EGYPT GRABS LAND FOR DEBT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTx2Bej9I24&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNRSs6LsGeI&feature=player_embedded

Underwear Bomber False Flag to be Exploited to Renew Draconian Patriot Act
Infowars.com January 3, 2009

Prior to the underwear bomber incident on Christmas, the House of Representatives tabled legislation to reform the Constitution nullifying Patriot Act. On December 16, nine days before the patsy Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was delivered to the airport in Amsterdam by his handler, Congress decided to shuffle the law off into the New Year.Wayne Madsen tells Russia Today the false flag non-attack will be used to push Patriot Act 3.0.Many of the Patriot Act provisions were set to expire on January 1st.

David Kravets wrote for Wired at the time:Under Wednesday’s action, the NSL-reform [National Security Letters] vote is also delayed until the New Year. And the three expiring provisions will remain in force at least through February. The extension came as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) balked at a Senate plan to include Patriot Act amendments into a $636 billion Pentagon funding measure, saying doing so would create revolt on the left.In fact, the so-called left in Congress is as dedicated to implementing the government’s control grid as the right. The only difference is that Democrats engage in more hand-wringing over the legislation.So-called liberal Democrats have pushed for renewal of the police state law, including the former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken, now a Democrat from Minnesota.

Judge Napolitano comments on the unconstitutionality of the Patriot Act.Heightened terrorist activity in recent days and months — from the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day to the shootings at Fort Hood, to the murder of a Saudi Arabian border guard by Yemeni insurgents, reveal that our need for robust intelligence gathering tools has not diminished since 9/11, declared Republican Congressman Dan Lungren on December 31.The false flag terror operation above Detroit will be used to squelch any opposition to renewing the Patriot Act in February.
Funny how things work.

Obama Orders US Government To Begin Preparing For Biological Attack
The European Union Times January 2, 2010

The US Post Office could play a key role in distributing medical aid in the event of a biological attack, according to an executive order released by the White House.The order signed by President Barack Obama directs government agencies, local law enforcement and the US Post Office to work on a model for distribution of medical countermeasures in the wake of a biological attack.This policy would seek to: (1) mitigate illness and prevent death; (2) sustain critical infrastructure; and (3) complement and supplement State, local, territorial, and tribal government medical countermeasure distribution capacity, the order said.The US Postal Service has the capacity for rapid residential delivery of medical countermeasures for self administration across all communities in the United States, the order added.The US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano were instructed to work with the post office to develop a dispensing model for US cities to respond to a large-scale biological attack, with anthrax as the primary threat consideration.The order calls for the model to be drawn up within 180 days, but gives no details as to whether the idea of using the US postal system to assist Americans in the wake of a biological attack is a new one.

The United States has sought to bolster its capacity to respond to biological attacks since 2001, when anthrax-laced letters mailed to people across the United States led to five deaths.The order came amid heightened security concerns here following an attempt to bring down a US-bound jetliner on Christmas Day. A 23-year-old Nigerian has been charged in the case.

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)(TERRORISM)
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.

Volcano erupts in eastern Congo, official says
Sat Jan 2, 9:41 am ET

KINSHASA, Congo – A government official says a volcano has erupted in eastern Congo, sending lava toward a national park.Feller Lutahichirwa said Saturday that the Nyamulagira volcano had erupted at dawn. While the area where the lava was headed is sparsely populated, wildlife officials say it is home to about 40 endangered chimpanzees.Lutahichirwa says government observers are monitoring the situation with help from U.N. helicopters.The director of Virunga National Park says the eruption is of great concern and that rangers have been deployed to monitor the lava flow.

Wildlife officials say fortunately no mountain gorillas are believed to live near the affected area. Virunga National Park is home to 200 of the world's 720 remaining mountain gorillas.

Volcano erupts in Colombia; no reports of injuries
Sat Jan 2, 10:51 pm ET

BOGOTA – The Galeras volcano in southeastern Colombia erupted Saturday night, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, authorities said.Carlos Ivan Marquez, national aid director for the Red Cross, said officials might need to evacuate 8,000 people as a precaution. He said temporary shelters and aid supplies were available.The volcano erupted at 7:43 p.m., according to the Volcanology and Seismological Observatory in Pasto, the provincial capital of 500,000 people that is just over 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Galeras.The 4,276-meter (14,110-foot) volcano has a long history of activity, including several eruptions in the first months of 2009. It sits near the border with Ecuador, some 520 kilometers (320 miles) southwest of Bogota.Galeras has been considered Colombia's most active volcano since coming back to life in 1989. A 1993 eruption killed nine people, including five scientists who had descended into the crater to sample gases. In November 2005, the volcano spewed ash that fell up to 50 kilometers (30 miles) away.

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.

Powerful quake strikes near Solomon Islands by Evan Wasuka – Sun Jan 3, 10:49 pm ET

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AFP) – A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands in the western Pacific on Monday, triggering panic but causing no major tsunami, disaster officials said.The US Geological Survey said the quake struck about 103 kilometres from the earthquake-prone island town of Gizo at about 9:36 am (2236 GMT Sunday) and was measured at a depth of about 30 kilometres (19 miles).It was the largest of a swarm of tremors centred on the area, ignited by a 6.5 magnitude quake at 8:48 am and followed several hours later by quakes of magnitude 5.3 and 5.2.On the tiny island of Rendova, near Gizo, several houses collapsed but there were no other reports of damage, Julian Makaa of the National Disaster Management Office told AFP.The earthquake caused a small wave, and a few people suffered minor injuries as they ran away from the shore in panic, he said.

An 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the same area nearly three years ago killed more than 50 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands.The Hawaii-based tsunami warning centre said the latest earthquake was powerful enough to have been destructive along coasts near the epicentre but there was no wider threat.No tsunami threat exists for other coastal areas in the Pacific although some other areas may experience small, non-destructive, sea-level changes lasting up to several hours, the centre said in a bulletin.Gizo, on Ghizo island, is the second largest town in the Solomon Islands archipelago with a population of around 6,000.It is about 360 kilometres northwest of the capital Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal, where residents said they felt shakes but there was no damage. Honiara is 300 kilometres from where the nest of earthquakes was centred.Geoscience Australia seismologist Clive Collins said the main quake, which was estimated at 7.0 magnitude by Australian seismologists, was probably about 80 kilometres from the nearest land.

Further south, in earthquake prone New Zealand, tremors of 4.3 and 3.5 were recorded over the past 24 hours.Like much of the Pacific, the Solomons regularly experiences large earthquakes.In April 2007, a 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the western Solomons centred near Gizo, triggered a tsunami that killed 52 people and displaced thousands.
Gizo harbour lost most of it wharves and jetties in the quake and subsequent tsunami which was officially put at five metres high but with some reports of a 10-metre-high wall of water.On September 29 last year, a devastating tsunami swept along coasts in the Pacific islands of Samoa and Tonga, killing 186 people and wiping out entire villages.Villages and resorts in Samoa, American Samoa and northern Tonga were flattened by the giant waves generated by the massive earthquake, the strongest in a nearly a century.

