ISRAEL LAYS LAND MINES ALONG SYRIAN BORDER

I DECIDED TO GO FISHING YESTERDAY AND I CAUGHT A 12INCH BASS ON A FAKE WORM.I WAS BEING AN ENVIROMENTAL NUTCASE BY PUTTING THE FISH BACK IN THE RIVER.I NEVER FELT LIKE EATING FISH YESTERDAY.

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

Smart skin: Electronics that stick and stretch like a temporary tattoo
skin tatoo-An ultrathin, electronic patch with the mechanics of skin, applied to the wrist for EMG and other measurements.8/11/2011 | Liz Ahlberg, Physical Sciences Editor | 217-244-1073; eahlberg@illinois.edu

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Engineers have developed a device platform that combines electronic components for sensing, medical diagnostics, communications and human-machine interfaces, all on an ultrathin skin-like patch that mounts directly onto the skin with the ease, flexibility and comfort of a temporary tattoo.
skin scrunched-Led by John A. Rogers, the Lee J. Flory-Founder professor of engineering at the University of Illinois, the researchers described their novel skin-mounted electronics in the Aug. 12 issue of the journal Science.The circuit bends, wrinkles and stretches with the mechanical properties of skin. The researchers demonstrated their concept through a diverse array of electronic components mounted on a thin, rubbery substrate, including sensors, LEDs, transistors, radio frequency capacitors, wireless antennas, and conductive coils and solar cells for power.We threw everything in our bag of tricks onto that platform, and then added a few other new ideas on top of those, to show that we could make it work,” said Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering, of chemistry, of mechanical science and engineering, of bioengineering and of electrical and computer engineering. He also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and with the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at U. of I.

The patches are initially mounted on a thin sheet of water-soluble plastic, then laminated to the skin with water – just like applying a temporary tattoo. Alternately, the electronic components can be applied directly to a temporary tattoo itself, providing concealment for the electronics.We think this could be an important conceptual advance in wearable electronics, to achieve something that is almost unnoticeable to the wearer, said U. of I. electrical and computer engineering professor Todd Coleman, who co-led the multi-disciplinary team. “The technology can connect you to the physical world and the cyberworld in a very natural way that feels very comfortable.Skin-mounted electronics have many biomedical applications, including EEG and EMG sensors to monitor nerve and muscle activity. One major advantage of skin-like circuits is that they don’t require conductive gel, tape, skin-penetrating pins or bulky wires, which can be uncomfortable for the user and limit coupling efficiency. They are much more comfortable and less cumbersome than traditional electrodes and give the wearers complete freedom of movement.If we want to understand brain function in a natural environment, that’s completely incompatible with EEG studies in a laboratory, said Coleman, now a professor at the University of California at San Diego.The best way to do this is to record neural signals in natural settings, with devices that are invisible to the user.Monitoring in a natural environment during normal activity is especially beneficial for continuous monitoring of health and wellness, cognitive state or behavioral patterns during sleep.In addition to gathering data, skin-mounted electronics could provide the wearers with added capabilities. For example, patients with muscular or neurological disorders, such as ALS, could use them to communicate or to interface with computers. The researchers found that, when applied to the skin of the throat, the sensors could distinguish muscle movement for simple speech. The researchers have even used the electronic patches to control a video game, demonstrating the potential for human-computer interfacing.

Rogers’ group is well known for its innovative stretchable, flexible devices, but creating devices that could comfortably contort with the skin required a new fabrication paradigm.Our previous stretchable electronic devices are not well-matched to the mechanophysiology of the skin, Rogers said.In particular, the skin is extremely soft, by comparison, and its surface can be rough, with significant microscopic texture. These features demanded different kinds of approaches and design principles.Rogers collaborated with Northwestern University engineering professor Yonggang Huang and his group to tackle the difficult mechanics and materials questions. The team developed a device geometry they call filamentary serpentine, in which the circuits for the various devices are fabricated as tiny, squiggled wires. When mounted on thin, soft rubber sheets, the wavy, snakelike shape allows them to bend, twist, scrunch and stretch while maintaining functionality.The blurring of electronics and biology is really the key point here,Huang said.All established forms of electronics are hard, rigid. Biology is soft, elastic. It’s two different worlds. This is a way to truly integrate them.The researchers used simple adaptations of techniques used in the semiconductor industry, so the patches are easily scalable and manufacturable. The device company mc10, which Rogers co-founded, already is working to commercialize certain versions of the technology.

