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Tibetan glacial melt accelerating: new study
BEIJING, Jan 5 (AFP) Jan 05, 2007
China's rugged Tibet plateau, seen as a sensitive barometer of world climate conditions, is experiencing accelerating glacial melt and other ecological change, state media reported on Friday.

The mountainous region's glaciers have been melting at an average rate of 131.4 square kilometres (50 square miles) per year over the past 30 years, the People's Daily said, citing a geological study of the region.

Researchers who conducted the survey said that even if global warming did not worsen, the area's glaciers would be reduced by nearly a third by 2050, and up to half by 2090, at the current rate.

The survey, conducted by the Remote Sensing Department of the China Aero Geophysical Survey, also found a rapidly rising snow line, shrinking wetlands, and increased desertification compared with 30 years ago, the paper said.

These problems will worsen as the glacial melt -- which has accelerated in recent years -- continues, further depleting the area's water resources, the researchers predicted.

The plateau, which includes the Chinese portion of the Himalayas, accounts for nearly one quarter of China's landmass, stretching from Tibet to the adjacent provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan.

The snow line on the edges of the plateau had retreated an average 100 to 150 metres, but up to 350 metres in some areas, while wetlands had been reduced by 10 percent, the report said.

A separate national assessment of the impact of global climate change released last week said temperatures in China would rise significantly in coming decades, water shortages would worsen, and extreme weather events would intensify.

Tibetan glacial melt accelerating: new study (http://www.terradaily.com/2006/070105074148.6jiav9zs.html)
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I wonder if anyone has thought, this is God saying wake up people.

Southwestern Australia braces for "perfect storm"
SYDNEY, Jan 4 (AFP) Jan 06, 2007
Southwestern Australia prepared for the worst Thursday, as a once-in-a-generation super storm built to a crescendo, threatening to unleash destructive winds and forcing mining companies to halt operations.

As the remains of Tropical Cyclone Isobel merged with a deep low pressure system over Western Australia's southern coast, communities braced for violent gusts of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) an hour and torrential rains.

"It looks as though peak wind speeds are going to occur during this evening before the low slowly moves away to the southeast," Caroline Bojarski of the West Australian Weather Bureau said.

Dubbed a "perfect storm" by meteorologists, the rare weather system had dumped almost 100 millimetres (3.94 inches) of rain by the afternoon, Fire and Emergency Services Association spokesman Mike Venn said.

Some 92 mm of rain had fallen in coastal Esperance since 9.00 am and another 90 mm was possible before midnight, he said.

"We've already got localised flooding in town, we've got our ... units out doing a lot of sandbagging ... so if we get another 90 mm that could be just exacerbated a little bit more," he said.

"A few streets in the Esperance townsite have been closed due to flooding, with drains blocking up and threatening people's homes."

Further east, a massive 134 mm fell on Baladonia, doubling the previous record for a day's rain.

Earlier in the day as as the storm swept southward, a 75 mm deluge forced resources giants BHP Billiton and Minara Resources, the country's two largest nickel producers, to cease pit operations.

However oil producers Woodside Petroleum and Santos Ltd, which had both halted activities ahead of Tropical Cyclone Isobel's northwestern landfall Wednesday, expected their operations to be back online by Saturday and Friday respectively.

Southwestern Australia braces for "perfect storm" (http://www.terradaily.com/2006/070106020617.z22dp57x.html)

'Horror' bushfire season looms

By Warwick Stanley
September 25, 2006 06:52pm
Article from: AAP

UNSEASONAL weekend bushfires that ravaged much of New South Wales, destroying homes and thousands of acres of bushland, could be a harrowing foretaste of much worse to come, authorities fear.

One expert believes the scores of flash fires across the state less than a month into spring – some deliberately lit – may have ushered in a horror bushfire season.

"It's a major concern that fire seasons seem to be starting earlier and lasting longer," Kevin O'Loughlin, of Melbourne's Bushfire Co-operative Research Centre said on ABC radio today.

"If you're talking about the driest August on record and the warmest August on record and you set that against a period of drought, then you would have to be concerned that this could be a bad fire season," he said.

An estimated 50 blazes broke out across NSW yesterday, most fanned by gale-force winds, with more than 1000 volunteer firefighters called into action.

