OBAMA AND THE DEMOCRATES SAID IF THERES NO DEAL IN THE HEALTHCARE BILL,THEY WILL RAM IT THROUGHT THE HOUSE DICTATORSHIP WISE BY A 51% RAM THROUGH.THIS IS HOW CORRUPT AND DANGEROUS THE DEMOCRATES AND OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ARE BECAUSE IN THAT HEALTHCARE BILL IS MARTIAL LAW ON AMERICANS,KILLING OLD FOLKS AND MICROCHIPPING OF ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS.PEOPLE ITS TIME TO TELL OBAMA TO START OVER WITH THIS DICTATORSHIP HEALTHCARE BILL AND GET NORMAL FOLKS INVOLVED NOT COMMUNIST CZARS AND HITLER ADMINISTRATIONS TO DICTATE PEOPLES RIGHTS.
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/
CNBC VIDEOS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15839263/site/14081545/?tabid=15839796&tabheader=false
HALF HOUR DOW RESULTS THU FEB 25,2010
09:30 AM -7.37
10:00 AM -164.75
10:30 AM -152.13
11:00 AM -153.26
11:30 AM -170.72
12:00 PM -159.01
12:30 PM -162.18
01:00 PM -158.40
01:30 PM -152.21
02:00 PM -125.60
02:30 PM -99.83
03:00 PM -88.80
03:30 PM -75.50
04:00 PM -53.13 10,321.00
S&P 500 1102.94 -2.30
NASDAQ 2234.22 -1.68
GOLD 1,106.30 +9.10
OIL 78.35 -1.65
TSE 300 11,631.40 +109.60
CDNX 1517.94 -1.47
S&P/TSX/60 681.77 +7.36
MORNING,NEWS,STATS
YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE
Dow -165 points at 4 minutes of trading today.
Dow -188 points at low today.
Dow -1 points at high today so far.
GOLD opens at $1,092.80.OIL opens at $78.24 today.
AFTERNOON,NEWS,STATS
Dow -188 points at low today so far.
Dow -1 points at high today so far.
WRAPUP,NEWS,STATS
Dow -188 points at low today.
Dow -1 points at high today.
YESTERDAYS NEWS IN VIDEO (CNBC)
HEALTHCARE SUMMIT BEFORE MEETING (NEWS)
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1424408604&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1424428467&play=1
BERNANKE GETS QUESTIONED
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423634757&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423660086&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423693385&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423698011&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423718056&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423793640&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423804141&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423821264&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423841048&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423855800&play=1
BERNANKE NEWS
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1424427702&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1424322785&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1424248813&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1424261333&play=1
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423793601&play=1
RON PAUL QUESTIONS BERNANKE
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1423586439&play=1
GEITHNER ON FINANCIAL REFORM
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1424495744&play=1
Thursday, February 25, 2010
HAMAS DEEP LINK TO WHITE HOUSE
DOES THIS REVEAL OBAMAS KENYAN BORN PLACE
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=126110
THIS HYPOCRITE,ANTICHRIST,OBAMA WILL SOMETIME BE REVEALED FOR HIS PUPPET NEW WORLD ORDER NUTCASE LYING SELF.AND FUTHUR SPEAKING OF HYPOCRITES GLENN BECK FINALLY LUMPED HIMSELF WITH OBAMA UNDER THE HOPE AND CHANGE LABEL.REMEMBER A WEEK OR SO AGO I MENTIONED BECK WANTING TO BE THE LEADER OF THE HOPE GROUP,WELL ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS SHOW HE LUMPED HOPE AND CHANGE TO OBAMA ,SO HE LINKED HIMSELF WITH OBAMA WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT.
BORN IN THE USA? Appeals court: We're listening to eligibility case-Judges grant permission for lengthy filing in case challenging Obama February 23, 2010
11:08 pm Eastern By Bob Unruh 2010 WorldNetDaily
An appeals court has indicated it is listening to arguments in a case that challenges Barack Obama's occupancy in the Oval Office with a ruling that gives special permission for an extra-long document to be filed in the case. WND has reported on the case brought by attorney Mario Apuzzo in January 2009 on behalf of Charles F. Kerchner Jr., Lowell T. Patterson, Darrell James Lenormand and Donald H. Nelson Jr. Named as defendants were Barack Hussein Obama II, the U.S., Congress, the Senate, House of Representatives, former Vice President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The case alleges Congress failed to follow the Constitution, which provides that Congress must fully qualify the candidate elected by the Electoral College Electors.The complaint also asserts when Obama was born his father was a British subject/citizen and Obama himself was the same.The case contends the framers of the U.S. Constitution, when they adopted the requirement that a president be a natural born citizen,excluded dual citizens.
According to a posting on Apuzzo's website, the rules of procedure for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals provide that an appellant's opening brief is not to exceed 14,000 words. See the movie Obama does not want you to see: Own the DVD that probes this unprecedented presidential eligibility mystery! However, Apuzzo wrote, because of the extraordinary nature and complexity of the question of whether putative President Barack Obama is an Article II natural born citizen and therefore eligible to be president, whether my clients … have standing to bring an action against Obama and Congress in which they maintain that Obama is not a natural born citizen and that Congress failed to meet its constitutional duty to protect my clients by assuring them that Obama is a natural born Citizen… I was compelled to file a brief which contained 20,477 words. By order dated February 22, 2010, the Honorable Circuit Judge Michael A. Chagares on behalf of the Motion's Panel of the 3rd Circuit Court of appeals granted plaintiffs' motion for leave to file the overlength brief.
This is great news because the case will now continue forward as scheduled,he said. Obama's and Congress's opposition brief was initially due on Feb. 22, 2010. The Department of Justice obtained a 14-day extension to file that brief, making the new due date March 8, 2010. After they file their opposition brief, I will then have 14 days within which to file a reply to that brief,he said. He said his background information in the case confirms that two U.S. Supreme Court decisions reveal the definition for natural born citizen is found not in the Constitution but in common law. We maintain that Obama is not an Article II natural born citizen because he lacks unity of citizenship and allegiance from birth which is obtained when a child is born in the United States to a mother and father who are both United States citizens at the time of birth,he said. Obama's father was only a temporary visitor to the United States when Obama was born and never even became a resident let alone a citizen. Not being an Article II natural born citizen,Obama is not eligible to be president and commander in chief, he said. He also argues that Obama has failed to prove that he was born in Hawaii by revealing his documentation. If he fails to do so, the alleged fact is not proven, even if the opposing party produces no further evidence,he said. On Apuzzo's website, a forum page participant said, It will be interesting to see how Mr. Obama's legal team stretches, We have nada! into 14,000 words.The lead plaintiff, Kerchner, has posted an online statement: This is not going to go away until Obama stops hiding ALL his hidden and sealed early life documents and provides original copies of them to a controlling legal authority and reveals his true legal identity from the time he was born until the time he ran for president. Obama at birth was born British and a dual citizen. He holds and has held multiple citizenship during his lifetime. He's a citizenship chameleon as the moment and time in his life suited him and he is not a natural born citizen with sole allegiance … to the USA as is required per the Constitution,he said. The appeal further challenges that not only might Obama not be a natural born citizen, he might not even be in the United States legally. If Obama was not born in the United States, there exists a possibility that Obama could be an illegal alien,it states.
WND has reported on dozens of legal challenges to Obama's status as a natural born citizen.The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.Some of the lawsuits question whether he was actually born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama's American mother, the suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time. Demand the truth by joining the petition campaign to make President Obama reveal his long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate! Other challenges have focused on Obama's citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born. And still others contend he holds Indonesian citizenship from his childhood living there. Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers and the appointment – at a cost confirmed to be at least $1.7 million – of myriad lawyers to defend against all requests for his documentation. While his supporters cite an online version of a Certification of Live Birth from Hawaii as his birth verification, critics point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.
WND also has reported that among the documentation not yet available for Obama includes his kindergarten records, Punahou school records, Occidental College records, Columbia University records, Columbia thesis, Harvard Law School records, Harvard Law Review articles, scholarly articles from the University of Chicago, passport, medical records, files from his years as an Illinois state senator, his Illinois State Bar Association records, any baptism records and his adoption records. Because of the dearth of information about Obama's eligibility, WND founder Joseph Farah has launched a campaign to raise contributions to post billboards asking a simple question: Where's the birth certificate? Where's The Birth Certificate? billboard at the Mandalay Bay resort on the Las Vegas Strip -The campaign followed a petition that has collected more than 490,000 signatures demanding proof of his eligibility, the availability of yard signs raising the question and the production of permanent, detachable magnetic bumper stickers asking the question.The certification of live birth posted online and widely touted as Obama's birth certificate does not in any way prove he was born in Hawaii, since the same short-form document is easily obtainable for children not born in Hawaii. The true long-form birth certificate – which includes information such as the name of the birth hospital and attending physician – is the only document that can prove Obama was born in Hawaii, but to date he has not permitted its release for public or press scrutiny. Oddly, though congressional hearings were held to determine whether Sen. John McCain was constitutionally eligible to be president as a natural born citizen,no controlling legal authority ever sought to verify Obama's claim to a Hawaiian birth. Your donation – from as little as $5 to as much as $1,000 – can be made online at the WND SuperStore. (Donations are not tax-deductible. Donations of amounts greater than $1,000 can be arranged by calling either 541-474-1776 or 1-800-4WND.COM. If you would prefer to mail in your contributions, they should be directed to WND, P.O. Box 1627, Medford, Oregon, 97501. Be sure to specify the purpose of the donation by writing billboard on the check. In addition, donations of billboard space will be accepted, as will significant contributions specifically targeted for geographic locations.)
HOMELAND INSECURITY-Hamas-linked group has deep ties to White House-One of the chief conduits for passing Saudi-style radical Islam into U.S.February 24, 2010
8:27 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein 2010 WorldNetDaily
ISNA President Ingrid Mattson
JERUSALEM – A radical Muslim group that was an unindicted co-conspirator in a scheme to raise money for Hamas has an extensive relationship with the Obama administration, WND has learned. Last week, President Obama's top adviser on counter-terrorism, John Brennan, came under fire for controversial remarks he made in a speech to Muslim law students at New York University. The event was sponsored by the Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA. ISNA is known for its enforcement of Saudi-style Islam in mosques throughout the U.S. It was named by the Justice Department as an unindicted co-conspirator in its case against the Holy Land Foundation in Texas, which was found guilty in 2008 of raising money for the Hamas terrorist organization. Last year, Holy Land founders were given life sentences for funneling $12 million to Hamas.
The Obama White House has deep ties to ISNA.
The relationship began even before Obama took office. One week before last year's presidential inauguration, Sayyid Syeed, national director of the ISNA Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances, was part of a delegation that met with the directors of Obama's transition team. The delegation discussed a request for an executive order ending torture.Straight from the mouths of the real people: Get Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew! ISNA President Ingrid Mattson represented American Muslims at Obama's inauguration, where she offered a prayer during the televised event.
Mattson also represented ISNA at Obama's Ramadan dinner at the White House. Last June, Obama's top aide, Valerie Jarrett, invited Mattson to work on the White House Council on Women and Girls, which Jarrett leads. In July, the Justice Department sponsored an information booth at an ISNA bazaar in Washington, D.C. Also that month, Jarrett addressed ISNA's 46th annual convention. According to the White House, Jarrett attended as part of Obama's outreach to Muslims.
Burn down the master's house
Discover the Networks notes ISNA, through its affiliate, the North American Islamic Trust – a Saudi government-backed organization – reportedly holds the mortgages on 50to 80 percent of all mosques in the U.S. and Canada. Thus the organization can freely exercise ultimate authority over these houses of worship and their teachings, states DTN. ISNA was founded in 1981 by the Saudi-funded Muslim Students' Association. The two groups are still partners. WND previously attended an MSA event at which violence against the U.S. was urged by speakers. We are not Americans, shouted one speaker, Muhammad Faheed at Queensborough Community College in 2003.We are Muslims. [The U.S.] is going to deport and attack us! It is us versus them! Truth against falsehood! The colonizers and masters against the oppressed, and we will burn down the master's house! ISNA was named in a May 1991 Muslim Brotherhood document – An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America – as one of the Brotherhood's likeminded organizations of our friends who shared the common goal of destroying America and turning it into a Muslim nation, according to Discover the Networks. Islam scholar Stephen Schwartz describes ISNA as one of the chief conduits through which the radical Saudi form of Islam passes into the United States.According to terrorism expert Steven Emerson, ISNA is a radical group hiding under a false veneer of moderation that publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Islamic Horizons, that often champions militant Islamist doctrine.The group also convenes annual conferences where Islamist militants have been given a platform to incite violence and promote hatred,states Emerson. Emerson cites an ISNA conference in which al-Qaida supporter and PLO official Yusuf Al Qaradhawi was invited to speak. Emerson further reports that in September 2002, a full year after 9/11, speakers at ISNA's annual conference still refused to acknowledge Bin Laden's role in the terrorist attacks.Also, ISNA has held fundraisers for terrorists, notes Discover the Networks. After Hamas leader Mousa Marzook was arrested and eventually deported in 1997, ISNA raised money for his defense. The group also has condemned the U.S. government's post-9/11 seizure of Hamas' and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's financial assets. With research by Brenda J. Elliott.
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.
Reports: Madeira flood missing rises to 29
FEB 25,10
LISBON, Portugal – Reports say authorities in Madeira have increased to 29 the number of people reported missing in the Portuguese island's deadly landslides last weekend.The national news agency Lusa reports Thursday that the island's head of tourism and transport says the figure is based on new information collated by emergency services.Lusa reports Estudante saying the death toll remains at 42.The number of reported missing has fluctuated since Saturday's storms which sent boulders, snapped trees and sludge crashing into coastal communities. On Wednesday, 16 people were said to be unaccounted for.Officials say the discrepancies are due to difficult communications on the island.
Snowstorm flight delays start in Philadelphia
FEB 25,10
PHILADELPHIA – Some flights in and out of Philadelphia have been grounded as the snow begins coming down more heavily in the latest storm.Southwest Airlines says it expects delays, diversions and cancellations in airports from Baltimore to Buffalo, N.Y., and has grounded most of its flights into and out of Philadelphia for Thursday.
By 8 a.m., Philadelphia International was the only airport in the region reporting major weather-related delays.The area was expected to get up to a foot of snow in a storm dumping more on areas from Tennessee to upstate New York. For the Albany area, Thursday's storm would be the second major one in two days.For Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, it could be the fourth whopper of the winter, which is already the snowiest on record.
Snow storms blanket Northeast; 2nd storm on tap By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 24, 10:55 pm ET
ALBANY, N.Y. – A powerful winter storm dumped a foot or more of snow in the Northeast on Wednesday, knocking out power to thousands and stalling air traffic from Boston to Philadelphia, all ahead of a second system packing strong winds that could blanket the area with another foot of snow.The storm cut a swath from eastern Pennsylvania into northern New England, slamming typically snowy regions that had been spared the paralyzing storms that hit cities farther south earlier this winter. About 150,000 customers lost power Wednesday, hundreds of schools were closed and at least three traffic deaths were blamed on the storm.An 89-year-old woman died in a crash in New York's Hudson Valley. In Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, a woman and a boy died when their vehicle slid off snow- and ice-covered Interstate 80; The man driving the car was not expected to survive.The system was the first of a 1-2 winter punch. The National Weather Service said the storm forecast to hit Thursday is expected to be significant and long-lasting, packing wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, which could cause more power outages, and dump a foot or more of snow on some areas by Friday. Meteorologists said some areas of New York's Adirondack and Catskill mountains and Vermont's Green Mountains could get as much as 2 feet by the weekend.
Philadelphia, which has had its snowiest winter with more than 70 inches and is still digging out from earlier back-to-back storms, could see as much as a foot of snow.It might not be until early next week that we get rid of the storm completely, said meteorologist Hugh Johnson of the National Weather Service's Albany office.A description of the coming storm as a snowicane by State College, Pa.-based Accuweather Inc. touched off criticism — one newspaper called it a smackdown — by the National Weather Service.On Tuesday, 48 hours before the storm was to hit, Accuweather called it hurricane-like, a monster, and a powerful storm of historical proportions that would wreak havoc from Pennsylvania to Maine and by Wednesday was using the term snowicane.That prompted a stern response from National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Evanego.It's almost inciting the public, inciting panic, he said.
The Weather Channel called the hurricane talk bad meteorology.Accuweather senior meteorologist and director of forecasting operations Ken Reeves called the NWS criticism unfounded and said there is nothing wrong in using language that gets people's attention when the situation calls for it.The northern edge of Wednesday's storm reached into the Massachusetts' Berkshires, Vermont and New Hampshire, dumping more than a foot of snow in some areas and prompting flooding concerns in Maine.The hardest hit area Wednesday was Albany, N.Y., where some outlying areas had about 2 feet of snow by afternoon. The snow was so thick and heavy that even pickup trucks got stuck trying to plow it out.We tried the snowblower and it didn't work. It keeps clogging up, said Pat McDonough as she shoveled her front walk in Voorheesville, a village just west of Albany.While parts of the Northeast dealt with Wednesday's weather, other cities were preparing for another blast of winter.In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city was making sure building owners were aware of the predicted high winds and were taking steps to tie down anything that could come loose.My hope is that the snow will stay to the north and west of us and we'll just have rain — our kids need another school day, Bloomberg said.We will cancel school only if it really would be dangerous to get the kids into school and get them home.
In Pennsylvania, State Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler is urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel in a storm forecast to bring snow and gusty winds. The system expected to create the storm that will travel up the Atlantic Coast was causing problems in the South on Wednesday. The weather service issued a winter storm warning through Friday morning for mountainous areas of western North Carolina, where forecasters said up to 10 inches was possible by Thursday evening.
Wednesday's Northeast storm ended a long stretch without a major snowfall in eastern New York and northern New England. The region had avoided much of the severe weather that slammed the mid-Atlantic in recent weeks. Some New England areas had been forced to cancel winter festivals, dog sled races and snow sculpting events this year due to the lack of any snow at all. At Vermont's Mad River Glen ski area, the storm was a godsend,spokesman Eric Friedman said. Thank God Mother Nature was listening,he said. New York's power outages stood at 117,000 Wednesday afternoon, down from 135,000 earlier in the day. Most are in the Hudson Valley. Another 32,000 were reported in Vermont and western Massachusetts. Schools were closed around eastern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts. Contractor Jim Conde spent the morning plowing eight private roads outside Albany, getting stuck several times in the deep, compressed snow. With more on the way, he was likely to stay busy. That's what scares me the most,he said.If we do get more, where are we going to put it? Associated Press writers Chris Carola in Albany, N.Y., and Mike Rubinkam in Allentown, Pa., contributed to this report.
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)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) 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 5.9 magnitude quake off Nicaragua coast
Wed Feb 24, 11:34 pm ET
MANAGUA, Nicaragua – A moderate 5.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Nicaragua's southern Pacific coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey says Wednesday's quake occurred around 9:15 p.m. (0315 GMT). It says the temblor was centered about 65 miles (100 kilometers) south of Managua, the Nicaraguan capital.Managua residents say the quake was barely felt in the city. The Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies says there were no immediate reports of victims or damages.The USGS says the quake was about 26.5 miles (42.6 kilometers)
Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits southwestern China
FEB 25,10
BEIJING – A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck China's southwestern province of Yunnan on Thursday, injuring 11 people and damaging many houses, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.The quake struck at 12:56 p.m. (0456 GMT) in Chuxiong prefecture, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of the provincial capital of Kunming, the national earthquake monitoring center reported.The U.S. Geographical Survey gave the quake's magnitude as 5.0.Xinhua cited a spokesman for the Yunnan Provincial Seismological Bureau as saying a large number of rural homes were badly damaged.In May 2008, a massive 7.9-magnitude temblor struck Sichuan province just north of Yunnan, leaving 90,000 dead or missing and another 5 million homeless.
Haiti quake aftershocks give U.S. sailors bumpy ride
Wed Feb 24, 6:40 pm ET
ABOARD THE USS CARTER HALL, Haiti (Reuters) – If you think that earthquakes can't be felt at sea, U.S. sailors will tell you their ships have had a bumpy ride off Haiti as aftershocks jolted the country following the January 12 quake.It feels like the ship's actually running aground, said U.S. Navy Commander George Doyon, master of the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious ship that was one of the first to land U.S. Marines and earth-moving equipment last month to stricken towns and villages west of the shattered capital Port-au-Prince.The ship bounces, Doyon told Reuters, describing the feeling, at sea, of the dozens of aftershocks that have shaken Haiti over the last six weeks. He said the vibration from the quakes resonates exponentially from the bottom.This week, twin aftershocks early on Tuesday, one of 4.7 magnitude, brought nervous residents and foreign hotel guests out of their beds in Port-au-Prince. Early on Monday, another 4.7 magnitude quake had shaken the city.
(Reporting by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Paul Simao)
Summary Box: SEC curbs short-selling By The Associated Press – Wed Feb 24, 3:35 pm ET
WHAT THE REGULATORS DID: The Securities and Exchange Commission imposed new curbs on short-selling, or betting against a stock.