Next, the researchers are working to integrate the various devices mounted on the platform so that they work together as a system, rather than individually functioning devices, and to add Wi-Fi capability.The vision is to exploit these concepts in systems that have self-contained, integrated functionality, perhaps ultimately working in a therapeutic fashion with closed feedback control based on integrated sensors, in a coordinated manner with the body itself,Rogers said.The National Science Foundation and the Air Force Research Laboratory supported this work. Editor's note: To contact John Rogers, call 217-244-4979; email jrogers@illinois.edu.The paper, Epidermal Electronics,is available from the News Bureau.

INFOWARS SPECIAL REPORT: Globalists’ Extermination List Exposed Aaron Dykes Infowars.com August 12, 2011

In a Special Infowars Report, researcher Aaron Dykes exposes the global population database apparatus used by eugenicists to target populations for reduced births, soft kill and extermination. From the IBM-developed Hollerith punchcards used in the 1890 U.S. census, to race-mixing studies for Cold Springs Harbor and concentration camps in Rockefeller-funded Nazi Germany, eugenicists have long tabulated vital statistics in order to attack subtly and with precision.Now they are targeting our food supplies, water, air and environment in attempt to shut off our future. How will elites utilize the human genome code, blood samples and DNA they’ve spent decades compiling? Why do foundations of the rich spend so much on the 3rd World population reduction? Aaron Dykes reports on the New World Order’s obsession with eugenics and population control.

PART 1/2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFXDC1IjeDY&feature=player_embedded

PrisonPlanet.tv is becoming a more powerful tool than ever in the battle to unlock minds and turn around this out-of-control system. Starting September 1st, Alex Jones is launching an all-new Nightly News program 5 days per week, with additional special reports airing several times per week, all on top of the daily 3-hour radio & TV show. There’s never been a better time to join PrisonPlanet.tv– Get the 3-hour Daily Radio/TV program, plus the brand-new Nightly News, Special Reports, Rants and hundreds of documentaries and other features for just $5.95 / month.

PART 2/2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpvYlgSFU1o&feature=player_embedded

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.

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

Tropical depression forms north of Bermuda
AP – Fri Aug 12, 9:47 pm ET

MIAMI – A tropical depression has formed in the Atlantic but it is moving away from Bermuda and the United States.The National Hurricane Center said Friday afternoon that the storm was about 260 miles north of Bermuda. It had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving east-northeast at 16 mph. Some strengthening was expected and the storm could turn into a tropical storm Friday night or Saturday.No coastal watches or warnings have been issued.

Flood damage to key Iowa highway a setback, engineers say Reuters By David Hendee – Fri Aug 12, 8:30 pm ET

OMAHA, Neb (Reuters) – This year's flooding along the Missouri River has eroded bridges and roadbed on Interstate Highway 29 in southwest Iowa, a key point in the route between Kansas City, Missouri, and Fargo, North Dakota.Inspections on two I-29 bridges near Hamburg, Iowa, found damage caused by scouring floodwater including an 11-foot hole under the pavement, said Bob Younie, maintenance chief for the Iowa Transportation Department.The discovery was a setback to hopes that I-29 would reopen quickly after water recedes next month following flooding on the Missouri River that has soaked property from Montana through Missouri this year.Interstate 29 and southwest Iowa have been inundated since June by flooding created by record releases from Army Corps of Engineers dams on the Missouri River in the northern plains.The river was not expected to return to its banks until late September. It was more than five feet above flood stage on Friday at Omaha and more than four feet above flood stage at Hamburg, Iowa.Flood-caused scouring has also damaged I-680 near near Omaha's Mormon Bridge. At least seven highways in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa remain closed by flooding.Younie said he hoped all flooded roads in western Iowa would be open by winter, but officials were still unable to completely assess damage.(Editing by James B. Kelleher and Cynthia Johnston)

Candles flicker, mourners drum for dead in Japan tsunami town Reuters By Yoko Kubota – Fri Aug 12, 9:29 am ET

KESENNUMA, Japan (Reuters) – Children in a tsunami-devastated town in northeast Japan lit 10,000 candles and banged taiko drums Friday on the eve of "obon," a Buddhist ceremony to honor the dead, as residents struggle to rebuild lives five months after the disaster.Kesennuma, a scenic fishing town some 400 km (248 miles) northeast of Tokyo, was engulfed by fire after it was struck by a magnitude 9.0 quake and a huge tsunami on March 11. The disaster left more than 20,400 dead or missing in Japan, and triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years at Fukushima.In Kesennuma, about 1,000 out of 73,500 residents died and more than 400 are missing, presumed dead. While police still search, some survivors who lost their loved ones or have waited for their return are now trying to move on.Sadness is sadness. But it is an emotion that people should not hang on to forever, said Kanji Hatakeyama, a city official who also lost his home to the tsunami, as he watched kids play traditional songs on Japanese drums at a summer festival.Over the last month, the pages of a local newspaper were filled with death notices, and many funerals for the missing were held as residents sought emotional closure before obon in mid-August, when families welcome back the spirits of the dead.Obon is celebrated every year, but residents say this year's event is different as Kesennuma copes with losses, and works to rebuild.The town has worked to clear the heaps of mud and rubble that covered much of its coastal areas, once famous for bonito and tuna fishing. Much has been removed, though piles of burned cars and debris still remain, now home to crows and flies.Takehiko Sugawara, a 42-year-old temporary city official who lost his job at a fishery destroyed by the tsunami and was helping to decontaminate ground among the debris, said he was too busy to get emotional.It is obon time, but we don't have things ready. We have so much to do and I don't have a moment to feel sad, said Sugawara, adding he feels he has not been able to honor properly his parents, who were washed away by the tsunami.

