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The Free Press Vs. the New World Order
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsWND - Joseph Farah
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

It's official!

The United Nations banned the news agency most critical of "man-made catastrophic climate" hysteria from coverage of the Copenhagen convention billed as a major leap forward for global governance.

That new agency is my own, of course – WND.

You might think the banning of a news agency, any news agency, would evoke some coverage from colleagues.

Yet, to date, not one story about the censorship has appeared on Fox News, CNN, the New York Times, the Associated Press, ABC, NBC, CBS or any other major news outlet.

I shouldn't be surprised.

With few exceptions, the major press has not yet covered to any measurable degree the biggest development since Al Gore invented "global warming." (By the way, unlike the Internet, he really did invent "global warming" – to his everlasting shame, except in Nobel Prize circles.)

I refer, of course, to what has come to be known as "Climategate" – e-mails from pseudo-scientists at East Anglia University that reveal an effort to spin and even change real temperature data to fit the theory and obscure the facts.

The e-mails were a new discovery, but the lying and manipulation of data is hardly a recent occurrence. It goes back 10 years.

Now, of course, the pseudo-scientists can't even hide the data. Since global temperatures have actually been falling for several years running, there is little talk about "global warming" any longer. Now the alarmists talk only of "climate change."

Well, here's a bulletin for the Copenhagen crowd: Climates do change. They have always changed. Climate change has nothing to do with man's activity on the planet. Climates have been changing for thousands of years – long before the Industrial Revolution, the internal combustion engine, the harnessing of electricity, oil-powered energy plants and before the invention of the "carbon footprint."

Last week I received a call from a top United Nations media officer who assured me there was no effort at denying media from the convention because of skepticism about climate change. He said some 5,000 news organizations were accredited for coverage. But when the excuses we got for denial of access are based on provably false allegations about our news organization's structure lifted verbatim from Wikipedia and mention loaded words like "advocacy," it's clear what's going on here.

WND was hindered from exercising its free-press rights by a powerful global political organization that is actively fanning the flames of "climate change" fear-mongering.

WND is not some obscure blog – a Johnny-come-lately to the "New Media." It was here at the birth some 13 years ago. It is the most trafficked independent Internet news source in the English-language – begun precisely because no one else was doing investigative reporting into waste, fraud, abuse and corruption of Big Government and other powerful institutions. That, of course, is the central role of a free press in a free society, though you would hardly know it these days as most news agencies devote more coverage to the Tiger Woods scandal than to the raw grab for power taking place in Copenhagen this week.

Not only did the United Nations obstruct the free press this week, it also deliberately threw a roadblock in my company's ability to compete on an even playing field with other news agencies. Maybe that explains the silence from my colleagues – who are losing readers and viewers and advertisers daily while WND continues to grow.

Am I taking this personally?

Yes, I am.

I take all abridgments of free-press rights personally – no matter who the victim is.

I guess that's more than anyone can say for my colleagues in the state-sponsored, state-approved media.

WND faced exactly the same kinds of obstacles when it attempted many years ago to obtain credentials to cover the U.S. Capitol. We fought, with no help from the rest of the media – some of whom actually attempted to block our access – and we prevailed.

The European Foreign Ministers have called for Jerusalem to be the capital for two states: Israel and Palestine
Dec 8th, 2009
News UpdateJimmy DeYoung
Categories: Jimmy DeYoung News

Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, the EU foreign ministers passed a resolution for the 27-member states to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city for both Israel and a future Palestinian state and the document also called for the establishment of the Palestinian state to include not only Jerusalem but Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip.

One EU foreign minister said that Israel has a right to live in Israel and the Palestinians have a right to live in Palestine.

Jimmy's Prophetic Prospective on the News

The call by EU foreign ministers to divide Jerusalem into the capital of two states, Israel and Palestine, is a call for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

Even as the Israeli government campaigned for the EU foreign ministers to not endorse the division of Jerusalem, the decision was made to divide the city into the capital for two nations, Israel and Palestine. This political move by the EU foreign ministers is very controversial even among leaders of the EU, but it is actually in opposition to history and Bible prophecy as well.

The truth be known, there has never been a state called Palestine and thus there was never a portion of Jerusalem as the capital city of Palestine, nor was Judea and Samaria included in that state. The EU foreign ministers have put Jerusalem at the center of controversy in our world today. This scenario is in line with Bible prophecy as written by the ancient Jewish prophet Zechariah when he said that Jerusalem would be a "cup of trembling" and a burdensome stone, Zechariah 12:2-3.

