News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

Since the orginal thread, is M.I.A. I have started this one. Once the old thread appears, They will be merged.
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Posted 1/9/2006 12:20 PM     Updated 1/9/2006 2:24 PM

Pilgrims pray, cleric slams West for 'war against' Islam

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — More than 2 million Muslim pilgrims made the climactic ascent Monday to Mount Arafat, Islam's most sacred site, to pray for salvation, and Saudi Arabia's top cleric urged Islamic unity in the face of what he called the West's war on Islam.

After offering prayers on the mount, tens of thousands of the faithful rushed down the hill to the Muzdalifah, a few miles away, where they collected pebbles to use in one the last rituals of the ubgone86, the stoning of the devil.

Under a religious edict issued two years ago, the stoning now may begin before dawn prayers Tuesday. The decree was an attempt to ease the crowding at the site of the stoning, where hundreds have died in stampedes over the past quarter century.

"It's better to go now, before the crowd gets too big. They have had a lot of problems — stampedes and other horrors. We want to finish early," said Turkish pilgrim Jawat Ahmet.

Speaking at a mosque on the plain of Mount Arafat, Sheik Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik, the kingdom's grand mufti, said Muslims were facing critical challenges, among them accusations of terrorism and human rights abuses and calls for revisions in school textbooks.

"Oh, Muslim nation, there is a war against our creed, against our culture under the pretext of fighting terrorism. We should stand firm and united in protecting our religion," he said.

"Islam's enemies want to empty our religion of its contents and its meaning," said al-Sheik. "But the soldiers of God will be victorious."

The faithful called out: "Amen."

After sundown, people were still rushing toward the Muzdalifah in a frenzy, squeezing between cars and buses, to collect pebbles. Many pilgrims were pushed in wheelchairs, others used crutches, and hundreds rode atop buses and minivans waving national flags.

Pilgrims from 178 countries were registered at the ubgone86.

After collecting 49 pebbles, the pilgrims will throw seven of them at three symbolic pillars representing Satan. The ritual continues with 21 more stones cast on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Across the Muslim world, the Eid al-Adha feast marking the pilgrimage begins Tuesday after dawn prayers.

Under a scorching sun Monday, the mass of pilgrims, hands raised to heaven, converged on Mount Arafat, not far from Mecca and walking in the steps of Islam's 7th century prophet Muhammad to the site where he gave his last sermon three months before he died in 632.

A day earlier, the faithful trekked through the valley of Mina for the start of rituals at the mount. As they walked, the crowd chanted "We are coming answering your call, God."

Many pilgrims cried as they offered prayers Monday — overcome with emotion by what is for most a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Islam's most holy places, a pilgrimage they believe cleanses them of sin.

Islam requires that all Muslims who are financially and physically able make the ubgone86 at least once.

After al-Sheik's fiery sermon, many in the huge crowd continued their prayers outside the mosque. Others clambered up the hill, holding out helping hands to fellow pilgrims trying to reach the top of the rugged hill. Men and women, otherwise not allowed to mix in the conservative kingdom, jostled against one another.

At the summit, pilgrims pushed and shoved to get near enough to embrace a sacred pillar. Some paused to take photographs.

"Oh God, I am your obedient servant come to you to ask forgiveness," Moroccan pilgrim Abdul Wahid Boughriba said in a tearful prayer.

Helicopters hovered above the plain — dotted by pilgrims all the way from Mecca to the base of the mount — to keep watch against the overcrowding which has spawned stampede tragedies in the past. Just two years ago, 244 people were trampled to death when the crowd panicked during the ritual stoning.

Saudi authorities, meanwhile, replaced the cover of the Kaba with a new one on Monday in an annual ritual at Mecca's Great Mosque. The black cover, called Kiswa, is about 658 square yards of silk weighing 1,475 pounds and embroidered with 33 pounds of gold thread. The new Kiswa cost $4.7 million.

The old one is usually cut into pieces and given to Muslim dignitaries.

The Kaba, the huge cube-like edifice, is considered the focal point of the ubgone86. It also serves as the Qibla, or center of the Islamic world toward which all Muslims turn in prayer.

The Koran declares the Kaba was the first place of worship designated by God. Muslims believe that the Kaba was built by Abraham on the foundations of an earlier temple built by Adam, the progenitor of all mankind.

Pilgrims pray cleric slams West for 'war against' Islam

[Shammu]

Bird Flu Confirmed in Crimean Village

Created: 09.01.2006 20:07 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 10:24 MSK, 7 hours 58 minutes ago

MosNews

Bird flu has been confirmed at poultry farms in the village of Primorsky on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

Crimea’s agriculture minister, Oleg Rusetsky, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying on Monday that the diagnosis had been confirmed.

Mass deaths of poultry at the farms had been registered at the end of December and in the beginning of January but the diagnosis had not been confirmed.