MOVING FORWARD

I am sorry for my parents, but I have a child and I need to move forward. I want to tell them to please wait a little bit more ... I am doing the best in the way that I can,added Sugawara, unable to hold back tears as he spoke of his mother.Nearly 13,000 houses were damaged and about 1,500 evacuees are still in shelters waiting for temporary housing. The city plans to deliver its reconstruction plan by end-September, though some residents complained that it has been too slow.I have been waiting for five months and my stress and blood pressure levels rose, said 71-year-old widower Kuniko Ito, who was talking with her friends at an evacuation shelter in the gym of a hilltop elementary school.(Moving to temporary housing) would help me reach a kind of a closure, but I will also feel lonely once I'm living alone,Ito said, adding she hopes her ancestors will understand that she will have to pray from the shelter this obon season.As evacuees chatted inside, a festival to encourage rebuilding and to commemorate the dead went on in the playground.At dusk, volunteers lit 10,000 candles, etching in flames the Japanese word for prayer and a the outline of a ship carrying a four-leaf clover.They are lined up in a really beautiful way. I feel very happy,said 8-year-old Airi Ohara, who ran away from the tsunami with her schoolmates.Residents said their town had hit rock bottom, but their duty was to give hope for future generations.I repeatedly thought of leaving this town, but I felt like it would all end if I run away. I will do as much as I can and see how things go, said Sugawara.(Editing by Linda Sieg and Daniel Magnowski)

FAMINE

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)

FAMINE

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: 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.

FEARFUL SIGHTS AND GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN

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.

USDA Lowered Crop Projections Will Mean Higher Food Prices ContributorNetwork Tammy Lee Morris – Fri Aug 12, 4:41 pm ET

COMMENTARY | The United States Department of Agriculture has adjusted projections for this year's grain crops, lowering forecasts due to weather losses. What could this mean for the average consumer?The average consumer will probably need to dig deeper into their pocketbooks when they shop for food items that contain corn, wheat and soybeans. Regular food items will be affected as well as animal foods that contain such grains.In February, the USDA projected that a lower corn surplus would be seen at the end of the year and would result in higher prices. Today, The Wall Street Journal reported that the agency has reduced the forecast levels of the three grains due to adverse weather conditions during the spring and summer planting and growing seasons.Spiking food prices at local stores will only add to stretched budgets and increase concerns about the current state of the economy in the U.S.As a single, working mom myself, the thought of increased prices does cause me concern. I already stretch every penny I make. I have pets so not only will I pay more for food to feed my family, I will also pay more to feed the dogs and cats that we love and enjoy.I understand that prices of crops are affected by weather and circumstances beyond the control of any governmental agency or farmer, but it is still disheartening to know that most of the things I need to buy for my family will be increasing in price.

As it stands now, my budget is already tight. I will of course make adjustments but ultimately, I will have no choice but to choose to do without items that no longer fit within my budget. While my family did plant a garden this year, that garden was also affected by the spring and summer rains and July heat. Currently, my family is freezing and storing as much of our corn crop as we are able to. Regardless, the higher prices at the stores will hit my pocketbook just like everyone else's. Hopefully, though, the prices will jump later rather than soon--allowing me and other consumers time to save up our pennies and take advantage of any bargain prices we might find right now.

Europe short-selling ban reveals divisions
Reuters By James Regan and Ian Simpson | Reuters – AUG 13,11

PARIS/MILAN (Reuters) - A piecemeal ban on short-selling of financial stocks in Europe sparked a rush of alternative proposals from countries and regulators Friday, while stronger bank shares pulled Europe's stocks higher.After a week of wild swings on European markets on rumors about the health and funding needs of indebted governments and some of their major banks, France, Italy, Spain and Belgium imposed short-selling bans, which varied according to country.Britain, the Netherlands and Austria said they saw no need for action, while Germany said it would instead push for a Europe-wide ban on so-called naked short-selling.The European Commission said a European framework would be more effective, and the chairman of the European Securities and Markets Authority urged policy makers to adopt a plan for bloc-wide rules on short selling as quickly as possible.Short-selling is the process through which an investor borrows shares and sells them on the expectation their price will fall and they can be bought back at a lower price.In a naked short sale, the investor has not borrowed the share, but still bets on a drop in the share price.