The EU itself is a precursor to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy as at least the infrastructure for the revived Roman Empire if not actually the fulfillment of the revived Roman Empire as found in Daniel 7:7, 24 and Revelation 17:3, 12.

This call by the EU foreign ministers to divide Jerusalem into two capitals is indeed a call for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

Swine - Flu Bribe Fever!
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsWND - Chelsea Schilling
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

U.N.'s H1N1 scientists linked to companies making vaccine

World Health Organization scientists are suspected of accepting secret bribes from vaccine manufacturers to influence the U.N. organization's H1N1 pandemic declaration, according to Danish and Swedish newspapers.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical profits from swine-flu related drugs have soared – with earnings between $10 billion and $15 billion in 2009, investment bank JP Morgan estimates.

As WND reported, the WHO Director General Margaret Chan initially raised the influenza pandemic alert to its second highest level in May – but evidence reveals the agency may have made it easier to classify the flu outbreak as a pandemic by changing its definition to omit "enormous numbers of deaths and illness" just prior to making its declaration.

The world was gripped with fears of swine flu as the alert increased from Phase 5 to Phase 6, the highest level. Immediately, pharmaceutical companies began working to develop vaccines, and countries tailored their responses to address the situation.

Danish newspaper Information reported that when Chan raised the level of pandemic alert on June 11, the declaration meant substantial economic benefits for the pharmaceutical industry – especially since many countries have contracts with major drug companies and are required to purchase vaccines in the event of a pandemic. Swedish newspaper SvD echoed Information's report.

"Many of the apparently impartial researchers the WHO uses, however, are paid by the companies that produce vaccines," states a translated version of the Information article, "Strong lobbying behind WHO resolution on mass vaccination."

One expert in a WHO H1N1 advisory group, Dr. Albert Osterhaus, has been subject to a Dutch government investigation. The government convened a crisis meeting after an article in Science magazine indicated that Osterhaus has financial interests in several pharmaceutical companies.

Osterhaus, known as "Dr. Flu," is the head of the department of virology at the Erasmus MC, University of Rotterdam. According to a European Commission Research website, Osterhaus is co-founder of two biotech companies and promotes vaccines as solutions for pandemics.

Another expert who advises WHO on vaccines, Dr. Frederick Hayden, is described as a flu-research coordinator from the Wellcome Trust in London.

However, according to the report, Hayden also serves as a "paid adviser" for pharmaceutical companies Roche, RW Johnson, SmithKline Beecham and Glaxo Wellcome.

WHO expert Dr. Arnold Monto is also purportedly a paid consultant for MedImmune, a company that produces nasal flu vaccine; Glaxo Wellcome and ViroPharma. However, WHO's Strategize Advisory Group of Experts, or SAGE, never divulged those ties, according to the report.

The newspaper also states that numerous pharmaceutical companies maintain an active presence during WHO advisory group meetings, with representatives listed as "observers."

Professor Tom Jefferson, epidemiologist at the Cochrane Center in Rome, told Information he believes the researchers' dual roles are problematic, and he noted the WHO's emphasis on drugs rather than proper hygiene habits.

"The WHO's latest recommendation on the control of pandemic influenza has frequent washing of hands mentioned twice," he said. "Vaccines and antivirals are, however, mentioned 24 and 18 times. Why would an international public health agency focus on much more expensive interventions, such as vaccines and medication, when it is not proven that they work?"

Jefferson said washing ones hands is the only proven method of flu prevention.

Wolf Dieter Ludwig, head of drug commission of the German Medical Association, told Der Spiegel he has no doubt pharmaceutical companies have been seeking to capitalize off what he called a "non-existent threat."

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told Information it's natural to allow representatives of the pharmaceutical industry to participate in WHO meetings.

"Everybody has something to contribute in this process – industry, NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and professional players – so we can gather all information," he said. "They cannot vote. They have no influence on the outcome, and they can only speak when they are asked. We make vaccine recommendations, so we need knowledge about what is required to produce a vaccine. Only the manufacturers have that knowledge."

According to the report, WHO does not publicize information about advisers' financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

"All staff must sign the declaration of conflicts of interest, so we are clear about their background," Hartl said. "But again, Frederick Hayden is the best influenza virologist in the world, so if you want to know how influenza behaves, you ask Fred Hayden."

Asked why WHO doesn't publish the advisers' financial ties to drug companies, he replied, "I'm not sure why we didn't publish it. I can't answer that. … It is possible that we will look at a code of disclosure of financial information, but I cannot promise anything."

