IRAN TO BUILD 1ST BOMB FEBRUARY 2009

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http://news.yahoo.com/video/1874;_ylt=A0wNcxFdg6xIgbkAwD6z174F

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http://news.yahoo.com/video/2461

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HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

DOCTOR DOCTORIAN FROM ANGEL OF GOD
then the angel said, Financial crisis will come to Asia. I will shake the world.

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

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

WORLD MARKET RESULTS
http://money.cnn.com/data/world_markets/

HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS FRI OCT 24,2008

09:30 AM -167.10
10:00 AM -325.60
10:30 AM -434.37
11:00 AM -335.48
11:30 AM -258.93
12:00 PM -264.95
12:30 PM -342.72
01:00 PM -348.94
01:30 PM -309.51
02:00 PM -439.34
02:30 PM -383.03
03:00 PM -224.85
03:30 PM -183.27
04:00 PM -312.30 8378.95

S&P 500 876.77 -31.34

NAS 1552.03 -51.88

GOLD 733.0 +18.3

OIL 64.80 -3.04

TSE 300 -120.09 9,211.26

CDNX -27.04 830.96

S&P/TSX 60 -6.54 555.98

HANG SENG -1,142.11

NIKKEI -811.90

TRADER TALK TODAY

-No Capitulation breeds frustration.
-Buyers waiting for sellers.
-Unwind of carry trade disrupts Currencies.
-Watching emerging Markets.

Analysts were expecting a gigantic drop at the open,never happened.
Nasdaq opens down 6.2% or at Limit Down.
At open markets plunge less then 500 points.
At 9:40 AM Dow down -449 points.
Dow below 8300 points at 9:40 AM.

NEW LOWS TO BREACH OCT 10 LOW/SUPPORT

-Dow has to fall 809 points or 9.3%.
-The SPX has to fall 69 points or 7.6%.
-Next support could be 10 to 20% lower if breached.

FUTURES LIMITS

-Limit extended to 10% at open.
-Trading halted for 2 minutes if reached.
-Limit then extended to 20%.
-Trading halted for 2 minutes if reched.
-Limit then extended to 30%.

NYSE CIRCUIT BREAKER

-1100 point Dow drop.
-Before 2PM: 1 hour trading halt.
-2-2:30PM: 30 minute trading halt.
-3PM or Later: No trading halt.

-290 was the least Dow was down as of 10:15AM.
-450 was the worst Dow was down as of 10:15AM.

Dows low today was 503 points so far.
All 30 Dow stocks lower today so far.
Dow has not closed below 8000 points since March 31,2003.
Dow intraday low s 7882 on Oct 10,08.
S&P intraday low is 839 on Oct 10,08
NYSE companies:NEW LOWS 732,NEW HIGHS 4.
NASDAQ dips below OCT 10,08 lows.
Volatility index reaches all time high of 89.

Argenina,Hungary,Indonesia and Turkey all are spending alot of their reserves to support their currencies that are in a free-fall today.
Hungary,Ukraine,Belarus are all in talks with the IMF for possible loans.
Chrysler to cut 1/4 or 25% it salary workforce in November.
On Nov 1,08 OPEC cuts 1.5 million barrels of Oil a day.
Crude Oil down more than $40 a barrel in the last month.

APR 1 - OCT 17,08 the Dows down 28%,but in the last hour of trading in that span its down 13%,almost half the drop came in the last hour of trading.

OILS ECONOMIC STIMULUS

-Oil price down $20/Barrel=Down $635 Billion energy spending.
-US retail gas price down $0.01=$1 Billion in consumers hands.

TODAYS MARKETS WRAPUP

-Stocks tumble on Global recession fears.
-European stocks at 5 year lows.
-Paris CAC 40 down 3.5% today.
-Russian stocks plunge 13.7% today.
-Russian Rouble at 2 year low.
-Asian stocks plunge.
-Japanese Yen at 13 year high verses the dollar.
-UKS ftse down 5% today.
-Germanys DAX down 5% today.
Nas fell 6.9% at days low.
Nas down 3.2% today.
Nas drops 9.3% this week.
Nas drops 25.8% in October.
S&P fell 6% at days low.
S&P down 3.5% today.
S&P fell 6.8% this week.
S&P down 24.8% in October.
Dow fell 6% at days low.
Dow down 3.5% today.
Dow fall 5.4% this week.
Dow down 22.8% in October.
All 30 Dow stocks down today.
Major averages hit fresh 5 1/2 year lows before cutting losses.
Crude down 4% today.
Stocks have dropped 4 times in the last 5 weeks.

TIPS

IF OBAMA WINS
-Own Generik drugs.
-own Hospital Management Companies.
-Own Clean energy Companies.
-Own Natural Gas.
-Own Wind,Solar.
If Democrates get 60 seats in the Senate,they will pass a big package and quickly including higher Taxes.

IF MCCAIN WINS
-Own Big Oil.
-Own Coal.
-Own Big Pharma.
-Own Dividend Payers.

Shock and fear gripped the market before the beggining of trading today.

LUKE 21:25
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)

Stocks fall on belief global recession is at hand OCT 24 4:50PM
By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer

AP – A couple of brokers take a break outside the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Oct. 24, 2008 in New York. … NEW YORK – Wall Street capped another difficult week with steep losses Friday, sending the major indexes to their lowest levels in more than five years as markets around the world skidded lower on the belief that a punishing economic recession is at hand.It was a dramatic, fractious day on the Street, with the Dow Jones industrials falling more than 500 points soon after trading began and, following the pattern of recent sessions, recovering ground only to fall sharply again. They ended the day with a loss of 312.The pullback on Wall Street wasn't as steep as some observers had feared after stocks plunged overseas in response to another round of grim corporate news. A profit warning Friday from electronics maker Sony sent its shares tumbling in Japan and offered only the latest example that companies are girding for a slowing economy and a pullback among consumers worried about falling home prices and losses on their investments.And in Germany, Daimler's stock fell sharply after the automaker reported lower third-quarter earnings and abandoned its 2008 profit and revenue forecast. That followed news in the U.S. late Thursday from Microsoft Corp., which issued a weaker-than-expected forecast for its fiscal second quarter, pointing to the economy.

People have been saying that we're in a recession. This is the realization, said Scott Fullman, director of derivatives investment strategy for WJB Capital Group in New York.It is clear that many investors are convinced the world economy is headed for a severe downturn even as governments have raced to jump-start credit markets on the hope that a return of more normal lending levels by banks and other financial houses will fan economic activity.But some say the recent pullbacks have been set off by forced selling, keeping some bargain-seeking traders from entering the market.

There's nothing new going on, said Scott Bleier, president of market advisory service CreateCapital.com. This is all about the unwinding of massive leverage.

Bleier attributed the declines to margin calls and investors in hedge funds and mutual funds cashing out. A margin call occurs when investors are forced to sell holdings, like stock, to raise cash at the demands of brokers.Market participants' fear is not that the economy is slowing, he said. The fear is there is an endless supply of things for sale, regardless of price.Steve Gross, principal at alternative investment and advisory firm Penso Capital Markets, said most large hedge funds have already slashed their positions. Instead, he sees a lack of demand: There are no buyers at all.Investors were nervous going into the session after U.S. stock futures — the bets traders place on where the market will go — fell so sharply before Friday's opening bell that selling halts were imposed.By the close, according to preliminary calculations, the Dow fell 312.30, or 3.59 percent, to 8,378.95 after falling 504 in the early going. Still, the blue chips remained above the 8,000 level; at its recent low of Oct. 10, the Dow traded as low as 7,882.51.Broader stock indicators also fell. The S&P 500 index declined 31.34, or 3.45 percent, to 876.77, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 51.88, or 3.23 percent, to 1,552.03.Friday's finish was the lowest for the Dow since April 25, 2003, when it ended at 8,306.35. For the S&P, it was the lowest ending since April 11, 2003 when the index finished at 868.30.The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 18.80, or 3.84 percent, to 471.12.Declining issues outpaced advancers by about 5 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.58 billion shares.Friday was the 79th anniversary of the day that, according to many market historians, the October 1929 stock market crash began. Selling began on Thursday, Oct. 24, and accelerated the following week on the days that have since become known as Black Monday and Black Tuesday, Oct 28 and 29. For the week, the Dow fell 5.35 percent, the S&P 500 lost 6.78 percent and the Nasdaq fell 9.31 percent.

