Monday, October 16, 2006

NORTH KOREA GETS SANCTIONED

1-Strong quake shakes Hawaii. 2-Southern Ontario digs out after surprise storm. 3-U.N. Security Council approves sanctions; North Korea rejects resolution. 4-Pyongyang calm after adoption of U.N. Security Council resolution. 5-IRAQ-SYRIA: Threats force Iraqi Christians to flee to Syria. 6-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Travel to Russia Tuesday. 7-Spanish foreign minister in Damascus for talks. 8-Israeli poll indicates shift to right among electorate. 9-Mount Allison virus spread through bathrooms, cafeteria: officials. 10-IDF Stepping Up Operations in the Gaza Strip.

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.

They have upgraded the Quake to a 6.6 and as of 4:45 PM, 20 after shocks have occured, 7 or 8 of them over 4.0. The Geologists are warning that a big one tommorow could be big Trouble for Hawaii.

Strong quake shakes Hawaii 50 minutes ago


WASHINGTON (AFP)A strong earthquake of 6.3 magnitude jolted the island of Hawaii awake sparking fears of a tsunami, although officials said none was expected.The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 7:07 am (1707 GMT) near the island of
Hawaii and was followed by strong aftershock of 5.8 magnitude.We have had some scattered reports of power outages on the big island of Hawaii and Oahu and some reports of damage and some landslides on the big island of Hawaii,said Don Blakeman, a USGS seismologist.They are consistent with what I would expect for an earthquake of this magnitude, there would be some damage but I wouldn't expect anything catastrophic. But you never know about these things,he said.Stewart Koyangi at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said no tsunami is expected, from this quake, but that some areas had experienced strong shaking.

US media reported extensive disruptions from the quake, including an island-wide blackout on the island of Oahu and closed airports.Because of the island-wide blackout things, have come to a standstill,Mahea Richardson, a Hawaii television reporter, told CNN.Richardson said that the hospital in Kona, on the big island, was being evacuated due to damage and that the airport there was closed.CNN reported that phone service had also been disrupted in some areas.The epicenter was located some 153 miles (246 kilometers) from the capital of Honolulu.Erik von Ancken, who was vacationing on the island of Hawaii with his fiancee, told CNN that the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed some 220,000 was the first thing that crossed his mind.It was a little bit nerve-wracking,he said, noting that the fish started jumping before he could feel the shakes.

The guess was that this was an earthquake,he said, The tsunami, that was everyone's first thought. People started running for higher ground.

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.

Southern Ontario digs out after surprise storm
Canadian Press and Associated Press


The Fort Erie and Welland areas of southwestern Ontario are digging out from as much as 30 centimetres of snow following a powerful pre-winter storm.

The region may receive up to 15 more centimetres before a let-up to what Environment Canada terms significant snowfalls of historic proportions.The snow and strong winds of up to 90 kilometres an hour have caused snow-laden branches to snap onto power lines, causing power outages from Port Colborne to Fort Erie, and forcing part of the Queen Elizabeth Way to be shut down.Bad weather also forced the closure of the Peace Bridge border crossing connecting Fort Erie, Ont. and Buffalo, New York. Schools in the Fort Erie and Port Colborne area were also closed.Snow squalls coming off Lake Huron also left parts of Ontario's Bruce Peninsula, Parry Sound and other cottage country areas covered in snow. Another 10 centimetres of snow might fall this morning before it changes to showers.

Northern Ontario also received an early introduction to winter, with an additional five centimetres expected today in some areas, including Kenora, Fort Frances, Dryden and Red Lake.Meanwhile in the United States, Buffalo recorded its snowiest October day on record and the city was bracing for more on Friday, with schools closed and 155,000 customers without electricity.At least two feet of snow blanketed parts of the Buffalo area early Friday, signalling a possible second record-setting day. The snow downed scores of tree limbs and toppled power lines.The snowfall was expected to continue throughout the morning, said Tom Paone, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

On Thursday, 53.5 centimetres of heavy snow set the record for the snowiest October day in Buffalo in the 137-year history of the weather service, said meteorologist Tom Niziol. The previous record of 38 centimetres was set Oct. 31, 1917.This is an extremely rare event for this early in the season, Mr. Niziol said.The Buffalo Police Department received more than 3,000 calls late Thursday and about two-thirds were related to the weather, Lieutenant James Watkins said.

There are power lines going down all over the place, he said.Crews worked into the night to restore power, but many customers were expected to remain in the dark through the weekend and into next week, National Grid energy company spokesman Steve Brady said.This is extremely heavy snow and most of the trees still have most of their leaves, he said. We can't do a complete damage assessment until the snow stops falling.Other western New York communities also experienced heavy snowfall. Officials in Amherst ordered a driving ban for the entire town.We have a condition where 80 per cent of the roads are impassable,said Lieutenant Stephen McGonagle of the Amherst Police Department.

Buffalo schools were closed Friday.

The snowstorm caused flight delays and cancellations at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, officials said. The airport shut down for almost two hours late Thursday.Tree branches were strewn across the roads around the region. A large box maple tree split in half, falling on Joan Casey's home in Buffalo.The whole house shook,Casey said. We were very afraid. Originally I thought it was just the thunder, and then I came outside and I couldn't believe it.

WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL

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.

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)

Saturday, October 14, 2006 - Page updated at 04:44 PM
U.N. Security Council approves sanctions; North Korea rejects resolution
By Edith M. Lederer,The Associated Press


UNITED NATIONS The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose punishing sanctions on North Korea including ship searches for banned weapons, calling Pyongyang's claimed nuclear test a clear threat to international peace and
security.

North Korea immediately rejected the resolution, and its U.N. ambassador walked out of the council chamber after accusing its members of a gangster-like action which neglects the nuclear threat posed by the United States.The U.S.-sponsored resolution demands that the reclusive communist nation abandon its nuclear weapons program, and orders all countries to prevent North Korea from importing or exporting any material for weapons of mass destruction or ballistic missiles. It orders nations to freeze assets of people or businesses connected to these programs, and ban the individuals from traveling.

The resolution also calls on all countries to inspect cargo leaving and arriving in North Korea to prevent any illegal trafficking in unconventional weapons or ballistic missiles. The final draft was softened from language saying the council decides which is a stronger authorization.U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said North Korea's proclaimed test poses one of the gravest threats to international peace and security that this council has ever had to confront.Today, we are sending a strong and clear message to North Korea and other would be proliferators that there will be serious repercussions in continuing to pursue weapons of mass destruction,he said, in what appeared to be a clear warning to Iran whose nuclear ambitions come before the Security Council again next week.

North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon countered by blaming the United States for forcing the country to conduct a test because of its nuclear threat, sanctions and pressure.The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is ready for talks, dialogue and confrontation, Ambassador Pak Gil Yon said. If the United States increases pressure upon the Democratic People's Republic of Korea persistently, the DPRK will continue to take physical countermeasures considering it as a declaration of war.North Korea has said it could conduct a second nuclear test in response to tough sanctions.The vote came after the United States, Britain and France overcame last-minute differences with Russia and China during what the Russian ambassador called tense negotiations.

China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya said afterward that the provision allowing the boarding of ships to inspect cargo was still unacceptable to Beijing and it would not carry out inspections. Nonetheless, Wang hailed what he called a watered-down resolution.

He told reporters that he did not consider the North Korean ambassador's response the official reply from Pyongyang, which he awaits. The important thing is not what they say here, Wang said.The overriding issue, he said, is how we work together for peace and security in the region.The resolution demands North Korea eliminate all its nuclear weapons but expressly rules out military action against the country, a demand by the Russians and Chinese. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton warned Pyongyang, however, that if it continues pursuing nuclear weapons, the United States would seek further measures.The Security Council condemned the nuclear test that North Korea said it conducted on Oct 9. It demanded that North Korea immediately return to six-party talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to dismantle its weapons program without precondition.

It imposed sanctions for the North's flagrant disregard of the council's appeal not to detonate a nuclear device and demanded that North Korea not conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile.The resolution bans the import or export of material and equipment that could be used to make nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles. It orders all countries to freeze the assets and ban travel for anyone engaged in supporting North Korea's weapons programs.This action by the United Nations, which was swift and tough, says that we are united in our determination to see to it that the Korean Peninsula is nuclear-weapons free, President Bush said.In a measure aimed at North Korea's tiny elite, the resolution bans the sale of luxury goods to the country. Kim is known for his love of cognac and lobster and collection of thousands of bottles of vintage French wine.

To meet Russian and Chinese concerns, the Americans eliminated a complete ban on the sale of conventional weapons. Instead, the resolution limits the embargo to major hardware such as tanks, warships, combat aircraft and missiles.Russia's U.N.

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow got what it wanted a strong resolution but one that is also aimed at prevention of a further escalation of tension.North Korea's Pak told the Security Council that the nuclear test was not inconsistent with the country's goal of a denuclearized Korean peninsula.The DPRK clarified more than once that it would feel no need to possess even a single nuke when it is no longer exposed to the United States' threat, after it has dropped its hostile policy to the DPRK and confidence has been built between the two countries,he said.

Bolton said North Korea's claimed test unquestionably poses one of the gravest threats to international peace and security that this council has ever had to confront.Following Pak's speech, Bolton took the floor again saying I'm not going to waste any our time responding.But he noted that North Korea had done Saturday exactly what it did in July after the council adopted limited sanctions for its ballistic missile tests immediately reject the resolution and walk out.It is the contemporary equivalent of Nikita Khrushchev pounding his shoe on the desk, Bolton said, referring to the Soviet leader's legendary act of protest at the U.N. General Assembly in 1960.Bolton told reporters afterward that the next step is to start work on implementing the resolution.Hopefully on saner reflections perhaps they'll begin to accept that if they don't change course, the only future for them is continued isolation,he said.