Four houses were razed near Picton, south-west of Sydney, and three more were destroyed near Cattai, in Sydney's north-west.

A 52-year-old motorcyclist was killed when his bike was struck by a tree branch which fell during strong winds at Kangaroo Valley, on the south coast.

Thousands of householders state-wide were still without power today after the winds, gusting up to 130km/h, brought down trees and power lines.

Rural Fire Services Commissioner (RFS) Phil Koperberg said what sparked the fires was still under investigation, but many were thought to have been deliberately lit.

"Without wanting to pre-empt the investigations, you will find the majority were due to either fallen powerlines or mishap of one description or another," he said on Macquarie Radio.

"But a significant number would nevertheless have been deliberately lit."

Emergency crews worked through the night to contain the fires, including two of the most serious in the Picton and Cattai areas.

FRS spokesman Cameron Wade said today's cool change had helped firefighters bring most of the outbreaks under control and helped speed up repair work by emergency services.

Some 500 firefighters concentrated on backburning today.

Mr O'Loughlin warned people living in bush areas they were constantly in harm's way.

"The agencies, no doubt, will be taking precautions and would be stressing that people who live on properties at risk of bushfires make very, very serious preparations for potentially a very bad season."

Temperatures in NSW yesterday were 15 degrees above normal – it had been the first time 99 years that Sydney had had three consecutive days of 30 degrees or more in September.

"So far it is the hottest September on record overall for Sydney," Gavin Morris, from Fox TV's Weather Channel, said on Macquarie Radio.

"The hottest we ever experienced was 23.3 degrees on average. At the moment the average this month is 24.4.

"With the warmer days to come it is likely that this will be the warmest September that Sydney has ever experienced since records began.

"But that's just Sydney. It's been the driest winter on record for many areas across the entire southern half of the continent.

"What we've got at the moment across the nation is a summer weather pattern.

"We have these huge ridges of highs that are blocking the fronts that normally sweep up from Antarctica during the winter months and deliver all the moisture. They just didn't occur."

NSW Premier Morris Iemma cautioned against complacency over the continuing bushfire risk.

"The weather forecasts are not for a repeat of those sorts of (yesterday's) winds," Mr Iemma said, "but certainly (there will) be dry, hot conditions, and then as we get closer to Christmas, with the winds we traditionally get, it is a real cause for worry."

'Horror' bushfire season looms (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20474068-2,00.html?from=public_rss)

Third snowstorm blows into Colo., Plains

By JON SARCHE, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 13 minutes ago

DENVER - The third snowstorm in as many weeks barreled into Colorado on Friday, blanketing the Denver area with up to 8 inches of new snow and further hampering efforts to rescue thousands of cattle stranded by last week's blizzard.

Crews worked around the clock to clear roads so residents could get to stores for food and medicine. Several school districts canceled classes because winds gusts up to 30 mph had reduced visibility.

In Kansas, an estimated 60,000 people were still without power after more than a week, and the new storm was headed their way after dumping nearly a foot of snow in the foothills west of Denver.

An estimated 6,000 to 10,000 utility customers were without power Friday night in Nebraska, the utility company said.

In hard-hit southeastern Colorado, no more than 1 inch of new snow was expected, but the winds made road clearing difficult.

The roofs of two buildings — the Walsh post office and a restaurant in Elizabeth — collapsed Friday under the weight of the accumulated snow. No injuries were reported, the state Division of Emergency Management said.

Agriculture officials were still trying to determine how to deal with the carcasses of thousands of livestock that were killed in the blizzard or starved afterward.

An estimated 3,500 cattle are believed to have died on rangeland in six southeastern Colorado counties alone, said Leonard Pruett, the region's agriculture extension agent for Colorado State University.

"The magnitude of the snow out here is astounding," said Ed Cordes, project manager for Pioneer Pork, which has about 7,500 sows and 4,000 young pigs on a ranch covering about three square miles near Springfield, about 200 miles southeast of Denver.

American Humane Association workers arrived Friday to help rescue and feed young pigs that might have been orphaned because they became separated from their mothers or whose mothers' milk production declined, Cordes said.

Owners of feedlots, where range cattle are taken before slaughter, were still calculating their losses.

