1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Earthquake hits southern Portugal. 3-Snow isn't over til it's over. 4-Mozambique floods displace 68,000, more at risk. 5-Tentative N.Korea nuclear accord reached. 6-Jerusalem mayor tries to calm Muslim ire. 7-This Week with Rabbi Eckstein. 8-High Court Deliberates Fate of 43 Families in Heart of Israel. 9-New Study on Geographical Development of Oral Law. 10-Olmert says Israel may lose Golan Heights.
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.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Tue Feb 13 12:28 AM EDT
FEB 12,2007
MAP 2.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.3 KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 2.8 OKLAHOMA CITY URBAN AREA, OKLAHOMA
MAP 2.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 3.3 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 5.9 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 6.0 AZORES-CAPE ST. VINCENT RIDGE
MAP 2.8 HAWAII REGION, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 UNIMAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 4.6 EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
MAP 5.0 NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 NORTHEAST OF TAIWAN
MAP 5.7 NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAP 2.7 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
FEB 11,07
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.5 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 3.2 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 4.5 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.7 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.7 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 5.1 ISLAS MARIAS REGION, NAYARIT, MEXICO
MAP 4.4 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 4.9 PAKISTAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Earthquake hits southern Portugal Mon Feb 12, 6:36 AM ET
LISBON (AFP) - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck off the southern coast of Portuga, official seismic observers said. No casualties or major damage to buildings were recorded in the aftermath of the tremor, which occurred at 10:36 am (1036 GMT) Monday some 160 kilometres (100 miles) east the Cape Saint Vincent in Portugal's southernmost province of Algarve.
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.
Snow isn't over til it's over By WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
REDFIELD, N.Y. - The snow squalls that have buried Redfield and its neighbors up to their stop signs finally tapered off Monday, but forecasters warned that another storm system was on the way. Unofficially, the past week of lake-effect storms dumped 12 feet, 2 inches of snow at Redfield.If that number checks out, it would break the state record of 10 feet, 7 inches of snow that fell in nearby Montague over seven days ending Jan. 1, 2002, said Steve McLaughlin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Buffalo. A weather service representative was sent to Redfield on Monday to verify the total.Residents of this hardy upstate New York village seem unfazed by the weather, and a bit surprised by all the attention. Their economy thrives on snowmobilers and cross-country skiers, and they usually average 270 inches of snow for the season — more than 22 feet.It's snow. We get a lot of it. So what? said Allan Babcock, owner of Shar's Country Diner in this Oswego County village of 650 people.
The nearby community of Parish had recorded 115 inches of snow by early Sunday. Mexico had 103 inches, North Osceola had 99 and Scriba 94. The city of Oswego had 85 inches.A cold front finally stifled the lake-effect snow squalls created by persistent wind picking up moisture from Lake Ontario to the west.However, McLaughlin noted that a coastal winter storm expected to plow along the East Coast during the middle of the week could bring another 6 to 12 inches to parts of upstate New York.
A winter storm watch was in effect through late Wednesday for Oswego County and other areas from Virginia to Maine, the weather service said Monday.Oswego County roads had been mostly cleared as workers turned their attention to removing the snow and trimming down 10- and 12-foot-high snow banks that made driving dangerous.In all my life, I mean my entire life combined, I've never seen this much snow at once, said Jim Bevridge, 47, of Timmonium, Md., who drove up for a long weekend of snowmobiling.
Mozambique floods displace 68,000, more at risk By Charles Mangwiro
Mon Feb 12, 5:34 AM ET
CAIA, Mozambique (Reuters) - Floods in Mozambique have left 68,000 people homeless and 280,000 more may be forced to evacuate this week as torrential rains lash the impoverished country, a top official said on Monday. The head of Mozambique's national relief agency INGC told Reuters around 27,000 people had been moved to accommodation centers from areas along the Zambezi river and around 41,000 more had no shelter after their homes were submerged.Paulo Zucula said 280,000 people -- mostly poor rural folk who live in tiny mud huts and survive by growing vegetables and rearing goats and chickens -- would probably be forced from their homes this week as more rains swept the southern African country.Experts fear the crisis could surpass the devastating floods of 2000 and 2001, which killed 700 people, displaced half a million and wrecked infrastructure.We expect more water than we had in 2001. ... The situation is deteriorating and it will get worse but this time we are better prepared than in 2001, Zucula said in an interview in Caia, one of the worst hit areas, some 1,400 kilometres (875 miles) north of the capital Maputo.
The floods, sparked when rains from neighboring Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi poured into the overflowing Cahora Bassa Dam, have killed 29 people and damaged thousands of homes and schools, mainly in the central Zambezia and Sofala provinces.Many face homelessness for the second time after the floods six years ago wrecked their homes. Even in accommodation centers, food, water and medicine are scarce and shelter limited.In Chapunga, in Sofala, around 600 people flocked to an accommodation center but tents are scarce and many are sleeping in the open.I lost everything, I brought my wife and my two sick children and we are sleeping in the open, there are no tents and there is no food here, said 45-year-old Joaquim Dausse.This is the second time I'm facing this flooding... I can't believe it, said Dausse, hunched beside a sick child whose bloated tummy hinted at malnutrition.
Tentative N.Korea nuclear accord reached By BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
BEIJING - International negotiators reached a tentative agreement on initial steps toward North Korea's nuclear disarmament, the first concrete progress after more than three years of talks, the U.S. envoy said early Tuesday. The draft agreement, worked out at the latest round of six-nation talks on the North's nuclear program, contained commitments on disarmament and energy assistance along with initial actions to be taken by certain deadlines, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said. He said working groups will be set up, hopefully in a month, laying out a framework for dealing with regional tensions.
Hill declined to give further details of the draft.
The agreement could herald the first step toward disarmament since the talks began in 2003; the rounds have been marked by repeated delays and deadlock.
The process reached its lowest point in October when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test explosion, alarming the world and triggering U.N. sanctions.Hill said the draft agreement still must be reviewed by the home governments of the six countries at the talks, but he was upbeat about it. He said he was in constant communication with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.We feel it's an excellent draft, I don't think we're the problem, he said.North Korea did not immediately make any public comment, but South Korea's envoy Chun Yung-woo said he believed the proposal would be acceptable to Pyongyang.Chun said the five other countries agreed to evenly share the energy aid outlined under the deal.However, Japan was more noncommittal. Its envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, said it was too early to tell whether Tokyo was satisfied.
Hill said the parties to the talks will meet again later Tuesday.
The last major agreement on the issue was in September 2005 when North Korea was promised energy aid and security guarantees in exchange for a pledge to abandon its nuclear programs. But since then, talks on implementing that agreement snarled on other issues and the plan went nowhere.Hill has repeatedly said he hoped a resolution would help improve stability in a region filled with bitter historical disputes. The two Koreas remain technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a cease-fire that has never been replaced by a peace treaty.
We're trying to do more than just do denuclearization for energy, Hill said. We're trying to address some of the underlying problems.Though he did not provide specifics, North Korea has demanded improved relations with the United States. Japan and North Korea remain fiercely antagonistic in part because of North Korea's acknowledged but unresolved abductions of Japanese citizens.In the last couple of days, the talks had appeared to be on the verge of foundering and envoys made clear that their frustration level was rising while their patience was growing thin. The current round was to conclude on Monday but as they progressed toward a deal, negotiators extended it late into the night and into the early hours of Tuesday.
The current talks began Thursday on a promising note after the United States and North Korea held an unusual meeting last month in Germany and signaled a willingness to compromise.
But negotiations quickly became mired on the issue of how much energy aid the impoverished and isolated communist country would get as an inducement for initial steps toward disarmament.It's always 3 yards, 3 yards, 3 yards, and it's always fourth and one. Then you make a first down and do 3 more yards, Hill said early Tuesday, using a football metaphor. It's painful.During the days of arduous negotiations, he said everybody has had to make some changes to narrow the differences.Some delegates at the talks — which also include China, Russia and South Korea — had called North Korea's demands for energy excessive. South Korean and Japanese media reports gave varying accounts of how much energy North Korea was demanding, including up to 2 million kilowatts of electricity or 2 million tons of
heavy fuel oil.
Chinese envoy Wu Dawei told a visiting Japanese lawmaker that North Korea had agreed to shut down its main nuclear reactor and submit a list of its atomic facilities. But the size of the energy aid Pyongyang would get in return was still undecided, the lawmaker, Fukushiro Nukaga, told reporters Monday. Under a 1994 U.S.-North Korea disarmament agreement, the North was to receive 500,000 tons of fuel oil a year before construction was completed of two nuclear reactors that would be able to generate 2 million kilowatts of electricity. That deal fell apart in late 2002 when the U.S. accused the North of conducting a secret uranium enrichment program, sparking the latest nuclear crisis.
Associated Press reporters Jae-soon Chang, Charles Hutzler, Alexa Olesen and Hiroko Tabuchi contributed to this report.
Jerusalem mayor tries to calm Muslim ire By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer FEB 12,07
JERUSALEM - Hoping to quell days of Muslim protests, Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Jewish mayor on Monday ordered a review of construction outside a holy site at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a spokesman said. However, the move — meant to prove Israel will not damage Muslim shrines — will not affect preparatory excavations that began last week and have infuriated people across the Muslim world.The dispute centers on a new walkway Israel is building to the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The walkway is meant to replace an earthen ramp that partially collapsed in a snowstorm three years ago.Israeli archaeologists began an exploratory dig in the area last week to ensure no historical remains are destroyed during the construction. That work sparked fierce protests from Muslims, who accused Israel of plotting to damage the golden-capped Dome of the Rock shrine and the Al Aqsa Mosque in the same compound.
Israel denies the charge, noting the work is about 60 yards from the compound.
Small clashes persisted Monday, with incidents in which Palestinians threw stones at Israeli police in the city's Arab neighborhoods.
In an effort to defuse the tensions, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, who has direct responsibility for the work, decided the construction plan should be sent for a new review that will allow for public objections, spokesman Gidi Schmerling said.The mayor made the decision after meeting Muslim leaders so that the process will be transparent, and so that it will be entirely clear that there is no attempt to harm any Muslim holy sites, the spokesman added.City Hall expects thousands of objections, he said.
Lupolianski's move came despite the Israeli Cabinet's vote Sunday to push ahead with the work.The mayor's decision would likely delay the actual construction, which was scheduled to begin in six months. But it would not stop the current excavations, and Muslim leaders rejected it as insufficient.The problem is the digging, which hasn't stopped, and unfortunately the Israeli government has decided to continue the digging, Mohammed Hussein, Jerusalem's mufti, or Muslim religious leader, told The Associated Press.Israeli hard-liners also criticized Lupolianski, saying he caved in to Arab pressure.Lawmaker Arieh Eldad called it a disgraceful surrender to the threats from the Arabs of Israel and the Arabs and Muslims of the neighboring countries that if we behave as a nation behaves in its capital, they will ignite the Middle East.Speaking to Israel Radio, he said the fight over the walkway is really a fight over the sovereignty of Jerusalem.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, where the disputed hilltop and other religious sites are located, in the 1967 Mideast war and considers the entire city its undivided capital. The Palestinians hope to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future independent state.Yona Metzger, one of Israel's chief rabbis, visited the construction site Monday, calling on the government to continue work and terming
allegations that Muslim holy places could be harmed nonsense. Metzger also called for calm.We don't want any problems here. This is a holy place for us as well, he said. The compound is the holiest site in Judaism, revered as the home of the biblical Temples. It is Islam's third-holiest shrine. The compound has been a catalyst for earlier rounds of Israel-Palestinian fighting. The new construction
sparked several days of Palestinian protests, and Muslim nations also condemned the work. On Monday, police charged Muslim leader Raed Salah with attacking police officers during a demonstration last week against the construction, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, has been the leading critic of the repair work. After Salah scuffled with police outside the shrine last Wednesday, authorities briefly detained him for questioning and issued a 10-day restraining order barring him from Jerusalem's Old City. Police wanted the courts to extend the restraining order a further 60 days, Rosenfeld said.
This Week with Rabbi Eckstein February 12, 2007
Dear Friend of The Fellowship,
Anyone who cares about Israel wants to know if her Arab and Muslim neighbors will ever recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist and whether or not there will come a time when Israel's people will be allowed to live in peace.Given the news coming out of the Middle East in recent months, it is hard to be optimistic about the prospects for peace. The three volatile situations I describe below which most Israeli leaders agree pose the greatest challenge and danger to Israel's future will help you understand why I believe 2007 will be a watershed year for both Israel and America.
Middle East Update
Iran is the greatest threat facing Israel—and the world—today. This Muslim fundamentalist state provides weapons and money to terrorists throughout the Middle East, including Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and groups murdering civilians and attacking American soldiers in Iraq. The Iranian president has not backed away one inch from his hateful anti-Israel, anti-Western rhetoric, and continues his country's aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons, in defiance of the international community. Iran backs Hezbollah, Hamas, Fatah.
Ahmadinejad in his own words
Despite ban, Iran's nuclear program moves forward.In Lebanon, Hezbollah is struggling to attain more power, leading supporters in violent protests against the government and clashing with rival Sunni Muslims. United Nations' forces charged with enforcing the ceasefire that ended last summer's Hezbollah-Israel war have stood by as Hezbollah rearms and develops more lethal fighting capabilities. While a Hezbollah takeover in Lebanon would be a disaster for Israel, and would almost
certainly mean war on a large scale, maintaining the status quo is not a recipe for peace either: in a recent appeal for an end to sectarian strife in his country, the Lebanese Prime Minister reminded warring factions that they must save their energy for fighting the real enemy—meaning Israel. U.N.:
We can't stop Hezbollah
Scores of Palestinians—including children and other innocent bystanders—have been killed, and hundreds more injured, in Gaza during the past few months of bitter fighting between rivals Fatah and Hamas. The likelihood that a true Palestinian partner for peace will emerge from the bloody battle is slim to none. Several ceasefires between Fatah and Hamas have been broken, and fighting has begun to spread to the West Bank. Meanwhile, rockets fired from Gaza by Palestinian terrorists continue to fall on Israeli cities such as Sderot, and suicide bombers—like the one that murdered 3 Israelis last week in the southern city of Eilat—continue to enter Israel from the region. U.S. officials on front lines of rocket attack.There are few good options for addressing these threats. With none of her Arab and Muslim neighbors interested in making peace, Israel will be forced for the foreseeable future to maintain and even increase spending on defense, even though it is likely to come at the additional expense of social programs that benefit Israel's poor and needy.