On Friday, U.S. officials said an air sampling after North Korea's claimed nuclear test detected radioactive debris consistent with an atomic explosion. However, the Bush administration and congressional officials said no final determination had been made about the nature of Monday's mystery-shrouded blast.The U.S. and other nations trying to persuade the North to give up its atomic program continued a flurry of high-level diplomatic visits, including a trip to Asia by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meant to present a unified front to North Korea.The resolution invokes Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which the U.S. views as a necessary because it makes economic and diplomatic sanctions mandatory.China and Russia normally object to the Chapter 7 provision because it carries the possibility of military enforcement. The Bush administration used the same provision to justify its invasion of Iraq, and Moscow and Beijing worry the U.S. might do the same eventually with North Korea even though Bush has said the U.S. has no plans to attack.

But in a compromise also used in July to unanimously vote on a resolution condemning North Korean missile launches, the text added mention of Article 41 of the chapter, which permits only means not involving the use of military force.A Russian nuclear envoy who visited North Korea said Saturday he pressed the North to return to six-nation nuclear disarmament talks. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev said he had a very useful meeting Friday with Kim Gye Gwan, the North's nuclear negotiator, but did not say how Kim responded.Pyongyang has boycotted the six-nation talks for the past 13 months to protest financial measures imposed by Washington for alleged counterfeiting and money-laundering.Associated Press writers Ed Harris at the United Nations and Robert Burns and Anne Gearan in Washington contributed to this report.© 2006 The Seattle Times Company

Sunday October 15, 6:25 PM
Pyongyang calm after adoption of U.N. Security Council resolution


(Kyodo) - The North Korean capital was calm Sunday, with citizens going about their business as usual, even as the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution unanimously against the country over its claimed nuclear test. Pyongyang citizens were seen preparing for Tuesday's 80th anniversary of the Down-with-Imperialism Union, a predecessor to the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, putting up banners and decorations at major sites in the city. Groups of students were practicing marches in the city's squares, in what could be preparations for a parade that some have said would take place Tuesday to mark the anniversary. The U.N. Security Council resolution, adopted Saturday in New York, expresses the gravest concern and calls for all U.N. members to take wide-ranging economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea.

In Pyongyang, where information available to ordinary people is tightly controlled, citizens said they did not know the content of the sanctions but are unworried. You say sanctions, but we have been under sanctions imposed by the United States for over half a decade (from the Korean War), said a 41-year-old man, who works in transportation. But even so, we have developed our economy, and succeeded in conducting a nuclear test,he said.

While the nuclear test announcement Monday was reported in North Korea, information about the harsh reaction the announcement triggered from the international community has not been seen in the official North Korean press. Asked if there are any worries because of the sanctions, a 41-year-old woman working at the Central Zoo said, Not at all.Families and couples were seen visiting the zoo in the outskirts of Pyongyang. In the week since the nuclear test announcement, no demonstrations or parades supporting the nuclear experiment have been seen in Pyongyang, nor have slogans referring to the test been observed in the city in the form of signs or banners.

PERSECUSSION,BEHEADINGS

REVELATION 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain(BEHEADED) for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

REVELATION 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

IRAQ-SYRIA: Threats force Iraqi Christians to flee to Syria
15 Oct 2006 13:07:59 GMT,Source: IRIN


DAMASCUS, 15 October (IRIN) Some 35,000 Iraqi Christians have fled to Syria as a result of death threats by religious zealots since the ousting of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraqi sources in Damascus said. Emanuel Khoshba, head of the office of the Assyrian and Democratic Movement in Syria, said that Iraqi Christians continue to flee to Syria in large numbers.

In 2004, the number of Iraqi Christians who fled to Syria stood at 20,000; now [in 2006] it has reached 35,000 and it's likely to increase further, Khoshba said. There are around 1.2 million Iraqi Christians in Iraq, representing three percent of the country's 26 million inhabitants. Christians fleeing Iraq say that in Syria they have found security and freedom to practice their religion.

I felt terribly insecure in Iraq. I sold everything there and came to Syria and started a job here in transport,said Johnny Nano, 29, an Iraqi Christian who fled to Syria in 2003 for fear of his life. I don't think of returning to Iraq as the security situation [there] doesn't allow me. Besides, my life is stable now here, so why go back? Arkan Hanna Hakim, 40, is a priest from Mosul who was appointed two months ago to supervise the Iraqi Assyrian sect in Damascus. More than 2,000 Iraqi Christian families are now in Jaramana quarter [southern Damascus] alone, and a lot of Christians have received warnings to leave Iraq or face killing,he said, adding that threats against Christians in Iraq have increased following Pope Benedict's recent remarks about the Prophet Muhammad.

Nineteen-year-old Fadi Raad Naaomi is one such Iraqi Christian whose family narrowly escaped death before leaving Iraq. Fadi said that he abandoned his studies in Baghdad and fled to Syria a day after his 52-year-old father, Raad, was kidnapped at a church.

We received a call telling us if we want to see our father we have to pay a ransom and not let the police know,said Fadi. His family collected the equivalent of US $10,000 and three days later Raad was released.However, Fadi said that despite such incidents, he and his family will return to Iraq. We are Christians, a minority with no voice there and threatened to death every day, but there is no other way, we don't have money to stay in Syria.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Travel to Russia Tuesday
Olmert to Discuss Iran, Syria and Russia's Role in Peace Process During Three-Day Trip


Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will travel to Moscow Oct. 17 for a three-day visit during which he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The trip marks Olmert's first overseas trip since the start of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict and his first to Russia since becoming prime minister.In addition to Putin, he is expected to meet with a number of other Russian government officials and politicians. Russia's role in the peace process, its relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Syria, and its bi-lateral economic relations with Israel are likely to top the agenda in discussions between the two leaders. The question of how to manage the Iranian nuclear threat also is likely to be a key part of the discussions. [1] On Oct. 19, Olmert is scheduled to take part in celebrations commemorating the 15th anniversary since diplomatic relations between Russia and Israel were re-established in 1991. The festivities are to be held in the Moscow Jewish Community Center in Maryina Roscha. [2] Diplomatic relations between the two countries broke down in 1967.

Background and Key Facts

Russia's Contradictory Role: Selling Arms to Iran While Pursuing Ties with Israel

The Russian administration simultaneously enables Iran's pursuit for nuclear technology and is a principal manufacturer of Syrian armaments, while pursuing improved relations with Israel. [3] Despite Putin's agreeable posture towards Israel, Russia's sales of nuclear and military technology to two of Israel's most threatening adversaries Syria and Iran remain a top security concern for Israel. Hezbollah, a southern Lebanese-based Shiite terrorist organization, has direct financial and military ties to both Iran and Syria. On July 12, Hezbollah began a war against Israel by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing three others while battering the north with hundreds of missiles. [4] The war lasted 34 days, devastating life in Israel and Lebanon.The Islamic Republic of Iran is the leading state-sponsor of terror because of its monetary, political and military support for global terrorist organizations. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's radical religious doctrine radical religious doctrine, which focuses on eliminating the State of Israel, [5] is exported by Hezbollah and other militant groups that are fueled by Iran and their desire for worldwide Islamic domination.Iran's generous sponsorship enables Hezbollah cells to continue and develop their terrorist activities throughout the Middle East, Europe and other locations across the globe. [6]

Syria, on the other hand, obtains military technology and chemical agents from Iran and North Korea and is believed to have one of the largest ballistic munitions caches in the world. [7] Due to its proximity to Iran and Lebanon, Syria acts as a principle source for smuggling and sanctuary of advanced weapons for Hezbollah.Motivation Behind Russia's Relationship with Iran, Syria.Russia's chief
foreign policy ties to Iran and Syria appear to be driven by Putin's desire to augment Russia's economy. [8].In Nov. 2005 Russia signed a $1 billion (€796,728,113) weapons export contract with Iran. The contract includes shipment of 29 surface-to-air missile TOR-M1 systems, military boats, and an upgrade of Iran's Russian-made bombers in fighter jets. [9].Russia also continues to be involved in the construction of the Brushehr nuclear facility (two reactors), an agreement signed between Russia and Iran in the early 1990s for $800 million (€637,503,200). [10]

In late April 2005, during his first visit to Israel as Russia's president, [11] Putin said he wouldn't sell Syria 300 km-range Iskander-E missiles amid opposition from Israel and the United States. Putin instead announced that he would sell Syria Strelet surface-to-air systems that have a range of three miles (five km). [12] But even the shorter-range missiles could do tremendous damage to Israel if they ended up in the hands of a terrorist group such as Hezbollah, which operates just across the border from Israel in southern Lebanon. [13].Putin defended his decision, stating, I am aware of Israel's concerns regarding the possibility that the missiles will reach the hands of terror organizations in Lebanon. However, these concerns are groundless. . . . The missiles we sold to Syria are short-range anti-aircraft missiles. They do not threaten Israeli territory. For these missiles to hit you, you will need to enter Syrian territory. [14] He also backed Syria's construction of a nuclear facility in Iran.

