POPE ATTACKED BY WOMAN

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Strong quake hits off Indonesian island
Sat Dec 26, 5:55 am ET

JAKARTA (AFP) – A strong quake with a magnitude of 6.7 hit off the Indonesian island of Maluku on Saturday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of a tsunami or casualties.The quake struck at 15:57 pm local time (0657 GMT) about 152 kilometres (94 miles) northwest of Tual, Maluku province, at a depth of 67 kilometres, the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.The quake happened under the sea far enough from the nearest town of Tual. It's also deep, meaning that its effect will be insignificant,the agency's technical head Suharjono told AFP.

There is no report of damages yet,he added.A later US Geological Survey report registered the quake, in the Banda Sea, at a magnitude of 6.0.Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Australians evacuated as fires rage
Thu Dec 24, 2:54 am ET

SYDNEY (AFP) – Australian holidaymakers were evacuated Thursday from a campsite in the path of raging wildfires, a day after an inferno destroyed 13 homes in the country's southeast, officials said.Fire crews in Victoria state were on high alert as strong winds and searing temperatures prompted extreme fire warnings, but most of the eight wildfires burning across the state had been brought under control, officials said.Camping areas in East Gippsland north of Melbourne were evacuated, but a cooler change in the evening pushed flames away from properties and the campers were allowed to resume their Christmas celebrations.We're feeling really good about all of these fires so we're in pretty good shape -- as good as we could be at the moment, a Country Fire Authority spokesman said late Thursday.The blazes come after February's Black Saturday inferno killed 173 people and flattened more than 2,000 homes in Victoria, in Australia's worst natural disaster of modern times.

Savage fires razed 13 homes and an emergency services building at Port Lincoln and Kingston in the neighbouring state of South Australia Wednesday.Authorities said cooler temperatures and rain overnight had helped emergency crews bring some fires under control. Five firefighters were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation but no one was seriously injured.Much of South Australia had on Wednesday been declared a catastrophic fire risk, when conditions are considered on a par with the Black Saturday firestorm and residents are urged to evacuate.Meanwhile farmers in central New South Wales were being advised to stock up on food and medical supplies ahead of a major Christmas Day deluge, with the weather bureau forecasting the worst floods in a decade.We'd hope most people would be prepared to be (trapped) out there for five days, because that's how long it takes for floodwaters to subside, a spokesman for the NSW state emergency service said.The heavy rains are expected as cyclone Laurence moves inland after hammering the country's west coast earlier this week.

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.

Connecting Global Warming to Intelligent Design
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/12/john-loeffler-steel-on-steel-connecting.html#links

Global Governance without Consent of the Governed
http://britanniaradio.blogspot.com/2009/12/12192009-global-governance-without.html#links

NIGEL FARGE ON ALEX JONES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emOj59ZppOA&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IWQqQENRlg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1OFbNykXWM&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8G697oEvJk&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnqnhib48Oc&feature=player_embedded

Forecasters warn of continued blizzards in Plains By DINESH RAMDE, Associated Press Writer – DEC 26,09

MILWAUKEE – Residents in the nation's heartland were digging out after a blustery storm as meteorologists warned that blizzard conditions could continue across the northern Plains on Saturday.The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin through Saturday. The storm had already dumped significant snow across the region, including a record 14 inches in Oklahoma City and 11 inches in Duluth, Minn., on Thursday.Slippery roads have been blamed for at least 21 deaths this week as the storm lumbered across the country from the Southwest.Paul Mews, who drove from Faribault, Minn., to a relative's home in Plum City, Wis., on Friday morning, said the first 15 minutes of the 80-mile trip were clear, but a surge of heavy snowfall produced a stretch of near-whiteout conditions.It was snow-pocalypse. It was wicked, said Mews, 25.We thought about turning around and going back.

They decided to continue when the surge passed minutes later.

Others weren't as lucky.