“Today, the liquidation of the poultry (at the farms) is ending. 171,500 head are to be liquidated,” the minister said.

At the same time, Russia’s top sanitary inspector, Gennady Onishchenko, said the country would start testing the bird flu vaccine with the help of volunteers.

Onishchenko also did not rule out that the border with Turkey would be closed due to the bird flu in the country. So far Russian tourists have shown little fear of reports of human cases of bird flu in Turkey.

Bird flu confirmed in Crimean village

[Shammu]

Russia, Iran Share Views on Development — Top Negotiator

Created: 10.01.2006 12:14 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 12:14 MSK, 6 hours 12 minutes ago

MosNews

Russia and Iran hold similar views on many issues concerning the region’s development, the chief of Russia’s delegation to Iran has said.

“Many views on the development of events in the region coincide in Russia and Iran, we conduct a joint policy,” the RIA-Novosti news agency quoted deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, Valentin Sobolev, as saying. The official added that “cooperation concerning conflict zones in the region, fighting drugs and terrorism will continue, we have common goals here.”

Russia would also “continue to participate in joint projects and research” as “Iran is our long-term partner, our ties are tried by time and fate,” Sobolev assured.

However, the envoy did not elaborate on talks the Russian delegation held with Iranian officials on Saturday on a proposed compromise to end a stand-off with the West over Tehran’s determination to press ahead with uranium enrichment. A source in the delegation has told the ITAR-TASS news agency that “the talks were detailed, candid and professional,” and while Moscow and Tehran “did not hold the same view on all issues” talks would continue.

Moscow is proposing that Tehran carry out uranium enrichment on Russian territory to allay Western fears that the technology could allow Iran to produce a nuclear bomb. Both the European Union and the United States have backed the proposal in principle.

In recent weeks, Iranian officials have blown hot and cold about the proposed compromise, first suggesting that they might consider it and then insisting that they would do so only if any deal explicitly recognized its right to carry out enrichment on Iranian soil. The European Union has been looking for a way to resume talks, broken off last August, on securing safeguards from Iran that its nuclear program is exclusively for energy needs in return for economic or other rewards.

Russia Iran share views on devolopment

[Shammu]

Putin Calls for More Interfaith Dialogue on Muslim Holiday

Created: 10.01.2006 11:36 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 11:36 MSK, 6 hours 54 minutes ago

MosNews

Click Here!

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Russia’s Muslims on the Eid ul-Adha (Kurban Bayram), the holiday celebrated worldwide as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

“I congratulate Russia’s Muslims on the Kurban Bayram holiday,” the president said in his message. “This holy holiday concludes the ubgone86 — Muslims’ pilgrimage to Islam’s holy places. It reminds us that traditions of Islam, as those of other world religions, are based on the eternal values of justice, goodness, charity and care for one’s fellow creatures irrespective of their nationality or creed. This is particularly important today when the role of the state and society is to counter any expression of extremism, attempts to distort the essence of Islam, to use it for mercenary and aggressive ends.

”I am confident that the Muslims of Russia will continue to contribute to the development of interfaith dialogue, strengthening of mutual understanding and good-neighborly relations between people.

“I sincerely wish you peace, good health, happiness and all the best. Let peace and prosperity reign in your homes,” the message reads.

The three days of Eid ul-Adha are being marked in several Russian republics, including Chechnya, where the majority of the population are Muslims.

Muslims believe that God was revealed in a dream to Ibrahim and asked him to sacrifice his son Ismail. Ibrahim and Ismail set off to Mina for the sacrifice. As they went, the devil attempted to persuade Ibrahim to disobey God and not to sacrifice his beloved son. But Ibrahim stayed true to God, and drove the devil away. As Ibrahim prepared to sacrifice his son, God stopped him and gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead.

According to the traditions, Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice domestic animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibrahim’s sacrifice. The charitable instincts of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid ul-Adha by the concerted effort to see that no impoverished Muslim is left without sacrificial food during this day.

Putin calls for more interfaith dialogue on muslim holiday

My note; Why is this no suprise to me.

[Shammu]

Iran resumes nuclear research, angering West
Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:20 AM ET168

 By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran removed U.N. seals at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant and resumed nuclear fuel research on Tuesday, drawing sharp Western criticism but no immediate threats of punitive action.

Tehran denies wanting nuclear technology for anything but a civilian energy program aimed at satisfying the Islamic Republic's booming demand for electricity.

But the United States and the European Union doubt that Iran's atomic ambitions are entirely peaceful and are likely to ask the U.N. Security Council, which can impose economic sanctions, to take up the matter, Western diplomats said.

Western powers had called on Iran to refrain from any work that could help it develop atomic weapons.