Market players said the ban did not tackle the root causes of investors' concerns -- joined-up, long-term fiscal policy in the euro zone - and pointed out that nervous mutual funds were currently behind the sell-off.If at the core of this whole rout is disappointment with certain irresponsible behaviors of policymakers -- note the game of chicken in the U.S. -- they really need to get their act together and prove they aren't all on holiday, said Lothar Mental, chief investment officer at Octopus Investments.A crackdown on speculative short-selling is unlikely to arrest moves from institutional investors who now have little stomach for big holdings in banks and indebted governments who might call on them again for emergency capital.The STOXX Europe 600 banking index rose 4.5 percent, helping the broader market up 3.7 percent.French banks, at the center of attention and included in the ban on short-selling, were up: Societe Generale rose 5.7 percent, BNP Paribas added 4.2 percent and Credit Agricole gained 2.1 percent.Alessandro Frigerio, fund manager at Milan's RMJ Sgr, said the ban could work if, combined with proposals from next Tuesday's meeting of French President Nicholas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, it were to give the idea that there could be a rescue for the euro zone.But global hedge fund association the Alternative Investment Management Association warned the short-selling bans could make markets less stable.Past experience has shown that bans on short selling do not prevent market falls and indeed can exacerbate volatility,association CEO Andrew Baker said in a statement.Short-selling ... contributes to efficient price discovery, increases market liquidity, facilitates hedging and other risk management activities and can possibly help mitigate market bubbles,he said.

U.S. TRADES SOMETIMES POSSIBLE

Investors can sometimes avoid the ban by trading some on other markets -- U.S. listed shares of European institutions that cannot be sold short there can still be shorted in the United States, a New York Stock Exchange spokesman said.That includes Spain's Banco Santander SA, whose ADRs are traded on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board, or Pink Sheets, and can be sold short, a spokesman for OTCBB said.But the largest European banks in question, including Societe Generale, are not listed on major U.S. exchanges such as the NYSE and Nasdaq.It's only in those countries where the short-selling is no longer being allowed, where you might see increased relative short-selling of the ADR,said Bryant Evans, investment adviser and portfolio manager at Cozad Asset Management, in Champaign, Illinois.

ABUSIVE STRATEGY

A German banking source familiar with regulation issues said the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) had failed to play its role as coordinator among EU countries when it introduced the ban, arguing that short-selling combined with rumor-mongering to create a strategy that was clearly abusive.EMSA chairman Steven Maijoor said there were no concrete plans at this stage for other countries, but he could not rule out the possibility that that could change.What kind of coordination has the ESMA delivered? Not much, the German source said, describing Britain as the main obstacle to a coordinated move against short-sellers due to fears such a ban would hurt its financial sector.Britain temporarily banned short-selling of financial stocks in 2008, in line with a U.S. ban imposed four days after the collapse of Lehman Brothers ushered in a dangerous new phase of the financial crisis.Academic studies show U.S. share borrowing fell during the three-week ban, but financial stocks continued to plummet.In the latest action, France banned short-selling on 11 financial stocks for 15 days, Spain said it would protect 16 stocks for 15 days, Belgium banned short-selling of four financial stocks for an indefinite period and Italy said its ban covered 29 companies in the banking and insurance sector.

French Finance Minister Francois Baroin welcomed the ban and said it highlighted the government's commitment to ensuring financial stability, avoiding market abuses and fighting against all forms of speculation.French 10-year bond yields dipped below 3 percent on Friday for the first time since November, showing demand for French debt remained intact despite banking sector concerns.Reassuring data from the European Central Bank helped: the ECB said its overnight loan facility totaled 227 million euros, down from the 4 billion euros borrowed the previous night, easing fears that banks were facing liquidity issues.However, Danish Economics Minister Brian Mikkelsen said several small Danish banks are facing a liquidity squeeze and the government was working on measures to make it safe for foreign investors to lend to them.France and Italy also plan action against investors who combined rumor-mongering and short-selling to manipulate banking shares. The French Banking Federation said French banks were considering legal action, while Italy's Consob said it would fine those who disregarded the short-selling ban.Germany called for wide-reaching ban on naked short-selling.We are advocating a wide-reaching ban on naked short-selling of stocks, sovereign bonds, and credit default swaps, Finance Ministry spokesman Martin Kotthaus said.Only this way can destructive speculation be countered convincingly.(Writing by Sophie Walker and Janet Guttsman; Additional reporting by Ashley Lau, Sarah Young, Sinead Cruise, Laurence Fletcher, Stephen Jewkes, Valentina Za, Judy MacInnes, Feliciano Tisera, Brian Love, Claire Watson, Nicolas Vinocur, Julien Ponthus, Gernot Heller and Brian Rohan; Editing by Alexander Smith and Gunna Dickson)