Army Sgt. Mark Matthey was spending Friday night at the Flying J Travel Plaza in Sioux Falls, S.D., after Interstate 90 closed. Matthey, 26, left Fort Bragg, N.C., on Wednesday for his hometown of Spokane, Wash., in hopes of making it by late Friday or early Saturday.Instead, he spent Friday afternoon drinking coffee, watching TV and making friends at the truck stop. Matthey said he and the other travelers were in decent spirits.Everybody has the attitude that you have to play the cards you were dealt, he said. No use in getting upset about something you can't control.Interstates also were closed in North Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. Meteorologists warned that massive snow drifts and blustery winds could cause whiteouts across the northern Plains. Officials urged travelers to stay home and pack emergency kits if they had to set out.In Texas, volunteer firefighters and sheriff's deputies rescued hundreds of people stranded along Interstate 44 and Texas State Highway 287 near Wichita Falls. The area recorded up to 13 inches of snow, said Doug Speheger, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

It's really been horrible, Wichita County Sheriff David Duke said.Although we live in north Texas and get a lot of cold weather, we weren't prepared for the significant amount of snow that we've received.Only two of the sheriff department's vehicles have four-wheel drive, so rescuers used their own pickups and the heavy 5-ton brush trucks normally used to fight fires to get to motorists, many of whom ran out of gas while they were stuck in traffic stalled by the storm.It was exciting at first to wake up and go, Oh, this will be great. We'll have a white Christmas, Wichita Falls Mayor Lanham Lyne said.Then it kept snowing. As the roads became impassable, then we started to worry.The storm grounded flights at South Dakota's biggest airports. Sioux Falls Regional Airport was closed until Saturday morning at the earliest, manager Dan Letellier told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Flights also were canceled at Rapid City Regional Airport and Pierre Regional Airport.Mark Kranenburg, director of the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City predicted it would be two or three days before all three runways were open and flights resumed as scheduled at Oklahoma's largest airport.The 14 inches of snow in Oklahoma City broke a record of 2.5 inches set back in 1914. The previous record for Christmas Eve in Duluth, which has gotten more than 22 inches in two days, was 3 inches in 1893, said Kevin Kraujalis, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

With heavy winds producing snow drifts as deep as 5 feet, it's awful, it's just awful,Kraujalis said.It's a big workout just walking outside to check my weather equipment.Since Tuesday, icy roads have been blamed for accidents that killed at least seven people in Nebraska, five people in Oklahoma, four in Kansas, two in Minnesota and one each in North Dakota, Missouri and New Mexico. Associated Press writers Patrick Condon in Minneapolis, Eric Olson in Omaha, Neb., Melanie Welte in Des Moines, Iowa, John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., Linda Stewart Ball in Dallas and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report. On the Net: National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov

Asia marks tsunami's fifth anniversary with prayer
By Jason Szep Jason Szep – DEC 26,09

PATONG, Thailand (Reuters) – Thousands of candles lit up Thailand's Patong beach, thousands of saffron-robed Buddhist monks marched and people held vigils as Asia marked the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami on Saturday.Hundreds of lanterns floated into the sky at Patong in one of many events across the region in memory of one of history's worst natural disasters when towering waves crashed ashore with little warning, killing 226,000 people in 13 countries.We came here to remember those who died,said Sainamphueng Kachan, 32, who lost 20 friends in the tsunami and was among the tourists, mourners and tsunami survivors gathered in bustling Patong to light candles dug into holes in the beach.In Indonesia's Banda Aceh, about 100 people took part in a prayer ceremony close to a fishing boat that landed on the rooftop of a two-storey house after being swept miles inland.

Indonesia was the worst hit with more than 166,000 dead and missing. Massive reconstruction aid in Banda Aceh has rebuilt a new city on top of the ruins but survivors are only now putting memories of the disaster behind them.Some villagers shed tears as they remembered the day their homes and lives were destroyed by the wall of water that rose as high as 30 meters (98 ft), triggered by an undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.I will never forget it in all my life. After the earthquake, we ran out of the house and within minutes people screamed on seeing the towering water, said Ambasiah, 40, owner of the house with the fishing boat where about 50 people took refuge.When the water got higher, suddenly a boat landed on top of the house. We climbed and stayed there until afternoon. We saw the waves from atop.Indonesian Vice President Boediono attended another ceremony in Ulee Lheu, a port about 5 km (3 miles) from Banda Aceh which was worst hit by the tsunami.After five years, the government of Aceh and Aceh people, with the help of the central government and the international society, have resurrected Aceh to start a new life and rebuild Aceh, he told a gathering of about 1,000 people.Some locals such as Taufik Rahmat say they have moved on, helped along by new homes in the Banda Aceh region following one of the largest foreign fund-raising exercises. But still pockets of people in his village remain homeless.Not all elements have been fulfilled, I think about 80 percent to 90 percent of the people still don't have proper housing,he said.