He continued, "WHO has a system that guarantees independence. … We do not let anything or anyone influence us."

Louise Volle, journalist at the Danish daily and co-author of the report, told Russia Today, "The biggest problem seems to be that we don't know enough. There's not enough transparency on financial disclosure on the expert groups used by WHO. ... Scientists who appear to be independent are also hired consultants working for the same pharmaceutical companies who produce the vaccines. This is clearly an issue that needs to be taken care of."

Volle said she does not expect that the WHO will publish the financial disclosures on its experts unless public pressure is put on the organization.

Asked whether any solid investigations are being conducted to explore the allegations, she replied, "Not currently. I don't think so. ... [I]t has to be public what is going on in these meetings and what is going on in these expert groups. Who are the people working for WHO? And who else are they working for?"

According to Voice of America, Keiji Fakuda, WHO director general on pandemic influenza, refuted claims that WHO is in collusion with the pharmaceutical industry. He also noted that 150 million doses of H1N1 vaccine have been distributed in 40 countries.

Meanwhile, WHO reports the global H1N1 death toll at 8,768 as of Dec. 4.

According to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2,500 and 6,100 Americans died from swine flu between April and Oct. 17 this year.

However, the CDC also reports that during a typical U.S. winter, normal seasonal flu strains result in an average of 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 American deaths – roughly 10 times the current swine-flu death rate.

Leading epiemiologists are now predicting the pandemic may rank as the mildest on record.

Netanyahu Faces Likud Party Opposition, Massive Rally
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

 
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s efforts to calm the anger of Likud Knesset Members and leaders of Judea and Samaria fell on deaf ears Sunday evening as opposition continues to mount within his Likud party and throughout the country against a 10-month freeze on building for Jews.

Building freeze opponents, who include usually more passive communities in Judea and Samaria as well as many living in the rest of Israel, plan a huge protest rally in Jerusalem Wednesday evening.

Another appeal against the government order has been filed with the High Court, and Likud Knesset Member Yariv Levin lashed out at colleague Benny Begin for supporting the mini-Cabinet decree that he labeled "anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish.”

                     MK Yariv Levin (Flash 90)                   He told Arutz 7 that the building freeze will not succeed and also sharply criticized Likud Minister Benny Begin, son of former Prime Minister Menachem Begin and considered one of the most principled MKs, for supporting the freeze. “The greater the expectations from him, the greater the disappointment,” MK Levin stated.

Danny Dayan, chairman of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) vowed that communities will continue to try to stop building inspectors, backed by police and sometimes by soldiers, from entering their communities.

Prime Minister Netanyahu failed to convince opponents of the freeze that building in Judea and Samaria will resume after 10 months despite his noting that “two weeks already have passed.” Government leaders and some opponents to the halt in building have proposed several moves to lighten the freeze, such as exempting Gush Katif expulsion victims who still are without permanent homes more than four years after army bulldozers destroyed their homes as part of the "Disengagement” program.

However, most opponents of the freeze want to scrap the entire idea, using political and judicial pressure. Four families, including Gush Katif expulsion victims, appealed to the High Court that the freeze violates their basic rights. They also stated that the government order does not include any means for compensating them for their losses they sustained after purchasing lots and paying contractors for work that now cannot be legally carried out

Netanyahu Admits: Freeze Orders Go Further Than Intended
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Hillel Fendel
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

 
In his Monday morning appearance at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the building freeze in Judea and Samaria does not include construction that is already underway. Defense Ministry inspectors issuing the orders, however, have ordered stoppages even of construction that has begun.

One Knesset Member present at the session told Israel National News that this glaring inconsistency was not addressed at the session.

Netanyahu defended the freeze by saying, “We said that we want to stop new construction – not construction that has already begun. During [E Olmert’s term as prime minister, there was no construction, but we stopped this freeze. The mini-cabinet’s decision has nothing to do with building that has already started. There must be coordination between the decision and its implementation.”

Why Freeze?

Talks with PA: Netanyahu explained that one of the reasons for the freeze concerns the diplomatic process with the Palestinian Authority, and he implied that Iran is another one: “This decision was motivated by broad considerations, including the desire to try to advance the negotiations [with the ; we are interested in sharpening the picture of who truly wants talks and who does not.”

“The main problem we have is with Iran's [nuclea arming,” the Prime Minister stated. “Our supreme interest is to prevent this from happening... In the past year, two things have happened: Iran’s progress towards nuclear power, and on the other hand, its lack of international legitimacy.”