China may be worst protectionist ever: U.S. analyst
Reuters By Doug Palmer | Reuters – AUG 12,11

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's massive intervention in currency markets could qualify it as the most protectionist nation in history, a leading U.S. economist said on Friday.China has intervened massively in the foreign exchange markets for at least five years, buying at least $1 billion every day to keep the dollar strong and its own renminbi weak, Fred Bergsten, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said in the text of a speech.This is by far the largest protectionist measure adopted by any country since the Second World War -- and probably in all of history, Bergsten said.Bergsten estimated the China's renminbi, also known as the yuan, is currently undervalued by at least 20 percent against the U.S. dollar as a result of China's currency intervention.That is the equivalent of a subsidy of 20 percent on all China's exports and an additional tariff of 20 percent on all China's imports, Bergsten said.Bergsten, who served in various White House and Treasury positions between 1969 and 1981, has long been a critic of China's exchange rate policies.His latest broadside comes amid signs Beijing could let the yuan rise more rapidly to contain inflation.Meanwhile, U.S. government data on Thursday showed the bilateral trade deficit with China grew nearly 12 percent in the first half of 2011 to $133.4 billion, which could stir Congress to act on currency concerns.Bergsten again urged the U.S. Treasury Department to formally label China a currency manipulator, something it has refused to do five times under President Barack Obama.

Treasury's next semi-annual report on the foreign exchange trading practices is due on Oct 15. Labeling China a currency manipulator would require the department to launch negotiations with Beijing to remedy the situation.Bergsten also suggested other U.S. policy responses, such as filing a case at the World Trade Organization against China for currency manipulation and then sharply limiting its access to the U.S. market if the case prevailed.Or we could initiate countervailing currency intervention,buying Chinese renminbi to offset the effect on our exchange rate of their massive purchases of dollars,Bergsten said.(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Israel army plants new mines along Syria border
AP - AUG 13,11

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli army magazine says the military is planting new land mines along the border with Syria to dissuade protesters from rushing into the Golan Heights.The army decided to go ahead with the move after older mines failed to detonate when Syrian demonstrators rushed into the border area in June during a protest against Israel's occupation. Israeli forces opened fire, killing some 20 protesters in efforts to push the crowd back.The mines are also part of beefed-up measures Israel is taking ahead of rallies that Palestinians are planning to hold in September.The demonstrations are meant to boost the Palestinian drive for a U.N. recognition of their state. Israel fears such protests along its borders could turn violent.

Syrians call for Assad's death; 14 killed AP By BASSEM MROUE - Associated Press,ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY - Associated Press | AUG 12,11

BEIRUT (AP) — Tens of thousands of Syrian protesters shouted for President Bashar Assad's death Friday in a dramatic escalation of their rage and frustration, defying bullets and rooftop snipers after more than a week of intensified military assaults on rebellious cities, activists and witnesses said.Security forces killed at least 14 protesters, according to human rights groups.The calls for Assad's execution were a stark sign of how much the protest movement has changed since it erupted in March seeking minor reforms but making no calls for regime change. The protests grew dramatically over the five months that followed, driven in part by anger over the government's bloody crackdown in which rights groups say at least 1,700 civilians have been killed.But with the regime shrugging off even the most blistering condemnation, the uprising has become a test of endurance as both sides draw on a deep well of energy and conviction. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday urged countries to stop buying Syrian oil and gas or selling the regime weapons, saying those who still do so must get on the right side of history.In cities around Syria, protesters chanted, The people want to execute the president! during the now-familiar cycle of weekly demonstrations followed by a swift crackdown by the military, security forces and pro-government gunmen who operate on the regime's behalf.Security forces broke up protests quickly around the capital Damascus, in the central city of Homs and elsewhere, firing bullets and tear gas. Some areas saw only limited demonstrations because soldiers deployed heavily in restive areas.In a significant show of defiance, some of the largest protests Friday were on the outskirts of the central city of Hama and in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, where government forces seized control in major military offensives during the past week. The fact that protesters still turned out was a signal that Assad's forces cannot terrify protesters into staying home.