Russia's Potential Role in Imposing Sanctions Against Iran

Russian endorsement of Iranian sanctions in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the key to placing pressure on the Iranian regime to halt further nuclear production. [15].Russia is a key determinant of which sanctions are ratified by the UNSC, says Ephraim Kam, deputy head of the Institute of National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. "If the Russians would agree, there would be sanctions. If they won't agree, there won't be sanctions,Kam said. [16].Although Moscow has been a longstanding economic partner with Iran, Russia is finding itself constrained as Iran continues to escalate the nuclear arms conflict. For some time, Tehran has been trying to divide the west and Russia, a conflict in which Putin is now being forced to take sides. [17]

Despite Russia's concrete involvement in Iran's nuclear energy development and the modernization of Syria's missile procurement, Moscow is sensitive to Israel's security concerns and in actuality, views Israel as a potential partner for military technology cooperation. [18].Putin is particularly interested in assistance from Israel's experience and expertise with anti-terrorist and counter-insurgent combat. [19].Some Russian officials have drawn similarities between Israel's struggle with Palestinian terrorism and Russia's firm position towards Chechen rebels. [20] Moscow considers such Islamic entities a serious threat to Russian international objectives, as in the past when Iran sponsored certain anti-Russian groups. [21].

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon best understood Putin's position vis-à-vis Chechnya, and the two leaders build an amicable rapport.

During Sharon's tenure as prime minister, he visited Moscow three times (Sept.1, 2001; Oct. 2002; Nov. 2003). During Putin's early years as president, 2000-2003, Russia's posture towards Israel began to improve. [22]

Iran's Threat to Russia

Joseph Cirincione, Director of Non-Proliferation Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, predicts that Iran's development of a nuclear arsenal would spark a regional nuclear arms race, leading to a worldwide breakdown of the nuclear
non-proliferation treaty, and possibly nuclear war.

Russia, with its strong economic and historical ties to the Middle East, along with shared borders to the region, would particularly suffer from the destabilization of the region. [23].A nuclear-armed Iran would not only threaten Russia's external borders, but also its internal security. Iran's president has stated that Islam is ready to rule the world, [24] and with a nuclear arsenal, the current Iranian regime could easily translate its rhetoric into action. And Russia will not remain immune. Russia's large Muslim population in regions such as Chechnya and Dagestan could become the newest target audience for Ahmadinejad's radical vision. [25]

Recent Developments Between Israel and Russia

In recent weeks the Israeli government has held high-level dialogues with Russian officials in preparation for the Olmert-Putin meeting.An Israeli delegation flew to Moscow, sometime after the Aug. 14 ceasefire, to discuss Russian-made weaponry that was found in Hezbollah's possession. Israeli officials raised concerns over Russian arms sales to Iran and Syria, both of which supplied Hezbollah with rockets launched at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and civilians.Specifically, sales of Fagot and Kornet anti-tank missiles were cited since a number of those missiles were to blame for the deaths of many IDF soldiers. [26].According to The Jerusalem Post, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Israel on Sept. 7 to announce that news of the Russian-made armament discovered in southern Lebanon resulted in the dismissal of Russia's arms-export official. [27].Lavrov alerted Israel on Oct. 6 that Moscow had received information that the two IDF soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah on July 12, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, were alive and in good condition. The Russian foreign minister said Russia was pressuring Iran and Syria to for more information about their condition. [28]

Footnotes

[1] Benn, Aluf, PM: Israel supports int'l efforts to counter Iran nuclear ambitions,Haaretz, Oct. 12, 2006, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/773813.html

[2] Enhanced security for Olmert's visit to Moscow synagogue, Interfax, Oct. 10, 2006, http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=2121

[3] Katz, Mark N., Putin's pro-Israel policy, Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2005, http://meforum.org/article/690

[4] Hezbollah attacks northern Israel and Israel's response, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, July 12, 2006, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+from+Lebanon+Hizbullah/Hizbullah+attack+in+northern+Israel+and+Israels+response+12-Jul-2006.htm

[5] Berger, Sebastien, and Bishop, Patrick, 'Eliminate' Israel to solve the crisis, says Iranian president, The Daily Telegraph, Aug. 4, 2006, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/04/wmid204.xml

[6] Profile of the Lebanese Shiite Terrorist Organization of Global Reach Sponsored by Iran and Supported by Syria: Parts 1 and 2 ,

Intelligence and Information Center at the Center for Special Studies, June-July 2003, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia//ENGLISH/IRAN/PDF/JUNE_03.PDF and
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia//ENGLISH/IRAN/PDF/JULY_03.PDF

[7] Syria Profile, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Feb. 2006, http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Syria/index.html

[8] Freedman, Robert O., Russia, Iran, and the nuclear question: The Putin record, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, No.544, July 2, 2006, http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp544.htm

[9] Hmelik, Natalya, Russia's special relationship with Iran's Mullahs, Global Politician, March 27, 2006,
http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1690&cid=2&sid=4

[10] Iran, Weapons of Mass Destruction: Brushehr, Globalsecurity.org, Feb. 19, 2006,
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/bushehr.htm

[11] Benn, Aluf, and Melman, Yossi, Putin hardens line of Iran nuclear program, Haaretz, March 28, 2005

[12] Syria profile: Missile overview, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), March 2006,
http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Syria/Missile/index.html

[13] Kass, Lee, Syria after Lebanon: The Growing Syrian Missile Threat, Middle East Quarterly, Fall 2005, Vol 12, No. 4, www.meforum.org/article/755

[14] Moore, Molly, In Israel, Putin defends Syria, Iran deals, The Washington Post, April 29, 2005, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/28/AR2005042800562_pf.html

[15] Benn, Aluf, Israel and North Korea/Maybe now they'll take Iran seriously, Haaretz, Oct. 11, 2006, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/772453.html

[16] Krieger, Hillary Leila, Israel hopes N. Korea sways Iran policy, The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 11, 2006, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193413595&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[17] Safranchuk, Ivan, Russia's position on Iran: Motives and constraints, Moscow Defense Brief, No. 2 (6), 2006, http://mdb.cast.ru/mdb/2-2006/item1/item1/

[18] Makienko, Konstantin, Russian-Israeli relations and Russian arms trade in the Middle East, Moscow Defense Brief, No. 2 (4), 2005, http://mdb.cast.ru/mdb/2-2005/am/russianisraiel/

[19] Makienko, Konstantin, Russian-Israeli relations and Russian arms trade in the Middle East, Moscow Defense Brief, No. 2 (4), 2005, http://mdb.cast.ru/mdb/2-2005/am/russianisraiel/

[20] Katz, Mark N., Putin's pro-Israel policy, Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2005, http://meforum.org/article/690

[21] Javedanfar, Meir, Iran and Russia: Allies or mutually assured acquaintances, The Middle East Economic and Political Analysis Company (MEEPAS), April 29, 2005, http://www.meepas.com/iranandrussiapart1.htm

[22] Katz, Mark N., Putin's pro-Israel policy, Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2005, http://meforum.org/article/690

[23] Joseph Cirincione, Controlling Iran's Nuclear Program, Issues in Science and Technology, Spring 2006, http://www.issues.org/22.3/cirincione.html

[24] Hartley-Brewer, Julia,"Israel prepares to launch attack on Iran nuclear sites;
Missile threat to defiant country, Sunday Express, Jan. 15, 2006

[25] Kazoun, Jamil, Russia's policy on Iran and Muslim neighbors,Iran-Russia, Analysis, May 9, 2006, http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/060509/2006050901.html

[26] Katz, Mark N., Putin's pro-Israel policy, Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2005, http://meforum.org/article/690

[27] Keinon, Herb, Russia fires arms export official after Israeli complaints, The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 5, 2006, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193379094&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[28] Alon,Gideon, and Khoury, Jack, Russian FM: Captured IDF soldiers are alive and well, Haaretz, Oct. 4, 2006,
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/770537.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Israel Project is an international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace. It provides journalists, leaders and opinion-makers accurate information about Israel. The Israel Project is not related to any government or government agency.

Board of Advisors: Senator Evan Bayh (IN), Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA), Senator Norm Coleman (MN), Senator Ben Nelson (NE), Senator Rick Santorum (PA), Senator Arlen Specter (PA), Senator Ron Wyden (OR), Congressman Rob Andrews (NJ), Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (NV), Congressman Tom Davis (VA), Congressman Eliot Engel (NY), Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ), Congressman Jon Porter (NV), Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ), Congressman Brad Sherman (CA), Congressman Joe Wilson (SC), Actor and Director Ron Silver

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.(TR 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).

Spanish foreign minister in Damascus for talks
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Saturday October 14, 2006


Damascus- Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos arrived in Damascus on Saturday for talks with Syrian leaders in an effort to boost the Mideast peace process. Moratinos was welcomed on his arrival at Damascus airport by his Syrian counterpart, Walid Moallem. The Spanish foreign minister told reporters that he was visiting Syria not on behalf of the European Union but on behalf of Spain, a friendly country with Syria and said Madrid support all peace efforts aimed at achieving peace.

When asked what role the EU might play in solving problems of the Middle East, Moratinos said that the EU is working along with other actors but the EU of course has its own position its own commitment and we try to have some positive input in this part of the world. Mortinos headed directly from the airport to meet President Bashar Assad. He will hold a press conference on Sunday.© 2006 dpa German Press Agency

Israeli poll indicates shift to right among electorate
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, October 14, 2006


Right-wing political parties in Israel are gaining in popularity, according to an opinion poll published in the mass-selling Yediot Ahronot newspaper on Friday. If snap elections were held, the survey found that the right-wing Likud party heavily defeated in a general election less than seven months ago - would win 22 seats in Parliament compared to the 12 it occupies today.Based on answers from respondents when questioned about which party they would vote for if elections were held immediately, the far-right Yisrael Beitenu party would secure 20 seats from 11 now, the poll showed.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's centrist Kadima party was left trailing in third place with 15 seats compared to 29 today, with the center-left Labor party also dipping down to 15 seats from 19.

