I could survive for 1 minute, 6 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Much going on at the UN. Post on that tonight.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php




Minor earthquake felt in northeast Ohio

Magnitude 3.9 quake hits General Santos City

3.1 earthquake shakes Chino Hills

Moderate quake felt in northwest Pakistan

Moderate earthquake jolts Papua, Indonesia

4.3 earthquake rocks Big Island

Quake Hits Western Iran

Low-grumbling earthquake shakes Hillside area on Friday afternoon

More tremors felt in Emirates

Asia earthquakes heighten BCP need

Never trust a dead volcano

Eruption reported at Reunion's volcano

The Drumbeat

The drumbeat. It's always there. Day and night. Rain or shine. Winter or Summer. Sunday or Monday. It comes at you from every direction. It comes over the TV, the radio, at work, at school, in music, in the newspapers, from the politicians, in conversation with others, even in church. It wears you down. It robs you of the will to resist its message. Even short-lived victories, which stop it briefly, leave you with the knowledge that it will return; each minor victory bound to be lost to the redoubled efforts of this patient and persistent force. You can't escape it. It never stops. It never gives up. It never ends. It rains upon you from every possible angle, from every possible source.

It's the drumbeat of the left. It is political, philosophical, theological, and social. It pervades every activity. It is post-structural, post-modern, post-everything in the parlance of the day. It is tolerant, diverse, non-judgmental, non-discriminatory, egalitarian, politically correct, multicultural, globalist, and collectivist. It insists that there are no rights and wrongs, no moral absolutes. It turns everything upside down in its looking glass world. It denies the correctness of all that produced what our culture revered before the deconstruction of the world in accordance with the tenets of cultural Marxism.

It denies God, human exceptionalism, and the soul. We are reduced to Darwinian animals floundering in an amoral sea of meaninglessness. It is a product of the nihilistic, existentialist philosophical movement, which went hand in hand with modern art, atonal music, scientific materialism and modern physics, and the generally discordant nature of the twentieth century.


***

Quake confusion after bomb explodes
Austrian authorities say what initially appeared to be a small earthquake which rattled Vienna turned out to be the explosion of a large Second World War bomb.


France ban on internet alcohol advertising hits industry
France may be home to some of the world's finest wines but it could be about to join the tiny club of Muslim states that forbid their promotion on the internet.


Channel tunnel fire's cause still as dark as the tunnel itself
A week after fire transformed one of Europe's most important transport arteries into a closed incinerator that destroyed a freight train and all 27 trucks on board, French and British investigators and the tunnel's operator have provided little insight into how it all occurred.


15 injured in bus-train collision in L.A.
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A metro train and a bus collided Friday, injuring at least 15 people near downtown Los Angeles, officials said.


Bombing at Hotel in Pakistan Kills at Least 40
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A huge truck bomb exploded at the entrance to the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday evening, killing at least 40 people and wounding at least 250, the police said.


Chinese state media say fire kills at least 43
State media say a fire has killed at least 43 people in a nightclub in China's Guangdong province.


Nigeria militants turn against each other in delta
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian militants clashed with each other in the restive Niger Delta, a military spokesman said on Friday, highlighting the complex security situation in the oil-rich region.


Arabs Denounce Cleric's Edict to Kill Satellite TV Station Owners
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Arabs across the ideological spectrum, from secular-minded liberals to Muslim hard-liners, are denouncing a top Saudi cleric's edict that it was permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that show "immoral" content.


***

Livni stunned as Mofaz quits politics

On her first day as Kadima's new leader, Tzipi Livni received a startling blow: Shaul Mofaz, whom she ended up beating in Wednesday's party primary by only 431 votes, announced that he was "taking a break" from political life.

A shocked Livni tried to reach Mofaz to persuade him to reconsider, but he refused to meet with her, aides said.

Mofaz, in a speech conceding the Kadima leadership race to Livni on Thursday evening at his campaign headquarters in Givatayim, said he was quitting the cabinet and the Knesset.

The decision was a surprise to even his closest advisers, and the ministers and MKs who sat next to him also appeared to be stunned as he made the announcement.



Syria state-run paper: If Livni wants peace, she will achieve it

"If Livni desires peace - she will achieve it," an editorial in the official Syrian state-run newspaper Tishreen proclaimed Saturday, in what is the first Syrian reaction since Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was elected chair of the ruling Kadima party.

Issam Dari, the editor-in-chief of Tishreen, suggested in his editorial that Livni's family background as daughter of a Jewish pre-State underground member makes her ill-equipped to denounce Palestinian terror.

"Livni should bear this in mind: If your house is made of glass, don't go hurling stones on others," the editorial warned.

"We hope you won't be quick in accusing Palestinians and Arabs of terror, because with your record - you can't blame others for doing what you have done all your life."



***

Russia Successfully Fires New Ballistic Missile
Russian Defense Ministry officials say the Bulava missile was launched Thursday from a Russian nuclear submarine. Its warheads struck their designated targets on Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.


Russia ratchets up US tensions with arms sales to Iran and Venezuela
The head of the state arms exporter said that he was negotiating to sell antiaircraft systems to Iran despite American objections. Russia has already delivered 29 Tor-M1 missile systems under a $700 million (£386 million) deal with Iran in 2005.


Serb president prepares for U.N. Kosovo struggle
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -- Serbia's president acknowledged Friday that he will face a tough struggle when he seeks U.N. support for his country's bid to challenge Kosovo's independence before the International Court of Justice.


Ukrainian rivals spar over ties to Moscow
KIEV: The Ukrainian prime minister on Wednesday accused the president of spoiling the country's relationship with Russia, a broadside that came one day after their governing coalition collapsed.


***

Morgan Said to Continue Merger Talks After Rescue
Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley, whose 50 percent share price plunge forced it into merger talks, is continuing negotiations after the government announced a bailout plan aimed at stabilizing financial companies, a person close to the investment bank said.


Morgan Stanley may sell stake to Chinese sovereign fund
MORGAN Stanley, the second-biggest independent US securities company, may sell a larger stake to China Investment Corporation and is in talks about a possible merger with Wachovia, a source familiar with the matter says.


Financial Crisis: US calls on world to save banking system
The US government last night urged other countries to follow its model of bailing out stricken banks after Treasury secretary Hank Paulson unveiled an unprecedented $700bn (£380bn) rescue plan to prevent a collapse of the financial system.


Banking crisis: World markets soar on US rescue hopes


Oil prices creep higher in choppy trade


Italian consumers stage "bread strike" over prices


On the ground with an Ethiopian farmer


***

Back in Iraq, Jarred by the Calm

BAGHDAD — At first, I didn’t recognize the place.

On Karada Mariam, a street that runs over the Tigris River toward the Green Zone, the Serwan and the Zamboor, two kebab places blown up by suicide bombers in 2006, were crammed with customers. Farther up the street was Pizza Napoli, the Italian place shut down in 2006; it, too, was open for business. And I’d forgotten altogether about Abu Nashwan’s Wine Shop, boarded up when the black-suited militiamen of the Mahdi Army had threatened to kill its owners. There it was, flung open to the world.

Two years ago, when I last stayed in Baghdad, Karada Mariam was like the whole of the city: shuttered, shattered, broken and dead.



6 Children in Ark. Custody After Raid on Compound

Six minors have been temporarily placed in state custody as part of a child porn investigation after a raid on a ministry run by a man who says "consent is puberty" when it comes to sex, officials said Sunday.



Baroness Warnock: Dementia sufferers may have a 'duty to die'

Elderly people suffering from dementia should consider ending their lives because they are a burden on the NHS and their families, according to the influential medical ethics expert Baroness Warnock.