"Iran's nuclear research centers have restarted their activities," Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told state television.

He said work at the research facilities would be under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

Saeedi told a news conference Iran had come to an agreement with the IAEA on what work Tehran would do. He gave no details.

The IAEA in Vienna confirmed Iran was removing U.N. seals at Natanz, an underground plant in central Iran that Tehran concealed from U.N. inspectors until an Iranian exile group revealed its existence in August 2002.

"The Iranians have begun removing seals at Natanz in the presence of IAEA inspectors," said IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming.

STEP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

Gregory Schulte, Washington's ambassador to the IAEA, said Iran's move showed its "disdain for international concerns".

"The regime continues to choose confrontation over cooperation," he said in a statement.

The European Union was quick to denounce the resumption of research, which a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana labeled "a step in the wrong direction".

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said German diplomats would meet Solana and British and French envoys in Berlin this week to decide "whether there is now any basis for further negotiations with Iran".

British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said: "There was no good reason why Iran should have taken this step if its intentions are truly peaceful".

Russia, which is helping Iran build a nuclear power station at the southern port of Bushehr, said Tehran should abide by international commitments and that its decision to resume research caused concern.

European diplomats have said they would seek an emergency meeting of the IAEA to consider referring Tehran to the Security Council for failing to allay fears it is seeking an atom bomb.

It is unclear if Iran will simply test equipment or actually produce small amounts of nuclear fuel in a laboratory. The IAEA did not specify any of the work the Iranians were undertaking.

One EU and one non-EU diplomat said Iran was planning to get 164 centrifuges running at Natanz to try to master the technique of producing nuclear fuel. Centrifuges enrich uranium by spinning it at supersonic speed.

However, such a small cascade would take many years to produce enough bomb-grade uranium for a single weapon.

If enriched to a low level, uranium can be used in power stations such as the one at Bushehr. If enriched further, it can be used in atomic warheads.

An intelligence source said Iran intended to feed uranium hexafluoride (UF6) into the cascade at Natanz soon, but had not informed the IAEA about this.

A Western diplomat close to the IAEA said agency inspectors were at Natanz and would report anything the Iranians did there to the IAEA board of governors. "The facility is fully safeguarded," the diplomat said.

However, Saeedi denied any suggestion that Iran was resuming the production of nuclear fuel at the Natanz facility.

"There is a difference between research and producing nuclear fuel ... The production of nuclear fuel is still under suspension," he told the news conference.
Iran resumes nuclear research

[2nd Timothy]

Yippers!      Boy when it rains it pours.   Iraq will be old news once this is all said and done.

U.S., Other Nations Rebuke Iran Over Seals

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 10, 2006; 7:51 AM

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran removed seals on its nuclear facilities Tuesday, ending a two-year freeze on work there despite warnings from the United States and other countries concerned about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

The United States rebuked Iran for the move, calling it a step toward creating the material for nuclear bombs. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman said the international community was "running out of patience" with Tehran.

Both countries, along with France and Germany, have called on Tehran to cease nuclear activities until an agreement has been reached on the scope of its nuclear program.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Tehran was again in breach of resolutions passed by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog and said steps to restart uranium enrichment could not be justified.

"We are profoundly concerned that Iran has decided to restart research and development activities related to uranium enrichment," Straw said in a statement.

"There was no good reason why Iran should have taken this step if its intentions are truly peaceful and it wanted to resolve long standing international concerns," he added.

Iran announced plans last week to resume research on the production of nuclear fuel, heightening concerns that Tehran was moving toward building atomic weapons. Iran says the research is aimed at generating electricity.

Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said Tuesday that Iran was not resuming the production of nuclear fuel, a process that would involve uranium enrichment.

"What we resume is merely in the field of research, not more than that," he said at a news conference. "We make a difference between research on nuclear fuel technology and production of nuclear fuel.

"Production of nuclear fuel remains suspended."

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency affixed the seals more than two years ago after Iran agreed to the measure in an effort to dampen suspicions about its nuclear ambitions.

IAEA inspectors were present Tuesday as Iranian officials began removing the seals, spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said from Vienna, Austria, where the agency is based. She declined to say whether the Iranians planned to start enriching uranium or would be satisfied with testing the equipment used in the process.

In Vienna, the chief U.S. representative to the IAEA, Gregory L. Schulte, said that by cutting the seals, Iran had shown "its disdain for international concerns and its rejection of international diplomacy."

"The regime continues to choose confrontation over cooperation, a choice that deepens the isolation of Iran and harms the interests of the Iranian people," he said.

The United States has threatened to bring Iran before the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions if it doesn't cooperate with international mediators.

Whether or not Iran should be referred to the Security Council depends on the outcome of discussions within the IAEA, Blair's spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to have his name published.