WHY IT MATTERS: Advocates of restraints on short-selling blame "bear raids" by sellers for pushing several big companies toward collapse and worsening the market's downturn in fall 2008.
NEW CURBS: The SEC put in a circuit breaker for stock prices, restricting short-selling of a stock that has dropped 10 percent or more for the rest of a trading session and the next one.
Strike-hit Greece faces EU budget test
THU FEB 25,10
ATHENS (AFP) – European Union and IMF experts on Thursday were finalising a report on Greece's crisis-hit finances as the embattled Socialist government digested the impact of a general strike against its austerity cuts.Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of major Greek cities on Wednesday to protest tax hikes and benefit cuts in the first general strike to hit the government, which is grappling with spiralling debt levels.But the main question according to analysts is whether the majority of Greeks, who currently appear to accept the painful adjustment, will continue to support extra measures that are widely perceived to be imposed from Brussels. The real question is whether the pro-European spirit of Greeks will falter before the flurry of orders from Brussels, said Thomas Gerakis, head of the Marc polling company.For the moment, Greeks remain convinced that the situation is very difficult. They got up from their armchairs and realised that they are on the deck of a sinking ship,he told AFP.As the country with the highest public deficit in the eurozone, Greece is at the centre of a storm over spiralling debt levels in Europe that has threatened cohesion in the European single currency area. IMF stresses deficit reduction in exit strategies.
After a collapse in investor confidence, Greece faces major strains in raising new money on international markets and is under intense pressure from EU authorities to get its public finances back in order.The report of the three-man mission from the EU, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund mission, which completed on Wednesday a round of talks with Greek officials, comes as a new hurdle for Athens.
If the experts say the programme is not enough, a meeting of EU finance ministers could demand even harsher corrective action at a meeting on March 16.Before that meeting, the EU Financial Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn is also due to visit Athens. EU budget enforcer to go to Greece.The experts met Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou and Economy Minister Louka Katselli just as the country was hit by a nationwide strike, including a strike by journalists, against austerity measures.
Also late on Wednesday, Standard & Poor's credit rating agency warned that it could downgrade Greek sovereign debt again within a month.The yield on Greek ten-year bonds on Thursday rose to 6.598 percent compared to 6.496 percent a day previously.
Under pressure from financial markets and EU institutions and partners, Greece has promised a programme to cut public spending and crimp public sector pay, to raise taxes and fight tax evasion, and to restructure its economy.The baseline target is to cut back an annual public deficit by four percentage points of gross domestic product to 8.7 percent this year.This is widely considered to be an enormous undertaking particularly since credit rating agency Moody's has calculated that Greece will have to use 15.1 percent of its tax revenues this year to meet debt interest payments due.That is about twice the ratio in other debt-stricken eurozone countries Spain and Portugal.The last EU summit on February 11 decided to send three-way EU, ECB and IMF missions to Athens regularly under a special arrangement of exceptionally close supervision of Greek public finances.
Bernanke sees low rates amid signs of weak rebound By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer – Wed Feb 24, 5:40 pm ET
WASHINGTON – New signs emerged Wednesday that the economic rebound is sputtering. Sales of new homes hit a record low last month. And mortgage giant Freddie Mac signaled it will need more federal aid — and might never repay it.Against that backdrop, the government is trying to prop up the housing and job markets. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reiterated the need to continue record-low interest rates for an extended period. And the Senate passed a bill to give tax breaks to companies that hire the jobless.Bernanke told Congress that low rates will help ensure that the recovery will last and help ease the sting of high unemployment. Asked what else Congress could do to stimulate job creation, he hesitated to say.
I'm sure you know the menu of things that you could do which could create jobs, he said.Unfortunately there's no — there's no silver bullet here.Investors seemed buoyed by Bernanke's commitment to low rates, despite the news on home sales and Freddie Mac. The Dow Jones industrial average gained about 91 points, roughly 0.9 percent.Yet economists cautioned that the government's ability to help is limited.
Our view is that it will be a long, tough slog for U.S. consumers in particular and for the economy overall, said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.
Bernanke, in his twice-a-year report to the House Financial Services Committee, said the rebound would endure. But he also sought to restrain hopes. He said the Fed sees moderate growth that will cause only a slow decline in the nearly double-digit jobless rate.He offered no new clues about when the Fed would eventually raise interest rates. Most economists think it's months away.Bernanke faces more pressure than usual from lawmakers in an election year. Their constituents are struggling, while bailed-out Wall Street banks are profitable again. Unemployment stands at 9.7 percent, home foreclosures are at record highs and people and businesses are having trouble getting loans.Underscoring the fragility of the housing market, the government said new-home sales dropped 11 percent last month, to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 309,000 units. That's the lowest level in the nearly 50 years records have been kept.Winter storms were partly to blame. But sales have dropped for three straight months despite vast government support. Economists had already been worrying about how the housing market would respond once government aid programs are withdrawn.One such program has lowered mortgage rates and bolstered the housing market but is slated to end March 31. Under the program, the Fed has committed $1.25 trillion to buying mortgage securities and debt from Freddie Mac and its sister mortgage finance firm Fannie Mae.
Bernanke said that program's end would have only a "modest effect" on raising mortgage rates. He left the door open to extending the program if the housing market or the economy worsened.Freddie Mac's earnings report was grim news for taxpayers, who have had to rescue the company and Fannie Mae. The company lost nearly $26 billion last year and nearly $80 billion since 2007. A record proportion of its borrowers — 4 percent — face foreclosure. And its chief executive warned of many more foreclosures still to come.And Freddie Mac said it will likely need more federal aid beyond the $51 billion it's already received and may not be able to repay it.Fannie and Freddie are vital players in the industry. They buy loans from lenders and sell them to investors. Combined, they own or guarantee about half of all residential mortgages. Had they gone broke in 2008, millions of people would have been unable to get mortgages.Freddie and Fannie have already soaked up $111 billion from the government, which seized control of them in September 2008. That number is expected to hit $188 billion by the fall of 2011. We now have unlimited taxpayer exposure to the bailout of Fannie and Freddie, a bailout nation where the big get bigger, the small get smaller and the taxpayer gets poorer, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said at a House hearing. The Obama administration had been expected to announce plans to overhaul Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae this month when it submitted its 2011 budget request. But Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Wednesday that won't happen until next year. We want to make sure that we are proposing these changes at a time when we have a little bit more distance from the worst housing crisis in generations,told the House Budget Committee. Geithner also defended the administration's stimulus plan, saying that before the government can shrink its budget deficit, it must help create jobs and aid the recovery. Bernanke and Geithner testified as President Barack Obama struggles to manage both high unemployment and rising budget deficits. Under Obama's budget plan, unemployment would still hover near double digits, and this year's deficit would reach $1.56 trillion. The Fed chairman reiterated a pledge that the Fed will keep its main rate at an all-time low near zero for an extended period. Low inflation has given the Fed room to keep rates low. Consumer prices excluding food and energy fell in January — the first time such prices have fallen in any month since 1982. At the same time, Bernanke sought to stress that once the economy is on firmer footing and the Fed needs to reverse course and tighten credit for millions of Americans, he will do so.
Deciding when to boost rates is a high-risk calculation. Acting too soon could derail the recovery. But waiting too long could trigger inflation and feed a speculative bubble in some financial asset. That, too, could threaten the economy, along with Americans' pocketbooks and nest eggs. Bernanke would only say that at some point,the Fed will need to move to tighten credit. Whenever it does, consumers and businesses would have to pay more for loans. Potentially complicating the U.S. rebound is the debt crisis in Greece, which has already sent jitters through Wall Street and could spread to other European Union countries with troubled finances such as Portugal, Spain and Italy. Standard & Poor's warned Wednesday it might further downgrade Greece's credit rating within a month. A downgrade would make it harder and costlier for Greece to borrow. Pressed by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, on whether the Fed has discussed a bailout of Greece, which is suffering a debt crisis, Bernanke said no. Another threat comes from the banking industry. The number of U.S. banks considered troubled jumped above 700 last quarter. And loan defaults could escalate the wave of bank failures that totaled 140 last year, the most since 1992.
Also, despite evidence that the thrift industry may be stabilizing, the Office of Thrift Supervision noted Wednesday that 20 thrifts failed last year and that the number is expected to rise this year because of delinquencies and foreclosures.
Lawmakers who questioned Geithner on Wednesday expressed concern about record-high federal budget deficits, which Bernanke and Geithner both said must be reduced over time. The deficits are the elephant in the room, said Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, the committee's senior Republican.AP business writers Martin Crutsinger and Alan Zibel contributed to this report.
India economy to bounce back: ministry by Penny MacRae – Thu Feb 25, 5:43 am ET
NEW DELHI (AFP) – India's economy will rebound to pre-financial crisis growth levels of nine percent in two years, the government said Thursday, and could become the world's fastest expanding in four years.The year began amid the gloom of an economic downturn, but is ending with clear indicators of a vibrant economic rebound, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said outside parliament after presenting the annual Economic Survey.The report, traditionally unveiled a day ahead of the budget, said the upturn gives the government room to start a gradual rollback of 162 billion dollars in stimulus put in place to shield the economy from the global slump.
Mukherjee is expected to take the first steps toward re-embracing fiscal discipline when he presents the budget by laying out a roadmap for cutting the deficit, now at a 16-year high.India's economy was one of the least hit by the global crisis and has been one of the growth engines, along with China, in facilitating faster turnaround of the global economy,added the finance ministry 2009-2010 overview.The report projected economic growth would reach 8.75 percent in next fiscal year to March 2011, quickening to over nine percent in the following year. That compares with estimated growth of around 7.5 percent for this year to March 20 and 6.7 growth last year when the economy was sideswiped by the global slump.It is entirely possible for India to move into the rarefied domain of double-digit growth and even attempt to don the mantle of the fastest-growing economy in the world within the next four years, the report said.
China, which expanded by 8.7 percent in 2009, is currently the fastest growing.The broad-based nature of the recovery creates scope for a gradual rollback, in due course, of some of the measures undertaken over the last 15 to 18 months, the report added.The survey also urged India to open up faster such sectors as health insurance, rural banking and higher education to foreign direct investment.The survey came as a new World Bank report said South Asia appeared to have escaped the worst effects of the global economic crisis, helped by resilient domestic demand bolstered by government stimulus.The Indian government study warned food inflation --which figures showed Thursday had eased slightly to 17.58 percent in mid-February -- was a key problem and could drive up overall inflation, now at 7.3 percent.It added other risks remained as the global trade recovery was still fragile with demand fuelled by government spending. The stimulus effects could evaporate if natural recovery does not follow.Indian business leaders reacted sharply to suggestions that stimulus steps, such as tax breaks, be withdrawn.The government should continue with stimulus as growth in the industrial and export sectors is mainly because of the support,said Harsh Pati Singhania, head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Oil prices lose ground
FEB 25,10
LONDON (AFP) – World oil prices weakened on Thursday as a stronger dollar sapped investors' enthusiasm for crude, traders said.New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for April delivery, was down 42 cents at 79.58 dollars a barrel.
London's Brent North Sea crude for April delivery fell 33 cents to 77.76 dollars a barrel.The European single currency sank against the dollar and yen on Thursday as investors sought safe-haven currencies amid the public finance crisis afflicting Greece.A stronger greenback weighs on dollar-denominated crude because the commodity becomes more expensive for buyers holding weaker currencies.The dollar is still a very very important indicator for the oil market, said Tetsu Emori, commodities fund manager at Astmax Investments, cited by Dow Jones Newswires.The euro took a beating after a warning on Wednesday by Standard & Poor's credit ratings agency that it could downgrade Greece by one or two notches within the next month, dealers said.
New York crude had won 1.14 dollars on Wednesday after comments by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke helped weaken the greenback, sparking buying interest from investors holding stronger currencies.Bernanke had said the US central bank would hold interest rates low for an extended period as the economic recovery gets on track.The Fed chairman told the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee that he saw unemployment remaining stubbornly high, which will require the Fed to maintain its stimulative monetary policy.Bernanke delivered a very downbeat report on the US economy to Congress in which he predicted that US interest rates would remain exceptionally low for an extended period, said PVM analyst David Hufton.
Prices also won support on Wednesday as traders digested some bullish elements in the US government's weekly oil inventories report.The Department of Energy said US crude reserves jumped by three million barrels last week in the United States -- the world's biggest energy consuming nation -- suggesting weak demand.But gasoline or petrol inventories fell, confounding market expectations for an increase.Clarence Chu, an oil trader with Hudson Capital Energy in Singapore, said it was difficult to sustain oil prices at more than 80 dollars a barrel, given that global supplies still outpace demand.Sentiment has been bullish over these past couple of days, Chu said.But it hasn't been supported by the fundamentals. So I don't think oil will be supported at 80 dollars for the short term.
Jobless claims rise on snow-related layoffs By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer – FEB 25,10
WASHINGTON – The number of new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week as heavy snows led to higher layoffs.In addition, many state agencies in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions that process the claims were closed due to the storms and are now clearing out backlogs, a Labor Department analyst said.Still, the increase is likely to amplify concerns that the job market is weakening, potentially slowing the economic recovery.The Commerce Department said in a second report that orders for big-ticket manufactured goods shot up in January by the 3 percent, the most in six months.But much of that gain resulted from a surge in orders for aircraft. Excluding transportation, durable goods orders fell by 0.6 percent, a weaker showing than economists had expected.The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 496,000. Wall Street analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a drop to 455,000.Bad weather can cause job losses in construction and other industries sensitive to weather.
Economists closely watch initial claims, which are considered a gauge of the pace of layoffs and an indication of companies' willingness to hire new workers.Dan Greenhaus, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak, said the claims data has been unusually distorted in recent weeks. As a result, we are concerned about the upward pressure on initial claims but not overly concerned.However, the job market remains quite stressed as robust employment growth remains elusive,he wrote in a note to clients.The four-week average, which smooths volatility, rose by 6,000 to 473,750.
The four-week average has risen by about 30,000 in the past month, raising concerns that job cuts are continuing. Initial claims had fallen sharply over the summer and fall but the improvement has stalled since the year began.The economy has grown for six months but is not yet spurring new hiring. Many economists point out that the current recovery is weak compared to the aftermath of previous deep recessions.The Labor Department said earlier this month that while the unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent from 10 percent, employers still cut 20,000 jobs. The economy has lost 8.4 million jobs since the recession began.The Federal Reserve said last week that it expects the rate will average between 9.5 percent and 9.7 percent this year.
The number of people continuing to claim unemployment benefits, meanwhile, was essentially unchanged at 4.6 million. Those figures, known as continuing claims, lag initial claims by a week.But there are now many more people receiving extended unemployment benefits that aren't included in the continuing claims figures. Congress has provided up to 73 weeks of extra benefits, paid for by the federal government, for jobless workers who have used up the standard 26 weeks of benefits customarily provided by states.About 5.7 million people received extended benefits in the week ended Feb. 6, the latest data available, down from more than 6 million the previous week. The extended benefit data isn't seasonally adjusted and is volatile from week to week. Among the states, North Carolina had biggest increase in claims, with 5,897, which it attributed to layoffs in the construction, furniture and mining industries. Pennsylvania and Kentucky also reported large increases. The state data lags initial claims by one week.California reported the largest drop in claims, with 5,540, which it attributed to fewer layoffs in services. Illinois, New York, Texas and Missouri recorded the next largest decreases.
Germany failed to pay WWII compensation, Greece says ANDREW WILLIS
Today FEB 25,10 @ 09:29 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Athens has accused Germany of failing to meet its World War II compensation obligations following the Nazi occupation of Greece in 1941, a claim Berlin has firmly rejected. In a radio interview on Wednesday (24 February), Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos criticised Germany's attitude towards the ongoing Greek debt crisis, adding that Athens had never received adequate war reparations. They took away the Greek gold that was at the Bank of Greece, they took away the Greek money and they never gave it back. This is an issue that has to be faced sometime in the future,Mr Pangalos told the BBC World Service.I don't say they have to give back the money necessarily but they have at least to say thanks, he added.The comments come as Greece was brought to a halt by a 24-hour general strike on Wednesday which spilled over into violent clashes, and just days after media reports of a possible German-led bail-out for Greece. German foreign ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke dismissed the comments, adding that a discussion about the past is not helpful at all to solve [today's] problems.He said Germany had paid compensation to Greece of some 115 million deutsche marks by 1960 and subsequently made further payments to forced laborers of the Nazi regime.I'd like to mention that parallel to this, since 1960 Germany has paid around 33 billion deutsche marks in aid to Greece both bilaterally and in the context of the EU, he said. Germans received roughly one euro for every two deutsche marks when the notes changed over in 2002. While Mr Pangalos' comments are unlikely to nurture charitable feelings inside Germany, Greek politicians have themselves voiced outrage over recent media reports inside Europe's largest economy.
A recent cover of the German weekly magazine Focus ran the title Fraudsters Inside the Euro Family,next to an image of a Greek statue of the Venus de Milo making an obscene gesture.Analysts said the spat could result in Germany leaving Greece to its own fate. Greece should never have entered the euro zone because they did not qualify and they are now blackmailing other European countries via the euro, said Hans-Werner Sinn, head of Germany's IFO economic institute, reports The Telegraph. It's not for the EU to help Greece. We have an institution that is very experienced in bailing-out activities: the IMF,he added.
Debt concealment
Greece has come under pressure recently to explain allegations that it used complex financial products, provided by US investment banks, to conceal the true state of its debt pile over the last decade. Athens is also accused of manipulating its figures to gain entry into the eurozone in 2001.Addressing the EU concerns, Mr Pangalos said Italy had done more to mask the true state of its finances before joining the single currency. You simply put some amounts of money in the next year ...it is what everybody did and Greece did it to a lesser extent than Italy for example, he said.Greek debt is currently estimated to be roughly €300 billion, with the country's budget deficit hitting 12.7 percent of gross domestic product last year.Independently on Wednesday, the European Commission indicated it plans to take Greece to the EU's top court to recover state aid which it says violated EU single market rules.
Stocks tumble on renewed concerns about economy By TIM PARADIS and STEPHEN BERNARD, AP Business Writers – FEB 25,10
NEW YORK – Stocks tumbled Thursday as downbeat news about the nation's job market and rising debt in Europe revived fears of a global economic slowdown.Major indexes slid more than 1 percent, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which fell 165 points. All 30 stocks that make up the Dow dropped. Treasury prices jumped as investors sought safe havens.Disappointing reports on jobless claims in the U.S. and economic sentiment in Europe painted a bleaker picture of a recovery than Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke did during testimony Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
Overseas markets fell after the European Commission said economic sentiment in the 16 countries that use the euro worsened unexpectedly in February. Concerns that Greece will struggle to cut its budget and get its debt problems under control are again worrying investors.Trading in the U.S. has been choppy in recent weeks because of uneasiness about the economy. And global markets retreated earlier this month because traders were worried Greece's debt problems would spread to other European countries.The euro again fell, touching a nine-month low against the dollar.Meanwhile, the Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 496,000. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast a drop in claims to 455,000.It is the second straight week that claims jumped unexpectedly. High unemployment remains one of the biggest obstacles to a sustained economic recovery. The Labor Department's monthly report on employment will be released next week.We're getting hit with a double punch here today,said Jeffrey Phillips, chief investment office of Rehmann in Troy, Mich. The euro is again weaker because of debt concerns and the weekly jobless claims report are adding to volatility, he said.
Phillips expects trading to remain erratic if investors get more mixed signals about the economy. The Chicago Board Options Exchange's Volatility Index, which is known as the market's fear gauge, jumped 10.8 percent in morning trading. A rise in the VIX signals that investors are expecting swings in the market.In midmorning trading, the Dow fell 166.34, or 1.6 percent, to 10,207.82. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 16.67, or 1.5 percent, to 1,088.57, while the Nasdaq composite index fell 33.22, or 1.5 percent, to 2,202.68.Bond prices rose, pushing yields lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.65 percent from 3.70 percent late Wednesday.
Gold and oil prices fell.
Investors will also pay attention to a meeting of Congressional leaders and President Barack Obama to discuss changes to health care. The White House is trying to push through an overhaul that would extend coverage to more than 30 million people who are now uninsured.Meanwhile, the Commerce Department had mixed news about manufacturing. Durable goods orders rose 3 percent in January because of a jump in commercial aircraft orders. It was the biggest increase in six months for orders of goods that are expected to last at least three years.However, orders fell by 0.6 excluding volatile transportation orders. Economists expected those orders to rise 1 percent.In corporate news, The Coca-Cola Co. said it will buy the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, and will give up its own bottling operations in Sweden and Norway.Shares of Coca-Cola Enterprises jumped $6.15, or 32.1 percent, to $25.33, while Coca-Cola Co. shares fell $2.04, or 3.7 percent, to $53.12. Stocks broke a two-day losing streak on Wednesday after investors received the reassurance they wanted from Bernanke. During semiannual testimony before Congress, Bernanke reaffirmed the Fed's plans to keep interest rates low to help strengthen the economy. He testifies again Thursday. The Dow rose 92 points.
