ISRAELS LIKUD LIST

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADE BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

IF IRAQ PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE,THIS COULD EXPLAIN WHY THE 4 DEMONIC ANGELS OR WORLDWIDE WAR ANGELS ARE RELEASED AT THE EUPHRATES RIVER IN IRAQ-IRAN IN THE FUTURE TO START WW3 AFTER JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED.

Iraq plans EU-style Middle East union
LEIGH PHILLIPS Today DEC 10,08 @ 09:25 CET

Iraq has unveiled plans for the creation of a regional economic and security union for the Middle East explicitly modelled on the European Union.Official government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh announced the proposal on Tuesday (9 December) in Washington at the Institute of Peace, a US government-linked think-tank, saying that talks on the plan with the country's neighbours were already underway.Mr al-Dabbagh said there was great interest in the project, according to AFP. Informal discussions on Regional Economic Partnership have reportedly been launched with Kuwait, Syria and Turkey, though not yet Iran. The aim would also to be to bring on board Jordan and Saudi Arabia and - in a subsequent phase - the Gulf states of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, but not Israel.

The proposed bloc would look to lower trade barriers and develop joint economic projects, as well as sharing water resources and electricity. Resolving border disputes and common perspectives on combating militant extremism would also be on the agenda.Iraq's plan, a vision of Mr al-Dabbagh's government, would also aim to improve oil and gas transit and construct roads between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean.The new Iraq could convert the region into the EU model, the UK's Daily Telegraph quotes the Iraqi official as saying at the meeting. Iraq is going to play a major stabilising factor, he added.Iraq sees a necessity for regional security and economic co-operation, Mr al-Dabbagh said.The proposal is the latest in a long line of regional groupings modelled on the European Union.The African Union, a confederation of 53 African states was established in 2002, growing out of the earlier Organisation of African Unity. The grouping is still at the very earliest stages of approaching anything like the EU's level of joint governance and integration.The Union of South American Nations, or Unasur (Unasol in Portuguese and Unasul in Dutch) is an intergovernmental union founded in May this year and integrates two existing customs unions: Mercosur and the Andean Community. It too is still undergoing its birth pangs.

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Ultra-hawkish list of candidates for Likud By MARK LAVIE, Associated Press Writer – Tue Dec 9, 3:00 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Benjamin Netanyahu suffered a setback Tuesday in his quest to reclaim the prime minister's office in Israel when his front-running Likud Party chose a slate of candidates even more hawkish than him.The outcome could weaken his party's popularity, and even if Netanyahu wins a Feb. 10 election, it could limit his ability to negotiate peace with Israel's Arab neighbors.The big winner in results announced early Tuesday was Netanyahu's nemesis, Moshe Feiglin. While Netanyahu opposes the current peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and hopes to limit contacts to economic cooperation, Feiglin goes much further. His theocratic platform calls for banning minority Arab citizens from the parliament, encouraging non-Jews to leave the country and pulling Israel out of the United Nations.

Netanyahu, who resisted peace efforts when he was prime minister from 1996-1999, hoped to present a more mainstream list of candidates to bolster support for his party, backing popular ex-generals, politicians and others for the list.But party members instead chose candidates with uncompromising views, led by Feiglin, who founded a movement that blocked highway intersections around the country in 1995 to protest partial peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians.Others included the son of former Likud Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Benny Begin. He told Army Radio there will be no (peace) agreement in the near future because of Arab rejection of Israel.Rivals did not hide their glee at the blow to Netanyahu's prestige. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Kadima, who is not seeking re-election, said the primary showed the Likud has become an extreme right-wing party that would lead the state of Israel to a corner of isolation.The election is set for three weeks after Barack Obama — who has pledged to work for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians — takes office as U.S. president.Even if Netanyahu intended to press for concessions to the Palestinians for peace — and many doubt he would — pressure from within his own party could stop him.Recent polls have shown Netanyahu's Likud with a 10-seat lead over Kadima, headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. But they have also shown that the presence of Feiglin on the Likud list could scare away a significant number of potential voters. A Likud insider estimated a loss of three or four seats, while some analysts predicted even more erosion.

Livni reveled in Netanyahu's predicament. The Likud list is not my problem. It's Bibi's problem, she said, using Netanyahu's nickname. It's a weight around his neck, not mine.Even the most optimistic polls had Likud winning about 35 seats in the 120-seat parliament, forcing Netanyahu to patch together a coalition with powerful partners from the ultra-Orthodox and ultra-hawkish sectors.Losing even a handful of those 35 because of the Feiglin effect could drop Likud into a tie with Kadima, a centrist movement started by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who broke away from Likud because of its opposition to his unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. That would make coalition-building more difficult and long-term stability doubtful.

Israel's electoral system, based on voting for parties instead of individual candidates, lends itself to multi-party results and a fractured parliament.Over the past decade, traditional parties have been losing strength and sectorial parties have been gaining. After the last election, less than three years ago, Kadima formed a government after winning just 29 seats, holding less than a majority in its own government, a first in Israel.When Olmert resigned in September because of corruption charges, Livni was chosen to replace him but was unable to form her own government — another first. The resulting national election will be Israel's fifth in less than seven years.

Middle East Quartet to meet in New York on December 15 Tue Dec 9, 1:33 pm ET

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators will meet at U.N. headquarters in New York on December 15, together with some Arab foreign ministers, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Tuesday.France, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said last month it wanted a meeting this year of the Quartet, which is composed of the EU, Russia, the United Nations and the United States.Michele Montas, spokeswoman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told a news conference that representatives of the Quartet had talked by telephone and agreed to meet on December 15.The secretary-general is going to host the members of the Quartet and a number of Arab foreign ministers to a discussion, she said, adding she did not have a confirmed list of attendees at this time.At a meeting in Egypt on November 9, the Quartet strongly backed the talks launched at Annapolis, Maryland, a year ago by U.S. President George W. Bush, even though few expect a deal to be reached this year as originally planned.Bush leaves office on January 20, when Barack Obama will take over as president.The talks have been hobbled from the start by violence and bitter disputes over Jewish settlement-building and the future of Jerusalem. Political transitions in Israel and the United States have further delayed any progress.(Reporting by Claudia Parsons; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

South hit by violent storms, bracing for 2nd round By HOLBROOK MOHR, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 10, 1:43 pm ET

JACKSON, Miss. – A night of unseasonably warm weather generated torrential rains and tornadoes that damaged two schools and dozens of homes in the Southeast, and some states were bracing for snow and sleet as temperatures drop Wednesday.Sleet was possible in areas of Louisiana and the National Weather Service issued a winter weather watch for parts of Mississippi, warning that a rare snowfall accumulation was possible.Mike Edmonston, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, Miss. said forecasters were predicting 1-3 inches over central and eastern portions of Mississippi, but some areas could see 4 inches or more. Mississippi averages around 2 inches of snow a year and that usually comes sporadically with little accumulation.The winter precipitation threatened to hit before many people could clean up the mess left by powerful storms and likely tornadoes that damaged at least two schools and dozens of homes in Alabama and Mississippi a day earlier.At least one person was injured in south Mississippi when a car struck a downed tree on Intestate 59 in Jones county, authorities said. At least 39 houses and mobile homes were damaged in Mississippi as well as three businesses.Classes were canceled when an apparent tornado ripped off part of the roof of an elementary school in Walker County, Ala., northwest of Birmingham. The storm also damaged more than a dozen homes there.There were reports of damaged homes and trees on roadways across Mississippi and reports of large hail.

Heavy rain caused minor flooding in western Tennessee and 3.44 inches had fallen in Jackson by Wednesday morning, with another 3.5 inches in Memphis and 2.21 inches at Dyersburg, the National Weather Service reported. Heavy rain and possible high winds were predicted across north Georgia Wednesday and into the day on Thursday.Such heavy storms develop about once in the region this time of year, said Mike Leary, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City.You get a big influx of Gulf moisture that's really quite warm, he said. That sets up instability in combination with the cold front coming down.Associated Press Writers Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Ala., Debbie Newby in Atlanta, Bill Fuller in New Orleans, and Randall Dickerson in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.

Colo. forecasters expect busy 09 hurricane season Wed Dec 10, 1:24 pm ET Reuters

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University on Wednesday predicted above-average activity in the Atlantic next year: 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes — three major.The 50-year average is 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 major hurricanes.Researchers William Gray and Phil Klotzbach said in their extended-range forecast there is a 63 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coastline.The long-term average probability is 52 percent.This is Gray's 26th year of forecasting hurricanes. His predictions are watched closely by emergency responders and others, but many say such long-range forecasts don't have a lot of practical value beyond focusing public attention on the dangers.The hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Klotzbach cautioned that the December prediction includes a large amount of uncertainty because the season is so far in the future.Last December, Gray and Klotzbach predicted 13 named storms for the 2008 season, including seven hurricanes, three of them major. In June they revised that to 15 named storms, eight hurricanes — four major. The season produced 16 named storms, eight hurricanes, with five major.

Klotzbach said the new forecast is based on factors including warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures and the likely absence of El Nino conditions.El Nino is a warming in the Pacific Ocean that can have such far-reaching effects as changing wind patterns in the eastern Atlantic, which can disrupt the formation of hurricanes.
On the Net:Colorado State University hurricane forecast: http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu

Possible tornadoes wreck homes in north Texas Tue Dec 9, 9:24 pm ET

DENISON, Texas – Severe storms tore through north Texas with probable tornadoes, damaging or destroying more than 20 homes and injuring one person, authorities said Tuesday.Teams from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said they believe two probable tornadoes hit late Monday in an area near Southmayd and Denison, about 70 miles north of Dallas.Lt. Mike Eppler, a spokesman for the Denison Police Department, said the storm Monday night uprooted trees, blew out car windows, overturned tractor-trailers and destroyed a shuttered bowling alley.Straight-line winds may have caused damage in other parts of Grayson County, said meteorologist Jessica Schultz.One person in the Collinsville area suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

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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 WED DEC 10,2008

09:30 AM +50.18
10:00 AM +47.63
10:30 AM +123.53
11:00 AM +71.52
11:30 AM +107.48
12:00 PM +137.31
12:30 PM +101.47
01:00 PM +75.82
01:30 PM +87.53
02:00 PM -14.86
02:30 PM -17.84
03:00 PM +7.73
03:30 PM +65.63
04:00 PM +70.09 8761.42

S&P 500 899.24 +10.57

NASDAQ 1565.48 +18.14

GOLD 809.50 +35.30

OIL 43.61 +1.64

TSE 300 8610.98 +213.42

CDNX 705.49 +19.47

S&P/TSX/60 523.76 +14.18

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

Dow +80 points at 4 minutes of trading.
Dow +44 points at low today so far.
Dow +151 points at High today so far.

YEAR TO DATE
Dow -34.48%
Nasdaq -41.66%
S&P -39.48
NYSE STATS
Advances 2,261,Declines 621,Unchanged 81,New highs 4,New lows 22.
NASDAQ
Advances 1,843,Declines 498,Unchanged 162.
Major Averages higher for 10th time in 13 sessions so far today.

Canada cuts interest rate to 1.5%,lowest since 1958
71,000 lost jobs in November in Canada.
The Dow first touched 1000 points in 1966,than not again untill 1983.