"We are concerned by the reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency," the spokesman said. "Everyone needs to be clear that this does amount to yet another breach of IAEA resolutions."

In Berlin, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tehran had "crossed lines which it knew would not remain without consequences," adding that he planned to consult with his French and British colleagues on whether there is any basis for more talks with Iran.

Russia, Iran's close ally, also expressed concern that Tehran had removed seals on its nuclear research facilities and called on Iran to maintain its moratorium on enrichment pending negotiations, Russian news agencies reported.

Earlier Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said that a Russian delegation had confirmed to Iranian officials that Moscow's offer to jointly enrich Iranian uranium on Russian territory still stands, the Interfax news agency reported.

The proposal, backed by the European Union and the United States, was designed to ease concerns that Iran would use the fuel to build a bomb. Lavrov said Moscow was coordinating its actions with Germany, Britain and France, Interfax reported.

Iran has insisted it would not agree to moving enrichment abroad.

In a foreign policy address Tuesday, French President Jacques Chirac warned Iran it would be committing a "grave error" if it ignored the international community's repeated warnings and pressed ahead with its nuclear program.

US, Other Nations Rebuke Iran Over Seals

[Shammu]

Yippers!      Boy when it rains it pours.   Iraq will be old news once this is all said and done.

You know it, and I know it. There will be those that doubt, every word. Iran will conitue its nuclear program. As it was written, so it will be done. We are just watching the Lord at work. We serve an awesome Lord!

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

[2nd Timothy]

The Oracle commentary this week is a real eyebrow raiser.   My how fast things are moving 


*Oracle Commentaries1/3/2006 ***
2005 Iran Became Most Dangerous Nation
First, Iran's continuing pursuit of nuclear weapons despite the warnings of the international community is one factor that has elevated it to the title of "most dangerous." Iran already has Shahab 5 Missiles that are capable of delivering nuclear warheads to Israel and many places in Europe. Not to mention US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to a Claremont Institute report, it has a range of 2,500 miles. The missile is believed to be based on the North Korean Taep'o-dong 2. It is an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) that can carry a large single nuclear or biological warhead.
Most alarming to the US military is that this missile is a stepping-stone to the development of ICBMs capable of hitting the US mainland.
A Middle East Newsline dated May 20, 2004 reported, "U.S. intelligence officials believe that Iran could begin testing components of an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2005, likely from the Shahab missile family."
This is probably why President George Bush recently announced that "it is completely unacceptable for Iran to develop nuclear weapons." It also explains the December 31st Jerusalem Post report that the US began coordinating with NATO its plans for a possible military strike against Iran. The report spoke of an air attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Second, Iran elected a new president who is fanatically driven by the most extreme teachings of the Shiite Muslim faith that was introduced by the Ayatollah Khomeini. His name is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He is an avid Anti-Semite who publicly declared that "the Nazis Holocaust is a myth created by the Jews to get international sympathy for establishing the State of Israel."
Ahmadinejad announced, "Israel is a cancer that must be wiped off the map." With the prospect of soon acquiring nuclear-tipped missiles, this elevated him to be a major world threat. You may think that he wouldn't be insane enough to use nuclear weapons. Don't count on it.
Some of the Iranian Mullahs recently declared that Muslims would survive and win a nuclear exchange. One of the basic tenets of the Shiite faith is the glorification of martyrdom for Allah. In their thinking, it would be acceptable for several million Iranians to be 'martyred' in exchange for 'cleansing Muslim lands of Jews and infidels.' Two nuclear warheads hitting Israel would do in a blinding flash what took Hitler six years to accomplish – the elimination of six million Jews. To the Shiite extremist, the consequences that follow would be an acceptable sacrifice. They have actually discussed these things.
If you doubt their intention, just consider the banners draped on the Shahab missiles that are paraded periodically through the streets of Tehran. The crowds shout approval as the banners go by. They read, "We will wipe Israel off the map." This indicates that the general population agrees with the purpose of the missiles.
Third, President Ahmadinejad is a devout believer in the apocalyptic Muslim prophecies about the soon coming of the 'Mahdi' (Muslim Messiah) known as the Twelfth Imam. They believe his coming will be accompanied with a world apocalypse in which Muslim rule and justice will be established on earth.
One of the first acts Ahmadinejad did as President was to donate $17 million of state money for the beautification of the Jamkaran Mosque that is about 80 miles south of Tehran. Devout Shiites believe that the 'Twelfth Imam' will first appear at this mosque.
President Ahmadinejad declared last month that "the main mission of the Islamic Revolution is to pave the way for the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam."
Iranian journalist Hossein Bastani reported "Ahmadinejad saying in official meetings that the 'hidden Imam' will reappear in two years."
Columnist Charles Krauthammer best summarized the significance of all this in his report entitled, In Iran, Arming for Armageddon. He surmised, "So a Holocaust-denying, virulently anti-Semitic, aspiring genocidist, on the verge of acquiring weapons of the apocalypse, believes that the end is not only near but nearer than the next American presidential election … This kind of man would have, to put it gently, less inhibition about starting Armageddon than a normal person. Indeed, with millennial bliss pending, he would have positive incentive to, as they say in Jewish eschatology, hasten the end."
I am thankful to know from Bible prophecy that this restored State of Israel cannot be destroyed, though it will go through some terrible trials. So it is going to be fascinating to see what God does to stop this clear and immanent threat to Israel's existence.
The Israeli Air Force has acquired some very specially designed versions of the F-16 fighter known as the F-16i. It has conformal fuel tanks mounted on the sides of the fuselage that extends its range well within Iran's borders. It also has a large dorsal fin extending from the cockpit to the rudder that houses the most advanced defensive and targeting electronics on any aircraft. It has a more powerful engine and carries a crew of pilot and electronics operator. Israel did not help design and build this plane for normal operation. It is clearly the "Iranian special." It is believed that Israel has already developed and practiced an attack plan to take out Iran's scattered nuclear facilities.
And what will be the aftermath of an Israeli attack that kills thousands of Iranians, but also many Russian scientists who live at these nuclear facilities? Well let's just say we are really getting close to Christ's return for the Church.
************************************