FRIGHTENED OF THE SEA

Thousands of Buddhist monks chanted and marched in Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village on Thailand's Andaman Sea coast that lost nearly half its 5,000 people.All souls from all nationalities, wherever you are now, please receive the prayers the monks are saying for you,said Kularb Pliamyai, who lost 10 family members in Ban Nam Khem.Ban Nam Khem village is a shadow of its former self. Its once-thriving center of dense waterfront stores, restaurants and wooden homes is gone, replaced with souvenir shops, a wave-shaped monument and a small building filled with photographs of the tsunami recovery effort.Many former residents are now too frightened of the sea to rebuild close to the water.I still feel bad about what happened. People from all over the world were killed here. It's their misfortune,Kularb said. In Thailand, 5,398 people were killed, including several thousand foreign tourists, when the waves swamped six coastal provinces, turning some of the world's most beautiful beaches into mass graves. Many are still missing. In Patong, local artists performed traditional Thai songs and Buddhist monks chanted as tourists and locals gathered in a pavilion to look at photographs of the tsunami's damage. We come and stay here because we are alive, said Ruschitschka Adolf, a 73-year-old German who survived the tsunami, as his wife Katherina waded into Patong's turquoise waters to lay white roses in the waves in memory of the dead. Almost all of those killed were on holiday on or around the southern island of Phuket, a region that had contributed as much as 40 percent of Thailand's annual tourism income.

AID DRYING UP

Tsunami aid efforts have mostly finished, said Patrick Fuller, Tsunami Communications Coordinator at the Red Cross. A lot of the physical reconstruction has ended. There are some major infrastructure projects that are still going on. There are some road projects, longer term projects. But all the housing projects are pretty much wrapped up, he said. The Red Cross built 51,000 houses over the past five years, mostly in the Maldives and Indonesia. But locals say they need more than new buildings, clean-water plants and other infrastructure. The economy has not recovered,said Rotjana Phraesrithong, who is in charge of the Baan Tharn Namchai Orphanage, opened in 2006 for 35 children who lost parents in the tsunami. Dozens of small hotels and resorts are up for sale in Thailand's Phang Nga province north of Phuket whose forested coastline includes Ban Nam Khem and the serene 19-km (12-mile) Khao Lak beach, two of Thailand's worst tsunami-hit areas. More than 100 of these small hotels and retail tour operators are looking to sell their operations because they can't obtain loans from banks to keep going, said Krit Srifa, president of the Phang Nga Tourism Association. On Khao Lak beach, where the tsunami killed 3,000 people, mourners lit 2,552 traditional Khomloy floating paper lanterns -- a number representing the Thai Buddhist calendar year when the tsunami struck. (Additional reporting by Masako Iijima, Reza Munawir and Heru Asprihanto in Banda Aceh and Vorasit Satienlerk and Noppawan Bunlueslip in Thailand; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Pope in good shape 2 days after Xmas scare By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer DEC 26,09

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI appeared in good shape on Saturday as he addressed the faithful two days after a woman knocked him down at the start of Christmas Eve Mass.Benedict spoke about the plight of persecuted Christians around the world and did not mention the incident in his message to a crowd gathered in a rainy St. Peter's Square.On the day Christians commemorate St. Stephen, the church's first martyr, the pope remembered those who undergo trials and suffering because of their faith and urged prayers for them.The 82-year-old pontiff was processing through St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday when a woman described by Vatican officials as mentally unstable jumped the barricades and pulled him to the ground as she was taken down by guards.Benedict quickly got up and, though slightly rattled, continued with the Mass. The morning after, he delivered his traditional Christmas Day message.While Benedict was unhurt in the tumble, a retired Vatican diplomat, French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, fell and fractured his hip in the commotion.The Vatican's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Saturday that the 87-year-old prelate would probably undergo surgery on Sunday.Visitors report that the cardinal is serene and in high spirits and that he offers his prayers for the pope and awaits with optimism the surgery, Lombardi said in a statement.The Vatican identified the woman involved in Thursday night's incident as 25-year-old Susanna Maiolo, a Swiss-Italian national with psychiatric problems.She remains in a clinic for treatment and Lombardi said she is still under Vatican jurisdiction. The city-state's judiciary will decide in the coming days whether to take further steps against her based on the reports from Vatican police and doctors, he said in the statement.Maiolo was from in the Swiss town of Frauenfeld, where she spent two years at a residential home for people with psychiatric disorders and illnesses, said Rolf Kessler, director of the Wohngruppe Kanzler home.Confirming reports in Swiss media, Kessler said Maiolo stayed there from July 2006 to July 2008 before moving into her own apartment.Italy's ANSA news agency said the woman's family visited her Saturday afternoon at a hospital outside Rome where she is being held.The incident raised fresh questions about security for the pontiff, especially after officials said Maiolo was the same person who had jumped the barriers at the 2008 Christmas Eve Mass in a failed bid to get to the pope. She even wore the same red hooded sweat shirt.The Vatican has said it will review security procedures, while warning there will always be risks since the pope is regularly surrounded by tens of thousands of people for his weekly audiences, Masses, papal greetings and other events.AP writer Eliane Engeler contributed to this report from Geneva.