SECURITIZING DOWNGRADE
-Moody's downgrades Jumbo deals issued by B of A in 2006 and 2007.
-13% of prime Jumbo pool is delinquent.
-Largest downgrade of non-CDO thus far.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS

Dow -4 points at low.
Dow +151 at high.

Colorado state forecasters predict 14 Tropical Storms,7 Hurricanes for 2009 Season.
Wholesale Inventories dropped by 1.1% in OCT. biggest drop since NOV 2001 VS 0.4% (SEPT).

CURRENT STATE OF THE ECONOMY? SURVEY CNBC
Exellent 0%,Good 4%,Only fair 25%,Poor 70%.
ARE YOU CONFIDENT YOUR MONEY IS SAFE IN A FEDERALLY INSURED BANK ACCOUNT?
Totally/Mostly CON:65%,Somewhat/not CON:31%
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO PAY OFF HOLLIDAY SHOPPING-RELATED DEBT?
-One month or less DEC 08 32%,DEC 07 29%.
-2-3 Months DEC 08 9%,DEC 07 13%
-Will not have debt DEC 08 51%,DEC 07 46%
AMERICANS PLAN TO SPEND $704 ON AVERAGE THIS YEAR.-4.6% 08/07Y/Y.
Wages same/Decrease $690
Wages Increase $681
Home Value Increase $828
Home Value Decrease $602
Home Value Same $874

WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS

Dow -39 points at low today.
Dow +151 points at high today.

Dow +1% today.
Dow nears 8800 points today.
Dow was up 2.2% at days high,down 0.5% at days low.
Dow falls 0.5% this month.
Nasdaq +1% today.
Nasdaq was up 2.4% at days high,down 0.3% at days low.
Nasdaq gains 2% this month.
S&P +1% today.
S&P ends just below 900 points today.
S&P was up 2.2% at days high,down 0.3% at days low.
Stocks close higher,in middle of days range.

AUTO BILL LATEST
-White House and Democrats finalize bailout.
-House Vote may happen today.
-Senate Republicans blast loan terms.

Republican senators voice opposition to auto aid By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer DEC 10,08
^DJI 8,761.42 +70.09
^GSPC 899.24 +10.57
^IXIC 1,565.48 +18.14

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans say they have grave concerns about the agreement between congressional Democrats and the Bush White House to speed billions of dollars to struggling U.S. automakers.Sen. George V. Voinovich, a Republican from Ohio and a leading supporter of the emergency measure, says it doesn't have the necessary Republican votes to pass Congress.Administration officials who were dispatched to Capitol Hill to sell the agreement got an earful of criticism from GOP senators during a closed-door luncheon.The revolt came as the House began procedural votes on the package. Democrats are pushing to pass it this week.Reuters.

CANADA FX DEBT-C$ up on hopes for US auto plan, bonds ease
Wed Dec 10, 10:08 AM

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar climbed against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday morning, supported by hopes for a rescue plan for ailing U.S. automakers and by higher oil prices.Bond prices fell as investors stepped back into stocks.At 9:35 a.m. (1435 GMT), the Canadian dollar was at C$1.2562 to the U.S. dollar, or 79.61 U.S. cents. That is up from C$1.2646 to the U.S. dollar, or 79.08 U.S. cents, at Tuesday's close. The Canadian currency was hit on Tuesday after the Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate by 75 basis points and declared for the first time that the economy is entering a recession.The U.S. House of Representatives could vote as early as Wednesday on a $15 billion plan to bail out and restructure U.S. automakers. The hopes that the plan could be finalized helped boost global stock markets and the positive sentiment filtered through to commodity markets. It also helped cool risk aversion, which has been sparking safe-haven U.S. dollar buying.

There is a little better tone from equity markets and risk aversion playing out in response to news of a tentative loan package for the Big Three automakers. And commodity prices are a little higher, said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.Oil bounced above $44 a barrel after Tuesday's slump, and the recovery lent support to the Canadian dollar, which has tracked the price of oil in the past few years because of Canada's status as a major oil-exporting nation.

BONDS FALL

Canadian bond prices were lower across the curve as stock markets gained and investors set aside fears of a global recession.The Toronto Stock Exchange's main index opened higher on Wednesday, as did major U.S. exchanges, following the lead of stock markets in Europe and Japan, which were also supported by the U.S. automaker aid plan.The two-year bond fell 8 Canadian cents to C$102.25 to yield 1.585 percent. The 10-year bond declined 40 Canadian cents to C$109.15 to yield 3.125 percent.The yield spread between the two- and 10-year bond was at 152 basis points, down from 155basis points at the previous close.The 30-year bond lost 55 Canadian cents to C$121.25 to yield 3.775 percent. In the United States, the 30-year Treasury yielded 3.1106 percent.(Reporting by Ka Yan Ng; editing by Peter Galloway)

Israel OKs money transfer to ease Gaza cash crunch By MATTI FRIEDMAN, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 10, 1:32 pm ET

JERUSALEM – Israel agreed on Wednesday to allow the delivery of cash to banks in the Gaza Strip to ease a cash crunch that has badly hobbled the economy of the blockaded Palestinian territory.Defense Minister Ehud Barak authorized the transfer of 100 million shekels ($25 million) to Hamas-controlled Gaza from Palestinian banks in the West Bank, his office said. The shekel is the territory's main currency, although Gazans also use U.S. dollars and Jordanian dinars.Jihad al-Wazir, head of the Palestinian Monetary Authority, said the money shipment would help but added that Gazans needed a regular supply of cash. The Israeli approval does not resolve the overall problem of regular inflow of liquidity, he said.Palestinian monetary officials earlier said they needed an immediate infusion of 250 million shekels just to cover salaries of Gaza's government workers.An Israeli military spokesman, Peter Lerner, said armored trucks would cross Israel from the West Bank to Gaza with the money. He said the transfer would be made by Sunday.The Israeli statement said the transfer came in response to a request from Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer and the moderate Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, whose West Bank-based government is holding peace talks with Israel.Israel has not allowed money to enter Gaza since October, causing cash shortages in local banks. Last week, on what was meant to be pay day for tens of thousands of civil servants, many Gazans were unable to collect their pay because cash ran out.

The Gaza blockade was imposed by Israel and Egypt last year when the Islamic militants of Hamas seized power by violence, leaving Palestinian moderates in charge only of the West Bank. The sanctions were slightly loosened in June year when Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire agreement, but Israel sealed the territory again when violence erupted in early November.

Cost Of Bailout Hits $8.5 Trillion Total sum represents 60 per cent of GDP
Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The total cost of funds committed to the bailout in its various guises has now hit $8.5 trillion dollars, up from $7.7 trillion in just two days after the federal government committed an additional $800 billion to two new loan programs on Tuesday.

The total amount of funds now committed equals a figure that represents 60 per cent of the U.S. gross domestic product.Millions of Americans with savings accounts and pensions will ultimately pay the price because, as the San Francisco Chronicle admits today, The Fed lends money from its own balance sheet or by essentially creating new money.You’ll also find this little snippet in the article, Most of the money, about $5.5 trillion, comes from the Federal Reserve, which as an independent entity does not need congressional approval to lend money to banks or, in unusual and exigent circumstances,to other financial institutions.Just another reminder that the private, run for profit, Federal Reserve has the printing presses cranked on overdrive in order to bailout Wall Street and the big banks, while the homeowner and the middle class see their savings devalued out of existence.If you print money all the time, the money becomes worth less, warns Diane Lim Rogers, chief economist with the Concord Coalition, but its an empty threat to delirious traders and investors drunk on a record stock market rally after the government pumped more fake liquidity into the bloated bubble.Veteran investor Jim Rogers echoed the sentiment, predicting the dollar is going to lose its status as the world’s reserve currency, adding, It will be devalued and it will go down a lot. These guys in Washington, they want to debase the currency.They think that if you drive down the value of your money, it makes you more competitive, now that has never worked in history in the long term, said Rogers.

How long will it be before Americans realize the looming specter of hyperinflation spells disaster for their life savings? How long will it be before we see rioting in the streets on a par with the scenes witnessed in Iceland over the weekend, where the Icelandic krona has lost half its value in a matter of weeks? Meanwhile, over in the UK, the government assured the vast majority of the population that they will “tax the rich” in order to pay for the bailout on the other side of the Atlantic, with whopping 61 per cent tax bands being levied on those earning over £100,000 a year.Since when was £100,000 a year rich? After tax, even if someone was able to save half of their remaining income, it would take them around 30 years to save a million pounds, adjusting for inflation. That is not rich.The reality of course is that it is the middle class who will once again foot the bill for everything, leaving the elite to prolong their con game of fiat money and imaginary credit , once again suckering the poor in for a lifetime of indentured financial servitude.

EU parliament body scanners offer virtual strip search
VALENTINA POP Today DEC 10,08 @ 17:22 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Parliament has eight scanners on stock that can expose body parts if put in use, a parliament spokeswoman has confirmed. MEPs recently opposed an attempt by the European Commission to allow airports to use this type of scanner, already in place in British, Dutch, Swiss, US and Australian airports.The decision to acquire eight full-body scanners was taken by the European Parliament's administrative body in 2002, following the al-Qaeda attacks of 11 September 2001, as a measure to protect MEPs and visitors, Marjory van den Broeke, spokeswoman for the parliament's secretary-general told EUobserver.They have luckily never been used, but they could be if the authorities decided to rise the terror alert to code orange or red, she said. The eight machines cost €68,000 each and were distributed to the parliament's buildings in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, Ms van den Broeke explained.She also stressed that the scanners were only on stock and to be used only in the case of a terrorist threat. A resolution passed in the parliament at the end of October opposed the daily use of such machines in EU airports, she said.German daily newspaper Die Welt wrote on Wednesday (10 December) that the body scanners were hidden in the basement of the European Parliament.

British MEP Graham Watson, head of the parliament's Liberal group (ALDE) proposed a test run of the machines on the European Parliament's secretary-general and its staff.The parliament's drive for transparency seems to have gone a little bit too far, Mr Watson told EUobserver, adding that this matter would be definitely brought up in the meeting with the other party leaders.German centre-right MEP Markus Ferber, who sits on the budgetary control committee told Die Welt this was just another example of a waste of tax money, criticising his colleagues who had approved the purchase of the equipment. This is a huge mess. It's the pinnacle of hypocrisy for the MEPs who are responsible for purchasing these devices being the same ones who ranted and raved about installing them at airports, he said.Late October, MEPs opposed a legislative proposal to allow EU airports to use full-body scanners, arguing that they infringe privacy rights and data protection laws and undermine people's dignity.They said the machines were in effect a virtual strip search.In the US, where such scanners are used in 10 of the biggest airports, passengers can decline to step into the machines and opt instead for a pat-down.UK and the Netherlands also use these types of scanners, while Germany has rejected them as nonsense.

EU states not applying free movement rules, Brussels says
ELITSA VUCHEVA Today DEC 10,08 @ 17:38 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU member states' implementation of rules on free movement and residence within the bloc has been rather disappointing, the European Commission said on Wednesday (10 December).Currently, EU citizens have the right to move to another member state to retire, study, work and live, with certain requirements and conditions linked to this right and set in EU legislation from 2004.Most member states have failed to fully comply with these EU rules Brussels says, however.