Last month, I challenged all of us to become better informed advocates for Israel. As the year takes shape, it is clear that rising to that challenge is of critical importance. Please take some time today to explore these issues in greater depth by reading some of the articles linked above—and then spread the word by forwarding this message to a friend. Now, more than ever, Israel needs friends like you who understand the nature of the threats facing her—and who will continually uphold Israel through their prayers, gifts, and advocacy.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President Fellowship of Christians and Jews
High Court Deliberates Fate of 43 Families in Heart of Israel
By Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 12,07
The fate of the thriving community of Migron, just north of Jerusalem, is to be determined today by the Supreme Court. Residents fear that its fate will be like that of Amona. Peace Now, the radical organization working tirelessly to destroy the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria [Yesha], has petitioned Defense Minister Amir Peretz to order the expulsion of all 43 Jewish families living in Migron. Peace Now claims that most of land on which Migron was built belongs to Arabs. Migron residents say that Peace Now worked hard to find the Arabs in question and convinced them to file the suit against the Jewish town.
One resident, Aviva W., told Arutz-7, When we arrived here, it was clear that the land had no claimants and no one working on it... We are a continuation of the Zionist enterprise and the Zionist dream - just like all the pioneers who came to the Land of Israel over the centuries, starting with the students of the Gaon of Vilna [early 19th century], and later the First Aliyah [1882-1903], and the Second Aliyah [1904 - 1914], etc. - there is no difference. If anything, we are more in the heart of the Land of Israel than Tel Aviv is.
The only difference is political - an arbitrary difference made based on what is convenient for different politicians at different times - but we are doing the same thing that Land of Israel pioneers have done for generations.The residents fear that the Supreme Court will issue a restraining order, meaning that the town will have to be dismantled - but not immediately. We are praying that this will not happen, of course, Aviva said, but if so, it should be clear to all that this is exactly what happened at Amona, and we will be in grave danger of literally being thrown out of our homes and losing yet another Jewish town. The Supreme Court, after all, rules this country...It was exactly a year ago this month that hundreds of people - mostly youths protesting the abandonment of the Land of Israel - were injured while protesting the Supreme Court-ordered destruction of nine houses in Amona, just ten kilometers north of Migron. In that incident, as well, Peace Now had petitioned the government to destroy the homes, claiming that they were built on privately-owned, never-worked land.Today's Supreme Court session takes place in the shadow of Defense Minister Amir Peretz's threat to his boss, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, to turn to the Attorney General if Olmert does not begin acting to remove unauthorized Jewish outposts throughout Judea and Samaria. Peretz did not include illegal Arab construction in his ultimatum. Peretz has been accused of using the outposts to promote his political standing within the Labor Party. Just yesterday, at the weekly Cabinet meeting, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Peretz should stop acting as if he is running in party primaries and should start acting more like a Defense Minister.
The judges in the case are Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch, Ayala Procaccia - neither of whom are known to greatly sympathize the Jewish enterprise in Yesha - and Edmond Levy. In June 2005, Levy was the only justice on an 11-judge panel to vote that the Disengagement plan should be struck down.Migron (mentioned in Samuel I 14,2 and Isaiah 10, 28) is located on a strategically important hill crest, overlooking the highway leading to Beit El, Ofrah, Shilo and the northern Shomron. It is located between Kokhav Yaakov, Psagot and Michmash, about a 12-minute drive north of Jerusalem.Founded in March 2002, Migron grew quickly, reaching 42 families after only a year and a half - at which point the government abruptly clamped down on further growth. Over 200 people, including well over 100 children, now live there. The synagogue and two homes are in permanent structures, while most of the residents live in caravans (mobile homes without wheels). Six government ministries, the Civil Administration, the Electric Company, Mekorot Water Company and other official bodies have all taken part in establishing infrastructures for the community.
New Study on Geographical Development of Oral Law
By Hillel Fendel (INN) FEB 12,07
Much of European Jewry assimilated or became Christian following the Second Temple's fall - largely because of their isolation from the Rabbinic world of the Land of Israel and Babylon. A new study by two Israeli historians finds that the western and eastern Diasporas were greatly divided in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple and the exile of the Jews, in the year 68 C.E.The lack of a translation of the Mishnah - the Oral Law - into Greek or other European languages was a major contributing factor to a serious gap between the western Jewish Diaspora and the eastern one. The laws of the Five Books of Moses, which had been translated into Greek, continued to be largely observed, until Christian missionary work succeeded in winning over much of the Jewish population there.The study was published in the January 2007 edition of the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, by Aryeh Edrei of Tel Aviv University and Doron Mendels of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Mendels is also the author of a work entitled The Media Revolution of Early Christianity. In it, he shows how early Christians worked like modern journalists, selecting, shaping, and presenting stories for popular consumption in order to promote their religion.
The best example, Mendels writes, is that of 4th-century Eusebius, the author of a monumental work entitled Ecclesiastical History, which he used as a publicity tool to further the cause of early Christianity. Such works found fertile ground among Jews in Europe, Mendels and Edrei claim, in that no Oral Torah developed there - as opposed to in the East. Hence it is not surprising that western Jews contributed nothing to the development of the oral law, the authors posit. The Oral Law developed greatly after the exile, with the Mishna and Gmara finally becoming two monumental written works - the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud - in the middle centuries of the first millennium of the Common Era. The preceding centuries, however, were critical, Mendels and Edrei write, in that they were not written and were not taught to the Jews of the West who did not speak Hebrew or Aramaic.
The researchers add that the divide between the two Jewish populations was also furthered by the fact that Eastern rabbis did not often visit the West. Though the Talmud often recounts rabbis traveling between the Holy Land and Babylon to the east, travel to the west is rarely mentioned in this connection.The publicized summaries of the research by Mendels and Edrei did not specify the size of the Jewish population in Europe in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple.
Olmert says Israel may lose Golan Heights
Feb. 12, 2007 at 2:33PM Upi
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that Israel would have to give up the Golan Heights if peace will ever be achieved with Syria.
The northern region was seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. Olmert told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee because of what three of his predecessors had done in negotiations, the Golan Heights would have to be forfeited, Haaretz reported. That sparked an angry exchange between Olmert and one of his predecessors, Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party, who said he had never agreed to returning the Golan Heights.Recently, Syrian President Bashar Assad has been making diplomatic peace overtures to Israel, but Olmert told the committee he didn't feel negotiations would lead anywhere. Syria is interested in the industry of peace, rather than real peace, Olmert said.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
NO RECOGNITION YET
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Quake rattles India's Andaman islands. 3-N.Y. lake effect snow hits 9.5-feet deep. 4-New storm lurks for Plains, Midwest, South. 5-Nearly 60,000 evacuated in Mozambique floods in past week. 6-P.E.I. struck by first flu outbreak in 2 years. 7-Iran marks anniversary with uranium vow. 8-Desire for revenge still strong in Gaza. 9-Failure to solve EU constitutional issue hurts credibility. 10-New PA Government Will Not Recognize Israel.
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.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Mon Feb 12 12:27 AM EDT
FEB 11,07
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.5 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 3.2 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 4.5 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.7 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.7 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 5.1 ISLAS MARIAS REGION, NAYARIT, MEXICO
MAP 4.4 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 4.9 PAKISTAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
FEB 10,07
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.7 CENTRAL EAST PACIFIC RISE
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 5.0 CHUBUT, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.5 GUAM REGION
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
Quake rattles India's Andaman islands FEB 11,07
PORT BLAIR, India (AFP) - A strong 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck off India's Andaman islands, triggering panic on some islands of a repeat of the 2004 tsunami, officials and witnesses said. The earthquake occurred at 4:17 pm (1047 GMT), some 625 kilometres (387 miles) southeast of the local capital Port Blair, according to the police control room here.There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties following the quake, it said.Residents of the archipelago's southernmost Campbell Bay island cluster, wrecked by the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, left home and sought higher ground, local officials reached by telephone said.The shocks weren't that much but the fears of 2004 are still fresh, said Bay resident Shashi Singh.Official in the Andamans said the quake, the second in as many months, had not sparked a tsunami alert.The Andaman and Nicobar chain of 536 islands, 58 of them inhabited, was hit hard by the earthquake-triggered tsunami two years ago, with hundreds dead and more than 3,000 still officially listed as missing.
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.
N.Y. lake effect snow hits 9.5-feet deep By JOHN KEKIS, Associated Press Writer FEB 11,07
PARISH, N.Y. - The snow got even deeper Sunday but the end was in sight after a weeklong series of squalls that have buried towns on one corner of Lake Ontario. By early Sunday, the persistent streams of squalls fueled by moisture from the lake had piled snow 115 inches deep at the Oswego County town of Parish, about 25 miles northeast of Syracuse.But as efforts to dig out Parish and surrounding towns was ramping up, the weather system was winding down.The squalls shifted northward to the Watertown area Sunday morning, and were expected to die down before drifting back to the south again, said meteorologist Steve McLaughlin at the National Weather Service in Buffalo.We have a sharp front coming in Monday that's going to kick all this out. We may get one more burst of snow, but then it's over. Finally, some mercy, McLaughlin said.Residents of the nearby town of Mexico see 5- to 6-foot snowfalls every two or three years, but this time even hardened locals are amazed.The only signs of parked SUVs are their radio antennas or roof racks sticking up above the snow. Front doors are buried and footprints lead to second-story windows. Sidewalks that have been dug out look like miniature canyons.The state transportation department said 125 workers from elsewhere in the state had been sent in with snow equipment to help.
The region is located along the Tug Hill Plateau, the snowiest region this side of the Rocky Mountains. It's a 50-mile wedge of land that rises 2,100 feet from the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. It usually gets about 300 inches — roughly 25 feet — of snow a year. The hamlet of Hooker, near the boundaries of Jefferson, Lewis, and Oswego counties, holds the state's one-year record with 466.9 inches, about 39 feet, in the winter of 1976-77.
Less than a month ago it seemed more like spring.
Gosh, three weeks ago there was green on the ground. We got spoiled, Parish Mayor Leon Heagle said. This just came fast. This is not normal. God, we can't catch a break. I feel like getting right in the car and driving south, but I'd probably get in trouble.The intense blast of snow hasn't been blamed for any deaths in Oswego County. Elsewhere, however, more than a week of bitter cold and slippery roads have contributed to at least 25 deaths across the northeastern quarter of the nation — five in Ohio, four in Illinois, four in Indiana, two in Kentucky, seven in Michigan, and one each in Wisconsin, and Maryland and elsewhere in New York, authorities said.
New storm lurks for Plains, Midwest, South Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel FEB 11,07
Midwest
A developing storm center over northern Texas tomorrow will foster a general snowfall across the northern Plains. Several inches of wind-blown snow are likely over the Dakotas and Nebraska with a mix of light snow and rain across Kansas. In the Midwest, a bit of light snow (little or no accumulation) is expected to scoot eastward across Iowa and the lower Great Lakes. Farther south, rain is expected to spread across most of Missouri and Kentucky. A little wet snow is possible along the northern fringe of the rain shield in extreme northern Missouri and the mid-Ohio Valley. Then tomorrow night, heavy snow may develop in parts of the lower Midwest as the storm really cranks up. Meanwhile, highs tomorrow will range from a little below zero in northeast North Dakota to the 40s in southeast Kansas, southern Missouri, extreme southern Illinois and Kentucky.
South
A storm center cranking up over northern Texas tomorrow will trigger showers and thunderstorms across the south-central U. S. The heaviest activity will be reserved for eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, parts of Arkansas and maybe far western Tennessee. A few of the storms could turn severe, even tornadic, over eastern Texas and the ArkLaTex during the afternoon. The threat of severe weather will then shift eastward tomorrow night through Louisiana, southern Arkansas and western Mississippi. Other showers and storms during the day tomorrow will erupt over Florida, mainly on the southern half of the peninsula. High temperatures Monday are forecast to range from the 50s to the 70s, north to south.
Northeast
A reinforcing push of arctic air will invade the Northeast tomorrow. The fresh frigid air will be accompanied by scattered snow showers and flurries across northern New England, Upstate New York and much of Pennsylvania. Farther south, a few rain and snow showers, emissaries from a developing storm in Texas, will scurry across West Virginia and Virginia, but shouldn't amount to anything. A lake-effect snow band off the eastern end of Lake Ontario may be going strong in the morning, but is expected to shift southward and dissipate during the afternoon. High temperatures are predicted to range from the teens in the northern reaches of New York state and New England to the 50s across southern Virginia.
West
Precipitation in the West tomorrow will be somewhat less widespread than it is today. In fact, the Intermountain region may see little if any rain or snow. A weak Pacific front will bring showers to western Washington, western Oregon and northern California. Generally light snow and snow showers will dot the Rockies while somewhat heavier, wind-blown snow assaults southern Montana and northern Wyoming. High temperatures are expected to range from the single digits in northeast Montana to the 70s in the lower Colorado River Valley and southwest Arizona. Most of the lower elevations of California will top out in the 50s and 60s.
Nearly 60,000 evacuated in Mozambique floods in past week FEB 11,07
MAPUTO (AFP) - More than 58,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas bordering Mozambique's flooding Zambezi river in the past week, the state national disaster management institute (INGC) said. Floods in the central provinces of Tete, Zambezia, Manica and Sofala have claimed 29 lives since December, destroyed thousands of homes, and some 165,000 people living along the river basin are in immediate danger, spokesman Belarmino Chivambo told AFP.If the floods continue, this figure can increase to 285,000 in the coming days, he said.Those evacuated were taken to 18 accommodation centres where they were given maize, water, mosquito repellent and water purification equipment, he said.Twenty boats and two helicopters were involved in 24-hour evacuation and monitoring exercises.The rescue operation made necessary by floods caused by incessant downpours since December was expected to cost the country up to 24 million dollars, Chivambo said.
Floods in Mozambique in 2000-2001 claimed more than 700 lives.
The southern African country's peak rainfall season is from the end of February to early March.Last week, the national water directorate said the Zambezi's water levels were dangerously high, prompting the giant Cahora Bassa dam to increase outflow to prevent it bursting.The dam, built during Portuguese colonial rule, is one of Africa's largest hydroelectric projects.The UN World Food Programme Friday made an impassioned plea for aid, saying floods across southern Africa were causing havoc for tens of thousands of people.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)
P.E.I. struck by first flu outbreak in 2 years
Friday, February 9, 2007 CBC News
Four schools in Queens County are reporting a high number of flu cases, and health officials are calling it the first outbreak on the Island since 2005.If you close the school it just simply delays it.
— Dr. Lamont Sweet, chief health officerChief health officer Dr. Lamont Sweet says there are a number of flu cases being reported, particularly in school-age children. Absenteeism is at 16 per cent at one school, but Sweet hasn't issued an order for them to close.That question came up but usually we find if you close the school it just simply delays it and it comes back the next week again, said Sweet.We've left it with the schools. If they are short of teachers and can't cope with enough teachers to keep the classes going, then they've been advised to close. But so far all of them, I think, have been able to keep going.Sweet said emergency departments in Queens and Kings counties are seeing an increase in cases. He said it's important people wash their hands thoroughly to stop the spread of the virus.Earlier this week, Sweet said 2006 was the first time in 17 years the province had avoided an outbreak, and that things were looking good for 2007, since normally the flu strikes by mid-January.