Wall Street set for plunge on recession fears,Dow index futures drop 550 points, maximum allowed price change,Gloomy outlook for U.S. markets

Oct. 24: The Dow futures drop dramatically as overseas markets tumble on growing fears of a looming global recession. CNBC’s Erin Burnett reports from the New York Stock Exchange.

Historic bear markets
Our current stock slide joins the list of most notable bear markets in the past 80 years. BREAKING NEWS - NEW YORK - Wall Street headed for another precipitous drop Friday as fears of a punishing global recession stirred panic among investors and sent world financial markets into a tailspin. The Dow Jones industrial average futures were down 550 points, triggering a freeze in selling.The massive decline was caused by increasingly grim news from overseas. In Japan, shares of Sony sank more than 14 percent after it slashed its earnings forecast for the fiscal year. In Germany, Daimler’s stock dropped 11.4 percent in morning trading after it reported lower third-quarter earnings and abandoned its 2008 profit and revenue guidance.

Japan’s Nikkei stock average fell a staggering 9.60 percent. In Europe, Germany’s benchmark DAX index was down a massive 10.76 percent, France’s CAC40 was down 10 percent while Britain’s FTSE 100 was 8.67 percent lower after third quarter GDP fell 0.5 percent, putting the country on the brink of recession.The dour outlook convinced investors that the world economy is headed for a long and severe downturn despite a raft of government rescue efforts aimed at pulling the financial system from the brink. It also indicated that the tremors caused by the global credit crisis may have only begun to be felt in their true scope and magnitude.Fearing more carnage in world equity markets, big hedge funds and other institutional investors have been pulling out their money en masse in a bid to reduce risk and raise cash — moves that only intensify the selling.Ahead of the market’s open, Dow Jones industrial average futures fell the maximum allowed limit of 550, or 6.27 percent, to 8,224. That triggered circuit breakers that automatically freeze selling until the market’s 9:30 a.m. EDT open. However, traders can still buy stocks and send the market higher. Selling eased slightly later in the morning, leaving Dow futures 548 points lower.The Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures was also down the maximum allowed 60 points, or 6.56, to 855.20, and the Nasdaq 100 index futures was down 85.00, or 6.20 percent, to 1,175.75.On Thursday, the Dow rose 172 points as investors went looking for bargains after two days of selling. Analysts have predicted that trading will remain volatile for the foreseeable future while investors test whether or not the market has hit a bottom.Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 8.3 percent to 12,618. Markets in India, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were also down sharply as investors bailed from emerging markets to cut their exposure to risky assets and meet redemption needs at home.The sudden gloom over growth expectations is having the added impact of putting small economies and currencies under extreme pressure. Investors are pulling money out of countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia on fears vulnerable countries will not only be hit hard by the financial crisis but may also default on debt. Tell us your retirement story How has the economic downturn affected your retirement plans? Are you putting less – or more – money in your retirement account? We are interested in your situation for an upcoming story.

In Europe, for example, Hungary, Ukraine and Belarus are all, like Iceland, in talks with the IMF to discuss possible loans.Meanwhile, credit markets remained tight but still much improved from where they were last week. The three-month bill, regarded as the safest assets around, yielded 0.95 percent, up slightly from 0.94 percent late Thursday. Last week the yield was at 0.20 percent, indicating investors were willing to trade the slimmest of returns for a safe place to keep their money.The U.S. dollar, meanwhile, plunged below 93 yen, a 13-year low, as traders reacted to dismal U.S. jobs data that spurred speculation the Federal Reserve might cut interest rates. Meanwhile, gold prices plunged.Light, sweet crude was down $4.09 to $64.37 premarket electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The sell-off, another sign that investors fear a severe recession, came despite OPEC’s announcement that it will cut production by 1.5 million barrels a day in a bid to shore up sagging prices.

States call for IMF critical role in crisis OCT 24,08 8:45 AM

BEIJING – Asian and European leaders meeting in China's capital will demand that the International Monetary Fund play a critical role in helping countries hardest-hit by the global financial meltdown, according a draft statement seen by The Associated Press on Friday.The IMF, along with other international financial institutions, should act now to help stabilize struggling banks and plunging share prices, said the draft, which is to be issued at the end of the two-day Asia-Europe Meeting of 43 world leaders that opened in Beijing on Friday.The gathering seeks to build consensus on handling the crisis ahead of a Nov. 15 meeting of the 20 largest economies in Washington D.C.Leaders agreed that the IMF should play a critical role in assisting countries seriously affected by the crisis, upon their request, the draft said.If adopted, the statement would be among the strong calls yet for a leading role in the crisis for the Washington-based IMF.Countries as disparate as Hungary, Ukraine, Iceland and Pakistan have already turned to the fund, known as the international lender of last resort, for helping bridging their liquidity crunches.

The draft statement says leaders agreed to undertake effective and comprehensive reform of the international monetary and financial systems.They agreed to quickly take appropriate initiatives in this respect, in consultation with all stakeholders and the relevant international financial institution, the statement says.In remarks Friday to the meeting's opening session, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he hoped Asia would support Europe's proposals on redrawing the system of international capitalism at the Washington meeting.Europe is going to act in a united way, and we will submit proposals that we have developed together. Europe would like Asia to support our efforts and would like to make sure that on the 15th of November we can face the world together and say that the causes of this unprecedented crisis will never be able to happen again, Sarkozy said.

World markets slump on recession fears By CARLO PIOVANO, AP Business Writer OCT 24,08

AP – An employee of the Korea Stock Exchange works in front of a screen that shows the falling Korean benchmark … LONDON – World stock markets tumbled Friday on growing alarm that a global recession will ravage corporate profits and push smaller developing economies to the brink of collapse.Futures indicated a sharp drop on Wall Street, with futures down 550 points, the maximum daily price change.In the European morning, Germany's benchmark DAX index was down a massive 10.76 percent at 4,033.27. The French CAC40 down 10 percent at 2979.95 while Britain's FTSE 100 was 8.67 percent lower at 3,733.33 after third quarter GDP fell 0.5 percent, putting the country on the brink of recession, which is technically defined as two quarters of negative growth. The previous quarter's growth was 0.0 percent.Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average slid 9.6 percent to 7,649. U.S. stock index futures were down sharply. On Thursday, the Dow rose 2 percent to 8,691.25.Quarterly earnings have been poor so far, with profit warnings coming thick and fast across all industries. Shares in Europe's automotive companies fell hard on worrying third quarter figures, with truck-maker Volvo AB down 19 percent and PSA Peugeot-Citroen falling 12.4 percent. Daimler AG and Fiat Spa also warned about profits.But heavy industry was not the only sector to feel the pain, with the likes of Sony also warning of tough times ahead. Its shares slid 14 percent in Asia.The sudden gloom over growth expectations is having the added impact of putting small economies and currencies under extreme pressure. Investors are pulling money out of countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia on fears vulnerable countries will not only be hit hard by the financial crisis but may also default on debt.Periods of panic punctuated by occasional calm appears to be the manner of things for now, said Daragh Maher at Calyon.He said that as investors flee economies they view as less stable, the repatriation of money has boosted the dollar to the detriment of smaller currencies.

For now this means much of the focus is on the International Monetary Fund and what it might have in mind to insulate emerging markets, given that they are now the clearest pressure point, said Maher.Markets are afraid that the world may see more countries go the way of Iceland, whose economy effectively collapsed this month after its financial sector went bankrupt.In Europe, for example, Hungary, Ukraine and Belarus are all, like Iceland, in talks with the IMF to discuss possible loans.