However, within Hama, protesters struggled to turn out in great numbers after soldiers clamped down heavily in the streets, witnesses said. Snipers were stationed on rooftops, and troops surrounded mosques and set up checkpoints to head off any marches.There are security checkpoints every 200 meters (655 feet), they have lists and they're searching people ... the mosques are surrounded by soldiers, a Hama-based activist told The Associated Press by telephone, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.Dozens of soldiers deployed in Hama's Assi Square, which had been the main converging point for hundreds of thousands of protesters in previous weeks, the activist said.In the central city of Homs, more than a 1,000 soldiers, security agents and plainclothes policemen were deployed in the city's main square.At least 14 protesters were killed across the country: Five outside the capital, Damascus; one in Homs and two in Hama; Four in the major northern city Aleppo; one in Deir el-Zour; and one in eastern Idlib province, according to multiple activist groups. Military raids earlier in the day killed at least two people.Where are the prisoners, Bashar? Free the prisoners, Bashar! shouted protesters in the Mediterranean coastal city of Latakia, shown in amateur video posted by activists. Another video showed a crowd outside a mosque in the southern city of Daraa hit by clouds of tear gas after they chanted for the downfall of the regime.The Associated Press could not verify the videos. Syria has banned most foreign media and restricted local coverage, making it impossible to get independent confirmation of the events on the ground.The government has justified its crackdown by saying it was dealing with terrorist gangs and criminals who were fomenting unrest.

The military offensive reflects Assad's determination to crush the uprising against his rule despite mounting international condemnation, including U.S. and European sanctions.A flurry of foreign diplomats have rolled through Damascus urging Assad to end a campaign of killing that rights groups say has killed more than 1,700 civilians and several hundred members of the security forces since mid-March.We believe that President Assad's opportunity to lead the transition has passed, Jay Carney, spokesman for President Barak Obama, told reporters traveling on Air Force One on Thursday.But the U.S. and other nations have little power to threaten further isolation or economic punishment of Assad's pro-Iranian regime — unlike in Egypt, where Obama was able to help usher longtime ally Hosni Mubarak out of power.On Friday, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said the European Union may decide in the next week or two to broaden its sanctions against the Syrian regime and state-run businesses.Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has been lobbying his colleagues to expand the EU travel ban on Syrian officials — which now covers 35 people, including Assad — and to target Syria's telecommunications, banking and energy sectors. Syria gets about 28 percent of its revenue from the oil trade.We need to cut off the oxygen from the regime through its profitable public enterprises, Rosenthal said on the ministry's Web site.But the bloody crackdown has continued, along with a nationwide campaign of arrests.Security forces on Thursday detained Abdul-Karim Rihawi, the Damascus-based head of the Syrian Human Rights League, activists said. A longtime rights activist, Rihawi had been tracking government violations and documenting deaths in Syria.He was picked up from a cafe in central Damascus along with a journalist who had been interviewing him, according to rights activist Ammar Qurabi.Italy and France on Friday condemned the arrest and called for his immediate release.By its brutal and symbolic character, the arrest of Abdul-Karim Rihawi constitutes a new unacceptable decision by the authorities of Damascus, a French Foreign Ministry statement said.The Syrian uprising was inspired by the revolts and calls for reform sweeping the Arab world, and activists and rights groups say most of those killed have been unarmed civilians. An aggressive new military offensive that began with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the start of August has killed several hundred people in just one week.AP writer Zeina Karam contributed to this report. Bassem Mroue can be reached at http://twitter.com/bmroue and Zeina Karam can be reached at http://twitter.com/zkaram.

Israel deploys drones over offshore gas fields
AFP – Mon, Aug 8, 2011

Israel has deployed drones to keep watch on gas fields off its northern coast, fearing attack by the Hezbollah militia from neighbouring Lebanon, the Jerusalem Post daily reported on Tuesday.The fields lie in a part of the Mediterranean that is claimed by Israel for gas exploration and production, but Lebanon says the fields lie within its territorial waters.The decision to deploy drones was made in order to maintain a 24-hour presence over the site, the paper said, adding that the air force was equipped with the locally made Heron drone, which has special electro-optics designed for maritime work.The Israeli military would not confirm or deny the Post report to AFP.The paper said that the air force started aerial surveillance after a warning last month from Hezbollah, which in 2006 fought a deadly war with the Jewish state in which it used anti-ship missiles.The Israeli enemy cannot drill a single metre in these waters to search for gas and oil if the zone is disputed... No company can carry out prospecting work in waters whose sovereignty is contested, the Shiite group said.