Luke Lind, a vice president of Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, which has 10 feedlots in Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, said the mortality rate could be "significant," but he declined to give specific numbers. Five Rivers had 60,000 cattle in pens in the Lamar, Colo., area alone, he said.

In a massive effort to save stranded rangeland cattle, the Colorado National Guard conducted a three-day airlift that dropped about 3,000 hay bales to herds spotted on the rangeland. Troops trucked in hay and smashed ice on watering holes for livestock trapped and weakened by the earlier blizzard.

While that likely saved livestock, the survivors still face the threat of lung infections from the stress of the storm and dehydration, Pruett said.

The cold, windy conditions Friday could hurt early season calves, as well, he said.

"The mother cows out there are in good shape," Pruett said. "We had plenty of grass in the summer and fall, so they went into the storm in good condition and that makes all the difference in the world. But they're not going to stay in good condition without getting some feed because they're going downhill pretty rapidly."

In Washington, Sen. Wayne Allard (news, bio, voting record) and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (news, bio, voting record) introduced bills Friday to help speed financial aid to ranchers who have lost livestock in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Among the many effects of the blizzards, the price of hay has jumped from $150 a ton to $210 a ton, and much grazing land was still inaccessible, Pruett said. Ranchers will depend more on hay and other supplemental feed to keep livestock alive because the grass they normally eat is buried in snow, he said.

The snow should help Colorado's recovery from several years of drought by increasing the mountain snowpack, which supplies most of the state's water.

Third snowstorm blows into Colo., Plains (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070106/ap_on_re_us/winter_storms)

Avalanche Buries Cars in Colorado; Search Continues

Saturday , January 06, 2007

DENVER — A huge avalanche buried cars Saturday and may have pushed others over the edge on a highway near 11,307-foot-high Berthoud Pass, Colorado highway officials said.

"Our crews said it was the largest they have ever seen. It took three paths," said Stacey Stegman, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Seven people had been rescued and one was taken to a hospital, Stegman said.

The slide buried at least two cars, state Patrolman Eric Wynn told FOXNews.

Crews were probing the area for other vehicles, including any that may have gone off the road, Stegman said.

The avalanche was described as 100 feet wide and 15 feet deep.

Berthoud Pass is the main route to Winter Park, one of Colorado's largest ski areas.

The highway is completely closed at this time, and will remain closed for the rest of the day, Wynn confirmed.

Colorado was hammered Friday with its third snowstorm in as many weeks, complicating recovery efforts from back-to-back blizzards and raising fears that livestock losses would keep mounting.

The Denver area was blanketed with up to 8 inches of snow, while nearly a 1 foot fell in the foothills west of the city before the storm moved into New Mexico.

In Kansas, an estimated 60,000 people were still without power after more than a week, and between 6,000 to 10,000 customers remained in the dark in Nebraska, according to Nebraska Public Power District.

Crews in Colorado worked around the clock to clear roads so residents could get to stores for food and medicine. Several school districts canceled classes because winds gusts up to 30 mph had reduced visibility.

New Yorkers Bask in Record High Winter Temperatures

Agriculture officials were trying to determine how to deal with the carcasses of thousands of livestock that were killed in last week's blizzard or starved afterward.

An estimated 3,500 cattle are believed to have died on rangeland in six southeastern Colorado counties alone, said Leonard Pruett, the region's agriculture extension agent for Colorado State University.

American Humane Association workers arrived Friday to help rescue and feed young pigs that might have been orphaned because they became separated from their mothers or whose mothers' milk production declined, Cordes said.

Owners of feedlots, where range cattle are taken before slaughter, were still calculating their losses.

Luke Lind, a vice president of Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, which has 10 feedlots in Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, said the mortality rate could be "significant," but he declined to give specific numbers. Five Rivers had 60,000 cattle in pens in the Lamar, Colorado, area alone, he said.

In a massive effort to save stranded rangeland cattle, the Colorado National Guard conducted a three-day airlift that dropped about 3,000 hay bales to herds spotted on the rangeland. Troops trucked in hay and smashed ice on watering holes for livestock trapped and weakened by the earlier blizzard.

While that likely saved livestock, the survivors still face the threat of lung infections from the stress of the storm and dehydration, Pruett said.

Avalanche Buries Cars in Colorado; Search Continues (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,242221,00.html)

IRAN SEVERS GAS SUPPLIES TO TURKEY

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Iran has halted natural gas supplies to Turkey.