The euro, which investors consider very exposed to the vulnerable Eastern European markets, fell to a two-year low against the dollar, dipping below the US$1.25 level. The British pound dropped to US$1.5264 against the dollar, the weakest since August 2002.The dollar fell against the yen, however, as low as 90.89 yen, the weakest since August 1995. This is because the yen is used a currency to fund riskier investments — it is sold to raise cash to put in higher growth areas. When investors are scared of losing money in emerging markets, they undo those trades, buying the yen back. This flow intensified Friday, leading some to wonder whether governments and central banks may intervene in foreign exchange markets.We are getting used to wild swings in the markets, but today's moves verge on the bizarre, said Julian Jessop, chief international economist at Capital Economics.He said direct intervention in currency markets could be warranted, since a rate cut by the central bank to support stock markets would do little, considering Japan's interest rates are already at just 0.5 percent.Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 8.3 percent to 12,618. Markets in India, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were also down sharply as investors bailed from emerging markets to cut their exposure to risky assets and meet redemption needs at home.Funds are pouring out of emerging markets, said Linus Yip, a strategist at First Shanghai Securities in Hong Kong. A lot of money that flowed into the region during the last five years from the U.S. and Europe is being cashed out. On top of all this, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Friday cut its output by 1.5 million barrels a day as of next month in an effort to keep oil prices higher. Light, sweet crude for December delivery today traded around US$64 a barrel, over 50 percent less than this year's historic heights because the worldwide economic crisis has put a huge crimp in demand for crude. Lower energy costs help economic growth at a difficult time, so the production cut's effort to boost oil prices was not welcomed by stock markets. AP writer Alex Kennedy in Singapore, Shino Yuasa in Tokyo and Kelly Olsen in Seoul contributed to this report.

OPEC agrees output cut, oil slide goes on By Peg Mackey and Michael Georgy OCT 24 8:30AM

VIENNA (Reuters) - An emergency OPEC meeting on Friday reached swift agreement to chop production by 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) as a first step toward halting a deep oil price slide.International benchmark U.S. crude has slumped by well over 50 percent from a record high of $147.27 hit in July. On Friday, it fell again to just over $63 a barrel.The decision was straightforward, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said after the meeting.OPEC will do whatever is necessary to balance oil markets.

Before the roughly two hours of talks, which ended just before noon, ministers had been in broad agreement about the need to reduce production, but had disagreed over the extent of any cut.They said they had to balance their own needs with those of a flailing world economy.Any cut should not affect the global (financial) market, said Kuwaiti Oil Minister Mohammed al-Olaim, adding the reduction would be a wise cut.

Kuwait and other core Gulf producers, which have relatively low price requirements and are nervous about further destruction of demand in consumer countries, had favored a relatively modest output reduction of around a million bpd, delegates said.

Venezuela, Iran and Libya, which are more dependent on higher oil revenues, were among those who had pushed for a deeper cut, with some asking for around 2 million bpd.The two sides met in the middle. They also said they could take further action if necessary before the next scheduled meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in December in Oran, Algeria.If a further decision has to be made, it will be made and we will not necessarily wait for the Oran meeting, said OPEC President Chakib Khelil who will host the Algeria meeting.

SAUDI SETS THE PACE

Top exporter Saudi Arabia is the only exporter to be pumping significantly above its agreed target and it would be expected to lead the reduction in supplies.But it has repeatedly said other countries must play their part.Of the 1.5 million bpd being removed from the September output target of 28.8 million bpd, Saudi Arabia would pump 466,000 bpd less and Iran 199,000 bpd, OPEC said in a communique.When prices were racing toward their July record, Saudi Arabia unilaterally increased its production to try to calm a rally, which was then perceived as out of control.It has already reduced supplies slightly as global economic recession has destroyed demand and the oil price has plummeted, reviving bad memories for OPEC of the 1998 price crash when the market fell below $10.Venezuelan Minister of Energy and Petroleum Rafael Ramirez said there was a risk oil could fall back to that level.We have to handle the situation in a very, very responsible manner as OPEC.... that way we can avoid a price collapse like 1998, he said.In the near term, analysts have said whatever the group does it could struggle to influence the price.One and a half million barrels per day may not have too much of an effect, said a London-based analyst who asked not to be named.Two million would maybe have a more psychological impact, but I still don't know if it would help the price to increase.(Additional reporting by Sylvia Westall, Luke Pachymuthu and Rania El Gamal; writing by Barbara Lewis, editing by William Hardy)(OPEC newsroom)

US dollar falls to 95.32 yen, lowest in 13 years OCT 24,08

TOKYO – The U.S. dollar has fallen to its lowest level against the Japanese yen in 13years.In afternoon trading in Tokyo Friday, the dollar sank as low as 95.32 yen, the lowest since August 1995.Traders said the dollar is being pressured on worries about a recession in the U.S. economy amid the unfolding financial crisis.Dollar-selling also intensified amid speculation that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates again to shore up the sagging U.S. economy.A strong yen hurts Japanese exporters by eroding their overseas earnings when converted back to yen.

Asian stocks sink; Sony drops on earnings revision By ALEX KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer OCT 24,08

AP – Pedestrians are reflected on an electric market board in Tokyo, Friday, Oct. 24, 2008. Japanese shares … SINGAPORE – Asian stocks tumbled for a third day Friday on persistent worries that a global recession will eat into corporate profits. Shares of Sony plunged more than 12 percent after it slashed its earnings forecast for the fiscal year.Sony's news was yet another indicator that the global economy is really slowing, said Yutaka Miura, senior strategist at Shinko Securities in Tokyo. The revision had a very negative impact on other tech-related stocks, such as Panasonic Corp.Investors remain worried over growing uncertainty about the state of the global economy, Miura said.Asian markets seemed to shrug off a rebound in European markets and the Dow Jones industrial average on Thursday. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average was down more than 7 percent to 7,847 in afternoon trading — a 5 1/2-year low — while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 4.6 percent to 13,125.The dollar, meanwhile, fell to a 13-year low in Tokyo trading amid worries about a slowdown in the U.S. economy. The dollar sank to 95.32 yen, the lowest since August 1995.The stronger yen is hurting Japanese exports, which is a big part of that country's economy, said Linus Yip, a strategist at First Shanghai Securities in Hong Kong.South Korea's stock market fell sharply for a second day as figures showed the economy there was slowing. The Kospi was down nearly 9 percent to 9,550, falling below the 10,000 mark for the first time in more than three years.Economic growth in South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy, was measured at 3.9 percent in third quarter, the slowest since the second quarter of 2005.Markets in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were also down sharply as investors bailed from emerging markets around the world to cut their exposure to risky assets and meet redemption needs at home.

On Thursday, key indices in Russia, Brazil and Mexico also fell.

Funds are pouring out of emerging markets, Yip said. A lot of money that flowed into the region during the last five years from the U.S. and Europe is being cashed out. The global crisis has come to Asia.Electronics giant Sony Corp. plummeted 12.4 percent to 2,005 yen after it cut its annual profit and sales forecasts. Sony said Thursday afternoon its net profit for the fiscal year through March 2009 would likely drop 59 percent from the previous year to 150 billion yen (US$1.5 billion). It blamed deteriorating sales of flat-panel TVs and other gadgets for the dismal projection.Previously, Sony had expected to post 240 billion yen (US$2.4 billion) in profit for the fiscal year.Overnight in New York, the Dow rose 2 percent to 8,691.25, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose and the Nasdaq fell.Oil rose in Asian trade Friday, with light, sweet crude for December delivery up 55 cents to US$67.39.

India's central bank meets, more easing measures eyed OCT 24,08

MUMBAI (AFP) - India's central bank was slated to hold its quarterly policy meeting Friday with analysts expecting it to signal more monetary measures to stimulate a flagging economy.The Reserve Bank of India meeting comes after India's inflation hit a four-month low Thursday, opening the door for further monetary easing, economists said.It also comes four days after the central bank cut its key short-term lending rate for the first time in four years by a surprise percentage point to eight percent to boost spending and investment and try to stabilise markets.I think we'll see the Reserve Bank saying growth needs to be propped up, Dharma Kriti Joshi, economist at ratings agency Crisil, said ahead of the meeting.On Thursday, the Reserve Bank said growth in the fiscal year to March 2009 might slow to 7.7 percent from 9.0 percent last year amidst the worst global financial crisis in decades.The forecast, taken from 13 brokerage estimates, was down from a projection of 7.9 percent in June and fanned economists' expectations of more monetary easing to boost the economy.On Thursday, annual inflation measured by the wholesale price index slipped by nearly four-tenths of a percentage point -- more than markets anticipated -- to 11.07 percent.But the rate was still significantly above the central bank's end-of-year target of seven percent.But I'm confident as these (global crude and commodities) prices moderate, it'll come down, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said.

Some analysts said the central bank might deliver another half percentage point cut in its repo lending rate to persuade commercial banks to lower their interest rates to grease the economy.Coming on top of Monday's cut, it would send a fairly strong signal to commercial banks to drop their prime lending rates, said Abheek Barua, chief economist at HDFC Bank.However, other economists said the bank might choose other monetary tools to stimulate the economy but expected further rate cuts later.