I've been looking up so much I'm getting a crick in my neck 

[Shammu]

The Oracle commentary this week is a real eyebrow raiser.   My how fast things are moving 

I've been looking up so much I'm getting a crick in my neck 

At least I have good company then. I would imagine most of us are Looking Up!

[Shammu]

Syria 'tried to fuel holy war in Iraq against US and Britain'
By Francis Harris in Washington
(Filed: 11/01/2006)

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria secretly incited Iraq's top Shia leader to declare holy war against US and British forces, according to Washington's former administrator in the country.

In his new book, My Year in Iraq, Paul Bremer said he heard the explosive intelligence in October 2003 as sectarian tensions soared across the country following the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The report came from an extremely senior source, the supreme leader of Iraq's majority Shia community, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

According to Mr Bremer, the news was passed to him by Mowaffak al-Rubaie, a senior Shia politician involved in negotiations with the ayatollah. The Syrian leader had apparently recalled the Shia-led uprising against the British in 1920 and urged the Shia to repeat history.

The news "stunned" the US administration in Iraq. "This was an act of extraordinary irresponsibility from Syria's president," Mr Bremer writes. "We had good intelligence showing that many insurgents and terrorists were coming into Iraq through Syria."

But the allegation was far more serious, he says. "This message from Assad essentially incited Shia rebellion. If he were to succeed, the coalition would face an extremely bloody two-front uprising, costing thousands of lives."

The revelation that Syria's leader was trying to stoke unrest inside Iraq goes some way to explaining Washington's unrelenting hostility towards the Damascus regime ever since.

In Europe Mr Assad has been portrayed as a leader motivated by the desire to stand up to Israel and stay in power. But in Washington he has long been seen as a far more dangerous figure.

Although the Americans have continually complained about interference in Iraq by Syria and Iran, Mr Bremer's book suggests that its most serious problems were internal.

In particular, he claims to have stressed to Washington the need to confront the firebrand Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Some British officials voiced their doubts over the policy, fearing it would spark a wider Shia revolt and some expressed irritation over Mr Bremer's account, suggesting it offered a partial view.

That crisis erupted in April 2004 when Sadr's militiamen rose up as the US attempted to take the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.

With pundits suggesting the country was in meltdown, Mr Bremer and his aides prompted sometimes unwilling coalition commanders to take firm action.

Mr Bremer directs withering criticism at Italian, Spanish, Polish and Bulgarian units, collectively described as "useless". Iraqi units were "ineffective, or worse".

But the gravest allegations are levelled at the Ukrainian soldiers sent by David Richmond, Britain's ambassador in Iraq, to rescue coalition staff besieged in Kut.

The unit entered the town but then withdrew in such haste that five British military contractors were left behind among armies of militiamen. Four escaped but one was killed.

Mr Bremer writes: "I found myself pacing my office, speechless with rage at the Ukrainians."

Syria 'tried to fuel holy war in Iraq against US and Britain'

[Shammu]

U.S. Gets Permanent U.N. Security Council Members to Back Iran Warnings

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

WASHINGTON — All five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have each separately sent to Iran a diplomatic communiqué — known as a 'demarche' in international parlance — warning the Islamic Republic that it could face sanctions should it go forward with its nuclear program.

Bush administration officials told FOX News that the communiqués, sent Saturday, are an important step forward in blocking Iran's nuclear ambitions because China and Russia, which have huge economic interests in Iran, have hinted in the past that they would oppose and veto such a referral if brought to the Security Council.