According to the commission not one single member state has transposed the directive [on the right of EU citizens to move and reside freely within the EU] effectively and correctly in its entity. Not one article of the directive has been transposed effectively and correctly by all member states.The overall transposition of the directive is rather disappointing, the EU executive adds in its statement.Only Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and Spain have correctly adopted more than 85 percent of the directive's provisions. In contrast, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Slovenia and Slovakia have correctly adopted less than 60 percent of the provisions.Additionally, some member states create artificial hurdles to free movement of EU citizens.One example for this is the right of residence of Europeans in another member state for more than three months, which some countries link to conditions not foreseen in the directive.The Czech Republic recognises the right of residence only when the family has satisfactory accommodation. Malta requires EU citizens to obtain a work licence in order to have the right of residence as workers. Such requirements are contrary to community law, the commission says.Under the free movement directive, any EU citizen who is a student, worker, or self-employed, or has enough resourses not to become a burden on the social assistance system of the host member state and has a health insurance in the host country, can reside in any EU state longer than three months.

Infringement threat

Flaws in the implementation of EU law in this field might result in a breach of the principles lying at the very core basis of the European construction, EU justice commissioner Jacques Barrot told journalists in Brussels.He added that if things did not change, the commission would not hesitate to launch infringement procedures against the member states that continuously fail to correctly implement the free movement rules.Mr Barrot rejected calls coming from some countries, notably Denmark and Ireland, to change the EU rules as they may boost marriages of conveniences with non-EU nationals.Guidelines the commission is to publish in the first half of next year should suffice to reassure member states on this and other issues, showing them there are good practices to fight against such marriages, Mr Barrot said.Rules in place in the UK in that respect, including language knowledge verification and trial periods following the marriage, could serve as an example, he added.

Liberals name Ignatieff as new leader By Randall Palmer Randall Palmer DEC 10,08

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada's opposition Liberals named Michael Ignatieff, a formidable campaigner they hope will reverse the once-mighty party's decline, as their new leader on Wednesday.Ignatieff has been the party's lead voice of caution on the question of trying to bring down the minority Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper through an alliance with other opposition parties. He is also expected to nudge the party back to the center after its recent lean to the left.He replaces Stephane Dion, who in the October 14 election led the Liberals to their worst showing since Canada was founded in 1867. It was the Liberals' second straight election loss.Ignatieff was acclaimed as interim leader on Wednesday after his two competitors dropped out of the race this week and he is expected to become permanent leader at a party convention in May.This decision comes at an historic time for Canada, party President Doug Ferguson said in a statement.Our interim leader will be called upon to lead our caucus and our party through a volatile Parliament, and a possible federal election in the midst of the worst economic crisis in memory.Both Ignatieff and Dion are former university professors but Ignatieff has shown himself more able to deliver punchy sound bites in both English and French, though he has drawn some criticism for appearing aloof and aristocratic.

He faces the huge task of rebuilding a party that is broke and is poorly organized in large parts of Canada, particularly in the West and in Quebec. He is much more popular in Quebec than Dion, who was seen as taking too hard a line against separatism.Ignatieff will have to manage expectations of those, like former rival Bob Rae, who are itching to keep an opposition coalition alive to bring down the Conservatives even though the Conservatives won a strengthened mandate less than two months ago.Last week the Liberals signed a formal agreement with the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Quebecois to try to bring the Conservatives down and install a Liberal-NDP government.But Ignatieff has said this path, which polls show is unpopular, should only be followed if necessary.One concern the Liberals have is that they might find themselves in another election, badly trailing the Conservatives, rather than being offered a chance to form a coalition government.The NDP and the Bloc remain eager to pursue that course.There's no question of giving Mr. Harper another chance here. He blew it, NDP deputy leader Thomas Mulcair told CBC television.However, it is ultimately not up to the NDP and the Bloc but rather the Liberals, and in particular Ignatieff, as to whether the government will be toppled.

Liberal caucus endorses Ignatieff as interim leader
By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - Liberal MPs and senators have unanimously endorsed Michael Ignatieff as interim party leader. The vote by caucus clears the way for the Toronto MP to be officially declared interim leader by the national executive today - after it finishes its consultation process with Liberals across the country. Bob Rae - who withdrew from the leadership race Tuesday - nominated Ignatieff at today's closed-door caucus meeting. Rae, Stephane Dion and Dominic LeBlanc all praised Ignatieff and spoke of the need for party unity. Ignatieff's leadership puts the coalition with the NDP in some doubt. Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale wouldn't say going into caucus whether Ignatieff would withdraw from the alliance. He says Ignatieff should be cut some slack in order to decide what is the most responsible course to follow.

US congressmen rebuff Irish anti-Lisbon links
PHILIPPA RUNNER Today DEC 10,08 @ 09:25 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - US congress members have poured cold water on a European Parliament query about potential foreign funding for the anti-Lisbon treaty campaign in Ireland, in line with expectations.Our congressional colleagues drew our attention to a statement from US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte at Trinity College Dublin on 17 November, completely refuting the suggestion of any US dimension whatsoever, British conservative MEP Jonathan Evans told EUobserver on Wednesday (9 December), after returning from a European Parliament delegation to the US.On the contrary, both Democrats and Republicans re-affirmed their keenness to work with a strong and coherent EU, comments recently accentuated by president-elect Obama, he added.German socialist MEP Helmut Kuhne asked US lawmakers at the meeting in Miami if the US government had in any way supported Irish businessman Declan Ganley, whose Libertas organisation was among groups which campaigned for a No vote in the Irish referendum in June.The query was made following informal instructions from the office of European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering, after German green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit in September suggested the Pentagon or the CIA may have helped Mr Ganley in order to weaken the EU.

Mr Cohn-Bendit continued in a similar vein last week at a meeting with Czech President Vaclav Klaus, saying Mr Klaus should not have met with Mr Ganley during a recent state visit to Dublin because of the problematic financing of the businessman's political activity.When asked in Dublin last month if the US government had helped Libertas, Mr Negroponte said: absolutely not. I say that on very good authority, not only being deputy secretary of state but also being a former director of national intelligence.Mr Ganley's company, Rivada Networks, makes communications equipment for the US government. But he has denied any US link to Libertas and promised to take Irish politicians to court for grossly defamatory statements on the subject.The Irish government is widely expected to run a second referendum on Lisbon in October 2009, after negotiating a package of sweeteners from EU states at this week's summit.The package is set to include keeping an Irish commissioner and securing declarations to protect Irish neutrality, taxation and anti-abortion laws, which would later be given legal force by being lodged at the UN or tacked on to Croatia's EU accession treaty.Mr Ganley is likely to remain a force in European politics for some time to come. Libertas opened an office in Brussels last month as part of his plans to run in European Parliament elections in June.

Czech delay

Meanwhile, the Czech parliament on Wednesday put off until 3 February a vote on Lisbon ratification as the ruling conservative ODS party tries to secure socialist support for hosting a US anti-missile shield first.The move means the Czech EU presidency will start work in January as the only EU state not to have voted on the treaty.President Klaus, along with Polish President Lech Kaczynski, have also promised not to sign off on Lisbon unless Ireland overturns its No vote.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

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

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

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

EU Somali mission able to arrest pirates
VALENTINA POP 09.12.2008 @ 18:01 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU naval mission off the coast of Somalia will arrest and transfer pirates for prosecution to member states or countries beyond the 27-country bloc, the mission's commander-in-chief has said. Three ships from Great Britain, France and Greece were already off the Somali coasts under the first EU naval mission on Monday, its commander in chief, British Rear Admiral Phillip Jones told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday (9 December) marking the official launch of the operation, dubbed Atalanta.We have a specific mandate to contribute to reducing piracy and ensuring humanitarian access, he explained, while admitting: A naval force in itself cannot completely eradicate piracy.Mr Jones admitted that the surveillance area was vast, saying: The more ships and aircraft, the better. The pirates operate up to 500 miles off the Somali coast and in the whole of the Gulf of Aden - a vital corridor for oil tankers and humanitarian aid ships.Under its mandate, the mission is expected to escort UN World Food Programme vessels delivering aid to Somalis and patrol the areas where pirates operate. The mission is also to escort other vulnerable ships, including commercial traffic.Operating under the UN Convention Against Piracy, the EU mission has given itself a green light to use force in order to deter, prevent and intervene against acts of piracy and armed robbery.

Unlike piracy, which takes place in international waters, armed robbery refers to similar actions conducted in territorial waters and requires the national government to approve any foreign intervention against it. The Somali government has given this approval to the EU mission, Mr Jones said.He was reluctant however to detail the rules of engagement against pirates but repeatedly called them robust enough to have a deterence effect. The operation will also be able to place pirates under arrest and transfer them for prosecution to member states or non-EU countries, yet any such action would be considered on a case-by-base basis, depending on the nationality of the vessel, the legislation of the country involved and whether the action took place in international or territorial waters, Mr Jones explained.Headquartered in Northwood, Hertfordshire, in the UK, the operation is planned to last for 12 months on a four-month rotation basis, and will have at any time up to six ships with helicopters and three surveillance aircraft in support of the mission. Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium are also expected to contribute, while talks are under way with a number of countries beyond the EU, such as Japan, which might also put forward a frigate.The force commander at sea is Commodore Antonios Papaioannou, who will be replaced after four months by a Spanish commander and in the last part of 2009 by a Dutch commodore.

Irish minister fudges Lisbon treaty question
LEIGH PHILLIPS 09.12.2008 @ 09:45 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Irish foreign minister Micheal Martin declined to clarify his country's position on holding a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty next year, despite reports of an impending announcement.We have not decided to hold a referendum, he told a packed crowd of Brussels officials and journalists at a meeting on Monday (8 December) held by the European Policy Centre, an EU think-tank.

But when pressed if he saw any other way out of the impasse other than a second referendum, he responded: I'm not a constitutional lawyer. There are perhaps other ways, but they are fraught with risks.The UK's Daily Telegraph had earlier the same day cited unnamed Irish diplomats as saying Taoisheach Brian Cowen will at the EU summit on Thursday (11 December) declare that a second vote will be held in October 2009, or possibly in April 2009.EU leaders are to meet in Brussels to consider the Lisbon conundrum, as well as enter into final negotiations on the bloc's climate and energy package and assess the current economic situation.When challenged if a second referendum might be seen as insulting to Irish people when voters in France and the Netherlands - who also voted against an earlier incarnation of the treaty - would not be forced to vote once again, he added: In a democracy, I don't think it is insulting to ask people a question. The important thing is to listen to the people.

The minister said his government had taken the time to analyse in depth not only why people voted for or against the Lisbon treaty, but also their general attitudes towards Brussels.We found most have a very positive attitude towards the EU - 70 percent believe that it has been a positive thing for Ireland.

Ireland's demands?