Only Three Weeks to Go

“The deadline for Iran is the end of December,” Netanyahu said. “That is the time that the United States and the international community will make their decision on the topic of sanctions and the like. Russia and China are currently cooperating [with the against Iran, but it is not certain that this will continue.”

“Our relations with the U.S. have grown closer, and there is cooperation on the strategic plane and regarding Iran,” Netanyahu said. He noted the American efforts to stave off the Goldstone Report, as well as recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She spoke of the need to bridge between the PA’s demand for a total return to the pre-’67 borders and Israel’s need for security arrangements and defensible borders – namely, Netanyahu said, “control of our eastern flank.”

Hizbullah is Lebanon’s Army

“If in the past we related to Hizbullah as a side militia, today we know that Hizbullah is Lebanon’s real army,” Netanyahu said. “It is a strong force that arms itself and trains and organizes like an army in every sense. The Lebanese government and Hizbullah are becoming more and more intertwined, and they will bear the responsibility for any harm done to Israel.”

Netanyahu discussed the following issues as well: Gaza: “Quiet has been maintained there since Operation Cast Lead, because we respond every time there’s a shooting, and we have thus created deterrence.” The influx of 5,000 Africans every year: “The reason for this is the growing gap between Israel’s developed economy and the failing economies in Africa. One can walk from Africa to the Tel Aviv area, unlike to Paris or Rome, which are separated from Africa by an ocean. We are increasing punishments against those who employ them, and we will build a physical barrier as well – and the sooner, the better.” Syria: “I told [French Presiden Sarkozy that we are willing to renew negotiations with Syria immediately and without preconditions. If a mediator is needed, we prefer France rather than Turkey.” Israel as a Jewish state: “The PA must also recognize Israel as the Jewish People’s state, thus obviating any demands for the ‘right of return’” of millions of Arabs to Israel

Neeman Slammed for Desiring Torah Law
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsJpost
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Justice Minister Yaacov Neeman came under fire Tuesday, after apparently expressing hope that the state's current legal system will soon be dictated by the Torah.

Former justice minister and current opposition leader and Kadima chair Tzipi Livni told Army Radio on Tuesday morning that such sentiments should "be troubling to every citizen in Israel," and expressed confidence that Israel's characteristics enable a healthy blend between temporal law and halacha.

Another former justice minister, Yossi Beilin, urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to fire Neeman following his 'Torah' statement.

According to Beilin, "A justice minister who advocates an Israeli theocracy needs to leave his post immediately."

Kadima MK Orit Zuaretz said that Neeman's comments "undermine the foundations of the value system and the laws of a democratic country."

She said that if he meant what he said, Neeman should reconsider his position since his remarks are damaging to "entire communities and to the delicate balance that exists between a democratic state and a Jewish state."

Fellow Kadima MK Ya'acov Edri called on Neeman to resign, saying that with his remarks, the justice minister had expressed a total lack of trust in the establishment that he was appointed to head.

Meretz chairman MK Haim Oron slammed the justice minister for his "disloyalty" to Israel's principles.

"It's unfortunate that the justice minister has detached himself from the basic values of the State of Israel and is not 'loyal' to the civic and statesman-like principles," Oron said in a play on the meaning of the justice minister's name, which is Hebrew for "loyal."

"His declarations indicate a worrying process of 'Talibanization' of Israeli society that has escalated to delusional levels," he warned.

Rabbi Gilad Kariv, head of the Reform Movement in Israel, said in response, "A justice minister that is supposed to strengthen the democratic rule of law and the legal system in Israel has chosen instead to give his backing to a group of people who see civil courts as 'goyish' and in so doing undermines the trust citizens place in the rule of law.

"Allowing halacha to take over Israeli law does not fit in with basic democratic principles and with the enlightened and progressive character of the State of Israel.

"The fact that the justice minister of the State of Israel supports such a move, even as a personal wish, is a bad sign for Israeli democracy," Kariv said.

Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkovitz, however, "applauded the justice minister for his intention to base the Israeli legal system on Jewish law and give it a Jewish soul.

"No one should have reason to fear the declaration of the minister, who embodies a combination of religious values and pluralism. But there is reason to fear a legal system that does not faithfully represent the diverse opinions of the Jewish people," Hershkovitz said.

Neeman had told rabbis and rabbinical judges attending a conference in Jerusalem on Jewish monetary laws that "restoring the former glory, so that the law of the Torah is Israel's law, is really the appropriate way to endow upon us the law of Torah in stages… step after step."