Tajikistan earthquake leaves 20,000 homeless
Sun Jan 3, 2:22 pm ET

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan – About 20,000 people were left homeless in the impoverished Central Asian nation of Tajikistan after an earthquake leveled their homes in a mountainous region, officials said Sunday.No deaths were reported after the magnitude 5.3 quake struck the Pamir Mountains on Saturday, the Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Committee said.Hundreds of mud-brick houses in several villages in the Gorno-Badakhshansky region were damaged. The quake also cut electricity and communications and blocked the main road between the regional center of Vanch and nearby villages.Those left homeless were placed in emergency shelters in schools and other public buildings or moved in with relatives, Azimjon Shamsiddinov, the deputy chief regional administrator, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Earthquakes are common in the mountains of Tajikistan, one of the poorest of the former Soviet states. The country of 7.3 million people lies north of Afghanistan and west of China.

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.

Maritime storm claims 2 lives Last Updated: Sunday, January 3, 2010 | 10:56 PM AT CBC News

Fredericton-area residents were still digging out on Sunday. (CBC)A winter storm pummelled the Maritimes over the weekend, claiming the lives of at least two people.
A 54-year-old man in Three Fathom Harbour, N.S., is believed to have succumbed to carbon monoxide fumes Sunday from a generator used for heat during a power outage and a woman died in Stratford, P.E.I., after being struck in a parking lot by a snow-removal vehicle.The heavy snowfall, freezing rain, rain and high winds knocked out power to about 45,000 customers and left behind damage from a punishing storm surge in several coastal communities.Port Elgin, N.B., was forced to declare a state of emergency Saturday night due to flooding and evacuated some residents by boats and tractors.In Northport, P.E.I., the tin roof of a waterfront restaurant, The Boat Shop Steak & Seafood Restaurant, was peeled back like a banana and debris was blown about 500 metres, the owner said.

The storm also wreaked havoc on travel, making roads treacherous and causing flight cancellations and delays.It's still storming [in New Brunswick] and it's going to continue through a good part of the day, overnight tonight, and through tomorrow.
—CBC meteorologist Trevor AdamsAnd it's expected to continue into Monday in some areas, although Environment Canada cancelled its snowfall, rainfall and storm surge warnings for the region by Sunday night.

The storm is not quite over yet, said CBC meteorologist Trevor Adams.Saint John-area residents faced plenty of shovelling on Saturday. (Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon/CBC)The centre of low pressure is situated back toward the Gulf of Maine and the storm is expected to move towards the north. That means it's going to cross New Brunswick, so it's still storming there and it's going to continue through a good part of the day, overnight tonight, and through tomorrow, he said.Parts of New Brunswick were expected to get up to another 60 centimetres of snow Sunday, along with high winds, according to Environment Canada.Nova Scotia was to see primarily rain, with the exception of the Highlands, which had up to another 25 centimetres of snow in the forecast. Several parts of the province were also still under a storm surge warning for most of the day.The combination of a run of high astronomical high tides, generally low atmospheric pressure and, over Chaleur-Miscou region, large pounding waves could lead to local coastal flooding and some damage to infrastructure near the shoreline, the website stated.In P.E.I., the entire province was under a similar storm surge warning after flooding forced the closure of Water Street in Charlottetown, caused damage to waterfront businesses in Summerside and left the wharf at Nine Mile Creek in South Shore under more than a metre of water. The warning was later lifted.

State of emergency
Port Elgin, N.B., remained under a state of emergency on Sunday. (Courtesy Amy Cormier)The small coastal community of Port Elgin, N.B., which declared a state of emergency Saturday night after tidal storm surges flooded several streets and homes in the area, was still under a state of emergency into Sunday afternoon.Terry Murphy, co-ordinator of emergency measures in the town, said he has never seen a storm cause so much damage in such a short amount of time.It's flooded Station Street in Port Elgin, some of Fort Street and we even had water in the centre of the village of Port Elgin, he said. We had to block the roads until the tide receded. We had to evacuate people by boat and tractors.Town officials made arrangements for the evacuees to spend the night at a local nursing home until the flood risk passed. As of Sunday morning, about 25 families were still unable to go back to their homes, said Murphy.EMO officials warned the community to be prepared, but many families were caught off guard by the severity of the storm, he said.

Devastating damage
Mayor Judy Scott said the damage has been devastating.Well, I just drove down by the wharf and there's a big boat, it's a big cruise boat and it's just blowing all over the wharf. It's kinda like upside down.You know buildings of one fella, his building was [blown] over and one of his pets didn't get out. It's just been very tragic too.

Scott was also concerned about the safety of spectators who gathered Sunday afternoon because there were still several downed power lines.We have called the RCMP and they came right down and warned and told them get out of there. Not all listened … Actually, [the officer] was just in a while ago and was heading back out to tell them again, or arrest them cause it's not safe, she said.Owners of summer homes were being asked to stay away until at least Sunday evening's high tide was over, Scott said.About 50 kilometres away, storm surges during high tide also flooded the causeway, which connects the community of Pointe-du-Chêne with Shediac, leaving dozens of residents isolated.Municipal officials expected the situation to improve Sunday.

Power outages
Meanwhile, thousands of Maritimers were still waiting for their power to be restored on Sunday.In New Brunswick, more than 3,000 customers were without power as of 7 p.m., down from about 13,000 that morning. But it could be midnight before everyone's power is back on, said spokeswoman Heather MacLean.Snow removal crews had a hard time keeping up with the heavy snowfall. (CBC)Treacherous road conditions may impede crews from heading into smaller communities, she said.They really are scattered around the province … Only a couple of areas have not been impacted or are without outages right now.Certainly down in the greater Moncton area we're seeing more there, as well as the Miramichi. So those are two areas definitely impacted with high winds and heavy wet snow.Nova Scotia Power had all customers back on line by Sunday evening.Maritime Electric officials in P.E.I. could not be reached for comment, but about 20,000 outages were reported during the storm's peak Saturday night when winds were gusting about 100 km/h.Snowplow crews across the Maritimes also continued to dig out on Sunday.This is a bad one, said Mike Young, who operates a sidewalk plow for the Halifax Regional Municipality.It's not so much the amount that fell, but the rain coming in, mixed in and then it freezes up again and then it starts snowing, he said.So if it wasn't for all of those things then it would have been easy; like, everything's a struggle.