"We are working very closely with Russia, China and France and Britain on sending a clear message to the Iranians," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China. Each has veto authority on the 15-member panel that enables them to thwart resolutions.

On Sunday, Iran announced it would resume its nuclear program, which it says is being used only to develop peaceful civilian energy. The United Nations, United States and European Union all suspect Iran of using the energy program to secretly build nuclear weapons.

Hossein Ghafourian, head of the nuclear research center of Iran's atomic energy organization, pledged to press on with plans to continue its peaceful program.

"Blocking research activities is similar to blocking the light," Ghafourian told state-run radio on Sunday.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan strongly criticized Iran on Monday.

"This is a matter of trust when it comes to Iran, and Iran has shown over the course of the last couple of decades that they cannot be trusted. They have concealed their activities from the international community. They have violated their agreements with the international community. It's time for Iran to come into compliance, to abide by the agreements they made, and to meet the demands of the international community. The international community has spelled out what those demands are," McCellan said.

Sources say the five permanent members sent separate communiqués because China and Russia repeatedly tried to soften the language of the warning and no consensus could be reached for a joint warning.

While pleased that China and Russia delivered separate warnings to Iran, Bush administration officials say they are very cautious about prematurely assuming that China and Russia are willing to get tough with Iran and support sanctions.

"Ultimately, given Iran's track record on seeking nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian program, defying the international community, bobbing and weaving, obfuscating, that we're ultimately all going to end up in the Security Council on this issue," said McCormack.

But one senior administration official suggested that both China and Russia sent their demarches reluctantly and might in the end oppose a referral and or sanctions. Nonetheless, McCormack said the efforts by China and Russia are noteworthy.

"I think that the Chinese are perfectly capable of delivering their own messages," McCormack said. "What we have been doing, have done and will continue to do, is to continue to work with them, work with the Russians and others so that Iran receives a clear, consistent, unmistakable message from the rest of the world."

One senior official told FOX News that the demarches from each of the five permanent Security Council members urged Iran to resume talks with the EU-3, comprised of Germany, France and the U.K.

The United States is backing a stalled European effort to negotiate with Iran, and supports a separate offer from Russia to perform some of the most sensitive nuclear enrichment tasks on Iran's behalf. Both initiatives would allow Iran to pursue legitimate civilian nuclear energy while reducing the risk that the same technology could be diverted to make weapons.

Negotiations aimed at getting Iran to give up its nuclear aspirations by the EU-3 have been stalled for months as Iran has insisted it has a right to nuclear energy and does not seek weapons. The EU-3 have all issued strong rebukes against Iran for its announcement that it would resume its nuclear research and development.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy called on Iran on Monday to immediately retract its decision to restart nuclear activities. He said the EU-3 would meet on the issue soon.

Douste-Blazy also called Iran's intention to restart nuclear activities linked to uranium enrichment "reason for very serious concern."

"We call on Iran to go back on its decision without delay and without conditions," Douste-Blazy said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said earlier Monday that Iran was sending "very, very disastrous signals" on its nuclear program that "cannot remain without consequences for the EU-3's negotiation process."

Javier Solana, the European Union foreign and security affairs chief, told Iran on Saturday that if it resumes its uranium enrichment program, it may doom any further negotiations with the 25-nation bloc about economic aid and other issues.

During President Bush's trips to Europe last year he sought, and aides say received, assurances from the EU-3 that if talks failed, they would support a U.N. Security Council referral for sanctions.

The U.N.'s top nuclear watchdog at the International Atomic Energy Agency told Sky News last week that he is losing his patience with Iran. Mohammed El Baradei makes his next report in March and administration officials say by that time it will be clear if Russia and China will support sanctions.

U.S. Gets Permanent U.N. Security Council Members to Back Iran Warnings

my note; I wonder how many of the member will enforce the U.N. Security Council decision.

[Shammu]

Bush Declares Oklahoma Disaster Area After Wildfires

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

OKLAHOMA CITY — President Bush issued a federal disaster declaration for the state of Oklahoma on Tuesday in the wake of wildfires that have scorched more than 380,000 acres across the state since Nov. 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

The declaration means federal funding will be immediately available to affected individuals in 12 Oklahoma counties, said Nicol Andrews, a spokeswoman for FEMA in Washington, D.C.

Other funds will help pay for emergency protective measures, FEMA said.

Damage surveys will continue across the state, and additional counties may be added, FEMA said.

"We're relieved to have this action from the White House," said Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. "We're going to have to sort through the paperwork first thing in the morning to determine what benefits will be coming the state's way."

FEMA came under fire in recent days from state leaders who criticized the agency for delays in releasing federal assistance.

Gov. Brad Henry characterized the delay on Tuesday as "a hokey bureaucratic mess."