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.
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.
Iran marks anniversary with uranium vow By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer FEB 11,07
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Sunday that Iran would not give up uranium enrichment but he otherwise refrained from making fiery statements during celebrations on the 28th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The hard-line president said he was prepared to negotiate with the international community and his speech fell short of an expected announcement that Iran had started installing 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium at its Natanz plant.Ahmadinejad's may have tempered his usual firebrand style in view of the U.N. Security Council demand that Iran halt enrichment by a deadline later this month or face additional sanctions.Ahmadinejad's relative restraint is also widely believed to show the influence of moderates within the ruling Islamic establishment telling him not to make provocative statements that could heighten tensions between Iran and the West.Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Sunday that Iran poses no threat to Israel, also suggesting the government was trying to project a less aggressive image.Iran says the aim of its nuclear program is to generate electricity but the United States and some of its allies fear the Islamic republic wants to create the fissile core of nuclear warheads. They have made halting uranium enrichment the main precondition for holding talks on Iran's nuclear program.The United States added to its accusations against Iran on Sunday when a defense official said high-level Iranian officials were arming Shiite militants in Iraq with sophisticated armor-piercing roadside bombs that have killed more than 170 American troops.
Iran has crossed the arduous passes and stabilized its definite (nuclear) right, Ahmadinejad told crowds. He said the program would remain within the limits of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty that bans production of nuclear weapons.We are prepared for dialogue but won't suspend our activities. ... The government will defend the rights of the Iranian nation within the framework of the law.At a security conference in Germany, Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Sunday its nuclear program is not a threat to Israel or any other nation.That Iran is willing to threaten Israel is wrong, Ali Larijani said. We pose no threat and if we are conducting nuclear research and development we are no threat to Israel. We have no intention of aggression against any country.But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said he believed Iran was trying to convince the international community that its intentions are benign. "The fact is that they have failed in this attempt and there is a wall-to-wall consensus that the Iranian nuclear program is indeed military and aggressive and a threat to world peace.Ahmadinejad said Iran's nuclear technology advances will gradually be made public over the next two months until April 9. He did not explain what would happen on that date, but it marks the one year anniversary of Iran's announcement that it had enriched uranium for the first time.The Iranian leader implied last week that Tehran would announce that it had begun installing a new assembly of 3,000 centrifuges in an underground portion of its uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, in central Iran.
Iran now has two cascades of 164 centrifuges each that have been operating sporadically at the aboveground portion of the Natanz facility producing small quantities of non-weapons grade enriched uranium, IAEA inspectors say.The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog on Sunday welcomed Iran's willingness to resume negotiations, but said nothing short of "full transparency" on Iran's part will bring the two sides to the negotiating table.I am still hopeful that they will move forward to try and find a way to get into negotiation. (Larijani) mentioned that they are ready to work with the agency, and I think that is positive, Mohamed El-Baradei told Associated Press Television News.
If they (Iran) adopt a policy of full transparency then we can (resolve the issue).
The Security Council approved limited economic sanctions on Dec. 23 over Iran's refusal to halt enrichment and has threatened to impose further sanctions later this month if it continues to refuse to roll back its program. Ahmadinejad's comments Sunday were part of a speech that was broadcast live during nationwide rallies marking the anniversary of the revolution. On Feb. 11, 1979, Iran's imperial armed forces withdrew support for the U.S.-backed monarchy and declared its allegiance to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after a popular peaceful uprising throughout Iran. Khomeini's followers seized control of the capital and two months later declared Iran an Islamic republic. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it has found no evidence that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons, but the watchdog has suspended some aid to Iran and criticized the country for concealing certain nuclear activities and failing to answer questions about its program.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
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.
POISONED WATERS
REVELATION 8:8-11
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Desire for revenge still strong in Gaza By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer FEB 11,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Khamis Bakr demands revenge. The local Fatah leader's 16-year-old nephew was killed by Hamas gunmen in one of Gaza's recent street battles, and Bakr wants to even the score, despite last week's Saudi-brokered truce between the two rivals. Bakr, 35, said he'll always put the interest of his family before that of his party. Unfinished business between Gaza's powerful clans is one of the main threats to the power-sharing agreement signed last week between the Islamic militant group Hamas and the Fatah movement of the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.Despite assurances by Hamas and Fatah leaders that they are putting months of deadly factional fighting behind them, resentment and mistrust still run high. And the agreement risks unraveling even before being implemented because of Hamas's failure to accept international demands to recognize Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday he did not believe the agreement met conditions for lifting a painful international aid boycott of the Palestinian Authority, imposed after Hamas won elections, according to a participant in a weekly Cabinet meeting.In Gaza City, graffiti on the smoke-blackened walls of Islamic University, a Hamas stronghold trashed earlier this month by Abbas-allied security forces, reflected festering anger.The president's people are destroyers, read one slogan on the scorched wall of the computer lab. The attackers, who caused $15 million in damage, according to Hamas, left behind messages of their own, including this spray-painted warning: The Presidential Guard will show no mercy.In Gaza City's beachside neighborhoods, hardest hit by the battles, life has largely returned to normal since Thursday's agreement in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.On a recent day, streets were congested, shops opened, and members of the security forces lounged in plastic garden chairs on sidewalks, rather than standing watch behind sandbags. One motorist washed his car on the street in a show of optimism and some residents ordered glass to replace broken windows.
But no one was relaxing too much yet.
Huge metal tripods blocked roads near Abbas' compound to keep away cars. In the ocean-view Rimal neighborhood, the owners of a 14-story apartment building added three more rows of cement blocks to their garden wall and installed a large metal gate to keep out gunmen.During the last round of fighting, Hamas militiamen took over the rooftop of the building as part of a race between rival groups for control of strategic positions. Iman Husseini, one of the residents of the building, said she had pleaded with the gunmen to leave, to no avail.At one point, the Hamas fighters opened fire on Abbas-allied officers at a gas station across the street, killing a 16-year-old bystander, Mohammed Bakr, according to the victim's relatives.The shooting triggered three days of clashes between the Hamas men on the roof and members of the Bakr clan, most allied with Fatah. The 3,500-strong Bakr clan lives in several blocks near the high-rise, and during the fighting set up makeshift roadblocks at the entrances to neighborhood alleys to control traffic.Khamis Bakr, the local Fatah leader, said Saturday that despite the Mecca truce, the clan will not rest until justice is done.We are happy with the agreement, Bakr said. We hope that our son will be the last victim. But the family still wants the blood of Mohammed to be avenged. Hamas has to hand over the killers, either to the family or to a court.
With Gaza's judiciary barely functioning, it is unlikely any of those involved in killings would be brought before a court. Factions would also balk at handing over their fighters, particularly since it would be almost impossible to determine who did what in the chaotic battles.Another option is to pay compensation to the bereaved families, in line with Islamic law. In Gaza, the going rate per victim is $47,000. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said in a speech last month that the families of victims could be compensated.Bakr declined to say what steps he might take to avenge his nephew's death. Leaders from Hamas, Fatah and smaller factions acknowledged Saturday that clan revenge for dozens of victims could easily bring down the Mecca agreement. Hamas and Fatah have agreed to halt their fire, and that's a beginning, but now they must hurry to quell possible revenge acts, said Khaled Batch, a leader of the small Islamic Jihad group not involved in the fighting. Islamic Jihad said it has already settled eight family claims involving killings. Abbas on Friday announced the formation of a reconciliation committee to address unsettled scores. It is important to deal with the families, said Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, a Fatah spokesman. Both Abu Khoussa and Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said they were confident the two factions can keep their supporters in line.
In coming days, Abbas and Haniyeh are to move quickly to form a coalition government. Under the deal, Hamas gets nine Cabinet seats, Fatah gets six, independents are given five portfolios and small factions get four. Haniyeh remains prime minister. However, the deal could fall apart if Israel and the international community refuse to lift the aid boycott, citing Hamas' failure to reform. Olmert said Sunday his government had urgent consultations over the weekend, but had not yet decided how to respond to the Palestinian deal. We, like the international community, are studying what exactly was achieved, what was said, and what is the basis on which the agreement rests, if it exists, and if it's complete, Olmert said before his weekly Cabinet meeting. After countless broken cease-fires, skepticism in the Palestinians territories remains strong. There is a lot of mistrust, said Bakr, the local Fatah chief. If it (the Mecca deal) lasts for six months, it is a good agreement.Associated Press writer Diaa Hadid contributed to this report.
Failure to solve EU constitutional issue hurts credibility: Barroso FEB 11,07
Failure to solve the dispute over the constitutional treaty of the European Union would undermine the bloc's credibility, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Saturday. At a joint press conference with Polish President Lech Kaczynski after their meeting, Barroso said the EU's internal relations must be handled properly if it wanted to enhance its public credibility. He voiced the commission's support for Germany, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, in the latter's efforts to solve the problem. He also stressed the importance of getting consent from all EU members over a final solution to the problem. Barroso hoped Poland would give an active, positive, constructive contribution to the (search for) a solution to these institutional questions.
Kaczynski pledged Poland's active participation in the discussions on the EU treaty.
I am personally convinced that by the preliminarily agreed target of 2009 we shall be able to speak in general of having resolved that problem, he said. The EU's integration process was impeded in 2005 when France and the Netherlands, both founding fathers of the bloc, in their referendums rejected the bloc's constitutional treaty. Poland is wary of the treaty's headlong rush to deepen the integration process, saying it is inconsistent with the EU's reality. Germany has vowed to revive the constitutional process and asked Poland to make clear its attitude. Under German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plan, a political deal has to be worked out over how the original text should be changed, while a full new text is expected to be ready by the end of this year and be ratified during the first half of 2009.
Source: Xinhua
New PA Government Will Not Recognize Israel FEB 11,07
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz and Hillel Fendel (INN)
The new Palestinian Authority government to be formed by Hamas and Fatah will not recognize Israel's right to exist. Nor is it clear that it will abide by agreements signed by the PLO. The warring Hamas and Fatah terrorist groups in control of the PA, led by Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Abbas, respectively, reached an agreement on Thursday night in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The talks were aimed at ending weeks of bloodshed between the two organizations. The new agreement includes power-sharing arrangements in a new PA government - but Hamas spokesmen made it clear that the new understandings implied no recognition of the State of Israel whatsoever. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert chose not to respond to the agreement as yet, saying, We do not reject it or accept it... Like the other nations, we will study it.Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, said the agreement is clearly bad. Israel must apply pressure around the world so that this new government is not recognized, he said. Netanyahu also called upon Olmert to call off his planned meeting with PA head Abu Mazen of Fatah and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.Former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, also of the Likud, lambasted Olmert's lack of leadership by not rejecting the Hamas-Fatah government outright.
Khaled Mashaal, the Damascus-based leader of the Hamas organization, told the Al-Hayat newspaper on Saturday that the agreement with Fatah includes no mention of the recognition of Israel's national legitimacy. We were not asked to do so, he said. We agreed to the political platform of the government and we are a part of it, like the other factions. And we are committed to what was agreed upon in the document of national agreement [the Prisoners' Document, drafted by imprisoned terror group leaders -ed.] and the letter of appointment of the [current] government... However, each organization will hold its own political positions. On Friday, however, Meshaal called the Mecca agreement a new political language for Hamas.Ismail Radwan, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, was more forthright. On Friday, he declared: "The positions of Hamas are known and unchanging, and at their base is the non-recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist entity. The Hamas movement is one matter and the unity government is another. The national unity government is based on the document of national agreement, which does not recognize the Israeli entity.Despite the celebrations in Gaza over the new government, it appears that many of the disputed issues remain unresolved. Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports that instead, committees were formed to deal with them.Among the matters still in doubt are: the precise attitude towards the State of Israel; reforms in the PLO organs, the inclusion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and others in the PLO, and the identity of the all-important Interior Minister. Most critical is the future of the private Hamas army, which is subservient to the Interior Ministry and which has been the focus of much of the recent bloodshed.
The PA leadership is hoping that the very fact of the Fatah-Hamas national unity agreement reached in Mecca will end a Western embargo against the Hamas-led PA. The Western nations stopped aid to the PA after the Islamist Hamas terror organization swept into power in Authority-wide elections in January 2006. Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamed told Reuters, We have agreed with the Saudis to market this agreement internationally. Our [Saudi] brothers are in constant contact with the Americans and Europeans. They [the West] cannot ignore this agreement and impose their own
conditions.Ahmed Yousef, an advisor to the PA's Hamas prime minister, warned the European Union, I count on the Europeans to change their policies, and to say that what happened in Mecca shows ideological flexibility. The Europeans have their own interest, and they should care about the image and perception. They don't want their image in the region to be like the US.As for the US, and its partners in the Quartet, the reaction has been noncommittal. In a joint statement released Friday, the US, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations stated, While awaiting formation of the new Palestinian government, [we reaffirm our] support for a Palestinian government committed to nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. PLO negotiators met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Friday, in the wake of the Mecca agreement. Yasser Abd Rabo called his talks with Ban Ki-Moon fruitful.
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.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Mon Feb 12 12:27 AM EDT
FEB 11,07
MAP 2.7 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.9 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.2 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.5 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 3.2 GULF OF ALASKA
MAP 4.8 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP 4.5 SALTA, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.7 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 2.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.7 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 3.6 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.4 GUERRERO, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.7 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP 5.1 ISLAS MARIAS REGION, NAYARIT, MEXICO
MAP 4.4 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 4.9 PAKISTAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
FEB 10,07
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.7 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.7 CENTRAL EAST PACIFIC RISE
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 5.0 CHUBUT, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.5 GUAM REGION
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
Quake rattles India's Andaman islands FEB 11,07
PORT BLAIR, India (AFP) - A strong 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck off India's Andaman islands, triggering panic on some islands of a repeat of the 2004 tsunami, officials and witnesses said. The earthquake occurred at 4:17 pm (1047 GMT), some 625 kilometres (387 miles) southeast of the local capital Port Blair, according to the police control room here.There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties following the quake, it said.Residents of the archipelago's southernmost Campbell Bay island cluster, wrecked by the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, left home and sought higher ground, local officials reached by telephone said.The shocks weren't that much but the fears of 2004 are still fresh, said Bay resident Shashi Singh.Official in the Andamans said the quake, the second in as many months, had not sparked a tsunami alert.The Andaman and Nicobar chain of 536 islands, 58 of them inhabited, was hit hard by the earthquake-triggered tsunami two years ago, with hundreds dead and more than 3,000 still officially listed as missing.