Mr Martin outlined five key reasons for the No vote, which could form the backbone of Dublin's demands from other EU states to help them push an amended treaty package through.The biggest reason for voting No was worries over threats to Ireland's traditional neutrality. This was a very strong issue. This came through clearly in our research, he told the room.Irish citizens were also very concerned about competence creep from Brussels and especially the European Court of Justice, which is seen as gradually encroaching into domestic jurisdiction. He said this notably took the form of fears that Ireland's protection of the right to life of the unborn would at some point be undone.Days after the June referendum, a European Commission Eurobarometer survey of the reasons why people had voted No showed that conservative fears that Europe might impose legalised abortion, gay marriage and euthanasia on Ireland was an issue for only two percent of voters on the No side.Mr Martin said that abortion and these other ethical issues combined with other reasons in the minds of the voters: I don't mean they all voted that way, but it was a factor in their heads.Taxation, a strong theme of free-market-oriented No campaign group Libertas, also proved to be prominent in voters' heads. A full third believed that the treaty undermined national competence in direct taxation, said the minister.Mr Martin told the meeting that workers' rights and social issues figured significantly in the popular imagination as well, saying that people were worried about recent European Court of Justice decisions that appeared to limit people's right to strike and collective bargaining. We're open to suggestions from the commission on how to copperfasten these rights and deliver enhanced protections for workers, he added.

The fifth issue was the reduction in the number of commissioners outlined in the Lisbon treaty. According to the treaty, in future only two thirds of the member states would maintain a commissioner at any given time. Critically, losing a commissioner was a key worry, with 80 percent rating the issue as of very high importance, he said.

Commissioner conundrum

If the Treaty of Lisbon is to enter into force, it requires the agreement of all member states, the minister said. If that is to be secured, the concerns of the Irish people will have to be addressed in a clear and convincing manner by means of legally binding assurances.He apologised for not being more precise in his response, but, it will all become clear by the end of the week, he said.However, Ireland's plans may get a bumpy ride from other member states. Foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels on Monday ahead of the summit considered Dublin's requests.After the meeting, Slovak foreign minister Jan Kubis said: I suppose the Irish will get some support from EU leaders at the summit, suggesting they will listen to their concerns and try to work on them in the coming months, but it is clear that they will not just copy all of their demands and accept them.Mr Kubis added that most countries would mainly have a problem accepting changes in the institutional make-up of the European Commission, as this may require a new round of treaty ratification - a move most countries oppose.

Macedonia name dispute holds hostage EU credibility
ELITSA VUCHEVA 09.12.2008 @ 08:54 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Macedonia is ready to start accession talks with the EU and the fact that a 17-year-old dispute with Greece over its name is hindering the process harms not just Skopje, but the EU's credibility as well, Macedonian foreign minister Antonio Milososki has said.This name issue has been misused by one EU member country, and this fact is to a certain extent taking hostage the credibility of the EU when it comes to establishing and promoting objective membership criteria, Mr Milososki told EUobserver in an interview.Macedonia has been an EU candidate since 2005, but has not yet opened membership negotiations with the 27-nation bloc.It had hoped to do so this year, but a European Commission progress report released in November did not recommend to EU member states to launch the process, citing deficiencies in a number of areas, and highlighting violent incidents that took place during this summer's elections in Macedonia.Skopje believes there is another reason behind Brussels' decision, however.I am not convinced that's the only reason why Macedonia was not given a chance to open accession negotiations. Maybe there is something that is beyond the reports, Mr Milososki said, referring to the dispute with Greece over Macedonia's name - an issue which he said is making his small country disproportionately more famous worldwide than [its] size.

Greece has been refusing to recognise its neighbour's constitutional name - Republic of Macedonia - since it declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, as a northern region in Greece is also called Macedonia and Athens fears allowing Skopje to use the name will open the way to territorial claims. It also believes the appellation is part of its own historical heritage.The dispute has been going on for more than 17years. Meanwhile, the international community has been using Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as a provisional term designating the country since 1993. Separately, Macedonia's name has been recognised by some 120 other countries worldwide, including Russia, the US, China, Canada, Turkey, as well as a number of EU states.

It's the name,says France

Earlier this year, the deadlock over Macedonia's name caused Greece to block a NATO invitation to Skopje, and Athens has indicated that its neighbour's EU integration would also be slowed down as long as the issue is not solved.On Monday (8 December), current EU president France said that the unsolved name dispute was clearly Macedonia's biggest problem at the moment as far as its EU accession process is concerned.The problem of Macedonia, it's the name, French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner told journalists after a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.

Frankly, you can ask me about visas and about progress [towards the EU], as long as the name issue is not solved, you are knocking on the wrong door. This problem must be solved, he added.After all these years of UN-mediated negotiations between Greece and Macedonia, the situation seems today very very complicated for such a simple problem, the French minister concluded.For his part, Mr Milososki stressed the EU should help to tone down the issue and not to let it become a criterion for his country to join the EU.We would like this issue to retain its bilateral dimension and not to be Europeanised, because it's not a dispute with the EU, it's a dispute with Greece, Macedonia's top diplomat said.

Merit-based approach

Mr Milososki also stressed that despite the reforms his country still has to make in a number of areas, it is already prepared to start EU membership talks.We are aware we are not perfect, but Macedonia is not less prepared than some other countries - already negotiating or already members of the EU - to open accession negotiations, he said.[On a] merit-based approach, Macedonia should be considered as soon as possible as the next country opening accession negotiations, the minister added.

Skopje is also hoping to obtain visa free travel to the EU as early as next year.

For its part, Brussels noted that Macedonia had made good progress on the visa arrangements and is expected to deliver its assessment on the country's readiness for visa liberalisation in the first quarter of 2009.

Britain to withdraw most troops from Iraq by June By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer DEC 10,2008

BAGHDAD – Britain announced Wednesday it will withdraw all but a handful of its 4,000soldiers from Iraq next year, ending a mission that was unpopular at home and failed to curb the rise of Iranian-backed Shiite militias in the south.The decision comes as the United States is weighing a drawdown in its nearly 150,000-strong force. President-elect Barack Obama has called for withdrawing all combat troops from Iraq by the spring of 2010, shifting responsibility to the Iraqis for the defense of the country against Sunni and Shiite extremists.The British announcement, which was expected, signals a conclusion to the role of the second biggest troop contributor to the multinational coalition after the United States. More than 45,000 British troops took part in the March 2003 invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein.In London, the Defense Ministry said all but a few hundred of the 4,000 soldiers, most of them in the heavily Shiite south, would be gone by June.The government did not say when the withdrawal would begin. But the Daily Telegraph newspaper of London said it would start in March, when a U.S. unit takes over the British headquarters at the airport in Iraq's second-largest city, Basra.A U.S. brigade will deploy to the south to train Iraqi soldiers and secure vital supply lines from Kuwait, the newspaper said. The Associated Press requested comment from the U.S. command but received no reply.The British have not confirmed whether they will now send more soldiers to Afghanistan. Military commanders have warned that British troops are overstretched from commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Britain has some 7,800 soldiers.

Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, the chief of the Defense Staff, said last month that a major withdrawal of Britain's 4,000 troops in Iraq in 2009 won't mean additional forces can immediately be sent to Afghanistan.In Basra, Gov. Mohammed al-Waili expressed confidence that Iraqi forces could continue to secure the area — the heart of Iraq's vital oil industry.Our security forces are fully ready and prepared to fill any vacuum caused by the withdrawal of British soldiers, he told the AP. We think that the stable security situation will continue after the departure of the British.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had expected to make substantial reductions this year but suspended those plans after Iraqi troops launched a major attack against Shiite militias in Basra last March, wresting control of the city from extremists.The Iraq war has been extremely unpopular in Britain, and the effort to topple Saddam never enjoyed as much support as in the United States. In 2003, several hundred thousand people took to the streets of London to protest the invasion, and the issue shadowed the final years of Tony Blair's premiership.Even the current foreign secretary, David Miliband, has acknowledged that the war was divisive in both the country and the governing Labour Party.Our whole country will breathe a sigh of relief that an end to this illegal war is now in sight, said Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third-largest party in Parliament.With widespread opposition at home, British troops never took as aggressive a posture as American soldiers to the north, in part because of British sensitivities over its image in Iraq as the former colonial power that crushed a bloody uprising in 1920.

Privately, British officers spoke disparagingly of U.S. cowboy tactics in suppressing Sunni insurgents in central and northern Iraq and Shiite extremists in Baghdad and south of the capital.With the British taking a more passive stand, Shiite militias, including the Mahdi Army of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, took control of wide areas of Basra and other parts of the south during Britain's stewardship.Gunmen held sway until Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, also a Shiite, ordered Iraqi soldiers and police to regain control of Basra last March. U.S. aircraft and ground troops provided support for the operation. But Iraqi officers complained bitterly that the British withheld military support. In August, the Times of London reported that British troops stayed out of the fight because of a secret deal with an Iran-backed militia. The Ministry of Defense denied any deal was struck and said it held back to ensure that the operation was seen as Iraqi-led. At least 177 British soldiers died in Iraq, compared to at least 4,209 members of the U.S. military mission. The last combat death suffered by British forces in Iraq was March 26. Although most British troops are in the south, commandos from the elite Special Air Services serve alongside U.S. special operators in the largely secret war against al-Qaida in Iraq. A British general serves as the deputy to the top U.S. commander, Gen. Ray Odierno. Also Wednesday, Iraq's election commission announced it will launch a petition drive to see if there's enough support for a referendum to decide whether Basra province will become a self-ruled region. The commission said it would set up 34 centers across Basra where voters can sign the petition asking for a self-rule referendum. The drive begins on Monday and will last until Jan. 14, commission officials said. Basra lawmaker Wail Abdul-Latif said that at least 10 percent of registered voters must sign the petition in order for a referendum to be scheduled. If a majority voted in favor in the referendum, Basra would become a self-ruled region with the same powers as the Kurdish self-ruled area in the north. That would give local authorities more control of the province's vast oil wealth. Associated Press reporters Robert Barr in London and Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad contributed to this report.

UN says cholera death toll in Zimbabwe reaches 775 By ANGUS SHAW, Associated Press Writer Angus Shaw DEC 10,08

HARARE, Zimbabwe – The death toll from Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak has risen sharply, the United Nations said Wednesday, reporting 775 deaths and 16,141 cases of the waterborne disease in the southern African nation.Cholera has spread rapidly in Zimbabwe because of the country's crumbling health care system and the lack of clean water. Last week, Zimbabwe declared a health emergency because of cholera and the collapse of its health services.The latest figures from the World Health Organization show a jump of nearly 200 deaths from Tuesday, when the U.N. humanitarian office reported that 589 people had died out of 13,960 cases.Zimbabwe's government says the disease is under control but aid agencies warn that coming rains could spreading cholera further in a population already weakened by disease and hunger.With hundreds of people fleeing the country to seek treatment, cholera has already spread to Zimbabwe's neighbors. Nine deaths were reported Tuesday in South Africa.President Robert Mugabe is coming under increasing pressure as concern about the country's deepening humanitarian and political crisis mounts. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have all called recently for the 84-year-old leader to step down.