Despite some scattered showers across Oklahoma early this week, the state has been locked in a dry spell for months with unseasonably warm temperatures and occasional high winds that have fueled the wildfires.

Since Nov. 1, wildfires have consumed more than 380,000 acres, destroyed 220 homes and businesses and killed two people.

Authorities in Texas are also seeking a federal disaster declaration. Wildfires in that state have burned more than 250,000 acres and more than 330 homes since late December.

Bush Declares Oklahoma Disaster Area After Wildfires

[Shammu]

Blair Says West Likely to Sanction Iran

By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer 33 minutes ago

TEHRAN, Iran - British Prime Minister
Tony Blair said Wednesday that Western countries were likely to seek economic sanctions against
Iran after Tehran restarted its nuclear program, but a powerful cleric said it would not curtail its research.

Iran on Tuesday broke U.N. seals at a uranium enrichment plant and said it was resuming nuclear research after a two-year freeze. Enriched uranium can be used as a fuel for both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons.

"I think the first thing to do is to secure agreement for a reference to the Security Council, if that is indeed what the allies jointly decide, as I think seems likely," Blair told the House of Commons, adding that he was in close contact with Washington on the issue.

"We obviously don't rule out any measures at all," Blair said when asked about possible sanctions. "It's important Iran recognizes how seriously the international community treats it."

In Moscow, the Foreign Ministry said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had discussed the issue with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and both sides shared "a deep disappointment" over Iran's move. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Tuesday that if Iran continued on its present course, "there is no other choice but to refer the matter to the Security Council," which could impose sanctions.

In Iran's first response to the international outcry, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani said he was "astonished" by the West's attempt to "bully" Iran.

"If they cause any disturbance, they will ultimately regret it," he warned.

"Keeping the Third World and the Islamic world several steps behind has been the West's traditional colonial policy," he said in a speech for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha broadcast live on state television.

"Even if (the Westerners) destroy our scientists, their successors would continue the job," he said. "It would not be easy for them to solve the (nuclear) case by imposing sanctions or anything like that."

Rafsanjani, who was president of Iran in the 1990s, was the moderate candidate who lost to the hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the run-off elections last June.

Iran insists its research is for peaceful energy production only. But the United States suspects Tehran has ambitions to produce nuclear weapons.

Blair said Iran's decision to restart its nuclear program, coupled with Ahmadinejad's recent inflammatory comments about Israel, "cause real and serious alarm right across the world." Ahmadinejad recently called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and said the Holocaust was a "myth."

Blair recalled that the International Atomic Energy Agency had previously suggested Iran be referred to the Council over its nuclear program but the international nuclear watchdog agency later backed away because Iran agreed to halt its nuclear activities.

"This is why it is extremely important therefore we take a fresh look at this now," Blair said.

"The decision by Iran is very serious indeed," Blair told the House of Commons. "I do not think there is any point in people, or us, hiding our deep dismay at what Iran has decided to do."

Iran said Tuesday that it had broken IAEA seals at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant and resumed research. While Iranian officials stressed the work would not involve enrichment, the IAEA said Iran planned to carry out small-scale enrichment.

The West has long opposed uranium enrichment by Iran.

Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, who have spent two years trying to persuade Iran to halt its uranium conversion and enrichment activities, are scheduled to meet in Berlin on Thursday to consider what to do.

Gernot Erler, a German deputy foreign minister, cautioned Wednesday against referring the dispute to the Security Council, saying it could further destabilize the Middle East. He said Iran must offer fresh guarantees on its nuclear program for talks with European negotiators to continue.

In Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said Wednesday the world had entered a "new phase" in relations with Iran and would find the most effective ways to deal with it.

"Iran's determination to continue its nuclear program outside existing agreements is a cause for constant, deep concern," Fini said in a statement.

Blair Says West Likely to Sanction Iran

[Shammu]

We knew but I wonder why, NASA never released this news. Could it be, they are afraid they are nothing, in the eyes of God.

Researchers confirm role of massive flood in climate change

Climate modelers at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) have succeeded in reproducing the climate changes caused by a massive freshwater pulse into the North Atlantic that occurred at the beginning of the current warm period 8,000 years ago. Their work is the first to consistently model the event and the first time that the model results have been validated by comparison to the record of climate proxies that scientists regularly use to study the Earth's past.

"We only have one example of how the climate reacts to changes, the past," said Gavin A. Schmidt, a GISS researcher and co-author on the study. "If we're going to accurately simulate the Earth's future, we need to be able to replicate past events. This was a real test of the model's skill."

The study was led by Allegra LeGrande, a graduate student in the department of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University. The results appear in a paper being published in this week's edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The group used an atmosphere-ocean coupled climate model known as GISS Model E-R to simulate the climate impact of a massive freshwater flood into the North Atlantic that happened about 8,200 years ago after the end of the last Ice Age. As retreating glaciers opened a route for two ancient meltwater lakes known as Agassiz and Ojibway to suddenly and catastrophically drain from the middle of the North American continent.