Bernanke's testimony overshadowed a disappointing report on new home sales. The Commerce Department said sales of new homes fell to a record low in January. A collapse in sales and home prices help drive the economy into recession. Recent reports show a recovery in the housing market remains choppy. At the New York Stock Exchange, 2,377 stocks fell, while only 386 rose. Volume came to 164.4 million shares compared with 138.5 million shares. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 8.37, or 1.3 percent, to 622.06. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.4 percent, Germany's DAX index dropped 1.4 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 2 percent. Earlier, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 1 percent.
EU-Iceland talks should conclude in early 2011, commission says
LEIGH PHILLIPS 24.02.2010 @ 17:44 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has recommended that the European Union move ahead with accession talks with Iceland. Should EU member states back the move, a development that is far from assured, the EU enlargement commissioner has said the process should last around 14 months.We will be applying the same criteria as are applied to any other country. There is no short cut, said commissioner Stefan Fuele, announcing the commission's recommendation.However, asked to give an approximate timeline for the process of accession talks, he said: From the current members that recently joined that were already part of the European Economic Area, you could make your own conclusions about the challenges and the sort of framework, such as Finland and Austria. The process for them lasted plus or minus 14 months, if I remember correctly.The European Economic Area is an agreement between the EU and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein that permits the three countries to participate in the EU's single market without actually joining the bloc. As a quid pro quo, the countries must adopt certain EU internal market legislation. Having already in place much of existing EU laws, countries joining the bloc from the EEA have had a much easier time acceding than other countries.I don't see any dramatic problems in that process ... that won't be resolved, said Mr Fuele.The commission did note however that it would not be all smooth sailing for the north Atlantic nation. In a surprise move, the commission said that it is concerned over the independence of the judiciary and about conflicts of interest in the political class.The predominance given to the minister of justice and human rights in judicial appointments... raises questions in terms of the effective independence of judges, reads the commission report.
The EU executive is also worried that following the financial crisis, "certain questions have been raised concerning possible conflicts of interest in Iceland's public life, such as close links between the political class and the business community.Mechanisms to reduce the scope for conflict of interests will need to be strengthened appropriately, it said. The size of the government's deficit is also a worry, having risen to 14.4 percent of GDP in 2009, with the total public debt amounting to 130 percent. Structural reforms and fiscal consolidation to address this situation must also be undertaken.Other issues that would also have to be resolved relate to minor changes to environment, agriculture, food safety and rural development legislation.But the biggest stumbling block remains the Icesave dispute between the country and the UK and the Netherlands, regarding the repayment of the €3.8 billion loan London and the Hague used to compensate British and Dutch savers who lost money in October 2008 when their accounts with the online savings account Icesave were frozen, following the collapse of the parent company Landsbanki.
Icelandic citizens have balked at what they describe as the onerous terms of the current agreement, which would see every household have to contribute around €45,000 of the sum, worth around 40 percent of Iceland's GDP.While Mr Fuele stressed that the commission was treating the tussle as a bilateral issue and separate from the EU accession process, the issue is likely to cause the country the most trouble in winning over the EU Council.A UK government spokesperson said: The UK fully supports Iceland's application to join the EU. The accession process is based on strict criteria that Iceland - like all candidate states - will have to meet.The spokesperson underscored that it is essential that Iceland meet its EEA obligations, one of which is the Deposit Guarantee Directive.The UK, along with every other member state, will now need to consider the commission's recommendation carefully before deciding whether to open accession negotiations.A satisfactory resolution of the Icesave issue is necessary to rebuild confidence of the international financial community, aid the recovery of the Icelandic economy and enable Iceland to meet the criteria and obligations for EU membership.An EU diplomat told EUobserver that there are different thoughts around the EU about the timeline, adding that the next time the EU Council could discuss whether to give Iceland its blessing would be the spring EU summit at the end of March, a very tight deadline.There's also the Icesave referendum in a few days' time. That could change things, and we don't know the result of that.For Icelanders, fisheries will perhaps be an even bigger stumbling block. The commission said on Wednesday that blocking access to Icelandic fisheries is a redline, as Iceland does not allow non-Icelanders to fish in its waters and restricts access to its ports to foreign vessels. Foreigners also cannot own more than a minority share in fishing companies. All of this must be done away with before Iceland can join the bloc. Icelanders for their part are fiercely proud of a fishery that has not been struck by as much overfishing as EU waters have and such a move is unlikely to be popular.Jon Baldvin, a former foreign minister and the man who led Iceland's delegation during the formation of the European Economic Area, told EUobserver: Iceland will never join if we have to allow access to our fishing stock. Icelanders will view this as nothing less than the arrival of the Spanish Armada.We are the teacher here and the EU is the pupil, not the other way round, he said. Mr Baldvin, one of Iceland's biggest supporters of joining the EU, also said that demands for further fiscal consolidation was unlikely to be popular.We are already undergoing on of the most drastic fiscal reorganisations any country could go through, with a quarter to a third of budgetary outlays going entirely to servicing our debts, cutting social expenditure to the bone. This will not go down well.Separately, commissioner Fuele suggested that if Iceland accede to the EU, it may be time for the other members of the EEA, Norway and Lichtenstein to join the bloc.Maybe these countries will take the current development to think about similar steps to upgrading their relationships with the EU.
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)
Ashton's absence from defence gathering raises eyebrows
VALENTINA POP Today FEB 25,10 @ 09:27 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Defence ministers gathering in Palma de Mallorca on Wednesday (24 February) regretted the absence of foreign and security policy chief Catherine Ashton, who canceled her participation at the last minute due to agenda issues. In her opening remarks, Spanish defence minister Carme Chacon said she regretted the absence of Ms Ashton, given the important subjects that will be discussed at the meeting, AFP reports.Ms Ashton initially intended to join the two-day informal meeting, where defence ministers were set to look at the new possibilities for military co-operation enabled by EU's Lisbon Treaty. Her spokesman however on Monday announced she had cancelled her participation in order to represent the EU at the inauguration of the new Ukrainian president on Thursday. It is the second time this month that Ms Ashton has not attended a defence gathering, after having cancelled at the last minute her keynote speech at an event on civilian-military co-operation organised by the European Defence Agency (EDA) on 9 February in Brussels. She then had to travel to Strasbourg for the inauguration vote of the EU commission.
Unlike her predecessor, Javier Solana, Ms Ashton's post is "double-hatted" – as she is also vice-president of the EU executive, apart from representing member states on foreign and security matters. Defence officials point to the fact that she also wears a third hat, which is less known – that of head of the EDA, an inter-governmental body aimed at helping member states to spend jointly and more efficiently on military items, such as helicopters or maritime surveillance.Ms Ashton's previous experience in international trade and her youthful involvement as a member of a disarmament advocacy group contrast with that of Mr Solana, who was Nato's secretary general before being appointed the first foreign policy chief of the EU.Mr Solana never skipped any meeting of defence ministers, despite traveling 300,000 kilometers a year, diplomats told AFP. Spain, which holds the EU's rotating presidency for the first half of the year, had made the relaunch of a European defence strategy one of the fundamental objectives of its six-month tenure.The current Nato secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, also attended the Mallorca meeting. His attendance comes after the announced Dutch withdrawal from Afghanistan, where the transatlantic military alliance has its flagship operation.
Airbus deal reached
One concrete outcome of the ministerial meeting so far was that countries behind the Airbus A400M military transport plane clinched a new pact on the €20billion project delayed by almost four years.We reached an agreement in principle between the seven nations in the project and EADS, said Ms Chacon, referring to the parent company of A400M manufacturer Airbus.The Airbus project will be a success for Europe, she claimed, adding that further details would be announced on Thursday. EADS has been haggling with its seven top customers - Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey - on who should pay for the overruns estimated at €5 billion.
NATO chief defends European role in Afghan war
FEB 25,10
PALMA DE MALLORCA, Balearic Islands – NATO's chief is defending Europe's contribution to the international force in Afghanistan from criticism by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says European allies responded to President Barack Obama's call for more troops and today account for 40 percent of the force of over 100,000 soldiers.But he said Thursday the growing discrepancy between the United States and NATO's European allies was a potential problem.On Tuesday Gates criticized Europeans' aversion to military force, calling it an an impediment to achieving real security and lasting peace in the 21st century.U.S. 2010 defense spending of over $700 billion is almost 2.5 higher than the combined military budgets of NATO's European allies.
Santa Claus rebel free to enter EU
ANDREW RETTMAN 24.02.2010 @ 17:39 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU has quietly suspended a visa ban on rebel leaders in Moldova in the hope of reviving peace talks on one of Europe's Cold War-era conflicts.The decision, taken by foreign ministers on Monday (22 February), allows 16 people from the de facto government of the breakaway Transniestria region to enter the EU for a trial period of six months. It covers rebel leader Igor Smirnov, a 65-year-old Russian former baker known as Santa Claus for his cheerful mien and white beard, who moved to Transniestria in 1987 and led separatists in a bloody war of independence in the early 1990s.It also includes Vladimir Antufeyev, a former Soviet police chief who runs Transniestria's secret service. Mr Antufeyev is widely believed to be the power behind the throne in Tiraspol and to take orders from Moscow.Moldova's new pro-EU government coalition asked Brussels to make the visa move. The EU's delegation in Chisinau backed the idea, even recommending that EU ministers lift the sanctions permanently as one option.The government is trying to re-energise the conflict settlement process and has proposed this gesture of goodwill to the Transnistrian side. But equally important is to beef up Moldova's attractiveness for the residents of the secessionist regions, Nicu Popescu, a senior aide to Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat told EUobserver. EU diplomats are to hold talks with the rebel leaders in the coming days and have scheduled an informal meeting for 1 March in Vienna of the 5+2 conflict resolution group, which comprises Moldova, Transniestria, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, as well as the EU and US as observers.
The 5+2 group last met informally at expert-level in late 2009 but has not met at top level since 2006.If the rebels nix the diplomatic agenda, obstruct people from crossing the Transniestria border or block teaching of the Moldovan language, the EU visa door is likely to slam shut again in September. But any final peace deal will also depend on Russia, which maintains around 1,300 soldiers and a huge arms dump in the territory. Mr Smirnov recently offered Russia the chance to install a new missile base on his turf. The Transniestria conflict claimed around 1,000 lives when it erupted. But the last shots were fired in July 1992. The Smirnov regime, which rules over half a million people, today lives off steel and vodka exports as well as alleged smuggling of guns, drugs and people. The EU has recently also removed travel bans on officials in Belarus and Uzbekistan in the hope of improving ties with the authoritarian governments in both countries. In the case of Belarus, it drew the line at a group of four men directly implicated in the disappearances of opposition activists in 1999 and 2000, and a woman suspected of rigging elections, who remain persona non grata.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
REVELATION 9:14-15
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA-IRAN)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
Syria, Iran defend strong ties By ALBERT AJI, Associated Press Writer – FEB 25,10
DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria and Iran defended their strong ties Thursday and dismissed U.S. efforts to break up the 30-year-alliance, saying America should not dictate relationships in the Middle East.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, vowed increased cooperation during a meeting in Damascus and canceled visa restrictions between the countries.We hope that others don't give us lessons about our region and our history, Assad told reporters when asked about Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's comments this week that the U.S. is troubled by Syria's relationship with Iran.We are the ones who decide how matters will go and we know our interests. We thank them for their advice.
Ahmadinejad was more direct, calling for the U.S. to pack up and leave the Middle East.(The Americans) want to dominate the region but they feel Iran and Syria are preventing that, he said. We tell them that instead of interfering in the region's affairs, to pack their things and leave.A string of high-profile visits to Damascus in recent months — from the U.S., France, and now Iran — demonstrates Syria's strategic importance in the Middle East.U.S. President Barack Obama is determined to engage with Syria, a country seen as key to peace in the region but which the State Department has long considered a sponsor of terrorism. America's goals include peeling Syria away from Iran.Ahmadinejad's trip comes amid rising U.S. tension with Tehran over the country's nuclear program. The U.S. and others believe Iran is hiding nuclear weapons development under the guise of a civilian energy program. Iran insists that its intentions are peaceful.Assad signaled his strong support for Iran, saying America's stance toward the country is a new situation of colonialism in the region.Still, Assad could be open to a breakthrough with the Americans. He is hoping for help in boosting a weak economy and for American mediation in direct peace talks with Israel — a recognition that he needs U.S. involvement to achieve his top goal of winning the return of the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.But Secretary of State Clinton said Wednesday that the recent decision to send the first U.S. ambassador to Syria in five years does not mean American concerns about the country have been addressed.Speaking to lawmakers, Clinton said the nomination of career diplomat Robert Ford is a sign of a slight opening with Syria. But she said Washington remains troubled by suspected Syrian support for militant groups in Iraq and elsewhere, interference in Lebanon and Syria's close relationship with Iran.
Former President George W. Bush withdrew the last U.S. ambassador to Syria in 2005 to protest its actions in Lebanon after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which his supporters blamed on Syria.Washington also has retained its sanctions on Damascus. The sanctions were first imposed by Bush and renewed by Obama in May.AP Writers Elizabeth A. Kennedy and Bassem Mroue contributed to this report from Beirut.
Turkey's leaders, military try to calm tensions By SELCAN HACAOGLU, Associated Press Writer – FEB 25,10
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's leaders held a rare meeting with the country's military chief Thursday, emerging to declare that the government's probe into an alleged military coup plot would be handled strictly according to the law.The joint statement, issued by President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Gen. Ilker Basbug after a three-hour meeting, appeared aimed at defusing tensions between the Islamic-backed government and the secular elite represented by Turkey's military.The government detained over 50 military officers this week in its probe into the coup plot, charging 20 of them in its largest-ever crackdown on the military.Opposition leaders claim the probe is tinged by politics, a claim rejected by the government. But since Turkey's military has overthrown four civilian governments since 1960, the public is wary and tense when the country's two main political forces appear to be heading toward a showdown.The public must be assured that matters will be handled in line with the law and everyone should act responsibly not to damage institutions, the joint statement said.The statement downplayed the importance of the unusual trilateral meeting, saying the leaders have preferred to hold their routine meetings together this week.Turkey's political tensions have worried businesses and investors, shaking the markets as opposition parties called for early elections to end the turmoil.Television channels quoted Erdogan as saying that it was a pleasant meeting. But in pictures and video distributed by the palace, the military chief looked anxious and uneasy. Both Basbug and Erdogan carried briefcases — something unusual — and sat around a small round table.
An analyst said the seeming consensus might be cosmetic.The summit meeting was aimed at easing tensions,said Tufan Turenc, a political analyst for the daily Hurriyet newspaper.But unfortunately, the institutions are in a position not to trust each other anymore.A Turkish court on Thursday formally charged eight more military officers of plotting to topple the government, increasing the number of officers who have been charged and jailed to 20 — including five admirals and three generals.
Police also escorted several other officers — including former chiefs of the navy and air force and the ex-deputy chief of the military — to the courthouse for questioning on Thursday.Wiretap evidence and the discovery of alleged plans for a military coup drafted in 2003 — a year after the current Islamic-based government was elected — led to the detention of about 50 military commanders by police on Monday.The court must decide whether to formally charge, arrest and jail them. Some are accused of plotting to blow up mosques and kill some non-Muslim figures to foment chaos and trigger a military takeover.The Islamic-leaning government appears to be waging a dogged campaign to curb military sway over the country's political life. Observers say this government's success in reining in inflation, coupled with its reformist record as it works to join the European Union, appear to have given it the courage to confront the military.Economy Minister Ali Babacan attempted to ease concerns, saying the government was trying to put the military under civilian rule as in the West.Transformations may sometimes be painful, Babacan said Wednesday.We are trying to make Turkey's democracy first class.
Turkey's top court warned Wednesday that no one was immune from prosecution if they violate the law. It is widely believed that Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, then head of the military, did not back his subordinates. He was not implicated in the alleged plot.
Sedat Laciner, head of the Ankara-based think tank USAK, said the military was particularly uneasy over the fact that it failed to punish its own, and that left those officers to the mercy of civilians. Today soldiers are on trial in civilian courts, which did not happen before,he noted. Associated Press Writer Ceren Kumova in Ankara contributed to this report.
Ex-UN nuclear chief forms reform group in Egypt By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 24, 4:31 pm ET
CAIRO – Respected worldwide, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and for 12 years the leader of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Mohammed ElBaradei is positioning himself as a force for change in his homeland.He has already said he might run for president of Egypt, and now he's forming a coalition to press for free and fair elections in a land ruled for nearly 30 years by President Hosni Mubarak.ElBaradei, 67, returned to Cairo only days ago to a hero's welcome by supporters who see him as the most credible opposition leader to emerge as this U.S.-allied country prepares for the 2011 presidential vote.Existing restrictions make it practically impossible for independents to run, meaning that ElBaradei's chances are dim without long-sought constitutional amendments.The former Egyptian diplomat has been mum about potential plans to join the campaign, saying that he would only do so if guaranteed that elections would be free, fully supervised by the judiciary and monitored by the international community. But he has used the publicity surrounding his visit to push for democratic reform and escalate pressure on a system he has criticized as stale.
Calls for changes to the constitutional amendments — instituted by Mubarak himself in 2005 and 2007 — are not new. The support from ElBaradei, a civilian with international stature and untouched by corruption tainting the Egyptian system, has given the demands a new momentum.He met with a group of about 30 opposition figures at his home on the outskirts of Cairo late Tuesday.Several participants said ElBaradei announced the formation of a national society for change to push for constitutional reforms that allow for contested elections.ElBaradei, who has lived in the West for nearly three decades, has called for restrictions on candidates to be lifted. He also wants the elections to be monitored by international observers, the Egyptian judiciary and an independent civil body, instead of being overseen by the Interior Ministry, which controls Egypt's internal security forces.George Ishaq, a reform activist who attended the meeting, said the attendees represent the founding committee, but details of the society's goals are being finalized.We call on all Egyptians to join, he said.The group was a who's who of the opposition, including leading dissident Ayman Nour, who himself was jailed after challenging Mubarak in 2005, and a member of Egypt's largest but outlawed opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood.Osama el-Ghazali Harb, who formed his own party after breaking with Mubarak, said the group differed in ideologies and political inclinations but agreed on its leader.
The problem for the regime now is that ElBaradei is an international figure with stature and can't be easily stopped, he said.ElBaradei's vocal criticism of Egypt's ruling system have stirred an unusual political debate about the future of Egypt. Established opposition groups have been weakened by restrictive laws, an aging leadership, and lack of a popular base.On top of that, the regime — backed by long-standing emergency laws — frequently jails journalists, pro-reform activists and political opponents.A popular movement that erupted around the constitutional amendment in 2005 has dissipated partially because of government crackdown but also because of lack of focus, and a unifying figure.Saad el-Katatni, a lawmaker with the Muslim Brotherhood, said the group hopes ElBaradei will change that.Previous groups have lacked a symbol. Now we have one that has also galvanized support from young Egyptians, el-Katatni said. Critics have said ElBaradei lacks experience and hasn't lived in his home country for many years. Since his return, ElBaradei has met various groups at his house. He met with youth representatives who initiated a petition calling on him to run for presidency. Over 100,000 people have joined a Facebook group supporting his candidacy.
He also met with women representatives and the Arab League's Secretary General Amr Moussa at his office, whose name was also floated by reformists looking for a possible rival to Mubarak. Since taking office in 1981, Mubarak has not named a successor and never had a vice president but he is believed to be grooming his son Gamal to succeed him. The initial constitutional amendments were seen as paving the way for father to son succession. Many Egyptians also hope ElBaradei's international standing will make it difficult for the current government to persecute him for trying to bring reform to the country. ElBaradei won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize and left his Vienna-based post as director general International Atomic Energy Agency late last year. We have new hope, said Abdel-Rahman Yusuf, a leader of the youth group supporting ElBaradei.
Top-level informer affair embarrasses Hamas By KARIN LAUB and MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press Writers – Wed Feb 24, 3:21 pm ET
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Claims by the son of a Hamas founder Wednesday that he was a long-term spy for Israel exposed a new side of the Islamic militant group's vulnerability and punched a hole in its meticulously groomed image of secrecy and discipline.The spy affair comes at a time when Hamas is still reeling from suspicions that Hamas informants helped Israel assassinate a top Hamas operative in a Dubai hotel. The back-to-back scandals were sure to leave Hamas leaders fearful of their own and ever more painfully aware of how capable Israel is of reaching the inner circles of their organization.At the center of the latest affair is 32-year-old Mosab Yousef, a son of Sheik Hassan Yousef, a Hamas founder serving a six-year term in an Israeli prison.Hamas, which overran the Gaza Strip in 2007, dismissed the younger Yousef's claims as a lie and said they were part of an Israeli attempt to weaken the movement. However, the man's father did not rule out that his son was an informer, contending he was blackmailed by Israeli agents as a teen.Analysts said the disclosures hurt Hamas' image and were sure to trigger new security concerns in the movement.The Israeli Haaretz daily reported Wednesday that Mosab Yousef provided intelligence to Israel's Shin Bet security service for more than a decade, preventing dozens of Hamas attacks against Israelis, including suicide bombings, saving hundreds of lives. The paper said he also helped put several senior Palestinian operatives behind bars.The younger Yousef, who moved to California in 2007, declined an interview request by The Associated Press.