The representation of Arab Israeli parties would remain constant at 10 seats, with other seats in the 120-member Parliament divided between religious groups, the left-wing and the Pensioners party.Around 10 percent of respondents said they were undecided about who to vote for if snap elections were called.Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu was found to be the favorite to become the next prime minister, with 29 percent of respondents saying that he was the one they would select as premier.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

Another 18 percent said they favored Olmert, 17 percent Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and just 7 percent Defense Minister and Labor chairman Amir Peretz.The poll was taken a day after Olmert's spokeswoman confirmed the premier would bring Yisrael Beitenu into his coalition government.Success or failure of Olmert's efforts could determine prospects of Mideast peacemaking in the immediate future. If Olmert's government falls, Israel would be dragged into yet another election campaign, its sixth in a decade, putting diplomacy in the deep freeze for months.But critics fear if Olmert brings in Lieberman and his hard-line party, the result could be the same.Olmert is trying to broaden his center-left government as the fall parliamentary session begins next week. Political analyst Hanan Crystal said bringing Yisrael Beitenu on board would help blunt some of the hard-line criticism, but would also be an admission that there will be no progress in dealings with the Palestinians or Syria.AFP, AP

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

Mount Allison virus spread through bathrooms, cafeteria: officials
Friday, October 13, 2006,CBC News


Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., has cancelled classes and closed all public buildings while cleaning staff disinfect the school in response to an outbreak that has caused diarrhea and vomiting among at least 100 students.Public health officials asked the university to close its campus on Friday, suggesting that a fast-moving, Norwalk-type virus is likely to blame for the illness. It has swept through eight of 11 university dorms on campus and has hit faculty and staff. It is believed the gastrointestinal illness may have spread through students in the university residences, where they live in close quarters and share bathrooms. (CBC)
The virus likely spread through shared washrooms in residence halls and cafeteria salad bars.

Student Fraser Harland was hit hard by the stomach bug on Thursday.I went to bed at one in the morning and I was woken up at two with a very upset stomach. I just started vomiting and it was like that for the rest of that night, basically on the hour every hour.

Students stroll through the Mount Allison University campus, which closed Friday because of a viral outbreak.(CBC) All classes and extracurricular activities are cancelled until Monday. The dining hall, all academic buildings, residences and
the library will remain open. Community groups and members of the public are asked to stay off the campus.Split bathroom use

The university has stopped short of quarantining sick students, but has split up residence bathrooms so healthy students don't have to share sinks and counters with those who are infected.Health Department spokesman Denis Allard says nobody knows where the virus originated.It's really hard to know where it was introduced from. Whether it was introduced by a student back from a long weekend or by a member of the staff, it's difficult to know at this point in the investigation.A letter to the public from Stephen McClatchie, Mount Allison's vice-president, academic and research, suggests students began getting sick on Thursday. He says some were treated at Sackville Memorial Hospital, while others remained in their rooms. McLatchie says the school administration invited public health officials to investigate as soon as students began getting sick.

We are continuing to care for students, providing as much information as we can to them and to their parents about how to prevent further spread of the stomach flu-like symptoms,he said.Norwalk, which can hit cruise ships and other places where people live in close quarters, lasts about 24 to 48 hours and has no serious lingering effects.

Students got sick first

Students living in residence were the first to realize something was wrong earlier this week.There's a lot of people who have gotten sick,said first-year student Amanda Hughes.I know 30 people at Windsor [Hall] are sick from it, and a couple of kids from our house have been in the hospital.Another student, Mathew Moreau, says many students suspected food poisoning.There's been a lot of rumours now. The whole meal hall is deserted because no one exactly [knows] what is going on, so everyone is just dodging it at the moment,Moreau said. I went to lunch today and there was barely anyone there.Mount Allison spokeswoman Sheila Blagrave says tests have found nothing wrong with the food services. She says the university has e-mailed students with advice on avoiding infection through handwashing and cleanliness, and where to go for help if they get sick.Public health staff identified a gastrointestinal virus through samples taken from students and staff. Lab results to determine the type of virus should be available by Monday.

IDF Stepping Up Operations in the Gaza Strip
23:32 Oct 14, '06 / 22 Tishrei 5767
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz(INN)


At least eleven Arab terrorists or accomplices have been killed since Friday. Palestinian Authority sources reported Saturday evening that IDF forces entered the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza.The IDF has intensified operations in Gaza in response to a sharp increase in Kassam rocket attacks into the western Negev towns, as well as stepped up attacks on IDF positions and units along the Gaza perimeter. Beit Hanoun has been a popular launching area for PA terrorists. A Fatah terrorist of the Tanzim militia was eliminated in an IDF airstrike today in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza.

Three PA residents were injured in the operation, which IDF sources said targeted a vehicle belonging to a cell involved in the ongoing Kassam rocket attacks on Jewish targets. In the early morning hours of Saturday, seven PA residents were killed in northern Gaza when an IDF missile struck the building they were in. On Friday, three Hamas terrorists were eliminated in an IDF airstrike on their car.

In other counterterror activities, IDF troops shot at members of a terrorist cell in Kabatiyeh, south of the PA city of Jenin. At least one of the cell members, who belonged to the Islamic Jihad, was reportedly injured. Two PA residents were captured by Israeli soldiers as they attempted to slip across the Gaza Strip perimeter defenses. The would-be infiltrators were transferred to General Security Services for interrogation.

PA sources put the count of Arab deaths as a result of IDF operations over the last three days at 19. The sources claimed that four of the fatalities are children and that one is a woman. The Izz A-Din Al-Kassam Brigades of Hamas claimed to have fired nine Yassin rockets, an RPG and eleven mortars at IDF forces in the northern Gaza Strip overnight.

The Hamas also claimed that it was responsible for the rocket attack on Sderot on Friday, in which three Israelis were lightly injured and ten others suffered shock.
The Islamic Jihad also claimed to have attacked IDF forces in Gaza overnight. The terrorist group released a statement saying its men fired an RPG at an IDF armored troop transport in an area east of Khan Younis. The Popular Resistance Committees and the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades of the Fatah organization, which is headed by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, announced that its fighters had fired six rockets at the IDF’s Kerem Shalom military base on Friday night. Fatah terrorists also claimed that they had fired two Aksa-2 rockets at the Negev city of Ofakim. In a related report from outside Israel, Egyptian security forces have arrested eight activists from the Muslim Brotherhood organization, which has been closely linked with Islamist terrorism. Egyptian sources said that the Brotherhood members were arrested for distributing pamphlets that encourage opposition to the current regime in Cairo,
headed by President Hosni Mubarak.Last Update: 23:32 October 14, 2006

Sunday, October 15, 2006

SIGNS IN SUN MOON AND STARS (HEAVENS)

1-2 moderate quakes strike off Japan coast 2-North Korea's nuke test triggered earthquakes: geologists. 3-16 dead, four missing in southwest China flooding. 4-Active weather hits parts of the country W. Verno. 5-Liberal MEP tables Plan B for EU constitution. 6-Jupiter tiny spot goes from white to red. 7-Fires and worst drought in 100 years wake Australia up to the reality of climate change. 8-US test confirms N Korea claim. 9-NUCLEAR FALLOUT / Export of N-technology could spark U.S. attack.

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.

2 moderate quakes strike off Japan coast Fri Oct 13, 7:52 PM ET

TOKYO - Two moderate quakes struck off the coast of Japan early Saturday, including one that shook the Japanese capital, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A 5.3-magnitude quake struck off the east coast of Honshu island, about 65 miles southeast of Tokyo, the USGS said on its Web site.There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the quake. There was also no threat of a tsunami, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.Earlier Saturday, a larger, 6.3-magnitude quake struck off the disputed Kuril islands, located northeast of Hokkaido island. The islands are administered by Russia but claimed by Japan.

That quake was centered about 1020 miles northeast of Tokyo.Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

North Korea's nuke test triggered earthquakes: geologists
PTI ,Saturday, October 14, 2006 17:19 IST


MUMBAI: Did the nuclear test by North Korea on October nine trigger earthquakes in the region? Apparently yes, if geologists are to be believed.The earthquake pattern between October nine and 13 in East Asia, geologists say, was due to a disturbance in natural stress conditions of the subduction zone extending from Kuril Island in the north to Phillipines islands in the south.They said it was apparent that the nuclear explosion did create stress along the trench. In the last two months, such earthquake clusters were not observed in the zone, according to geologists from the Department of Earth Sciences in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here.

Between October nine and 11, the Phillippines islands experienced nearly 10 quakes with magnitudes varying from 4.2 to 6.3 on the Richter scale.Taiwan recorded a 5.6-magnitude quake, while Japan recorded a 5.8-magnitude temblor on October 10. Similarly, Kuril islands experienced a 6-magnitude quake yesterday, they said. A plot of the epicentres on the tectonic map of East Asia clearly demonstrates the nuclear test released stress along the subduction zone, the geologists pointed out.A 5.8-magnitude quake shook northern Japan on Tuesday evening, sparking fears that it was a second nuclear test by North Korea but this was proved wrong later.Instead, seismologists detected a series of earthquakes near Japan.Pyongyong's first nculear test created an artificial earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale, according to United States Geological Survey (USGS).

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.