The bank has already pumped 20 billion dollars into the financial system this month by lowering the cash reserve ratio (CRR) -- the sum commercial banks banks must keep in reserve -- by 2.5 percentage points to unfreeze credit markets.While another interest rate cut was possible Friday, Joshi said the bank was more likely to cut the cash reserve ratio rate or the statutory liquidity ratio -- the amount banks must keep in government securities.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned this week India was experiencing the ripple effects of the global financial upheaval and "must be prepared for a temporary slowdown.India's economy expanded by 7.9 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, its slowest since late 2004.

East Asia to create 80 bln dlr fund, US sees deeper woes OCT 24,08

BEIJING (AFP) - East Asian leaders agreed Friday to set up an 80-billion-dollar fund by mid-2009 to fight the global economic crisis, as Japanese shares again fell sharply after a profit warning from technology giant Sony.The agreement came hours after US officials warned of a rise in unemployment stemming from the credit crisis, while France unveiled plans for a sovereign wealth fund to protect key industries from turmoil, as debate raged over the cause of the global maelstrom.Leaders of South Korea, China, Japan and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached their agreement at a breakfast meeting in Beijing, said the spokesman for South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.The East Asian leaders agreed to accelerate multilateral cooperation to create an 80 billion dollar fund by the end of next year's first half and establish an independent regional financial market surveillance organisation, the spokesman said in a statement.The deal, he said, was meant to strengthen regional cooperation and policy coordination in the face of the global financial crisis.The ASEAN Plus Three fund would supersede the Chiang Mai Initiative, which came into being in 2000 in the wake of the 1997/98 East Asian financial crisis to ease mainly bilateral currency swaps.Meanwhile in Washington, the White House braced the US public for a sharp rise in layoffs and unemployment stemming from the global economic crisis, amid fresh warnings of a painful and lasting recession.Spokeswoman Dana Perino said former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan was right to warn, in testimony to a US congressional panel, of what he called a significant rise in layoffs and unemployment.We're in for a rocky road on the employment front, Perino told reporters.Greenspan, who ended his 18-year stint as chairman of the US Federal Reserve before a years-long housing bubble burst, warned that a once-in-a-century credit tsunami would pummel consumer spending and jobs.In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the creation of a 100-billion-euro (128-billion-dollar) sovereign wealth fund to protect strategic sectors of the economy from the global financial storm.

Declaring that the recent turmoil had killed off the dictatorship of the market, Sarkozy vowed to lead Europe towards a model in which the state will take a more active role in industry and protect firms from foreign takeover.A better world will emerge from this crisis than the one we had before, he said, adding that the fund would intervene massively in order to protect any strategically important French firms.What oil producers do, what China does, what Russia does, there's no reason that France should not do.Sarkozy's proposal however did not go down well in Berlin where the German government said any such measures must be compatible with European Union rules.Stocks markets remained volatile. In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 172.04 points (2.02 percent) Thursday to end at 8,691.25 after swings in both directions and following a 514-point tumble on Wednesday.The tech-dominated Nasdaq composite however closed down 0.73 percent while the broad-market Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.26 percent.Asian stocks slid in early trade Friday, led by Tokyo's Nikkei which dropped 5.01 percent in early trade after Sony forecast a substantial drop in profits due to a weaker global economy and a stronger yen.South Korean shares quickly shed 3.5 percent, with the operator of Seoul's bourse halting trading for five minutes from 10:02 to 10:07 due to the steep fall in the benchmark KOSPI index.Taiwan share prices opened 2.78 percent lower, while Singapore shares were 2.15 percent down and Hong Kong opened 2.1 percent lower.In London, the FTSE 100 closed with a gain of 1.16 percent while in Paris the CAC 40 rose 0.38 percent. The Frankfurt Dax pared some of its losses but fell 1.12 percent.Kevin Giddis, analyst at Morgan Keegan, said a crucial benefit to the market was a drop in key interest rates such as Libor, a benchmark for interbank loans that has been at the center of the credit crisis.Mounting evidence suggests that conditions in the short-term credit markets are slowly improving, with Libor continuing to fall, he said.It's way too early to know how close we may be to normalcy, but these trends provide some sense of optimism that the great unthawing may finally be near.Governments around the world have unveiled packages over the last month totaling more than three trillion dollars, including loan guarantees and cash injections, to restore confidence to banks and reverse a drop in lending.The scale of the decline was illustrated by figures from the Bank for International Settlements, the world's biggest central banking body, which showed cross-border lending by banks fell 1.1 trillion dollars in the second quarter of 2008 -- even before the worst of the latest crisis.

CHRISTMAS STAMPS How ironic is this ?? OCT 24,08

They don't even believe in Christ and they're getting their own Christmas stamp, but don't dream of posting the ten commandments on federal property? USPS New Stamp
This one is impossible to believe. Scroll down for the text. If there is only one thing you forward today.....let it be this!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of Pan Am Flight 103!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon !
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military Barracks in Saudi Arabia !
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa !
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on 9/11/2001 !
REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks!

Now the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS the EID MUSLIM holiday season with a commemorative first class Holiday postage stamp. REMEMBER to adamantly and vocally BOYCOTT this stamp When purchasing your stamps at the post office. To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

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

Wildfire near LA's Getty museum contained Thu Oct 23, 10:08 PM
By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - A wildfire burned 40 hectares of brush and grass near the world-famous Getty art museum before it was doused early Thursday without causing any damage or injuries, fire officials said. Nearby Interstate 405 was closed for about four hours but reopened at 6 a.m., as the morning rush was getting underway. Even so, traffic on freeways and surface streets throughout Los Angeles were clogged, jammed with motorists who had sought ways around the fire. The fire erupted around 12:50 a.m. on a steep urban hillside about three kilometres from the Getty Center. The centre, which houses one of the world's richest art collections and a research institute, was closed for the day as a precaution and nearby Mount St. Mary's College cancelled morning classes. About 400 firefighters and eight water-dropping helicopters fought the flames for about seven hours before the blaze was declared knocked down at 8:16 a.m., Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers said. Crews were expected to remain at the museum throughout the day to douse any remaining embers that could flare up if dry, hot Santa Ana winds returned, Myers said. The museum is about 15 kilometres west of downtown Los Angeles. Many areas of southern California were under U.S. National Weather Service warnings of extreme fire danger until Saturday evening because of heat and low humidity but Santa Anas were diminishing. A blaze at the base of Mount Baldy, about 65 kilometres east of Los Angeles, burned 47 hectares Thursday afternoon. It was about 30-per-cent contained by evening. The fire was burning uphill and away from nearby homes, said Jesse Estrada, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. On Wednesday, gusty Santa Ana winds drove a 100-hectare wildfire in Fontana and the canyons of Rancho Cucamonga, about 100 kilometres east of Los Angeles. The fire was 90-per-cent contained Thursday but no flames were visible and authorities expected to completely surround it by evening, state fire officials said.

DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS

REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.

REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries (DRUGS), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Media lift lid on secret reports on drug side-effects
BRIGITTE ALFTER, MARLEEN TEUGELS AND JOOP BOUMA 22.10.2008 @ 10:51 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Adverse reactions to medication is the fifth most common cause of death in hospitals according to the European Commission, but EU agencies and national governments have until now kept secret pharmaceutical companies' reports on side-effects.The notes - known in the business as Periodic Safety Update Reports (PSURs) - are submitted regularly to national authorities and the European Medicines Agency in London.The PSURs for example detail how doctors in various countries suspect that teenagers grow suicidal when taking a certain medication against pimples, or that a diet product could lead to a stroke and what industry has to say about the medical fears.A team of Dutch, Danish and Belgian journalists has now used freedom of information legislation in the Netherlands and Denmark to get partial access to the documents, where patient gender, age and country of origin are blacked out to protect privacy and business interests. A legal decision is pending in Belgium.The move by Dutch daily newspaper Trouw, Belgian magazine Knack in cooperation with Danish magazine Samvirke to put the documents on the internet comes as the European Commission on Tuesday (22 October) decided to delay the publication of a new package of regulation for drugs producers. The commission package is not expected to mandate publication of PSURs but is likely to allow pharmaceutical companies to contact patients directly - a practice that is currently illegal and was condemned by the European Parliament in 2002.In my view, there can be no doubt that PSURs should be made public. After all this is about the side-effects on medicines that we take, Margrethe Nielsen, a researcher at the Cochrane Institute's Copenhagen branch and a specialist on pharmaceuticals told EUobserver.She added that the notes, which form the basis of government understanding of the sector, are not based on clinically controlled tests method. This is maybe the most important: this does not build on sound science, she said. I would not be able to use them for my work.