Pope calls for peace amid concern over his security By Philip Pullella – Fri Dec 25, 7:21 am ET

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Benedict called on the world to abandon violence and vengeance on Friday and showed no sign of strain after an unstable woman lunged at him, forcing him to the ground, on Christmas Eve.In his traditional Urbi et Orbi message to the city and the world from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the pope urged the world to rediscover the simplicity of the Christmas message and read Christmas greetings in 65 languages.As the pope spoke to tens of thousands of people in the square below, the Vatican remained focused on Thursday night's incident, which raised again the question of how the pope can be protected while still having close contact with people.Susanna Maiolo, 25, an Italian-Swiss national, shocked the Catholic world and Vatican security when she jumped over a barricade in the basilica, lunged at Pope Benedict, grabbed his vestments and caused him to fall to the marble floor.The Vatican said she was psychologically unstable and unarmed and the pope was not hurt in any way. She was taken to an Italian hospital for psychological treatment.Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Friday that it was impossible to provide watertight security for the pope because being close to people is part of his mission.It is impossible to prevent every possibility of something happening, even at close range,Lombardi told reporters.The pope wants to have a direct, pastoral relationship with people where you can touch children, shake hands and do what you want to do and what the people want you to do, Lombardi said.If you want watertight security you can't do that. Being out of touch with people, being far from them, runs against the spirit of his mission so there will always be a risk, he said.

SIMPLICITY OF CHRISTMAS

In his Urbi et Orbi message, the pope said today's world had to rediscover the simplicity of the Christmas message.People should abandon every logic of violence and vengeance and engage with renewed vigor and generosity in the process which leads to peaceful coexistence.He said that while the world was currently steeped in a grave financial crisis, it was also affected even more by a moral crisis, and by the painful wounds of wars and conflicts.Thursday's incident took place as the 82-year-old pope, flanked by security men and bishops, was walking up the main aisle of the basilica to start a Christmas Eve mass.Members of the congregation screamed as Maiolo, wearing a red, hooded sweatshirt, jumped the barrier and lunged at him.

French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, 87, who has been in frail health recently, fell to the floor in the confusion and was taken away in a wheelchair. He suffered a broken femur and will have to undergo surgery but is not in serious condition.The Vatican acknowledged that Maiolo had also tried to jump a barricade to reach the pope at last year's Christmas Mass.It's surprising that it happened inside St Peter's, because the security there has changed a great deal in recent years and is much more tight than it used to be, the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, leader of Catholics in England and Wales, told the BBC. But there it is, I'm sure those arrangements will be reviewed and greater care will be taken, he said. There have been few security breaches in Benedict's pontificate, which began in 2005. In 2007 a German man jumped over a barricade in St Peter's Square as the pope's jeep was passing during a general audience and tried to board the vehicle. The most serious attack on a pope in the Vatican was in 1981 when Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca shot and nearly killed Pope John Paul II in St Peter's Square. While visitors to the basilica must pass through metal detectors and spot checks, security once they get inside is relatively light. Vatican security is shared by a police force and Swiss Guards.(Editing by Tim Pearce)

Jewish advocacy group questions Carter's apology By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 24, 6:01 pm ET

ATLANTA – Former President Jimmy Carter's apology to the Jewish community has sparked a debate among Jewish groups, as some reacted with skepticism while others sought to wait before gauging the Georgia Democrat's attempt to heal an often strained relationship.Is it correct to outright dismiss his apology? No, if he issues it, we have to look at it seriously, said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.But the devil is in the details. And if there's a nuanced change about how he approaches Israel in the future, it's an important statement.