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.
N.Y. lake effect snow hits 9.5-feet deep By JOHN KEKIS, Associated Press Writer FEB 11,07
PARISH, N.Y. - The snow got even deeper Sunday but the end was in sight after a weeklong series of squalls that have buried towns on one corner of Lake Ontario. By early Sunday, the persistent streams of squalls fueled by moisture from the lake had piled snow 115 inches deep at the Oswego County town of Parish, about 25 miles northeast of Syracuse.But as efforts to dig out Parish and surrounding towns was ramping up, the weather system was winding down.The squalls shifted northward to the Watertown area Sunday morning, and were expected to die down before drifting back to the south again, said meteorologist Steve McLaughlin at the National Weather Service in Buffalo.We have a sharp front coming in Monday that's going to kick all this out. We may get one more burst of snow, but then it's over. Finally, some mercy, McLaughlin said.Residents of the nearby town of Mexico see 5- to 6-foot snowfalls every two or three years, but this time even hardened locals are amazed.The only signs of parked SUVs are their radio antennas or roof racks sticking up above the snow. Front doors are buried and footprints lead to second-story windows. Sidewalks that have been dug out look like miniature canyons.The state transportation department said 125 workers from elsewhere in the state had been sent in with snow equipment to help.
The region is located along the Tug Hill Plateau, the snowiest region this side of the Rocky Mountains. It's a 50-mile wedge of land that rises 2,100 feet from the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. It usually gets about 300 inches — roughly 25 feet — of snow a year. The hamlet of Hooker, near the boundaries of Jefferson, Lewis, and Oswego counties, holds the state's one-year record with 466.9 inches, about 39 feet, in the winter of 1976-77.
Less than a month ago it seemed more like spring.
Gosh, three weeks ago there was green on the ground. We got spoiled, Parish Mayor Leon Heagle said. This just came fast. This is not normal. God, we can't catch a break. I feel like getting right in the car and driving south, but I'd probably get in trouble.The intense blast of snow hasn't been blamed for any deaths in Oswego County. Elsewhere, however, more than a week of bitter cold and slippery roads have contributed to at least 25 deaths across the northeastern quarter of the nation — five in Ohio, four in Illinois, four in Indiana, two in Kentucky, seven in Michigan, and one each in Wisconsin, and Maryland and elsewhere in New York, authorities said.
New storm lurks for Plains, Midwest, South Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel FEB 11,07
Midwest
A developing storm center over northern Texas tomorrow will foster a general snowfall across the northern Plains. Several inches of wind-blown snow are likely over the Dakotas and Nebraska with a mix of light snow and rain across Kansas. In the Midwest, a bit of light snow (little or no accumulation) is expected to scoot eastward across Iowa and the lower Great Lakes. Farther south, rain is expected to spread across most of Missouri and Kentucky. A little wet snow is possible along the northern fringe of the rain shield in extreme northern Missouri and the mid-Ohio Valley. Then tomorrow night, heavy snow may develop in parts of the lower Midwest as the storm really cranks up. Meanwhile, highs tomorrow will range from a little below zero in northeast North Dakota to the 40s in southeast Kansas, southern Missouri, extreme southern Illinois and Kentucky.
South
A storm center cranking up over northern Texas tomorrow will trigger showers and thunderstorms across the south-central U. S. The heaviest activity will be reserved for eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, parts of Arkansas and maybe far western Tennessee. A few of the storms could turn severe, even tornadic, over eastern Texas and the ArkLaTex during the afternoon. The threat of severe weather will then shift eastward tomorrow night through Louisiana, southern Arkansas and western Mississippi. Other showers and storms during the day tomorrow will erupt over Florida, mainly on the southern half of the peninsula. High temperatures Monday are forecast to range from the 50s to the 70s, north to south.
Northeast
A reinforcing push of arctic air will invade the Northeast tomorrow. The fresh frigid air will be accompanied by scattered snow showers and flurries across northern New England, Upstate New York and much of Pennsylvania. Farther south, a few rain and snow showers, emissaries from a developing storm in Texas, will scurry across West Virginia and Virginia, but shouldn't amount to anything. A lake-effect snow band off the eastern end of Lake Ontario may be going strong in the morning, but is expected to shift southward and dissipate during the afternoon. High temperatures are predicted to range from the teens in the northern reaches of New York state and New England to the 50s across southern Virginia.
West
Precipitation in the West tomorrow will be somewhat less widespread than it is today. In fact, the Intermountain region may see little if any rain or snow. A weak Pacific front will bring showers to western Washington, western Oregon and northern California. Generally light snow and snow showers will dot the Rockies while somewhat heavier, wind-blown snow assaults southern Montana and northern Wyoming. High temperatures are expected to range from the single digits in northeast Montana to the 70s in the lower Colorado River Valley and southwest Arizona. Most of the lower elevations of California will top out in the 50s and 60s.
Nearly 60,000 evacuated in Mozambique floods in past week FEB 11,07
MAPUTO (AFP) - More than 58,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas bordering Mozambique's flooding Zambezi river in the past week, the state national disaster management institute (INGC) said. Floods in the central provinces of Tete, Zambezia, Manica and Sofala have claimed 29 lives since December, destroyed thousands of homes, and some 165,000 people living along the river basin are in immediate danger, spokesman Belarmino Chivambo told AFP.If the floods continue, this figure can increase to 285,000 in the coming days, he said.Those evacuated were taken to 18 accommodation centres where they were given maize, water, mosquito repellent and water purification equipment, he said.Twenty boats and two helicopters were involved in 24-hour evacuation and monitoring exercises.The rescue operation made necessary by floods caused by incessant downpours since December was expected to cost the country up to 24 million dollars, Chivambo said.
Floods in Mozambique in 2000-2001 claimed more than 700 lives.
The southern African country's peak rainfall season is from the end of February to early March.Last week, the national water directorate said the Zambezi's water levels were dangerously high, prompting the giant Cahora Bassa dam to increase outflow to prevent it bursting.The dam, built during Portuguese colonial rule, is one of Africa's largest hydroelectric projects.The UN World Food Programme Friday made an impassioned plea for aid, saying floods across southern Africa were causing havoc for tens of thousands of people.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)
P.E.I. struck by first flu outbreak in 2 years
Friday, February 9, 2007 CBC News
Four schools in Queens County are reporting a high number of flu cases, and health officials are calling it the first outbreak on the Island since 2005.If you close the school it just simply delays it.
— Dr. Lamont Sweet, chief health officerChief health officer Dr. Lamont Sweet says there are a number of flu cases being reported, particularly in school-age children. Absenteeism is at 16 per cent at one school, but Sweet hasn't issued an order for them to close.That question came up but usually we find if you close the school it just simply delays it and it comes back the next week again, said Sweet.We've left it with the schools. If they are short of teachers and can't cope with enough teachers to keep the classes going, then they've been advised to close. But so far all of them, I think, have been able to keep going.Sweet said emergency departments in Queens and Kings counties are seeing an increase in cases. He said it's important people wash their hands thoroughly to stop the spread of the virus.Earlier this week, Sweet said 2006 was the first time in 17 years the province had avoided an outbreak, and that things were looking good for 2007, since normally the flu strikes by mid-January.
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.
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.
Iran marks anniversary with uranium vow By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer FEB 11,07
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Sunday that Iran would not give up uranium enrichment but he otherwise refrained from making fiery statements during celebrations on the 28th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The hard-line president said he was prepared to negotiate with the international community and his speech fell short of an expected announcement that Iran had started installing 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium at its Natanz plant.Ahmadinejad's may have tempered his usual firebrand style in view of the U.N. Security Council demand that Iran halt enrichment by a deadline later this month or face additional sanctions.Ahmadinejad's relative restraint is also widely believed to show the influence of moderates within the ruling Islamic establishment telling him not to make provocative statements that could heighten tensions between Iran and the West.Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Sunday that Iran poses no threat to Israel, also suggesting the government was trying to project a less aggressive image.Iran says the aim of its nuclear program is to generate electricity but the United States and some of its allies fear the Islamic republic wants to create the fissile core of nuclear warheads. They have made halting uranium enrichment the main precondition for holding talks on Iran's nuclear program.The United States added to its accusations against Iran on Sunday when a defense official said high-level Iranian officials were arming Shiite militants in Iraq with sophisticated armor-piercing roadside bombs that have killed more than 170 American troops.
Iran has crossed the arduous passes and stabilized its definite (nuclear) right, Ahmadinejad told crowds. He said the program would remain within the limits of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty that bans production of nuclear weapons.We are prepared for dialogue but won't suspend our activities. ... The government will defend the rights of the Iranian nation within the framework of the law.At a security conference in Germany, Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Sunday its nuclear program is not a threat to Israel or any other nation.That Iran is willing to threaten Israel is wrong, Ali Larijani said. We pose no threat and if we are conducting nuclear research and development we are no threat to Israel. We have no intention of aggression against any country.But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said he believed Iran was trying to convince the international community that its intentions are benign. "The fact is that they have failed in this attempt and there is a wall-to-wall consensus that the Iranian nuclear program is indeed military and aggressive and a threat to world peace.Ahmadinejad said Iran's nuclear technology advances will gradually be made public over the next two months until April 9. He did not explain what would happen on that date, but it marks the one year anniversary of Iran's announcement that it had enriched uranium for the first time.The Iranian leader implied last week that Tehran would announce that it had begun installing a new assembly of 3,000 centrifuges in an underground portion of its uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, in central Iran.
Iran now has two cascades of 164 centrifuges each that have been operating sporadically at the aboveground portion of the Natanz facility producing small quantities of non-weapons grade enriched uranium, IAEA inspectors say.The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog on Sunday welcomed Iran's willingness to resume negotiations, but said nothing short of "full transparency" on Iran's part will bring the two sides to the negotiating table.I am still hopeful that they will move forward to try and find a way to get into negotiation. (Larijani) mentioned that they are ready to work with the agency, and I think that is positive, Mohamed El-Baradei told Associated Press Television News.
If they (Iran) adopt a policy of full transparency then we can (resolve the issue).
The Security Council approved limited economic sanctions on Dec. 23 over Iran's refusal to halt enrichment and has threatened to impose further sanctions later this month if it continues to refuse to roll back its program. Ahmadinejad's comments Sunday were part of a speech that was broadcast live during nationwide rallies marking the anniversary of the revolution. On Feb. 11, 1979, Iran's imperial armed forces withdrew support for the U.S.-backed monarchy and declared its allegiance to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after a popular peaceful uprising throughout Iran. Khomeini's followers seized control of the capital and two months later declared Iran an Islamic republic. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it has found no evidence that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons, but the watchdog has suspended some aid to Iran and criticized the country for concealing certain nuclear activities and failing to answer questions about its program.
EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
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.
POISONED WATERS
REVELATION 8:8-11
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)
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)
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men
LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Desire for revenge still strong in Gaza By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer FEB 11,07
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Khamis Bakr demands revenge. The local Fatah leader's 16-year-old nephew was killed by Hamas gunmen in one of Gaza's recent street battles, and Bakr wants to even the score, despite last week's Saudi-brokered truce between the two rivals. Bakr, 35, said he'll always put the interest of his family before that of his party. Unfinished business between Gaza's powerful clans is one of the main threats to the power-sharing agreement signed last week between the Islamic militant group Hamas and the Fatah movement of the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.Despite assurances by Hamas and Fatah leaders that they are putting months of deadly factional fighting behind them, resentment and mistrust still run high. And the agreement risks unraveling even before being implemented because of Hamas's failure to accept international demands to recognize Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday he did not believe the agreement met conditions for lifting a painful international aid boycott of the Palestinian Authority, imposed after Hamas won elections, according to a participant in a weekly Cabinet meeting.In Gaza City, graffiti on the smoke-blackened walls of Islamic University, a Hamas stronghold trashed earlier this month by Abbas-allied security forces, reflected festering anger.The president's people are destroyers, read one slogan on the scorched wall of the computer lab. The attackers, who caused $15 million in damage, according to Hamas, left behind messages of their own, including this spray-painted warning: The Presidential Guard will show no mercy.In Gaza City's beachside neighborhoods, hardest hit by the battles, life has largely returned to normal since Thursday's agreement in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.On a recent day, streets were congested, shops opened, and members of the security forces lounged in plastic garden chairs on sidewalks, rather than standing watch behind sandbags. One motorist washed his car on the street in a show of optimism and some residents ordered glass to replace broken windows.
But no one was relaxing too much yet.
Huge metal tripods blocked roads near Abbas' compound to keep away cars. In the ocean-view Rimal neighborhood, the owners of a 14-story apartment building added three more rows of cement blocks to their garden wall and installed a large metal gate to keep out gunmen.During the last round of fighting, Hamas militiamen took over the rooftop of the building as part of a race between rival groups for control of strategic positions. Iman Husseini, one of the residents of the building, said she had pleaded with the gunmen to leave, to no avail.At one point, the Hamas fighters opened fire on Abbas-allied officers at a gas station across the street, killing a 16-year-old bystander, Mohammed Bakr, according to the victim's relatives.The shooting triggered three days of clashes between the Hamas men on the roof and members of the Bakr clan, most allied with Fatah. The 3,500-strong Bakr clan lives in several blocks near the high-rise, and during the fighting set up makeshift roadblocks at the entrances to neighborhood alleys to control traffic.Khamis Bakr, the local Fatah leader, said Saturday that despite the Mecca truce, the clan will not rest until justice is done.We are happy with the agreement, Bakr said. We hope that our son will be the last victim. But the family still wants the blood of Mohammed to be avenged. Hamas has to hand over the killers, either to the family or to a court.
With Gaza's judiciary barely functioning, it is unlikely any of those involved in killings would be brought before a court. Factions would also balk at handing over their fighters, particularly since it would be almost impossible to determine who did what in the chaotic battles.Another option is to pay compensation to the bereaved families, in line with Islamic law. In Gaza, the going rate per victim is $47,000. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said in a speech last month that the families of victims could be compensated.Bakr declined to say what steps he might take to avenge his nephew's death. Leaders from Hamas, Fatah and smaller factions acknowledged Saturday that clan revenge for dozens of victims could easily bring down the Mecca agreement. Hamas and Fatah have agreed to halt their fire, and that's a beginning, but now they must hurry to quell possible revenge acts, said Khaled Batch, a leader of the small Islamic Jihad group not involved in the fighting. Islamic Jihad said it has already settled eight family claims involving killings. Abbas on Friday announced the formation of a reconciliation committee to address unsettled scores. It is important to deal with the families, said Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, a Fatah spokesman. Both Abu Khoussa and Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said they were confident the two factions can keep their supporters in line.