Swiss police: Avalanche toll rises to 4; 3 missing
JAN 4,10

DIEMTIGEN, Switzerland – Police say a fourth person has died and three people are still missing following a double avalanche in the Swiss Alps on Sunday.Police in Bern canton (state) said Monday the fourth victim died of injuries in the hospital.

Three people were confirmed dead Sunday after a group of skiers and then the rescuers who came to their aid were hit by avalanches in the Diemtig Valley about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the capital Bern.Among those killed was an emergency doctor who was part of the initial rescue team.It was unclear Monday whether officials would be able to resume the rescue and recovery operation that was halted at nightfall.Officials are warning of heightened avalanche risk in the Swiss Alps following heavy snowfall.

Seoul battles heaviest snow in more than 70 years By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press Writer – JAN 4,10

SEOUL, South Korea – Seoul residents battled the heaviest snowfall in modern Korean history after a winter storm dumped more than 10 inches (26 centimeters) Monday, forcing airports to cancel flights and paralyzing traffic in South Korea's bustling capital.The snowfall, which began about 1 a.m. (1600 GMT Sunday), was the worst since Korea began conducting meteorological surveys in 1937 and continued through the afternoon, the state weather agency said.Gimpo International Airport, west of Seoul, canceled 224 flights before resuming service Monday afternoon, airport official Choi Choon-ja said.More than 20 flights between Incheon International Airport, 43 miles (70 kilometers) southwest of Seoul, and cities in China also were canceled, with China also coping with a snowstorm. More than 100 flights to other regions were delayed, Incheon airport official Kang Soo-kyung said.The snow and icy roads snarled traffic in and out of Seoul, with many commuters squeezing into packed subway trains to get to work. About 3,600 workers were mobilized to clear the snow from Seoul's roads and sidewalks.One vendor in downtown Seoul said she began shoveling the sidewalk where she sells sandwiches from a truck at 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), and hadn't stopped all day.It's been nonstop, said Moon In-ja, 53, her hair covered in snow. She said she didn't dare brave the traffic to head back to her home in another part of Seoul, where she runs a business in the afternoons. If I can't drive now, I might as well stay and clean the street here.

Beijing also was digging out Monday from a weekend winter storm.More than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of snow accumulated in the city center Sunday, according to China's National Meteorological Center. Citing meteorologists, state media said the snowfall was the highest in the capital for a single day in January since 1951.Upward of 8 inches (20 centimeters) was recorded in the suburbs of Changping near the Great Wall of China, one of the country's top tourist attractions.Hundreds of flights from Beijing were canceled or delayed Sunday because of the snowfall.Primary and middle schools were closed in Beijing and the nearby port of Tianjin, and with snow plows in short supply, more than 300,000 people were assigned to clear snow in the capital with shovels, scrapers and brooms.Authorities were guarding against building collapses and major traffic pileups, but none were reported Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen contributed to this report from Beijing.

Flooded Australian town declared disaster zone
Mon Jan 4, 1:25 am ET

SYDNEY – Authorities declared two flooded farming regions in southwestern Australia natural disaster zones Monday as residents in one town nervously watched a rising river in hopes that it wouldn't break its levees.Parts of Coonamble and Bourke districts in New South Wales, several hundred miles northwest of Sydney, have been isolated by floodwaters since heavy rains last week. While meteorologists said the worst of the rain was over, rivers and reservoirs were still rising from the extra water, and Coonamble's Castlereagh River was expected to peak later Monday.New South Wales state Premier Kristina Keneally declared the two districts disaster zones Monday, entitling them to state emergency funds including loans and subsidies.That will provide much needed longer term help to residents, primary producers, business owners and councils, Keneally said while on a tour of Coonamble.It will help them to rebuild.On Sunday, emergency officials advised 1,200 residents in Coonamble to relocate to safer parts of town away from the rising Castlereagh River. People rode away in motorboats and ranchers herded horses and cattle through the deep water to higher ground. Brown water submerged main roads into town.The Castlereagh River was expected to peak at about 17.4 feet (5.3 meters), according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The levee stands 19 feet (5.9 meters) high in most places; in others it is as low as 17.7 feet (5.4 meters).

Some of the 4,900 residents of the district, however, have refused to leave their properties.I think they've seen the river up and down the last few days, and people don't believe there is a threat, Coonamble Mayor Tim Horan said Monday. Once we get a peak, we'll know what's going on, but as far as we're concerned, the evacuation order is still in place, and we still have to encourage people to stick by it.But longtime resident Ken Baker said he was confident the levees would hold, and refused to leave his house while his wife and daughter evacuated.I know the river quite well, he told Macquarie Radio. I've lived here all my life. I'm quite certain in my own mind that I don't need to evacuate.Bourke, a district with a population of about 4,400, was deluged by some of its heaviest rain in a decade, leaving dozens of properties cut off from roads and forcing some farmers to fly livestock to higher ground.The Darling River is expected to overflow in Bourke by Thursday, causing further minor flooding as it swells from rainfall further upstream, the Bureau of Meteorology predicts.

Brazil nuclear plants may close as floods kill 68
Sun Jan 3, 9:07 pm ET

ANGRA DOS REIS, Brazil (AFP) – Two nuclear plants close to a southern Brazilian town hit by landslides may shut down as a precaution, the mayor said, as the regional toll from deadly floods rose to 68.There are no operational problems at Angra I and Angra II... but if landslides persist in the hills, we'll need to shut them down, Mayor Tuca Jordao told a press conference in this seaside town some 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Rio de Janeiro.Angra overlooks Ilha Grande island, where 29 people were killed in Friday's landslides, including 28 in a luxury hotel nestled at the foot of a jungle-covered hill. Another 17 people were killed in the center of Angra.The mudslides were triggered by incessant rains that have killed at least 68 people across Rio de Janeiro state since Wednesday and left dozens missing. More than 4,000 people have had to evacuate their homes, Civil Defense officials said.

Rescue crews Sunday continued to search for victims among the mud and rubble at the Hotel Sankay, which catered to Brazilian and foreign tourists seeking a remote beachside hideaway. Some 40 guests were staying at the hotel when the landslide hit.

It is still not known if there were foreigners among the dead.Some 200 firefighters and rescue workers were digging in the worst affected areas, hoping to unearth survivors, but hopes were fading fast.Mayor Jordao said he has requested the two nuclear plants be shut down warning that in case of a catastrophe there was no way to quickly evacuate the city's more than 35,000 inhabitants, since the main road leading out is partly blocked by landslides.The plants' closure would not affect electricity supplies to Rio de Janeiro, which has alternative power sources, the company running the plants said.Jordao has also alerted local residents to emergency evacuation plans.This summer (in the southern hemisphere), high rainfall levels have been forecast. To the people of Angra dos Reis: please, at the slightest sign of rain abandon your homes, he said.Local authorities said around 500 houses in high-risk areas have been condemned or declared out of bounds in the city.The Angra neighborhood of Vila Velha has been cut off from the rest of the city for three days, as landslides left it without power, running water and roads, Agencia Brasil said.The only way to get to Vilha Velha, it added, is by boat.Although the rains stopped on Friday, authorities put Rio de Janeiro on alert because of fears of potentially devastating mudslides in its densely populated hillside favelas, or shanty towns.You don't play around with nature. Our problem is the rain and you can't live like that, clinging to the hillsides, Rio state Governor Sergio Cabral said when he visited the disaster areas.Angra dos Reis was hit by devastating floods in 2002 -- 40 people were killed and rescue operations lasted three months.

