weaker demand for all types of consumer loans. But fewer banks reported tightening their standards on credit card and other consumer loans, the Fed survey said.Still, a report earlier this year by the company that produces the most widely known credit scores found that companies slashed limits for an estimated 58 million card holders in the 12 months ended in April, even though a high percentage had good credit scores when their limits were cut.The cuts affected about a third of consumers, according to the study by FICO. But most people did not see a big impact on the credit scores because lenders often cut limits on cards that were unused or lightly used.In Tuesday's report, demand for non-revolving credit used to finance cars, vacations, education and other things fell by $15.4 billion, also a record decline. That 11.7 percent pace was on top of an 8 percent annualized decline in June.

Consumers' appetite for revolving credit, primarily credit cards, declined by $6.1 billion in July, an annualized rate of 8 percent that followed a 6.4 percent drop in June.July's retreat translated into an annualized decline of 10.4 percent. That followed a cut of $15.5 billion in June, or a 7.4 percent annualized drop, and the most since a 16.3 percent decline in June 1975.The latest cut left total consumer credit at $2.47 trillion.The magnitude of the drop surprised analysts. Some thought the Cash for Clunkers program — which began in July and aided auto sales and car loans — would have blunted cutbacks in other lending areas.The Fed's measure of consumer borrowing does not include debt secured by real estate, such as mortgages or home equity loans.Even though the unemployment rate dipped in July, it jumped in August to a 26-year high of 9.7 percent. Already, the recession has snatched 6.9 million jobs and unemployment is expected to top 10 percent this year as employers keep cutting.That will make it harder for Americans to keep up with payments on credit cards and other kinds of loans, analysts said.As great as the clunkers program has been, it's tough to head out and buy a big ticket item when you don't have a job,said Richard Yamarone, economist at Argus Research.Don't expect consumer credit to increase any time soon; the job situation is dismal, at best.

Venezuela to export gasoline to Iran By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer – Mon Sep 7, 7:04 am ET

TEHRAN, Iran – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sealed an agreement to export 20,000 barrels per day of gasoline to Iran, state TV reported Monday. The deal would give Tehran a cushion if the West carries out threats of fuel sanctions over Iran's nuclear program.The two countries signed the agreement late Sunday during a visit by Chavez, who pledged to deepen ties with Iran and stand together against what he called the imperialist powers of the world.Western leaders have threatened to impose further sanctions against it should Iran refuse to bend to deadlines for talks aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear activities. One idea that has been touted, though not yet formally proposed, is to cut off exports of gas station-ready fuel to Iran.One of Iran's weakest points is its dependence on fuel imports. Despite its vast oil resources, it lacks the refinery capacity to meet its own demand and must buy vast quantities of commercial-ready fuel on the open market.

The Venezuelan fuel could help Iran if such sanctions are imposed.

On the basis of a strategic decision, it was agreed to export 20,000 barrels a day of gasoline from Venezuela to Iran,state TV quoted Chavez as saying at the end of his visit. The fuel shipments will begin in October.Iran has managed to ride out the limited sanctions so far without serious hardships, although lack of significant foreign investment has left the economy stuck in low gear for years.The U.S. and some of its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has denied the charges, saying its nuclear program is aimed at only at generating electricity.Iranian leaders — particularly President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — have repeatedly insisted that Iran would never uranium enrichment, which the U.N. has demanded it halt. The process can produce fuel for a reactor or a warhead.President Barack Obama and European allies have given Iran until the end of September to agree to talks on its nuclear program. Iran has rejected any deadlines but its top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said last week that Tehran has prepared to present a package of new proposals and would be ready to open talks in order to ease common concerns in the international arena.Chavez said Venezuela will import machinery and technology from Iran in return for its gasoline exports, the TV report said.The broadcast also quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that the two countries agreed to set up a bank together to help finance joint projects.

UK: Global deal on climate change at risk By DAVID STRINGER, Associated Press Writer – SEPT 8,09

LONDON – Two British Cabinet ministers said Tuesday that attempts to broker a new global pact on climate change by the end of the year are at risk of failing.Hopes for an agreement being reached at a United Nations summit in December hang in the balance, undermined by a climate of suspicion between rich and poor countries, said Foreign Secretary David Miliband, speaking at a press conference with his brother, Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband.Nations will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to attempt to strike a pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which bound 37 industrial countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent of 1990 levels by 2012.