Neeman repeatedly used the phrase "restoring former glory," which has become associated with Shas, after it became the religious-Sepharadi party's slogan.

"Israel should regain the heritage of our Fathers, the primary and ultimate words of the Torah, which contain a complete solution to all the questions we deal with," the justice minister continued in his address on Monday night.

"Soon, in the near future, amen," he added.

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef sent a greeting to the conference in which he stressed the halachic prohibition against using secular courts, and said that there was no halachic difference between gentile judges and Jewish judges deliberating according to gentile laws.

He called on the public to choose Jewish courts in any litigation.

Yosef quoted a halacha which states that "anyone who legislates in secular courts is raising one's hand to the Torah of Moses our teacher, he is deemed a wicked person and cannot not be counted in a minyan."

The Justice Ministry tried to quell the uproar sparked by Neeman's words.

"In the wake of reports on IDF Radio regarding his remarks at a rabbinical conference last night, Justice Minister Prof. Yaakov Neeman wishes to clarify that these remarks were not a call for Jewish religious law to replace the laws of the State of Israel, either directly or indirectly.

"Minister Neeman spoke in broad and general terms about restoring the stature of Jewish law and about the importance of Jewish law to the life of the country," the statement read.

Following the "insufficient response" to the allegations, MK Ophir Paz-Pines (Labor) on Tuesday afternoon called to conduct a "swift discussion" in the Knesset's Constitution, Justice and Law Committee, which Paz-Pines is a member of, and summon Neeman to it.

"A hidden agenda has been exposed here, showing a dark outlook," Paz-Pines said in a statement. "The justice minister expressed explicit mistrust in the Israeli justice system as well as an aspiration to turn the state into a state of halacha. A justice minister who does not believe in the system he is in charge of, should ask himself what he is doing in his position," the Labor parliamentarian said.

Gil Hoffman and Matthew Wagner contributed to this report

Internet Campaign: 'No Gilad, No Mosque'
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva Hana Levi Julian
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

 
A new campaign has been launched across the Internet to close the Al Aksa mosque to Muslim worshippers until Hamas terrorists return kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, held in captivity since his abduction near the Kerem Shalom crossing on June 25, 2006.

A petition has been making the rounds, calling on the Israeli police to close the Temple Mount to Muslims until Shalit is released without preconditions. The campaign, which is being carried out under the banner, "Without Gilad, There is No Mosque" was initiated by Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick, who spoke with Arutz Sheva about the project.

"The Temple Mount is our heart of hearts, and an IDF soldier rotting for three years in a hovel without a minimum of basic rights is also in our hearts. The only thing that we can do to hurt the Muslim public is to block their access to the Temple Mount," Glick said, adding that he hopes the pressure from the entire Muslim world will force Hamas to free Shalit in order to reopen the Mount.

"We will have to take measures that hurt the Muslim public," he said, adding that he is not concerned about the possibility the idea may cause riots in Jerusalem. "Why aren't they worried over the idea of kidnapping a soldier?" he asked.

Glick said he is aware the chances are slim that his proposal will be implemented, or even be heard by government ministers. "I am speaking to the people of Israel and not to the government of Israel. We want to connect the people of Israel with the Temple Mount -- to raise our consciousness."

Hamas: Shalit Ball in Israeli Court

A senior Hamas source told an Italian news agency on Monday that the "ball was in Israel's court" on negotiations over Shalit's freedom. Muhamad al-Katri, the Hamas official in charge of prisoners' affairs, said the terrorist group had even agreed to have Shalit examined by French doctors despite concerns that such a visit would diclose the hiding place where the hostage is being held.

German mediator Ernst Uhrlau meanwhile arrived Monday in Tel Aviv with the terrorist group's response to Israel's latest offer on a swap deal for Shalit's release. He is expected to return to Gaza within a few days.

 

On Sunday, the London-based Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper reported that a team of four French doctors indeed accompanied the German mediator to Gaza -- a week ago Sunday -- to examine the Israeli soldier as a confidence-building measure in the negotiations.

According to the report, the doctors, all specialists in different fields, arrived with Uhrlau in Cairo and entered Gaza through the Rafiah crossing. They allegedly examined Shalit in the hiding place where he is being held prisoner.