Dementia could cost Canada $1 trillion: report By David Ljunggren – Mon Jan 4, 12:10 am ET

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadians are developing dementia at such a rapid rate that dealing with the problem will cost a total of more than C$870 billion ($830 billion) over the next 30 years unless preventive measures are taken, a report released on Monday said.Canada's Alzheimer Society said more than 103,700 people developed dementia in 2008 in Canada, a country of around 33 million. By 2038, 257,800 new cases per year are expected, with almost 3 percent of the population affected.If we do nothing, dementia will have a crippling effect on Canadian families, our health care system and economy, said the report, entitled Rising Tide.It is the most significant cause of disability among Canadians over the age of 65.Dementia such as Alzheimer's are progressive, degenerative diseases that destroy vital brain cells. There is no cure and are few treatments, although drugs can relieve some of the symptoms for a while.An international report issued in September said more than 35 million people globally would suffer from Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia in 2010. By 2030, the number would be almost 66 million.In 2005, a study from Sweden's Karolinska Institute estimated dementia cost global economies $315 billion a year.David Harvey, spokesman for Rising Tide, said the Canadian campaign against dementia is hampered by the peculiarities of the country's health care system, which is partly funded the federal government but administered by provincial governments.

This problem is already with us but over the period of this generation it is going to be very significant. And if we don't address it can overwhelm things like emergency rooms and hospitals, he said.This disease flies under the radar of much of the health system and that's why we're issuing this kind of report.The report recommended that all Canadians over 65 without dementia should increase their physical activity by 50 percent.It also called for the development of a National Dementia Strategy to be adopted by all levels of government as well as educating Canadians about the importance of risk reduction and early diagnosis.We need to refocus research on chronic diseases, said Harvey. A spokeswoman for Health Minister Leona Agglukaq said she was unaware of the report.(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Peter Galloway)

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).

EU enters decisive period for economic plan ANDREW WILLIS
Today JAN 4,10 @ 07:32 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The next few months will be decisive for the European Union's future economic health, with the bloc set to agree a new 10-year economic plan in a bid to leave the recent recession behind, and chart a fresh course towards steady growth and job creation. Decade-high unemployment, an ageing EU population and soaring budget deficits form the backdrop for those involved in drafting the important roadmap. Memory of the EU's current economic plan - the Lisbon Strategy, due to expire in 2010 - is also likely to influence EU leaders as they prepare to discuss its successor at a number of European summits over the next six months under the Spanish EU presidency. The Lisbon Strategy's aim to make the union the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010 is widely acknowledged to have failed, while its two headline targets of 70 percent employment and research and development spending equivalent to 3 percent of GDP are both set to be missed, say experts. Yet the aims of the EU 2020, as the new plan has become known so far, may not differ radically from aspirations in the outgoing decade, although there is likely to be a considerably stronger emphasis on green growth. A commission consultation document launched in November lists three broad themes: Creating value by basing growth on knowledge,Empowering people in inclusive societies, and Creating a competitive, connected and greener economy.Achieving greater growth and higher employment levels through improved education, tailored towards industry needs, and greater levels of research and innovation is unlikely to face major opposition from member states, although NGOs and MEPs are keen to see real steps towards securing social inclusiveness. Some ideas such as a relaxation of EU competition policy to enable the necessary government investment in innovation projects, an idea expressed by Will Hutton, vice-chairman of the Work Foundation think tank in the UK, in a recent interview with EUobserver, may prove too controversial.

Enforcement

The real area for potential disagreement is likely to surround the definition of targets to ensure the plan's broad themes are actually achieved, and in particular the need for mechanisms to enforce these targets. With the EU having little competence in the relevant areas of education, social policy, employment, the Lisbon Strategy relied on peer pressure among states to ensure national governments met their agreed goals. The failure of this system has led several, including Spanish foreign minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos, to call for binding mechanisms to ensure individual member states keep up their end of the agreement. We need to have many more binding elements, said Mr Moratinos in Brussels in December, adding that there should be consequences for those states that fail to reach targets. Mr Moratinos did not go into the details of these consequences, but commission officials say their formal submission to EU leaders, scheduled to meet in February, may seek to link targets under the new economic plan with the region's Stability and Growth Pact.

Member states in breach of the pact's rules on permitted debt and deficit levels are issued with reports on how to rectify the situation by the commission, with the possibility of fines for non-compliance.Officials suggest that the commission may try to co-ordinate the release of these reports with scoreboards on member state performance in reaching EU 2020 targets, in a bid to create a greater link between the two, although wary governments could easily reject the idea.

Timetable

Launched in November, the commission's consultation period which invites interested parties to give their views on the plan's direction, is due to end on 15 January. The commission is then expected to come forward with proposals before a specially convened informal European summit of EU leaders on economic affairs in February, to be chaired by the European Council's permanent president Herman Van Rompuy. Leaders are then likely to agree the general focus of the plan at the regular March European summit the following month. The commission is then scheduled to come forward with broad economic policy guidelines for adoption by finance ministers at one of their regular meetings in April-June, with the final rubberstamping expected by leaders at the June European Council. Officials say the exact timetable of when the various components will be agreed is still vague however, while several MEPs and NGOs have criticised the timeframe as being too short, pointing out that the Lisbon Strategy runs until the end of 2010. The commission counters that the current circumstances mean there is no time to waste.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (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.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: 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 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

Madrid set to boost EU counter-terrorism activities
VALENTINA POP Today JAN 4,10 @ 09:24 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – The Spanish EU presidency plans to set up a special unit aimed at sharing counter-terrorism intelligence among member states, according to Spanish media.El Pais reports that the new body will facilitate the direct exchange of intelligence between two or several member states in close co-operation with the existing special counter-terrorism co-ordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, and the EU situation centre – a Brussels-based crisis management unit which includes counter-terrorism activities.National counter-terrorism units in Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Portugal support the plan, sources within the Spanish interior ministry told the newspaper.The EU's new legal framework, the Lisbon Treaty, also enables more co-operation and intelligence sharing in this area. Europol, the bloc's police co-operation and criminal data exchange body, also gained enhanced powers from 1 January. Its activities touch on terrorism as it manages data on chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, cybercrime and Islamist extremism on the web.The EU's institutional changes come against the backdrop of increased fears of terrorist attacks in European countries, after a failed attempt by Al Qaeda on 25 December to blow up a plane destined for the US, which took off in Amsterdam.