But David Miliband told reporters in London that the complexity of negotiations and disputes between industrialized and developing nations over cuts to emissions threaten to scupper a deal.The deal the world needs in Copenhagen is now in the balance,he said.There's a real danger the talks scheduled for December will not reach a positive outcome, and an equal danger in the run-up to Copenhagen that people don't wake up to the danger of failure until it's too late.The Kyoto accord placed no obligations on developing countries, but now industrialized nations want countries including India and China — seen by many as the world's largest polluter — to agree to stall, and eventually cut, their emissions.David Miliband traveled later Tuesday to a Paris conference that urged international cooperation toward a climate deal.There is no Plan B," Denmark's EU ambassador, Claus Grube, said at the conference. The problems (of global warming) ... will not disappear. We have to deal with them. Why not do it now, why not do it in Copenhagen? Miliband travels later this week to the Netherlands, Poland and Denmark to meet fellow foreign ministers and discuss how European nations can try to influence reluctant nations.EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said Tuesday in Brussels that a decision by Japan's incoming prime minister to pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 would encourage those seeking a Copenhagen pact.

The Democratic Party of Japan, which won last month's national elections, promised during the campaign to reduce the country's emissions 25 percent from 1990 levels. The EU has promised to cut its emissions by 20 percent by 2020, but is willing to cut up to 30 percent if other rich countries follow suit.Ed Miliband said Japan's action was welcome, and called for more political boldness ahead of the summit.It feels to me that many of the jigsaw pieces are in place for a deal, and we must help put them together,he said.David Miliband said in Paris that the Japanese move is one of the most significant changes for a long time. ... Time will tell whether it's a game-changer.Britain has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 34 percent of 1990 levels by 2020, higher than the EU target.The United States, which did not sign the Kyoto Protocol, agreed with nearly 200 other nations at a conference in Bali in December to negotiate a new agreement by the end of 2009.

Mixed EU data points to uncertain recovery by William Ickes – Tue Sep 8, 1:42 pm ET

FRANKFURT (AFP) – Mixed German data highlighted concerns over a potentially fragile recovery in Europe's biggest economy on Tuesday, a picture mirrored across the 27-nation European Union (EU) as a whole.The good news was that the German trade surplus and exports posted gains in July as global economic activity began to rebound from a historic slump.The positive German data was slightly offset, however, by news that industrial production dropped 0.9 percent the same month, a result of anticipated holidays in the country, the economy ministry said.Europe's economic powerhouse is emerging from its worst recession in six decades and while the outlook for 2009 is brighter, it becomes more uncertain next year when government stimulus programmes are set to taper off.Unemployment will probably rise and German firms could also face a credit crunch that could curtail investment just as demand picks up.The situation is comparable in Britain and France, the second and third biggest EU economies, while further north in the Baltic states and Finland, the good news dimmed as autumn approached and the days grew shorter.On a global level, the International Monetary Fund was upbeat meanwhile, with IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn saying a recovery might take place three months sooner than expected.For a year, we've been saying that the recovery might take place in the first half of 2010,he told the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.Perhaps it will be brought forward by a quarter and that would be good news.German Chancellor Angela Merkel revised Berlin's economic forecast slightly higher less than three weeks ahead of a general election but the economy was still expected to contract between 5.5-6.0 percent this year, compared with earlier estimates for 6.0 percent.

It will still be a long time until we get to the place we were in before the crisis, Merkel said in a speech to parliament.In Britain, manufacturing output rose 0.9 percent in July from June, suggesting it could soon exit recession as well.The Bank of France revised its third quarter growth forecast higher to 0.3 percent although business leaders said the level of industrial orders remained weak.Other bright spots were found in Portugal, which said it had pulled out of recession in the second quarter, and the Czech Republic, which did the same.Unemployment, which lags behind in economic cycles, climbed to 8.5 percent of the Czech workforce however, the highest rate in almost 3.5 years.Several EU countries had gloomy news, ranging from tumbling industrial production data to dismal data on growth, or rather a lack of it.Spanish industrial output marked its fifteenth consecutive decline in July on an annual basis, while in Slovakia it dropped for a ninth straight month as the country's car makers remained on the defensive.Recessions remained entrenched in Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania, with Helsinki the eurozone's weakest performer owing to a 12-month contraction of 9.4 percent in the second quarter.It was Finland's biggest annual decline since the fourth quarter of 1991.

Finally, gold prices broke above 1,000 dollars an ounce in London, the highest level since March 2008 when they hit a record high of 1,032.70 dollars.Dealers said sales were fueled by a falling dollar, gold's safe-haven status and the risk of higher inflation.