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
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) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

16 dead, four missing in southwest China flooding Sat Oct 14, 7:13 AM ET

BEIJING (AFP) - Flooding and landslides caused by torrential rains in southwestern China have left at least 20 people dead or missing and 11 others injured. Heavy downpours from October 6 to 12 in the Honghe prefecture of Yunnan province triggered the flooding and landslides in the mountainous region, Xinhua news agency reported in a short dispatch Saturday.The natural disaster has resulted in the evacuation of up to 20,000 people, while 2,000 homes have collapsed in the region largely populated by the Hani, an Yi ethnic minorities, it said.

Active weather hits parts of the country W. Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel 26 minutes ago

Northeast

Low pressure will continue to bring unsettled weather to the eastern Great Lakes today. Mixed rain and snow showers can be expected from Buffalo, north through the Burlington area today, along with breezy west winds at times. This, added to the melting of heavy wet snow in the Buffalo area may result in some flood issues. Meanwhile, high pressure will dominate the rest of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with generally sunny to partly cloudy skies. Afternoon highs will range from the 40s from Pittsburgh and Buffalo, north through Burlington, while highs reach the lower 60s from Washington and Philadelphia, northward through New York and Boston. This general weather pattern will remain in place on Sunday, with a slight modification in afternoon temperatures. Rain and snow showers will be decreasing a bit near the Great Lakes.

South

After a cool morning, temperatures will begin a warming trend later today. With high pressure in place across the south, many areas woke up to the coolest temperatures so far this season in the south. With plenty of sunshine into the afternoon, and winds gradually shifting to a more southerly direction, afternoon highs will warm into the 70s across much of the area, with a few 80s along the Gulf Coast. A few showers and thunderstorms will be possible over south Florida, where a cold front remains nearby, but a better chance of showers and thunderstorms will be across south Texas, where some flooding will be possible. By Sunday, the chance for showers and thunderstorms will greatly increase across Texas, into parts of the Mid-South, as a storm system approaches the area from the west. Flooding may become an issue over parts of Texas into Sunday. Meanwhile high pressure will continue the dry weather over the Southeast.

Midwest

More rain and snow showers will impact the Great Lakes, but a warming trend is on the way. Low pressure will continue to enhance the chances for rain and snow showers, as well as breezy conditions, near the Great Lakes. Some additional snow accumulations will be possible over the northern Great Lakes this morning, but that threat should diminish as the day goes on. Meanwhile, high pressure will dominate the rest of the central Plains and Midwest, with sunny to partly cloudy skies. Temperatures will remain cool near the Great Lakes, with highs generally 40s, but will warm to the 60s over the central Plains. The chance for showers and a few thunderstorms will increase over the central and southern Plains on Sunday as a new storm system approaches the area.

West

The potential for flooding rains and severe thunderstorms will impact parts if the southwest. A storm developing over the southwest will generate showers and thunderstorms from southern California, eastward into the four corners area. A few severe thunderstorms will also be possible, along with heavy downpours that may result in flooding. Meanwhile high pressure will dominate the rest of the west providing fair weather conditions. The storm system will begin to move east Sunday, ending the rainfall over the California area, but continuing over the four corners. A new storm system will also move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing rain and higher evaluations snows there.

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

REVELATION 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse:(PEACE) and he that sat on him had a bow;(EU ROMAN DICTATOR) and a crown was given unto him:(PRESIDENT OF THE EU) and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.(MILITARY GENIUS)

REVELATION 13:1-10
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.(THE EU AND ITS DICTATOR IS GODLESS)
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.(DICTATOR COMES FROM NEW AGE OR OCCULT)
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;(MURDERERD) and his deadly wound was healed:(COMES BACK TO LIFE) and all the world wondered after the beast.(THE WORLD THINKS ITS GOD IN THE FLESH, MESSIAH TO ISRAEL)
4 And they worshipped the dragon (SATAN) which gave power unto the beast:(JEWISH EU DICTATOR) and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?(FALSE RESURRECTION,SATAN BRINGS HIM TO LIFE)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.(GIVEN WORLD CONTROL FOR 3 1/2YRS)
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,(HES A GOD HATER) to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.(HES A LIBERAL OR DEMOCRAT,WILL PUT ANYTHING ABOUT GOD DOWN)
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,(BEHEAD THEM) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.(WORLD DOMINATION)
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.(WORLD DICTATOR)
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.(SAVED CHRISTIANS AND JEWS DIE FOR THEIR FAITH AT THIS TIME,NOW WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE BUT DURING THE 7 YEARS OF HELL ON EARTH, PEOPLE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH (BEHEADINGS) FOR THEIR BELIEF IN GOD (JESUS) OR THE BIBLE.

DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) 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 A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) 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 (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, 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.(LAND FOR PEACE,DOES THAT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING FAMILIAR)
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) 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.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Liberal MEP tables Plan B for EU constitution
13.10.2006 - 16:38 CET | By Mark Beunderman


EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Over one year after the constitution was rejected in two referendums, ideas and plans are slowly emerging on how to revive the document with one influential MEP suggesting a new-look version should include articles on issues like climate change which are of direct concern to EU citizens.UK liberal MEP Andrew Duff will on Wednesday (18 October) present his Plan B: how to rescue the European Constitution amid a re-emerging debate across Europe on the fate of the charter after French and Dutch voters rejected it in 2005.We are now at two years on since the signing of the constitution,he told EUobserver. It is about time we pressed on with Plan B.

In the rescue plan, the MEP staunchly defends the core of the existing EU constitution text part I on institutional reform and part II on fundamental rights while making the document more attractive to citizens by adding provisions which specifically address their concerns. We have to try to understand the causes of the disaffection which was expressed in France and the Netherlands and elsewhere, he said.I think if one does, and I have, there are five elements which stand out, he argued referring to the economic governance of the union; Europe's social model; sustainable development and climate change policy; enlargement policy; and the reform of the EU's finances. The Duff plan proposes adding fresh clauses on these five policy areas to the constitution by opening up the current policy part of the text, part III, while leaving parts I and II as they are.

Sarkozy and Amato

The MEP insists that simply removing the entire or most of part III as proposed by French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy and others is not enough. Subediting is not a sufficient response to the crisis, he said explaining that the changes to text should be political. Mr Duff rejected various proposals to merely slim down the constitution text without adding anything new which he said are also under discussion in the wise group of European politicians led by Italian interior minister Giuliano Amato. I suspect that the Amato group is to come out with a...simple filleting of part III, he said. This is mere pathology...What I am trying to do is to rejuvenate the creature. The British MEP also opposes ideas to drop the name constitution and instead call a revised text a treaty. Such a move would merely spark contempt from citizens while disguising the truth about the scale and scope of integration,he said.

Liberal divisions

Meanwhile, Mr Duff's fellow European liberal party (ELDR) members gathering in Bucharest on Thursday and Friday (12-13 October) failed to reach agreement on a liberal vision on the future of the EU following disagreement on key paragraphs on the constitution.

ELDR president and Belgian MEP Annemie Neyts had in the run-up to the congress prepared a draft vision for a modern and motivating EU but the document was rejected by member parties and shelved until May next year. The draft stood in sharp contrast with Mr Duff's plan B, as it said that a revised text should not be called a Constitution. The ELDR draft also questioned the institutional Part I of the constitution by stating that issues such as reducing the size of the Commission...and creating the position of EU President could be removed from the text.

Two-draft referendum

Eurosceptics in the European Parliament, meanwhile, are criticising the recent wave of plans to resuscitate the EU constitution, with Danish member Jens-Peter Bonde stating instead of manipulating the public by drafting a compressed constitution, we should make a fresh start. The veteran MEP proposes setting up a new convention, similar to the body of European politicians that drafted the constitution but this time directly elected by the people.The body would have 270 members with 10 representatives per member state and work for one year, ideally coming up with two draft treaties draft A for a kind of EU state and draft B for a Europe of democracies. Voters would subsequently be able to choose between the two options representing radically different scales of European co-operation in an EU-wide referendum. If people go for the federalist option I will accept that,he said adding that he would himself promote draft B a decentralised EU focusing its work strictly on cross-border issues.

LUKE 21:11,25
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
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)

Jupiter tiny spot goes from white to red By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Thu Oct 12, 7:27 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Just a little more than a year ago, the small spot on Jupiter was a pale white; now it matches the reddish hue of its bigger sibling, the Great Red Spot, and boasts 400 mph winds, according to new data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Both spots are actually fierce storms in Jupiter's atmosphere. While the red spot at three times the size of Earth is much more noticeable, strange things are happening to the smaller spot.Scientists aren't quite sure what's happening to the smaller storm, nicknamed the Little Red Spot or Red Spot Jr. but officially called Oval BA. It probably gained strength as it shrunk slightly, the same way spinning ice skaters go faster when they move their arms closer, said NASA planetary scientist Amy Simon-Miller. Her findings from the Hubble data were published in the astronomical journal Icarus.

As the storm has grown stronger it's probably picked up red material from lower in the Jupiter atmosphere, most likely some form of sulfur which turns red as part of a chemical reaction, she said.The color change took astronomers by surprise. And now they figure more surprises are in store as the solar system's largest planet goes into hiding from Earth's prying eyes until January, moving behind the sun.We found that Jupiter tends to do interesting things behind the sun and we can't see it,Simon-Miller said.
On the Net:NASA on the Little Red Spot:http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2006/little_red_spot.html,Hubble Space Telescope: http://hubblesite.org/

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.