Over the weekend, several Western embassies, among which those of Spain and Great Britain, closed their operations in Yemen, where Al Qaeda had trained the failed terrorist plotter. Last week an organisation called al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula urged Muslims to help in killing every crusader who works at their embassies or other places. On Friday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called an international meeting for 28 January in London on fighting extremism in Yemen.In this context, Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini said the EU had to develop a strategy of prevention to deal with the terrorist threat in Yemen. He added that the London meeting would be a good opportunity for this.Spain's focus on counter-terrorism comes from its recent trauma in the 11 March 2004 bombings on commuter trains, claimed by Al Qaeda. Some 191 people died and 1,900 were wounded in the attacks. Great Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands also have their tragic experiences with radical Islamists. In a recent development, a Somali extremist with alleged ties to Al Qaeda tried to murder a Danish cartoonist who drew controversial caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.According to Danish media, the 28-year old Somali had apparently already been arrested in September in Kenya in connection with an alleged plan to bomb a hotel where the US chief diplomat Hillary Clinton was staying.

Icelanders petition against Icesave payback
ANDREW WILLIS Today JAN 4,10 @ 07:34 CET

Almost a quarter of Iceland's voters have signed a petition against paying back money lost by foreigners as a result of the collapse of one of the island's main banks in 2008, casting fresh doubt over the country's bid to join the EU. Last week saw Iceland's parliament narrowly pass a new bill to pay back €3.8 billion to the UK and Netherlands, but the country's President, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, refused to sign the legislation shortly before receiving the petition on Saturday (2 January).
Plans to compensate British and Dutch savers who lost money in October 2008 when their accounts with the online savings account Icesave were frozen, following the collapse of the parent company Landsbanki, are deeply unpopular in Iceland. A poll taken last August showed 70 percent of the Icelanders were against the payback deal which would see each citizens of the island's 320,000 citizens contribute 12,000 euro, with many saying they are being made to pay for the mistakes of bankers and regulators. But the payback deal with the UK and Netherlands is seen as crucial to the Iceland's prospects of joining the European Union, although support for joining the bloc has waned considerably since an initial surge in membership enthusiasm was prompted by the financial crisis.

More than 56,000 citizens signed the petition urging Mr Grimsson to refuse to sign the legislation approved by parliament last week, with Magnus Arni Skulason, one of the organisers of the petition, comparing the repayment to financing the country's health service.The interest rate on the Icesave agreement for Iceland is like running the National Health Service of Iceland for six months, he told the BBC. The Icelandic government has been struggling since June to reach an acceptable agreement to compensate the UK and Dutch governments who both reimbursed their citizens who lost their savings when Icesave collapsed. Amendments to an original August agreement were rejected by the UK and the Netherlands, forcing a fresh vote. Under the new deal the money would be gradually repaid over a period running until 2024.

Egyptian banks to accept real estate for debt
Sun Jan 3, 12:02 pm ET

CAIRO (Reuters) – National Bank of Egypt (NBEGPT.UL) (NBE) and Banque Misr, the country's first and second biggest banks by assets, said they had agreed to accept real estate in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in public sector debt.
Egypt has reduced the debts the firms owed to state banks, accrued since nationalization in the 1960s, to 8 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.5 billion) from 32 million only a few years earlier.There has been an agreement ... with the public sector companies that we would take assets as settlement for the public sector debt, Banque Misr's Vice-Chairman Mohamed Ozalp told Reuters on Sunday.National Bank of Egypt's Chairman Tarek Amer confirmed in an e-mail that his bank had also agreed to the real estate for debt exchange.The two banks had formed a company to take receipt of the assets for later sale, Ozalp told Reuters. Both banks are owned by the government but are being run by bankers hired from private sector banks.We're still in the process of looking at the various assets, and it will probably done in phases. It won't all happen at the same time. We'll examine the assets. If they're acceptable to us we'll take them, Ozalp said.The Ministry of Investment, which controls a large portion of Egypt's state-owned companies, proposed the exchange in October, the minister, Mahmoud Mohieldin, told Reuters at the time.We don't really have other sources but to swap debts by pieces of real estate, he said.Banque Misr is owed just over 5 billion pounds of the 8 billion pounds, Ozalp said.(Writing by Patrick Werr; Editing by David Holmes)

London stocks up on first trading day of 2010
JAN 4,10

LONDON (AFP) – London's leading stock market climbed at the start of trading on Monday, as traders returned to their desks for the first trading day of 2010.The FTSE 100 index rose 0.29 percent to 5,428.63 points.Japanese stocks rose 1.17 percent in morning trade on the same day, starting 2010 on an upbeat note as exporters got a boost from a weaker yen and worries eased over the financial woes of Japan Airlines.

Reports: Cartoonist attacker earlier held in Kenya By MALIN RISING, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jan 3, 7:40 am ET

STOCKHOLM – The Somali man who attacked an artist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad in a controversial cartoon has previously been arrested in Kenya, Danish media reported Sunday.The Danish intelligence agency PET knew that the 28-year-old Somali man was held in Kenya in September for allegedly participating in plotting an attack against U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Politiken newspaper reported Sunday.Citing unnamed sources, it said he was later released due to lack of evidence.

Clinton visited Kenya as part of an 11-day-tour of Africa in August.Denmark's ambassador to Kenya, Bo Jensen, told the news agency Ritzau that the Somali man was arrested in Kenya at the time for having incomplete travel documents. However, he said Kenyan authorities never told the embassy he was suspected in any terror plot and that the newspaper misunderstood the situation.PET would not comment Sunday on the reports or the Somali suspect.The suspect was charged with two counts of attempted murder Saturday after breaking into artist Kurt Westergaard's home armed with an ax and a knife on Friday night. He denied the charges at the court hearing.

Westergaard — one of 12 Danish artists whose cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad outraged the Muslim world in 2006 — escaped the attack by fleeing to a specially made safe room and alerting police. Police shot the Somali man in the hand and knee.
On Saturday, the head of the Danish intelligence agency, Jakob Scharf, said the man was suspected of having been involved in terror-related activities in east Africa with the terror group al-Shabab and had been under PET's surveillance. However, he did not specifically mention Kenya or any attack against Clinton.Westergaard's cartoon of Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban was viewed as the most provocative of the 12, and he has been the target of several death threats since then. He has been under round-the-clock police protection since February 2008.Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favorable, for fear it could lead to idolatry.

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.