Iranian officials said Teheran suspended the flow of gas from a pipeline that links Iran to Turkey. They said the Iranian gas would be diverted to meet domestic requirements amid a cold spell.

"Currently, our [gas] export to Turkey is zero," Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh said. "We have a long-term contract with Turkey, but due to the internal problems we were not able to fulfill them. Turkey is severely suffering from shortage."

The Iranian minister, who earlier promised not to reduce gas supplies, said he apologized to his Turkish counterpart. Iran has been supplying gas to Turkey since 2001 in a project that has been plagued by financial and technical disputes.

IRAN SEVERS GAS SUPPLIES TO TURKEY (http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2007/january/01_07_4.html)

 German minister calls for tolerance towards Muslims
Berlin, Jan 6, IRNA

Germany-Islam-Tolerance
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble called on his fellow citizens to show tolerance towards the nation's 3.5 million Muslim community in the wake of ongoing protests against the construction of a mosque in Berlin, DPA reported Saturday.


Talking to the daily Leipziger Volkszeitung, Schaeuble stressed that the construction of churches, synagogues and mosques should not be viewed as a "threat but as a an enrichment".

He added, "Islam has become a part of our country."
Schaeuble has repeatedly urged a stepped up Islam dialogue aimed at overcoming differences between Muslims and Christians.

The minister's remarks on Islam followed earlier statements by German Chancellor Angela Merkel who advocated an "open and honest" dialogue with the Islamic world.

The German government hosted last fall its first-ever 'Islam summit' in a bid to promote religious dialogue.

Attended by leaders of 16 Muslim organizations as well as several Muslim scientists and artists, the summit focused on promoting inter-faith dialogue and assessing integrations problems of Muslim migrants in Germany, specifically Turkish and Arab immigrants.

German minister calls for tolerance towards Muslims (http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0701063822171300.htm)

Cartoons protester found guilty

A British Muslim has been found guilty of soliciting murder during a London rally against cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.

Umran Javed 27, of Birmingham, was also convicted of stirring up racial hatred by a jury at the Old Bailey.

Javed told a crowd of hundreds at the February 2006 protest: "Bomb, bomb Denmark, bomb, bomb USA."

He had claimed the chants against the two countries were "just slogans" and that he regretted saying them.

Remanding him in custody, Judge Brian Barker said he would not pass sentence until several other trials relating to the protest had concluded - expected to be in April.

The maximum penalty for soliciting murder is life in prison.

There were disturbances in the public gallery when the verdict was read out, and one man was removed by security staff.

The Crown Prosecution Service's Sue Hemming said she was mindful of the rights to free speech when considering cases such as this.

"However, when we examined the content of Mr Javed's speech it was explicit that there was direct encouragement to those present and those watching via the media to commit acts of murder against the Danish and Americans."

She said the law was also clear that free speech "should not be misused to insult, abuse or threaten people in such a way that it will stir up racial hatred".

The cartoons were originally printed in a Danish newspaper before being reproduced in some European countries, but were never published in the UK.

They caused widespread anger among Muslims and Javed was involved in a large demonstration outside the Danish embassy in London on 3 February 2006.

Prosecutor David Perry QC told the court that Javed was recorded by the police speaking into a loud hailer outside the embassy.

He was joined by between 200 and 300 other Muslims who had marched from the central mosque in Regent's Park.

Mr Perry told the Old Bailey that Javed "appeared to be one of the leaders".

"He said disbelievers would pay a heavy price...and said Denmark would pay with blood."

Anjem Choudary, a former spokesman for the now banned Al-Muhajiroun organisation, said Muslims were treated as "second class citizens" and could not get a "fair trial".

He said: "Muslims are demonised and vilified.

"This is a failure of capitalism, of democracy and the freedom of speech."

Cartoons protester found guilty (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6235279.stm)
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such a peaceful people ::) aren't they........................... :o

Construction begins on new Iran-Iraq railway
Sat. 06 Jan 2007

Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Jan. 06 – Construction work has begun on a new railway linking Iran and Iraq, Iranian state radio announced on Friday.

Upon completion, trains will run on the railway between the south-western Iranian city of Khorramshahr and the southern Iraqi city of al-Basra, the report said.