The veteran Government adviser said pensioners in mental decline are "wasting people's lives" because of the care they require and should be allowed to opt for euthanasia even if they are not in pain.

She insisted there was "nothing wrong" with people being helped to die for the sake of their loved ones or society.

The 84-year-old added that she hoped people will soon be "licensed to put others down" if they are unable to look after themselves.

Fed rescues AIG with $85 billion loan for 80% stake

WASHINGTON: Acting to avert a possible financial crisis worldwide, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board reversed course Tuesday and agreed to an $85 billion bailout that would give the U.S. government an ownership stake in the troubled insurance giant American International Group.

The decision, announced by the Fed only two weeks after the Treasury Department took over the quasi-government mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is the most radical intervention in private business in the central bank's history.



Another thrashing for stocks

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks plummeted Wednesday, with the Dow industrials falling 449 points in its second worst session of the year, as the government's emergency rescue of AIG amplified fears about the stability of financial markets.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 449 points, or 4% and fell to the lowest level since November 2005. The Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) index lost 4.7% and fell to its lowest point since April 2005. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) lost 4.9% and ended at its lowest point since August 2006.

Selling pressure eased in the mid-afternoon as the jump in oil and gold prices boosted the underlying stocks. But any recovery attempt lost steam and the market finished the session just above the worst levels of the day.

After the close, a New York Times report said that Morgan Stanley (MS, Fortune 500) was considering a merger with Wachovia (WB, Fortune 500) or another bank.



Russia Suspends Stock, Bond Trading As Market Dives

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian bourses have halted stock and bond trading, amid the worst falls since the country's 1998 financial collapse and the Finance Ministry pledged a total of $60 billion of funds to help local banks.

Investors have dumped Russian assets after global financial turmoil combined with falling oil prices and Moscow's war with Georgia to form an especially toxic cocktail for local markets.

"We don't give a damn anymore as to what happens in the West. The market is falling as people are in dire need for cash," said Maksim Gulevich, director of equities trading at UBS.



Our 'friends' the Russians have been busy.


Russia in Georgia separatist pact

Russia has signed friendship treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, sealing diplomatic ties with the breakaway Georgian regions.

The accords include a pledge of military assistance from Russia.

Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili told the BBC he was "deeply troubled" by the treaties, calling Russia's move "classic invasion and annexation".



President Medvedev threatens Russian Arctic annexation

Russia triggered a fresh scramble for the oil wealth of the Arctic yesterday when President Medvedev called on his security chiefs to establish a formal border in the region.

Mr Medvedev laid claim to a vast tranche of the Arctic, telling his National Security Council that it had “strategic importance” for Russia. The US Geological Survey estimates that the region contains 90 billion barrels of oil, as well as gas reserves – all of it increasingly accessible as global warming shrinks the ice cap.

“We must wrap up all the formalities for drawing the external border in the continental shelf. This is our direct responsibility to future generations,” Mr Medvedev told the Kremlin meeting.



Meanwhile, Ukraine is falling apart:


Sept. 8: Ukraine president Viktor Yushchenko accuses PM Yulia Tymoshenko of treason

Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko has accused Yulia Tymoshenko, the Prime Minister, of high treason amid a bitter political struggle over whether the country's future lies with the West or with Russia.

Miss Tymoshenko has revealed that she has been summoned by prosecutors to answer the president's charge of treason as Ukraine's two rulers battle it out for power ahead of a 2010 presidential vote over their country's future direction.

President Yushchenko has accused the prime minister of failing to condemn Russia's actions in Georgia, and the presence of the Russian naval fleet in Ukraine, in exchange for political support from the Kremlin.

Miss Tymoshenko hotly denies the allegations. The Ukraine's prosecutor has declined to comment.



Ukrainian Coalition Collapses Amid Political Infighting

Political infighting has led to the collapse of Ukraine's governing coalition, raising the prospect of difficult negotiations to form a new government or a third parliamentary election in as many years. VOA correspondent Peter Fedynsky has been following the Ukrainian political drama from Moscow.

Ukraine's governing coalition collapsed less than 10 months after it was formed with a bare minimum of votes in the country's 450-seat parliament, the Supreme Rada. President Viktor Yushchenko's political party left the coalition earlier this month, and Speaker Arseny Yatsenyuk made the collapse official on Tuesday.

Yatsenyuk made the official announcement regarding the termination of the Coalition of Democratic Forces in the Supreme Rada of Ukraine, which was created by the presidential party, Our Ukraine, and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc on November 29, 2007.



Ukraine's government falls apart

Ukraine's ruling pro-Western coalition has officially collapsed, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament says.

President Viktor Yushchenko has been involved in a long-running dispute with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The president's Our Ukraine bloc left the coalition earlier this month. Parliament now has 30 days to try to form a new ruling coalition.

If those efforts fail, Mr Yushchenko can dissolve parliament and call a snap election.



some quick history


Recognise Georgian regions says Ukraine's Crimea

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Parliament in Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, defying the country's pro-Western leaders, called on the national parliament to follow Russia's example and recognise Georgia's two separatist regions.

Crimea, a Ukrainian region with a degree of self-government, is populated mainly by ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers and local leaders have often adopted pro-Russian positions or even sought to rejoin Russia.

Some analysts suggested that Russia's conflict with Georgia over South Ossetia could rekindle pro-Moscow or even separatist sentiment in Crimea.



And along those lines...

Western influence at UN wanes as power balance shifts

The west's efforts to use the United Nations to promote its values and shape the global agenda are failing, according to a detailed study published today.

A sea change in the balance of power in favour of China, India, Russia and other emerging states is wrecking European and US efforts to entrench human rights, liberties and multilateralism. Western policies in crisis regions as diverse as Georgia, Zimbabwe, Burma or the Balkans are suffering serial defeats in what the study identifies as a protracted trend.

The haemorrhaging of western power, as reflected in longer-term voting patterns in key UN bodies, is mirrored by the increasing clout of China, Russia and the Islamic world, according to an audit of European influence at the UN by the European Council on Foreign Relations.


[Saw that comin'. --Amanda]



***

Israeli primary to decide who succeeds Olmert

The selection of a new head of the party, Kadima, was prompted by police investigations of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on allegations that he took money illegally while he was mayor of Jerusalem and industry minister. Olmert has promised to step down, but is expected to stay on as a caretaker prime minister until a new coalition is formed.

Much about the Wednesday primary and its aftermath is still up in the air, partly because Kadima is less than three years old. It was formed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon before he fell into a coma caused by a stroke in early 2006.

Sharon had been a leader of the right-wing Likud party but, like Livni and Olmert, who also began on the right, became convinced that the only way for Israel to maintain its status as a Jewish democratic state was to end its occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, where nearly four million Palestinians live.



Mofaz aides cite irregularities, urge him to appeal result

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni clinched the Kadima primary on Wednesday overnight by a mere 431 votes, as Judge Dan Arbel, heading the party's primary committee, announced the result.

Livni won 43.1 percent of the vote while Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz won 42%. Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit won 6.5% and 8.5%, respectively.

The lawyers of Mofaz, however, urged him to appeal the result, citing irregularities in several polling stations.

One of the lawyers, Yehuda Weinstein, complained about three issues in the primary: Extending the time voters could reach ballots by 30 minutes, irregularities in several stations and the fact that media outlets began publishing exit polls 15 minutes before the ballots closed.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzipi_Livni

In Sharon's Cabinet, Livni was an avid supporter of the prime minister's disengagement plan and was generally considered to be among the key dovish or moderate members of the Likud party. She often mediated between various elements inside the party, and gained recognition for her efforts to achieve peace, particularly her successful efforts to have the pullout from the Gaza Strip ratified by the Knesset. On 12 November 2005, she spoke at the official yearly commemoration of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination.[16]

*headdesk*


***

10 Are Killed in Bombings at Embassy in Yemen

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Militants disguised as soldiers detonated two car bombs outside the United States Embassy compound in Sana, Yemen, on Wednesday morning, killing 16 people, including 6 of the attackers, Yemeni officials said.