In coming days, Abbas and Haniyeh are to move quickly to form a coalition government. Under the deal, Hamas gets nine Cabinet seats, Fatah gets six, independents are given five portfolios and small factions get four. Haniyeh remains prime minister. However, the deal could fall apart if Israel and the international community refuse to lift the aid boycott, citing Hamas' failure to reform. Olmert said Sunday his government had urgent consultations over the weekend, but had not yet decided how to respond to the Palestinian deal. We, like the international community, are studying what exactly was achieved, what was said, and what is the basis on which the agreement rests, if it exists, and if it's complete, Olmert said before his weekly Cabinet meeting. After countless broken cease-fires, skepticism in the Palestinians territories remains strong. There is a lot of mistrust, said Bakr, the local Fatah chief. If it (the Mecca deal) lasts for six months, it is a good agreement.Associated Press writer Diaa Hadid contributed to this report.
Failure to solve EU constitutional issue hurts credibility: Barroso FEB 11,07
Failure to solve the dispute over the constitutional treaty of the European Union would undermine the bloc's credibility, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Saturday. At a joint press conference with Polish President Lech Kaczynski after their meeting, Barroso said the EU's internal relations must be handled properly if it wanted to enhance its public credibility. He voiced the commission's support for Germany, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, in the latter's efforts to solve the problem. He also stressed the importance of getting consent from all EU members over a final solution to the problem. Barroso hoped Poland would give an active, positive, constructive contribution to the (search for) a solution to these institutional questions.
Kaczynski pledged Poland's active participation in the discussions on the EU treaty.
I am personally convinced that by the preliminarily agreed target of 2009 we shall be able to speak in general of having resolved that problem, he said. The EU's integration process was impeded in 2005 when France and the Netherlands, both founding fathers of the bloc, in their referendums rejected the bloc's constitutional treaty. Poland is wary of the treaty's headlong rush to deepen the integration process, saying it is inconsistent with the EU's reality. Germany has vowed to revive the constitutional process and asked Poland to make clear its attitude. Under German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plan, a political deal has to be worked out over how the original text should be changed, while a full new text is expected to be ready by the end of this year and be ratified during the first half of 2009.
Source: Xinhua
New PA Government Will Not Recognize Israel FEB 11,07
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz and Hillel Fendel (INN)
The new Palestinian Authority government to be formed by Hamas and Fatah will not recognize Israel's right to exist. Nor is it clear that it will abide by agreements signed by the PLO. The warring Hamas and Fatah terrorist groups in control of the PA, led by Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Abbas, respectively, reached an agreement on Thursday night in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The talks were aimed at ending weeks of bloodshed between the two organizations. The new agreement includes power-sharing arrangements in a new PA government - but Hamas spokesmen made it clear that the new understandings implied no recognition of the State of Israel whatsoever. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert chose not to respond to the agreement as yet, saying, We do not reject it or accept it... Like the other nations, we will study it.Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, said the agreement is clearly bad. Israel must apply pressure around the world so that this new government is not recognized, he said. Netanyahu also called upon Olmert to call off his planned meeting with PA head Abu Mazen of Fatah and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.Former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, also of the Likud, lambasted Olmert's lack of leadership by not rejecting the Hamas-Fatah government outright.
Khaled Mashaal, the Damascus-based leader of the Hamas organization, told the Al-Hayat newspaper on Saturday that the agreement with Fatah includes no mention of the recognition of Israel's national legitimacy. We were not asked to do so, he said. We agreed to the political platform of the government and we are a part of it, like the other factions. And we are committed to what was agreed upon in the document of national agreement [the Prisoners' Document, drafted by imprisoned terror group leaders -ed.] and the letter of appointment of the [current] government... However, each organization will hold its own political positions. On Friday, however, Meshaal called the Mecca agreement a new political language for Hamas.Ismail Radwan, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, was more forthright. On Friday, he declared: "The positions of Hamas are known and unchanging, and at their base is the non-recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist entity. The Hamas movement is one matter and the unity government is another. The national unity government is based on the document of national agreement, which does not recognize the Israeli entity.Despite the celebrations in Gaza over the new government, it appears that many of the disputed issues remain unresolved. Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports that instead, committees were formed to deal with them.Among the matters still in doubt are: the precise attitude towards the State of Israel; reforms in the PLO organs, the inclusion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and others in the PLO, and the identity of the all-important Interior Minister. Most critical is the future of the private Hamas army, which is subservient to the Interior Ministry and which has been the focus of much of the recent bloodshed.
The PA leadership is hoping that the very fact of the Fatah-Hamas national unity agreement reached in Mecca will end a Western embargo against the Hamas-led PA. The Western nations stopped aid to the PA after the Islamist Hamas terror organization swept into power in Authority-wide elections in January 2006. Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamed told Reuters, We have agreed with the Saudis to market this agreement internationally. Our [Saudi] brothers are in constant contact with the Americans and Europeans. They [the West] cannot ignore this agreement and impose their own
conditions.Ahmed Yousef, an advisor to the PA's Hamas prime minister, warned the European Union, I count on the Europeans to change their policies, and to say that what happened in Mecca shows ideological flexibility. The Europeans have their own interest, and they should care about the image and perception. They don't want their image in the region to be like the US.As for the US, and its partners in the Quartet, the reaction has been noncommittal. In a joint statement released Friday, the US, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations stated, While awaiting formation of the new Palestinian government, [we reaffirm our] support for a Palestinian government committed to nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. PLO negotiators met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Friday, in the wake of the Mecca agreement. Yasser Abd Rabo called his talks with Ban Ki-Moon fruitful.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
DOOMSDAY VAULT UNVEILED
1-WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS.2-Jakarta residents survey flood. 3-Welcome rain and snow comes to the West. 4-8 feet of snow in N.Y., and more coming. 5-Putin: U.S. policies create arms race. 6-Clashes by Jerusalem holy site continue. 7-Palestinian leaders aim to sell new deal. 8-No deal yet in tough North Korea nuclear talks. 9-Dodge joins G7 chorus of concern over currency bets. 10-Merkel says world determined to stop Iran having nuclear weapons. 11-Doomsday vault design unveiled.
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.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Sun Feb 11 12:02 AM EDT
FEB 11,07
MAP 4.4 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 4.9 PAKISTAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
FEB 10,07
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.7 CENTRAL EAST PACIFIC RISE
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 5.0 CHUBUT, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.5 GUAM REGION
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
FEB 09,07
MAP 3.1 MONA PASSAGE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 4.8 BAY OF CAMPECHE
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.5 MONA PASSAGE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 2.9 PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 4.3 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
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.
Jakarta residents survey flood damage By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 10, 4:25 AM ET
JAKARTA, Indonesia - The death toll from massive flooding in Indonesia rose to 80 on Saturday, as some 140,000 people returned to their sodden homes in the capital to clear away piles of mud and rancid debris.Rivers overflowed in some parts of the sprawling city, much of which remains under water following last week's flooding, the worst in recent memory. But electricity and phone service have been restored to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in recent days.Many returning residents who have been living in shelters or relatives' homes for days surveyed the damage to their washed out houses for the first time on Saturday.My home and everything in it was washed away, said Titi Komala, a 38-year-old widow and mother of three. Now everything is gone and I can't do anything about it. If I had money I'd move, but I have nothing.Floods in Jakarta and its surrounding cities last week killed or have been cited as a factor in the deaths of at least 57 people. Some were electrocuted but most drowned, the government said.
Twenty-three others also died in neighboring Banten and West Java provinces last week, said National Disaster Management Coordination Board deputy chief Tabrani, who goes by one name.At the peak, officials said about half of Jakarta was covered by up to 12 feet of water. Hundreds of square miles of land, mostly rice fields, surrounding the city remained inundated.Estimates of those made homeless in Jakarta topped out at more than 400,000 out of a population of 12 million. Rustam Pakaya, chief of the Health Ministry's crisis center, said about 140,000 people returned to their homes Saturday.High water levels had prevented sanitation officials from picking up the garbage that piled up in the streets of some densely packed low-income areas, mixing with the black water during overnight rain.
That has intensified fears about diseases, with the government saying three people have contracted leptospirosis, a potentially fatal disease borne by water contaminated by rat urine. So far no cases of tetanus or other serious waterborne disease have been reported.Fire-trucks will be deployed Sunday to spray disinfectant in hard-hit areas.Residents are complaining about the stench and flies, said Joko Triyanto, an official at the Jakarta Health Department, as hundreds of soldiers helped clean knee-deep mud from the streets, houses, schools and places of worship.Indonesia is hit by deadly floods each year, and Jakarta is not immune. But this year's have been particularly bad, with some 100,000 homes, shops and businesses swamped in rich and poor areas alike.The flooding in the capital has caused an estimated $460 million in damage. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this week promised to seek more funds from the state budget to cover the cost of trying to prevent similar events in the capital in the future.
Welcome rain and snow comes to the West Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel FEB 1,07
West
Active weather will continue across the western states through the weekend. A flow of moisture and a series of weather disturbances will continue to spread rain and snow across parts of the west, along with mild temperatures. Periods of rain, heavy at times, will be widespread across much of central and northern California today, including the San Francisco and Sacramento areas. A few rain showers will also develop as far south as Los Angeles. Snow will be on the increase across the Sierra Nevada, where over a foot could accumulate through Sunday. Rain and snow will also spread north and east, inland, across the interior mountains, while rain showers continue across the Pacific Northwest. Steadier rains will spread north into the Pacific Northwest later on Sunday, while showers continue across California. Temperatures will range from the 50s over the Pacific Northwest to the 60s over southern California. A few 80s will dominate the interior southwestern states, with 40s common across the Great Basin.
Midwest
Much of the Midwest and Plains will remain cold into the weekend, with a possible winter storm unfolding by early next week. High pressure across the northern Plains will keep temperatures cold today, with afternoon highs ranging from the single digits and teens across Fargo, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Cleveland, to the 20s across Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Louisville. A few lake effect snow showers will also continue across Upper Michigan and northern Lower Michigan today, where a few more inches of snow will accumulate in persistent snow bands. A weak weather disturbance will also spread snow showers across the northern Plains during the afternoon, affecting areas from Rapid City to Omaha, but accumulations should be rather light. Sunday into Monday, a winter storm will begin to take shape over the southern and central Plains. Light snow and an icy mix will spread across the Plains and into the Midwest, along and north of the interstate 70 corridor, while rain and a few thunderstorms develop south through the Mississippi River Valley. Persons from Omaha and Kansas City, east through St. Louis, Louisville and Cincinnati should monitor the latest forecast Sunday into Monday.
Northeast
More lake effect snow will continue, and then all eyes will shift to a developing winter storm early next week across the Mid-Atlantic. Lake effect snow showers continue over western New York, and during the afternoon winds will once again become favorable for another persistent heavy band of lake effect snow. Where this band sets up, could see another foot or so of snow. Partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies will dominate the rest of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today, with afternoon highs ranging from the 20s from Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Burlington, to the lower and middle 30s from Boston and New York, to Washington, DC. The lake effect snow showers should begin to diminish a bit later Sunday, as winds begin to shift ahead of a developing winter storm over the central Plains. By Monday, snow will begin to spread up the Ohio Valley toward Pittsburgh, with a wintry mix possible as far east as Washington, DC. Persons across the Mid-Atlantic should monitor the latest forecast into early next week, as an area of accumulating snow and wintry precipitation will impact parts of the area.
South
Warmer temperatures are in store for the South in the coming days, along with a more active weather pattern. High pressure will build into the southern states today, resulting in fair weather conditions, but continued cool temperatures. Afternoon highs today will range from the 40s from Atlanta and Charlotte to Memphis, with 50s expected from Dallas and Houston to New Orleans. Warm temperatures in the 70s will continue across Florida. A few rain showers will begin to develop across south Texas, as moisture begins to return from the south, otherwise, dry weather conditions will dominate the South today. By Sunday, temperatures will begin to warm, as winds begin to shift to a more southerly direction. This will also allow rain showers to spread as far north as Dallas. A winter storm will begin to take shape over the southern Plains on Monday, pulling abundant moisture and warm air northward. Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop from southeast Texas, into the Mississippi River Valley. These showers and thunderstorms will spread across the Southeast Tuesday, as the storm system tracks east.
8 feet of snow in N.Y., and more coming By WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 10,07
MEXICO, N.Y. - Before weekend squalls add to the 8 feet of snow already on the ground, the communities along eastern Lake Ontario needed the dry respite they got Friday. Have to move fast. Want to at least get it off my roof, said Ray DeLong, 75, as he carved a path to his driveway with a snowblower and two contractors pushed streams of snow from the roof of his two-story home.
Snow squalls off Lake Ontario have dumped snow by the feet onto Oswego County communities since Sunday, leading Gov. Eliot Spitzer to declare a state disaster emergency.Parish and Scriba had about 8 feet of snow since the squalls started, according to the National Weather Service. Mexico Mayor Terry Grimshaw said his village was blanketed by 7 feet.On Friday, the squalls shifted south into Syracuse and stayed there, dropping 4 to 8 inches of snow.But forecasters said heavy snow bands would return to Oswego County later Friday night and likely stall there again. The forecasts call for another 6 to 12 inches, pushing the seven-day total over 100 inches.While residents enjoyed Friday's lull, snow plows were out in full force to clear roads. An advisory against any nonessential travel remained in effect for Oswego and three nearby counties. Snow banks tower nearly 10 feet tall and have narrowed roads.
Although authorities have reported few problems because of the snow, Oswego Fire Chief Ed Geers said his firefighters have had to help three ambulances that got stuck in the snow.Schools were closed the entire week. Mexico Superintendent Nelson Bauersfeld said if the district exceeds its allotted six snow days, it would have to shorten its winter or spring breaks.We try not to get into vacations if we can help it. So lets just hope once this week is over we can get back to normal and be laughing about this come June, Bauersfeld said.More than a week of bitter cold and slippery roads have contributed to at least 20 deaths across the northern quarter of the nation five in Ohio, four in Illinois, four in Indiana, two in Kentucky, two in Michigan, and one each in Wisconsin, New York and Maryland, authorities said. There have been no deaths in Oswego County related to the snow.Tennessee and northern Alabama tasted a bit of winter weather Friday morning sleet and freezing rain iced over roadways, and some precipitation briefly turned to snow.
Putin: U.S. policies create arms race By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer FEB 10,07
MUNICH, Germany - Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that the United States' increased use of military force is creating a new arms race, with smaller nations turning toward developing nuclear weapons. Speaking at a conference of the world's top security officials, including the Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, Putin said nations are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations.One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way, he told the 250 officials, including more than 40 defense and foreign ministers.