The 51-kilometre-long track stretches 16 km and 35 km into Iranian and Iraqi territory respectively.

The project to set up the railway is a joint venture.

Construction begins on new Iran-Iraq railway (http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=9734)

Egypt lets Haniyeh smuggle $20 m.
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST    Jan. 6, 2007

Egyptian officials at the Rafah crossing allowed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to smuggle 20 million dollars into the Gaza Strip when he returned from the haj pilgrimage on Thursday, Israel Radio reported Saturday.

The Israel Radio report cited comments made to the Egyptian newspaper El-Ha'aram by an Egyptian customs authority official at the Rafah crossing.

According to the official, Haniyeh "acted lawfully" by declaring the sum of cash in his possession on the Egyptian side of the crossing.

However, European officials charged with monitoring the terminal said to Israel Radio that the Egyptians stated that the PA president was not carrying foreign currency.

During their meeting in Sharm el-Sheik last week, President Hosni Mubarak reportedly told Prime Minister Olmert that Egyptian law does not obligate individuals to declare the amount of money in their possession when they leave the country.

A government minister told Israel Radio that Olmert is expected to raise the subject of the cash smuggling when the cabinet convenes its weekly meeting on Sunday.

The EU is a neutral, third party monitor at the Rafah crossing. It has a mandate to report on activity at the crossing, but it has no authority to impose conditions. The issue of cash smuggling through the Rafah crossing is of particular concern to the Israelis and to Western governments who fear the funds are going to support terrorism either directly or through the Hamas government.

Gen. Pietro Pistolese, head of the European Union's monitoring mission in Rafah, told reporters on December 21 that the Palestinian Authority's Fatah forces, which operate that border crossing, have committed themselves to resolving the problem of cash smuggling into Gaza.

'It's not an agreement, it's a commitment. This commitment was expressed yesterday morning [December 20] at the committee of Palestinians, Israelis and EU officials who met to discuss issues relating to the border crossing,' Pistolese said.

Pistolese said the EU knew of some $60 million in cash that had passed through the Rafah border crossing. While Pistolese spoke in strong language about the need to stop the flow of money, he said that what had been secured from the Palestinians was a commitment to finding a solution rather than an agreement to stop the smuggling all together.

Pistoles's comments came a week after Haniyeh crossed was barred entry for hours by Israel because he was apparently carrying some $35 million in cash in his luggage. His delayed entry sparked a series of clashes on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing that left 18 people wounded.

The casualties occurred when Hamas gunmen attacked the terminal and exchanged gunfire with Palestinian Authority security personnel linked to Fatah and with Egyptian security personnel.

Egypt lets Haniyeh smuggle $20 m. (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467672312&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

The Barents sea could become Europe's natural-gas Klondike—and an alternative to Russia.

By William Underhill
Newsweek International

Jan. 8, 2007 issue - In the new age of energy scarcity, geography shapes politics. That's why Jonas Gahr Store travels with his own maps. Not for Norway's foreign minister the standard picture of a Europe centered on the Alps and the warm south. When starting talks with his European counterparts, Store likes to place on the table a very different map. At its center: the northernmost tip of the Scandinavian peninsula and the chilly waters of the Barents Sea high above the Arctic Circle. His message is simple. This is the geopolitical world as Norwegians see it.

That's not patriotism; it's a handy means of illustrating some new realities. Back during the cold war, the Barents—shared uneasily by Russia and Norway—was best known as a home for the prized Arctic cod and for hide-and-seek games between American and Soviet submarines. Today it's set to become Europe's energy Klondike, a last untapped pool of natural resources. Beneath the seabed lies not only oil but enough natural gas to meet much of the continent's needs for decades. And it's Norway that's heading the exploration race, with a first field due to come on stream later this year. "This whole region is re-emerging as something new on the European radar screen," says Store. "We have to go out with our maps and explain what it's all about."

He can expect an enthusiastic audience with European leaders ever more anxious for access to fresh energy supplies from friendly neighbors. These days Russia ranks as Europe's principal source of natural gas, and evidence of the Kremlin's readiness to use its status for political leverage has become frequent, whether it's in pricing spats with Ukraine last winter or with Belarus last month. "What has changed is that Russia has begun using energy as a political tool," says Dmitry Kisilev of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Strategic Studies Center. "Europeans fear that they will be next."