Yemeni soldiers took up positions in front of the U.S. Embassy in Sana on Wednesday.
No American officials or embassy employees were killed or wounded, embassy officials said. Six of the dead were Yemeni guards at the compound entrance, and the other four killed were civilians waiting to be allowed in.

It was the deadliest and most ambitious attack in years in Yemen, a poor south Arabian country of 23 million people where militants aligned with Al Qaeda have carried out a number of recent bombings.



Armed Forces face mass walk out over poor funding, report warns [Britain]

The Armed Forces face a mass walk out with under-funding leading to a "major crisis" in defence, an influential report backed by former military chiefs warns.

They will soon be "paralysed" by the growing number of resignations and will take a decade to recover, the UK National Defence Association paper says.

A “huge burden” has been placed on the Forces with more than 12,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan that has led to an immense strain on both troops and equipment.

All three major political parties must now unite to back the "woefully under-funded" Forces whose budget urgently needs to be increased from the current £34 billion to £50 billion over the next three years, it states.

"The national interest requires the full-hearted engagement of Government and Opposition to rehabilitate our Armed Forces and repair our defences. Now is no longer the time for party politics," said Winston Churchill, the UKNDA's president and grandson of the wartime leader.

He warned that the Forces were "in crisis" with funding the lowest since the Thirties when "inadequate defence provision paved the way directly to world war".



EU to help Nigeria with pipeline

The European Union has offered to help Nigeria develop plans for a trans-Saharan pipeline to take gas from Nigeria to Europe.

The offer was made during a visit by the EU's energy commissioner to the Nigerian capital.
The move is part of plans to reduce EU reliance on Russian energy supplies.

It comes after Russia's Gazprom expressed interest in the pipeline and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian government.

The memorandum covers co-operation in the exploration, development and transportation of gas reserves.

Magnitude 4.8 - LAKE TANGANYIKA REGION, TANZANIA
2008 September 15 15:50:51 UTC

Magnitude 5.0 - HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
2008 September 15 07:53:02 UTC

Magnitude 5.2 - ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
2008 September 15 05:41:48 UTC

Magnitude 5.2 - JUJUY, ARGENTINA
2008 September 15 23:36:48 UTC

Magnitude 5.4 - CERAM SEA, INDONESIA
2008 September 16 01:12:53 UTC

Magnitude 4.4 - OFF THE COAST OF WASHINGTON
2008 September 16 09:42:01 UTC

Magnitude 5.8 - CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
2008 September 16 07:28:25 UTC

Magnitude 5.2 - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
2008 September 16 09:46:58 UTC

Magnitude 5.7 - EAST TIMOR REGION
2008 September 16 11:15:41 UTC
6.1 magnitude quake rocks East Timor's capital

Magnitude 3.0 - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2008 September 16 12:59:23 UTC
Quakes jolt Northern California

Magnitude 3.5 - VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
2008 September 15 09:58:40 UTC

Magnitude 3.7 - PUERTO RICO REGION
2008 September 16 11:31:25 UTC

Magnitude 3.9 - CYPRUS REGION
2008 September 17 01:09:19 UTC

Magnitude 4.7 - EASTERN TURKEY
2008 September 17 12:08:15 UTC
Moderate earthquake shakes eastern Turkey

Magnitude 5.2 - SOUTHERN IRAN
2008 September 17 17:43:46 UTC
Magnitude-5 quake jolts Iran's Qeshm island

Magnitude 5.0 - SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
2008 September 17 21:03:41 UTC

Magnitude 5.5 - CENTRAL EAST PACIFIC RISE
2008 September 18 01:41:02 UTC


Volcano shaken by earthquake, still rumbling
Volcano Nevado del Huila remains unstable and at risk of erupting, officials said Monday, a day after a 4.0 earthquake shook the cone in southcentral Colombia.


Fears volcanic ash may cause mudslide in PNG
Volcano experts are concerned volcanic ash covering the mountainous region of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea could develop into a mudslide in the wet season.


The Threat of Silent Earthquakes
A lack of rumbling does not necessarily make an earthquake harmless. Some of the quiet types could presage devastating tsunamis or larger, ground-shaking shock

The news of the day that matters more, but is less noticed for its lesser impact on the $$$$$:


PM at final cabinet meeting: Greater Israel is no more

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday reiterated his view that the vision of Israel retaining the West Bank and Gaza Strip is finished.

"Greater Israel is over. There is no such thing. Anyone who talks that way is deluding himself," Olmert told the cabinet during its weekly meeting.

Olmert offers Palestinians 98% of 'West Bank'

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will offer Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas 98 percent of Judea and Samaria when the two meet later this week, Israel's Channel 2 News reported on Sunday.

The report came just hours after Olmert told his cabinet that "the vision of Greater Israel no longer exists," and blasted anyone who clings to Israel's biblical and historical right to the area known as the "West Bank" as "delusional."

Olmert: Binational state is alternative to peace deal with Palestinians

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that the price of an agreement with the Palestinians would "move us very close" to an exchange of equal amounts of territory, and that this must be stated "honestly and courageously." The alternative to an agreement is a binational state, an idea, he said that "ever-growing segments of the international community are adopting."

Speaking at a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Olmert said the agreement now being formulated would give the Palestinians 100 percent of the West Bank, or territory of a similar area.

Olmert: Israel prepared to express sorrow for Palestinian refugees

Israel is prepared to express sorrow for the plight of Palestinians who became refugees when the country was created, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday.

"We will participate in expressing sorrow for what happened to them," Olmert told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, adding, "but also for what happened to us, the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Jews who were driven out of Arab countries."

Tutu Accuses Israel of War Crimes

(IsraelNN.com) Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave a report to the United Nation's Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, suggesting that Israel committed war crimes in 2006 when the IDF shelled terrorist positions in Beit Hanoun in Gaza in response to rocket fire on nearby Israeli towns. Those who attacked Israeli towns may have committed war crimes as well, Tutu said.

I think I'm going to hurl.

Meanwhile, in Britain, sharia courts have become official.




Revealed: UK’s first official sharia courts

ISLAMIC law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases.

The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence.

Rulings issued by a network of five sharia courts are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court.

Previously, the rulings of sharia courts in Britain could not be enforced, and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims.

It has now emerged that sharia courts with these powers have been set up in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester with the network’s headquarters in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Two more courts are being planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Sharia courts operating in Britain

Five sharia courts have been set up in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester and Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

The government has quietly sanctioned that their rulings are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court. Previously, the rulings were not binding and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims.

Lawyers have issued grave warnings about the dangers of a dual legal system and the disclosure drew criticism from Opposition leaders.

Dominic Grieve, the shadow home secretary, said: "If it is true that these tribunals are passing binding decisions in the areas of family and criminal law, I would like to know which courts are enforcing them because I would consider such action unlawful. British law is absolute and must remain so."

Douglas Murray, the director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, added: "I think it's appalling. I don't think arbitration that is done by sharia should ever be endorsed or enforced by the British state."

***

UN nuclear watchdog says Iran blocking arms probe


Female suicide bomber kills more than 20 in Iraq


Troops die in Mauritania ambush


Chinese baby formula scandal widens as 2nd death is announced


Militants says clashes with Nigerian army mean war

Lehman, Merrill Lynch, and AIG.

Today was not a good day for Wall Street.

I'm not much of an economics student--all I know is that paper=pretty and coins=shiny and if I give enough of them to the nice cashiers they let me take stuff home with me. ;P

but I do know that these are some big, big companies and it is not good to see them in such trouble. Hence, the link dump.