Also Wednesday, a group of lawyers marched peacefully through downtown Harare calling for the release of human rights activist Jestina Mukoko.Mukoko, director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, was allegedly taken from her home a week ago when activists held nationwide protests against the country's deepening economic and health crises.Zimbabwean security officials regularly detain, harass and beat opponents of Mugabe's increasingly autocratic rule, although the government denies such allegations.A judge ordered police Tuesday to investigate Mukoko's disappearance.The lawyers — some dressed in their black gowns — carried placards reading: Stop abductions now and calling Mukoko a woman of peace.The opposition Movement for Democratic Change said in a statement that at least 20 activists were missing.A number of international and regional organizations, including South Africa's ruling party, also were raising concerns about the whereabouts of the activists.The African National Congress urged Zimbabwe's government to find them as a matter of urgency.Irene Khan, secretary-general of Amnesty International said human rights abuses were worsening in Zimbabwe as Mugabe's regime was desperate to stay in power.In Oslo, Norway, on Wednesday, Nobel peace laureate Martti Ahtisaari criticized Mugabe, saying the international community failed to meet its obligation to intervene when something goes terribly wrong, as it has.(Mugabe) was the hope of the continent after Zimbabwe was born. How this desire for absolute power make somebody behave the way he has done? I feel very sad about that, he said.Mugabe, 84, has ruled his country since its 1980 independence from Britain and has refused to leave office following disputed elections in March. A power-sharing deal worked out in September with the opposition has been deadlocked over how to divvy up Cabinet posts.Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Geneva and Doug Mellgren in Oslo contributed to this report.

OPENLY SAYING ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT

EU DICTATOR (WORLD LEADER)

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

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

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

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

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

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

WORLD GOVERNMENT

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.

REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Financial Times Editorial Admits Agenda For Dictatorial World Government ,Jaw-dropping report concedes that global governance is a euphemism for anti-democratic global government Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The Financial Times, one of the most respected and widely read newspapers on the planet, features an editorial today that openly admits the agenda to create a world government based on anti-democratic principles and concedes that the term global governance is merely a euphemism for the move towards a centralized global government.For years we were called paranoid nutcases for warning about the elite’s plans to centralize global power and destroy American sovereignty. Throughout the 1990’s people who talked about the alarming move towards global government were smeared as right-wing lunatics by popular culture and the media.Now the agenda is out in the open and in our faces, the debunkers have no more ammunition with which to deride us.A jaw-dropping editorial written by the Financial Times chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman entitled And now for a world government lays out the plan for global government and how it is being pushed with deceptive language and euphemisms in order to prevent people from becoming alarmed.

For the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible, writes Rachman, citing the financial crisis, global warming and the global war on terror as three major pretexts through which it is being introduced.Rachman writes that global governance could be introduced much sooner than many expect and that President elect Barack Obama has already expressed his desire to achieve that goal, making reference to Obama’s circle of advisors which includes Strobe Talbott, who in 1992 stated, In the next century, nations as we know it will be obsolete; all states will recognize a single, global authority. National sovereignty wasn’t such a great idea after all.Rachman then concedes that the more abstract term global governance, which is often used by top globalists like David Rockefeller as a veil to offset accusations that a centralized global government is the real agenda, is merely a trick of soothing language that is used to prevent people reaching for their rifles in America’s talk-radio heartland.But some European thinkers think that they recognise what is going on, says Rachman. Jacques Attali, an adviser to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, argues that: Global governance is just a euphemism for global government. As far as he is concerned, some form of global government cannot come too soon. Mr Attali believes that the core of the international financial crisis is that we have global financial markets and no global rule of law.

Rachman proceeds to outline what the first steps to an official world government would look like, including the creation of A legally binding climate-change agreement negotiated under the auspices of the UN and the creation of a 50,000-strong UN peacekeeping force.A world government would involve much more than co-operation between nations, writes Rachman. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already set up a continental government for 27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil service and the ability to deploy military force.So, it seems, everything is in place. For the first time since homo sapiens began to doodle on cave walls, there is an argument, an opportunity and a means to make serious steps towards a world government, concludes Rachman, before acknowledging that the path to global government will be slow and painful.Tellingly, Rachman concedes that International governance tends to be effective, only when it is anti-democratic, citing the continual rejection of EU expansion when the question is put to a vote. In general, the Union has progressed fastest when far-reaching deals have been agreed by technocrats and politicians – and then pushed through without direct reference to the voters, writes Rachman.

So there you have it - one of the world’s top newspapers, editorially led by chief economics commentator Martin Wolf, a top Bilderberg luminary, openly proclaiming that not only is world government the agenda, but that world government will only be achieved through dictatorial measures because the majority of the people are dead against it.Will we still be called paranoid conspiracy theorists for warning that a system of dictatorial world government is being set up, even as one of the world’s most influential newspapers admits to the fact? Or will people finally wake up and accept that there is a globalist agenda to destroy sovereignty, any form of real democracy, and freedom itself in the pursuit of an all-powerful, self-interested, centralized, unrepresentative and dictatorial world government?

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

And now for a world government By Gideon Rachman December 8 2008 19:13

I have never believed that there is a secret United Nations plot to take over the US. I have never seen black helicopters hovering in the sky above Montana. But, for the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible.A world government would involve much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already set up a continental government for 27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil service and the ability to deploy military force.So could the European model go global? There are three reasons for thinking that it might.First, it is increasingly clear that the most difficult issues facing national governments are international in nature: there is global warming, a global financial crisis and a global war on terror.

Second, it could be done. The transport and communications revolutions have shrunk the world so that, as Geoffrey Blainey, an eminent Australian historian, has written: For the first time in human history, world government of some sort is now possible. Mr Blainey foresees an attempt to form a world government at some point in the next two centuries, which is an unusually long time horizon for the average newspaper column. But – the third point – a change in the political atmosphere suggests that global governance could come much sooner than that. The financial crisis and climate change are pushing national governments towards global solutions, even in countries such as China and the US that are traditionally fierce guardians of national sovereignty. Barack Obama, America’s president-in-waiting, does not share the Bush administration’s disdain for international agreements and treaties. In his book, The Audacity of Hope, he argued that: When the world’s sole superpower willingly restrains its power and abides by internationally agreed-upon standards of conduct, it sends a message that these are rules worth following. The importance that Mr Obama attaches to the UN is shown by the fact that he has appointed Susan Rice, one of his closest aides, as America’s ambassador to the UN, and given her a seat in the cabinet. A taste of the ideas doing the rounds in Obama circles is offered by a recent report from the Managing Global Insecurity project, whose small US advisory group includes John Podesta, the man heading Mr Obama’s transition team and Strobe Talbott, the president of the Brookings Institution, from which Ms Rice has just emerged. The MGI report argues for the creation of a UN high commissioner for counter-terrorist activity, a legally binding climate-change agreement negotiated under the auspices of the UN and the creation of a 50,000-strong UN peacekeeping force. Once countries had pledged troops to this reserve army, the UN would have first call upon them.

These are the kind of ideas that get people reaching for their rifles in America’s talk-radio heartland. Aware of the political sensitivity of its ideas, the MGI report opts for soothing language. It emphasises the need for American leadership and uses the term, responsible sovereignty – when calling for international co-operation – rather than the more radical-sounding phrase favoured in Europe, shared sovereignty. It also talks about global governance rather than world government.

But some European thinkers think that they recognise what is going on. Jacques Attali, an adviser to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, argues that: Global governance is just a euphemism for global government. As far as he is concerned, some form of global government cannot come too soon. Mr Attali believes that the core of the international financial crisis is that we have global financial markets and no global rule of law.So, it seems, everything is in place. For the first time since homo sapiens began to doodle on cave walls, there is an argument, an opportunity and a means to make serious steps towards a world government. But let us not get carried away. While it seems feasible that some sort of world government might emerge over the next century, any push for global governance in the here and now will be a painful, slow process.There are good and bad reasons for this. The bad reason is a lack of will and determination on the part of national, political leaders who – while they might like to talk about a planet in peril – are ultimately still much more focused on their next election, at home.But this problem also hints at a more welcome reason why making progress on global governance will be slow sledding. Even in the EU – the heartland of law-based international government – the idea remains unpopular. The EU has suffered a series of humiliating defeats in referendums, when plans for ever closer union have been referred to the voters. In general, the Union has progressed fastest when far-reaching deals have been agreed by technocrats and politicians – and then pushed through without direct reference to the voters. International governance tends to be effective, only when it is anti-democratic. The world’s most pressing political problems may indeed be international in nature, but the average citizen’s political identity remains stubbornly local. Until somebody cracks this problem, that plan for world government may have to stay locked away in a safe at the UN.gideon.rachman@ft.com Post and read comments at Gideon Rachman’s blog The Financial Times Limited 2008

ISRAELI ELECTIONS NOT COMPLETE YET

Likud extends primary vote to determine party list Mon Dec 8, 3:51 pm ET

Reuters JERUSALEM – The hardline opposition Likud Party extended its primary election at least into the early hours of Tuesday after computer glitches led to long lines and disappointed voters, Israeli media reported.The vote will decide the opposition party's candidates for the Feb. 10 national elections, which polls indicate could sweep Likud to power. Candidates winning high spots in the primary voting would be well-set for a senior Cabinet post in a government headed by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu.Voting was to continue at least two extra hours, until 1 a.m. Tuesday, and Likud officials planned to discuss during the night whether to allow further balloting in the morning, Israeli media said.Even Netanyahu, a former prime minister, had to ask for help when he voted Monday morning at a computerized station, calling over an expert who joined him behind the cardboard barrier hiding the computer.There is no doubt that computerized voting has a long way to go, Netanyahu told reporters later, outside a crowded Jerusalem voting station Monday evening.The computer foul-up followed a similar fiasco during primary elections last week for the centrist Labor Party, which canceled the electronic voting and rescheduled its primary two days later with paper ballots.Netanyahu has been trying to portray himself as a moderate. He fears a strong showing by extremists in the primary would weaken Likud in the general elections.February's elections are coming 18 months ahead of schedule. They were set in motion in September when Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, then head of the centrist Kadima Party, resigned to battle corruption charges.(This version CORRECTS Corrects that Netanyahu voted Monday morning, talked to reporters Monday evening. Voting extended until at least 1 a.m. (6p.m. EST).)

Challenges still hinder Sarkozy plan for union 2008 The Washington Times, LLC Some see it as second-rate alternative to EU Anne-Laure Buffard THE WASHINGTON TIMES Monday, December 8, 2008

An effort by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to get nations bordering the Mediterranean to cooperate on mutual problems has achieved some diplomatic success, but still has many skeptics. The Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, as it is formally known, held its latest meeting in Marseilles, France, last month.

Launched in October 2007, Mr. Sarkozy's plan for a new North-South partnership initially aroused mistrust among France's European Union allies, especially Germany and Britain, and suspicion from Turkey, which saw it as a poor substitute for the EU membership it desires. A year later, Mr. Sarkozy was still struggling with thorny issues, such as bringing Israel and its Arab rivals to the same table and deciding on a headquarters location without offending nations on both sides of the Mediterranean. AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner announces at last month's EU meeting in Marseille, France, that Barcelona, Spain, would serve as headquarters for the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean. On Nov. 4, however, after two days of diplomatic wrangling, the French and Egyptian foreign ministers - Bernard Kouchner and Ahmed Aboul Gheit - announced that Barcelona, Spain, would host the headquarters and that Israel and the Arab League would take part side by side. It wasn't supposed to work, and yet it did, Mr. Kouchner said. The essential points were accepted completely and without reservation by all 43 states, he said, referring to 27 European countries and 16 from North Africa and the Middle East. France regards the union as one of the major achievements of its six-month presidency of the European Union, which ends Dec. 31.