The Hezbollah threat came after Israel's cabinet approved a map of the country's proposed maritime borders with Lebanon and submitted it to the United Nations, which has been asked to mediate in the dispute.The map conflicts with one submitted by Lebanon to the UN last year, which gives Israel less territory.The two countries are technically at war and will not negotiate face to face.The disputed zone consists of about 854 square kilometres (330 square miles).The two biggest known offshore fields, Tamar and Leviathan, lie respectively about 80 kilometres (50 miles) and 130 kilometres (81 miles) off Israel's northern city of Haifa.Tamar is believed to hold at least 8.4 trillion cubic feet of gas (238 billion cubic metres), while Leviathan is believed to have reserves of 16 trillion cubic feet (450 billion cubic metres).In June an Israeli company announced the discovery of two new natural gas fields, Sarah and Mira, around 70 kilometres (45 miles) off the city of Hadera further south.

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.

Rape, mutilation: Pakistan's tribal justice for women
Reuters By Rebecca Conway | Reuters – AUG 12,11

MULTAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - On April 14, two men entered Asma Firdous' home, cut off six of her fingers, slashed her arms and lips and then sliced off her nose. Before leaving the house, the men locked their 28-year-old victim inside.Asma, from impoverished Kohaur Junobi village in Pakistan's south, was mutilated because her husband was involved in a dispute with his relatives, and they wanted revenge.Her fate is familiar in parts of Pakistan's remote and feudal agricultural belts, where women are often used as bargaining chips in family feuds, and where the level of violence they face is increasing in frequency and brutality.At the hospital in nearby Multan town, Asma's shocked parents sat quietly by her bedside and struggled to explain what the future holds for their now disfigured daughter.I don't know what will happen to her when she leaves here, Asma's father, Ghulam Mustafa, said, in a dilapidated ward heavy with the smell of antiseptic and blood, where other women, doused with acid or kerosene by relatives or fellow villagers, awaiting an equally uncertain future.Asked if Asma will return to her husband, her father remains silent.

Pakistan is the world's third-most dangerous country for women, after Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, based on a survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation (http://link.reuters.com/jet92s)In its 2010 report, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says almost 800 women were victims of honor killings -- murders aimed at preserving the honor of male relatives -- and 2,900 women reported raped -- almost eight a day.The bulk, or almost 2,600, were raped in Punjab alone, Pakistan's most populous province.And the numbers are rising: media reports say crimes against women have risen 18 percent in the year to May and the human rights commission believes its figures represent only a fraction of the attacks which take place across the country.Dr. Farzana Bari, director of Gender Studies at Quaid-e-Azam University, says Pakistan's patriarchal society often condones discrimination against women, which is more prevalent among poor and uneducated rural families.That mindset can often influence the police and judiciary, which sometimes turn a blind eye to honor killings or rapes carried out to punish women.I think honor killings are a symptom of vigilante justice, she said.And vigilante justice occurs in an environment where the state is unable to enforce its writ.

TRIBAL JUSTICE

In rural areas, women are often shut out of the justice system, which is compromised by powerful landowners and feudal lords who dominate a hierarchy that makes it difficult -- and deadly -- for those with little education or social standing to speak out.Families or tribes then often take justice in their own hands, presiding over jirgas or panchayats -- gatherings of elders that hand down punishments that include rape, killing or barter of women for crimes that include falling in love with a man deemed inappropriate or besmirching family honor.Some women are maimed just to settle scores.Members of the panchayat systems say the tradition is hard to shake because it is entrenched in the local culture and also because it is much more efficient than the regular courts.In the settled areas there are courts but people can't always get justice or compensation, said lawyer and tribal elder Karim Masoud, who presides over both panchayat settlements and the mainstream court system.With the jirgas, they can get compensation, and it takes less time to settle a dispute. It's fairer and people don't have to use bribes to get justice.Zarmuhamad Afridi, who also attends jirga rulings in Pakistan's northern tribal belt and works within the mainstream court system, said the jirga system survives because in many parts of Pakistan, a man's honor is intrinsically linked to how his wife or daughter behave.