The dwindling of the EU's own gas supplies only intensifies those fears. The once abundant reserves in the North Sea are now in steep decline. Within 20 years, Britain could be 90 percent dependent on imported gas. The big consumers of Western Europe can look to other suppliers in the Middle East or North Africa—notably Algeria—to ease their dependence on Russia. But who wants to rely on distant countries of doubtful stability?

Small wonder, then, that Norway looks ever more attractive as a partner. Oslo has pledged that it won't abuse its strength to play politics. Says Store: "We don't take Russia as our role model." A nation heavily dependent on its oil and gas revenues can't afford to make enemies or relax its efforts to exploit its strengths. Last month its two biggest players in the oil and gas industry, Norsk Hydro and Statoil, announced a $30 billion merger to form the world's biggest offshore operator.

Europe can indeed take comfort from Norway's record. It's not only a big player in the oil market but also the world's third largest exporter of natural gas after Russia and Canada, doubling its foreign sales in the last six years. Exports to Europe are slated to rise by almost 50 percent over the next 15 years. These days it's meeting some 25 percent of the needs of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and expansion continues. Last summer saw the opening of the world's longest undersea gas pipeline, at 1,200 kilometers, to carry supplies from the North Sea to a depot on the English coast. By 2011, Norway has promised to provide Europe with 135 billion cubic meters of gas a year, a rise of almost 50 percent on today's figure.

Much may flow from the so-far-untapped Barents. In the midwinter polar darkness, workers on an island just off the port of Hammerfest—the northernmost settlement in Europe—are now busily completing a terminal to receive gas from the Snohvit (Snow White) field some 140 kilometers offshore, the first venture in the region. By the end of 2007, the plant will be receiving a steady flow of gas to be frozen and liquefied for export to Europe and the United States. "This is just the start," says Sverre Kojedal of Statoil, the company responsible for the Snohvit field. "We think of the Barents Sea as Europe's new oil and gas province."

Sure, even the most determined optimist won't pretend that Norway can match Russia as a long-term supplier. Quantity alone gives the Russian energy giant Gazprom unrivaled clout. "Russia is sitting on a quarter of the world's natural gas," says Bjorn Brunstad of Econ, the Nordic economic consultancy. Russia's known reserves are estimated at 47.82 trillion cubic meters, compared with Norway's total of just 2.41 trillion. Its gas field in the Barents, Shtokman, which is still awaiting exploitation, could be 10 times the size of Norway's Snohvit. The wastelands of Siberia are believed to conceal still more generous reserves.

Besides, Norway is hindered by a tricky mix of political and ecological concerns that keep its operators away from what could be the richest patches of seabed. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Barents is Europe's "last unspoiled marine environment," and worries over its possible pollution last summer persuaded the Oslo government to impose a five-year moratorium on exploring a promising area off its northern coast. At the same time, Norway and Russia are still struggling to resolve a 30-year dispute over their exact maritime border in the Barents that has so far kept rigs from both countries out of a 155,000-square-kilometer "gray zone."

Nevertheless, if the outcome of future exploration matches the geologists' best hopes, output from the Norwegian sector of the Barents could double by 2014. The technology is already moving ahead, fast opening up new possibilities. Forget rigs and costly plant above the water surface; thanks to some smart innovations, the Snohvit field will be drained by equipment resting on the seabed and operated remotely from onshore. In time, advances in technology may even allow for exploration beneath the polar ice. All that's certain, as Foreign Minister Store well knows, is that the definitive map of Europe's energy resources has still to be drawn.

The Barents sea could become Europe's natural-gas Klondike—and an alternative to Russia. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16408290/site/newsweek/)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Russians do use energy as a political tool. God's already told us that he would in Ezekiel 38.

Moscow slams US sanctions on its military firms

Published:    01.06.07, 15:27

Russia accused the United States on Saturday of illegally imposing sanctions on some Russian military firms which Washington says were cooperating with Iran and Syria.

"This is by far not the first time the US resorts to illegal attempts to spread its internal legislation on foreign companies and force them to abide by the US rules," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said the US decision was taken on Friday against several Russian private individuals and companies, including state arms trader Rosoboronexport.