World stocks up on M&A activity, stimulus pledge By CARLO PIOVANO, AP Business Writer – Tue Sep 8, 12:44 pm ET

LONDON – World stocks rose Tuesday, helped by corporate merger news and positive momentum over government pledges to support the global recovery with stimulus efforts.Gold prices rose above $1,000 before falling back, driven by a weaker dollar and expectations of low interest rates.Germany's DAX rose 0.3 percent, to 5,481.73, while Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.3 percent, to 4,947.34. France's CAC-40 was up 0.2 percent, at 3,660.96, and Asian stocks rallied as well.Wall Street likewise rose, the Dow Jones industrial average gaining 0.3 percent, to 9,466.96. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.6 percent, to 1,022.0, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 0.4 percent, to 2,027.47.A day after Kraft Foods Inc. proposed a 10.2 billion pound ($16.7 billion) takeover of Cadbury PLC — which was rejected and created speculation of an industry-wide acquisition race for the British company — major U.K. mobile operators said they were considering a merger.Deutsche Telekom AG and France Telecom SA said they intend to combine their British mobile phone units — T-Mobile UK and Orange UK — to form the country's biggest mobile operator. The company would have about 37 percent of the U.K. mobile market and revenues of 7.7 billion pounds.Jonathan Groocock, analyst at Investec Securities, said a deal could benefit the entire British mobile sector.The final outcome would be improved market returns for all parties as margins could stabilize,he said in a research note.

The increase in corporate activity suggests an improvement in businesses' confidence and reinforces views that the worst of the global economic downturn is past.Still, many investors doubt that a strong recovery can be sustained over coming months, as unemployment continues to rise, putting pressure on household spending.The pledge by the Group of 20 nations at a summit in London to keep stimulus measures in place soothed these concerns, and the momentum from a strong rally on Monday lingered into Tuesday.I don't know if the optimism is justified, but people are buying into it, said Francis Lun, general manager at Fulbright Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong.The G-20 countries said they would continue to flood the system with liquidity so the economy doesn't tank. That's what investors wanted to hear. Investors always want to believe the good news and disregard the bad news, he said.In fact, some signs in financial markets suggested all was not well. Gold — which is typically bought as a safe haven asset — traded for a time above $1,000 per troy ounce at an 18-month high.The upside in gold prices appears to counter the firmer tone to equity markets and may inject a note of caution about the rally in risk trades, said Mitul Kotecha, analyst at Calyon.In Asia, Australia's index jumped 1.6 percent on news that business confidence had reached a near six-year high.Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average advanced 72.29 points, or 0.7 percent, at 10,393.23, despite a steep fall in the nation's current account surplus underlining prolonged weakness in exports — a key driver of growth for the world's No. 2 economy.Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 440.50, or 2.1 percent, to 21,069.81, while South Korea's Kospi was up 0.7 percent. The Shanghai index gained 1.7 percent and Taiwan's benchmark rose 1.2 percent.Benchmark crude for October delivery jumped $3.27 to $71.29 a barrel ahead of an OPEC meeting Wednesday, which a Saudi oil minister suggested would decide to leave production unchanged.The dollar fell to 92.21 yen from 93.05 yen, while the euro rose strongly to $1.449 from $1.4332.Associated Press Writer Stephen Wright in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Google launches user-led Q&A service in Arabic
By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer - Tue Sep 8, 2009 1:31PM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Google Inc. launched an online tool Tuesday that allows Arab users to answer each other's questions, a move designed to boost the amount of Web content available in Arabic.The new service comes two weeks after Yahoo Inc. bought one of the Arab world's largest online portals. Like Google, Yahoo wants to better serve the rapidly expanding population of young and tech-savvy people in the Middle East.Google decided to launch its tool, called Google Ejabat after the Arabic word for answers,after discovering many of its Arabic users' searches failed to turn up relevant results. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company estimates that less than 1 percent of information online is in Arabic.We recognize that users are the best at answering each other's questions within a community and this product is the perfect way to be able to share and contribute information, said Wael Ghonim, the company's product and marketing manager for the Middle East and North Africa.Google already offers Arabic-language search pages, and its Blogger publishing platform is popular among the region's growing corps of online writers.

The company does not offer a service like Ejabat in English, but has launched similar tools in Russian, Chinese and Thai, Dubai-based spokeswoman Joanne Kubba said.We pushed it ahead in Arabic since we know it to be a very useful tool to help generate ... content,she said.Google's move follows Yahoo's announcement last month that it had reached a deal to buy the Arab online community Web site Maktoob.com for an undisclosed amount.Yahoo said that deal allows it to offer Arabic versions of its e-mail and messaging services as it expands to fast-growing markets where it has a chance to become the online destination of choice.On the Net:http://ejabat.google.com
http://maktoob.com