Lehman Files for $639B Bankruptcy


AT A GLANCE:Lehman Files For Bankruptcy; BofA To Buy Merrill


AIG Seeks Funds From JPMorgan, Goldman After Fed Balks at Loan


Fed calls on banks to tide over AIG


Credit crisis topples US financial icon


Epic Selloff: Dow Plummets 504 Points


Wall Street crisis: Lehman staff tell their stories


Lehman Brothers' UK staff may not get paid


Nervous Investors Rattled by Lehman


Florida pension fund, Citizens hold Lehman securities


Merrill Lynch seals future with Bank of America deal

Engine failure cited in deadly Russian jet crash

PERM, Russia - A Russian passenger plane that caught fire as it fell from the sky on Sunday likely suffered engine failure before it crashed, killing all 88 people on board, investigators said.
...

The head of the Investigative Committee said examination of the site showed the crash "apparently was connected to technical failure and a fire in the right engine," the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
...
Among those killed was Gennady Troshev, 61, an army general who commanded troops in Chechnya. Human rights activists had accused him of tolerating rampant abuses in the war-ravaged republic.

Troshev, who was dismissed in 2002 during a power struggle within Russia's armed forces, was traveling to Perm to attend a wrestling competition, news agencies said.

Hmm.

TROSHEV OUSTER AND THE CHECHNYA POLICY

On December 17, Troshev briefed journalists on the Defense Ministry's plans to rotate various MD commanders and announced his own refusal to move to a new district. "This is my third year as commander of the North Caucasus MD. There have been no complaints about the district or about me as commander. I cannot understand why I am being moved. Now, with the republic preparing for a referendum, is not the time for such an appointment. The Chechen people have trusted me to complete the counterterrorist operation. I cannot betray the Chechen people." Some observers speculate that Troshev took this extraordinary step because he intends to run for president of Chechnya in the elections planned for this fall.

The next day, Putin relieved Troshev of his duties in the North Caucasus MD and replaced him with Vladimir Boldyrev, the commander of the Siberian MD. Boldyrev, who has never before led any military operations, is a protégé of the current Ground Forces C-in-C, Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Kormiltsev. Troshev was assigned to the Defense Ministry's reserve, and the
vacant post of commander in Siberia was later filled by General-Colonel Nikolai Makarov, chief of staff in the Moscow MD.

Such rotation of regional military commanders was highly unusual. Typically, when a commander is promoted or retired, he is replaced by his first deputy, the chief of staff. Nearly all movement of generals up the career ladder occurred within the confines of their own MDs.

Ah, nope, nothing to see here.



After Orissa, it’s Karnataka

Two pastors and six others were injured in simultaneous attacks carried out on 14 churches and prayer halls by suspected Bajrang Dal activists in coastal districts of Mangalore, Udupi and the neighboring district of Chikmagalur, on Sunday.

Eyewitnesses told the police that some motorcycle-borne miscreants barged into prayer halls and ransacked them.

Conversion fire engulfs Karnataka, seven churches vandalized

MANGALORE/UDUPI/CHIKMAGALUR: After Kandhmal, it is the turn of Christians in Karnataka to face the ire of right-wing Hindu mobs.

Suspected Bajrang Dal activists vandalized seven churches and a house in Mangalore, Udupi and Chikmagalur districts on Sunday, protesting alleged conversions of Hindus to Christianity.

Some preachers and parishioners were assaulted and church property damaged in the attacks. The police in the three districts are yet to arrest anyone.

Hackers claim there’s a black hole in the atom smashers’ computer network

Hackers have broken into one of the computer networks of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

A group calling itself the Greek Security Team left a rogue webpage describing the technicians responsible for computer security at the giant atom smasher as “schoolkids” — but reassuring scientists that they did not want to disrupt the experiment.

The hackers gained access to a website open to other scientists on Wednesday as the LHC passed its first test, sending its protons off on their dizzying journey through time and space, close to the speed of light.

Chevron confirms attack on Nigeria oil platform

ABUJA (Reuters) - U.S. oil major Chevron confirmed one of its oil platforms in Nigeria was attacked by militants on Sunday, but production was already shut down due to previous pipeline problems, a company official said.

McCartney warned against Israel show

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney's decision to perform in Tel Aviv has made him the target of a terror attack following a threat made against the singer by extremist Islamic leader Omar Bakri. His planned participation in a concert celebrating Israel's 60th anniversary has made him the enemy of all Muslims, British tabloid Sunday Express quoted Bakri as saying.
...
McCartney, who was apparently shocked by the threat, was determined to perform in Israel and refused to cancel his show. His spokesman responded by saying that McCartney intended to come with a "message of peace". On Saturday, McCartney said he was approached by several political groups who asked him to cancel the trip, but he declined.

Good on him!


Georgian Artists Battle Moscow With Music

TBILISI -- The war in August between Tbilisi and Moscow over Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia was fought on more than the military front.

In Georgia, artists and singers joined forces, producing songs and programs they said were meant to encourage the nation and demoralize the enemy.

"Georgia, Georgia! Be strong in times of hardship, defy your enemy, and fight for the truth."

Five days into the Russia-Georgia war, with anger and despair reaching its peak in Tbilisi, this song -- recorded by 44 of Georgia's top musical artists -- was performed live during a rally outside the Georgian parliament building.

Houston's post-Ike supplies coming, officials say

HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Federal supplies of food and water will be available by Monday evening to Houstonians affected by Hurricane Ike, officials said Sunday after Houston's mayor voiced concern about when the aid would come.

Also Sunday, a state official said nearly 2,000 people who did not evacuate for Ike have been rescued in southeastern Texas, and rescue crews were still searching areas "door by door" for anyone needing help.

"There's an effort to knock on every door, get into every place ... and see if anyone's trapped and to rescue them and, unfortunately in some cases, maybe recover them," said Steve McCraw, director of Texas Homeland Security.

Ike was blamed for at least 13 U.S. deaths by Sunday evening, including at least three in hard-hit Galveston County, Texas.



Heavy rain brings flooding to parts of Michigan

The Cass County sheriff's department in southwest Michigan said rain Friday and Saturday caused flooding that forced the closure of some roads. Some roads in the Detroit area also were reported flooded.

The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids issued a flood warning for counties in the southwest and south-central part of the Lower Peninsula that was scheduled to last until Monday morning.



Heavy rains, flooding wash out Will Co. roads

Update: The east branch of the DuPage River in Bolingbrook broke flooding records at 3:55 p.m. Sunday. Flood stage is 19.5 feet, but that river hit 23.85 feet in the afternoon, a tenth of inch higher than the record during the 1996 flood, according to the National Weather Service.

As residents in the 143rd and Naper Plainfield Road area headed to the Plainfield Police Department Sunday afternoon, local officials were considering closing the downtown area because of rising floodwaters.



Heavy rain forecast as typhoon moves east

CHINA'S coastal Fujian and Zhejiang provinces issued alerts yesterday for typhoon Sinlaku, the 13th tropical storm so far this year.

Sinlaku pounded Taiwan yesterday, bringing torrential rains and triggering landslides in central and northern parts of the island.

Sinlaku was expected to land in east China this morning, bringing downpours and gales, according to Zhejiang Provincial Meteorological Observatory.


Farmers are struggling to harvest their crops after an exceptionally wet summer (UK)

US, too: Record rains could soak farmers at harvest


Water management for the Mekong basin


Water, water, everywhere!

.. But not a drop to drink:

IRAQ: Lots of rivers, not enough water

Summer in Iraq brings unbearable heat, increased need for water, and death and illness suffered by people depending on contaminated water in a country blessed with rivers but unable to properly treat what comes out of them.