Moscow slams US sanctions on its military firms (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3348954,00.html)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Russians look like they are getting hungry again.  But God's already told us that they would in Ezekiel 38 & 39.

‘Save your bullets for the Jews’

By Stan Goodenough
Jan 05, 2007

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (Hamas), freshly returned from making the ubgone86 to Saudi Arabia, Thursday urged both his Hamas terrorists and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah terrorists to stop shooting at each other and save their bullets for use against the Jews.

“Let's top this bloodshed and rivalry. Let's tackle our problems through dialogue, not weapons. These weapons should be directed only against the Israeli enemy,” he said.

His appeal came after two bloody days of infighting that saw Palestinian Arabs slaughter 13 of their own people and wound at least 20 more.

Children were among the casualties of the savage strife, which saw Hamas gunmen Thursday riddle and repeatedly stab the body of a Fatah security official, killing his two daughters at the same time.

According to a report in The Jerusalem Post, while this violence was raging, “Palestinian” women protested in the streets crying: “Spare the bullets, shame, shame.”

Unsurprisingly Abbas – feted by the world as a “moderate” – has not denounced Haniyeh’s proposal that their people join forces to kill Israelis instead of fighting each other.

His silence is expected to encourage a new outbreak of terrorism against Israel.

Save your bullets for the Jews (http://www.jnewswire.com/articles/print/1533)

Hamas pledges to boost forces in Gaza
Abbas declares Hamas militia illegal

By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 24 minutes ago

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas defied President Mahmoud Abbas' decree Saturday that its paramilitary unit is illegal, saying it will fight any attempt to disband the force in an increasingly bloody faceoff between the Islamic militant group and Abbas' Fatah party.

Three more Hamas supporters were killed in the factional fighting that is threatening to plunge the Palestinian territories into civil war.

Fatah and Hamas have been wrangling over power since the Islamic group defeated Fatah in parliamentary elections a year ago and gained control over most Palestinian government functions.

Abbas, who was elected in a separate election, retained his post as president and Fatah continued to dominate security forces. Challenging that position, Hamas formed its own security unit, the Executive Force, last spring, recruiting many former members of the Hamas military wing.

Tensions between the rival security forces kept building in the streets until large-scale fighting erupted last month. Since then, more than two dozen people have been killed.

On Saturday, Abbas outlawed the Executive Force. He issued the decree two days after Hamas gunmen stormed the home of a top pro-Fatah security commander in northern Gaza, killing the man and seven bodyguards. It was the deadliest battle yet during the recent wave of infighting.

Abbas' office said the decision was made "in light of continued security chaos and assassinations of a number of our fighters ... and in light of the failure of existing agencies and security apparatuses in imposing law and order and protecting the security of the citizens."

The statement said the Hamas force was "outside the law" and "will be dealt with accordingly as long as it is not immediately folded into legal security forces."

Abbas also confirmed that the U.S. is sending aid to boost the Palestinian security forces loyal to him. U.S. officials said Friday that President Bush is asking Congress to provide $83 million for those forces.

Abbas claims authority over most Palestinian security forces, but Hamas controls the Interior Ministry, which also has security responsibilities. The various forces were formed more than a decade ago by the late
Yasser Arafat as part of his autocratic style of rule in which he created rivalries to keep potential challengers weak.

After years of corruption and fighting with Israel, the forces have become largely ineffective, fueling widespread lawlessness, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

In Gaza, Hamas' stronghold, leaders of the group defiantly rejected Abbas' decree.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said that Abbas was giving the green light for attacks on Hamas security men and that the unit would "deal firmly" with anyone who attacks it.

He also announced plans to double the size of the Executive Force, which now has 6,000 men, compared with some 18,000 security men aligned with Fatah.

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas accused Abbas of trying to deepen the rift between the two camps.

"I'm completely convinced that there are those who don't want the Palestinian scene to enjoy calm and stability or to create the appropriate atmosphere for starting serious and deep dialogue aimed at reaching a national unity government," he said.

Abbas, a political moderate, has been urging Hamas to join Fatah in a coalition in hopes of ending international sanctions against the Hamas-led government that have further crippled the Palestinian economy. But months of negotiations broke down in late November, sparking the latest wave of violence.

Abbas wants to restart peace talks with Israel, while Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction, refuses to recognize the Jewish state's right to exist.