Carter issued an open letter this week apologizing for any words or deeds that may have stigmatized Israel. He offered an Al Het — a prayer said on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement — that signifies a plea for forgiveness.Some organizations were reluctant to accept his offer. Shalom International, a Miami-based group known for staging protests to fight anti-Semitism, called the apology a publicity stunt and invited Carter to attend one of several rallies planned for the next few months.

I'm sorry doesn't cut it,said Bob Kunst, the group's president.Carter has galvanized the Jewish community like few other politicians. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate brokered a 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt during his presidency and he has long said bringing peace to the Middle East remains one of his unfulfilled goals.

But many Jews were outraged by his 2006 book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, in which critics said he unfairly compared Israeli treatment of Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza to the legalized racial oppression that once existed in South Africa.And Israeli leaders have shunned him for his journeys to Gaza to meet with officials from Hamas, which is considered a terror group by the U.S., the European Union and Israel.Some Jewish groups welcomed Carter's statement, but said it's too early to tell if he meant it.The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America said true repentance requires Carter to reverse any of the harm he caused, and called on the president to take concrete actions to redress troubling false statements the group said he made about the war Israel waged in Gaza a year ago to subdue Hamas.We hope your conciliatory words are indicative of a true change of heart in which Israel is no longer subjected to unwarranted and false criticism, said Andrea Levin, the group's executive director, in a letter to Carter.Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League said Carter's apology was a good start to repairing relations with the Jewish community. Others said they were cautiously optimistic.We are happy to criticize him when he's being unfair, so when he says something like this, he should be congratulated and encouraged, said Ira Forman, chief executive of the Washington-based National Jewish Democratic Council.You have to take people at their word, he said before invoking the Yiddish word for an honorable person.And I think it's mensch-like to say that we appreciate that.

Virgin Mary sighting a glimpse of hope for Egypt Christians by Mona Salem – Thu Dec 24, 1:28 pm ET

CAIRO (AFP) – Every night in the run-up to Christmas thousands of Egypt's Coptic Christians have been gathering in a Cairo suburb eager for a glimpse of a vision that has given hope to their marginalised community.It is three hours past midnight in Al-Warrak, a poor working class neighbourhood of the Egyptian capital, and a 10,000-strong crowd is silently staring at the sky.Then the appearance of a mysterious light over the church tower jolts the gathering into a frenzy of cries and ululations. It is the apparition of the Virgin Mary, they say.Thousands have been coming nightly since the first sighting of the Virgin Mary on December 10, in the hope of being blessed by her light.The prospect of benediction is a much needed morale boost for the Christian minority which complains of systematic discrimination and marginalisation in the Muslim majority Arab country.Tea vendors and sweet sellers snake through the crowd where thousands of families have gathered with young children and babies.The first person to spot the sighting of the Virgin Mary was a Muslim neighour. He took a video and pictures and distributed them to everyone, said Father Fishay, a priest at the Warrak church, describing how he first heard of the apparition.Hassan, the Muslim neighbour, was sitting at his local coffee shop when at around 8:30 pm, he saw a strong light coming from the church.Others on the street began to notice the light and saw a bird circling above the church. At around 2 am, a vision of the Virgin Mary in her white and blue robes appeared, Fishay said.But Muslim residents of the area insist it is a hoax, with someone creating the image with laser beams.

News of the apparition quickly spread in the area, prompting hundreds to rush out of their homes armed with mobile phones to capture the momentous event.It's her, with her blue and white clothes, there is no doubt about it. It cannot be an illusion, said an excited Rami, 36, in response to sceptics.The church closes its doors in the evening, we were not there when the image appeared the first time, so we decided to come back the second night and we saw the bird circling the church then the light, Fishay said in his measured manner.Kawkab Munir Shehata, 39, is convinced. The mother of two says the Virgin Mary even performed surgery on her, giving her back the sight she had lost in her left eye.It was about 3:40 am when she started performing the surgery on my left eye. I felt immense pain which lasted about quarter of an hour. Then I was ecstatic to find out that I could see clearly, said Kawkab.