His memoir, Son of Hamas,is being published in the United States next week. His publicist confirmed that the information presented by Haaretz is described in the book. The author wrote on his Facebook page that his memoir will blow your minds away, it is going to be like a tsunami in the Middle East.Mosab Yousef was considered one of the Shin Bet's most valuable assets and was dubbed The Green Prince, a reference to his Hamas pedigree and the Islamists' signature green color, Haaretz said.The newspaper said it confirmed Mosab Yousef's account with Shin Bet agents, including his handler. The report said Mosab, who converted to Christianity, despised Hamas and acted out of ideological conviction.The elder Yousef said in a statement from prison that he did not rule out that his son was recruited by Israeli intelligence, but he had no access to the movement's secrets.The father said Mosab was first blackmailed by the Israeli agents as a 17-year-old, and others in Hamas were told. The cleric did not say what damaging information Shin Bet might have used against his son.Whether what Haaretz reported is true or not, Mosab was not an active member in Hamas or in any of its military, political or religious branches, or any other body, the elder Yousef said in the statement distributed by Hamas.
Mosab Yousef was first jailed by Israel in 1996 and released in 1997.The Shin Bet routinely tries to recruit Palestinians of all factions as informers, including those in prisons, by using blackmail or promising benefits, such as work or travel permits.The spy affair comes at a time when Hamas is still smarting from the Jan. 19 assassination in Dubai of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, suspected by Israel of procuring Iranian arms for Gaza.On Wednesday, Dubai police said at least 15 more suspects using foreign passports are wanted for the slaying of the Hamas commander, raising the alleged hit squad tally to at least 26. Several names were traced to Israeli dual nationals, but all denied involvement.The violent Hamas has been in Israel's sights since its founding in 1987. Israel has killed key Hamas leaders in Gaza, most in airstrikes, though it botched a 1997 attempt to kill Khaled Mashaal, now the movement's supreme leader. Authorities in Dubai have arrested two Palestinians in the al-Mabhouh slaying. Hamas' Fatah rivals in the West Bank have alleged that Hamas moles helped the killers. Hamas officials have countered that the Syria-based al-Mabhouh was careless, booking his trip through the Internet and informing his Gaza family of the name of the Dubai hotel where he planned to stay. The family denied al-Mabhouh gave them information. Hamas also denied media reports that two al-Mabhouh aides in Damascus were sought for questioning about the assassination. Instead, Hamas has alleged that the two Palestinians in custody in Dubai had links to Fatah.
Hamas long prided itself in its secrecy and discipline, in contrast to the fractious, unruly Fatah movement. However, analysts said that as Hamas grew from a shadowy underground movement into Gaza's ruler, it became more vulnerable to infiltration. Hamas is no longer a small organization which is easily controlled by any leadership,said Khaled Hroub, a Hamas expert at Cambridge University. The al-Mabhouh assassination undermined Hamas' image as a coherent, organized group, and the exposure of Mosab Yousef as an informer was even more damaging, he added. There have been a number of stories of having some collaborators on the margins and fringes (of Hamas), but not the son of a leader, he said.It will leave a stain on Hamas' image.Mohammed Daraghmeh reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Additional reporting by Rizek Abdel Jawad in Gaza City and Diaa Hadid and Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem.
Israel delegation in China to discuss Iran nukes
FEB 25,10
BEIJING – Israel brought its campaign for new sanctions against Iran to the Chinese capital on Thursday, with the arrival of a high-level government delegation aiming to persuade Beijing to agree to the tougher punishment.Beijing has resisted a fourth round of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran following its recent announcement that it would press ahead with plans to increase its ability to make nuclear weapons.China — which relies on Iran for energy supplies — maintains now isn't the time to discuss such measures and the door to negotiations with Tehran remains open. As a permanent member of the Security Council, along with the U.S., Russia, Britain and France, China is in a position to veto any new measures.The Israeli delegation that included Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon and central bank chief Stanley Fischer did not answer questions from reporters at the Beijing airport Thursday afternoon.They're coming to discuss a number of issues — bilateral, regional and international — of mutual interest to China and Israel, and among them the Iranian issue,Israeli Embassy spokesman Guy Kivetz said, declining to elaborate further.
They were expected to meet with China's senior foreign policy adviser Dai Bingguo during the two-day visit.The United States and others fear Iran's nuclear program is geared toward making nuclear weapons, while Tehran claims it is simply to provide more power for its growing population.Iran has defied five U.N. Security Council resolutions — and three sets of U.N. sanctions — aimed at pressuring it to freeze enrichment, and has instead steadily expanded its program.
US, Israel resume strategic dialogue on Iran
FEB 25,10
JERUSALEM (AFP) – The United States and Israel on Thursday resumed a strategic dialogue over Iran's nuclear programme for the first time since US President Barack Obama assumed office, officials said.US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg met with Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon to pick up the regular consultations which were held during the Bush administration.During this meeting, the first at this level since the (2009) beginning of President Barack Obama's administration, strategic issues of prime importance will be discussed," foreign ministry spokesman Ashley Perry told AFP.Another Israeli official said the talks would focus primarily on Iran's nuclear programme, which Israel considers its greatest strategic threat.A US official, meanwhile, described the consultations as a regularly scheduled annual dialogue covering a range of regional and security issues not tied to specific events.The talks are part of an ongoing process that the United States values as a meaningful tool to discuss a wide range of issues that concern both of our countries,the State Department said.The meeting came during a visit to the United States by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in which he was to meet with several top US officials.Israel has called for tough international sanctions on Iran's energy sector to persuade Tehran to halt its nuclear enrichment programme, which Israel and the West suspect is aimed at creating an atomic weapon.
Iran has insisted the programme is purely for civilian purposes.Israel, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has viewed Iran as its greatest threat because of the nuclear issue and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated predictions of the Jewish state's demise.On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she hoped to see a UN Security Council resolution on new sanctions against the Islamic republic in the next two months.Washington has warned that time and patience is running out after Iran announced last week that it is considering building two more uranium enrichment plants inside mountains to protect them from air strikes.
Iran, however, has at the same time told the UN nuclear watchdog it is still prepared to buy fuel for a nuclear reactor or swap its own stockpile of low-enriched uranium for the fuel, but on its own territory.
Corruption trial of Israel ex-PM Olmert resumes
Thu Feb 25, 3:45 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel's former prime minister Ehud Olmert was back in court on Thursday stressing his innocence at the resumption of his corruption trial.A few months ago I came before this court as an innocent man and I believe I will leave as an innocent man,Olmert told reporters before entering the Jerusalem courtroom.A member of his legal team, Rohi Bleher, said the trial would last several months with as many as 280 witnesses expected to testify. On Thursday, the prosecutor was expected to detail the charges against Olmert.In December, Olmert, 64, pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption linked to three separate cases. He resigned under pressure in September 2008 after police recommended he be indicted.The 61-page indictment includes allegations of fraud, breach of trust, registering false corporate documents and concealing fraudulent earnings.If found guilty, Olmert could face time behind bars, although it is unclear how long.All the charges concern actions which Olmert allegedly took before he became prime minister in May 2006, first as mayor of Jerusalem and later as trade and industry minister.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
36 dead from cholera outbreak in Mozambique
Thu Feb 25, 7:12 am ET
MAPUTO, Mozambique – Mozambique's health minister says 36 people have died this year from a cholera outbreak in the northern and central parts of the southern African country.Leonardo Chavane says more than 1,000 people have contracted the highly contagious yet easily preventable infection this year.He said Thursday the situation is worrying because new cases are being reported daily and are complicated by rumors that health staff are spreading cholera rather than fighting it. Earlier this month, Mozambique's state radio said seven people died in a riot sparked by such false rumors.Chavane said health workers and community leaders in Zambezia and Nampul provinces have also been attacked by mobs. In other areas, health centers have been destroyed.
OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Official: Climate change treaty unlikely this year By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer – FEB 25,10
BALI, Indonesia – Industrialized and developing countries are not likely to reach a treaty this year on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which have sparked fears of weather-related disasters, the U.N. climate chief said Thursday.Yvo de Boer, who announced last week he would resign July 1, said there was not enough time to recover from the disappointing summit in December in Copenhagen, where world leaders failed to agree on a legally binding climate pact.Bickering between rich and poor countries over emissions cuts and financial assistance undermined the talks and forced them to settle on a voluntary plan.I think Copenhagen demonstrated that sometimes if you try and go too quickly, you actually achieve less progress, de Boer told The Associated Press in an interview.More than 190 nations will reconvene in Cancun, Mexico, later this year for another attempt to reach a binding agreement to keep the Earth's average temperature from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above levels that existed before nations began industrializing in the late 18th century.
U.N. scientists have said any temperature rise above that figure could lead to catastrophic sea level rises threatening islands and coastal cities, the killing off of many species of animals and plants, and the alteration of agricultural economies of many countries.De Boer said more time was needed to establish a framework of mitigation steps, along with financial and climate change aid that can convince developing countries to support a new deal.He said the focus should shift toward reaching an agreement at a summit next year in South Africa before the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.It's very close to the deadline and that's a problem, de Boer said.The first priority is to rebuild confidence and trust in the process, he said, adding that developing countries need to be convinced that there are incentives that will allow them to act on climate change but also meet national economic development goals.If you can't show that there are real advantages, then it will never happen,he said.De Boer spoke on the sidelines of an annual U.N. conference of environmental ministers. The conference is being held on the Indonesia island of Bali, where de Boer oversaw a historic agreement to start climate talks in 2007.De Boer said his resignation last week had nothing to do with the outcome of the Copenhagen meeting, saying he was encouraged that countries pledged to provide tens of billions of dollars in financial aid that will help poor countries adapt to climate change.He urged the immediate dispersal of those funds, which start at $30 billion over the next three years and will be scaled up to $100 billion a year by 2020.I think my message would be that you can achieve much more in life with carrots than with sticks,de Boer said.
But it is unclear when that will happen.Karl Falkenberg, the E.U. Commission's director-general of environment, said Wednesday that such aid to poor countries could not be disbursed in the absence of any binding agreement on greenhouse gas emission cuts.If the international community cannot find any kind of agreement, then it's going to be very difficult to put this into effect,Falkenberg said.
China says no emissions cap for now
Thu Feb 25, 2:02 am ET
BEIJING (AFP) – China's top climate change negotiator has said the world's biggest carbon polluter has no intention of capping greenhouse gas emissions for the time being, state media reported Thursday.Su Wei, who led China's negotiating team at the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen in December, said the country's carbon emissions had to increase because the economy was still developing, the China Daily said.China could not and should not set an upper limit on greenhouse gas emissions at the current stage, Su told a meeting on climate change policy in Beijing on Wednesday.However, he said China was committed to making its economy more energy-efficient.Beijing has pledged to reduce its carbon intensity -- the measure of greenhouse-gas emissions per unit of gross domestic product -- by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 based on 2005 levels.Su said the pledge would be a binding part of China's next two five-year economic development plans.
His remarks came a day after President Hu Jintao told a high-level Communist Party meeting that China must recognise the importance, urgency and difficulty of dealing with climate change.Britain and other countries have accused Beijing of vetoing attempts to give legal force to an agreement at the Copenhagen talks in December and blocking an agreement on reductions in global emissions.China has said it was never planning to accept outside reviews of its efforts to slow greenhouse gas emissions at the talks in Denmark.China has submitted its plans to fight climate change to the United Nations but described them as voluntary and has not formally endorsed the Copenhagen deal.The United Nations Environment Programme said in a report at its annual meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali this week that commitments made since Copenhagen have been insufficient.No one should assume that the pledges will be enough, UNEP director Adrian Steiner said.Countries will have to be far more ambitious in cutting greenhouse gas emissions if the world is to curb a rise in global temperature.Beijing has repeatedly said rich countries should take the lead in committing to substantial emission reduction targets and provide financing to developing countries battling climate change.
Yu Qingtai, China's climate change ambassador, on Wednesday lashed out at developed countries, saying they were reluctant to promise emission cuts and provide green funding support, according to the China Daily.Rich governments are pressuring developing nations -- emerging big countries in particular -- to shoulder unreasonable responsibilities, Yu said, adding the diverging views would be a long-standing problem.
WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL
AMOS 9:10
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.
2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL
REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THIS IS THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY,THEY CROSS OVER).
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
China warns US over future Taiwan arms sales By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer – Thu Feb 25, 6:10 am ET
BEIJING – China warned the U.S. on Thursday against any future arms sales to Taiwan and reaffirmed its decision to suspend military exchanges over Washington's plan to sell $6.4 billion in military hardware to the island.China demands that the U.S. speak and act cautiously to avoid further damaging ties and upsetting relations between Beijing and Taiwan, Defense Ministry spokesman Huang Xueping was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.Huang also said there had been no change in Beijing's decision last month to put off military contacts to protest the Obama administration's decision to sell helicopters, missiles and other weapons to Taiwan.
The U.S. side bears full responsibility for the current difficulties in exchanges between the Chinese and U.S. militaries, Huang said.Huang's comments follow the publication this week of a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report stating that Taiwan's air defenses against China were likely inadequate.Many observers saw the study as justification for the possible sale of advanced fighter jets to the self-governing island democracy. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to conquer it by force if necessary.Such U.S. reports are an outgrowth of a law — passed 30 years ago when Washington cut ties with the island to establish relations with Beijing — requiring the United States to ensure Taiwan has an adequate defense against Chinese threats.China resents all U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, seeing them as interference in its internal affairs. In response to the latest sale, Beijing, for the first time, also threatened commercial retaliation against the aerospace companies that make the weapons offered in the latest deal.
Speaking at a regular news conference Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang repeated China's claims that the Taiwan arms sales undermine Chinese security and demanded the U.S. take action to repair ties.The people who tied the knot should untie the knot, Qin said.The Taiwan arms sale is one of several issues that has roiled China-U.S. relations this year, including trade disputes, President Barack Obama's meeting last week with exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, and cyberspying accusations from Google Inc.Huang criticized media reports linking the People's Liberation Army with cyber attacks on foreign governments and corporations, calling them absolutely baseless, extremely irresponsible speculation with ulterior motives.
Also Thursday, China's Commerce Ministry accused Washington of abusing trade relief measures after U.S. regulators increased import duties on Chinese-made steel pipes to offset what it said were improper subsidies to manufacturers.These seemingly fair-trade measures in fact are abuses of trade relief measures which are intended to protect the domestic economy, said Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Jian, referring to a series of recent U.S. trade cases against Chinese exporters.Yao said the number of U.S. antidumping and anti-subsidy cases against Chinese goods rose by more than half last year to 23, while the value of goods affected rose by eight times to $7.6 billion.
PESTILENCES (CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS)
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;(CHEMICAL,BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS) and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
POISONED WATERS
REVELATION 8:8-11
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)
REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Fishing bans boost Australia's Great Barrier Reef
Mon Feb 22, 2:46 am ET
SYDNEY (AFP) – Strict fishing bans have helped regenerate wildlife and coral on one-third of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a new study shows, raising hopes that years of decline can be reversed.The study, bringing together years of research by scientists on the world's biggest living organism, proves no-take zones set up in 2004 have had a significant benefit, its authors say.The results are actually quite impressive, said lead author Laurence McCook.Having a higher proportion of protected areas is good for marine life, it's good for fish and it's good for people who rely on the reef for a living.The study, published in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences, shows the zones have more and bigger fish, including sharks, and less damage to coral.That's a very important result not only for the reef, because corals build the reef, but it's also important for the tourism and fishing industries because fish rely on coral for their habitat, McCook said.We think it adds to the value of the reef and it's likely to be contributing to the long-term sustainability of fishing, added McCook, of the Australian Research Centre's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
However, McCook warned that the reef was also facing a significant danger from climate change, which bleaches the coral and impedes its growth by raising the water's temperature and acidity.
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)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Officials rule arson caused fire at pilot's house
FEB 25,10
AUSTIN, Texas – Authorities in Texas have ruled arson is the official cause of the fire that destroyed the house belonging to the man who flew his plane into an office building.Austin Fire Department spokesman Andre de la Reza (day-luh-RAY'-suh) said Thursday that the Feb. 18 blaze was intentionally set. Investigators say Joseph Stack started the blaze, drove to a nearby airport and then flew his single-engine plane into the complex that houses offices of the Internal Revenue Service. The crash killed Stack and IRS employee Vernon Hunter.Authorities later found a rambling manifesto from Stack in which he described a long-smoldering dispute with the IRS and a hatred of the government.The family's accountant has confirmed that the Stacks were in the middle of an audit for reportedly failing to report income.
SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS
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.
Cannibal star is devouring a planet, astronomers say
Wed Feb 24, 2:20 pm ET
PARIS (AFP) – Like the Roman god Saturn who ate his own children, a star 600 light years from Earth is slowly gobbling up one of its own planets, according to a study released on Wednesday in Nature, the British science journal.The planet, whose discovery was reported last year, is a gas giant with a mass about 40 percent greater than that of Jupiter, the biggest planet of our Solar System, and with a radius 79 percent bigger.But whereas Jupiter takes nearly 12 years to plod around the Sun, it takes WASP-12b a mere 26 hours to race around its star, WASP-12, located in the constellation of Auriga.So close is its orbit that the gravitational tug of the star has helped to squeeze the planet into a prolate shape, meaning that it has taken the form of a rugby ball, or American football.Searing heat is stripping away layers of the gas, whose mass is then captured by the star.
The disk of captured matter around the star may mask a detectable resonant super-Earth, whose presence may cause WASP-12b to orbit in a remarkably egg-shaped path, suggests the study.Most planets that orbit close to their sun have a more circular track.The investigation is led by Shu-lin Li of the Department of Astronomy at the Peking University, Beijing.More than 400 so-called exoplanets -- the term for planets that orbit stars other than the Sun -- have been spotted since 1995, although none has turned out to be a rocky, watery world like our own.Most, like WASP-12b, are so-called hot Jupiters, or huge gassy balls that are heated to scorching temperatures by proximity to their planets.A planet with water would have to inhabit what has been termed the Goldilocks Zone, meaning that it is not so close that its precious water evaporates nor so far that the water freezes, but somewhere in between so that water can exist in liquid form.
SINS OF PEOPLE
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 TIMOTHY 1:9
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
DECIEVERS WAXING WORSE AND WORSE.
2 TIMOTHY 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
MORE SIN SIGNS
EPHESIANS 5:5-8
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Panel recommends annual flu vaccinations for all By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer – FEB 25,10
ATLANTA – A government panel is now recommending that virtually all Americans get a flu shot each year, starting this fall.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had gradually been expanding its recommendation for flu shots — 85 percent of Americans were already included.On Wednesday, the panel voted to recommend a seasonal flu vaccination for everyone except babies younger than 6 months and those with egg allergies or other unusual conditions.The panel's recommendation now goes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC usually follows the panel's advice and spreads the message to doctors and hospitals across the country.
Now no one should say Should I or shouldn't I? said Dr. Anthony Fiore, a CDC flu specialist.CDC vaccination recommendations tend to be influential with the doctors who give the shots and the health insurers who pay for them.Flu shots are already recommended for 85 percent of the U.S. public, including pregnant women, children older than 6 months, adults 50 and older, people with certain chronic health conditions, health care workers and those who take care of people in a recommended group. The only people who weren't specifically included were healthy people ages 19 to 49 who don't have close contact with anyone at risk of flu and its complications.
But only about 33 percent of Americans actually get a flu shot, and unusually millions and millions of doses get thrown away annually.The swine flu pandemic that hit last year caused a new momentum for flu vaccinations. Virtually all the 114 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine doses made were distributed, and more young adults and children got the swine flu vaccine than usually come out for seasonal flu.
The panel voted 11 to 0 — with one abstention — for the recommendation, prompting a short round of applause in the CDC auditorium where the meeting was held. Some public health experts and physicians had been pushing for a universal flu vaccination recommendation for more than 10 years.Also on Wednesday, the panel gave its nod to a proposed formulation of next year's seasonal flu vaccine. The vaccine will be built to protect against three strains of flu scientists think will be circulating next fall and winter. Swine flu is to be one of the strains incorporated into the vaccine.At past meetings, the panel stopped short of recommending flu shots for everyone. Panel members were mindful of a history of temporary flu vaccine shortages in the United States. They worried a universal recommendation might cause demand to far surpass supply and endanger those at the highest risk of life-threatening flu complications.Yet every year we wasted millions and millions of doses,said Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert who for years has passionately pushed the panel to recommend flu shots for all.The swine flu vaccine campaign appears to be ending the same way. Doses were scarce when the swine flu vaccine first became available in early October, but now roughly 90 million people have been vaccinated, demand is dying and millions of doses are unused.Swine flu provided another argument for universal vaccination. The new virus proved to be unusually dangerous to young adults, and also took a surprising toll on Native Americans and obese people. Many of those hospitalized and killed by swine flu were not in groups previously recommended for annual flu shots, and that fact was another reason to expand the vaccination recommendation, experts said.