All you have to do is turn on a tap and watch the brown-tinted liquid pour out to see the problem.

The latest grim update comes from Hillah, the capital of Babil province south of Baghdad, where health officials have begun using loudspeakers to urge people not to eat ice cream or juice from vendors because it might be made with dirty water. Dr. Ahmed Ajrash, the deputy director of Babil's health directorate, said today that two people had died of confirmed cases of cholera in Babil.

UN supports Iraq's cholera control efforts

BAGHDAD - The World Health Organization met Iraq's Ministry of Health in Baghdad yesterday to offer the UN's increased support to Iraq's cholera control activities. This follows the Government's announcement of 21 new confirmed cholera cases in Babil governorate, with another 90 – 95 suspected cases under investigation.


[BTW, Babil? Yeah, Babylon.--Amanda]


Our First Sip of Seawater
Scripps researchers race to make desalination eco-friendly while there's still time



Australian Grain-Growing Regions Likely to Remain Dry This Week

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Grain-growing regions in Australia, the world's sixth-largest wheat exporter, may get little rain this week, threatening the potential size of the crop as the harvest season approaches.


Big dry fire threat

FIRE authorities and farmers are bracing for a punishing summer after yet another winter of below-average rainfall.

Parts of Tasmania's East Coast are now so dry that nothing short of a torrential downpour will alleviate the extremely high bushfire risk.

The Bureau of Meteorology's soil dryness index is one of the tools used to predict the length and severity of the fire season -- and this year the prediction is not good.

***

119 hospitals in Kinki got inedible rice
No health woes so far linked to Mikasa scam


OSAKA (Kyodo) Some of the pesticide-tainted rice from China sold by an Osaka rice miller found its way into food served at 119 hospitals and nursing homes in the Kinki region, the Osaka Prefectural Government reported Thursday.

The facilities are the first confirmed to have consumed tainted rice sold by Mikasa Foods, which has violated a government ban obliging companies to sell inedible rice only for industrial uses, such as making glue.

Magnitude 2.1 - NEW YORK
2008 September 11 08:10:03 UTC


Magnitude 3.4 - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
2008 September 11 14:52:26 UTC


Magnitude 5.1 - TARAPACA, CHILE
2008 September 11 17:11:34 UTC


Magnitude 5.4 - SICHUAN-GANSU BORDER REGION, CHINA
2008 September 11 17:39:01 UTC


Magnitude 4.5 - OFF THE COAST OF WASHINGTON
2008 September 11 21:17:32 UTC


Magnitude 3.6 - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2008 September 12 13:04:04 UTC
3.4 quake hits east of Willits


Magnitude 5.8 - SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS
2008 September 12 16:44:32 UTC


Magnitude 2.5 - COLORADO
2008 September 12 18:37:29 UTC


Magnitude 5.1 - KOMANDORSKIYE OSTROVA, RUSSIA REGION
2008 September 12 23:49:52 UTC


Magnitude 5.7 - SERAM, INDONESIA
2008 September 13 00:04:06 UTC
Moderate quake hits off Indonesia's Ambon


Magnitude 3.3 - CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
2008 September 13 06:42:51 UTC


Magnitude 5.3 - LOYALTY ISLANDS
2008 September 13 07:32:16 UTC


Magnitude 5.7 - COLOMBIA
2008 September 13 09:32:00 UTC


Magnitude 4.8 - SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
2008 September 13 15:45:26 UTC


Magnitude 4.2 - NORTHERN IRAN
2008 September 13 19:24:13 UTC
Quake Hits Northern Iran


Magnitude 3.3 - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2008 September 13 20:27:52 UTC
The Geysers hit by earthquake Saturday afternoon
Magnitude 3.2 - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2008 September 15 01:34:46 UTC
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/38.40.-124.-122_eqs.php


Magnitude 6.0 - EAST TIMOR REGION
2008 September 14 00:00:11 UTC
Strong quake rattles Timor-Leste


Magnitude 4.4 - OFF THE COAST OF WASHINGTON
2008 September 14 06:33:49 UTC
Quake shakes sea floor west of Island


Magnitude 5.1 - KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
2008 September 14 18:51:07 UTC


Mild quakes rock Bicol, Surigao del Sur (Philippines)


Quake hits southern Iran
UAE's National Seismic Network detects 17 tremors


Earthquake rattles central NZ


Mild tremors felt, people come out of their homes (India)
Residents panic after Small Bang


China Raises Death Toll From Mudslide to 254


Mount Nantai in Nikko may still be active volcano, say researchers (Japan)

Studying the Islamic Way of War
To know an enemy, one must first acknowledge his existence.

At the inaugural conference for the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) back in April, presenter LTC Joseph Myers made an interesting point that deserves further elaboration. Though military studies have traditionally valued and absorbed the texts of classical war doctrine — such as Clausewitz’s On War, Sun Tsu’s The Art of War, even the exploits of Alexander the Great as recorded in Arrian and Plutarch — Islamic war doctrine, which is just as if not more textually grounded, is totally ignored.

As recently as 2006, former top Pentagon official William Gawthrop lamented that “the senior Service colleges of the Department of Defense had not incorporated into their curriculum a systematic study of Muhammad as a military or political leader. As a consequence, we still do not have an in-depth understanding of the war-fighting doctrine laid down by Muhammad, how it might be applied today by an increasing number of Islamic groups, or how it might be countered [emphasis added].” Today, seven full years after September 11, our understanding of the Islamic way of war is little better.



The medieval roots of Islamic extremism

In the days following the man-made tragedy of September 11, 2001, academics, pundits, and news analysts searched for a reason for the terrorist attacks. The conventional wisdom held that the Islamic extremists who targeted the World Trade Center and the Pentagon did so because of America's alliance with Israel. The reasoning was that the US had alienated elements of the Arab and Islamic world by supporting the Jewish state and ignoring Israel's suppression of the Palestinians, thereby inflaming public opinion on "the Islamic street."

The terrorists, according to this thesis, were desperate men avenging American colonialism in the Middle East, and carried out the murder of almost 3,000 people in the name of a beleaguered Islam. Had America been more supportive of the Islamic world and not a staunch ally of Israel, the attacks would not have occurred.

Conventional wisdom is usually wrong, as it was in the case of 9/11. To understand the motivation of those 19 terrorists, we need to go beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and modern European colonialism. The fact is that the call for jihad - the military struggle against infidels as well as Islamic apostates - can be traced to the earliest years of Islam. WHILE AMERICANS were searching for economic, social and political causes for the rise of Islamic extremism, they ignored the reality that the attacks were the result of a religious worldview that dates back many centuries and has always been a part of Islam. The terrorists of 9/11 were not desperate men without a future and with their backs against the wall. They were middle-class and educated. Many of the suicide bombings in Israel, Iraq and Pakistan are carried out because of Islamic theology and not because of poverty or desperation. I would argue that even if the Zionist movement and the State of Israel had never come into existence, the heinous attacks of 9/11 would still have been staged.


***


US and China in secret talks on N Korea chaos fears after Kim Jong-il 'stroke'
America and China are holding secret talks about their shared fear of instability in nuclear-armed North Korea amid reports that the country's diminutive bouffant-haired dictator Kim Jong-il suffered a serious stroke last month.



N Korea 'builds new missile site'

North Korea is close to completing a second launch site for long-range missiles, reports say.
The existence of the site, said to be 30 miles (50km) from the Chinese border, was made public by an analyst using satellite imagery.

Reports say South Korea's defence minister Lee Sang-Hee told a closed-door parliamentary session that the project was about 80% completed.

"We're watching it closely," he was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.


***

Is The Clock Ticking For Saakashvili?