You see, my left eye is even better than my right one now, she said.Nabil, 32, his wife Mariam, 28, and their three children came from Shubra al-Kheima, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away on the other side of town, to receive the Virgin's blessings.Her appearance means she approves of us and if she blesses us, we will stay till morning, Mariam said. Her husband said the sighting proves that Christianity is still alive. He is angry over the recent publication of an article in a periodical of Cairo's Al-Azhar University, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, questioning the foundations of Christianity. The apparition of the Virgin Mary means that Christianity is real and the Bible is real, he said. Raafat, 38, goes to Warrak every night but has to leave early to make it to his pre-dawn job. His wife Mariam however stays up with their four children. Schools are closed due to swine flu, there's no reason not to stay up late and wait for the Virgin Mary, she said. Egypt's Christians make up around 10 percent of the 80 million population but complain they are kept out of jobs in the army, judiciary and universities. The apparition of the Virgin provides comfort for many of the Coptic faithful as they prepare to celebrate Christmas on January 7 in accordance with the ancient Julian calendar used by many Eastern Churches. It is not possible to know the reason for the Virgin's appearance, but it could be to push people towards faith, and help put an end to their problems, Fishay said. Maybe her appearance is to bring people closer together, maybe it will bring about the end of the state of tension between Muslims and Christians and an end to extremism, he said. Maybe it'll bring back forgiveness like there once used to be in Egypt.

Iran willing to swap nuclear material in Turkey By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 25, 12:41 pm ET

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran would be willing to swap nuclear material with the West in Turkey, the foreign minister said in the country's latest counteroffer to a U.N.-drafted deal aimed at thwarting Tehran's ability to produce atomic weapons.The U.N. proposal aims to ease concerns that Iran could build a nuclear weapon by reducing its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. Under the proposal, the uranium would be shipped to France and Russia in exchange for more highly enriched fuel rods that are not suitable for use in weapons.Speaking on Iran's state TV, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki suggested Turkey, which neighbors Iran and has good relations with the West, as a venue for exchanging nuclear material.Iran does not have a problem with Turkish soil as the location for an exchange of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, he said late Thursday.In Turkey, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu welcomed the Iranian announcement and said his government is ready to do its best to help reach a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear program.While Iran's remarks signaled a slight change in stance — the country has said before it would only accept such an exchange on its own territory — they represent no significant shift in Iran's policy.

The U.S. and its allies have demanded Iran accept the terms of the U.N.-brokered plan without changes. Under the plan, drafted last month, Iran would export its low-enriched uranium for further enrichment in Russia and France, where it would be converted into fuel rods. The rods, which Iran needs for a research reactor in Tehran, would be returned to the country about a year later.Exporting the uranium would temporarily leave Iran without enough stockpiles to further enrich the uranium into the material for a nuclear warhead, and the rods that are returned could not be used to make weapons.Iran says it has no intention of building a bomb, maintaining its program is for generating electricity.At various times, Iran has proposed swapping material in batches — which would not necessarily reduce its ability to build a bomb. At other times it has insisted on a simultaneous swap inside Iran, or threatened to just produce the fuel rods on its own.The West needs to prove its goodwill intentions toward Tehran first, Mottaki said in the interview.Exchange is acceptable, he said.They (West) have to do the trust-building, then it is pursuable.

Iran is able to produce the fuel on its own, Mottaki said, calling this a preferable option while adding that Iran is still ready for talks with the West.The ball in their own court, they should answer us, said Mottaki. Threat and sanctions are useless.Enrichment is at the core of the nuclear controversy. Low-enriched uranium is used to fuel a nuclear energy reactor, but highly enriched uranium can be turned into a nuclear warhead. Once converted into rods, the uranium cannot be enriched further.The U.N. has demanded that Iran suspend all enrichment, a demand Tehran has refused, saying it has a right to develop the technology under the Nonproliferation Treaty. Iran has also defiantly announced it intends to build the 10 new uranium enrichment sites, drawing a forceful rebuke from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.

The U.S. and its allies are threatening to impose more sanctions on Iran if it does not cooperate.Earlier this week, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed a year-end deadline set by the Obama administration and the West for Tehran to accept the U.N.-drafted deal and also shrugged off the threat of more sanctions.

Mideast tensions rise after deadly West Bank raid
by Imad Saada Imad Saada – DEC 26,09

NABLUS, West Bank (AFP) – Israeli troops killed six Palestinians in two separate operations on Saturday, including a West Bank raid the Palestinian Authority condemned as a dangerous escalation.It was the highest toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in a single day since a 22-day Gaza war launched one year ago tomorrow, and came amid growing tensions between Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.The raid in the West Bank town of Nablus saw dozens of Israeli jeeps roar into the historic Old City before troops barged in and shot three members of president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah movement in different houses, witnesses said.The military said the three had killed an Israeli settler driving through the West Bank on Thursday when they sprayed his vehicle with bullets and that one of them, Anan Subuh, 36, was in a hiding place and armed with a handgun.Another militant, Raid al-Surakji, 40, used his wife as a shield when troops stormed his house, the military said. Soldiers opened fire, killing him and wounding the woman with a shot to the leg.Family members said the troops entered without warning and killed all three men in cold blood, insisting none resisted arrest or opened fire.Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner confirmed none of the men fired any shots but said they refused to surrender and were considered armed and dangerous.