There are a few exceptions to the universal recommendation. Children under 6 months of age, who have undeveloped immune systems, will continue to be exempt. So too will people who have egg allergies (the vaccine is made using eggs) and those who have had certain severe reactions to flu shots in the past.The panel also decided that elderly people can consider a new, revved-up version of the seasonal flu shot. It's a Sanofi Pasteur vaccine for adults 65 and older.In years when the flu shot is well matched to circulating flu viruses, vaccine is 70 to 90 percent effective in people younger than 65, the CDC estimates. But it tends to be only 30 to 70 percent effective in those who are older because they generally have weakened immune systems. The Sanofi vaccine — called Fluzone High-Dose — has four times as much immunity-building antibodies as a standard dose. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine in December, and it should be available for the 2010-2011 flu season. It would cost about $25 a shot, or about twice the standard version. The panel did not state a preference for the vaccine, however. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine through an accelerated process, and Sanofi is to do further studies to show the shot reduces flu illnesses. On the Net: ACIP: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/default.htm
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=126110
THIS HYPOCRITE,ANTICHRIST,OBAMA WILL SOMETIME BE REVEALED FOR HIS PUPPET NEW WORLD ORDER NUTCASE LYING SELF.AND FUTHUR SPEAKING OF HYPOCRITES GLENN BECK FINALLY LUMPED HIMSELF WITH OBAMA UNDER THE HOPE AND CHANGE LABEL.REMEMBER A WEEK OR SO AGO I MENTIONED BECK WANTING TO BE THE LEADER OF THE HOPE GROUP,WELL ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS SHOW HE LUMPED HOPE AND CHANGE TO OBAMA ,SO HE LINKED HIMSELF WITH OBAMA WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT.
BORN IN THE USA? Appeals court: We're listening to eligibility case-Judges grant permission for lengthy filing in case challenging Obama February 23, 2010
11:08 pm Eastern By Bob Unruh 2010 WorldNetDaily
An appeals court has indicated it is listening to arguments in a case that challenges Barack Obama's occupancy in the Oval Office with a ruling that gives special permission for an extra-long document to be filed in the case. WND has reported on the case brought by attorney Mario Apuzzo in January 2009 on behalf of Charles F. Kerchner Jr., Lowell T. Patterson, Darrell James Lenormand and Donald H. Nelson Jr. Named as defendants were Barack Hussein Obama II, the U.S., Congress, the Senate, House of Representatives, former Vice President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The case alleges Congress failed to follow the Constitution, which provides that Congress must fully qualify the candidate elected by the Electoral College Electors.The complaint also asserts when Obama was born his father was a British subject/citizen and Obama himself was the same.The case contends the framers of the U.S. Constitution, when they adopted the requirement that a president be a natural born citizen,excluded dual citizens.
According to a posting on Apuzzo's website, the rules of procedure for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals provide that an appellant's opening brief is not to exceed 14,000 words. See the movie Obama does not want you to see: Own the DVD that probes this unprecedented presidential eligibility mystery! However, Apuzzo wrote, because of the extraordinary nature and complexity of the question of whether putative President Barack Obama is an Article II natural born citizen and therefore eligible to be president, whether my clients … have standing to bring an action against Obama and Congress in which they maintain that Obama is not a natural born citizen and that Congress failed to meet its constitutional duty to protect my clients by assuring them that Obama is a natural born Citizen… I was compelled to file a brief which contained 20,477 words. By order dated February 22, 2010, the Honorable Circuit Judge Michael A. Chagares on behalf of the Motion's Panel of the 3rd Circuit Court of appeals granted plaintiffs' motion for leave to file the overlength brief.
This is great news because the case will now continue forward as scheduled,he said. Obama's and Congress's opposition brief was initially due on Feb. 22, 2010. The Department of Justice obtained a 14-day extension to file that brief, making the new due date March 8, 2010. After they file their opposition brief, I will then have 14 days within which to file a reply to that brief,he said. He said his background information in the case confirms that two U.S. Supreme Court decisions reveal the definition for natural born citizen is found not in the Constitution but in common law. We maintain that Obama is not an Article II natural born citizen because he lacks unity of citizenship and allegiance from birth which is obtained when a child is born in the United States to a mother and father who are both United States citizens at the time of birth,he said. Obama's father was only a temporary visitor to the United States when Obama was born and never even became a resident let alone a citizen. Not being an Article II natural born citizen,Obama is not eligible to be president and commander in chief, he said. He also argues that Obama has failed to prove that he was born in Hawaii by revealing his documentation. If he fails to do so, the alleged fact is not proven, even if the opposing party produces no further evidence,he said. On Apuzzo's website, a forum page participant said, It will be interesting to see how Mr. Obama's legal team stretches, We have nada! into 14,000 words.The lead plaintiff, Kerchner, has posted an online statement: This is not going to go away until Obama stops hiding ALL his hidden and sealed early life documents and provides original copies of them to a controlling legal authority and reveals his true legal identity from the time he was born until the time he ran for president. Obama at birth was born British and a dual citizen. He holds and has held multiple citizenship during his lifetime. He's a citizenship chameleon as the moment and time in his life suited him and he is not a natural born citizen with sole allegiance … to the USA as is required per the Constitution,he said. The appeal further challenges that not only might Obama not be a natural born citizen, he might not even be in the United States legally. If Obama was not born in the United States, there exists a possibility that Obama could be an illegal alien,it states.
WND has reported on dozens of legal challenges to Obama's status as a natural born citizen.The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.Some of the lawsuits question whether he was actually born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama's American mother, the suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time. Demand the truth by joining the petition campaign to make President Obama reveal his long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate! Other challenges have focused on Obama's citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born. And still others contend he holds Indonesian citizenship from his childhood living there. Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers and the appointment – at a cost confirmed to be at least $1.7 million – of myriad lawyers to defend against all requests for his documentation. While his supporters cite an online version of a Certification of Live Birth from Hawaii as his birth verification, critics point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.
WND also has reported that among the documentation not yet available for Obama includes his kindergarten records, Punahou school records, Occidental College records, Columbia University records, Columbia thesis, Harvard Law School records, Harvard Law Review articles, scholarly articles from the University of Chicago, passport, medical records, files from his years as an Illinois state senator, his Illinois State Bar Association records, any baptism records and his adoption records. Because of the dearth of information about Obama's eligibility, WND founder Joseph Farah has launched a campaign to raise contributions to post billboards asking a simple question: Where's the birth certificate? Where's The Birth Certificate? billboard at the Mandalay Bay resort on the Las Vegas Strip -The campaign followed a petition that has collected more than 490,000 signatures demanding proof of his eligibility, the availability of yard signs raising the question and the production of permanent, detachable magnetic bumper stickers asking the question.The certification of live birth posted online and widely touted as Obama's birth certificate does not in any way prove he was born in Hawaii, since the same short-form document is easily obtainable for children not born in Hawaii. The true long-form birth certificate – which includes information such as the name of the birth hospital and attending physician – is the only document that can prove Obama was born in Hawaii, but to date he has not permitted its release for public or press scrutiny. Oddly, though congressional hearings were held to determine whether Sen. John McCain was constitutionally eligible to be president as a natural born citizen,no controlling legal authority ever sought to verify Obama's claim to a Hawaiian birth. Your donation – from as little as $5 to as much as $1,000 – can be made online at the WND SuperStore. (Donations are not tax-deductible. Donations of amounts greater than $1,000 can be arranged by calling either 541-474-1776 or 1-800-4WND.COM. If you would prefer to mail in your contributions, they should be directed to WND, P.O. Box 1627, Medford, Oregon, 97501. Be sure to specify the purpose of the donation by writing billboard on the check. In addition, donations of billboard space will be accepted, as will significant contributions specifically targeted for geographic locations.)
HOMELAND INSECURITY-Hamas-linked group has deep ties to White House-One of the chief conduits for passing Saudi-style radical Islam into U.S.February 24, 2010
8:27 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein 2010 WorldNetDaily
ISNA President Ingrid Mattson
JERUSALEM – A radical Muslim group that was an unindicted co-conspirator in a scheme to raise money for Hamas has an extensive relationship with the Obama administration, WND has learned. Last week, President Obama's top adviser on counter-terrorism, John Brennan, came under fire for controversial remarks he made in a speech to Muslim law students at New York University. The event was sponsored by the Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA. ISNA is known for its enforcement of Saudi-style Islam in mosques throughout the U.S. It was named by the Justice Department as an unindicted co-conspirator in its case against the Holy Land Foundation in Texas, which was found guilty in 2008 of raising money for the Hamas terrorist organization. Last year, Holy Land founders were given life sentences for funneling $12 million to Hamas.
The Obama White House has deep ties to ISNA.
The relationship began even before Obama took office. One week before last year's presidential inauguration, Sayyid Syeed, national director of the ISNA Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances, was part of a delegation that met with the directors of Obama's transition team. The delegation discussed a request for an executive order ending torture.Straight from the mouths of the real people: Get Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew! ISNA President Ingrid Mattson represented American Muslims at Obama's inauguration, where she offered a prayer during the televised event.
Mattson also represented ISNA at Obama's Ramadan dinner at the White House. Last June, Obama's top aide, Valerie Jarrett, invited Mattson to work on the White House Council on Women and Girls, which Jarrett leads. In July, the Justice Department sponsored an information booth at an ISNA bazaar in Washington, D.C. Also that month, Jarrett addressed ISNA's 46th annual convention. According to the White House, Jarrett attended as part of Obama's outreach to Muslims.
Burn down the master's house
Discover the Networks notes ISNA, through its affiliate, the North American Islamic Trust – a Saudi government-backed organization – reportedly holds the mortgages on 50to 80 percent of all mosques in the U.S. and Canada. Thus the organization can freely exercise ultimate authority over these houses of worship and their teachings, states DTN. ISNA was founded in 1981 by the Saudi-funded Muslim Students' Association. The two groups are still partners. WND previously attended an MSA event at which violence against the U.S. was urged by speakers. We are not Americans, shouted one speaker, Muhammad Faheed at Queensborough Community College in 2003.We are Muslims. [The U.S.] is going to deport and attack us! It is us versus them! Truth against falsehood! The colonizers and masters against the oppressed, and we will burn down the master's house! ISNA was named in a May 1991 Muslim Brotherhood document – An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America – as one of the Brotherhood's likeminded organizations of our friends who shared the common goal of destroying America and turning it into a Muslim nation, according to Discover the Networks. Islam scholar Stephen Schwartz describes ISNA as one of the chief conduits through which the radical Saudi form of Islam passes into the United States.According to terrorism expert Steven Emerson, ISNA is a radical group hiding under a false veneer of moderation that publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Islamic Horizons, that often champions militant Islamist doctrine.The group also convenes annual conferences where Islamist militants have been given a platform to incite violence and promote hatred,states Emerson. Emerson cites an ISNA conference in which al-Qaida supporter and PLO official Yusuf Al Qaradhawi was invited to speak. Emerson further reports that in September 2002, a full year after 9/11, speakers at ISNA's annual conference still refused to acknowledge Bin Laden's role in the terrorist attacks.Also, ISNA has held fundraisers for terrorists, notes Discover the Networks. After Hamas leader Mousa Marzook was arrested and eventually deported in 1997, ISNA raised money for his defense. The group also has condemned the U.S. government's post-9/11 seizure of Hamas' and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's financial assets. With research by Brenda J. Elliott.
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.
Reports: Madeira flood missing rises to 29
FEB 25,10
LISBON, Portugal – Reports say authorities in Madeira have increased to 29 the number of people reported missing in the Portuguese island's deadly landslides last weekend.The national news agency Lusa reports Thursday that the island's head of tourism and transport says the figure is based on new information collated by emergency services.Lusa reports Estudante saying the death toll remains at 42.The number of reported missing has fluctuated since Saturday's storms which sent boulders, snapped trees and sludge crashing into coastal communities. On Wednesday, 16 people were said to be unaccounted for.Officials say the discrepancies are due to difficult communications on the island.
Snowstorm flight delays start in Philadelphia
FEB 25,10
PHILADELPHIA – Some flights in and out of Philadelphia have been grounded as the snow begins coming down more heavily in the latest storm.Southwest Airlines says it expects delays, diversions and cancellations in airports from Baltimore to Buffalo, N.Y., and has grounded most of its flights into and out of Philadelphia for Thursday.
By 8 a.m., Philadelphia International was the only airport in the region reporting major weather-related delays.The area was expected to get up to a foot of snow in a storm dumping more on areas from Tennessee to upstate New York. For the Albany area, Thursday's storm would be the second major one in two days.For Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, it could be the fourth whopper of the winter, which is already the snowiest on record.
Snow storms blanket Northeast; 2nd storm on tap By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 24, 10:55 pm ET
ALBANY, N.Y. – A powerful winter storm dumped a foot or more of snow in the Northeast on Wednesday, knocking out power to thousands and stalling air traffic from Boston to Philadelphia, all ahead of a second system packing strong winds that could blanket the area with another foot of snow.The storm cut a swath from eastern Pennsylvania into northern New England, slamming typically snowy regions that had been spared the paralyzing storms that hit cities farther south earlier this winter. About 150,000 customers lost power Wednesday, hundreds of schools were closed and at least three traffic deaths were blamed on the storm.An 89-year-old woman died in a crash in New York's Hudson Valley. In Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, a woman and a boy died when their vehicle slid off snow- and ice-covered Interstate 80; The man driving the car was not expected to survive.The system was the first of a 1-2 winter punch. The National Weather Service said the storm forecast to hit Thursday is expected to be significant and long-lasting, packing wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, which could cause more power outages, and dump a foot or more of snow on some areas by Friday. Meteorologists said some areas of New York's Adirondack and Catskill mountains and Vermont's Green Mountains could get as much as 2 feet by the weekend.
Philadelphia, which has had its snowiest winter with more than 70 inches and is still digging out from earlier back-to-back storms, could see as much as a foot of snow.It might not be until early next week that we get rid of the storm completely, said meteorologist Hugh Johnson of the National Weather Service's Albany office.A description of the coming storm as a snowicane by State College, Pa.-based Accuweather Inc. touched off criticism — one newspaper called it a smackdown — by the National Weather Service.On Tuesday, 48 hours before the storm was to hit, Accuweather called it hurricane-like, a monster, and a powerful storm of historical proportions that would wreak havoc from Pennsylvania to Maine and by Wednesday was using the term snowicane.That prompted a stern response from National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Evanego.It's almost inciting the public, inciting panic, he said.
The Weather Channel called the hurricane talk bad meteorology.Accuweather senior meteorologist and director of forecasting operations Ken Reeves called the NWS criticism unfounded and said there is nothing wrong in using language that gets people's attention when the situation calls for it.The northern edge of Wednesday's storm reached into the Massachusetts' Berkshires, Vermont and New Hampshire, dumping more than a foot of snow in some areas and prompting flooding concerns in Maine.The hardest hit area Wednesday was Albany, N.Y., where some outlying areas had about 2 feet of snow by afternoon. The snow was so thick and heavy that even pickup trucks got stuck trying to plow it out.We tried the snowblower and it didn't work. It keeps clogging up, said Pat McDonough as she shoveled her front walk in Voorheesville, a village just west of Albany.While parts of the Northeast dealt with Wednesday's weather, other cities were preparing for another blast of winter.In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city was making sure building owners were aware of the predicted high winds and were taking steps to tie down anything that could come loose.My hope is that the snow will stay to the north and west of us and we'll just have rain — our kids need another school day, Bloomberg said.We will cancel school only if it really would be dangerous to get the kids into school and get them home.
In Pennsylvania, State Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler is urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel in a storm forecast to bring snow and gusty winds. The system expected to create the storm that will travel up the Atlantic Coast was causing problems in the South on Wednesday. The weather service issued a winter storm warning through Friday morning for mountainous areas of western North Carolina, where forecasters said up to 10 inches was possible by Thursday evening.
Wednesday's Northeast storm ended a long stretch without a major snowfall in eastern New York and northern New England. The region had avoided much of the severe weather that slammed the mid-Atlantic in recent weeks. Some New England areas had been forced to cancel winter festivals, dog sled races and snow sculpting events this year due to the lack of any snow at all. At Vermont's Mad River Glen ski area, the storm was a godsend,spokesman Eric Friedman said. Thank God Mother Nature was listening,he said. New York's power outages stood at 117,000 Wednesday afternoon, down from 135,000 earlier in the day. Most are in the Hudson Valley. Another 32,000 were reported in Vermont and western Massachusetts. Schools were closed around eastern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts. Contractor Jim Conde spent the morning plowing eight private roads outside Albany, getting stuck several times in the deep, compressed snow. With more on the way, he was likely to stay busy. That's what scares me the most,he said.If we do get more, where are we going to put it? Associated Press writers Chris Carola in Albany, N.Y., and Mike Rubinkam in Allentown, Pa., contributed to this report.
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)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) 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 5.9 magnitude quake off Nicaragua coast
Wed Feb 24, 11:34 pm ET
MANAGUA, Nicaragua – A moderate 5.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Nicaragua's southern Pacific coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey says Wednesday's quake occurred around 9:15 p.m. (0315 GMT). It says the temblor was centered about 65 miles (100 kilometers) south of Managua, the Nicaraguan capital.Managua residents say the quake was barely felt in the city. The Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies says there were no immediate reports of victims or damages.The USGS says the quake was about 26.5 miles (42.6 kilometers)
Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits southwestern China
FEB 25,10
BEIJING – A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck China's southwestern province of Yunnan on Thursday, injuring 11 people and damaging many houses, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.The quake struck at 12:56 p.m. (0456 GMT) in Chuxiong prefecture, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of the provincial capital of Kunming, the national earthquake monitoring center reported.The U.S. Geographical Survey gave the quake's magnitude as 5.0.Xinhua cited a spokesman for the Yunnan Provincial Seismological Bureau as saying a large number of rural homes were badly damaged.In May 2008, a massive 7.9-magnitude temblor struck Sichuan province just north of Yunnan, leaving 90,000 dead or missing and another 5 million homeless.
Haiti quake aftershocks give U.S. sailors bumpy ride
Wed Feb 24, 6:40 pm ET
ABOARD THE USS CARTER HALL, Haiti (Reuters) – If you think that earthquakes can't be felt at sea, U.S. sailors will tell you their ships have had a bumpy ride off Haiti as aftershocks jolted the country following the January 12 quake.It feels like the ship's actually running aground, said U.S. Navy Commander George Doyon, master of the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious ship that was one of the first to land U.S. Marines and earth-moving equipment last month to stricken towns and villages west of the shattered capital Port-au-Prince.The ship bounces, Doyon told Reuters, describing the feeling, at sea, of the dozens of aftershocks that have shaken Haiti over the last six weeks. He said the vibration from the quakes resonates exponentially from the bottom.This week, twin aftershocks early on Tuesday, one of 4.7 magnitude, brought nervous residents and foreign hotel guests out of their beds in Port-au-Prince. Early on Monday, another 4.7 magnitude quake had shaken the city.
(Reporting by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Paul Simao)
Summary Box: SEC curbs short-selling By The Associated Press – Wed Feb 24, 3:35 pm ET
WHAT THE REGULATORS DID: The Securities and Exchange Commission imposed new curbs on short-selling, or betting against a stock.
WHY IT MATTERS: Advocates of restraints on short-selling blame "bear raids" by sellers for pushing several big companies toward collapse and worsening the market's downturn in fall 2008.
NEW CURBS: The SEC put in a circuit breaker for stock prices, restricting short-selling of a stock that has dropped 10 percent or more for the rest of a trading session and the next one.
Strike-hit Greece faces EU budget test
THU FEB 25,10
ATHENS (AFP) – European Union and IMF experts on Thursday were finalising a report on Greece's crisis-hit finances as the embattled Socialist government digested the impact of a general strike against its austerity cuts.Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of major Greek cities on Wednesday to protest tax hikes and benefit cuts in the first general strike to hit the government, which is grappling with spiralling debt levels.But the main question according to analysts is whether the majority of Greeks, who currently appear to accept the painful adjustment, will continue to support extra measures that are widely perceived to be imposed from Brussels. The real question is whether the pro-European spirit of Greeks will falter before the flurry of orders from Brussels, said Thomas Gerakis, head of the Marc polling company.For the moment, Greeks remain convinced that the situation is very difficult. They got up from their armchairs and realised that they are on the deck of a sinking ship,he told AFP.As the country with the highest public deficit in the eurozone, Greece is at the centre of a storm over spiralling debt levels in Europe that has threatened cohesion in the European single currency area. IMF stresses deficit reduction in exit strategies.
After a collapse in investor confidence, Greece faces major strains in raising new money on international markets and is under intense pressure from EU authorities to get its public finances back in order.The report of the three-man mission from the EU, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund mission, which completed on Wednesday a round of talks with Greek officials, comes as a new hurdle for Athens.
If the experts say the programme is not enough, a meeting of EU finance ministers could demand even harsher corrective action at a meeting on March 16.Before that meeting, the EU Financial Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn is also due to visit Athens. EU budget enforcer to go to Greece.The experts met Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou and Economy Minister Louka Katselli just as the country was hit by a nationwide strike, including a strike by journalists, against austerity measures.