Passengers on US-bound flights face more screening By LOU KESTEN, Associated Press Writer – MON JAN 4,10

WASHINGTON – Beginning Monday, air travelers flying into the United States from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Yemen and other "countries of interest" will be subjected to enhanced screening techniques, such as body scans, pat-downs and a thorough search of carry-on luggage.Additionally, all passengers on U.S.-bound international flights will be subject to random screening, the Transportation Security Administration announced Sunday. Airports were also directed to increase threat-based screening of passengers who may be acting in a suspicious manner.The TSA said anyone traveling from or though nations regarded as state sponsors of terrorism — as well as other countries of interest — will be required to undergo enhanced screening. The TSA said those techniques include full-body pat-downs, carry-on bag searches, full-body scanning and explosive detection technology.The new directive includes long-term, sustainable security measures developed in consultation with law enforcement officials and our domestic and international partners, the TSA said in a statement posted on its Web site.The new security measures come in response to the failed Christmas Day attempt to bomb a jetliner as it approached Detroit after a flight from Amsterdam.The State Department lists Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism. The other countries whose passengers will face enhanced screening include Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.A spokesman for Pakistan International Airline said the company has instituted new security standards for U.S.-bound passengers.

Passengers are subjected to special screening, including full body searches, in a designated area of the departure lounge, said the spokesman, Sultan Hasan. The airline has run advertisements in newspapers to advise passengers of the stepped-up security.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Sunday that full body scanners would be introduced in British airports and officials in Amsterdam said last week they would begin using the scanners on passengers bound for the U.S.In the Yemeni capital, security personnel at the San'a airport were ordered to apply strict measures, including careful baggage examinations and patting down travelers, especially those departing for the United States as the final destination, an official said.The security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to talk about security measures to the media, said the airport was expecting to receive some new equipment to provide better security.Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man who allegedly tried to set off an explosive device aboard a Northwest airliner on Christmas Day, has told U.S. investigators he received training and instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.The TSA said the ability to enforce the new security measures is the result of extraordinary cooperation from our global aviation partners.Associated Press writer Ahmed Al-Haj contributed to this report from San'a, Yemen.On the Net:TSA: http://www.tsa.gov

US, UK close Yemen embassies over al-Qaida threats By ANNE GEARAN and LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writers – JAN 4,10

SAN'A, Yemen – Al-Qaida has several hundred members in Yemen and is actively planning attacks against U.S. targets, the White House said as the U.S. and Britain closed their embassies.Speaking from Washington during appearances on four Sunday talk shows, President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, cited indications al-Qaida is planning to carry out an attack against a target in the capital, possibly the embassy, for the closure Sunday. A State Department spokesman, Fred Lash, said the closure was not permanent but reopening would be assessed day to day, based on the perceived threat to U.S. personnel.The U.S. is worried about the spread of terrorism in Yemen, a U.S. ally and aid recipient, Brennan said, but doesn't consider the country a second front with Afghanistan and Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.As to whether U.S. troops might be sent to Yemen, Brennan replied: We're not talking about that at this point at all. He pledged to provide the Yemeni government with the wherewithal to take down al-Qaida.

Britain and the United States are assisting a counterterrorism police unit in Yemen as fears grow about the increasing threat of international terrorism originating from the country.The Obama administration claims the suspect in the failed Christmas Day bomb plot against a Detroit-bound jetliner was trained and armed by the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen. Brennan blamed a series of what he called lapses and human errors in U.S. intelligence and security defenses for allowing a Nigerian man to board the plane with explosives. Passengers and crew subdued the suspect when he tried to set off the explosion as the aircraft approached Detroit; he succeeded only setting himself on fire.The Transportation Security Administration announced Sunday that, starting Monday, passengers flying into the United States from Nigeria, Yemen and other countries of interest will be subject to enhanced screening techniques, such as body scans and pat-downs.Yemen is a poor, decentralized and predominantly Muslim country on the Arabian Peninsula. It is the ancestral homeland of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and the site of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 U.S. sailors. A 2008 attack on the U.S. Embassy killed one American.Given the active threat from al-Qaida,we're not going to take any chances, Brennan said.

Sen. Joe Lieberman identified three instances in which terrorists or sympathizers penetrated or evaded U.S defenses last year — shootings at a military recruiting station and an Army base and the airline attack — and said all three were linked to Yemen.A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press, told The Associated Press that the embassy closure was not based on any information provided by Yemeni officials about a threat.The Yemeni government is friendly to the West but the population is often mistrustful of Western motives and influence. Yemen has pledged to clamp down on militancy, but government control is weak outside the capital and the country has a history of freeing some alleged militants and tolerating others.The Obama administration is growing more vocal about both the threat and the San'a government's limitations. Brennan said Westerners are at risk in Yemen until the government gets a better handle on extremism.The U.S. will look case by case at whether to repatriate the remaining approximately 90 Yemeni detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, Brennan said.Seven of 42 Guantanamo detainees freed by the Obama administration were returned to Yemen, Brennan said, but doubts about the country's ability to police further freed detainees is a major obstacle to Obama's plan to shut down the facility. Brennan reaffirmed the U.S. administration's support for the closure, but said that regarding the Yemeni detainees, nothing would be done to put U.S. citizens at risk.Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. general who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, made a surprise visit to Yemen over the weekend. Following meetings with President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Petraeus announced that Washington this year will more than double the $67 million in counterterrorism aid that it provided Yemen in 2009.The U.S. and Britain are funding a counterterrorism police unit in Yemen, and Britain plans to host an international conference Jan. 28 to come up with a strategy to counter radicalization in Yemen.Gearan reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Meera Selva in London and Ahmed Al-Haj in San'a contributed to this report.
On the Net: State Department background on Yemen: http://tinyurl.com/y8zcx29

MUSLIM NATIONS

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

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

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

DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

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

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

Hamas leader claims progress in Palestinian talks By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jan 3, 10:51 am ET

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The leader of Hamas said Sunday that significant progress has been made in Egyptian-sponsored talks aimed at reconciling his militant Palestinian group with the rival Fatah movement.The two main Palestinian factions have been bitterly divided since Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, leaving Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah in control only of the West Bank.The split has complicated peace efforts with Israel as well as reconstruction of the impoverished and war-damaged Gaza Strip. Efforts to bring them together in a power-sharing arrangement failed and the Egyptian-mediated talks are now aimed at ending the division by holding new Palestinian elections.Khaled Mashaal, who is based in Damascus, Syria, said Hamas still has reservations over the latest Egyptian proposal, which calls for presidential and legislative elections in the first half of this year as well as a reorganization of the security forces under Abbas' authority. He did not elaborate.Hamas and seven other radical, Damascus-based Palestinian factions have rejected the proposal because it does not state that Palestinians have the right to keep fighting Israel. Fatah, which favors negotiations with Israel, has accepted the Egyptian plan.