According to the agreement, the 22-member Arab League will be allowed take part in every meeting with the right to speak, but not to vote. In exchange, Israel received one of five deputy secretary-general posts for an initial three-year period. Now everyone is completely onboard, said Emmanuel Lenain, spokesman for the French Embassy in Washington. For us, the meeting is a real success. We voted an ambitious political statement. We agreed on the structure. Everything is getting under way.The deputy posts will rotate among three European members and two on the southern side of the Mediterranean. Besides Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Greece, Malta and Italy will serve three-year terms. The initiative is aimed at reviving the Barcelona Process, a previous EU initiative that began in 1995 but stalled in part over Arab-Israeli disputes. European and Middle East specialists in Washington said they are more hopeful about the new effort. In the United States, the Barcelona Process was widely unheard of. But everybody is now talking about the Union For the Mediterranean, said Ian Lesser, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund. Some say it's the Sarkozy effect, he joked, but something new was required. Mr. Lesser said the union serves U.S. interests even though the United States is not a member.

The Mediterranean is a place where Americans and Europeans could be better coordinated on security and development, he said. Stephen McInerney, of the Project on Middle East Democracy, a nonprofit organization, agreed. Supporting this project can be useful for the United States, he said. Ordinarily, we are tackling the Mediterranean issues separately. The union could help us build bridges between capacities that overlap geographical divisions.On the Arab-Israeli conflict, Mr. McInerney added that the United States should better understand the need for European involvement. The union could help, strengthening Europe cooperation with the U.S. on this issue, he said. Hosting European, North African and Middle Eastern leaders in Paris in July, Mr. Sarkozy called the Mediterranean union the best news for peace in the Middle East, and he boasted about having Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad at the same table - even though the two apparently did not speak to each other. Germany and Britain were initially skeptical about the union, fearing that it would exclude them, but use EU funds.

After Mr. Sarkozy agreed to enlarge the initiative, however, they dropped some of their objections. Andreas Prothmann, political counselor at the German Embassy in Washington, said he hoped the organization would foster more cooperation on higher education and research, business development, and maritime and land traffic. During a recent visit to Spain, Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi warned that the union faces other obstacles, including insufficient funding and potential quarrels over the political compromise that led to the creation of five deputies to the secretary-general. This is a far cry from the slimmed-down, nimble governing structure at first envisaged for the union, he said. Mr. Ghannouchi's pessimistic tone in part reflected disappointment that Tunis was not chosen for the headquarters. Zeyno Baran, a Turkish-American scholar and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, said Turkey fears that the union may be seen by the Europeans as a substitute for Turkey joining the European Union. No one thinks Sarkozy came up with this just for Turkey, but given his strong opposition to Turkey joining the EU, there is unease about the French and others like Germany eventually suggesting this as a privileged partnership option, she said. Turkey wants full membership, period.

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

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

Moderate earthquake hits Pakistan DEC 8,08

HONG KONG (AFP) – A moderate 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck mountainous southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, seismologists said.The shallow quake, at a depth of just 10 kilometres (six miles), was centred 54 kilometres from Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province, the US Geological Survey said.There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which hit at 7:46 am (0246 GMT).About 300 people were killed and 70,000 left homeless when a powerful 6.4-magnitude quake hit Baluchistan in late October.

CNN NEWS VIDEO
http://edition.cnn.com/video/

YAHOO NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video

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

ABC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2461

FOX NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3074

FOX BUSINESS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3045

AP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2529

BBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2918

REUTERS VIDEO NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/video/2704

AFP NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3091

CNBC NEWS VIDEO
http://news.yahoo.com/video/3245

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 TUE DEC 09,2008

09:30 AM -42.27
10:00 AM -151.18
10:30 AM -87.46
11:00 AM -17.29
11:30 AM -121.23
12:00 PM -96.38
12:30 PM -107.13
01:00 PM -130.71
01:30 PM -157.07
02:00 PM -168.46
02:30 PM -254.32
03:00 PM -191.32
03:30 PM -235.68
04:00 PM -242.85 8691.33

S&P 500 888.67 -21.03

NASDAQ 1547.34 -24.40

GOLD 776.8 +8.5

OIL 42.13 -1.58

TSE 300 8388.33 -178.79

CDNX 686.17 -12.01

S&P/TSX/60 508.91 -13.02

MORNING,NEWS,STATS

Dow -135 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -166 points at low today.
Dow -17 points at high today.

Airlines to lose $2.5 BILLION in 2009.
Dow minus for the 3rd time in last 12 sessions only.

Illnois GOV.Rod Blagojevich,Chief of Staff John Harris arrested on corruption charges,accused of conspiring to sell U.S Senate appointment.To sell Obamas seat. Both accused in pay to play schemes.

AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS

Dow -166 at low so far today.
Dow -17 at high so far today.

DOWNTURN DEFINITIONS
-RECESSION:2 consecutive quarters of falling GDP.
-DEPRESSION:A severe and prolonged downturn in the economy.
-3Q GDP -0.5%.
-2Q GDP 2.8%.
-1Q GDP 0.9%.
DEPRESSION CONDITIONS
-Falling Prices.
-High Unemployment.
-Low Productivity.
-Shrinking wages.

Theres 8,268 U.S credit Unions of which 8,101 Federally insured.
A Credit Union is a member owned non-profit coop financial Institution.
5,036 U.S Federal credit unions hold $418 BILLION in Assets.
3,065 state chartered federally insured credit unions hold $336 BILLION.
NCUA charters and regulates federal U.S credit Unions.

WRAPUP,NEW,STATS

Dow -272 points at low.
Dow -17 points at high.

Dow -2.6% today.
S&P -2.3% today.
Nasdaq -1.5% today.

The Caribbean for Reform in World Finances DEC 09,08

Santiago de Cuba, Dec 8 (Prensa Latina) Leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) demanded on Monday changes in the world financial system, the crisis of which threatens small economies particularly.Goals of the Third Summit of heads of State and Government of Cuba and the 14 independent member countries of CARICOM include agreeing on actions to face the current financial conflict.In this regard, president pro-tempore of the regional bloc demanded more democratization and regulation of financial policies and a more active UN role in international economy.Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and current president of CARICOM, Baldwin Spencer, also demanded a debt re-orientation to secure room for the most vulnerable economies.He considered that the small Caribbean countries are facing greater challenges in the current chaotic situation, which puts social and economic achievements in danger.

Therefore, he urged for stepped up regional links to face the dark shadow of the world financial crisis and the effects of climate change.In this regard, he highlighted recent entry of Cuba to the Group of Rio, as well as prospects of the coming Summit of Latin American and Caribbean Integration, in Brazil.We expect valuable, timely initiatives to create spaces for dialogue and integration, said Spencer.He praised Cuba's wise leadership of the Non Aligned Movement and its role in the region.Cuban President Raul Castro inaugurated the meeting to be in session the whole day, at the end of which a final declaration is expected to be approved.

Yesterday, the Caribbean leaders paid tribute to national heroes Jose Marti and Antonio Maceo and received a message of salutation from leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro.ef rma cmv PL-22.

Congress sends White House auto aid plan with czar By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer DEC 8,08

WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats and the White House worked to resolve their last disputes Monday over terms of a $15 billion bailout for U.S. auto makers — complete with a car czar to oversee the industry's reinvention of itself — that's expected to come to a vote as early as Wednesday.Top Democrats gave the White House their proposal for rushing short-term loans to Detroit's Big Three through a plan that requires that the industry remake itself in order to survive. The Bush administration gave a cool initial response, saying the measure didn't do enough to ensure that only viable companies would get longer-term federal help. Negotiators worked into the night Monday to resolve differences.We've made a lot of progress in recent days to develop legislation to help automakers restructure and achieve long-term viability, Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, said in a statement. We'll continue to work with members on both sides of the aisle to achieve legislation that protects the good faith investment by taxpayers.President George W. Bush himself said it was hard to tell if a deal was imminent because definite conditions had to be met. These are important companies, but on the other hand, we just don't want to put good money after bad, he said in an interview with ABC's Nightline.Despite optimism on both sides that Congress and the White House could reach a swift agreement on the measure, it was still a tough sell on Capitol Hill.

While we take no satisfaction in loaning taxpayer money to these companies, we know it must be done, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. This is no blank check or blind hope.The bill puts a government overseer named by Bush — a kind of car czar — in charge of setting guidelines for an industrywide overhaul, with the power to revoke the loans if the carmakers weren't taking sufficient steps to reinvent themselves.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the restructuring would require tough concessions from management, labor, creditors and others.We call this the barbershop. Everybody's getting a haircut here, Pelosi said.Still, the White House said a preliminary look at the draft didn't appear to contain strict enough conditions to ensure that long-term financing would be available only to companies that could survive, according to officials who would comment on the continuing negotiations only on condition of anonymity.The crux of the White House's concern is that there may not be enough clear, immediate protection for taxpayers if a company is not meeting its own promises for long-term viability after review by the president's overseer. The latest proposal suggests Congress may have to get involved again in a few months and pass a law to force a company to stick to its own plan — a potentially unwieldy political step.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the House Financial Services Committee chairman who is leading negotiations on the measure, said he was optimistic that the differences could be resolved.There are a couple of specific issues to be negotiated. I think they can be worked out, Frank said Monday afternoon.Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., a key ally of the auto industry, said getting the roughly 15 Republicans needed to support the plan was an uphill battle.This is a real hill to climb even if we can get agreement between the White House and congressional leaders, he said.Even sympathetic Republicans weren't ready to sign on. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, has numerous concerns about the bill, including the strength of the taxpayer protections and the role of the so-called car czar, said spokesman Chris Paulitz.There are lingering differences between the administration and Congress on details of the czar's role and responsibilities, essentially a proxy fight between the White House and Democrats over whether Bush or President-elect Barack Obama should have the final say on who runs the auto industry restructuring.Democrats are pressing to allow the president to choose other people beside the czar to help oversee the bailout, while the White House wants just one person tapped by Bush to have control.

Congress Republicans and the White House also are balking at a requirement Democrats included in their proposal that the carmakers drop their opposition to efforts by California and several other states to impose stricter emissions rules than the federal standard. Pelosi is seeking that bar at the behest of environmentalists who are angry that money to bail out the auto industry will be drawn from an existing loan program that was meant to help the Big Three build greener vehicles that burn less gasoline. That's just one of several restrictions the bill places on the automakers while they're receiving the loans. Among the requirements included in Democrats' draft proposal is one that the carmakers getting federal help get rid of their corporate jets — which became a potent symbol of the industry's ineptitude when the Big Three CEOs used them for their initial trips to Washington to plead before Congress for government aid. The automakers also would be subject to some of the same restrictions imposed on banks as part of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, including limits on executive compensation, a prohibition on paying dividends, and requirements that the government share in future profits and taxpayers be repaid before any other shareholders. The special inspector general overseeing the Wall Street rescue also would keep tabs on the carmaker bailout. The Senate on Monday confirmed Neil M. Barofsky, a federal prosecutor in New York, for that post. The proposed automakers' bailout also gives the car czar say-so over any major business decisions by the companies while they're taking advantage of federal aid. The companies would have to open their books to the government, including informing the overseer of any transaction of $25 million or more. Under the plan, the carmakers' could get emergency loans right away. Then the overseer would write guidelines, due on the first of the year, for restructuring the Big Three. In testimony before Congress last week, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, which have said they are weeks from collapse, made it clear they would need a total of $14 billion to $15 billion to survive through early 2009. Ford Motor Co. has said it has enough money to stay afloat unless one of the other Big Three goes under or the economy deteriorates more sharply. While the measure would put an administration official selected by Bush in charge of setting terms for restructuring, the decision about whether the terms were being met would not be made until Obama had been sworn in. Some Democrats were pushing to name Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the federal Sept. 11 victims' compensation fund, to the post, but top congressional officials said there had been no discussion of that. In the latest gauge of public opinion, people were split about evenly over providing federal money to keep the car companies functioning. Forty-five percent approved and 44 percent were opposed, according to a CBS News poll released Monday. Nearly six in 10 Democrats favored the aid, while nearly the same share of Republicans opposed it. About seven in 10 said the government should have a say in managing the companies if taxpayers provide assistance, and nearly as many said requiring more alternative fuel vehicles should be a condition of such aid. Fifty-six percent blamed management for the companies' problems, double the number who blamed uncontrollable economic problems. Associated Press writers Devlin Barrett, Ken Thomas, Ben Feller and Alan Fram contributed to this report.