Also late on Wednesday, Standard & Poor's credit rating agency warned that it could downgrade Greek sovereign debt again within a month.The yield on Greek ten-year bonds on Thursday rose to 6.598 percent compared to 6.496 percent a day previously.
Under pressure from financial markets and EU institutions and partners, Greece has promised a programme to cut public spending and crimp public sector pay, to raise taxes and fight tax evasion, and to restructure its economy.The baseline target is to cut back an annual public deficit by four percentage points of gross domestic product to 8.7 percent this year.This is widely considered to be an enormous undertaking particularly since credit rating agency Moody's has calculated that Greece will have to use 15.1 percent of its tax revenues this year to meet debt interest payments due.That is about twice the ratio in other debt-stricken eurozone countries Spain and Portugal.The last EU summit on February 11 decided to send three-way EU, ECB and IMF missions to Athens regularly under a special arrangement of exceptionally close supervision of Greek public finances.
Bernanke sees low rates amid signs of weak rebound By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer – Wed Feb 24, 5:40 pm ET
WASHINGTON – New signs emerged Wednesday that the economic rebound is sputtering. Sales of new homes hit a record low last month. And mortgage giant Freddie Mac signaled it will need more federal aid — and might never repay it.Against that backdrop, the government is trying to prop up the housing and job markets. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reiterated the need to continue record-low interest rates for an extended period. And the Senate passed a bill to give tax breaks to companies that hire the jobless.Bernanke told Congress that low rates will help ensure that the recovery will last and help ease the sting of high unemployment. Asked what else Congress could do to stimulate job creation, he hesitated to say.
I'm sure you know the menu of things that you could do which could create jobs, he said.Unfortunately there's no — there's no silver bullet here.Investors seemed buoyed by Bernanke's commitment to low rates, despite the news on home sales and Freddie Mac. The Dow Jones industrial average gained about 91 points, roughly 0.9 percent.Yet economists cautioned that the government's ability to help is limited.
Our view is that it will be a long, tough slog for U.S. consumers in particular and for the economy overall, said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.
Bernanke, in his twice-a-year report to the House Financial Services Committee, said the rebound would endure. But he also sought to restrain hopes. He said the Fed sees moderate growth that will cause only a slow decline in the nearly double-digit jobless rate.He offered no new clues about when the Fed would eventually raise interest rates. Most economists think it's months away.Bernanke faces more pressure than usual from lawmakers in an election year. Their constituents are struggling, while bailed-out Wall Street banks are profitable again. Unemployment stands at 9.7 percent, home foreclosures are at record highs and people and businesses are having trouble getting loans.Underscoring the fragility of the housing market, the government said new-home sales dropped 11 percent last month, to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 309,000 units. That's the lowest level in the nearly 50 years records have been kept.Winter storms were partly to blame. But sales have dropped for three straight months despite vast government support. Economists had already been worrying about how the housing market would respond once government aid programs are withdrawn.One such program has lowered mortgage rates and bolstered the housing market but is slated to end March 31. Under the program, the Fed has committed $1.25 trillion to buying mortgage securities and debt from Freddie Mac and its sister mortgage finance firm Fannie Mae.
Bernanke said that program's end would have only a "modest effect" on raising mortgage rates. He left the door open to extending the program if the housing market or the economy worsened.Freddie Mac's earnings report was grim news for taxpayers, who have had to rescue the company and Fannie Mae. The company lost nearly $26 billion last year and nearly $80 billion since 2007. A record proportion of its borrowers — 4 percent — face foreclosure. And its chief executive warned of many more foreclosures still to come.And Freddie Mac said it will likely need more federal aid beyond the $51 billion it's already received and may not be able to repay it.Fannie and Freddie are vital players in the industry. They buy loans from lenders and sell them to investors. Combined, they own or guarantee about half of all residential mortgages. Had they gone broke in 2008, millions of people would have been unable to get mortgages.Freddie and Fannie have already soaked up $111 billion from the government, which seized control of them in September 2008. That number is expected to hit $188 billion by the fall of 2011. We now have unlimited taxpayer exposure to the bailout of Fannie and Freddie, a bailout nation where the big get bigger, the small get smaller and the taxpayer gets poorer, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said at a House hearing. The Obama administration had been expected to announce plans to overhaul Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae this month when it submitted its 2011 budget request. But Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Wednesday that won't happen until next year. We want to make sure that we are proposing these changes at a time when we have a little bit more distance from the worst housing crisis in generations,told the House Budget Committee. Geithner also defended the administration's stimulus plan, saying that before the government can shrink its budget deficit, it must help create jobs and aid the recovery. Bernanke and Geithner testified as President Barack Obama struggles to manage both high unemployment and rising budget deficits. Under Obama's budget plan, unemployment would still hover near double digits, and this year's deficit would reach $1.56 trillion. The Fed chairman reiterated a pledge that the Fed will keep its main rate at an all-time low near zero for an extended period. Low inflation has given the Fed room to keep rates low. Consumer prices excluding food and energy fell in January — the first time such prices have fallen in any month since 1982. At the same time, Bernanke sought to stress that once the economy is on firmer footing and the Fed needs to reverse course and tighten credit for millions of Americans, he will do so.
Deciding when to boost rates is a high-risk calculation. Acting too soon could derail the recovery. But waiting too long could trigger inflation and feed a speculative bubble in some financial asset. That, too, could threaten the economy, along with Americans' pocketbooks and nest eggs. Bernanke would only say that at some point,the Fed will need to move to tighten credit. Whenever it does, consumers and businesses would have to pay more for loans. Potentially complicating the U.S. rebound is the debt crisis in Greece, which has already sent jitters through Wall Street and could spread to other European Union countries with troubled finances such as Portugal, Spain and Italy. Standard & Poor's warned Wednesday it might further downgrade Greece's credit rating within a month. A downgrade would make it harder and costlier for Greece to borrow. Pressed by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, on whether the Fed has discussed a bailout of Greece, which is suffering a debt crisis, Bernanke said no. Another threat comes from the banking industry. The number of U.S. banks considered troubled jumped above 700 last quarter. And loan defaults could escalate the wave of bank failures that totaled 140 last year, the most since 1992.
Also, despite evidence that the thrift industry may be stabilizing, the Office of Thrift Supervision noted Wednesday that 20 thrifts failed last year and that the number is expected to rise this year because of delinquencies and foreclosures.
Lawmakers who questioned Geithner on Wednesday expressed concern about record-high federal budget deficits, which Bernanke and Geithner both said must be reduced over time. The deficits are the elephant in the room, said Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, the committee's senior Republican.AP business writers Martin Crutsinger and Alan Zibel contributed to this report.
India economy to bounce back: ministry by Penny MacRae – Thu Feb 25, 5:43 am ET
NEW DELHI (AFP) – India's economy will rebound to pre-financial crisis growth levels of nine percent in two years, the government said Thursday, and could become the world's fastest expanding in four years.The year began amid the gloom of an economic downturn, but is ending with clear indicators of a vibrant economic rebound, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said outside parliament after presenting the annual Economic Survey.The report, traditionally unveiled a day ahead of the budget, said the upturn gives the government room to start a gradual rollback of 162 billion dollars in stimulus put in place to shield the economy from the global slump.
Mukherjee is expected to take the first steps toward re-embracing fiscal discipline when he presents the budget by laying out a roadmap for cutting the deficit, now at a 16-year high.India's economy was one of the least hit by the global crisis and has been one of the growth engines, along with China, in facilitating faster turnaround of the global economy,added the finance ministry 2009-2010 overview.The report projected economic growth would reach 8.75 percent in next fiscal year to March 2011, quickening to over nine percent in the following year. That compares with estimated growth of around 7.5 percent for this year to March 20 and 6.7 growth last year when the economy was sideswiped by the global slump.It is entirely possible for India to move into the rarefied domain of double-digit growth and even attempt to don the mantle of the fastest-growing economy in the world within the next four years, the report said.
China, which expanded by 8.7 percent in 2009, is currently the fastest growing.The broad-based nature of the recovery creates scope for a gradual rollback, in due course, of some of the measures undertaken over the last 15 to 18 months, the report added.The survey also urged India to open up faster such sectors as health insurance, rural banking and higher education to foreign direct investment.The survey came as a new World Bank report said South Asia appeared to have escaped the worst effects of the global economic crisis, helped by resilient domestic demand bolstered by government stimulus.The Indian government study warned food inflation --which figures showed Thursday had eased slightly to 17.58 percent in mid-February -- was a key problem and could drive up overall inflation, now at 7.3 percent.It added other risks remained as the global trade recovery was still fragile with demand fuelled by government spending. The stimulus effects could evaporate if natural recovery does not follow.Indian business leaders reacted sharply to suggestions that stimulus steps, such as tax breaks, be withdrawn.The government should continue with stimulus as growth in the industrial and export sectors is mainly because of the support,said Harsh Pati Singhania, head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Oil prices lose ground
FEB 25,10
LONDON (AFP) – World oil prices weakened on Thursday as a stronger dollar sapped investors' enthusiasm for crude, traders said.New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for April delivery, was down 42 cents at 79.58 dollars a barrel.
London's Brent North Sea crude for April delivery fell 33 cents to 77.76 dollars a barrel.The European single currency sank against the dollar and yen on Thursday as investors sought safe-haven currencies amid the public finance crisis afflicting Greece.A stronger greenback weighs on dollar-denominated crude because the commodity becomes more expensive for buyers holding weaker currencies.The dollar is still a very very important indicator for the oil market, said Tetsu Emori, commodities fund manager at Astmax Investments, cited by Dow Jones Newswires.The euro took a beating after a warning on Wednesday by Standard & Poor's credit ratings agency that it could downgrade Greece by one or two notches within the next month, dealers said.
New York crude had won 1.14 dollars on Wednesday after comments by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke helped weaken the greenback, sparking buying interest from investors holding stronger currencies.Bernanke had said the US central bank would hold interest rates low for an extended period as the economic recovery gets on track.The Fed chairman told the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee that he saw unemployment remaining stubbornly high, which will require the Fed to maintain its stimulative monetary policy.Bernanke delivered a very downbeat report on the US economy to Congress in which he predicted that US interest rates would remain exceptionally low for an extended period, said PVM analyst David Hufton.
Prices also won support on Wednesday as traders digested some bullish elements in the US government's weekly oil inventories report.The Department of Energy said US crude reserves jumped by three million barrels last week in the United States -- the world's biggest energy consuming nation -- suggesting weak demand.But gasoline or petrol inventories fell, confounding market expectations for an increase.Clarence Chu, an oil trader with Hudson Capital Energy in Singapore, said it was difficult to sustain oil prices at more than 80 dollars a barrel, given that global supplies still outpace demand.Sentiment has been bullish over these past couple of days, Chu said.But it hasn't been supported by the fundamentals. So I don't think oil will be supported at 80 dollars for the short term.
Jobless claims rise on snow-related layoffs By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer – FEB 25,10
WASHINGTON – The number of new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week as heavy snows led to higher layoffs.In addition, many state agencies in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions that process the claims were closed due to the storms and are now clearing out backlogs, a Labor Department analyst said.Still, the increase is likely to amplify concerns that the job market is weakening, potentially slowing the economic recovery.The Commerce Department said in a second report that orders for big-ticket manufactured goods shot up in January by the 3 percent, the most in six months.But much of that gain resulted from a surge in orders for aircraft. Excluding transportation, durable goods orders fell by 0.6 percent, a weaker showing than economists had expected.The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 496,000. Wall Street analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a drop to 455,000.Bad weather can cause job losses in construction and other industries sensitive to weather.
Economists closely watch initial claims, which are considered a gauge of the pace of layoffs and an indication of companies' willingness to hire new workers.Dan Greenhaus, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak, said the claims data has been unusually distorted in recent weeks. As a result, we are concerned about the upward pressure on initial claims but not overly concerned.However, the job market remains quite stressed as robust employment growth remains elusive,he wrote in a note to clients.The four-week average, which smooths volatility, rose by 6,000 to 473,750.
The four-week average has risen by about 30,000 in the past month, raising concerns that job cuts are continuing. Initial claims had fallen sharply over the summer and fall but the improvement has stalled since the year began.The economy has grown for six months but is not yet spurring new hiring. Many economists point out that the current recovery is weak compared to the aftermath of previous deep recessions.The Labor Department said earlier this month that while the unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent from 10 percent, employers still cut 20,000 jobs. The economy has lost 8.4 million jobs since the recession began.The Federal Reserve said last week that it expects the rate will average between 9.5 percent and 9.7 percent this year.
The number of people continuing to claim unemployment benefits, meanwhile, was essentially unchanged at 4.6 million. Those figures, known as continuing claims, lag initial claims by a week.But there are now many more people receiving extended unemployment benefits that aren't included in the continuing claims figures. Congress has provided up to 73 weeks of extra benefits, paid for by the federal government, for jobless workers who have used up the standard 26 weeks of benefits customarily provided by states.About 5.7 million people received extended benefits in the week ended Feb. 6, the latest data available, down from more than 6 million the previous week. The extended benefit data isn't seasonally adjusted and is volatile from week to week. Among the states, North Carolina had biggest increase in claims, with 5,897, which it attributed to layoffs in the construction, furniture and mining industries. Pennsylvania and Kentucky also reported large increases. The state data lags initial claims by one week.California reported the largest drop in claims, with 5,540, which it attributed to fewer layoffs in services. Illinois, New York, Texas and Missouri recorded the next largest decreases.
Germany failed to pay WWII compensation, Greece says ANDREW WILLIS
Today FEB 25,10 @ 09:29 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Athens has accused Germany of failing to meet its World War II compensation obligations following the Nazi occupation of Greece in 1941, a claim Berlin has firmly rejected. In a radio interview on Wednesday (24 February), Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos criticised Germany's attitude towards the ongoing Greek debt crisis, adding that Athens had never received adequate war reparations. They took away the Greek gold that was at the Bank of Greece, they took away the Greek money and they never gave it back. This is an issue that has to be faced sometime in the future,Mr Pangalos told the BBC World Service.I don't say they have to give back the money necessarily but they have at least to say thanks, he added.The comments come as Greece was brought to a halt by a 24-hour general strike on Wednesday which spilled over into violent clashes, and just days after media reports of a possible German-led bail-out for Greece. German foreign ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke dismissed the comments, adding that a discussion about the past is not helpful at all to solve [today's] problems.He said Germany had paid compensation to Greece of some 115 million deutsche marks by 1960 and subsequently made further payments to forced laborers of the Nazi regime.I'd like to mention that parallel to this, since 1960 Germany has paid around 33 billion deutsche marks in aid to Greece both bilaterally and in the context of the EU, he said. Germans received roughly one euro for every two deutsche marks when the notes changed over in 2002. While Mr Pangalos' comments are unlikely to nurture charitable feelings inside Germany, Greek politicians have themselves voiced outrage over recent media reports inside Europe's largest economy.
A recent cover of the German weekly magazine Focus ran the title Fraudsters Inside the Euro Family,next to an image of a Greek statue of the Venus de Milo making an obscene gesture.Analysts said the spat could result in Germany leaving Greece to its own fate. Greece should never have entered the euro zone because they did not qualify and they are now blackmailing other European countries via the euro, said Hans-Werner Sinn, head of Germany's IFO economic institute, reports The Telegraph. It's not for the EU to help Greece. We have an institution that is very experienced in bailing-out activities: the IMF,he added.
Debt concealment
Greece has come under pressure recently to explain allegations that it used complex financial products, provided by US investment banks, to conceal the true state of its debt pile over the last decade. Athens is also accused of manipulating its figures to gain entry into the eurozone in 2001.Addressing the EU concerns, Mr Pangalos said Italy had done more to mask the true state of its finances before joining the single currency. You simply put some amounts of money in the next year ...it is what everybody did and Greece did it to a lesser extent than Italy for example, he said.Greek debt is currently estimated to be roughly €300 billion, with the country's budget deficit hitting 12.7 percent of gross domestic product last year.Independently on Wednesday, the European Commission indicated it plans to take Greece to the EU's top court to recover state aid which it says violated EU single market rules.
Stocks tumble on renewed concerns about economy By TIM PARADIS and STEPHEN BERNARD, AP Business Writers – FEB 25,10
NEW YORK – Stocks tumbled Thursday as downbeat news about the nation's job market and rising debt in Europe revived fears of a global economic slowdown.Major indexes slid more than 1 percent, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which fell 165 points. All 30 stocks that make up the Dow dropped. Treasury prices jumped as investors sought safe havens.Disappointing reports on jobless claims in the U.S. and economic sentiment in Europe painted a bleaker picture of a recovery than Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke did during testimony Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
Overseas markets fell after the European Commission said economic sentiment in the 16 countries that use the euro worsened unexpectedly in February. Concerns that Greece will struggle to cut its budget and get its debt problems under control are again worrying investors.Trading in the U.S. has been choppy in recent weeks because of uneasiness about the economy. And global markets retreated earlier this month because traders were worried Greece's debt problems would spread to other European countries.The euro again fell, touching a nine-month low against the dollar.Meanwhile, the Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 496,000. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast a drop in claims to 455,000.It is the second straight week that claims jumped unexpectedly. High unemployment remains one of the biggest obstacles to a sustained economic recovery. The Labor Department's monthly report on employment will be released next week.We're getting hit with a double punch here today,said Jeffrey Phillips, chief investment office of Rehmann in Troy, Mich. The euro is again weaker because of debt concerns and the weekly jobless claims report are adding to volatility, he said.
Phillips expects trading to remain erratic if investors get more mixed signals about the economy. The Chicago Board Options Exchange's Volatility Index, which is known as the market's fear gauge, jumped 10.8 percent in morning trading. A rise in the VIX signals that investors are expecting swings in the market.In midmorning trading, the Dow fell 166.34, or 1.6 percent, to 10,207.82. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 16.67, or 1.5 percent, to 1,088.57, while the Nasdaq composite index fell 33.22, or 1.5 percent, to 2,202.68.Bond prices rose, pushing yields lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.65 percent from 3.70 percent late Wednesday.
Gold and oil prices fell.
Investors will also pay attention to a meeting of Congressional leaders and President Barack Obama to discuss changes to health care. The White House is trying to push through an overhaul that would extend coverage to more than 30 million people who are now uninsured.Meanwhile, the Commerce Department had mixed news about manufacturing. Durable goods orders rose 3 percent in January because of a jump in commercial aircraft orders. It was the biggest increase in six months for orders of goods that are expected to last at least three years.However, orders fell by 0.6 excluding volatile transportation orders. Economists expected those orders to rise 1 percent.In corporate news, The Coca-Cola Co. said it will buy the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, and will give up its own bottling operations in Sweden and Norway.Shares of Coca-Cola Enterprises jumped $6.15, or 32.1 percent, to $25.33, while Coca-Cola Co. shares fell $2.04, or 3.7 percent, to $53.12. Stocks broke a two-day losing streak on Wednesday after investors received the reassurance they wanted from Bernanke. During semiannual testimony before Congress, Bernanke reaffirmed the Fed's plans to keep interest rates low to help strengthen the economy. He testifies again Thursday. The Dow rose 92 points.
Bernanke's testimony overshadowed a disappointing report on new home sales. The Commerce Department said sales of new homes fell to a record low in January. A collapse in sales and home prices help drive the economy into recession. Recent reports show a recovery in the housing market remains choppy. At the New York Stock Exchange, 2,377 stocks fell, while only 386 rose. Volume came to 164.4 million shares compared with 138.5 million shares. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 8.37, or 1.3 percent, to 622.06. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.4 percent, Germany's DAX index dropped 1.4 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 2 percent. Earlier, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 1 percent.
EU-Iceland talks should conclude in early 2011, commission says
LEIGH PHILLIPS 24.02.2010 @ 17:44 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has recommended that the European Union move ahead with accession talks with Iceland. Should EU member states back the move, a development that is far from assured, the EU enlargement commissioner has said the process should last around 14 months.We will be applying the same criteria as are applied to any other country. There is no short cut, said commissioner Stefan Fuele, announcing the commission's recommendation.However, asked to give an approximate timeline for the process of accession talks, he said: From the current members that recently joined that were already part of the European Economic Area, you could make your own conclusions about the challenges and the sort of framework, such as Finland and Austria. The process for them lasted plus or minus 14 months, if I remember correctly.The European Economic Area is an agreement between the EU and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein that permits the three countries to participate in the EU's single market without actually joining the bloc. As a quid pro quo, the countries must adopt certain EU internal market legislation. Having already in place much of existing EU laws, countries joining the bloc from the EEA have had a much easier time acceding than other countries.I don't see any dramatic problems in that process ... that won't be resolved, said Mr Fuele.The commission did note however that it would not be all smooth sailing for the north Atlantic nation. In a surprise move, the commission said that it is concerned over the independence of the judiciary and about conflicts of interest in the political class.The predominance given to the minister of justice and human rights in judicial appointments... raises questions in terms of the effective independence of judges, reads the commission report.