TBILISI -- The Georgian capital is a late-night town. During the day, the city maintains a laid-back, leisurely feel. But with evening, cafes and bars light up, and tables overflow with people, wine, food -- and intense conversation.

Not surprisingly, the constant topic these days -- whether on the streets, in the pubs, or at the office -- is last month's war with Russia. As the postconflict chill from Moscow sets in, questions still linger in Tbilisi about how the war began, and if it was avoidable.



Generous loan for Georgia displays Asian dissatisfaction with Russia

HONG KONG: The executive board of the Asian Development Bank, representing countries from Japan and China to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, unanimously approved a $40 million loan to Georgia at the lowest possible interest rate Friday, the latest sign of Asian dissatisfaction with Russian military action there.

Juan Miranda, director general of the bank's Central and West Asia Department, said Friday that the loan had been scheduled for board consideration before Russian troops moved into Georgia a month ago. But the Russian military action strengthened support at the bank for helping Georgia, he said.

The 32-year loan carries an interest rate of just 1 percent for the first eight years and 1.5 percent for the remainder of the loan, making it a soft loan on preferential terms.

The loan was so popular with the 12-member board that if the loan had not already been on the most generous terms available from the bank, "we would have softened it," Miranda said.



Russia seeks stronger ties with Syria

Russia announced Friday it was renovating a Syrian port for use by the Russian fleet in what signals an effort for a better foothold in the Mediterranean amid the rift with the United States over Georgia.

Syria was Moscow's strongest Middle East ally during the Cold War. The alliance largely waned after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, though Russia has continued some weapons sales to Damascus. Syrian President Bashar Assad has increasingly reached out to Russia recently, including seeking weapons and offering broader military cooperation.

Friday's announcement was the first tangible sign of any new cooperation. The Itar-Tass news agency said Friday that a vessel from Russia's Black Sea fleet had begun restoring facilities at Syria's Mediterranean port of Tartus for use by the Russian military.



Medvedev 'Would Attack Georgia Even If On NATO Track'

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that even if Georgia were on a firm path to NATO membership, he would not hesitate to attack it under circumstances similar to last month's conflict.

Speaking to the annual meeting of the Valdai Club, a group of Russia experts, Medvedev also said he believed that Georgia's August 8 attack on the pro-Russian breakaway region of South Ossetia was Russia's equivalent of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

"Immediately after the events in the Caucasus, it occurred to me that August 8 was for us almost what 9/11 was for the United States," Medvedev said.


Yes, you fucking asshole, Georgia hijacked your passenger airlines and crashed them into the Kremlin. Fucking POS. [Forgive the language. This is a very, VERY sore spot with me. --Amanda]



The true price of war in Georgia

Damages in civil infrastructure estimated at 1.5 to 2 billion dollars. Western countries pledging aid to Georgia – 3.5-4 billion USD - writes Wojtek Szpociński, Institute of Eastern Studies/Economic Forum, School of Commerce and Law

The war in Georgia has not demolished the country’s economy, although losses are substantial. But Europe’s energy security depends on whether an upheaval may be averted.

The conflict in Georgia has resulted in a serious undermining of the supply route for energy resources from the Caspian basin. This is evident from the recent actions of neighbouring countries, which have suddenly undertaken intensive negotiations with Gazprom.



***

Thousands stranded by XL collapse

The collapse of the UK's third largest package holiday group has left tens of thousands of Britons stranded abroad.

The decision to place XL Leisure Group into administration has also left thousands of staff facing the axe.

Chairman Phil Wyatt said he was "totally devastated" by the failure which has grounded XL's 21 planes. The company flies to about 50 destinations.

There are 67,000 stranded who booked directly with XL, and another 23,000 who booked via other companies.



Middle class flight threatens state schools and the NHS, warns Clegg

Britain's middle classes are fleeing state schools and the NHS "en masse" because Labour's "extraordinary experiment" of doubling spending on public services has failed to improve standards, Nick Clegg claims today. On the eve of his first party conference as Liberal Democrat leader, Clegg tells the Guardian that "middle class flight" from schools and the NHS poses a dangerous threat to public services which need "cross-class solidarity" to guarantee taxpayer support.

In an interview to mark the start of the Lib Dem conference in Bournemouth today, Clegg highlights middle class resentment to justify his pledge to cut state spending by £20bn and to impose the biggest tax rise on the rich ever proposed by his party. These would fund Lib Dem policies to improve health and education - to win back middle class support - and a 4p cut in income tax, to be targeted at lower and middle income tax earners.


Yes, socialism is failing, so lets do more of the same! And so Britain continues its swirl down the toilet.


***


Doubts over Niger Delta ministry

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has announced that a new ministry will be created to deal with the problems of the oil-rich Niger Delta.

The region has seen little economic development in the 50 years that oil has been produced there and militants often attack oil installations.

One activist told the BBC he feared it would just add "another bureaucracy" and avoid the Delta's "real issues".



'No peace in Mideast if Israel exists'

Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah voiced his opinion on Thursday about the various peace processes currently underway in the Middle East, saying that as long as Israel exists, there will never be peace in the region.

"As long as Israel exists and its eyes are honing in on the territories of other states, the world will not know peace in the Middle East," Nasrallah said during an interview with Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

"The region will not see the light of peace and stability," he continued, adding that this was due to the "aggressiveness and the natural militancy of Israel."



New Delhi Rocked by Blasts in 3 Markets; 18 Killed

Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) -- India's capital New Delhi was rocked by blasts in three busy market areas, killing at least 18 people, the worst bomb attack in the country since 50 people were killed in the city of Ahmedabad in July.

Home MinisterShivraj Patil, who said five blasts took place within 45 minutes starting at about 6 p.m., condemned the attacks in a televised statement in the capital.

A group calling itself Indian Mujahideen, which claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks in Gujarat state, said it was behind the blasts, Press Trust of India reported, citing an e- mail sent by the group. The e-mail made references to blasts in Jaipur and Ahmedabad and was signed Arbi Hindi, the agency said.



Strip of Iraq 'on the Verge of Exploding'
Kurds Extend Role Beyond Autonomous Borders, Angering Arab

JALAWLA, Iraq -- Kurdish leaders have expanded their authority over a roughly 300-mile-long swath of territory beyond the borders of their autonomous region in northern Iraq, stationing thousands of soldiers in ethnically mixed areas in what Iraqi Arabs see as an encroachment on their homelands.

The assertion of greater Kurdish control, which has taken hold gradually since the war began and caused tens of thousands of Arabs to flee their homes, is viewed by Iraqi Arab and U.S. officials as a provocative and potentially destabilizing action.



Pakistan orders end to foreign incursions

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's military chief said Wednesday that no foreign forces will be allowed to conduct operations inside Pakistan in light of last week's "reckless" U.S. military ground operation.

Pakistan's "territorial integrity ... will be defended at all cost and no external force is allowed to conduct operations ... inside Pakistan," according to a military statement attributed to Chief of Army Staff Gen. Parvez Kayani, who succeeded Pervez Musharraf after he stepped down as Pakistan's army chief last year.



Pakistani fury as suspected US drone attack kills 12
A missile from a suspected US drone has killed 12 people in the lawless Pakistani tribal area linked to al-Qaeda, fuelling angry protests and threats of a withdraw from George W Bush's 'war on terror'.

The missile hit a house on the outskirts of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, a local official said, in the fourth such strike in a week aimed at Taliban or al-Qaeda fighters hiding out in the mountainous region on the north-west frontier with Afghanistan.

Residents said they heard the sound of propeller-driven US Predator drones circling overhead before the explosions.

They follow the revelation that President Bush secretly ordered US special forces to conduct ground assaults in Pakistan without the approval of the Pakistan government, and warnings from the Pakistani military that it would defend its borders from foreign intervention "at all cost".