These were not people handing out roses or flowers, these are people who are shooting at Israelis driving on the road, he told reporters on a conference call.We don't wait to be shot at if we have a threat.Subuh was a member of Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, but had been granted amnesty by Israel. The other two were party activists, said a Palestinian security official who asked not to be named.Lerner said the men's membership in Fatah raises question marks and that Palestinian security forces were not informed of the raid until just before it happened.Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad denounced the operation as a deliberate attempt to undermine recent security gains.This operation represents a dangerous escalation, and can only be seen in the context of targeting the security and stability that the Palestinian Authority has been able to bring about, he said in a statement.Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina also slammed the operation, accusing Israel of trying to drag our people into a spiral of bloody violence.At the funeral processions for the three men, hundreds of people marched through the streets waving Palestinian and Fatah flags, chanting With our souls, with our blood we sacrifice for you, martyrs.The Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza said in a statement that Abbas' illegitimate government was partly to blame for the killings because of its security cooperation with Israel.

The uptick in violence in the West Bank comes after more than two years of relative calm during which Palestinian security forces loyal to Abbas have restored law and order in several former militant strongholds.Israel has in turn lifted some of its hundreds of checkpoints and roadblocks and scaled back military operations in the occupied territory.Nablus saw heavy fighting during the 2000 intifada, or uprising, but has more recently been held up as a model of calm and proof of the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the peace process with Israel. Meanwhile, another three Palestinians were killed in an air strike in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip near the security fence along the northern border, local medics and the Israeli military said. A military spokeswoman said the three were militants who had ignored warning shots, but medics and Hamas border guards stationed nearby said they were civilians scavenging for scrap metal. Gaza, which Hamas seized from Abbas' forces in June 2007, has been relatively calm since a January 18 ceasefire ended Israel's massive 22-day offensive aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks. Some 1,400 Palestinian and 13 Israelis were killed and entire neighbourhoods were flattened in what was the deadliest Israeli offensive ever launched on the territory.

Netanyahu asks rival Livni to join government By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 25, 4:31 am ET

JERUSALEM – The Israeli prime minister has asked moderate opposition leader Tzipi Livni to join his government — a move that could boost efforts to restart negotiations with the Palestinians if she accepts or rip apart her rival party if she refuses.The offer, made late Thursday after a Cabinet meeting, came amid reports that Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to persuade lawmakers from Livni's Kadima party to bolt to his Likud. On Friday, one lawmaker announced she would join Likud if Livni rejected the offer.

Livni did not turn down the offer.I'm not closing the door, she said. If the offer is serious, Livni said, she wants to explore how far Netanyahu is willing to go in negotiations with the Palestinians.However, she also said she wouldn't be part of a maneuver to split Kadima, and earlier this week accused Netanyahu of trying to break up her party by courting its lawmakers.Livni, a former foreign minister and chief negotiator with the Palestinians, refused to join Netanyahu's hardline government in March because he would not embrace the notion of a Palestinian statehood at the time.

Netanyahu has since endorsed the idea, albeit with stipulations the Palestinians have rejected, such as continued Israeli control over east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state.He also recently announced a slowdown in West Bank settlement construction, bucking the hawkish Jewish settlers who form an important component of support.The Haaretz newspaper on Friday quoted Netanyahu as saying that if he can't coax Livni to join,I'll take at least part of Kadima.Kadima's presence in the coalition could help to entice the Palestinians to resume negotiations. So far, they have refused to do so, distrustful of Netanyahu's true intentions and angry that his settlement slowdown has been partial and does not include east Jerusalem.It could also dilute the power of the hardline parties that currently dominate the coalition, a prospect that would be welcomed internationally.