The EU executive is also worried that following the financial crisis, "certain questions have been raised concerning possible conflicts of interest in Iceland's public life, such as close links between the political class and the business community.Mechanisms to reduce the scope for conflict of interests will need to be strengthened appropriately, it said. The size of the government's deficit is also a worry, having risen to 14.4 percent of GDP in 2009, with the total public debt amounting to 130 percent. Structural reforms and fiscal consolidation to address this situation must also be undertaken.Other issues that would also have to be resolved relate to minor changes to environment, agriculture, food safety and rural development legislation.But the biggest stumbling block remains the Icesave dispute between the country and the UK and the Netherlands, regarding the repayment of the €3.8 billion loan London and the Hague used to compensate British and Dutch savers who lost money in October 2008 when their accounts with the online savings account Icesave were frozen, following the collapse of the parent company Landsbanki.
Icelandic citizens have balked at what they describe as the onerous terms of the current agreement, which would see every household have to contribute around €45,000 of the sum, worth around 40 percent of Iceland's GDP.While Mr Fuele stressed that the commission was treating the tussle as a bilateral issue and separate from the EU accession process, the issue is likely to cause the country the most trouble in winning over the EU Council.A UK government spokesperson said: The UK fully supports Iceland's application to join the EU. The accession process is based on strict criteria that Iceland - like all candidate states - will have to meet.The spokesperson underscored that it is essential that Iceland meet its EEA obligations, one of which is the Deposit Guarantee Directive.The UK, along with every other member state, will now need to consider the commission's recommendation carefully before deciding whether to open accession negotiations.A satisfactory resolution of the Icesave issue is necessary to rebuild confidence of the international financial community, aid the recovery of the Icelandic economy and enable Iceland to meet the criteria and obligations for EU membership.An EU diplomat told EUobserver that there are different thoughts around the EU about the timeline, adding that the next time the EU Council could discuss whether to give Iceland its blessing would be the spring EU summit at the end of March, a very tight deadline.There's also the Icesave referendum in a few days' time. That could change things, and we don't know the result of that.For Icelanders, fisheries will perhaps be an even bigger stumbling block. The commission said on Wednesday that blocking access to Icelandic fisheries is a redline, as Iceland does not allow non-Icelanders to fish in its waters and restricts access to its ports to foreign vessels. Foreigners also cannot own more than a minority share in fishing companies. All of this must be done away with before Iceland can join the bloc. Icelanders for their part are fiercely proud of a fishery that has not been struck by as much overfishing as EU waters have and such a move is unlikely to be popular.Jon Baldvin, a former foreign minister and the man who led Iceland's delegation during the formation of the European Economic Area, told EUobserver: Iceland will never join if we have to allow access to our fishing stock. Icelanders will view this as nothing less than the arrival of the Spanish Armada.We are the teacher here and the EU is the pupil, not the other way round, he said. Mr Baldvin, one of Iceland's biggest supporters of joining the EU, also said that demands for further fiscal consolidation was unlikely to be popular.We are already undergoing on of the most drastic fiscal reorganisations any country could go through, with a quarter to a third of budgetary outlays going entirely to servicing our debts, cutting social expenditure to the bone. This will not go down well.Separately, commissioner Fuele suggested that if Iceland accede to the EU, it may be time for the other members of the EEA, Norway and Lichtenstein to join the bloc.Maybe these countries will take the current development to think about similar steps to upgrading their relationships with the EU.
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)
Ashton's absence from defence gathering raises eyebrows
VALENTINA POP Today FEB 25,10 @ 09:27 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Defence ministers gathering in Palma de Mallorca on Wednesday (24 February) regretted the absence of foreign and security policy chief Catherine Ashton, who canceled her participation at the last minute due to agenda issues. In her opening remarks, Spanish defence minister Carme Chacon said she regretted the absence of Ms Ashton, given the important subjects that will be discussed at the meeting, AFP reports.Ms Ashton initially intended to join the two-day informal meeting, where defence ministers were set to look at the new possibilities for military co-operation enabled by EU's Lisbon Treaty. Her spokesman however on Monday announced she had cancelled her participation in order to represent the EU at the inauguration of the new Ukrainian president on Thursday. It is the second time this month that Ms Ashton has not attended a defence gathering, after having cancelled at the last minute her keynote speech at an event on civilian-military co-operation organised by the European Defence Agency (EDA) on 9 February in Brussels. She then had to travel to Strasbourg for the inauguration vote of the EU commission.
Unlike her predecessor, Javier Solana, Ms Ashton's post is "double-hatted" – as she is also vice-president of the EU executive, apart from representing member states on foreign and security matters. Defence officials point to the fact that she also wears a third hat, which is less known – that of head of the EDA, an inter-governmental body aimed at helping member states to spend jointly and more efficiently on military items, such as helicopters or maritime surveillance.Ms Ashton's previous experience in international trade and her youthful involvement as a member of a disarmament advocacy group contrast with that of Mr Solana, who was Nato's secretary general before being appointed the first foreign policy chief of the EU.Mr Solana never skipped any meeting of defence ministers, despite traveling 300,000 kilometers a year, diplomats told AFP. Spain, which holds the EU's rotating presidency for the first half of the year, had made the relaunch of a European defence strategy one of the fundamental objectives of its six-month tenure.The current Nato secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, also attended the Mallorca meeting. His attendance comes after the announced Dutch withdrawal from Afghanistan, where the transatlantic military alliance has its flagship operation.
Airbus deal reached
One concrete outcome of the ministerial meeting so far was that countries behind the Airbus A400M military transport plane clinched a new pact on the €20billion project delayed by almost four years.We reached an agreement in principle between the seven nations in the project and EADS, said Ms Chacon, referring to the parent company of A400M manufacturer Airbus.The Airbus project will be a success for Europe, she claimed, adding that further details would be announced on Thursday. EADS has been haggling with its seven top customers - Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey - on who should pay for the overruns estimated at €5 billion.
NATO chief defends European role in Afghan war
FEB 25,10
PALMA DE MALLORCA, Balearic Islands – NATO's chief is defending Europe's contribution to the international force in Afghanistan from criticism by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says European allies responded to President Barack Obama's call for more troops and today account for 40 percent of the force of over 100,000 soldiers.But he said Thursday the growing discrepancy between the United States and NATO's European allies was a potential problem.On Tuesday Gates criticized Europeans' aversion to military force, calling it an an impediment to achieving real security and lasting peace in the 21st century.U.S. 2010 defense spending of over $700 billion is almost 2.5 higher than the combined military budgets of NATO's European allies.
Santa Claus rebel free to enter EU
ANDREW RETTMAN 24.02.2010 @ 17:39 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU has quietly suspended a visa ban on rebel leaders in Moldova in the hope of reviving peace talks on one of Europe's Cold War-era conflicts.The decision, taken by foreign ministers on Monday (22 February), allows 16 people from the de facto government of the breakaway Transniestria region to enter the EU for a trial period of six months. It covers rebel leader Igor Smirnov, a 65-year-old Russian former baker known as Santa Claus for his cheerful mien and white beard, who moved to Transniestria in 1987 and led separatists in a bloody war of independence in the early 1990s.It also includes Vladimir Antufeyev, a former Soviet police chief who runs Transniestria's secret service. Mr Antufeyev is widely believed to be the power behind the throne in Tiraspol and to take orders from Moscow.Moldova's new pro-EU government coalition asked Brussels to make the visa move. The EU's delegation in Chisinau backed the idea, even recommending that EU ministers lift the sanctions permanently as one option.The government is trying to re-energise the conflict settlement process and has proposed this gesture of goodwill to the Transnistrian side. But equally important is to beef up Moldova's attractiveness for the residents of the secessionist regions, Nicu Popescu, a senior aide to Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat told EUobserver. EU diplomats are to hold talks with the rebel leaders in the coming days and have scheduled an informal meeting for 1 March in Vienna of the 5+2 conflict resolution group, which comprises Moldova, Transniestria, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, as well as the EU and US as observers.
The 5+2 group last met informally at expert-level in late 2009 but has not met at top level since 2006.If the rebels nix the diplomatic agenda, obstruct people from crossing the Transniestria border or block teaching of the Moldovan language, the EU visa door is likely to slam shut again in September. But any final peace deal will also depend on Russia, which maintains around 1,300 soldiers and a huge arms dump in the territory. Mr Smirnov recently offered Russia the chance to install a new missile base on his turf. The Transniestria conflict claimed around 1,000 lives when it erupted. But the last shots were fired in July 1992. The Smirnov regime, which rules over half a million people, today lives off steel and vodka exports as well as alleged smuggling of guns, drugs and people. The EU has recently also removed travel bans on officials in Belarus and Uzbekistan in the hope of improving ties with the authoritarian governments in both countries. In the case of Belarus, it drew the line at a group of four men directly implicated in the disappearances of opposition activists in 1999 and 2000, and a woman suspected of rigging elections, who remain persona non grata.
MUSLIM NATIONS
EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
DANIEL 11:40-43
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
EZEKIEL 39:1-8
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
JOEL 2:3,20,30-31
3 A fire(NUCLEAR BOMB) devoureth before them;(RUSSIA-ARABS) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
REVELATION 9:14-15
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA-IRAN)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
Syria, Iran defend strong ties By ALBERT AJI, Associated Press Writer – FEB 25,10
DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria and Iran defended their strong ties Thursday and dismissed U.S. efforts to break up the 30-year-alliance, saying America should not dictate relationships in the Middle East.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, vowed increased cooperation during a meeting in Damascus and canceled visa restrictions between the countries.We hope that others don't give us lessons about our region and our history, Assad told reporters when asked about Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's comments this week that the U.S. is troubled by Syria's relationship with Iran.We are the ones who decide how matters will go and we know our interests. We thank them for their advice.
Ahmadinejad was more direct, calling for the U.S. to pack up and leave the Middle East.(The Americans) want to dominate the region but they feel Iran and Syria are preventing that, he said. We tell them that instead of interfering in the region's affairs, to pack their things and leave.A string of high-profile visits to Damascus in recent months — from the U.S., France, and now Iran — demonstrates Syria's strategic importance in the Middle East.U.S. President Barack Obama is determined to engage with Syria, a country seen as key to peace in the region but which the State Department has long considered a sponsor of terrorism. America's goals include peeling Syria away from Iran.Ahmadinejad's trip comes amid rising U.S. tension with Tehran over the country's nuclear program. The U.S. and others believe Iran is hiding nuclear weapons development under the guise of a civilian energy program. Iran insists that its intentions are peaceful.Assad signaled his strong support for Iran, saying America's stance toward the country is a new situation of colonialism in the region.Still, Assad could be open to a breakthrough with the Americans. He is hoping for help in boosting a weak economy and for American mediation in direct peace talks with Israel — a recognition that he needs U.S. involvement to achieve his top goal of winning the return of the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.But Secretary of State Clinton said Wednesday that the recent decision to send the first U.S. ambassador to Syria in five years does not mean American concerns about the country have been addressed.Speaking to lawmakers, Clinton said the nomination of career diplomat Robert Ford is a sign of a slight opening with Syria. But she said Washington remains troubled by suspected Syrian support for militant groups in Iraq and elsewhere, interference in Lebanon and Syria's close relationship with Iran.
Former President George W. Bush withdrew the last U.S. ambassador to Syria in 2005 to protest its actions in Lebanon after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which his supporters blamed on Syria.Washington also has retained its sanctions on Damascus. The sanctions were first imposed by Bush and renewed by Obama in May.AP Writers Elizabeth A. Kennedy and Bassem Mroue contributed to this report from Beirut.
Turkey's leaders, military try to calm tensions By SELCAN HACAOGLU, Associated Press Writer – FEB 25,10
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's leaders held a rare meeting with the country's military chief Thursday, emerging to declare that the government's probe into an alleged military coup plot would be handled strictly according to the law.The joint statement, issued by President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Gen. Ilker Basbug after a three-hour meeting, appeared aimed at defusing tensions between the Islamic-backed government and the secular elite represented by Turkey's military.The government detained over 50 military officers this week in its probe into the coup plot, charging 20 of them in its largest-ever crackdown on the military.Opposition leaders claim the probe is tinged by politics, a claim rejected by the government. But since Turkey's military has overthrown four civilian governments since 1960, the public is wary and tense when the country's two main political forces appear to be heading toward a showdown.The public must be assured that matters will be handled in line with the law and everyone should act responsibly not to damage institutions, the joint statement said.The statement downplayed the importance of the unusual trilateral meeting, saying the leaders have preferred to hold their routine meetings together this week.Turkey's political tensions have worried businesses and investors, shaking the markets as opposition parties called for early elections to end the turmoil.Television channels quoted Erdogan as saying that it was a pleasant meeting. But in pictures and video distributed by the palace, the military chief looked anxious and uneasy. Both Basbug and Erdogan carried briefcases — something unusual — and sat around a small round table.
An analyst said the seeming consensus might be cosmetic.The summit meeting was aimed at easing tensions,said Tufan Turenc, a political analyst for the daily Hurriyet newspaper.But unfortunately, the institutions are in a position not to trust each other anymore.A Turkish court on Thursday formally charged eight more military officers of plotting to topple the government, increasing the number of officers who have been charged and jailed to 20 — including five admirals and three generals.
Police also escorted several other officers — including former chiefs of the navy and air force and the ex-deputy chief of the military — to the courthouse for questioning on Thursday.Wiretap evidence and the discovery of alleged plans for a military coup drafted in 2003 — a year after the current Islamic-based government was elected — led to the detention of about 50 military commanders by police on Monday.The court must decide whether to formally charge, arrest and jail them. Some are accused of plotting to blow up mosques and kill some non-Muslim figures to foment chaos and trigger a military takeover.The Islamic-leaning government appears to be waging a dogged campaign to curb military sway over the country's political life. Observers say this government's success in reining in inflation, coupled with its reformist record as it works to join the European Union, appear to have given it the courage to confront the military.Economy Minister Ali Babacan attempted to ease concerns, saying the government was trying to put the military under civilian rule as in the West.Transformations may sometimes be painful, Babacan said Wednesday.We are trying to make Turkey's democracy first class.
Turkey's top court warned Wednesday that no one was immune from prosecution if they violate the law. It is widely believed that Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, then head of the military, did not back his subordinates. He was not implicated in the alleged plot.
Sedat Laciner, head of the Ankara-based think tank USAK, said the military was particularly uneasy over the fact that it failed to punish its own, and that left those officers to the mercy of civilians. Today soldiers are on trial in civilian courts, which did not happen before,he noted. Associated Press Writer Ceren Kumova in Ankara contributed to this report.
Ex-UN nuclear chief forms reform group in Egypt By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 24, 4:31 pm ET
CAIRO – Respected worldwide, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and for 12 years the leader of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Mohammed ElBaradei is positioning himself as a force for change in his homeland.He has already said he might run for president of Egypt, and now he's forming a coalition to press for free and fair elections in a land ruled for nearly 30 years by President Hosni Mubarak.ElBaradei, 67, returned to Cairo only days ago to a hero's welcome by supporters who see him as the most credible opposition leader to emerge as this U.S.-allied country prepares for the 2011 presidential vote.Existing restrictions make it practically impossible for independents to run, meaning that ElBaradei's chances are dim without long-sought constitutional amendments.The former Egyptian diplomat has been mum about potential plans to join the campaign, saying that he would only do so if guaranteed that elections would be free, fully supervised by the judiciary and monitored by the international community. But he has used the publicity surrounding his visit to push for democratic reform and escalate pressure on a system he has criticized as stale.
Calls for changes to the constitutional amendments — instituted by Mubarak himself in 2005 and 2007 — are not new. The support from ElBaradei, a civilian with international stature and untouched by corruption tainting the Egyptian system, has given the demands a new momentum.He met with a group of about 30 opposition figures at his home on the outskirts of Cairo late Tuesday.Several participants said ElBaradei announced the formation of a national society for change to push for constitutional reforms that allow for contested elections.ElBaradei, who has lived in the West for nearly three decades, has called for restrictions on candidates to be lifted. He also wants the elections to be monitored by international observers, the Egyptian judiciary and an independent civil body, instead of being overseen by the Interior Ministry, which controls Egypt's internal security forces.George Ishaq, a reform activist who attended the meeting, said the attendees represent the founding committee, but details of the society's goals are being finalized.We call on all Egyptians to join, he said.The group was a who's who of the opposition, including leading dissident Ayman Nour, who himself was jailed after challenging Mubarak in 2005, and a member of Egypt's largest but outlawed opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood.Osama el-Ghazali Harb, who formed his own party after breaking with Mubarak, said the group differed in ideologies and political inclinations but agreed on its leader.
The problem for the regime now is that ElBaradei is an international figure with stature and can't be easily stopped, he said.ElBaradei's vocal criticism of Egypt's ruling system have stirred an unusual political debate about the future of Egypt. Established opposition groups have been weakened by restrictive laws, an aging leadership, and lack of a popular base.On top of that, the regime — backed by long-standing emergency laws — frequently jails journalists, pro-reform activists and political opponents.A popular movement that erupted around the constitutional amendment in 2005 has dissipated partially because of government crackdown but also because of lack of focus, and a unifying figure.Saad el-Katatni, a lawmaker with the Muslim Brotherhood, said the group hopes ElBaradei will change that.Previous groups have lacked a symbol. Now we have one that has also galvanized support from young Egyptians, el-Katatni said. Critics have said ElBaradei lacks experience and hasn't lived in his home country for many years. Since his return, ElBaradei has met various groups at his house. He met with youth representatives who initiated a petition calling on him to run for presidency. Over 100,000 people have joined a Facebook group supporting his candidacy.
He also met with women representatives and the Arab League's Secretary General Amr Moussa at his office, whose name was also floated by reformists looking for a possible rival to Mubarak. Since taking office in 1981, Mubarak has not named a successor and never had a vice president but he is believed to be grooming his son Gamal to succeed him. The initial constitutional amendments were seen as paving the way for father to son succession. Many Egyptians also hope ElBaradei's international standing will make it difficult for the current government to persecute him for trying to bring reform to the country. ElBaradei won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize and left his Vienna-based post as director general International Atomic Energy Agency late last year. We have new hope, said Abdel-Rahman Yusuf, a leader of the youth group supporting ElBaradei.
Top-level informer affair embarrasses Hamas By KARIN LAUB and MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press Writers – Wed Feb 24, 3:21 pm ET
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Claims by the son of a Hamas founder Wednesday that he was a long-term spy for Israel exposed a new side of the Islamic militant group's vulnerability and punched a hole in its meticulously groomed image of secrecy and discipline.The spy affair comes at a time when Hamas is still reeling from suspicions that Hamas informants helped Israel assassinate a top Hamas operative in a Dubai hotel. The back-to-back scandals were sure to leave Hamas leaders fearful of their own and ever more painfully aware of how capable Israel is of reaching the inner circles of their organization.At the center of the latest affair is 32-year-old Mosab Yousef, a son of Sheik Hassan Yousef, a Hamas founder serving a six-year term in an Israeli prison.Hamas, which overran the Gaza Strip in 2007, dismissed the younger Yousef's claims as a lie and said they were part of an Israeli attempt to weaken the movement. However, the man's father did not rule out that his son was an informer, contending he was blackmailed by Israeli agents as a teen.Analysts said the disclosures hurt Hamas' image and were sure to trigger new security concerns in the movement.The Israeli Haaretz daily reported Wednesday that Mosab Yousef provided intelligence to Israel's Shin Bet security service for more than a decade, preventing dozens of Hamas attacks against Israelis, including suicide bombings, saving hundreds of lives. The paper said he also helped put several senior Palestinian operatives behind bars.The younger Yousef, who moved to California in 2007, declined an interview request by The Associated Press.
His memoir, Son of Hamas,is being published in the United States next week. His publicist confirmed that the information presented by Haaretz is described in the book. The author wrote on his Facebook page that his memoir will blow your minds away, it is going to be like a tsunami in the Middle East.Mosab Yousef was considered one of the Shin Bet's most valuable assets and was dubbed The Green Prince, a reference to his Hamas pedigree and the Islamists' signature green color, Haaretz said.The newspaper said it confirmed Mosab Yousef's account with Shin Bet agents, including his handler. The report said Mosab, who converted to Christianity, despised Hamas and acted out of ideological conviction.The elder Yousef said in a statement from prison that he did not rule out that his son was recruited by Israeli intelligence, but he had no access to the movement's secrets.The father said Mosab was first blackmailed by the Israeli agents as a 17-year-old, and others in Hamas were told. The cleric did not say what damaging information Shin Bet might have used against his son.Whether what Haaretz reported is true or not, Mosab was not an active member in Hamas or in any of its military, political or religious branches, or any other body, the elder Yousef said in the statement distributed by Hamas.