This is nourishing an arms race with the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons, Putin said, but did not elaborate on specifics and did not mention the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The Russian leader also voiced concern about U.S. plans to build a missile defense system in eastern Europe likely in Poland and the Czech Republic and the expansion of NATO as possible challenges to Russia.The process of NATO expansion has nothing to do with modernization of the alliance or with ensuring security in Europe, Putin said. On the contrary, it is a serious factor provoking reduction of mutual trust.On the missile defense system, Putin said: I don't want to accuse anyone of being aggressive but suggested it would seriously change the balance of power and could provoke an unspecified response.U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates had little to say about Putin's remarks, noting only that he was very candid.Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news, bio, voting record) said Putin's charge that the U.S. aspired to get unipolar power or acted unilaterally is just not borne out by the facts.
Even our involvement in Iraq, certainly Afghanistan, is pursuant to United Nations resolutions, said Lieberman, I-Conn. So that was provocative and wrong.Putin's spokesman Dimitry Peskov said the Russian leader did not intend to be confrontational, but acknowledged it was his harshest criticism of the United States since he was elected in March 2000.The reason for his comments is Russia's concern about the growing amount of conflicts and the malfunctioning of international law, Peskov told the AP.Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tehran needs to accept demands made by the U.N. and the International Atomic Energy Agency on its nuclear program. The United States and several of its Western allies believe that Iran is using the nuclear program to produce an atomic weapon.There is no way around this, Merkel said. What we are talking about here is a very, very sensitive technology, and for that reason we need a high degree of transparency which Iran has failed to provide and if Iran does not do so, then the alternative for Iran is to slip further into isolation.On the sidelines of the conference, Larijani defended his country's nuclear program as peaceful, saying: We are no threat to our region or other countries, while indicating a willingness to return to negotiations.
We are prepared to work together with other countries for a comprehensive peace, he said.Heading into the conference, Larijani said he planned to use the gathering as an opportunity to discuss Iran's nuclear program the first talks with Western officials since limited U.N. sanctions were imposed in December.The annual Munich Conference on Security Policy, now in its 43rd year, often is used as an opportunity for informal diplomacy. Merkel, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, emphasized the international community's support for Israel and said there was a unified resolve to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The conference this year focuses on Global Crises Global Responsibilities, looking at NATO's changing role, the Middle East peace process, the West's relations with Russia and the fight against terrorism. Some 3,500 police were on hand to keep some 1,300 protesters in check, officials said. Scattered arrests were reported, but police said there were no major incidents. Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Slobodan Lekic contributed to this report.
Clashes by Jerusalem holy site continue By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer FEB 10,07
JERUSALEM - Palestinian teenagers threw rocks at Israeli police and attacked a Canadian tourist bus Saturday in a new wave of protests against Israeli construction work near a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site. The violence came a day after police stormed the disputed compound in the Old City, using tear gas and stun grenades to disperse Muslims, who rioted after Friday prayers. Protests against the construction have spread throughout the Muslim world, where demonstrators accused Israel of plotting to harm Islamic shrines.Israel denies the repair work and accompanying excavations will come anywhere near the compound, known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims.Sporadic violence continued Saturday as Palestinian teenagers set large garbage containers on fire in the streets of east Jerusalem just outside the Old City and threw rocks at police nearby. Some of the rocks smashed the windows of cars parked on the side of the road. They also set fire to an Israeli flag. Other small protests broke out inside the Old City, police said.
The police, some on horseback and others in riot gear, responded by firing tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested 15.Angry Palestinians also pelted a bus carrying vacationing Canadians on a tour of the Mount of Olives holy site in east Jerusalem.We were just driving and all of a sudden a bunch of kids started picking up rocks and whatever they could get their hands on and started throwing it at the bus, said Dave Wood, one of the tourists. This is our first day in the Holy City and it was quite disturbing to say the least.A police station in east Jerusalem was also stoned, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. No one was injured in the incidents Saturday, he said.Police kept a beefed-up force in the city and maintained restrictions at the holy site, barring all Muslim men under the age of 45 from praying there Saturday.In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers, the army said. The soldiers arrested 30 Palestinians, the army said.
In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinian youths threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets, witnesses said. Six protesters were treated for gas inhalation, medical officials said.There were fears the violence could escalate and spread throughout the West Bank.On Friday, about 200 riot police streamed onto the compound and scuffled with some of the 3,000 Muslim worshippers there. Clouds of tear gas rose into the sky and sharp booms pierced the air. Outside the compound, hundreds of teenagers hurled stones, iron bars, vegetables and at least one firebomb at police, authorities said. Police responded with stun grenades.The compound a catalyst for earlier rounds of Israel-Palestinian fighting is home to the golden-capped Dome of the Rock shrine and Al Aqsa mosque and is believed to be the site where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is the third-holiest site in Islam.Jews venerate the compound as the site of their biblical temples, and one of its outer walls known as the Western Wall is the holiest site in Judaism.
The Israelis say the purpose of the construction project is to build a new walkway leading to the holy site to replace a ramp that was damaged in a snowstorm three years ago.But the Palestinians have expressed fears that the excavations under way are actually attempts to tunnel under the compound and damage their holy shrines.Israeli officials reject that accusation and say they are not digging under the compound, or even close to it. They insist that the replacement of a ramp would not harm the holy site about 200 feet away. The Arab League chief said Saturday the dig reflects Israeli attempts to tighten control over Jerusalem and urged the international community to intercede. There are plans to change the features of the city, Amr Moussa said in a statement distributed to the Arab representatives at an emergency League meeting in Cairo. The statement said the construction is threatening the security and stability in the region.Jordan and Egypt — Israel's sole Arab peace partners and key U.S. allies in the region — have demanded the Jewish state stop the work, as did Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. Malaysia, which chairs the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference, urged the international community to intervene immediately to stop the illegal activities.
Associated Press writer Maggie Michael in Cairo contributed to this report.
Palestinian leaders aim to sell new deal By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 10, 7:04 AM ET
JERUSALEM - Palestinian leaders fanned out across the world Saturday in a diplomatic blitz aimed at convincing reticent world leaders to support their hard-won power-sharing deal by lifting economic sanctions on their government.
The envoys may have a hard sell.
Western governments and Israel have given only muted reactions to the agreement signed Thursday by Hamas and Fatah leaders in the holy Saudi city of Mecca. International leaders said they would have to first study the deal and see how it changes the situation on the ground, dashing hopes for a quick end to the sanctions.The Quartet of Mideast mediators — the U.S., the U.N., Russia and the European Union — had demanded that the militant Hamas group, which won Palestinian parliamentary elections last year, recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and accept past peace deals.The Mecca deal says only that the new government pledges to respect the previous deals. It makes no reference to recognizing Israel or renouncing violence and appears to fall short of the Quartet's demands.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate Fatah leader who pushed for a deal for months, is hoping that personal diplomacy with every member of the Quartet will build momentum for his cause to end the embargo imposed on the Palestinian Authority after Hamas' election.The embargo has frozen roughly $1 billion in annual foreign aid and about $500 million in tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians, crippling the Palestinian government's ability to function.
We are trying to market the (Mecca) agreement and get international support for it, Abbas aide Nabil Amr said Saturday.Abbas is sending Amr to Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, for talks on the agreement. Amr will then head to Belgium to meet with Javier Solana, the EU's chief foreign policy envoy, Amr said.We urge the officials in Europe to exert efforts to lift the siege imposed on the government, he said.Abbas, who has held rounds of telephone talks with Arab leaders in recent days to try to rally them to his side, will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Jordan on Monday, Amr said. Abbas also plans to head to Egypt for talks before returning to the West Bank.On Friday, soon after the deal was reached, Abbas aides Saeb Erekat and Yasser Abed Rabbo met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington before heading to New York for a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.Abed Rabbo said Rice told him the agreement was unclear on key issues and she was skeptical Hamas would abide by it, but she would wait to see how it was carried out on the ground. America wanted the new government to stop Gaza militants from launching rockets at Israel, prevent other attacks and respect previously signed agreements, he said.The Americans are worried that Hamas will not succeed in this test, he said.
Some analysts said the United States was waiting for Israel to decide how to react to the agreement before it would decide what to do. Israel said it would not have an official response until its weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday.Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Avigdor Lieberman, of the hard-line Yisrael Beiteinu party, told the German weekly Der Spiegel that he feared Hamas could be rewarded for the agreement, even though it did not give in to the international demands to moderate itself.I am worried that a Palestinian government of national unity will give Hamas the international legitimacy that it so far has lacked — without it recognizing Israel or ending the tactics of terror against us, he was quoted as saying in an interview published Saturday.Hamas, listed as a terror group by Israel, the United States and the EU, is responsible for scores of deadly suicide bombings in Israel. Previous efforts to form a national unity government have foundered, though none have ever come this far. Still, there were fears that the new deal could unravel in coming weeks as the two sides choose ministers for the government. Though Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, of Hamas, has five weeks to put together a Cabinet, Abbas wants him to finish the job as soon as possible, hopefully within a week, Amr said.
There are not a lot of issues to discuss because the main issues were agreed to in Mecca, he said.
It was also not clear whether Hamas and Fatah militants, whose running street battles in Gaza have killed over 130 people since May, will abide by the deal.
No deal yet in tough North Korea nuclear talks by Jun Kwanwoo and Shigemi Sato FEB 10,07
BEIJING (AFP) - Six-nation talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear programme failed to strike a deal as the US chief negotiator said only one sticking point remained. Despite a flurry of bilateral and multi-party meetings on a Chinese draft agreement, talks broke for the night with a long-awaited deal still tantalisingly out of reach.Discussions centred on the host's draft accord outlining steps the five parties would take in order for North Korea to disarm, including the aid package for Pyongyang.Chief US negotiator Christopher Hill said: There is just one paragraph that keeps on being reworked.It's very tough to predict success, the envoy told reporters at the end of the day. I'm dealing with a tough issue in this tough part of the world.He said that the remaining sticking point is basically an issue between North Korea and the five others.But we're gonna stay with this. It may take another day or two to get through this, Hill added. The problem is with North Korea. They want precise measurement of how we go.
Chief Japanese delegate Kenichiro Sasae said: There are differences of opinion among the five nations, but there are greater differences between the five nations and North Korea.Japan has vowed not to extend aid to North Korea unless there is progress on the unresolved question of Japanese who were kidnapped by the communist state in the 1970s and 1980s and are presumed to still live there.
South Korean chief negotiator Chun Yung-Woo told reporters: We still do not know when the egg can hatch. But we can confirm that it will not be an unfertilised egg, he said, referring to an agreement that has eluded the parties since late 2005.The contentious points have boiled down to one or two things. All participating countries do not easily agree on the issues because of their conflicting interest, said Chun.Under the draft agreement, North Korea would close its main nuclear-related facilities, including a five-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, within two months in return for alternative energy sources, press reports said.A South Korean official told reporters that he could not confirm reports that North Korea had demanded large amounts of energy aid.
Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that North Korea had demanded two million tonnes of fuel oil and two million kilowatts of electricity in exchange for initial steps towards abandonment of its nuclear programs.US officials described the agreement as very different from the nuclear freeze the Clinton administration negotiated in 1994, The New York Times said.This is the Libya model, The Times quotes one senior official as saying, referring to Libya's decision in late 2003 to turn over all the equipment it had purchased from a secret nuclear network run by a Pakistani scientist.In that agreement, both the Libyans and the United States took a series of steps that eventually rid the country of nuclear technology and ended its isolation.Saturday was spent in a whirlwind of meetings at the Diaoyutai Guest House in western Beijing, scene of all six-party talks since they began in 2003.
Envoys refused to give specifics about the Chinese draft accord, but said it sought to begin implementing a six-party agreement reached in September 2005. That deal fell through within just two months over North Korean objections to US financial sanctions imposed against it for alleged money laundering and counterfeiting. In the agreement, North Korea agreed to scrap its nuclear programme in return for security guarantees, energy benefits and aid. The potential breakthrough this week comes after North Korea conducted its first atomic test in October last year, an event it said confirmed its status as a global nuclear power, but which also drew United Nations sanctions. The six-party forum began in 2003 with the aim of convincing North Korea to disarm. But it has seen many false dawns and failed to stop the regime from conducting its atomic test.
Dodge joins G7 chorus of concern over currency bets 1 hour, FEB 10,07
ESSEN, Germany (Reuters) - Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge cautioned investors on Saturday against laying one-way bets on any currency, joining a chorus of voices by Group of Seven policymakers concerned that markets will take a hit when the Japanese economy gains strength.
Clearly, we do want markets to be aware of the risks of taking one-way bets on anything and so it's there, quite clearly, to say that, Dodge told reporters, referring to the communique issued by Group of Seven finance ministers in Essen, Germany.Very simply, don't take a one-way bet on where any particular currency or pair of currency relationship is going, he said.Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he was encouraged to see that global growth was more balanced and that the G7 members agreed to push ahead with plans to deliberates securities trade.
Merkel says world determined to stop Iran having nuclear weapons by Guy Jackson Sat Feb 10, 8:20 AM ET
MUNICH, Germany (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the international community was resolved to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We are all determined to prevent the threat of an Iran with a military nuclear programme, Merkel said in a speech Saturday to the Munich Conference on Security Policy.Merkel said the Islamic republic must conform with international demands to stop enriching uranium without ifs and buts and without tricks.What we are talking about here is a very, very sensitive technology and so we need a high degree of transparency, which Iran has failed to provide, and if Iran does not do this it risks falling deeper into isolation, Merkel said.Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani is attending the annual high-level gathering and will give a speech on Sunday.Larijani has said he will also meet European officials in Munich, who, it is believed, will try to get Iran to re-engage in talks over its nuclear programme.
He will have his first meeting in five months with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, but Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach dampened hopes of a major step forward.There will be no breakthrough. It will be an opportunity for an exchange of views, she told AFP.Larijani struck a defiant tone as he arrived in Germany, saying Iran's nuclear activties were under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency and that the country was committed to its engagements under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.Iran is following a clear path in its nuclear activities and this not hidden to anyone, he told the Iranian state agency IRNA.Iran rejects a UN Security Council resolution of December 23 which imposed limited sanctions to force it to stop enriching uranium.Uranium enrichment uses centrifuges to make fuel for civilian nuclear reactors but can also be used to make material for bombs, although Iran denies it is developing nuclear weapons.
In Iran itself, hundreds of thousands of people were to rally on Sunday in an annual show of support for the Islamic revolution, with the country's leaders promising a major announcement which was expected to focus on the achievement of a new stage in uranium enrichment.In a sign of the continuing divisions between the international community over how to handle Iran, President Vladimir Putin defended Russia's friendship with Iran which includes the ongoing construction of a nuclear power station at Bushehr.We don't want Iran to feel cornered in a hostile environment. They should understand that they have some friends, Putin said in response to questions from US politicians after his speech to the Munich conference.We must all be patient and offer Iran incentives and show their leaders that it is best to avoid confrontation with the international community.