In these reports [released in the Netherlands and Denmark] much too much has been blackened. The quality is unequal. It is of big importance that these safety reports can be accessible for everybody so that scientists can debate about their quality, Canadian expert Barbara Mintzes told Knack.Reacting in a test case on PSUR publication in Denmark in 2007, lawyers for drug firm Roche threatened to sue the Danish state if disclosure harmed the company's commercial interests.A competitor can use the reports as a basis for guidance to patients and guidance to doctors. Competitors can with the help of PSUR reports obtain a basis to take care of guiding functions, that can weaken Roches position on the market and thus bring significant negative economic effects for Roche worldwide, the company's legal advisors wrote in letters to Danish authorities.Experience shows, that documents of this type are easily misunderstood and misinterpreted, for example by journalists, the letters add. Misunderstandings of this type can cause severe disturbance of the market and thus loss for Roche.The view is shared by the Brussels-based trade lobby, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), today.The trouble is, they have to be understandable. You need to be an expert, to understand them. I would push that back to the regulator to take proper action. When you pull information, it has to be in a form, that you and I can understand, EFPIA director Brian Ager said.The industry claims that the people wouldn't understand them. In reality making the side effects public would influence the stock exchange in a negative way, French medical journal Prescire's editor Bruno Toussaint said.

* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * * HOW MUCH TIME BEFORE A NEW WAR IN THE EPICENTER? Plus: 15,000 Christians fleeing from Mosul, Iraq; and the Taliban murders a Christian aid worker in Kabul By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., October 21, 2008) -- How much time do we have before war between Iran and Israel breaks out? Could it happen between the U.S. elections on November 4th and the inauguration on January 20th? A number of top U.S. and Israeli officials and analysts fear the answer could be yes. Last month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again vowed to wipe Israel and these germs of corruption off the face of the Earth. Israeli officials believe time is running out before Iran gets the Bomb. What's more, they know full well that President Bush - widely considered the most pro-Israel commander-in-chief in U.S. history - is leaving office very soon. One question, then, is whether Israel might launch a pre-emptive war against Iran's nuclear weapons program before a new American President steps in. Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, this week actually guaranteed a major international crisis would erupt within the next six months if running mate Barack Obama is elected. Mark my words - it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy, Biden told supporters in Seattle on Sunday. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America….Watch. We're going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.

Is Ahmadinejad and his regime preparing to launch such a crisis? They are certainly ratcheting up their anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli rhetoric. The Zionists are crooks, Ahmadinejad said recently. A small handful of Zionists, with a very intricate organization, have taken over the power centers of the world….Jewishness is a great lie. They have no religion whatsoever. They are a handful of lying, power-greedy people who have no religion, who only want to take over all the peoples and countries, and to trample the rights of the peoples….I've heard that one of them [Prime Minister Ehud Olmert] recently said that the idea of Greater Israel is dead. I would like to declare that the idea of 'smaller Israel' is also dead. The very notion of Israel is dead, but they are lagging behind the times. Just as the idea of Greater Israel died 30 years ago, and they did not realize this, and have continued to perpetrate crimes for 30 years…Today, I say to them: The idea of smaller Israel is dead. Ahmadinejad added that if the Jews do not end their support for Israel and Zionism, the strong arm of the [Muslim] peoples will wipe these germs of corruption off the face of the Earth.In other news from the epicenter, Libya may agree to buy more than $2 billion worth of Russian weapons during a visit by Muammar Gaddafi to Moscow this month, Interfax news agency reported on Monday. The Israeli media immediately picked up on the reports. Given Libya's historic enmiity towards Israel, there is a very real concern that should Libya receive billions of dollars of advanced new weaponry from Moscow, those arms could eventually be turned against the Jewish State. There are also prophetic implications. The War of Gog and Magog described in Ezekiel 38-39 involves a military alliance between Russia, Iran, Libya and a group of other Middle Eastern countries that surround and seek to destroy Israel in the last days after Israel has been reborn as a country and Jews have returned en masse to the Holy Land. A development worth watching closely.

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).

UN: Over 12,000 cholera cases in Guinea Bissau OCT 24,08

GENEVA – The United Nations says over 12,220 people have been infected with cholera in Guinea-Bissau and 201 have died from the disease.UNICEF spokeswoman Veronique Taveau says the outbreak of cholera in the West African nation has proven exceptionally difficult to control.Taveau says the capital of Bissau has more than half of the cases, but the disease has spread to all provinces since it started in mid-May.Taveau said Friday that officials fear the disease could spread further because of an election campaign expected to draw large crowds in unhygienic conditions.U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs says the United Nations is already spending $1 million to fight the cholera outbreak.

World ill-prepared for next flu pandemic: UN

Despite widespread awareness of the risks of the next flu pandemic, the world needs to drastically improve cooperation in preparing for what would be a major global crisis, a UN report said Tuesday.The report by the United Nations and the World Bank said that while most countries are planning for a flu pandemic, the worry was that many plans have not been tested and may well fail once the next influenza pandemic starts.Coming on the heels of a World Bank study suggesting that the economic cost of a pandemic could top a staggering three trillion dollars, this continuing lack of preparedness remains a cause of concern, it noted.According to the World Bank, a flu pandemic of moderate intensity could cut global gross domestic product by two percent, while a severe flu pandemic would slash global gross domestic product by nearly five percent, or more than three trillion dollars.The report said that even a mild flu pandemic might kill 1.4 million people worldwide, while the death toll from a severe global outbreak could reach 70 million.Considering that pandemic preparedness was largely unaddressed by the world's nations three years ago, the widespread awareness and action seen today is a major achievement, said David Nabarro, a Briton who is the UN System influenza coordinator.But more needs to be done to ensure that we are ready for this kind of major global crisis, he added.

He made the remarks ahead of an international ministerial conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza scheduled for Friday to Sunday in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.The parley is to review global progress and plan future efforts for pandemic preparedness and bird flu control.No countries reported new infections of their poultry by the H5N1 bird flu virus in the first nine months of 2008, as compared with four in the same period last year, the UN report said.Nabarro noted that the bird flu virus was entrenched only in two countries: Egypt and Indonesia.

The study also pointed out that only 20 countries which have previously reported infections experienced outbreaks between January and September 2008, down from 25 in the same period last year.It added that to date 245 people have died of bird flu.The pace of sporadic human infections and deaths from H5N1 has slowed since last year, with 28 confirmed deaths in 2008 compared to 59 in 2007, but the threat of an influenza pandemic remains, it added.The UN is coordinating a drive by governments, donors, international agencies and corporations to stop the spread of bird flu while preparing for a fast-spreading human influenza pandemic.There have been three such pandemics in the past century.

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

Europe delays airport X-ray eye OCT 24,08

The scans effectively strip passengers and highlight anything they may carry
EU lawmakers have delayed the introduction at airports of full body scanners, machines that generate images of passengers - minus their clothes. MEPs voted for a further study on the implications for privacy and health. Computer pictures generated by the scanners give an outline of passengers' bodies beneath their clothes. Supporters say they detect hidden objects not picked up by traditional metal detectors. But critics say they amount to a virtual strip search. The new scanners have already been introduced in several US airports and have been tested around the world.

Efficient measure

The European Commission - which supports their implementation - has given assurances that the scanners will not be used routinely on all passengers. And it would be a faster and less intrusive alternative to frisking or strip-searching people. Where scanners are in use, security staff can pick out individuals to stand in a booth while three pictures are taken of the person in slightly different positions. This is an offence against human dignity Martin Schulz European MP.

Within seconds, a scanner produces an image of the body. What shows up is the naked human form and anything that may be concealed, such as a gun or drugs. The Commission believes that body scanning methods can complement in a very effective and efficient way the existing security measures at airports, said spokesman Jens Mester at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. European officials believe the X-ray scans could ease airport queues But others are unconvinced. It is unacceptable, if scanners are used, these are machines that see you completely naked, said Martin Schulz, leader of the socialist grouping in the EU assembly. This is an offence against human dignity, he added.