German police arrest suspected al Qaeda supporter

BERLIN: German police have arrested a 30-year old Turk suspected of having collected money and equipment for al Qaeda, prosecutors said on Saturday.

Germany's federal prosecutor's office said Oemer Oe., who was arrested on Friday, had also tried to recruit militants to al Qaeda training camps since 2006.

The 30-year-old had worked on the orders of Aleem N., a German of Pakistani origin, who was arrested in February and has been charged with "membership in a foreign terrorist organisation and "offences against foreign trade legislation".



Orissa Christians: Attacks Will Glorify God, Bring More to Christ

Christians in the Indian state of Orissa are refusing to abandon their faith despite weeks of killings, beatings and attacks on their homes and churches.

Juria Bardhan, Orissa state leader for Gospel for Asia, said he had seen missionaries and Christians being beaten and killed. Yet he remains unwavering in his faith.

“We know the Lord is in control,” he said.



At Least 18 Killed as Trains Collide in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — A freight train collided with a rush-hour commuter train in Los Angeles on Friday evening, killing at least 18 people and injuring scores of others, many of them critically. The crash was potentially the deadliest accident in the history of the Southern California commuter trains.



U.S. sees Japan's refueling mission in Indian Ocean as crucial

WASHINGTON — The United States sees Japan’s refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for the U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan as crucial and its extension as valuable, a State Department official said Friday. The official, speaking to Kyodo News on condition of anonymity, said Japan and other U.S. allies should increase their contributions to the stability of Afghanistan.

Ike is gonna hurt.

It's hundreds of miles away from us here in the panhandle, but the storms urge and waves have put a number of streets underwater and rivers rising because they cannot empty into the Gulf. For a Cat. 2 so far away, it's incredible.

The price gouging is insane. Prices had only risen a few cents here this afternoon, but people were lined up at the pumps like lemmings.

Something to think about: crude oil prices have dropped a bit and are hovering a little above $100 a barrel. Retail gas prices are at about $3.70 nationwide.

Back in April, crude oil was retailing at $110/barrel and retail gas hit a new record high at $3.36/gallon.

Next time someone tells you those prices are tied to each other and that usage is the only factor driving prices, hit 'em with a rolled up newspaper, please?


Psychologists determine what it means to think 'green'

Those who make human behavior their business aim to make living "green" your business.

Armed with new research into what makes some people environmentally conscious and others less so, the 148,000-member American Psychological Association is stepping up efforts to foster a broader sense of eco-sensitivity that the group believes will translate into more public action to protect the planet.

"We know how to change behavior and attitudes. That is what we do," says Yale University psychologist Alan Kazdin, association president. "We know what messages will work and what will not."

Aaaarrgh!!! Look, APA )!(#heads, I live in nature. I don't need your blather to make me "protect the planet." I'm willing to bet I know more about it than y'all do. In fact, why don't you keep all your agendas to yourselves?



Europe to reaffirm biofuels targets

The European parliament will tomorrow reaffirm binding targets for biofuels in transport and for renewables in energy use in the face of growing political resistance.

MEPs on the parliament's key industry committee will set a mandatory target of 5% of biofuels in transport by 2015, rising to 10% by 2020.

They will also defy objections from several governments, including Britain, and approve in principle a system of penalties for countries which fail to meet interim targets for renewable energy.

Idiots. I am so freakin' glad my ancestors got off of that hellhole continent. At least there's a good crop this year:

Wheat markets feel the weight of record crop

Wheat prices came under further pressure this week as markets reacted to reports of higher yields in the UK and across east and west Europe. The International Grains Council (IGC) raised its 2008 wheat crop estimate by 10m tonnes to a record 672m tonnes, after good harvests in the EU, Russia and Ukraine, plus much-needed rain in key growing regions of Australia.

Rare battle for leader in Japan gets 6 candidates

TOKYO: A week after Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's abrupt resignation plunged Japan into political turmoil, the governing Liberal Democratic Party appears caught in a rare free-for-all, with as many as six candidates now vying for party leader and
prime minister. But it is a matter of debate here whether it is a true contest or a virtual fracas, staged to build the party's flagging public support.

The flood of new candidates, including a few party veterans, the first-ever female candidate and some young political unknowns, is a startling departure from Japan's usually scripted political successions.

China landslide kills 128, hopes fade for missing

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers shoveled and hammered at debris Wednesday searching for survivors buried under sludge, mud and mining waste in northern China after a landslide that killed at least 128 people, but hopes of finding anybody alive were fading.

The surge of mud and mining waste formed a wall measuring three stories high and 660 yards wide when it plowed into buildings Monday in a valley in Shanxi province's Xiangfen county. Local officials say they do not know how many people remain trapped in the rubble.

State-run media had initially reported that there were hundreds of people missing, but later cited authorities as saying the figure could not yet be determined.

Bolivian Opposition Protesters Storm Buildings

Demonstrators in eastern Bolivia clashed with police and broke into government offices on Tuesday, as protests escalated against President Evo Morales' planned economic reforms.

Mobs in Santa Cruz raided the state-run telecommunications company, the tax agency, and the state-run television station. Video footage showed the protesters kicking down doors, entering offices, and smashing property. Riot police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, who fought back. It was not immediately clear how many were injured.

In the southern city of Villamontes, demonstrators tried to seize control of a key gas plant. Officials said protesters failed to disrupt the gas flow from Bolivia to Brazil.

Bolivia blames protesters for explosion

LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Anti-government protesters caused a pipeline explosion in southern Bolivia on Wednesday, forcing a 10 percent cut in natural gas exports to Brazil, the head of the state energy company said.

The official, Santos Ramírez, called the explosion in Tarija province ''a terrorist attack.'' Company officials said protesters had closed a valve, creating pressure that ruptured the pipeline and triggered a fire near the border with Paraguay.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivian_Gas_War


***

Land purchase will boost river

HISTORIC Toorale Station, near Bourke, has been bought by the federal and NSW
governments so its irrigation entitlements can be returned to the beleaguered Darling River.

The federal Water Minister, Penny Wong, and the state Environment Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, said Toorale had been bought for $23.75 million.

The purchase would, on average, see 20,000 megalitres of water returned to the Darling each year, peaking at up to 80 gigalitres in flood years, Senator Wong said.

The 91,000-hectare station where Henry Lawson once worked in the shearing shed will become a national park. Toorale sits at the junction of the Darling and Warrego rivers and has 2000 hectares developed for irrigated crops.

Namibian 'mass graves' discovered

A human rights group in Namibia has announced the discovery of what appear to be mass graves for victims of the country's security forces.

The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) said graves on both sides of the border with Angola could contain the remains of up to 1,600 civilians.

It said the graves were believed to hold the remains of people who disappeared between 1994 and 2003.

Irish still unclear on how to reverse 'no' vote on EU treaty

BRUSSELS: Ireland on Wednesday acknowledged that it still had no clear idea how to reverse a referendum "no" vote that plunged the European Union into political crisis three months ago, and that the global economic downturn might have made things harder.

A survey of opinion among voters, commissioned by the Irish government and published Wednesday, revealed surprisingly low levels of knowledge about the lisbon Treaty, which aimed to streamline decision-making and give the EU a bigger global role.

Hey, I got an idea? Why don't you just honor the wishes of the Irish people?

Nah. Too radical. *eyeroll*



Is Situation Ripe For Peace Between Turkey And Armenia?

If the historic visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Armenia is followed by more diplomatic contacts and negotiations, it may prove to have been truly a far-reaching strategic event for the whole region.