Doomsday vault design unveiled By Mark Kinver
Science and nature reporter, BBC News FEB 10,07
The final design for a doomsday vault that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops has been unveiled by the Norwegian government. The Svalbard International Seed Vault will be built into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole. The vault aims to safeguard the world's agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change.
Construction begins in March, and the seed bank is scheduled to open in 2008. The Norwegian government is paying the $5m (£2.5m) construction costs of the vault, which will have enough space to house three million seed samples. The collection and maintenance of the collection is being organised by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which has responsibility of ensuring the conservation of crop diversity in perpetuity. We want a safety net because we do not want to take too many chances with crop biodiversity, said Cary Fowler, the Trust's executive director. Can you imagine an effective, efficient, sustainable response to climate change, water shortages, food security issues without what is going to go in the vault - it is the raw material of agriculture.
Future proof
The seed vault will be built 120m (364ft) inside a mountain on Spitsbergen, one of four islands that make up Svalbard. Dr Fowler said Svalbard, 1,000km (621 miles) north of mainland Norway, was chosen as the location for the vault because it was very remote and it also offered the level of stability required for the long-term project. We looked very far into the future. We looked at radiation levels inside the mountain, and we looked at the area's geological structure, he told BBC News. We also modelled climate change in a drastic form 200 years into future, which included the melting of ice sheets at the North and South Poles, and Greenland, to make sure that this site was above the resulting water level.By building the vault deep inside the mountain, the surrounding permafrost would continue to provide natural refrigeration if the mechanical system failed, explained Dr Fowler.
Living Fort Knox
The Arctic vault will act as a back-up store for a global network of seed banks financially supported by the trust. Dr Fowler said that a proportion of the seeds housed at these banks would be deposited at Svalbard, which will act as a living Fort Knox. Although the vault was designed to protect the specimens from catastrophic events, he added that it could also be used to replenish national seed banks. One example happened in September when a typhoon ripped through the Philippines and destroyed its seed bank, Dr Fowler recalled. The storm brought two feet of water and mud into the bank, and that is the last thing you want in a seed bank.
Low maintenance
Once inside the vault, the samples will be stored at -18C (0F). The length of time that seeds kept in a frozen state maintain their ability to germinate depends on the species. The Arctic conditions will help keep the seeds in a frozen state Some crops, such as peas, may only survive for 20-30 years. Others, such as sunflowers and grain crops, are understood to last for many decades or even hundreds of years. Once the collection has been established at Svalbard, Dr Fowler said the facility would operate with very little human intervention. Somebody will go up there once every year to physically check inside to see that everything is OK, but there will be no full-time staff, he explained. If you design a facility to be used in worst-case scenarios, then you cannot actually have too much dependency on human beings.
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.
WORLD QUAKES LAST 2 DAYS (USGS)
Update time = Sun Feb 11 12:02 AM EDT
FEB 11,07
MAP 4.4 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 4.9 PAKISTAN
MAP 2.6 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
FEB 10,07
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.8 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.7 CENTRAL EAST PACIFIC RISE
MAP 3.4 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MAP 5.0 CHUBUT, ARGENTINA
MAP 4.5 GUAM REGION
MAP 2.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.4 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
FEB 09,07
MAP 3.1 MONA PASSAGE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 4.8 BAY OF CAMPECHE
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 2.5 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.5 MONA PASSAGE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAP 2.9 PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.0 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.4 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.2 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.6 PUERTO RICO
MAP 4.3 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.1 EASTERN TURKEY
MAP 3.3 CENTRAL ALASKA
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.
Jakarta residents survey flood damage By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 10, 4:25 AM ET
JAKARTA, Indonesia - The death toll from massive flooding in Indonesia rose to 80 on Saturday, as some 140,000 people returned to their sodden homes in the capital to clear away piles of mud and rancid debris.Rivers overflowed in some parts of the sprawling city, much of which remains under water following last week's flooding, the worst in recent memory. But electricity and phone service have been restored to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in recent days.Many returning residents who have been living in shelters or relatives' homes for days surveyed the damage to their washed out houses for the first time on Saturday.My home and everything in it was washed away, said Titi Komala, a 38-year-old widow and mother of three. Now everything is gone and I can't do anything about it. If I had money I'd move, but I have nothing.Floods in Jakarta and its surrounding cities last week killed or have been cited as a factor in the deaths of at least 57 people. Some were electrocuted but most drowned, the government said.
Twenty-three others also died in neighboring Banten and West Java provinces last week, said National Disaster Management Coordination Board deputy chief Tabrani, who goes by one name.At the peak, officials said about half of Jakarta was covered by up to 12 feet of water. Hundreds of square miles of land, mostly rice fields, surrounding the city remained inundated.Estimates of those made homeless in Jakarta topped out at more than 400,000 out of a population of 12 million. Rustam Pakaya, chief of the Health Ministry's crisis center, said about 140,000 people returned to their homes Saturday.High water levels had prevented sanitation officials from picking up the garbage that piled up in the streets of some densely packed low-income areas, mixing with the black water during overnight rain.
That has intensified fears about diseases, with the government saying three people have contracted leptospirosis, a potentially fatal disease borne by water contaminated by rat urine. So far no cases of tetanus or other serious waterborne disease have been reported.Fire-trucks will be deployed Sunday to spray disinfectant in hard-hit areas.Residents are complaining about the stench and flies, said Joko Triyanto, an official at the Jakarta Health Department, as hundreds of soldiers helped clean knee-deep mud from the streets, houses, schools and places of worship.Indonesia is hit by deadly floods each year, and Jakarta is not immune. But this year's have been particularly bad, with some 100,000 homes, shops and businesses swamped in rich and poor areas alike.The flooding in the capital has caused an estimated $460 million in damage. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this week promised to seek more funds from the state budget to cover the cost of trying to prevent similar events in the capital in the future.
Welcome rain and snow comes to the West Wayne Verno, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel FEB 1,07
West
Active weather will continue across the western states through the weekend. A flow of moisture and a series of weather disturbances will continue to spread rain and snow across parts of the west, along with mild temperatures. Periods of rain, heavy at times, will be widespread across much of central and northern California today, including the San Francisco and Sacramento areas. A few rain showers will also develop as far south as Los Angeles. Snow will be on the increase across the Sierra Nevada, where over a foot could accumulate through Sunday. Rain and snow will also spread north and east, inland, across the interior mountains, while rain showers continue across the Pacific Northwest. Steadier rains will spread north into the Pacific Northwest later on Sunday, while showers continue across California. Temperatures will range from the 50s over the Pacific Northwest to the 60s over southern California. A few 80s will dominate the interior southwestern states, with 40s common across the Great Basin.
Midwest
Much of the Midwest and Plains will remain cold into the weekend, with a possible winter storm unfolding by early next week. High pressure across the northern Plains will keep temperatures cold today, with afternoon highs ranging from the single digits and teens across Fargo, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Cleveland, to the 20s across Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Louisville. A few lake effect snow showers will also continue across Upper Michigan and northern Lower Michigan today, where a few more inches of snow will accumulate in persistent snow bands. A weak weather disturbance will also spread snow showers across the northern Plains during the afternoon, affecting areas from Rapid City to Omaha, but accumulations should be rather light. Sunday into Monday, a winter storm will begin to take shape over the southern and central Plains. Light snow and an icy mix will spread across the Plains and into the Midwest, along and north of the interstate 70 corridor, while rain and a few thunderstorms develop south through the Mississippi River Valley. Persons from Omaha and Kansas City, east through St. Louis, Louisville and Cincinnati should monitor the latest forecast Sunday into Monday.
Northeast
More lake effect snow will continue, and then all eyes will shift to a developing winter storm early next week across the Mid-Atlantic. Lake effect snow showers continue over western New York, and during the afternoon winds will once again become favorable for another persistent heavy band of lake effect snow. Where this band sets up, could see another foot or so of snow. Partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies will dominate the rest of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today, with afternoon highs ranging from the 20s from Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Burlington, to the lower and middle 30s from Boston and New York, to Washington, DC. The lake effect snow showers should begin to diminish a bit later Sunday, as winds begin to shift ahead of a developing winter storm over the central Plains. By Monday, snow will begin to spread up the Ohio Valley toward Pittsburgh, with a wintry mix possible as far east as Washington, DC. Persons across the Mid-Atlantic should monitor the latest forecast into early next week, as an area of accumulating snow and wintry precipitation will impact parts of the area.
South
Warmer temperatures are in store for the South in the coming days, along with a more active weather pattern. High pressure will build into the southern states today, resulting in fair weather conditions, but continued cool temperatures. Afternoon highs today will range from the 40s from Atlanta and Charlotte to Memphis, with 50s expected from Dallas and Houston to New Orleans. Warm temperatures in the 70s will continue across Florida. A few rain showers will begin to develop across south Texas, as moisture begins to return from the south, otherwise, dry weather conditions will dominate the South today. By Sunday, temperatures will begin to warm, as winds begin to shift to a more southerly direction. This will also allow rain showers to spread as far north as Dallas. A winter storm will begin to take shape over the southern Plains on Monday, pulling abundant moisture and warm air northward. Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop from southeast Texas, into the Mississippi River Valley. These showers and thunderstorms will spread across the Southeast Tuesday, as the storm system tracks east.
8 feet of snow in N.Y., and more coming By WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 10,07
MEXICO, N.Y. - Before weekend squalls add to the 8 feet of snow already on the ground, the communities along eastern Lake Ontario needed the dry respite they got Friday. Have to move fast. Want to at least get it off my roof, said Ray DeLong, 75, as he carved a path to his driveway with a snowblower and two contractors pushed streams of snow from the roof of his two-story home.
Snow squalls off Lake Ontario have dumped snow by the feet onto Oswego County communities since Sunday, leading Gov. Eliot Spitzer to declare a state disaster emergency.Parish and Scriba had about 8 feet of snow since the squalls started, according to the National Weather Service. Mexico Mayor Terry Grimshaw said his village was blanketed by 7 feet.On Friday, the squalls shifted south into Syracuse and stayed there, dropping 4 to 8 inches of snow.But forecasters said heavy snow bands would return to Oswego County later Friday night and likely stall there again. The forecasts call for another 6 to 12 inches, pushing the seven-day total over 100 inches.While residents enjoyed Friday's lull, snow plows were out in full force to clear roads. An advisory against any nonessential travel remained in effect for Oswego and three nearby counties. Snow banks tower nearly 10 feet tall and have narrowed roads.
Although authorities have reported few problems because of the snow, Oswego Fire Chief Ed Geers said his firefighters have had to help three ambulances that got stuck in the snow.Schools were closed the entire week. Mexico Superintendent Nelson Bauersfeld said if the district exceeds its allotted six snow days, it would have to shorten its winter or spring breaks.We try not to get into vacations if we can help it. So lets just hope once this week is over we can get back to normal and be laughing about this come June, Bauersfeld said.More than a week of bitter cold and slippery roads have contributed to at least 20 deaths across the northern quarter of the nation five in Ohio, four in Illinois, four in Indiana, two in Kentucky, two in Michigan, and one each in Wisconsin, New York and Maryland, authorities said. There have been no deaths in Oswego County related to the snow.Tennessee and northern Alabama tasted a bit of winter weather Friday morning sleet and freezing rain iced over roadways, and some precipitation briefly turned to snow.
Putin: U.S. policies create arms race By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer FEB 10,07
MUNICH, Germany - Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that the United States' increased use of military force is creating a new arms race, with smaller nations turning toward developing nuclear weapons. Speaking at a conference of the world's top security officials, including the Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, Putin said nations are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations.One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way, he told the 250 officials, including more than 40 defense and foreign ministers.
This is nourishing an arms race with the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons, Putin said, but did not elaborate on specifics and did not mention the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The Russian leader also voiced concern about U.S. plans to build a missile defense system in eastern Europe likely in Poland and the Czech Republic and the expansion of NATO as possible challenges to Russia.The process of NATO expansion has nothing to do with modernization of the alliance or with ensuring security in Europe, Putin said. On the contrary, it is a serious factor provoking reduction of mutual trust.On the missile defense system, Putin said: I don't want to accuse anyone of being aggressive but suggested it would seriously change the balance of power and could provoke an unspecified response.U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates had little to say about Putin's remarks, noting only that he was very candid.Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news, bio, voting record) said Putin's charge that the U.S. aspired to get unipolar power or acted unilaterally is just not borne out by the facts.
Even our involvement in Iraq, certainly Afghanistan, is pursuant to United Nations resolutions, said Lieberman, I-Conn. So that was provocative and wrong.Putin's spokesman Dimitry Peskov said the Russian leader did not intend to be confrontational, but acknowledged it was his harshest criticism of the United States since he was elected in March 2000.The reason for his comments is Russia's concern about the growing amount of conflicts and the malfunctioning of international law, Peskov told the AP.Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tehran needs to accept demands made by the U.N. and the International Atomic Energy Agency on its nuclear program. The United States and several of its Western allies believe that Iran is using the nuclear program to produce an atomic weapon.There is no way around this, Merkel said. What we are talking about here is a very, very sensitive technology, and for that reason we need a high degree of transparency which Iran has failed to provide and if Iran does not do so, then the alternative for Iran is to slip further into isolation.On the sidelines of the conference, Larijani defended his country's nuclear program as peaceful, saying: We are no threat to our region or other countries, while indicating a willingness to return to negotiations.
We are prepared to work together with other countries for a comprehensive peace, he said.Heading into the conference, Larijani said he planned to use the gathering as an opportunity to discuss Iran's nuclear program the first talks with Western officials since limited U.N. sanctions were imposed in December.The annual Munich Conference on Security Policy, now in its 43rd year, often is used as an opportunity for informal diplomacy. Merkel, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, emphasized the international community's support for Israel and said there was a unified resolve to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The conference this year focuses on Global Crises Global Responsibilities, looking at NATO's changing role, the Middle East peace process, the West's relations with Russia and the fight against terrorism. Some 3,500 police were on hand to keep some 1,300 protesters in check, officials said. Scattered arrests were reported, but police said there were no major incidents. Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Slobodan Lekic contributed to this report.
Clashes by Jerusalem holy site continue By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer FEB 10,07
JERUSALEM - Palestinian teenagers threw rocks at Israeli police and attacked a Canadian tourist bus Saturday in a new wave of protests against Israeli construction work near a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site. The violence came a day after police stormed the disputed compound in the Old City, using tear gas and stun grenades to disperse Muslims, who rioted after Friday prayers. Protests against the construction have spread throughout the Muslim world, where demonstrators accused Israel of plotting to harm Islamic shrines.Israel denies the repair work and accompanying excavations will come anywhere near the compound, known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims.Sporadic violence continued Saturday as Palestinian teenagers set large garbage containers on fire in the streets of east Jerusalem just outside the Old City and threw rocks at police nearby. Some of the rocks smashed the windows of cars parked on the side of the road. They also set fire to an Israeli flag. Other small protests broke out inside the Old City, police said.