Wall Street extends big rally to 2nd session By JOE BEL BRUNO and TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer – Mon Dec 8, 7:13 pm ET

NEW YORK – The stock market showed renewed confidence Monday, extending its rally and lifting the Dow Jones industrials to their highest level in a month following President-elect Barack Obama's promise to increase infrastructure spending to lift the economy.The Dow advanced nearly 300 points, gaining 560 points in the last two sessions to extend a period of relative tranquility on Wall Street. The Dow and the Standard & Poor's 500 have risen in nine out of 11 sessions with investors absorbing bad economic news without signs of the panic that rocked the market for much of the fall.The Dow rose 298.76, or 3.46 percent, to 8,934.18, its highest close since it finished at 8,943.81 on Nov. 7. The blue-chip index, which added 259 points on Friday, is now up for December.Broader indexes also rose. The Standard & Poor's 500 index advanced 33.63, or 3.84 percent, to 909.70; and the Nasdaq composite index jumped 62.43, or 4.14 percent, to 1,571.74.The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks rose 20.29, or 4.40 percent, to 481.38.Obama's plan calls for the largest U.S. public works program since the creation of the interstate highway system a half-century ago. That could bolster the economy by putting thousands of people to work building schools and other construction projects.His weekend announcement lifted a range of companies, from machinery makers to materials producers. Alcoa Inc., the world's third-largest aluminum producer, surged 18 percent on the news; while heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. jumped 11 percent.

Investors also grew more confident as the government neared a deal to dole out billions to America's three biggest automakers. The White House said Monday that it was very likely to strike an agreement with Congress on funneling money to General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co. The package is expected to total about $15 billion.The stock market has surged despite a host of bad economic news, including Friday's Labor Department report that showed the nation lost more than a half million jobs last month. The report raised hopes that the government would take more steps to stimulate the economy.I think people recognize that the government is going to throw everything that they can at this market, everything they can at the economy to make it work, said James Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group. We had bad jobs numbers on Friday. To be able to overcome those type of job losses and have that kind of rally, that is technically significant. If that doesn't make you bullish, I don't know what does.Still, many analysts, cognizant of the fact that recoveries from bear markets tend to be tumultuous, were still cautious despite the market's recent string of gains.My gut feeling is investors aren't going to quite believe this rally and there is probably going to be some profit taking, said Tobias Levkovich, chief U.S. equity strategist at Citigroup Inc. There are a lot of different balls bouncing in the air right now. You still have a pretty jittery investor base out there.While big moves in stocks have continued in recent weeks the trading has much of the time been more orderly. There have been some gyrations, like a 680-point drop in the Dow on Dec. 1, but some market observers contend that the market is slowly forming a bottom. Stocks are up sharply from Nov. 20, when the benchmark S&P 500 finished at its worst level since April 1997. Since then, the S&P 500 is up 20.9 percent, the Dow is up 18.3 percent and the Nasdaq is up 19.4 percent.

Bond prices fell as investors put money back into stocks. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 2.74 percent from 2.70percent late Friday. The yield on the three-month T-bill, considered one of the safest investments, was unchanged at 0.01 percent, still indicating a high degree of investor uneasiness.The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.David Kelly, chief market strategist at JPMorgan Funds, said professional investors are being drawn to the market by cheap stock prices and a sense that while the economy is weak now it will eventually begin to regain its strength.The reality in the economy is it's getting worse but eventually the economy will turn around, he said. Even if the economy is lousy in 2009 stocks are a long-term investment and are cheap.But Scott Fullman, director of derivative investment strategies with WJB Capital, warned that the move higher for U.S. markets should be treated cautiously. He said credit still remains tight around the world, and that there are still a number of other worries hanging over the market. I'd be very cautious about jumping in with both feet and expecting what could be a Santa Claus rally going into the New Year, he said. The fact is, we're not seeing the credit markets opening up, we're not seeing buying of the distressed debt, and that leads to additional worries for stocks.With little in the way of economic data to trade on, investors closely monitored corporate news for direction. Among the automakers, GM rose 85 cents, or 21 percent, to $4.93, while Ford rose 66 cents, or 24.2 percent, to $3.38. Chrysler isn't publicly traded. Consumers hungry for a deal boosted worldwide sales at McDonald's Corp.'s established locations by 7.7 percent in November. The company said that U.S. same-store sales — or sales at locations open at least a year — rose 4.5 percent. Shares of the company fell $1.80, or 2.9 percent, to $60.92. Tribune Co. filed for bankruptcy Monday, as expected. The privately held owner of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, other newspapers and the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, is struggling with $13 billion in debt. A steep slump in advertising revenue has hurt the company. Most of its debt stems from a complex transaction in which the company was taken private by real estate mogul Sam Zell last year. Oil prices bounced off four-year lows after OPEC's president suggested the group could surprise investors with a large production cut later this month. Light, sweet crude rose $2.90 to settle at $43.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The move higher follows a global rally as investors took heart from signs the world's largest economies are redoubling efforts to revive growth. In China, government officials this week are meeting to discuss possible new steps to expand the $586 billion stimulus that is already in place. Stocks that rose outpaced those that fell by about 4 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 6.42 billion shares compared with 6.03 billion shares traded Friday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index vaulted 8.7 percent to its highest close in seven weeks, while Japan's Nikkei 225 average rose 5.2 percent. Major European bourses also showed big gains. Britain's FTSE-100 climbed 6.2 percent, Germany's DAX jumped 7.6 percent, and France's CAC-40 surged 8.7 percent. On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Canada to finalize auto aid by late January: minister DEC 8,08

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian government aims to hammer out details of a multibillion-dollar aid package for the struggling auto industry by its next federal budget in late January, the federal industry minister said on Monday.As the White House and U.S. Democrats moved toward a deal to rescue Detroit's Big Three automakers, valued as high as $17 billion, Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement said Ottawa would demand eventual payback of any money it contributes.None of us are considering a bailout without strings attached, Clement told CBC Television. We're looking at loans. We're looking at increasing the supply of credit, those kinds of things where we would get our money back for the taxpayer in years to come.General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC have asked the Canadian and Ontario governments for aid that reports have pegged at least C$6 billion ($4.8 billion).The major carmakers employ thousands of workers at their plants in Ontario, and an extensive parts industry is also dependent on their financial wellbeing.Clement said Ottawa will be interested in oversight if it agrees to funding. He also said he understands the need to move quickly.We ultimately have to make a decision and obviously it will be sanctioned by any budget we bring down in January,he said.($1=$1.25 Canadian)(Reporting by Jeffrey Jones; editing by Rob Wilson)

Czech President tussles with Danny the Red on Lisbon
RENATA GOLDIROVA 08.12.2008 @ 10:36 CET

A meeting between Czech President Vaclav Klaus and a top-level delegation of MEPs descended into verbal fisticuffs on Friday (5 December) after the co-leader of the Greens in the parliament attacked Mr Klaus for his opposition to the Lisbon treaty and his relations with Irish No campaigner Declan Ganley.I don't care about your opinions on [the Lisbon treaty]. I want to know what you will do if both the Czech Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approve it, Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit asked, according to a transcript of the meeting - designed to debate the upcoming Czech EU presidency - published by Mr Klaus. Will you respect the will of the people's representatives? You will have to sign it.The German Green also called on the Czech president to explain the level of his relations with Declan Ganley, the founder of the Ireland's Libertas group, which emerged before the June vote to fight the treaty. A man in your position is not supposed to meet him, he said, citing unclear and problematic funding of Mr Ganley's political activities. Mr Klaus responded by saying that nobody had talked to him in such a way in the six years since he was elected president, calling the conversation unprecedented.You are not on the Paris barricades here, he said, referring to the Green leader's past life as a 1968 Paris protester. I thought that these practices had ended for us 19 years ago. I see I was wrong. I would not dare to ask how the Greens' activities are funded, Mr Klaus said.

Others in the parliamentary delegation then entered the fray, with Irish MEP Brian Crowley telling Mr Klaus he was offending Ireland.By meeting [Mr] Ganley, you insulted the Irish people. That man has failed to [disclose] the funding of his campaign. It is an insult to meet someone without a mandate. I just want to inform you how the Irish feel, Mr Crowley said. Mr Klaus responded that the biggest insult to the Irish is the refusal to accept their vote in the referendum. I met someone representing a majority view in Ireland, while you, Mr Crowley, represent a minority opinion. That is the tangible result of the referendum, he said, which only won him further criticism from the MEPs.You will not tell me what the Irish think. As an Irishman, I know it best, Mr Crowley insisted.

Bumpy road to treaty ratification

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic's ruling conservative Civic Democrats (ODS) have agreed to open the door to Lisbon treaty ratification, as long as the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) accept US plans for placing part of its missile defence shield on Czech soil. At their party congress on Sunday (7 December), the Civic Democrats strongly recommended that their legislators first approve the US-Czech agreement on the American plan and then allow for a vote on the Lisbon Treaty by deputies and senators.The Chamber of Deputies is expected to debate the Lisbon treaty at an extraordinary session on Tuesday (9 December) - a move initiated by the Social Democrats. According to the ANSA news agency, the Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, confirmed that the vote on the Lisbon treaty and the US radar should be linked. If the Social Democrats reject the shield, we will reject Lisbon, he said on Sunday.Asked when parliament will vote on the Lisbon Treaty, he said it was hard to say, but added that it would be for sure during the Czech EU presidency term. The Czech Republic takes over the EU's rotating presidency from the French in January, and will be at the helm of the 27-country bloc until June.

MEP attacks EU consular reaction in Mumbai
PHILIPPA RUNNER 08.12.2008 @ 17:19 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU citizens need legally-binding rules on consular protection abroad after the Mumbai terrorist strike exposed flaws in the current set-up, a senior Spanish MEP has said, accusing a German official of shameful conduct in India.We need to make it compulsory for consuls to behave in a certain manner in situations of crisis, Spanish Liberal MEP Ignasi Guardans - who was leading a European Parliament trade delegation to Mumbai when armed groups attacked the city on 26 November - told EUobserver.European citizens need to know that when they need the European Union, they have 27 consular services at their disposal in case of emergency, so that they can be as proud of being European citizens as Americans are [of being US citizens].The Spanish deputy was sheltering near the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai with a group of other MEPs and assistants on the night of the attacks, when the German consul general arrived on the scene. He came and he picked up only the Germans, saying that memorable sentence which I will never forget I can take only the Germans and then he left, taking only his fellow citizens and leaving everyone else, Mr Guardans said.Germany and France also mistreated a dual-nationality parliamentary aide, with France at first refusing to issue her laissez-passer documents needed to leave the country and Germany asking her to go to its consulate to fill out forms despite an ongoing state of emergency, the Spanish deputy added.