Fires and worst drought in 100 years wake Australia up to the reality of climate change By Kathy Marks in Sydney Published: 14 October 2006

Australia is confronting its worst drought in a century with rampant fires devastating agricultural areas, rivers drying up, crops failing, and farmers forced to sell off their livestock. The bushfire season has begun months early and the government has pledged financial aid for despairing farmers, already laden with debt after five straight years of drought. Some may earn no income at all this year, and there are fears that the suicide rate in the countryside, which is already high, will soar further.The federal Treasurer, Peter Costello, said the countryside was facing a rural recession.

But some politicians and environmental groups say that sympathetic words are not enough. They point to the increased frequency and severity of drought-causing El Niño weather patterns, attributed to global warming, and to Australia's leading role in poisoning the Earth's atmosphere with greenhouse gases.Australians are among the world's biggest energy consumers, and the country is one of the top per capita producers of carbon dioxide emissions. Nonetheless, it is one of only two industrialised nations, along with the United States, that has refused to sign the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, arguing that it would harm the economy.Now the economy looks likely to get a good shaking, as a result of the unseasonably high temperatures and pitifully low rainfall in recent months.

In New South Wales alone, 92 per cent of the state is officially in drought, and farmers have begun offloading stock before the hot, dry summer sets in, forcing them to buy feed and water. Sheep sales in the state are 70 per cent higher than last year, and at one saleyard last week, a record 67,000 sheep were sold in one day.Agricultural economists, meanwhile, have slashed their winter crop forecasts by more than a third, and wheat exports have been suspended to meet domestic demand.While some farmers are braced for their first total crop failure in half a century, consumers in urban areas are being warned to expect significantly higher food bills.

The Prime Minister, John Howard, said the drought would almost certainly affect gross domestic product, which has been growing at an unprecedented rate for more than a decade. But he urged Australians to retain a sense of perspective, saying that the country overall is still doing very well.Bushfires, meanwhile, were raging throughout south-eastern Australia yesterday, although summer does not officially start for more than six weeks, and fires of this ferocity are not normally seen until after Christmas.With the vegetation tinder-dry after one of the driest winters on record, hundreds of fires were burning across four states, fanned by high temperatures and strong winds. Much of the south-east was on an extreme fire danger alert. In Tasmania, scores of homes were threatened by fires advancing on the suburbs of Hobart, the state capital, this week.

Scientists warned the bushfire threat would increase over coming decades, as climate change brought more frequent hot weather, accompanied by less rainfall.Penny Whetton, of the government's own scientific body, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, said: "The frequency of days of very high fire danger are increasing 20 to 30 per cent over the next few decades.Phil Koperberg, New South Wales fire service commissioner, said it was virtually unheard of to have fires at this time of year in places like the Snowy Mountains and Kosciusko National Park. I've been in the business for 40 years ... it's a spectacularly unusual event, he said.Some scientists and environmental groups are predicting that the drought is here to stay, and are calling for better land and water management practices.Australia is one of the world's driest continents. But a national audit of water resources, released yesterday, found that dwindling water supplies were being wasted, despite restrictions imposed in six major cities, including Sydney.

Thanks to the drought, dams are drying up. One dam alone in New South Wales has lost a volume of water equivalent to Sydney Harbour, because of evaporation. River beds in bone-dry rural areas are empty and cracked. One newspaper yesterday carried a front-page photograph of a little girl jumping over a muddy trickle on her parents' property - all that remains of the once powerful Darling, Australia's longest river. The river is part of the Murray-Darling system, which feeds the country's food basket. The National Climate Centre warned that without rain, the rivers will soon run dry.The leader of the Green Party, Bob Brown, blamed government policies for helping to create the bushfires and droughts. He accused Mr Howard's conservative government of encouraging Australian industries to burn coal, while starving renewable energy scientists of funding.Greg Hunt, the parliamentary secretary to Ian Campbell, the Environment minister, said thatAustralia was meeting international targets for reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and investing in renewable energy and clean coal technology.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

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 2:20,30
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.

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.

Last Updated: Saturday, 14 October 2006, 07:12 GMT 08:12 UK
US test confirms N Korea claim


There has been no independent confirmation of the test Preliminary results of scientific tests appear to confirm that North Korea did carry out a nuclear test last Monday as it claimed, US officials have said. But they stressed that more tests were needed to reach a conclusion. A vote on sanctions is expected later in the day at the UN Security Council but Russia and China are still querying the US-drafted resolution. Ban Ki-moon, who will be the new UN secretary-general, called for a clear and strong resolution to be adopted. Mr Ban was formally elected by the UN General Assembly on Friday to replace Kofi Annan at the end of the year.

Throughout the week there has been uncertainty about whether North Korea carried out a nuclear test, tried to but failed, or merely made a false claim, the BBC's Nick Miles reports from Washington. The apparent confirmation that Pyongyang did carry out a nuclear test could make the passing of the UN resolution more likely, our correspondent says.

Fizzle theory

US scientists found that there were traces of radioactive gas in the air near the site of last Monday's alleged nuclear test. White House officials cautioned that this result alone did not confirm a successful test but it could mean that a nuclear test had been attempted.One official quoted by the Associated Press said the results could indicate a nuclear fizzle, rather than a full test. The agency also quoted an unnamed official as saying the sample had been collected above Qunggye, near the area of the claimed nuclear test.Both South Korean and Chinese scientists said earlier they had detected no evidence of radioactivity in air, soil and rainwater tests.The US has revised a draft resolution to remove the threat of imminent military action in an effort to allay Chinese and Russian concerns.

The US envoy to the UN, John Bolton, said he expected the vote to be held on Saturday but it depended on Russia and China's stance.But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the current draft still had elements that should be discussed and clarified.

The US draft retains a controversial provision allowing nations to inspect cargo moving in and out of North Korea in pursuit of non-conventional weapons.

Clouds gather

It urges Pyongyang to implement a September 2005 agreement in which it pledged to give up its nuclear programme in exchange for aid and security guarantees.A Russian envoy who has just visited North Korea said he urged the Pyongyang authorities to return to six-nation disarmament talks. Alexander Alexeyev said his meetings were useful but did not say how the North Koreans had responded to his appeal, the Associated Press reported. New Japanese sanctions against North Korea have already come into force.The measures include trade and travel bans, barring North Korean ships from Japan's ports, and freezing imports and visits by North Korean officials.South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has held talks in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.

A top South Korean official said the two men did not discuss the details of the draft resolution but agreed in general principle to support UN action. Mr Roh is facing increasing pressure at home to reverse his so-called sunshine policy of engagement with the North.As many as 3,000 protesters gathered outside Seoul city hall to demand the government cut off aid and investment.

NUCLEAR FALLOUT / Export of N-technology could spark U.S. attack
The Yomiuri Shimbun


If North Korea crosses the Rubicon and transfers nuclear weapons and technology to other nations, the nation will bear full responsibility for it, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Tuesday in a series of interviews with the U.S. media. On Monday, U.S. President George W. Bush said in a statement, The transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or nonstate entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States. The United States is not just concerned that North Korea could become a nuclear state, but that such an affront to the intent of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty could result in an increased number of nations possessing nuclear weapons and transfer of those weapons to international terrorist organizations, threatening the security of the United States.

The United States has intentionally left the redline for considering military intervention ambiguous, but the statements by Bush and Rice following Pyongyang's announcement that it conducted an underground nuclear test made it clear the redline lies with the transfer of nuclear weapons and technology. Mitchell Reiss, who served as director for policy planning at the U.S. State Department during the first term of the Bush administration, said that regardless of whether the United States acknowledges North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons, the reality is that the United States must coexist with a nuclear-armed North Korea. He argued that the United States had no choice but to shift to a policy that focuses on the issue of nuclear proliferation. What concerns the United States most seriously at this point is nuclear proliferation to Iran, which has considerable influence on Iraq, the most pressing issue for the Bush administration.

If Iran, which the United States lists as a state sponsoring terrorism, receives nuclear technology or weapons from North Korea, fear that terrorists could obtain nuclear arms would grow dramatically. Washington also has another concern. Some in Congress and the media have begun openly expressing a view that recent events could spark a domino effect leading Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to become nuclear states in the wake of North Korea's nuclear development. They argue that the security situation in Northeast Asia would be dramatically changed. Given these two concerns, the United States first worked to strengthen international pressure on North Korea, pushing for the imposition of punitive sanctions through the U.N. Security Council and reassuring other nations such as Japan and South Korea that they are under the nuclear umbrella of the United States. By doing so, the United States aims to send a warning to Iran and prevent other nations from being tempted to become nuclear states.

So far, this tactic has worked well. At the U.N. Security Council, China, which had been reluctant to impose sanctions on North Korea, is now shifting to approve punitive measures. With Russia also being expected to support the council's resolution calling for imposition of sanctions, the international coalition against North Korea is being fully established. South Korea, which had refused to take part, even as an observer, in drills conducted under the U.S.-led international Proliferation Security Initiative to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, said for the first time on Tuesday that it would participate in PSI activities on a case-by-case basis. However, North Korea is aware the redline for the United States is the transfer of nuclear weapons and technology. This is why Pyongyang boldly conducted the nuclear test. North Korea likely will continue putting pressure on the United States while taking into account the limit line. As the United States currently rules out the military option against North Korea, the tug of war between North Korea and the United States already has begun. (Oct. 13, 2006)

Saturday, October 14, 2006

WILL UN BE DIS BAN DED

1-Historic storm hits Ontario. 2-350,000 without power in Buffalo area. 3-The Weather Channel (Record Low Temperatures). 4-Iranian Minister Calls for Improved Ties with PA. 5-Rescued Torah Scrolls to Star in Jerusalem Holiday Celebrations. 6-UN poised for sanctions on North Korea. 7-New $100 mln fund to fight killer diseases in Myanmar. 8-Ban Named Next U.N. Secretary-General.