The police, some on horseback and others in riot gear, responded by firing tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested 15.Angry Palestinians also pelted a bus carrying vacationing Canadians on a tour of the Mount of Olives holy site in east Jerusalem.We were just driving and all of a sudden a bunch of kids started picking up rocks and whatever they could get their hands on and started throwing it at the bus, said Dave Wood, one of the tourists. This is our first day in the Holy City and it was quite disturbing to say the least.A police station in east Jerusalem was also stoned, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. No one was injured in the incidents Saturday, he said.Police kept a beefed-up force in the city and maintained restrictions at the holy site, barring all Muslim men under the age of 45 from praying there Saturday.In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers, the army said. The soldiers arrested 30 Palestinians, the army said.
In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinian youths threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets, witnesses said. Six protesters were treated for gas inhalation, medical officials said.There were fears the violence could escalate and spread throughout the West Bank.On Friday, about 200 riot police streamed onto the compound and scuffled with some of the 3,000 Muslim worshippers there. Clouds of tear gas rose into the sky and sharp booms pierced the air. Outside the compound, hundreds of teenagers hurled stones, iron bars, vegetables and at least one firebomb at police, authorities said. Police responded with stun grenades.The compound a catalyst for earlier rounds of Israel-Palestinian fighting is home to the golden-capped Dome of the Rock shrine and Al Aqsa mosque and is believed to be the site where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is the third-holiest site in Islam.Jews venerate the compound as the site of their biblical temples, and one of its outer walls known as the Western Wall is the holiest site in Judaism.
The Israelis say the purpose of the construction project is to build a new walkway leading to the holy site to replace a ramp that was damaged in a snowstorm three years ago.But the Palestinians have expressed fears that the excavations under way are actually attempts to tunnel under the compound and damage their holy shrines.Israeli officials reject that accusation and say they are not digging under the compound, or even close to it. They insist that the replacement of a ramp would not harm the holy site about 200 feet away. The Arab League chief said Saturday the dig reflects Israeli attempts to tighten control over Jerusalem and urged the international community to intercede. There are plans to change the features of the city, Amr Moussa said in a statement distributed to the Arab representatives at an emergency League meeting in Cairo. The statement said the construction is threatening the security and stability in the region.Jordan and Egypt — Israel's sole Arab peace partners and key U.S. allies in the region — have demanded the Jewish state stop the work, as did Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. Malaysia, which chairs the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference, urged the international community to intervene immediately to stop the illegal activities.
Associated Press writer Maggie Michael in Cairo contributed to this report.
Palestinian leaders aim to sell new deal By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 10, 7:04 AM ET
JERUSALEM - Palestinian leaders fanned out across the world Saturday in a diplomatic blitz aimed at convincing reticent world leaders to support their hard-won power-sharing deal by lifting economic sanctions on their government.
The envoys may have a hard sell.
Western governments and Israel have given only muted reactions to the agreement signed Thursday by Hamas and Fatah leaders in the holy Saudi city of Mecca. International leaders said they would have to first study the deal and see how it changes the situation on the ground, dashing hopes for a quick end to the sanctions.The Quartet of Mideast mediators — the U.S., the U.N., Russia and the European Union — had demanded that the militant Hamas group, which won Palestinian parliamentary elections last year, recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and accept past peace deals.The Mecca deal says only that the new government pledges to respect the previous deals. It makes no reference to recognizing Israel or renouncing violence and appears to fall short of the Quartet's demands.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate Fatah leader who pushed for a deal for months, is hoping that personal diplomacy with every member of the Quartet will build momentum for his cause to end the embargo imposed on the Palestinian Authority after Hamas' election.The embargo has frozen roughly $1 billion in annual foreign aid and about $500 million in tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians, crippling the Palestinian government's ability to function.
We are trying to market the (Mecca) agreement and get international support for it, Abbas aide Nabil Amr said Saturday.Abbas is sending Amr to Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, for talks on the agreement. Amr will then head to Belgium to meet with Javier Solana, the EU's chief foreign policy envoy, Amr said.We urge the officials in Europe to exert efforts to lift the siege imposed on the government, he said.Abbas, who has held rounds of telephone talks with Arab leaders in recent days to try to rally them to his side, will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Jordan on Monday, Amr said. Abbas also plans to head to Egypt for talks before returning to the West Bank.On Friday, soon after the deal was reached, Abbas aides Saeb Erekat and Yasser Abed Rabbo met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington before heading to New York for a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.Abed Rabbo said Rice told him the agreement was unclear on key issues and she was skeptical Hamas would abide by it, but she would wait to see how it was carried out on the ground. America wanted the new government to stop Gaza militants from launching rockets at Israel, prevent other attacks and respect previously signed agreements, he said.The Americans are worried that Hamas will not succeed in this test, he said.
Some analysts said the United States was waiting for Israel to decide how to react to the agreement before it would decide what to do. Israel said it would not have an official response until its weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday.Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Avigdor Lieberman, of the hard-line Yisrael Beiteinu party, told the German weekly Der Spiegel that he feared Hamas could be rewarded for the agreement, even though it did not give in to the international demands to moderate itself.I am worried that a Palestinian government of national unity will give Hamas the international legitimacy that it so far has lacked — without it recognizing Israel or ending the tactics of terror against us, he was quoted as saying in an interview published Saturday.Hamas, listed as a terror group by Israel, the United States and the EU, is responsible for scores of deadly suicide bombings in Israel. Previous efforts to form a national unity government have foundered, though none have ever come this far. Still, there were fears that the new deal could unravel in coming weeks as the two sides choose ministers for the government. Though Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, of Hamas, has five weeks to put together a Cabinet, Abbas wants him to finish the job as soon as possible, hopefully within a week, Amr said.
There are not a lot of issues to discuss because the main issues were agreed to in Mecca, he said.
It was also not clear whether Hamas and Fatah militants, whose running street battles in Gaza have killed over 130 people since May, will abide by the deal.
No deal yet in tough North Korea nuclear talks by Jun Kwanwoo and Shigemi Sato FEB 10,07
BEIJING (AFP) - Six-nation talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear programme failed to strike a deal as the US chief negotiator said only one sticking point remained. Despite a flurry of bilateral and multi-party meetings on a Chinese draft agreement, talks broke for the night with a long-awaited deal still tantalisingly out of reach.Discussions centred on the host's draft accord outlining steps the five parties would take in order for North Korea to disarm, including the aid package for Pyongyang.Chief US negotiator Christopher Hill said: There is just one paragraph that keeps on being reworked.It's very tough to predict success, the envoy told reporters at the end of the day. I'm dealing with a tough issue in this tough part of the world.He said that the remaining sticking point is basically an issue between North Korea and the five others.But we're gonna stay with this. It may take another day or two to get through this, Hill added. The problem is with North Korea. They want precise measurement of how we go.
Chief Japanese delegate Kenichiro Sasae said: There are differences of opinion among the five nations, but there are greater differences between the five nations and North Korea.Japan has vowed not to extend aid to North Korea unless there is progress on the unresolved question of Japanese who were kidnapped by the communist state in the 1970s and 1980s and are presumed to still live there.
South Korean chief negotiator Chun Yung-Woo told reporters: We still do not know when the egg can hatch. But we can confirm that it will not be an unfertilised egg, he said, referring to an agreement that has eluded the parties since late 2005.The contentious points have boiled down to one or two things. All participating countries do not easily agree on the issues because of their conflicting interest, said Chun.Under the draft agreement, North Korea would close its main nuclear-related facilities, including a five-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, within two months in return for alternative energy sources, press reports said.A South Korean official told reporters that he could not confirm reports that North Korea had demanded large amounts of energy aid.
Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that North Korea had demanded two million tonnes of fuel oil and two million kilowatts of electricity in exchange for initial steps towards abandonment of its nuclear programs.US officials described the agreement as very different from the nuclear freeze the Clinton administration negotiated in 1994, The New York Times said.This is the Libya model, The Times quotes one senior official as saying, referring to Libya's decision in late 2003 to turn over all the equipment it had purchased from a secret nuclear network run by a Pakistani scientist.In that agreement, both the Libyans and the United States took a series of steps that eventually rid the country of nuclear technology and ended its isolation.Saturday was spent in a whirlwind of meetings at the Diaoyutai Guest House in western Beijing, scene of all six-party talks since they began in 2003.
Envoys refused to give specifics about the Chinese draft accord, but said it sought to begin implementing a six-party agreement reached in September 2005. That deal fell through within just two months over North Korean objections to US financial sanctions imposed against it for alleged money laundering and counterfeiting. In the agreement, North Korea agreed to scrap its nuclear programme in return for security guarantees, energy benefits and aid. The potential breakthrough this week comes after North Korea conducted its first atomic test in October last year, an event it said confirmed its status as a global nuclear power, but which also drew United Nations sanctions. The six-party forum began in 2003 with the aim of convincing North Korea to disarm. But it has seen many false dawns and failed to stop the regime from conducting its atomic test.
Dodge joins G7 chorus of concern over currency bets 1 hour, FEB 10,07
ESSEN, Germany (Reuters) - Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge cautioned investors on Saturday against laying one-way bets on any currency, joining a chorus of voices by Group of Seven policymakers concerned that markets will take a hit when the Japanese economy gains strength.
Clearly, we do want markets to be aware of the risks of taking one-way bets on anything and so it's there, quite clearly, to say that, Dodge told reporters, referring to the communique issued by Group of Seven finance ministers in Essen, Germany.Very simply, don't take a one-way bet on where any particular currency or pair of currency relationship is going, he said.Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he was encouraged to see that global growth was more balanced and that the G7 members agreed to push ahead with plans to deliberates securities trade.
Merkel says world determined to stop Iran having nuclear weapons by Guy Jackson Sat Feb 10, 8:20 AM ET
MUNICH, Germany (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the international community was resolved to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We are all determined to prevent the threat of an Iran with a military nuclear programme, Merkel said in a speech Saturday to the Munich Conference on Security Policy.Merkel said the Islamic republic must conform with international demands to stop enriching uranium without ifs and buts and without tricks.What we are talking about here is a very, very sensitive technology and so we need a high degree of transparency, which Iran has failed to provide, and if Iran does not do this it risks falling deeper into isolation, Merkel said.Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani is attending the annual high-level gathering and will give a speech on Sunday.Larijani has said he will also meet European officials in Munich, who, it is believed, will try to get Iran to re-engage in talks over its nuclear programme.
He will have his first meeting in five months with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, but Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach dampened hopes of a major step forward.There will be no breakthrough. It will be an opportunity for an exchange of views, she told AFP.Larijani struck a defiant tone as he arrived in Germany, saying Iran's nuclear activties were under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency and that the country was committed to its engagements under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.Iran is following a clear path in its nuclear activities and this not hidden to anyone, he told the Iranian state agency IRNA.Iran rejects a UN Security Council resolution of December 23 which imposed limited sanctions to force it to stop enriching uranium.Uranium enrichment uses centrifuges to make fuel for civilian nuclear reactors but can also be used to make material for bombs, although Iran denies it is developing nuclear weapons.
In Iran itself, hundreds of thousands of people were to rally on Sunday in an annual show of support for the Islamic revolution, with the country's leaders promising a major announcement which was expected to focus on the achievement of a new stage in uranium enrichment.In a sign of the continuing divisions between the international community over how to handle Iran, President Vladimir Putin defended Russia's friendship with Iran which includes the ongoing construction of a nuclear power station at Bushehr.We don't want Iran to feel cornered in a hostile environment. They should understand that they have some friends, Putin said in response to questions from US politicians after his speech to the Munich conference.We must all be patient and offer Iran incentives and show their leaders that it is best to avoid confrontation with the international community.
Doomsday vault design unveiled By Mark Kinver
Science and nature reporter, BBC News FEB 10,07
The final design for a doomsday vault that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops has been unveiled by the Norwegian government. The Svalbard International Seed Vault will be built into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole. The vault aims to safeguard the world's agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change.
Construction begins in March, and the seed bank is scheduled to open in 2008. The Norwegian government is paying the $5m (£2.5m) construction costs of the vault, which will have enough space to house three million seed samples. The collection and maintenance of the collection is being organised by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which has responsibility of ensuring the conservation of crop diversity in perpetuity. We want a safety net because we do not want to take too many chances with crop biodiversity, said Cary Fowler, the Trust's executive director. Can you imagine an effective, efficient, sustainable response to climate change, water shortages, food security issues without what is going to go in the vault - it is the raw material of agriculture.
Future proof
The seed vault will be built 120m (364ft) inside a mountain on Spitsbergen, one of four islands that make up Svalbard. Dr Fowler said Svalbard, 1,000km (621 miles) north of mainland Norway, was chosen as the location for the vault because it was very remote and it also offered the level of stability required for the long-term project. We looked very far into the future. We looked at radiation levels inside the mountain, and we looked at the area's geological structure, he told BBC News. We also modelled climate change in a drastic form 200 years into future, which included the melting of ice sheets at the North and South Poles, and Greenland, to make sure that this site was above the resulting water level.By building the vault deep inside the mountain, the surrounding permafrost would continue to provide natural refrigeration if the mechanical system failed, explained Dr Fowler.
Living Fort Knox
The Arctic vault will act as a back-up store for a global network of seed banks financially supported by the trust. Dr Fowler said that a proportion of the seeds housed at these banks would be deposited at Svalbard, which will act as a living Fort Knox. Although the vault was designed to protect the specimens from catastrophic events, he added that it could also be used to replenish national seed banks. One example happened in September when a typhoon ripped through the Philippines and destroyed its seed bank, Dr Fowler recalled. The storm brought two feet of water and mud into the bank, and that is the last thing you want in a seed bank.
Low maintenance
Once inside the vault, the samples will be stored at -18C (0F). The length of time that seeds kept in a frozen state maintain their ability to germinate depends on the species. The Arctic conditions will help keep the seeds in a frozen state Some crops, such as peas, may only survive for 20-30 years. Others, such as sunflowers and grain crops, are understood to last for many decades or even hundreds of years. Once the collection has been established at Svalbard, Dr Fowler said the facility would operate with very little human intervention. Somebody will go up there once every year to physically check inside to see that everything is OK, but there will be no full-time staff, he explained. If you design a facility to be used in worst-case scenarios, then you cannot actually have too much dependency on human beings.
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