If a couple is not married and they are having a relationship, a jirga may rule that the woman should be shot, Afridi said.That is okay for many, because they have to protect family honor.The slightest transgression by a woman -- being seen talking to a man on the street, perhaps, or having an unknown phone number in a mobile -- can bring harsh punishment and social ostracism of the family, he says, making the quick, harsh judgment of the panchayats popular.Women are cherished here, he said. Men protect them. If a woman is out of her house then what is she doing? That is what people think here.Many women are unable to speak out because they lack the support and education to understand their rights, activists say.But even those who dare often get nowhere.The most high profile instance of a violent ruling by a tribal court against a woman is that of the gang rape of Mukhtaran Mai, which took place near Multan in 2002.Mai was allegedly attacked to settle a matter of village honor, as decided by a panchayat. She was then paraded naked through her village.
Unlike most rape victims, who face stark recriminations for speaking out, and who are sometimes even expected to commit suicide, she filed a criminal case against 14 men.Six men were convicted and sentenced to death that year, but in 2005 the Lahore High Court commuted one sentence to life in prison and acquitted the rest.Pakistan's Supreme Court upheld that decision in April this year, in what rights activists said was a crushing blow to women's and minority rights in Pakistan.The men were released days later. Mai said she is afraid they will return and kill her.Ali Dayan Hasan, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch's South Asia division, said the lack of justice for women in cases like such as Mai's is a structural failing of the criminal justice system.The verdict also lays bare the misogyny of Pakistan's judicial system because it is a judiciary that is instinctively unsympathetic to women.(Editing by Chris Allbritton and Miral Fahmy)

Clinton Calls on Countries to Stop Doing Business with Syria-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls on countries to stop buying Syrian oil and gas. by Elad Benari, Canada Published: 13/08/11, 12:28 AM

The United States on Friday called on countries to stop buying Syrian oil and gas in an attempt to build pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to end a brutal crackdown against protesters.Reuters reported that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted the government might be making some headway in persuading countries in Europe, as well as China and India, to curtail their energy ties with Syria.
Speaking at a news conference with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, Clinton stopped short of explicitly calling for Assad’s departure, saying, We urge those countries still buying Syrian oil and gas, those countries still sending Assad weapons, those countries whose political and economic support give him comfort in his brutality, to get on the right side of history.She added,President Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead and it is clear that Syria would be better off without him.Speaking on condition of anonymity, U.S. officials told Reuters it was the first time Washington had explicitly called for a boycott of Syrian oil since anti-Assad protests erupted in March.Syria’s crude oil production numbers 380,000 barrels a day and generates most of the country’s hard currency. Reuters reported Syrian crude exports go mostly to European nations such as Germany, Italy and France.

Clinton’s comments come after on Thursday she said the United States wants other nations to add their voices to the call for Assad to step down.Meanwhile, the violence in Syria continued on Friday, as Syrian forces shot dead 13 protesters following the prayers for the second Friday of the Ramadan.Tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets of Hama and Deir al-Zor, demanding the overthrow of Assad.
Activists said six people were killed in the Damascus suburbs of Saqba and Douma, two in the commercial hub of Aleppo, and two in the northern province of Idlib on the Turkish border.(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL
http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2005/11/questions-ww3-whats-coming.html (WW3 COMPLETE HAPPENINGS)

AMOS 9:10
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

DANIEL 11:40-45
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.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

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)

The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.

2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL

REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THIS IS THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY,THEY CROSS OVER).

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
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.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

China sends anti-terrorism unit to restive west
AP By SCOTT McDONALD - Associated Press | AP – AUG 13,11

BEIJING (AP) — China has sent its elite Snow Leopard anti-terrorism unit to its far western frontier where ethnic violence has flared, hoping to boost security before the area stages an international trade convention in weeks, a state newspaper reported Sunday.At least 20 people died in two attacks last month in the southern Xinjiang region, where security had already been tight since 2009 fighting between majority Han Chinese and minority ethnic Uighurs (pronounced WEE'-gur), who are Muslim and share other cultural links with groups in Central Asia.The government has blamed Muslim extremists for the July attacks and violent protests in Kashgar, where 80 percent of the 600,000 population are Uighurs, and in another southern Xinjiang city, Hotan.Recently it sent its elite Snow Leopard Commando unit to patrol the region from a base in Aksu city, roughly halfway between Kashgar and the regional capital of Urumqi, the China Daily said, quoting a spokesman for the Xinjiang People's Armed Police.Calls to the Xinjiang government and police were not answered Saturday.The Snow Leopards, formed in 2002, were charged with securing the 2008 Beijing Olympics and have a mandate to combat terrorism, control riots, dispose of bombs, respond to hijackings and carry out other special tasks, the newspaper said.

Xinjiang is China's Central Asian frontier — bordering Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and other countries — with Kashgar serving as an important hub along the ancient Silk Road trade route to Europe.The Snow Leopard unit will be increasing security for the China-Eurasia Expo, being held in Urumqi the first week in September.China has blamed the region's unrest on forces outside the country, and said last month's attacks were carried out by militants trained in camps run by the East Turkistan Islamic Movement in Pakistan on Xinjiang's southern border. It has given no evidence for the allegation.Many Uighurs in the area resent the Han Chinese majority as interlopers relegating them to minority status in their homeland.China defends its treatment of minorities, saying all ethnic groups are treated equally and that tens of billions of dollars in investment and aid have dramatically raised their living standards.