We have made big strides in the Palestinian-Palestinian negotiations and talks that have taken place in Cairo, Mashaal said. We are in the final stages.The problem is the completion of the (Egyptian) paper ... so it can satisfy everybody's demands, Mashaal said during a visit to Saudi Arabia.The kingdom sponsored a unity agreement between the two factions in February 2007. But that effort fell apart in bickering over implementation, and in June of that year Hamas ousted its rivals from Gaza in a five-day civil war.The Hamas leader spoke after talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal. A week earlier Abbas visited for the kingdom talks with King Abdullah.Mashaal also blamed Israel for a delay in indirect negotiations to exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who was captured by Palestinian militants in 2006.We are still following the negotiations through the German mediator, he said.The Israeli position keeps changing. They take one step forward and two back.

Iranian president visits Central Asia
JAN 4,10

DUSHANBE (AFP) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan Monday on his first international trip since a crackdown on opposition supporters in Tehran left at least eight dead.After talks with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon, Ahmadinejad told journalists the two countries would cooperate on regional security.We will make efforts to ensure security and prevent challenges, he said.We are following the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the region, and we want peace and stability to be established as soon as possible.

Islamist Taliban militants have stepped up a violent campaign in Afghanistan and Pakistan.Rakhmon said the meeting had also expressed support for the realisation of Iran's peaceful nuclear programmes and the resolution of this problem through talks and political and diplomatic methods.The United States, Israel and other world powers suspect Tehran is making a nuclear bomb under the guise of a civilian programme, something Iran vehemently denies. Tehran is under threat of more sanctions over its nuclear activities.Ahmadinejad also said that Tehran intended to continue investing in energy, agriculture and other spheres in Tajikistan.It has already put around 200 million dollars into the construction of a hydroelectric power station in Tajikistan that is expected to open at the end of the year.The two leaders signed a preliminary memorandum saying that Iran would invest in the construction of a second hydroelectric power station.Ahmadinejad was later due to meet the speaker of the Tajik parliament and members of the Iranian diaspora in Tajikistan.He was scheduled to travel on to the Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan on Tuesday to meet President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and for a ceremony Wednesday to open a gas pipeline between Turkmenistan and Iran.

Ahmadinejad's government has come under heavy Western criticism for its crackdown on opposition supporters in December 27 protests in which at least eight people died and hundreds were arrested.The protests were the bloodiest since demonstrations that erupted directly after a contested June vote that gave Ahmadinejad another term. Authorities said 36 protesters were killed although the opposition put the toll at 72.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

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.

REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).

MATTHEW 24:37-51
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

France rejects Iran's nuclear counter-proposal
JAN 4,10

PARIS (AFP) – France rejects Iran's latest move to set a new deadline to end the standoff over its contested nuclear programme, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday.We are not the ones who have to decide whether to accept what they want to impose on us, Kouchner told RTL radio. No, this is not the way it is done.Iran said at the weekend that it had until the end of January to reach agreement on a deal to swap uranium for nuclear fuel after rejecting a December 31 deadline set by world powers.Kouchner said Iran was trying to side-step the issue by giving an ultimatum to those who have offered to help them, that is the international community including France.Turning to opposition protests challenging the Iranian regime, Kouchner said the establishment was under threat by very determined people, some of them very religious, and by the Shiite leadership.There is enormous repression. We must condemn those that cause unarmed protesters to be exposed to bullets, arrests and very severe convictions including death sentences, he added.

Scores of opposition activists, protesters and journalists have been arrested since clashes during the latest major demonstration on December 27 that left at least eight killed.

Israelis make pilgrimage to rabbi's tomb in Egypt By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jan 3, 12:39 pm ET

CAIRO – Hundreds of Israelis came to Egypt on Sunday for an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of a 19th-century Jewish holy man in Egypt's Nile Delta, airport officials said.
Last year, Egypt denied the pilgrims entry because the anniversary fell during Israel's offensive on Gaza and there were concerns about their security and public protests.In past years, Egypt limited the number of pilgrims visiting the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira near the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. But Israeli newspapers reported that President Hosni Mubarak accepted a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visited Egypt last week to allow unlimited numbers.There are more coming in the next few days, hundreds, probably thousands, said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.Cairo airport officials say about 290 Israelis arrived on Sunday and police imposed tight security at the airport and on the main highway to Alexandria, where they will spend few days before the commemoration of the anniversary of the rabbi's death on Tuesday and Wednesday.Abuhatzeira, who was a son to a chief rabbi of Morocco, was revered by some Jews as a mystic renowned for his piety and for performing miracles. The elderly rabbi was making his way from his native Morocco to the Holy Land in 1879 when he fell ill and died in the Egyptian city of Damanhour near Alexandria.Israeli Consul General in Alexandria Hassan Ka'abia said at least 500-600 Israelis have applied for visas to come. He said others are coming from Europe, especially France.Since Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, Jewish devotees, mostly of Moroccan origin, have been flocking to the site for a ceremony at his tomb. But Egypt has limited the numbers of pilgrims. In 2001, a Court in Alexandria ruled to ban the ceremony after complaints by opposing groups.

Some residents claim the shrine is not the tomb of a Jew.Egypt guards the stone tomb, which stands in a small chamber, and allows visitors only for the January anniversary of Abuhatzeira's death.The tomb is a vestige of Egypt's once-prosperous Jewish community. Jews in Egypt go back to the time before Moses. And by the founding of Israel in 1948, they numbered about 80,000 people. But the Arab-Israeli wars, and the resentment and expulsions that they engendered, have reduced Egypt's Jews to about 60 people, living in Alexandria and Cairo, according to the Israeli embassy.

PSALMS 137:5-6
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Ex-Israeli PM still comatose 4 years after stroke By IAN DEITCH, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jan 3, 12:00 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Ariel Sharon, the tough army general turned premier who shocked his hawkish supporters by pulling Israel out of Gaza in 2005, is still lying unconscious in a hospital bed, friends said Sunday on the fourth anniversary of the massive stroke that put him in a coma.Sharon, 81, led Israel from 2001 until the January 2006stroke that left him comatose.Dov Weisglass, a close friend of Sharon and his former spokesman, told The Associated Press on Sunday that Sharon's vital signs are good but it was not clear if he would ever regain consciousness. Medical experts have said that is most unlikely.Sharon was a daring army officer who reached the rank of major general In the 1970s, sometimes disobeying orders from his superiors. After leaving the army, Sharon turned to politics, becoming a hawkish lawmaker in the Likud Party and an enthusiastic supporter of the movement to settle the West Bank with Israelis.He served in several Cabinet posts, including defense minister. He was the architect of Israel's disastrous war in Lebanon, which began in 1982.The next year he was forced to resign by an Israeli commission of inquiry that found him indirectly responsible for the massacre of around 800 Palestinians at the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps by Lebanese Christian militiamen.