At approximately the same time, climate records show that the Earth experienced its last abrupt climate shift. Scientists believe that the massive freshwater pulse interfered with the ocean's overturning circulation, which distributes heat around the globe. According to the record of what are known as climate proxies, average air temperatures apparently dropped fell as much as several degrees in some areas of the Northern Hemisphere.

Climate researchers use these proxies--chemical signals locked in minerals and ice bubbles as well as pollen and other biological indicators--as indirect measures of temperature and precipitation patterns in the distant past. Because GISS Model E-R incorporates the response of these proxies in its output, the authors of the PNAS study were able to compare their results directly to the historical record.

The researchers prodded their model with a freshwater pulse equal to between 25 and 50 times the flow of the Amazon River in 12 model runs that took more than a year to complete. Although the simulations largely agreed with proxy records from North Atlantic sediment cores and Greenland ice cores, the team's results showed that the flood had much milder effects around the globe than many people fear--including the dramatic shifts in climate depicted in the 2004 movie 'The Day After Tomorrow'.

According to the model, temperatures in the North Atlantic and Greenland showed the largest decrease, with slightly less cooling over parts of North America and Europe. The rest of the northern hemisphere, however, showed very little effect, and temperatures in the southern hemisphere remained largely unchanged. Moreover, ocean circulation, which initially dropped by half after simulated flood, appeared to rebound within 50 to 150 years.

"This was probably the closest thing to a 'Day After Tomorrow' scenario that we could model," said LeGrande. "The flood we looked at was even larger than anything that could happen today. Still, it's important for us to study because the real thing occurred during a period when conditions were not that much different from the present day."

The GISS climate model is also being used for the latest simulations by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to simulate the Earth's present and future climate. "Hopefully, successful simulations of the past such as this will increase confidence in the validity of model projections," said Schmidt.

The study was funded by NASA, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, and the National Science Foundation.

[Shammu]

New bird flu outbreak reported in China
Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:40 AM ET164

 By Ben Blanchard and Lindsay Beck

BEIJING (Reuters) - Two more people in China have died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu, bringing the death toll to five, as the country announced another outbreak in poultry.

The World Health Organization said on its Web site the two victims, reported last month, were a 10-year-old girl in the southern region of Guangxi and a 35-year-old man in eastern Jiangxi province.

Both died in December, the Xinhua news agency said, citing the health ministry.

"Byzantine bureaucratic procedures delayed the announcement of their deaths," Xinhua said. It did not elaborate.

Scientists fear H5N1, which has killed more than 70 people since late 2003 and is endemic in poultry across parts of Asia, could mutate into a form that can spread easily between people, leading to a pandemic.

"To put it mildly, it's a serious problem everywhere, not just in China," said Roy Wadia, the WHO's spokesman in Beijing.

"We haven't confirmed (the two deaths) in the sense that this is information given to us by China. It's not that we went out there and found out ourselves."

China's health ministry had previously said two women died in eastern Anhui province and another in southeast Fujian province.

Xinhua added scientists had identified H5N1 in a dead migratory bird found near the house of the Guangxi victim.

The latest victim is a six-year-old boy from the central province of Hunan, who fell ill in December and is in hospital. The boy's condition was critical, state media said.

"Initial investigation of the newly confirmed case has identified recent poultry deaths in the family flock as the likely source of exposure, though no poultry outbreaks have been officially reported in the area," the WHO said.

Chinese and foreign health officials have said China's size and lack of resources mean not every bird or even human case of bird flu is properly identified, making fighting the disease that much harder.

NEW POULTRY CASE

China has confirmed a fresh outbreak of bird flu among quail on a farm in the poor, southwestern province of Guizhou, the Agriculture Ministry said, bringing the total number of poultry outbreaks to more than 30 since the start of 2005.

The outbreak early this month killed 16,000 quail near Guizhou's capital of Guiyang. They were later confirmed to have the H5N1 strain, and another 42,000 birds were culled.

"After the outbreak happened, the Agriculture Ministry immediately sent an expert group to lead the prevention and control work," the ministry report, posted late on Tuesday, said.

The outbreak had been brought under control, it added.

Two teenagers died last week from bird flu in eastern Turkey -- the first reported deaths from the virus outside China and Southeast Asia. Their dead sister is also a suspected victim and hundreds of Turks have rushed to hospitals for bird flu tests.

Turkey has reported that at least a dozen people are infected with the virus, mostly children. Cases have been confirmed as far west as the central region around the capital Ankara sparking fears the disease could spread to people in mainland Europe.

New bird flu outbreak reported in China