Interpol Details Plans For Global Biometric Facial Scan Database

Global security authorities are to push for a huge biometric facial scan database of international travelers so they can cross-check everyone against a database of terror suspects, international criminals and fugitives.Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, is planning to expand its role into the mass screening of passengers moving around the world by creating a face recognition database to catch wanted suspects, reports the London Guardian.The database will hold the records of every citizen who has ever traveled in and out of the virtually every country in the world, representing intelligence agency style bulk interception of information and sounding alarm bells for civil liberties groups.Two months ago we reported on the moves underway to phase out passport control officers at airports and replace them with biometric face scanning cameras. The automated face recognition gates match passengers to a digital image stored on a microchip in the new e-passports.Interpol wants a facial database to be linked into this technology and used in conjunction with its already existing fingerprint and DNA databases, according to Mark Branchflower, head of Interpol's fingerprint unit.We have previously noted that the vast array of databases currently being employed by intelligence agencies, government and law enforcement agencies worldwide were designed to be linked together in a system which will tie in the management and control of all facets of life for citizens to one central hub.Earlier this year we reported on the announcement of a vast intelligence program to establish a global biometric database known as Server in the Sky that will collate and provide an International Information Consortium with access to the biometric measurements and personal information of citizens across the globe in the name of fighting the war on terror.As reported by the London Guardian, the plan is being formulated by the FBI with the cooperation of the home offices and law enforcement agencies of American allies. The technology is being supplied by the US defense company Northrop Grumman.

Furthermore, the use of such technology, as we have already seen, will not be limited to the passport control office.A 2007 British government report muted an extensive upgrade to cctv systems all across the country to incorporate facial scanning technology. The report suggested a central database of every camera and a network allowing access to it could be beneficial.In the US there are several schemes that use Facial Recognition Technology in conjunction with Federal agencies, tying the technology to traditional documents such as drivers licenses, passports and credit cards.A biometric face recognition system has already been approved in China and is expected to be used at airports, customs entrances, banks, post offices, residential areas and other public places in the near future.Other proposals include placing the cameras in every seat on aircraft and installing software to try and automatically detect terrorists or other dangers caused by passengers.We are assured that cigarette vending machines will employ the technology in order to enforce smoking laws. Similarly, supermarkets in the UK have already started trialing the technology with the justification being a crackdown on underage drinking.In Japan facial scanning cameras are being installed in train and bus stations to replace tickets in a move to make the individual features of the face a unique bar code as part of an antiterrorism and anticrime initiative.Police in Tokyo are also asking home and shop owners to mount the cameras outside their properties. Police investigating an incident in the neighborhood would have access to these images. according to reports.Cell phones and computers are now also being produced with face scanning cameras.

AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)

EZEKIEL 39:21
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

ISAIAH 18:1-2
1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

JEREMIAH 50:11,37,12
11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;(BACKSLIDERS)
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.(A NATION OF MINGLED PEOPLE)
12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed:(MOTHER ENGLAND) behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

JEREMIAH 51:13,7,53
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

REVELATION 18:3,5,7
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK ATTACK)

REVELATION 18:10
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

The Dangers of a Diminished America OCT 24,08

In the 1930s, isolationism and protectionism spurred the rise of fascism. With the global financial system in serious trouble, is America's geostrategic dominance likely to diminish? If so, what would that mean? One immediate implication of the crisis that began on Wall Street and spread across the world is that the primary instruments of U.S. foreign policy will be crimped. The next president will face an entirely new and adverse fiscal position. Estimates of this year's federal budget deficit already show that it has jumped $237 billion from last year, to $407 billion. With families and businesses hurting, there will be calls for various and expensive domestic relief programs.In the face of this onrushing river of red ink, both Barack Obama and John McCain have been reluctant to lay out what portions of their programmatic wish list they might defer or delete. Only Joe Biden has suggested a possible reduction -- foreign aid. This would be one of the few popular cuts, but in budgetary terms it is a mere grain of sand. Still, Sen. Biden's comment hints at where we may be headed: toward a major reduction in America's world role, and perhaps even a new era of financially-induced isolationism.Pressures to cut defense spending, and to dodge the cost of waging two wars, already intense before this crisis, are likely to mount. Despite the success of the surge, the war in Iraq remains deeply unpopular. Precipitous withdrawal -- attractive to a sizable swath of the electorate before the financial implosion -- might well become even more popular with annual war bills running in the hundreds of billions.Protectionist sentiments are sure to grow stronger as jobs disappear in the coming slowdown. Even before our current woes, calls to save jobs by restricting imports had begun to gather support among many Democrats and some Republicans. In a prolonged recession, gale-force winds of protectionism will blow.Then there are the dolorous consequences of a potential collapse of the world's financial architecture. For decades now, Americans have enjoyed the advantages of being at the center of that system. The worldwide use of the dollar, and the stability of our economy, among other things, made it easier for us to run huge budget deficits, as we counted on foreigners to pick up the tab by buying dollar-denominated assets as a safe haven. Will this be possible in the future?

Meanwhile, traditional foreign-policy challenges are multiplying. The threat from al Qaeda and Islamic terrorist affiliates has not been extinguished. Iran and North Korea are continuing on their bellicose paths, while Pakistan and Afghanistan are progressing smartly down the road to chaos. Russia's new militancy and China's seemingly relentless rise also give cause for concern.If America now tries to pull back from the world stage, it will leave a dangerous power vacuum. The stabilizing effects of our presence in Asia, our continuing commitment to Europe, and our position as defender of last resort for Middle East energy sources and supply lines could all be placed at risk.In such a scenario there are shades of the 1930s, when global trade and finance ground nearly to a halt, the peaceful democracies failed to cooperate, and aggressive powers led by the remorseless fanatics who rose up on the crest of economic disaster exploited their divisions. Today we run the risk that rogue states may choose to become ever more reckless with their nuclear toys, just at our moment of maximum vulnerability.The aftershocks of the financial crisis will almost certainly rock our principal strategic competitors even harder than they will rock us. The dramatic free fall of the Russian stock market has demonstrated the fragility of a state whose economic performance hinges on high oil prices, now driven down by the global slowdown. China is perhaps even more fragile, its economic growth depending heavily on foreign investment and access to foreign markets. Both will now be constricted, inflicting economic pain and perhaps even sparking unrest in a country where political legitimacy rests on progress in the long march to prosperity.None of this is good news if the authoritarian leaders of these countries seek to divert attention from internal travails with external adventures.As for our democratic friends, the present crisis comes when many European nations are struggling to deal with decades of anemic growth, sclerotic governance and an impending demographic crisis. Despite its past dynamism, Japan faces similar challenges. India is still in the early stages of its emergence as a world economic and geopolitical power.What does this all mean? There is no substitute for America on the world stage. The choice we have before us is between the potentially disastrous effects of disengagement and the stiff price tag of continued American leadership.Are we up for the task? The American economy has historically demonstrated remarkable resilience. Our market-oriented ideology, entrepreneurial culture, flexible institutions and favorable demographic profile should serve us well in whatever trials lie ahead.The American people, too, have shown reserves of resolve when properly led. But experience after the Cold War era -- poorly articulated and executed policies, divisive domestic debates and rising anti-Americanism in at least some parts of the world -- appear to have left these reserves diminished.A recent survey by the Chicago Council on World Affairs found that 36% of respondents agreed that the U.S. should stay out of world affairs, the highest number recorded since this question was first asked in 1947. The economic crisis could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.In the past, the American political process has managed to yield up remarkable leaders when they were most needed. As voters go to the polls in the shadow of an impending world crisis, they need to ask themselves which candidate -- based upon intellect, courage, past experience and personal testing -- is most likely to rise to an occasion as grave as the one we now face.