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.

Historic storm hits Ontario
Pre-winter blast wallops Niagara Peninsula, cottage country
Oct. 13, 2006. 11:18 AM,CANADIAN PRESS


The Fort Erie and Welland areas of southwestern Ontario are digging out from as much as 30 centimetres of snow following a powerful pre-winter storm.

The region may receive up to 15 more centimetres before a let-up to what Environment Canada terms significant snowfalls of historic proportions. The snow and strong winds of up to 90 kilometres an hour have caused snow-laden branches to snap onto power lines, causing power outages from Port Colborne to Fort Erie, and forcing part of the Queen Elizabeth Way to be shut down The storm that dumped snow on the Fort Erie-Welland areas also walloped Buffalo and western New York state.

Snowsqualls coming off Lake Huron also left parts of Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula, Parry Sound and other cottage country areas covered in snow.

Another 10 centimetres of snow might fall this morning before it changes to showers. Northern Ontario also received an early introduction to winter, with an additional five centimetres expected today in some areas, including Kenora, Fort Frances, Dryden and Red Lake. In Huntsville, Ontario Provincial Police have closed down southbound Highway 11, south of Stephenson Rd. 4 after a vehicle went into the ditch, killing one person inside at about 5 a.m., Const. Julia McCuaig said.

The road conditions up there were very poor at the time. It was sever weather conditions ... Roads were icy, she said. Apparently in Bracebridge, it’s clear. It’s just when you go just north of that, you hit the severe weather conditions.The man, whose identity is being without until police can notify his next of kin, was alone in the vehicle at the time. No one else was injured.More of those same conditions and zero visibility has closed down Fort Erie-bound Queen Elizabeth Way at Netherby Rd. in Niagara Falls where the weather has knocked out power in part of the region, McCuaig said.We have to be sure to be careful out there today that’s the main thought.

Yesterday, winter weather may have claimed its first victim of the season in the province when a 27-year-old woman was killed in a head-on collision south of London.Langton resident Jaclyn Szalkai was driving south on Concession Rd. 2 in Norfolk County, near the north shores of Lake Erie, when the collision occurred just after 2 p.m.

Szalkai lost control of her van, crossed the centre line and collided head-on with a Dodge pick-up truck driven by a 22-year-old Langton man, OPP said.A snow (or) slush covered road is being considered a contributing factor in this collision,OPP said.Szalkai was pronounced dead at nearby Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital. The driver of the other vehicle sustained non life-threatening injuries and has been released from hospital, police said.With files from Tamara Cherry

350,000 without power in Buffalo area

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Up to 60 centimetres of snow from an extraordinary fall storm closed roads, cut power to some 350,000 customers and left this city paralyzed as officials banned driving in the region today.

The snow, delivered in a fury of thunder and lightning, blanketed Buffalo and surrounding areas last night and early today. A 168-kilometre stretch of the New York State Thruway from Exit 46 at Rochester to Exit 59 at Dunkirk, southwest of Buffalo, was closed this morning because of heavy lake-effect snow. Food and water was being delivered by snowmobile to stranded motorists on the highway. Normally busy downtown streets were empty as residents tried to push their cars from snowbanks and shovel out the wet, heavy snow.

Trees and hedges that had yet to lose their leaves crumpled into heartbreaking heaps. Unharvested apples and pumpkins were buried and schoolchildren who began the week with the Columbus Day holiday ended it with a snow day.The season’s first snowfall in western New York left more than 350,000 customers without electricity. Gov. George Pataki was expected to declare a state of emergency for the four hard-hit counties. As of 8:30 a.m. today, 45 to 60 centimetres of snow had fallen in the general Buffalo area, said Tom Paone, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The snowfall had moved north over Niagara Falls and at least for the immediate Buffalo area, the worst is over. Yesterday, 21 centimetres of heavy snowfall set the record for the snowiest October day in Buffalo in the 137-year history of the weather service. The record lasted for all of one day as 30 centimetres of snow fell early today. The previous record of 6 inches was set Oct. 31, 1917.

Tom Niziol, also a meteorologist with the weather service, said the northern half of Erie County and southern Niagara and Orleans Counties were among the hardest hit areas.The Buffalo Police Department received more than 3,000 calls late yesterday and about two-thirds were related to the weather, Lt. James Watkins said. Unnecessary driving was banned in Buffalo, its largest suburb, Amherst, as well as the suburbs of Blasdell, Orchard Park and Hamburg. Thruway spokeswoman Sarah Kampf said she did not know when the highway would be cleared. She also did not know how many motorists were stranded on the Thruway. We have a condition where 80 percent of the roads are impassable,said Lt. Stephen McGonagle of the Amherst Police Department.

Dozens of schools were closed and states of emergency were declared in the City of Tonawanda, and towns of Cheektowaga, Elma, Lancaster, Akron and Depew.The airport closed for less than two hours late yesterday and then closed again during the night. Crews were working to clear runways this morning and flights were expected to resume at noon, an airport official said.
Associated Press

The Weather Channel (Record Low Temperatures)
29 minutes ago


A rare early October snowstorm left parts of the Great Lakes and Midwest blanketed with 2 feet of snow Friday, October 13. The system brought snow, high winds and gusts, and cold temperatures to the region beginning on Wednesday, October 11. By Friday, many cities saw snow records broken.

Buffalo -- Most snow for October; earliest lake-effect snow warning
Detroit -- Earliest measurable snow, breaking a 98-year record.
Chicago -- Earliest measurable snow
Flint, Mi. -- Earliest measurable snow
Grand Rapids, Mi. -- Most snow so early in the season
Some low temperature records also were broken. Friday, October 13:
Greenville, Miss. -- 35 degrees
Topeka, Kan. -- 26 degrees
Glasgow, Mont. -- 18 degrees
Vichy-Rolla, Mo. -- 26 degrees
St. Joseph, Mo. -- 24 degrees
Jackson, Kent. -- 29 degrees

Thursday, October 12:
Antigo, Wisc. -- 19 degrees
Rhinelander, Wisc. -- 20 degrees
Marshfield, Wisc. -- 21 degrees
Wausau, Wisc. -- 23 degrees
Chadron, Neb. -- 20 degrees (tie)
Rapid City, S.D. -- 18 degrees (tie)
Jackson, Kent. -- 31 degrees
Beckley, W.V. -- 27 degrees
Jackson, Tenn. -- 33 degrees
Crossville, Tenn. -- 31 degrees
Miles City, Mont. -- 19 degrees

The early snow and cold even prompted Major League Baseball to move the third game of the American League Champsionship Series between the Detroit Tigers and Oakland A's from night start to afternoon start.

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 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 have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

JOEL 2:20,30-31
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.

Iranian Minister Calls for Improved Ties with PA
16:30 Oct 12, '06 / 20 Tishrei 5767


(IsraelNN.com) Iranian Interior Minister Mustafa Pur-Mahmadi said his country must officially strengthen its ties with the PA (Palestinian Authority). In a Tehran news conference with PA Interior Minister Sa'id Si'am, Mahmadi stated, Iran sees providing assistance to the PA in a number of spheres as its role, and there is a large aspiration to support the Palestinian nation and its freedom.

Rescued Torah Scrolls to Star in Jerusalem Holiday Celebrations
By Hillel Fendel(INN)


Torah scrolls rescued from Ethiopia will be featured in Jerusalem celebrations this weekend and one of them will then be returned to the dwindling Yemenite community in Ethiopia. The Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law) holiday begins Friday evening, and features particularly festive prayer services including dancing, singing and rejoicing in the study of the Torah. On Saturday night, traditional Hakafot Shniyot will be held continuing the celebration of the Torah, as if to say, We don't want to end the spiritual highs of the holiday season just yet. Jews outside of Israel celebrate Simchat Torah as a full-fledged holiday on Saturday night and Sunday as well.Hakafot Shniyot will be commemorated in cities and towns all over Israel. In Jerusalem, celebrants will dance with two Torah scrolls that were brought to Israel on Thursday in a daring Jewish Agency mission.

The fascinating story of the scrolls came to a head earlier this week, when the Jewish Agency received a call for help from NACOEJ, the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry.

The Torahs had been housed in the city of Gundar, in a compound that served in the past as an Aliyah center. The center was ultimately closed, with NACOEJ prevented from accessing it, and on Tuesday night of this week it came officially under the auspices of other groups including a Jews for Jesus organization. Various legal entanglements necessitated the removal of the Torah scrolls before midnight, or else have them possibly lost forever. With the help of the police in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, the Jewish Agency managed to extricate them just four hours before the deadline.

Permanent residence for one of the Torah scrolls will be in an Ethiopian synagogue damaged by Katyusha missiles during the summer war, in a Jewish Agency absorption center in Kiryat Yam. The Torah was originally donated by an American philanthropist.
The other Torah scroll will actually be returned to Addis Ababa after the holiday, to the tiny Yemenite Jewish Community there that originally loaned it to the Addis Ababa compound synagogue 100 years ago. The Yemenite Jews in Ethiopia hailed from Aden, and were a community of merchants that traveled with their Torah scroll from place to place, finally ending up in Addis Ababa early in the 20th century. The community currently numbers only five families, and when Taleb Kanzan, its head, heard with great emotion that the scroll was in Israel, he asked that it be returned only after the Simchat Torah holiday. We have other Torah scrolls, he said, and it will be a great privilege for us to use a Torah that was used for Hakafot in Jerusalem.