Resurrecting his political career, he was elected Israel's prime minister in 2001.

Turning his back on his uncompromising ideology in 2005, Sharon unilaterally withdrew all Israeli settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip, ending Israel's 38-year occupation of the territory and daily clashes between settlers and soldiers with Palestinian militants. Outraged hawkish backers abandoned him, and Sharon created a new centrist party, Kadima, to run in March 2006 elections.Riding a wave of popularity, Sharon appeared to be well on his way to re-election when he suffered a stroke on Jan. 4, 2006.Doctors fought to keep him alive after severe hemorrhaging that caused significant brain damage, performing a number of desperate operations to stop the bleeding but leaving him in a vegetative state. Several months later, he was moved to a long-term care facility outside Tel Aviv.Raanan Gissin, another close friend of Sharon and former spokesman, told the AP that Sharon is not connected to a respirator but sometimes needs an oxygen mask at night. There is still no change physiologically. His body functions but he has still not regained consciousness, Gissin said. Who knows if he can hear or not.Gissin said he visits Sharon often, as does Sharon's family and former staff, including a driver. Our hope is that he will regain consciousness one day,he said. But there are few cases of patients emerging from deep comas after such a long time.

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

JOEL 3:2
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

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

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

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

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

US plan calls for Mideast peace deal in two years: report
MON JAN 4,10

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Washington is pushing a plan to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that foresees reaching a final deal in two years and agreeing on permanent borders in nine months, a daily said Monday.Under the plan, the Israelis and Palestinians will immediately start final status talks that were suspended during the Gaza war a year ago, Israel's Maariv newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.

The paper said that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was expected to press Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to agree to the plan during a meeting later Monday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.There were no immediate comments on the report from Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian or US officials.The Palestinians have demanded a full freeze on Israeli settlement activity before resuming negotiations.

Under the US plan, the two sides will first discuss the issue of permanent borders, with a deadline of nine months for reaching an agreement, Maariv said.The idea is to have an agreement on borders before the expiry of an Israeli moratorium on new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, so Israel will start to build again only in those settlements that will be inside its borders under the final status agreement, it said.Underlying the discussions will be the principle of a land swap that has figured prominently in past peace negotiations -- Israel will keep its major settlement blocks in the occupied West Bank and the Palestinians will get land inside Israel in return.After reaching an agreement on borders, the sides will move on to discuss the other core issues: Jerusalem and refugees, Maariv said.To entice both sides to agree to the deal, Washington is preparing letters of guarantee.The Palestinians will get a letter guaranteeing that the two-year deadline will be final, with no delay.If no agreement is reached, the Palestinians will request US backing for their demand to receive an area equal in size to the territory under Arab rule prior to 1967, Maariv said.The Israelis will receive a note ratifying a letter that former US president George W. Bush wrote to then Israeli premier Ariel Sharon in 2004, in which he said that a final status agreement will be based on the principle of land swaps that will allow Israel to keep its major settlement blocs.
Arab diplomats in Cairo told AFP last week that US President Barack Obama's administration was drafting letters of guarantee, but did not provide details.

Fed: Regulation 1st defense against speculation By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer – Sun Jan 3, 1:41 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Stronger regulation is the best way to prevent financial speculation from getting out of hand and throwing the economy in a new crisis, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Sunday.But he didn't rule out higher interest rates to stop new speculative investment bubbles from forming.The Fed chief's remarks were his most extensive on the subject since the housing market's tumble led to the gravest financial crisis since World War II — and perhaps the worst in modern history, in his view.Critics blame the Fed for feeding that speculative boom in housing by holding interest rates too low for too long after the 2001 recession.

But Bernanke, in a speech to the American Economic Association's annual meeting in Atlanta, defended the central bank's actions. Extra-low rates were needed to get the economy and job creation back to full throttle after the Sept. 11 attacks and accounting scandals that rocked Wall Street, he said.Bernanke said the direct links were weak between super-low interest rates and the rapid rise in house prices that occurred at roughly the same time. The stance of interest rates during that period does not appear to have been inappropriate, he said.Still, the enormous economic damage from the housing bust — the longest and deepest recession since the 1930s and double-digit unemployment — shows how important it is to guard against a repeat, Bernanke said.All efforts should be made to strengthen our regulatory system to prevent a recurrence of the crisis, and to cushion the effects if another crisis occurs, he said.However, if adequate reforms are not made, or if they are made but prove insufficient to prevent dangerous buildups of financial risks, we must remain open to using monetary policy as a supplementary tool, he added.Speculative excesses are not easy to pinpoint in their early stages, he said, and using higher interest rates to combat them can hurt the economy.For instance, rate increases in 2003 and 2004 to constrain the housing bubble could have seriously weakened the economy just when a recovery from the 2001 recession was starting, he said.To help the country emerge from that recession, the Fed under then-Chairman Alan Greenspan cut its key bank lending rate from 6.5 percent in late 2000 to 1 percent in June 2003. It held rates at what was then a record low for a year. It's this action that critics blame for feeding the housing speculation.Bernanke, however, said the expansion of complex mortgage products and the belief that housing prices would keep rising were the keys to inflating the housing bubble. As a result, lenders made home loans to people to finance houses they couldn't afford.

The Fed in 2005 did crack down on dubious mortgage practices and the type of mortgages blamed for the crisis. Bernanke acknowledged that these efforts came too late or were insufficient to stop the decline in underwriting standards and effectively constrain the housing bubble.Still, Bernanke said the lesson learned from the crisis isn't that regulation is ineffective but that regulation must be better and smarter.However, the Fed's regulatory lapses and its failure to spot problems leading up to the crisis have spurred efforts in Congress to rein in the Fed's powers and subject it to more oversight. Bernanke, who has been tapped by President Barack Obama to a second term as Fed chief, faces a contentious confirmation in the Senate.During a brief question-and-answer session after his speech, Bernanke didn't talk about current economic conditions or the future course of interest rates.When the Fed meets later this month, it is expected to keep its key bank lending rate at a record low, near zero. The big question is whether the Fed will provide clues at that time about when it will need to start raising rates to prevent inflation from taking off. Some analysts worry that the Fed, which has held rates at record lows since December 2008, could be fueling a new speculative period and potentially a future economic crisis. Looking back, Bernanke suggested the Fed might have underestimated the full force of the recession, which struck in December 2007.It turns out the recession was worse than we thought at the time, he said. After four straight losing quarters, the economy finally grew from July through September last year. Much of that growth, though, came from government-supported spending on homes and cars. There's concern about how vigorous the recovery will be once government supports are removed later this year. Associated Press writer Dorie Turner in Atlanta contributed to this report.