Previous attempts by Abbas to disband the Hamas militia or integrate it into existing security units failed.

Hamas officials said they were open to the integration idea, but only if Abbas announces an extensive overhaul of the current command structure.

Abbas' decree said the president plans a reshuffle of commanders, but gave no details. Several days ago, he appointed Brig. Gen. Jamal Kayed, a Fatah loyalist, to head the National Security force in Gaza. Kayed, a former presidential bodyguard, is believed to have generally good relations with Hamas.

Late Saturday, three members of a pro-Hamas family were slain by gunmen from a rival clan considered to be Fatah supporters, witnesses and family members said. The same Fatah family has kidnapped about 10 Hamas supporters in recent days, Hamas officials said.

Hamas' radio station in Gaza said one of the dead was a member of the Executive Force.

The Palestinian infighting initially was largely confined to Gaza, but in recent days it spread to the West Bank with a series of kidnappings and shootings.

On Saturday, gunmen in the West Bank stopped the car of Nablus' deputy mayor, Mahdi al-Khamdali of Hamas, pulled him out and took him away in another car, security officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the officials said they believed the kidnappers were Fatah supporters.

In Ramallah, gunmen stormed the offices of the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry, shot the office manager in the legs and took him away, security officials said. The man, also a Hamas supporter, was released in a nearby town and hospitalized, the officials said.

Shopkeepers in the West Bank city of Hebron closed their stores in a protest action launched at the request of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent group affiliated with Fatah.

Abbas declares Hamas militia illegal (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070106/ap_on_re_mi_ea/palestinians_politics)

 Great nuclear celebration to coincide with 10-Day Dawn
Tehran, Jan 6, IRNA

Iran-Nuclear-Celebration
The great nuclear celebration will be observed in different parts of Iran, including schools, during the `Ten-Day Dawn' (February 1-11) which marks the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Head of Government Information Dissemination Council Khalil Paryab told a group of public relations directors general that this year's Ten-Day Dawn should be an occasion for approval and appreciation of the country's access to nuclear energy given the special conditions surrounding Iran's nuclear case at the international level and the remarkable success the country has gained in the sector.

Paryab said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would during Ten-Day Dawn inform the nation on the country's latest nuclear achievements, which are a source of pride and a turning point in Iran's history.

Great nuclear celebration to coincide with 10-Day Dawn (http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-236/0701067845182630.htm)

 Chavez calls anti-Iran UNSC's resolution as worthless
Madrid, Jan 6, IRNA

Iran-Venezuela-UNSC
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday described the recent anti-Iran resolution 1737 issued by the United Nations Security Council as 'worthless'.

He made the remarks in his meeting with the new Iranian Ambassador in Caracas Abdullah Zifan.

At the meeting, the Iranian ambassador submitted his credentials to President Chavez.

"Venezuela stands shoulder to shoulder with Iranian brothers," he said adding that he is confident that the Iranian nation under wise leadership of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei coupled with the vigilance of its president would successfully continue in its path.

He called for further expansion of relations between Tehran and Caracas.

"Venezuela attaches importance to expansion of ties between Iran and Venezuela mainly under the current circumstances," he said.

Zifan had earlier served as Iran's ambassador in Spain, Indonesia and Singapore.

Chavez calls anti-Iran UNSC's resolution as worthless (http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-17/0701067630183206.htm)

 Egyptian official calls for consolidation of ties with Iran
Algeria, Jan 6, IRNA

Iran-Egypt-Relations
Deputy of Egyptian foreign ministry for Asian affairs expressed hope on Saturday that Iran and Egypt would normalize relations.

Ali Houssam el-Din el-Hefiny in his speech in Cairo said that it is in Egypt's interest to consolidate its political ties with Iran.

El-Hefiny added that the Cairo government has extended an invitation to Iran's minister of Culture and the Islamic Guidance Muhammad Hossein Saffar Harandi to attend the annual conference of Supreme Council of the Islamic Affairs with the aim of developing relations with Iran.

He said that the meeting was due to be held in Egyptian capital in line with expansion of the cultural cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Egyptian official, the annual conference of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs has been sponsored by the Egypt's Organization for Endowment and Religious Institutions in Cairo.

Egyptian official calls for consolidation of ties with Iran (http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-17/0701068773170955.htm)