In the aftermath of the attacks, France failed to give laissez-passer documents to other delegation members, causing people to scramble for help from their national consulates. France and Spain also gave misleading information about special planes sent from Europe to take the parliamentarians home.The attitude of the German consul was shameful, and I use the word in its full sense. The attitude of the French authorities was at the very least extremely bureaucratic, Mr Guardans said.

Letter of the law

Article 20 of the EU treaty says that every citizen of the union shall ... be entitled to protection by the diplomatic or consular authorities of any member state, on the same conditions as nationals of that member state. But there are no legal rules on implementing the principle, despite EU efforts to make more detailed arrangements after the 2004 tsunami in Asia.An EU official told this website that if Mr Guardans' accusation is correct, the German official violated the EU treaty and should be reprimanded by the German foreign ministry.Germany disputes the Spanish deputy's take on events, however. The criticism that he [Mr Guardans] made is to be categorically rejected. The consul general did all he could to help the Germans and all the others involved, a German foreign ministry spokesman said.The French EU presidency has also defended its actions, saying that Paris mobilised and co-ordinated responses by all the EU consulates on the scene, with European officials working in chaotic conditions to get all EU citizens home.French presidency spokeswoman Marie de Carne added that officials sometimes have to make tough calls in emergency situations and to manage the expectations of their own nationals on top of EU treaty requirements.

Women and children first

If some people are more shocked or injured than others, then you might have to choose to take them first. You have to react on the spot, she said. Of course, if you are a French citizen and you go to the French embassy, then you expect to be taken care of.Mr Guardans plans to brief EU justice commissioner Jacques Barrot next week on his ideas for legally-binding protocols for EU consular officials and to speak out on the Mumbai events at the December or January plenary session in Strasbourg.It is ridiculous that each consul gets to decide on his or her own how to proceed. They need very clear instructions, he said, adding that the legal initiative is a perfect topic to bring to the [European Parliament] elections in June 2009 to get Europeans more interested in the vote.

Court: No review of Obama's eligibility to serve DEC 8,08

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth. The court did not comment on its order Monday rejecting the call by Leo Donofrio of East Brunswick, N.J., to intervene in the presidential election.Donofrio says that since Obama had dual nationality at birth — his mother was American and his Kenyan father at the time was a British subject — he cannot possibly be a natural born citizen, one of the requirements the Constitution lists for eligibility to be president.Donofrio also contends that two other candidates, Republican John McCain and Socialist Workers candidate Roger Calero, also are not natural-born citizens and thus ineligible to be president.At least one other appeal over Obama's citizenship remains at the court. Philip J. Berg of Lafayette Hill, Pa., argues that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii as Obama says and Hawaii officials have confirmed.Berg says Obama also may be a citizen of Indonesia, where he lived as a boy. Federal courts in Pennsylvania have dismissed Berg's lawsuit. Federal courts in Ohio and Washington state have rejected similar lawsuits.Allegations raised on the Internet say the birth certificate, showing that Obama was born in Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961, is a fake.But Hawaii Health Department Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino and the state's registrar of vital statistics, Alvin Onaka, say they checked health department records and have determined there's no doubt Obama was born in Hawaii.The nonpartisan Web site Factcheck.org examined the original document and said it does have a raised seal and the usual evidence of a genuine document.In addition, Factcheck.org reproduced an announcement of Obama's birth, including his parents' address in Honolulu, that was published in the Honolulu Advertiser on Aug. 13, 1961.(This version CORRECTS that Hawaii officials, not secretary of state, confirmed Obama birth certificate.)

Liberal leader Dion will resign early By Randall Palmer Randall Palmer – Mon Dec 8, 5:12 pm ET

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada's Stephane Dion, who in October led the Liberals to their worst election showing since the 1800s, said on Monday said he would step down as his party's leader as soon as it picked his successor.That could come as early as Wednesday when the Liberal caucus in Parliament plans to meet. The front-runner is former Harvard don Michael Ignatieff, a legislator who heads the right wing of the Liberals, the official opposition party. Polls show the Liberals would do better under him than under Dion.Soon after the party's poor performance in the October 14 general election, Dion said he would turn over the reins to the winner of a leadership convention in May. But the Liberals last week were jolted by the realization they may have to face a new election before then -- with Dion still serving as leader.On Monday, under mounting pressure from the Liberal caucus in Parliament, Dion announced he would step down early, saying he agreed that a new leader needed to be in place before the House of Commons resumes on January 26.

The Conservatives plan to present their budget the next day, setting up a possible vote of no confidence should the Liberals decide to stick with a plan to team up with the two other opposition parties to topple the government.As always, I want to do what is best for my country and my party, especially when Canadians' jobs and pensions are at risk, he said in a statement after a flurry of calls and meetings.So I have decided to step aside as leader of the Liberal Party effective as soon as my successor is duly chosen.Dion remains unpopular with Canadians, and the party's fate was made more tenuous by the coalition deal Dion helped engineer with the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Quebecois.The deal, signed last week, was designed to remove the minority Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and replace it with a Liberal-NDP government. Harper's party has the most seats in Parliament but his government still needs the tacit support of at least one opposition party to survive.Harper forestalled any immediate defeat by getting Parliament suspended until January 26, and the opposition's maneuvering has generated a wave of public support for the prime minister. If an election were held now, he could win a majority mandate, polls suggest.As a consequence, the Liberals will probably ditch their plan to defeat the government in late January or early February. Even so, party elders have decided they need to start preparing as soon as possible for either a surprise election or rebuilding the party.

I think the pressure was just too much in the last few days, and I respect his decision,Bryon Wilfert, Dion's closest confidant in Parliament, told CBC television. I regret it but I understand it.Ignatieff is the leading Liberal advocate for restraint in deciding whether to topple Harper, in contrast with Bob Rae, his rival in the leadership contest. Rae says the coalition should go ahead and bring Harper down at the first opportunity.My position can be summarized as coalition if necessary but not necessarily coalition, Ignatieff told CTV on Sunday.My view of this is that Canadians would not understand a party that said we're not even prepared to look at the (January 27) budget ... and we already know how we're going to vote.Liberal spokesman Daniel Lauzon said that if a leader resigns before a leadership convention, the party's national executive would choose an interim leader in consultation with the Liberal caucus in Parliament.Another leadership candidate, Dominic LeBlanc, pulled out on Monday afternoon and backed Ignatieff, calling for a choice to be made by the end of the month.Rae, a former Ontario premier who is on the party's left, said nobody should be chosen this week and called for public debates with Ignatieff. It's better to have the party as a whole involved in finding a solution than it is to have a solution imposed from above, he told a news conference in Toronto.(Editing by Frank McGurty)

Health groups: Unknown thousands dying in Zimbabwe By MICHELLE FAUL, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 8, 1:21 pm ET

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Thousands of Zimbabweans are dying, uncounted and out of sight in a silent emergency as hospitals shut, clinics run out of drugs and most cannot afford private medical care, health groups say.Even as deaths from a cholera epidemic climbed into the hundreds, international and local organizations say many more are dying needlessly in a disaster critics blame on President Robert Mugabe's government.The toll will never be known, according to Itai Rusike, executive director of the Community Working Group on Health — a civil society network grouping 35 national organizations.Zimbabwe used to have one of the best surveillance systems in the region, Rusike said in a telephone interview. But phones are not working, nurses are not there, so their information system has collapsed. ... It is very difficult to tell how many people have died.These are symptoms of a failed state, he said in a telephone interview. Nothing is working.The British charity Oxfam agreed with estimates of thousands of unreported deaths due to the collapse of the health system and says the situation will get worse with the onset of the rainy season, which lasts until February.When you look at people who are already weakened by hunger, many already weakened by HIV and AIDS, and with rainy season comes malaria, and we know anthrax is spreading, it's really just a recipe for disaster, spokeswoman Caroline Hooper-Box said in neighboring South Africa.

She said many people Oxfam interviewed in Zimbabwe say they have cut back to one meal in three days. Some are trying to survive on insects and berries.Once a major food exporter, Zimbabwe has been crippled by shortages of necessities including food and medicine as Mugabe, the leader since independence in 1980, clings to power.As businesses collapse, unemployment has risen to 80 percent with the majority of the population depending on handouts from a growing diaspora; more than a third of a population has fled, many to South Africa and former colonizer Britain, but some as far as New Zealand.In a new health report published last week, the civic group Women of Zimbabwe Arise recounted the case of an 8-year-old boy who fell in a school yard and twisted his knee.A week later, he was dead, the report said. The death certificate cited cause of death as swollen knee ... But the real cause of death is clear criminal negligence of the worst kind on the part of the ZANU-PF government.

The report was dedicated to two of the group's own leaders who it said died needlessly. One was Thembelani Lunga, a 32-year-old in Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo who was HIV-positive and had problems accessing life-preserving antiretroviral medication.Lunga died after being jailed for four days in Bulawayo Central Police Station, where she was denied access to AIDS medication, the organization said.To the cholera deaths, the report said, it was necessary to add people with diabetes who run out of insulin, appendicitis cases, asthma attacks, bleeding ulcers and septicemia — all treatable conditions from which thousands of deaths are now occurring.Save the Children, a British charity, said hundreds, if not thousands of pregnant women and their children stand a very high risk of death.

Zimbabwe director Rachel Pounds said the United Nations reported that 700 women were recently turned away from hospitals in Harare that are no longer able to provide maternity services.Last week, Health Minister David Parirenyatwa appealed for help from international organizations. Our central hospitals are literally not functioning. Our staff is demotivated and we need your support to ensure that they start coming to work and our health system is revived, he was quoted as saying in The Herald. Both Rusike, of the community health group, and Women of Zimbabwe Arise said the cholera epidemic could be linked directly to the government's failures. The disease is caused by contaminated water and food, in Zimbabwe's case the collapse of water and sewage services. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. would continue to press the international community to take action on Zimbabwe but also stressed the importance of pressure from the country's African neighbors. We made extensive efforts in the (U.N.) Security Council to get the international system to act. And we're going to continue those efforts, McCormack told a press briefing on Monday. But, quite frankly, some of the states of the region need to step up. They need to use their leverage.Rusike warned in June 2007 that Zimbabwe was in danger of suffering epidemics of cholera and malaria when he called for Parirenyatwa to intervene as water supplies became more erratic. Mugabe's government took control of water supplies from city and town councils when the councils were taken over by opposition politicians in elections three years ago.

Rusike said the government officials fired water engineers and other staff and replaced them with friends and relatives with no qualifications in water management.
Last week, water authorities cut all supplies in Harare, the sprawling capital of about 2 million people and the epicenter of the cholera epidemic, saying they had no purifying chemicals and feared piping contaminated water would help spread the disease.