Mosab Yousef was first jailed by Israel in 1996 and released in 1997.The Shin Bet routinely tries to recruit Palestinians of all factions as informers, including those in prisons, by using blackmail or promising benefits, such as work or travel permits.The spy affair comes at a time when Hamas is still smarting from the Jan. 19 assassination in Dubai of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, suspected by Israel of procuring Iranian arms for Gaza.On Wednesday, Dubai police said at least 15 more suspects using foreign passports are wanted for the slaying of the Hamas commander, raising the alleged hit squad tally to at least 26. Several names were traced to Israeli dual nationals, but all denied involvement.The violent Hamas has been in Israel's sights since its founding in 1987. Israel has killed key Hamas leaders in Gaza, most in airstrikes, though it botched a 1997 attempt to kill Khaled Mashaal, now the movement's supreme leader. Authorities in Dubai have arrested two Palestinians in the al-Mabhouh slaying. Hamas' Fatah rivals in the West Bank have alleged that Hamas moles helped the killers. Hamas officials have countered that the Syria-based al-Mabhouh was careless, booking his trip through the Internet and informing his Gaza family of the name of the Dubai hotel where he planned to stay. The family denied al-Mabhouh gave them information. Hamas also denied media reports that two al-Mabhouh aides in Damascus were sought for questioning about the assassination. Instead, Hamas has alleged that the two Palestinians in custody in Dubai had links to Fatah.
Hamas long prided itself in its secrecy and discipline, in contrast to the fractious, unruly Fatah movement. However, analysts said that as Hamas grew from a shadowy underground movement into Gaza's ruler, it became more vulnerable to infiltration. Hamas is no longer a small organization which is easily controlled by any leadership,said Khaled Hroub, a Hamas expert at Cambridge University. The al-Mabhouh assassination undermined Hamas' image as a coherent, organized group, and the exposure of Mosab Yousef as an informer was even more damaging, he added. There have been a number of stories of having some collaborators on the margins and fringes (of Hamas), but not the son of a leader, he said.It will leave a stain on Hamas' image.Mohammed Daraghmeh reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Additional reporting by Rizek Abdel Jawad in Gaza City and Diaa Hadid and Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem.
Israel delegation in China to discuss Iran nukes
FEB 25,10
BEIJING – Israel brought its campaign for new sanctions against Iran to the Chinese capital on Thursday, with the arrival of a high-level government delegation aiming to persuade Beijing to agree to the tougher punishment.Beijing has resisted a fourth round of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran following its recent announcement that it would press ahead with plans to increase its ability to make nuclear weapons.China — which relies on Iran for energy supplies — maintains now isn't the time to discuss such measures and the door to negotiations with Tehran remains open. As a permanent member of the Security Council, along with the U.S., Russia, Britain and France, China is in a position to veto any new measures.The Israeli delegation that included Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon and central bank chief Stanley Fischer did not answer questions from reporters at the Beijing airport Thursday afternoon.They're coming to discuss a number of issues — bilateral, regional and international — of mutual interest to China and Israel, and among them the Iranian issue,Israeli Embassy spokesman Guy Kivetz said, declining to elaborate further.
They were expected to meet with China's senior foreign policy adviser Dai Bingguo during the two-day visit.The United States and others fear Iran's nuclear program is geared toward making nuclear weapons, while Tehran claims it is simply to provide more power for its growing population.Iran has defied five U.N. Security Council resolutions — and three sets of U.N. sanctions — aimed at pressuring it to freeze enrichment, and has instead steadily expanded its program.
US, Israel resume strategic dialogue on Iran
FEB 25,10
JERUSALEM (AFP) – The United States and Israel on Thursday resumed a strategic dialogue over Iran's nuclear programme for the first time since US President Barack Obama assumed office, officials said.US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg met with Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon to pick up the regular consultations which were held during the Bush administration.During this meeting, the first at this level since the (2009) beginning of President Barack Obama's administration, strategic issues of prime importance will be discussed," foreign ministry spokesman Ashley Perry told AFP.Another Israeli official said the talks would focus primarily on Iran's nuclear programme, which Israel considers its greatest strategic threat.A US official, meanwhile, described the consultations as a regularly scheduled annual dialogue covering a range of regional and security issues not tied to specific events.The talks are part of an ongoing process that the United States values as a meaningful tool to discuss a wide range of issues that concern both of our countries,the State Department said.The meeting came during a visit to the United States by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in which he was to meet with several top US officials.Israel has called for tough international sanctions on Iran's energy sector to persuade Tehran to halt its nuclear enrichment programme, which Israel and the West suspect is aimed at creating an atomic weapon.
Iran has insisted the programme is purely for civilian purposes.Israel, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has viewed Iran as its greatest threat because of the nuclear issue and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated predictions of the Jewish state's demise.On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she hoped to see a UN Security Council resolution on new sanctions against the Islamic republic in the next two months.Washington has warned that time and patience is running out after Iran announced last week that it is considering building two more uranium enrichment plants inside mountains to protect them from air strikes.
Iran, however, has at the same time told the UN nuclear watchdog it is still prepared to buy fuel for a nuclear reactor or swap its own stockpile of low-enriched uranium for the fuel, but on its own territory.
Corruption trial of Israel ex-PM Olmert resumes
Thu Feb 25, 3:45 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel's former prime minister Ehud Olmert was back in court on Thursday stressing his innocence at the resumption of his corruption trial.A few months ago I came before this court as an innocent man and I believe I will leave as an innocent man,Olmert told reporters before entering the Jerusalem courtroom.A member of his legal team, Rohi Bleher, said the trial would last several months with as many as 280 witnesses expected to testify. On Thursday, the prosecutor was expected to detail the charges against Olmert.In December, Olmert, 64, pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption linked to three separate cases. He resigned under pressure in September 2008 after police recommended he be indicted.The 61-page indictment includes allegations of fraud, breach of trust, registering false corporate documents and concealing fraudulent earnings.If found guilty, Olmert could face time behind bars, although it is unclear how long.All the charges concern actions which Olmert allegedly took before he became prime minister in May 2006, first as mayor of Jerusalem and later as trade and industry minister.
DISEASES
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
36 dead from cholera outbreak in Mozambique
Thu Feb 25, 7:12 am ET
MAPUTO, Mozambique – Mozambique's health minister says 36 people have died this year from a cholera outbreak in the northern and central parts of the southern African country.Leonardo Chavane says more than 1,000 people have contracted the highly contagious yet easily preventable infection this year.He said Thursday the situation is worrying because new cases are being reported daily and are complicated by rumors that health staff are spreading cholera rather than fighting it. Earlier this month, Mozambique's state radio said seven people died in a riot sparked by such false rumors.Chavane said health workers and community leaders in Zambezia and Nampul provinces have also been attacked by mobs. In other areas, health centers have been destroyed.
OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Official: Climate change treaty unlikely this year By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer – FEB 25,10
BALI, Indonesia – Industrialized and developing countries are not likely to reach a treaty this year on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which have sparked fears of weather-related disasters, the U.N. climate chief said Thursday.Yvo de Boer, who announced last week he would resign July 1, said there was not enough time to recover from the disappointing summit in December in Copenhagen, where world leaders failed to agree on a legally binding climate pact.Bickering between rich and poor countries over emissions cuts and financial assistance undermined the talks and forced them to settle on a voluntary plan.I think Copenhagen demonstrated that sometimes if you try and go too quickly, you actually achieve less progress, de Boer told The Associated Press in an interview.More than 190 nations will reconvene in Cancun, Mexico, later this year for another attempt to reach a binding agreement to keep the Earth's average temperature from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above levels that existed before nations began industrializing in the late 18th century.
U.N. scientists have said any temperature rise above that figure could lead to catastrophic sea level rises threatening islands and coastal cities, the killing off of many species of animals and plants, and the alteration of agricultural economies of many countries.De Boer said more time was needed to establish a framework of mitigation steps, along with financial and climate change aid that can convince developing countries to support a new deal.He said the focus should shift toward reaching an agreement at a summit next year in South Africa before the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.It's very close to the deadline and that's a problem, de Boer said.The first priority is to rebuild confidence and trust in the process, he said, adding that developing countries need to be convinced that there are incentives that will allow them to act on climate change but also meet national economic development goals.If you can't show that there are real advantages, then it will never happen,he said.De Boer spoke on the sidelines of an annual U.N. conference of environmental ministers. The conference is being held on the Indonesia island of Bali, where de Boer oversaw a historic agreement to start climate talks in 2007.De Boer said his resignation last week had nothing to do with the outcome of the Copenhagen meeting, saying he was encouraged that countries pledged to provide tens of billions of dollars in financial aid that will help poor countries adapt to climate change.He urged the immediate dispersal of those funds, which start at $30 billion over the next three years and will be scaled up to $100 billion a year by 2020.I think my message would be that you can achieve much more in life with carrots than with sticks,de Boer said.
But it is unclear when that will happen.Karl Falkenberg, the E.U. Commission's director-general of environment, said Wednesday that such aid to poor countries could not be disbursed in the absence of any binding agreement on greenhouse gas emission cuts.If the international community cannot find any kind of agreement, then it's going to be very difficult to put this into effect,Falkenberg said.
China says no emissions cap for now
Thu Feb 25, 2:02 am ET
BEIJING (AFP) – China's top climate change negotiator has said the world's biggest carbon polluter has no intention of capping greenhouse gas emissions for the time being, state media reported Thursday.Su Wei, who led China's negotiating team at the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen in December, said the country's carbon emissions had to increase because the economy was still developing, the China Daily said.China could not and should not set an upper limit on greenhouse gas emissions at the current stage, Su told a meeting on climate change policy in Beijing on Wednesday.However, he said China was committed to making its economy more energy-efficient.Beijing has pledged to reduce its carbon intensity -- the measure of greenhouse-gas emissions per unit of gross domestic product -- by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 based on 2005 levels.Su said the pledge would be a binding part of China's next two five-year economic development plans.
His remarks came a day after President Hu Jintao told a high-level Communist Party meeting that China must recognise the importance, urgency and difficulty of dealing with climate change.Britain and other countries have accused Beijing of vetoing attempts to give legal force to an agreement at the Copenhagen talks in December and blocking an agreement on reductions in global emissions.China has said it was never planning to accept outside reviews of its efforts to slow greenhouse gas emissions at the talks in Denmark.China has submitted its plans to fight climate change to the United Nations but described them as voluntary and has not formally endorsed the Copenhagen deal.The United Nations Environment Programme said in a report at its annual meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali this week that commitments made since Copenhagen have been insufficient.No one should assume that the pledges will be enough, UNEP director Adrian Steiner said.Countries will have to be far more ambitious in cutting greenhouse gas emissions if the world is to curb a rise in global temperature.Beijing has repeatedly said rich countries should take the lead in committing to substantial emission reduction targets and provide financing to developing countries battling climate change.
Yu Qingtai, China's climate change ambassador, on Wednesday lashed out at developed countries, saying they were reluctant to promise emission cuts and provide green funding support, according to the China Daily.Rich governments are pressuring developing nations -- emerging big countries in particular -- to shoulder unreasonable responsibilities, Yu said, adding the diverging views would be a long-standing problem.
WW3 THE 3 WAVES THAT MARCH TO ISRAEL
AMOS 9:10
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
DANIEL 11:40-45
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south( EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) and the king of the north (RUSSIA AND MUSLIM HORDES OF EZEK 38+39) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.(JORDAN)
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA 2ND WAVE OF WW3) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
The Third and Final Wave of WW3 is when all Nations march to Jerusalem, but JESUS bodily returns to earth and destroys them,sets up his KINGDOM OF RULE FOR 1000 YEARS THEN FOREVER.
2ND WAVE CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL
REVELATION 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THIS IS THE ATATURK DAM IN TURKEY,THEY CROSS OVER).
DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(IRAQ-SYRIA)
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
China warns US over future Taiwan arms sales By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer – Thu Feb 25, 6:10 am ET
BEIJING – China warned the U.S. on Thursday against any future arms sales to Taiwan and reaffirmed its decision to suspend military exchanges over Washington's plan to sell $6.4 billion in military hardware to the island.China demands that the U.S. speak and act cautiously to avoid further damaging ties and upsetting relations between Beijing and Taiwan, Defense Ministry spokesman Huang Xueping was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.Huang also said there had been no change in Beijing's decision last month to put off military contacts to protest the Obama administration's decision to sell helicopters, missiles and other weapons to Taiwan.
The U.S. side bears full responsibility for the current difficulties in exchanges between the Chinese and U.S. militaries, Huang said.Huang's comments follow the publication this week of a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report stating that Taiwan's air defenses against China were likely inadequate.Many observers saw the study as justification for the possible sale of advanced fighter jets to the self-governing island democracy. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to conquer it by force if necessary.Such U.S. reports are an outgrowth of a law — passed 30 years ago when Washington cut ties with the island to establish relations with Beijing — requiring the United States to ensure Taiwan has an adequate defense against Chinese threats.China resents all U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, seeing them as interference in its internal affairs. In response to the latest sale, Beijing, for the first time, also threatened commercial retaliation against the aerospace companies that make the weapons offered in the latest deal.
Speaking at a regular news conference Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang repeated China's claims that the Taiwan arms sales undermine Chinese security and demanded the U.S. take action to repair ties.The people who tied the knot should untie the knot, Qin said.The Taiwan arms sale is one of several issues that has roiled China-U.S. relations this year, including trade disputes, President Barack Obama's meeting last week with exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, and cyberspying accusations from Google Inc.Huang criticized media reports linking the People's Liberation Army with cyber attacks on foreign governments and corporations, calling them absolutely baseless, extremely irresponsible speculation with ulterior motives.
Also Thursday, China's Commerce Ministry accused Washington of abusing trade relief measures after U.S. regulators increased import duties on Chinese-made steel pipes to offset what it said were improper subsidies to manufacturers.These seemingly fair-trade measures in fact are abuses of trade relief measures which are intended to protect the domestic economy, said Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Jian, referring to a series of recent U.S. trade cases against Chinese exporters.Yao said the number of U.S. antidumping and anti-subsidy cases against Chinese goods rose by more than half last year to 23, while the value of goods affected rose by eight times to $7.6 billion.
PESTILENCES (CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS)
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;(CHEMICAL,BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS) and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
POISONED WATERS
REVELATION 8:8-11
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)
REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Fishing bans boost Australia's Great Barrier Reef
Mon Feb 22, 2:46 am ET
SYDNEY (AFP) – Strict fishing bans have helped regenerate wildlife and coral on one-third of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a new study shows, raising hopes that years of decline can be reversed.The study, bringing together years of research by scientists on the world's biggest living organism, proves no-take zones set up in 2004 have had a significant benefit, its authors say.The results are actually quite impressive, said lead author Laurence McCook.Having a higher proportion of protected areas is good for marine life, it's good for fish and it's good for people who rely on the reef for a living.The study, published in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences, shows the zones have more and bigger fish, including sharks, and less damage to coral.That's a very important result not only for the reef, because corals build the reef, but it's also important for the tourism and fishing industries because fish rely on coral for their habitat, McCook said.We think it adds to the value of the reef and it's likely to be contributing to the long-term sustainability of fishing, added McCook, of the Australian Research Centre's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
However, McCook warned that the reef was also facing a significant danger from climate change, which bleaches the coral and impedes its growth by raising the water's temperature and acidity.
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)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Officials rule arson caused fire at pilot's house
FEB 25,10
AUSTIN, Texas – Authorities in Texas have ruled arson is the official cause of the fire that destroyed the house belonging to the man who flew his plane into an office building.Austin Fire Department spokesman Andre de la Reza (day-luh-RAY'-suh) said Thursday that the Feb. 18 blaze was intentionally set. Investigators say Joseph Stack started the blaze, drove to a nearby airport and then flew his single-engine plane into the complex that houses offices of the Internal Revenue Service. The crash killed Stack and IRS employee Vernon Hunter.Authorities later found a rambling manifesto from Stack in which he described a long-smoldering dispute with the IRS and a hatred of the government.The family's accountant has confirmed that the Stacks were in the middle of an audit for reportedly failing to report income.
SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS
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.
Cannibal star is devouring a planet, astronomers say
Wed Feb 24, 2:20 pm ET
PARIS (AFP) – Like the Roman god Saturn who ate his own children, a star 600 light years from Earth is slowly gobbling up one of its own planets, according to a study released on Wednesday in Nature, the British science journal.The planet, whose discovery was reported last year, is a gas giant with a mass about 40 percent greater than that of Jupiter, the biggest planet of our Solar System, and with a radius 79 percent bigger.But whereas Jupiter takes nearly 12 years to plod around the Sun, it takes WASP-12b a mere 26 hours to race around its star, WASP-12, located in the constellation of Auriga.So close is its orbit that the gravitational tug of the star has helped to squeeze the planet into a prolate shape, meaning that it has taken the form of a rugby ball, or American football.Searing heat is stripping away layers of the gas, whose mass is then captured by the star.
The disk of captured matter around the star may mask a detectable resonant super-Earth, whose presence may cause WASP-12b to orbit in a remarkably egg-shaped path, suggests the study.Most planets that orbit close to their sun have a more circular track.The investigation is led by Shu-lin Li of the Department of Astronomy at the Peking University, Beijing.More than 400 so-called exoplanets -- the term for planets that orbit stars other than the Sun -- have been spotted since 1995, although none has turned out to be a rocky, watery world like our own.Most, like WASP-12b, are so-called hot Jupiters, or huge gassy balls that are heated to scorching temperatures by proximity to their planets.A planet with water would have to inhabit what has been termed the Goldilocks Zone, meaning that it is not so close that its precious water evaporates nor so far that the water freezes, but somewhere in between so that water can exist in liquid form.
SINS OF PEOPLE
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 TIMOTHY 1:9
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
DECIEVERS WAXING WORSE AND WORSE.
2 TIMOTHY 3:13
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
MORE SIN SIGNS
EPHESIANS 5:5-8
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Panel recommends annual flu vaccinations for all By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer – FEB 25,10
ATLANTA – A government panel is now recommending that virtually all Americans get a flu shot each year, starting this fall.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had gradually been expanding its recommendation for flu shots — 85 percent of Americans were already included.On Wednesday, the panel voted to recommend a seasonal flu vaccination for everyone except babies younger than 6 months and those with egg allergies or other unusual conditions.The panel's recommendation now goes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC usually follows the panel's advice and spreads the message to doctors and hospitals across the country.
Now no one should say Should I or shouldn't I? said Dr. Anthony Fiore, a CDC flu specialist.CDC vaccination recommendations tend to be influential with the doctors who give the shots and the health insurers who pay for them.Flu shots are already recommended for 85 percent of the U.S. public, including pregnant women, children older than 6 months, adults 50 and older, people with certain chronic health conditions, health care workers and those who take care of people in a recommended group. The only people who weren't specifically included were healthy people ages 19 to 49 who don't have close contact with anyone at risk of flu and its complications.
But only about 33 percent of Americans actually get a flu shot, and unusually millions and millions of doses get thrown away annually.The swine flu pandemic that hit last year caused a new momentum for flu vaccinations. Virtually all the 114 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine doses made were distributed, and more young adults and children got the swine flu vaccine than usually come out for seasonal flu.
The panel voted 11 to 0 — with one abstention — for the recommendation, prompting a short round of applause in the CDC auditorium where the meeting was held. Some public health experts and physicians had been pushing for a universal flu vaccination recommendation for more than 10 years.Also on Wednesday, the panel gave its nod to a proposed formulation of next year's seasonal flu vaccine. The vaccine will be built to protect against three strains of flu scientists think will be circulating next fall and winter. Swine flu is to be one of the strains incorporated into the vaccine.At past meetings, the panel stopped short of recommending flu shots for everyone. Panel members were mindful of a history of temporary flu vaccine shortages in the United States. They worried a universal recommendation might cause demand to far surpass supply and endanger those at the highest risk of life-threatening flu complications.Yet every year we wasted millions and millions of doses,said Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert who for years has passionately pushed the panel to recommend flu shots for all.The swine flu vaccine campaign appears to be ending the same way. Doses were scarce when the swine flu vaccine first became available in early October, but now roughly 90 million people have been vaccinated, demand is dying and millions of doses are unused.Swine flu provided another argument for universal vaccination. The new virus proved to be unusually dangerous to young adults, and also took a surprising toll on Native Americans and obese people. Many of those hospitalized and killed by swine flu were not in groups previously recommended for annual flu shots, and that fact was another reason to expand the vaccination recommendation, experts said.
There are a few exceptions to the universal recommendation. Children under 6 months of age, who have undeveloped immune systems, will continue to be exempt. So too will people who have egg allergies (the vaccine is made using eggs) and those who have had certain severe reactions to flu shots in the past.The panel also decided that elderly people can consider a new, revved-up version of the seasonal flu shot. It's a Sanofi Pasteur vaccine for adults 65 and older.In years when the flu shot is well matched to circulating flu viruses, vaccine is 70 to 90 percent effective in people younger than 65, the CDC estimates. But it tends to be only 30 to 70 percent effective in those who are older because they generally have weakened immune systems. The Sanofi vaccine — called Fluzone High-Dose — has four times as much immunity-building antibodies as a standard dose. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine in December, and it should be available for the 2010-2011 flu season. It would cost about $25 a shot, or about twice the standard version. The panel did not state a preference for the vaccine, however. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine through an accelerated process, and Sanofi is to do further studies to show the shot reduces flu illnesses. On the Net: ACIP: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/default.htm
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