It will not only have a direct impact on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but it will open up unprecedented doors for Armenia economically. The landlocked country will reduce its dependence on Iran and Russia and it can hope to achieve strategic security, after centuries of costly domination by despotic Ottoman rulers and later animosity by Turkish nationalist political forces.

Is the ground ready for a continuing rapprochement between the two neighbors? From the Armenian perspective, conditions for a final and lasting peace with Turkey have been gaining momentum since the country became independent in 1991.

Lehman sees $3.9 billion loss and plans to shed assets

The investment bank Lehman Brothers, in an all-out fight for its survival, said Wednesday morning that it expected a loss of $3.9 billion, or $5.92 a share, in the third quarter after $5.6 billion in write-downs.

The investment bank also said that it would spin off the majority of its remaining commercial real estate holdings into a new public company. And it confirmed plans to sell a majority of its investment management division in a move that it expects to generate $3 billion.

The moves come after Lehman's stock lost nearly half its value on Tuesday as investors feared it was running out of options to raise capital and shore up its ailing balance sheet. Shares in Lehman, a major underwriter of mortgage-related securities during the credit boom, are down over 90 percent since hitting their peak last year before the subprime mortgage crisis took hold.

Lehman said Wednesday that it hoped to complete the spin-off of around $32 billion in commercial mortgage assets by early next year.

Coke’s bid for Chinese juice company reviewed

Beijing — Coca-Cola Co. will have to submit its bid to buy a Chinese juice producer for review under China’s new anti-monopoly law, state television reported, setting up the first major test of the legislation.
...
“This acquisition is a very big one. So when we receive the application, we will inspect it carefully in accordance with the Anti-Monopoly Law,” a ministry spokesman, Yao Shenhong, was quoted as saying.

The Commerce Ministry did not respond Monday to questions by phone and fax about the status of the proposed purchase. A Coca-Cola spokesman in Hong Kong, Kenth Kaerhoeg, said the company will do “whatever it takes to facilitate this process” but declined to say whether it has submitted a formal application or comment on details of the review.

China is the world’s leading destination for foreign investment. But the purchase of established companies is still rare and politically sensitive. In July, the U.S. investment fund Carlyle Group ended a three-year effort to buy a stake in a Chinese maker of construction equipment following regulatory resistance and public complaints about the sale of assets to foreigners.

Somali MP assassinated at mosque

Somali MP Mohamed Osman Maye has been shot dead outside a mosque in the town of Baidoa, the seat of parliament.

He was thought to have been an ally of President Abdullahi Yusuf.

He is the first MP to have been assassinated since Ethiopian forces helped the interim government oust Islamists from power in December 2006.

Meanwhile, Islamist militants who took over the port town of Kismayo last month have imposed a curfew following the assassination of several residents.

US sanctions target Iran carrier

The US has imposed sanctions on an Iranian shipping company and 18 of its affiliates over its alleged support for Tehran's nuclear programme.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) had provided logistical support for the Iranian defence ministry, the US treasury said.

IRISL's US-based assets would be frozen and its transactions banned, it said.

The US has already imposed a number of sanctions on Iran linked to its controversial nuclear programme.

***


Disney characters adorn hate-filled Palestinian children's show

First it was Hamas, now it is the Western-backed Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas that is using beloved Disney characters to lure Palestinian Arab children who are then taught that terrorist violence against Israeli Jews is the highest achievement.

In a similar way that American children are raised by pop culture to believe that becoming a movie star or professional athlete is the pinnacle of social achievement, Arab children currently tuning in to Palestinian Authority TV are being taught that deceased anti-Israel terrorists are their society's greatest heroes.

And it is being done to a Disney theme.

In a recent episode of a special children's show airing during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a young host addressed Palestinian children from a set adorned with the likenesses of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

Piglet?



Israel: Jerusalem not on negotiating table

Diplomatic officials in Jerusalem negated a statement made by the capital's US Consul General Jake Walles asserting that Israel had agreed to cede control over east Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority as part of the current peace talks.

The sources expressed their astonishment at Walles' public discussion of the negotiations, as the three sides involved have agreed to refrain from making the matter public.

Diplomatic turmoil ensued after Walles told Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam that during US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's most recent visit to Israel she said the basis for the current negotiations with the Palestinians would have to be a withdrawal to the 1967 ceasefire lines, including east Jerusalem.

We are doomed if we insist on dividing Jerusalem. The Word says so.



U.S. won't back Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities: report

JERUSALEM - Israel has not received a "green light" from the United States to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, according to a report in Thursday's Haaretz newspaper.

Without citing where or how it received the information, the widely read Israeli daily said the U.S. had refused an Israeli request for deep penetration bombs, tanker refuelling aircraft and a corridor through U.S.-controlled airspace in Iraq that would provide the quickest secure route between Israel and Iran, the newspaper reported.

The so-called "bunker buster" bombs that Israel was said to have sought could be particularly effective against Iran's nuclear research centres, many of which have been built in underground shelters.

Deep, deep doom.



Israel 'annexes' West Bank areas

Israel has annexed thousands of hectares of West Bank land beside the barrier it is building, according to an Israeli rights group.

B'Tselem says the land has been taken with the justification that it is needed to protect Israeli settlements.

The group says some settlements have seized up to two and a half times more land than they have been designated by fencing it off or through intimidation.

Under international law the settlements in the West Bank are illegal.

This is disputed by Israel, which has settled about 450,000 people in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Notice how they're referring to "East Jerusalem" as if it's a separate city?



Meanwhile, guess who's coming to dinner?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Return to U.S.

A U.N. spokesman has confirmed to FOX News that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will return to the U.S. to address the U.N.'s assembly on Sept. 23.

Jewish groups plan to hold a large protest rally under the slogan "Stop Iran Now!" during Ahmadinejad's visit, Israel National News reported.

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Russia threatens to target missiles at US sites

Russia has threatened to target planned US missile shield sites in Europe as tensions mounted over Georgia, with the shooting of a policeman and discord over the remit of EU observers.

General Nikolai Solovtsov, head of strategic missile forces, said if the United States set up installations in central Europe the Kremlin would ensure that Russia's vast nuclear arsenal remained effective.

He criticised a lack of transparency in Washington's plans and warned that its missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic and "other such objects" could become "designated targets" for inter-continental ballistic missiles.

"We should be sure that the current and future strategic missile forces... are guaranteed to fulfil the task of strategic deterrence," he said.

Russia troops prepare to leave Georgia buffer zone

KHOBI, Georgia (Reuters) - Russian soldiers began dismantling checkpoints in western Georgia on Wednesday in line with a French-brokered ceasefire deal, but disagreement broke out over the international force that will replace them.

Underlining the fragility of the ceasefire that ended last month's brief war between Russia and Georgia, a Georgian policeman was shot dead near a Russian checkpoint in another part of the ex-Soviet state.

Moscow's intervention in Georgia last month, in which its forces crushed an attempt by Tbilisi to retake its breakaway South Ossetia region, drew widespread international condemnation and prompted concern over the security of energy supplies.

Russia agreed on Monday to pull back its troops from undisputed Georgian territory, a presence Western governments said was illegal. It will, though, keep about 7,600 troops inside South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a second separatist region.

Russia threatens Georgia truce after 'killing police officer'

A fragile ceasefire in the Caucasus has wobbled after Georgia accused Russian soldiers of killing one of its police officers near the rebel region of South Ossetia.

The shooting would, if confirmed, represent the most serious breach of a month-old truce that ended last month's five-day war.

United States' officials also accused Russia of being in clear violation of the fragile truce signed last month.

According to the Georgian interior ministry, the officer was killed after a police post came under fire from a Russian checkpoint at Karaleti, a village near the strategic town of Georgia.

Karaleti is one of several villages in undisputed Georgian territory that Russia has occupied since the end of the war.