MUSLIM NATIONS

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

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

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they 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.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US intelligence: Iran will be able to build first nuclear bomb by February 2009

US intelligence’s amended estimate, that Iran will be ready to build its first bomb just one month after the next US president is sworn in, is disclosed by DEBKAfile’s Washington sources as having been relayed as a guideline to the Middle East teams of both presidential candidates, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama.The information prompted the assertion by Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph Biden in Seattle Sunday, Oct. 19: It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy.McCain retorted Tuesday, Oct. 21: America does not need a president that needs to be tested. I’ve been tested. I was aboard the Enterprise off the coast of Cuba. I’ve been there.)DEBKAfile’s military sources cite the new US timeline: By late January, 2009, Iran will have accumulated enough low-grade enriched uranium (up to 5%) for its break-out to weapons grade (90%) material within a short time. For this, the Iranians have achieved the necessary technology. In February, they can move on to start building their first nuclear bomb.US intelligence believes Tehran has the personnel, plans and diagrams for a bomb and has been running experiments to this end for the past two years. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna last week asked Tehran to clarify recent complex experiments they conducted in detonating nuclear materials for a weapon, but received no answer.The same US evaluation adds that the Iranian leadership is holding off its go-ahead to start building the bomb until the last minute so as to ward off international pressure to stop at the red line.This development together with the galloping global economic crisis will force the incoming US president to go straight into decision-making without pause on Day One in the Oval Office. He will have to determine which urgent measures can serve best for keeping a nuclear bomb out of the Islamic republic’s hands - diplomatic or military – and how to proceed if those measures fail.His knowledge of the challenge colored Sen. Biden’s additional words in Seattle: Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.

Israel’s political and military leaders also face a tough dilemma that can no longer be put off of whether to strike Iran’s nuclear installations militarily in the next three months between US presidencies before the last window closes, or take a chance on coordination with the next president.Waiting for the international community to do the job of stopping Iran, as urged by governments headed by Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert - and strongly advocated Tzipi Livni, foreign minister and would-be prime minister - has been a washout. Iran stands defiantly on the threshold of a nuclear weapon.

Israel: We're in the midst of preparing the home front for war OCT 24,08

According to Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, the country is in one of the most complicated and dangerous periods of its history. And though he does not believe that Israel can be wiped off the map, in spite of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threats, he is increasingly concerned about the current political instability here, which he blames for delays in projects he deems essential, such as the revamping of the Home Front. This week Vilnai gave The Jerusalem Post a lengthy interview, during which he covered a wide range of topics, from Labor's coalition talks with Kadima, to how Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah is a target, to the danger of holding public demonstrations calling for the release of Gilad Schalit. The former deputy chief of General Staff and deputy commander of the elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, says that the IDF is at a most critical juncture. It is the only military in the world, he explains, that needs to be ready at any given moment to fight a guerrilla war in Lebanon, a terror war in the West Bank and a conventional war with Syria, and confront a possible existential threat from Iran.

Since taking up his post just over a year ago, Vilnai, 64, has been immersed in establishing the National Emergency Administration (NEA), which he founded to coordinate among all of the various emergency services, in the event of a missile onslaught. This is necessary, he says, because one of the problems encountered during the Second Lebanon War was that the cabinet had to meet several times to discuss how to get food to shelters in the North. But the cabinet needs to run the war.How do you view Israel's current strategic position in the Middle East?
There are existential threats today coming from farther away. The additional complication when dealing with Islamic radical terror is that the war is not just against terrorists, but against a population. In Gaza, you can hit Hamas, but it does not hurt Hamas, since the people there support Hamas. This is the same in Lebanon, where the civilian population supports Hizbullah. This makes the conflict much more complicated. As a result, what is needed is a combined military-diplomatic solution, as well as alliances with other countries.

Is there still a conventional threat?
It exists, and we need to prepare for it, so we can retain capabilities required for war with Syria, like on Yom Kippur exactly 35 years ago. We also need to retain the ability to fight Hizbullah and Iran over the horizon. Today, we need to know how to do different things [simultaneously], and this is difficult challenge. I can't remember such a complicated period in my 40 years in the defense establishment.

What poses the greatest threat?
The state of Israel. Establishing a new government is necessary for stability. The fact that the government changes every two years weakens us. A ministry that starts everything from scratch every two years cannot get anything done. Are there ongoing processes in the Defense Ministry that will be harmed in the event that general elections are held now? The change in regime harms and weakens us, and I believe it is of the utmost importance to continue with the same government today. We are in the midst of preparing the home front for war and this is something that the government has spoken about for decades, but never dealt with or regulated properly. If we change the leadership of the Defense Ministry, I don't know what will happen. If we don't continue what we have been doing here for another two years, it will all go to waste.

What, for example?
The NEA and the annual home front exercises we started. I fear that if we aren't here, everything will go back to the way it was in the beginning. We need continuity.

What is the concept behind the NEA?
The responsibility for the home front has always been in the hands of the municipalities or the local and regional councils, but for years they shirked this responsibility. The concept behind the NEA is for the government offices and services to assist them. The IDF, Israel Police, Fire and Rescue Service, Magen David Adom, the Interior, Welfare and Health ministries will all work for the mayors and regional council heads to make sure that life continues, even during wartime. The cabinet does not need to meet to discuss food distribution to bomb shelters. A mayor with the right assistance can do this on his or her own.

What will the next war look like?
The home front will be the main front of the war, whether it is missiles from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria or Iran.

Can Israel live with a nuclear Iran?
Israel has the strong advantage of being a resilient nation which has been through wars - and an intifada with buses blowing up. We know how to soldier on like no other country in the world. I don't believe that Israel can just disappear from the map. There were times like that in the 1950s, when we were a young and small nation. I don't accept the definition of Iran as an existential threat in the sense that Israel will disappear. I do, however, believe that we can get hit and be weakened. They can try to hit us hard, and the IDF is the only military in the world that cannot afford to lose even a single war, since doing so would be a dramatic change in the state of Israel. But the Iranian threat is not just our problem, but that of the entire free world. I was in Germany for a meeting last week and told people there that Iran should be their main focus. We need an economic siege on Iran. There are not only military solutions to threats.

Is there time for sanctions to work?
Time is against us, but I have no doubt that strong and serious sanctions could work. If the entire free world decides to stop the economic flow to Iran, it will have the desired effect. Iran is a country that is connected to the world, not like Iraq and Saddam Hussein.

Nevertheless, can Israel live alongside a nuclear Iran?
As a rule, we can't allow Iran to obtain this capability. Currently, we need to invest all our efforts in preventing it from achieving that capability. We are doing this and the US is doing this, but the entire world is not with us. When you say we can't allow Iran to achieve nuclear capability, is military force one option for preventing it? Everything needs to be seriously deliberated. I am not in favor of making warlike declarations, but I think that everything needs to be considered, so we can determine the right course of action. Military force has always been a continuation of diplomacy by other means. This was said by [Prussian military theorist Carl von] Clausewitz. Why does the world not join the economic campaign against Iran? Everyone thinks the threat is not against them. They also think in the short term, and look at the profits they are making from deals with Iran, and they think what is happening there will not affect them.

How much time is there?
I believe that 2009 and 2010 will be the critical years. There may be more time, but I think there is less. Two years is a short time for what we are dealing with.

What is going on with the gas masks?
There is a budget disagreement with the Treasury. Most of the masks have already been refurbished, and there is a plan for a civilian company to return them to people at home. However, we will not distribute to everyone at once. We will start with threatened areas - like the North and the center - and then move to other parts of the country. We had hoped to start in January, but did not receive the necessary budget. We went to the cabinet, and are waiting for the money. Hopefully, we will start to distribute in 2009.

Do we really need gas masks?
Yes. We need a protective room and a mask. This issue was studied by the NEA, and it was decided that this is the right protective envelope. We need them against capabilities that are in Syrian and Iranian hands. It is fairly easy to obtain this type of non-conventional capability, and the moment they know we have a protective envelope, they will think twice before using this capability. This serves as a deterrent against them.

Can there really be peace with Syria?
We need to break the axis of evil. It can be broken militarily, but the talks with Syria are meant to do this as well. Syria needs to cut off its ties with Iran. This is our condition, and this is the most important element. But it is not something that will happen immediately. We saw other Syrian intentions with the nuclear facility that the air force destroyed last September.I don't know what type of facility you are taking about, but that is why I said we need both elements - military and diplomatic. It has been two years since the war in Lebanon, and Hizbullah is still building up weapons. Is there a possibility of another war?
They are scared of a war, and while they pretend to be heroic, Nasrallah has for the past two years been holed up inside a bunker.