A broad coalition could also give Netanyahu added backing as he decides what to do about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Israel insists that Tehran is lying when it says it isn't developing bomb technology and has not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program.While Netanyahu's gestures toward the Palestinians might suggest that he and Livni have more to talk about than before, political commentators on Friday didn't think she'd take him up on his offer.It's more likely Netanyahu's real aim is to dismantle Kadima, the largest party in parliament with 28 of 120 seats, they said.Though there is discontent with Livni's leadership inside Kadima, with former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz making no secret of his desire to unseat her and others accusing her of an autocratic style, there were no immediate signs a mass exodus was in the offing.Not because of confidence in Kadima's future, but because there are no great promises outside, Nahum Barnea wrote in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper.

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

AP sources: Attempt to blow up airliner foiled By JIM IRWIN and LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writers – Sat Dec 26, 3:07 am ET

ROMULUS, Mich. – A Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travelers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, the passengers and federal officials said.Flight 253 with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said. Law enforcement officials said the burns indicated the explosive was strapped to his legs.One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase,said Peter Smith, a traveler from the Netherlands. First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke.Smith said a passenger sitting opposite the man climbed over people, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. Syed Jafri, another passenger, said he saw a glow and smelled smoke. Then, he said, a young man behind me jumped on him.Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic, said Jafri. Smith said the heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. It did not specify what those were.

The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers. Reid is serving a life sentence.Law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. One law enforcement official said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil, but other law enforcement officials cautioned that such claims could not be verified immediately, and said the man may have been acting independently — inspired but not specifically trained or ordered by terror groups.All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.Another law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the case, said Mutallab's name had surfaced earlier on at least one U.S. intelligence database, but not to the extent that he was placed on a watch list or a no-fly list.Mutallab was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence official said the Nigerian passenger was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital. One passenger was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. She referred all inquiries to the FBI.The trauma burn center at the hospital said it did not have Abdul Mutallab in its unit.Flight 253 began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit, said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., the ranking GOP member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

A spokeswoman for police at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam declined comment about the case or about security procedures at the airport for Flight 253. Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest with a heavy load of transit passengers from Africa and Asia to North America, strictly enforces European security regulations including only allowing small amounts of liquid in hand luggage that must be placed inside clear plastic bags.A spokesman for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Akin Olunkunle, said all passengers and their luggage are screened before boarding international flights. He also said the airport in Lagos cleared a U.S. Transportation Security Administration audit in November.We had a pass mark, spokesman Akin Olukunle said.We actually are up to standards in all senses.There was nothing out of the ordinary about the flight until it was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. That is when the pilot declared an emergency, she said. The flight landed at 12:01 p.m. EST, she said. Delta Air Lines Inc., which bought Northwest last year, said that upon approach to Detroit, a passenger caused a disturbance. It said the passenger was subdued immediately and the crew asked that law enforcement officials meet the flight.The passenger was taken into custody and questioned by law enforcement authorities,the airline said.

According to the airline, eight flight attendants and three pilots were on board.

Smith said while he was leaving the plane, he looked at where the man had been sitting and saw a pillow that seemed to have been burned. Melinda Dennis, who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man involved was brought to the front row and seated near her. She said his legs appeared to be badly burned and his pants were cut off. She said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher. President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said. It said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot in Hawaii. Federal officials said there would be heightened security for both domestic and international flights at airports across the country, but the intensified levels would likely be layered, differing from location to location depending on alerts, security concerns and other factors. Passengers can expect to see heightened screening, more bomb-sniffing dog and officer units and behavioral-detection specialists at some airports, but there will also be unspecified less visible precautions as well, officials said. The FBI and the Homeland Security Department issued an intelligence note on Nov. 20 about the threat picture for the holiday season, which was obtained by The Associated Press. At the time, officials said they had no specific information about attack plans by al-Qaida or other terrorist groups. In 2003, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden purportedly marked Nigeria for liberation in a recording posted on the Internet, calling on Muslims in the oil-rich country to rise up against one of the regimes who are slaves of America.But links to al-Qaida remained rare, though security forces claimed to break up such a linked terror cell in November 2007.

Delta, which is days away from obtaining a single operating certificate from the FAA to fully integrate itself and Northwest, has been hosting military personnel who have to travel over the holidays in a lounge at the Detroit airport. Margasak reported from Washington. Associated Press Writers Lara Jakes in Baghdad, Randi Berris in West Bloomfield, Mich., Larry Lage in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Devlin Barrett, Shelley Adler, Eileen Sullivan, Pamela Hess, Harry R. Weber and Joan Lowy in Washington, Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria, Arthur Max in Amsterdam and Philip Elliott in Kailua, Hawaii, contributed to this report.