Jewish Agency Chairman Ze'ev Bielski noted that the rescue of two Torah scrolls on the eve of Simchat Torah symbolizes the Biblical verse, The Torah will come forth from Zion, which is widely recited and sung on this holiday.In other holiday news, hundreds of Chabad-Lubavitch families will be guests in Hevron, the City of the Patriarchs, this holiday weekend. Lubavitch families from all over Israel will spend the Simchat Torah, beginning Friday evening, in Hevron. They will lodge in the Jewish Community's guest house, and will commemorate the traditional Hakafot (dancing around, and with, the Torah scrolls) in the Machpelah Cave. Their presence will give strength to the beleaguered but strong community, residents say.Thousands more people will arrive in Hevron on Saturday night for the Hakafot Shniyot.

UN poised for sanctions on North Korea
Financial Times ,By Mark Turner at the United Nations
Updated: 12 minutes ago


The UN Security Council was on Friday night on the brink of agreeing to sanctions on North Korea after its claim of a nuclear test last Monday, with both the US and China giving some ground ahead of a vote scheduledfor Saturday.The North Koreans tested on October 9, [and] I expect a vote by the 14th, said John Bolton, US ambassador to the UN. That is a sign of the determination of the Council to move quickly. There may be some additional changes to the text, but we do have unanimous agreement we will follow that schedule.A new draft was based on the UN's tough Chapter 7 enforcement provisions, but specified that the measures taken would not involve military force. That decision was meant to allay Chinese and Russian concerns that broader Chapter 7 powers could be later invoked to justify an armed response.The draft also calls on all countries to take co-operative action to prevent the traffic of nuclear, chemical and biological weapon materials, including through inspection of cargo to and from the DPRK [North Korea], asnecessary.

Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, is to visit Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing next week. Chris Hill, assistant secretary of state and chief negotiator at the stalled talks with North Korea, told reporters that Ms Rice's aim was to ensure the UN resolution had teeth and will function properly.The sanctions in the resolution, plus additional measures, would be painful and costly to North Korea, Mr Hill said, describing the regime as a terrible scar on the [Korean] peninsula.The emphasis on co-operation was designed to meet Chinese and Russian concerns that interdictions at sea could spark confrontation. The resolution specifically gives states the right and, indeed, the obligation to help in inspections that's a substantial step forward,said Mr Bolton. He saw the move as a codification of the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative.

I expect most inspections would take place in port. That is the most desirable, he said. But there are circumstances in which ships could be boarded at sea.Land and air cargo would also be subject to inspection.China, however, said it could not support PSI.

Wang Guangya, China's UN ambassador, said of PSI, Politically, China will not do it. I believe that the exercises under PSI will easily lead, whether it is intentional or not, to escalations of provocations.Other measures include a ban on conventional heavy weapons such as battle tanks, large calibre artillery, combat aircraft and missile systems, as well as an embargo on luxury goods.

The resolution obliges countries to freeze funds that could be used to develop North Korean missiles and weapons of mass destruction, and imposes a travel ban on individuals to be designated by a Security Council committee.Alexander Alexeyev, the Russian deputy foreign minister, discussed with North Korea a return to six-party talks. At the basis of the consultations which took place was a desire to find a way out of the existing crisis situation, he was quoted as saying in Pyongyang.Vitaly Churkin, Russia's UN ambassador, said of the Security Council negotiations: I think we are on the right track. We are not there yet. He added that he was somewhat disappointed and upset by the stereotyping of Russia as an obstructive force in the talks.

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

New $100 mln fund to fight killer diseases in Myanmar
13 Oct 2006 11:28:09 GMT,Source: Reuters, By Aung Hla Tun


YANGON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - A new $100 million fund to fight three killer diseases in army-ruled Myanmar should be operational early next year under the supervision of a U.N.-appointed manager, a senior U.N. official said on Friday.The 3-Diseases Fund is a five-year programme that aims to plug the gap left by the abrupt departure of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria last year, citing restrictions on their activities.Health Minister Kyaw Myint signed an agreement with the United Nations Office for Project Services on Thursday that paves the way for the appointment of a U.N. project manager and setting up of an office to manage the fund.

The Global Fund basically finished in August and the sense is that the 3D Fund will probably become operational early next year, Charles Petrie, U.N. country coordinator for Myanmar, told Reuters.He said bridge funding was in place to keep programmes running until the new fund began operation.Myanmar's 55 million people suffer some of the highest rates of malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis in Asia, overwhelming the crumbling health care system.Ruled by the military since 1962, Yangon receives far less Western foreign aid than its regional neighbours due to its poor human rights record and suppression of political opponents.

SAME CURBS

Pro-democracy activists have questioned whether the new fund can work effectively under the same restrictions that forced the Global Fund to withdraw.The junta announced new rules on foreign aid in February, including travel permits and official escorts for field trips and tighter rules on transporting supplies and materials.Funds must be deposited in a state-run bank and withdrawn in dollar-denominated foreign exchange certificates (FECs), raising the potential for abuse, activists say.Petrie said guidelines for the 3D Fund were still being worked out.The government has assured us that this is a programme to which they attach high importance.

Clearly, if in the future there are problems, one should expect a reaction from the donors,he said.The new fund backed by Australia, Britain and other European governments is expected to work with U.N. agencies, international NGOs, charities and local health authorities.Aid workers have said projects backed by the fund could include promoting condom use to prevent HIV infection, expanded TB testing and drug treatments.Malaria is the biggest killer of children under five in Myanmar, formerly Burma, claiming 3,000 lives each year and drug-resistant strains are spreading beyond Myanmar's borders.Tuberculosis causes more than 12,000 deaths a year but more worrying is the rapid growth of drug-resistant TB blamed on poor medical services
and sub-standard drugs.

An estimated 360,000 people are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and despite expanded prevention and care in recent years, UNAIDS says much more needs to be done. AlertNet news

Dr Samuel Doctorian from the Angel.

SECOND ANGEL:


Then I saw that the second angel had a sickle in his hand, such as is used in harvesting. The second angel said, Harvest time has come in Israel and the countries all the way to Iran. I saw those countries in a few split seconds. All of Turkey and those [inaudible;] countries that have refused me and refused my message of love shall hate each other and kill one another. I saw the angel raise the sickle and come down on all the Middle East countries.

I saw Iran, Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, all of Georgia - Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, all of Asia Minor - full of blood. I saw blood all over these countries. And I saw fire; Nuclear weapons used in many of those countries. Smoke rising from everywhere. Sudden destruction - men destroying one another.

I heard these words, Israel, Oh Israel, the great judgment has come.The angel said, The chosen, the church, the remnant, shall be purified. The Spirit of God shall prepare the children of God. I saw fires rising to heaven. The angel said, This is the final judgment.

My church shall be purified, protected and ready for the final day. Men will die from thirst. Water shall be scarce all over the Middle East. Rivers shall dry up, and men will fight for water in those countries.The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.

Well Ban might be named new President of the Lukewarm UN, but for how long till it folds.


Ban Named Next U.N. Secretary-General
By EDITH M. LEDERER,The Associated Press
Friday, October 13, 2006; 4:39 PM


UNITED NATIONS The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Friday appointing South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to succeed Kofi Annan as the next U.N. secretary-general.

Ban, 62, will become the eighth secretary-general in the U.N.'s 60-year history on Jan. 1 when Annan's second five-year term expires. He was one of seven candidates vying to be the U.N. chief and topped all four informal polls in the U.N. Security Council.Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary-General shakes hand with Ban Ki-moon, Foreign Minister of South Korea at the U.N. headquarters in New York, Wednesday, October 11, 2006. Ban Ki-moon is the favorite for next Secretary-General. (AP Photo/Osamu Honda) (Osamu Honda - AP)

Hundreds of diplomats and U.N. staff in the chamber broke into loud applause when assembly president Sheikha Haya

She then banged the gavel and said, It is so decided.Ban will oversee an organization with 92,000 peacekeepers around the world and a $5 billion annual budget. The U.N.'s reputation has been tarnished by corruption scandals and its outdated practices need reform to meet the challenges of the 21st century.Annan hailed Ban as a future secretary-general who is exceptionally attuned to the sensitivities of countries and constituencies in every continent and said he would be a man with a truly global mind at the helm of the world's only universal organization.

Annan recalled that the first U.N. secretary-general, Trygvie Lie, told his successor, Dag Hammarskjold, You are about to take over the most impossible job on Earth.While that may be true, Annan said, I would say: This is also the best possible job on Earth.

He said he had only one piece of advice for his successor when he takes over try to make full use of the unparalleled resource you will find in the staff of the organization. Their commitment is the U.N.'s greatest asset.U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Ban is the right person to lead the United Nations at this decisive movement in its history, particularly as the U.N. struggles to fulfill the terms
of the reform agenda that world leaders agreed to last fall.

The Staff Union, representing over 5,000 staff at U.N. headquarters, welcomed Ban's appointment, saying in a statement it provides a fresh start for the organization.The union, which has had rocky relations with Annan, said it looked forward to working closely with Ban and his management team on U.N. reform.By tradition, the post of secretary-general rotates among the regions of the world
and most countries agreed that this time it was Asia's turn. The last Asian secretary-general was Burma's U Thant, who served from 1961-71.Ban has been South Korea's foreign minister for more than 2 1/2 years and served as national security adviser to two presidents jobs that focused on relations with North Korea which he has said will be a top priority in his new job. During a nearly 40-year diplomatic career, he was posted in India, Austria, Washington and at the United Nations.

ALLTIME