Why? Is he a target?
Of course he is. He is an enemy of Israel, and he sees what happens to Israel's enemies. Hizbullah does not want another war. It doesn't want a repeat of the destruction we caused in the Dahiya neighborhood in Beirut. Hizbullah understands it cannot survive another war and grasps what our power is. Hamas, too, is amassing weapons. What is happening with the Gaza cease-fire? They are building up all the time. The question we need to ask is what the significance of the cease-fire is where the smuggling is concerned. The answer is that they are smuggling the same amount today as they were before the cease-fire. The Egyptians are slowly improving their capabilities, and recently arrested Beduin in the Sinai who are connected to the tunnel industry. The Egyptians are an integral part of the Middle East, and peace with it has immense strategic importance for Israel. We would never have had contact with Hamas without the Egyptians. That is why I thought there was no reason for the cease-fire not to succeed. There were many on the Palestinian side who wanted to end it, but they understand the importance, and if there is not a breakdown, there is no reason not to keep it going.

Do they have weaponry that they did not have before?
There is no doubt that they have extended their rocket range. If, before, they could fire a rocket 10 km., they can now reach 20 km. But they cannot defeat us with missiles. We will not let them expand their military capability, and we may need to use military force to stop this.

Israeli air force planning answer for missile war OCT 24,08

The Israel Air Force has been preparing for massive missile strikes by Iran and Syria.Officials said the air force has sought to enhance capabilities that would enable fighter-jets to take off and land during missile and rocket strikes from such countries as Iran, Lebanon and Syria.They said the air force began the planning effort soon after the Hizbullah war in 2006, which paralyzed at least one major base. We believe that our air bases would be a key target in any war, an official said.The air force has been testing material that would enable aircraft to take off from damaged runways. Officials said the military has procured an unidentified non-asphalt substance that could restore destroyed runways within minutes. The tests were successful and would allow combat aircraft to take-off and land even under terrible conditions, the official said.Officials said the air force has determined that Hizbullah and Hamas would coordinate in an effort to paralyze bases throughout the country. They said Hizbullah would target northern air bases and Hamas would fire extended-range rockets toward bases south of Tel Aviv as well as in the Negev desert.Another Israeli option has been the procurement of a vertical takeoff variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, known as the F-35B. Under the option, the air force would procure about 10 such aircraft to ensure rapid response to any missile strike on the Jewish state.Officials said Israel's F-15I fighter-jet would serve as the most important element in any counter-strike. The air force has acquired a system that enables the F-15I — the most powerful aircraft in the Israeli fleet -- to launch several precision-guided weapons simultaneously.

Libya seeks Russian arms, including surface-to-air missiles OCT 24,08

Libya may agree to buy more than $2 billion worth of Russian weapons during a visit by Muammar Gaddafi to Moscow this month, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing an unidentified source in Russia's arms industry.An agreement on concluding a major set of arms contracts for more than $2 billion could be reached during the visit of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to Moscow, Interfax quoted the source as saying.The source said Gaddafi's visit to Moscow was planned for the end of October. Both the Libyan embassy in Moscow and Russia's state arms exporter declined immediate comment.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later said Moscow was preparing for the Gaddafi visit and that the final details of the trip would be announced soon, Interfax reported.Russian warships visited Libya this month, signalling a warming of ties between Tripoli and Moscow, which supported Libya during the Soviet era.Libya is interested in buying surface-to-air missile systems such as the S-300, TOR-M1 and Buk, as well as several fighter aircraft, dozens of helicopters and about 50 tanks, Interfax quoted the source as saying.Russia is also preparing contracts to upgrade Libya's Soviet-era weapons, the agency said.Libya wants Moscow to write off $4.5 billion in debts it owes to Russia in exchange for the purchases, Interfax said. Many Soviet-era debts are difficult to price because they were set in Soviet roubles.Libya was seen as a rogue state by Washington until it agreed to give up a weapons of mass destruction programme. Last month U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Gaddafi in Tripoli, the first such visit in 55 years.Libya wants to expand ties with Russia, which it sees as a counterbalance to US influence in the Mediterranean.Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, while still Russian president, visited Libya in April to strengthen energy ties with the OPEC member and discuss the possibility of Russian cooperation in building an atomic power plant in Libya.Putin said at the time that Libya was also seeking to buy Russian weapons.

Large-scale Iranian Air force exercise simulates attack on Israel

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the drill in northern Iran, is Tehran’s rejoinder to Israel’s big aerial maneuver last June. Then, more than 100 Israeli fighter-bombers went through their paces over the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, roughly the same distance from Israel as Iran. Tehran’s media claim the exercise will test its air force’s ability to fly to Israel and back without refueling.The exercise will also test the US-made FBX-T band anti-missile radar system delivered in September and installed at the IAF Nevatim air base in the Negev. The Iranians say they will be practicing their state-of-the-art military equipment and flight tactics, meaning an attempt to jam US and Israeli electronics and radar.According to Iranian media, the entire range of Iran's fighter fleet will take part, including US-made F-4, F-5, F-7 and F-14 fighters and domestic Saegheh fighters. Mid-air refueling will be provided by Boeing 707 aerial tankers. In mid-August, Iran's Air Force chief, Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani, maintained that its antiquated fighter jet fleet had been overhauled and upgraded to fly distances of 3,000 kilometers without refueling. That would be more than double the distance between Iran and Israel.That is why Tabriz, in Azerbaijan, at the northwestern corner of Iran, was picked as the starting point of the exercise. The official communiqué said the planes would be flying from air fields in Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz and Hamadan and Dezful. Our military sources say that this means that the entire maneuver will take place over Iran and not venture out its air space. The planes will have to fly to Tabriz from bases in the south near the Pakistan border in order to replicate the more than 1,200 km distance between Iran and Israel. The Iranian Air force also aims at deploying more than 100 warplanes for the exercise, matching the number Israel used in its maneuver four months ago.Tehran has timed this large-scale drill for just weeks before the US presidential election on Nov. 4, in response to speculation rife in the West that Israel may use the window between the US election and the swearing-in of the new president in January for an attack on Iran’s nuclear installations. The Iranians aim to show they have a first and second strike capability - not just with ballistic missiles but also by aerial attack.

Russia criticizes US sanctions on arms trader OCT 24,08

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press Writer – 11 mins agoMOSCOW – Russia's foreign minister sharply criticized U.S. sanctions against Russia's state arms trader Friday, saying the move won't make Moscow shift any closer to the U.S. stance on Iran's controversial nuclear program.

The United States has imposed sanctions on the Russian arms monopoly Rosoboronexport along with a dozen of other firms from China, Sudan, Venezuela and other countries for their alleged roles in supplying sensitive technology to Iran, North Korean and Syria.If some people in Washington think that such action could make Russia more complaisant to accept the U.S. approaches to settling the Iranian nuclear problem, they are mistaken, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference.He denounced the sanctions as an example of the U.S. unilateralism and Washington's attempts to apply its domestic laws to the world.It proceeds from the philosophy of the unipolar world, Lavrov said. Russia will demand an end to such practice that is absolutely incompatible with a modern world order.He added that Russia's cooperation with Iran and other countries has been in line with the international law.The U.S. decision and Russia's strong criticism of it reflected a growing chill in bilateral ties, which have been badly strained over U.S. missile defense plans in Poland and the Czech Republic, Russia's war in Georgia and other disputes.The U.S. State Department said the decision Thursday was made because a U.S. law bans the transfer of technology that may help those nations develop missiles or mass destruction weapons.The U.S. move ban government agencies from dealing with the firms targeted by the sanctions.

Russia has maintained close ties with Iran and is building its first nuclear power plant in the southern Iranian port of Bushehr, which is expected to go on line next year. Russia has backed limited U.N. sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program, but has staunchly opposed the U.S. push for harsher measures.Russia has also sold air defense missiles and other weapons to Iran, contracts that have drawn a strong U.S. and Israeli criticism.Lavrov added the U.S. sanctions will hurt bilateral ties. We will take this into account in our relations with the United States in the trade and economic and other spheres, Lavrov said.

Rosoboronexport spokesman Vyacheslav Davidenko criticized the move as an attempt to sideline an arms competitor.We consider it as another example of unfair competition, he said in remarks broadcast by the state Rossiya television.The United States has imposed similar sanctions against several Russian companies in the past, including Rosoboronexport in 2006.