Has Iran's Supreme Leader Disappeared?
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Hana Levi Julian - Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Categories: Today's Headlines

 
An underground Iranian activist has told Israel National News that the country's highest official -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei -- was spirited to a "secret place" for his own safety and that the nation's religious leaders are "scared." The source - an activist in the global Iranian pro-democracy movement who is involved in assisting a group of some 30,000 students located in Tehran and several other major cities - said Khamenei has disappeared. It is the Supreme Leader who controls Iran's foreign policy, and specifically its decisions regarding its nuclear development activities.

"I am told that Khamenei was taken to a secret place to monitor the situation and perhaps for his safety, and a helicopter was ready with a pilot in it to perhaps fly him out to Russia if the situation got out of hand," the source told Israel National News on Tuesday. "I am also told that prominent clergy went to meet with him hoping to force him to show leniency.... [Our consensu is that [t mullahs are scared."

Foreign journalists were once again banned, phone networks cut and Internet connections spotty at best as government forces tried to put the lid back on the growing unrest that again broke out during special observances on Monday.

The demonstrations, planned months in advance, were held on the nation's annual observance of the deaths of three students during anti-American riots in 1953, a day known in Iran as "16 Azar" -- December 7 on the secular calendar. It is a day that has "bitter memories for Iranians," according to the activist, who explained that the Shah's army had opened fire and killed students on that day.

Basij militia and police officers wielded batons and fired tear gas at demonstrators in Tehran who continue to protest what they contend was the rigged re-election in June of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They  also accuse the government of silencing academic freedom.

"16 Azar" ceremonies were held in all universities across Kurdestan and the suburbs, according to an Iranian blogger who reported that some 700 protesters gathered at Kurdestan University alone, singing anti-government songs, waving signs ("Death to dictator") and chanting slogans. At least 400 demonstrators did the same at Payam eh Noor University, as did a similar number at Sanandaj Azad University.

"Demonstrators' spirits were high," said the activist. "Frankly, I was nervous, since all communications systems were down, and [I wa afraid of a bloody massacre. But the turnout was great when [t cities of Kerman, Shahr Kord and especially  Esfahan came out en masse and confronted the Basij," he related.

Basij 'Very Very Sorry' -- or Not?

"Students and most people participating were emboldened since there was confusion among the military, secret service and Basij," said the source. "Many Basij called [Persian-langua radio stations [outside Ira over the phone and apologized to the people of Iran, crying for having beaten demonstrators under Khamenei's orders," he said. "They said that they were told demonstrators were anti-Islam and Western-paid troublemakers, but now they -- the Basij -- are finding out that they have been told a lie by the mullahs and were very, very sorry for beating their own countrymen.

"The two that I witnessed and listened to their call broke down in tears. I personally listened to such calls from callers who identified themselves as Basij," he added.

Demonstrators reported they witnessed many police officers refusing to engage and attack protesters, according to the source, who said the government forces were seen arguing among themselves. "Good news for us!" he wrote, adding that another countrywide mass demonstration is being planned for Saturday.

The situation may not be as simple as it appeared to this group of activists, however; the Iran Khabar Agency reported late Monday that Basij forces attacked students at the Science Faculty Building of Rasht University, beating them violently with batons.

"As soon as the students gathered and started to chant slogans, the Basij forces attacked... Three students were tied up by their hands and feet and were thrown on vans... the Basij forces today had gone wild," according to the report.

Foreign Ministry: EU Resolution Ignores Main Obstacle to Peace
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsJpost
Categories: Today's Headlines;Peace Process

A resolution passed by European Union foreign ministers Tuesday to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and a future Palestinian state "ignores the primary obstacle to achieving a resolution between Israel and the Palestinians," according to a Foreign Ministry statement released after the vote.

The statement said that main factor preventing a peace agreement was "the Palestinian refusal to return to the negotiating table."

"Given the Israel Government's efforts to renew the negotiations, Israel regrets that the EU has chosen to adopt a text that, although containing nothing new, does not contribute to the renewal of negotiations," the statement added.

Nonetheless, the Foreign Ministry expressed relief that the original Swedish draft, which did not recognize Israel's claims to east Jerusalem, was revised, stating that the "voices of the responsible and reasonable EU states" had prevailed.

The Foreign Ministry statement ended with a call for the EU to "promote direct negotiations between the parties, while considering Israel's security needs and understanding that Israel's Jewish character must be preserved in any future agreement."

Also responding to the resolution Tuesday, a senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the EU document.

"We hope that Israel agrees to the principles contained in the statement, because this is the right way to launch serious negotiations," said Yasser Abed Rabbo.

The draft EU ministerial resolution which was approved Tuesday said, "The EU will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem."

The document also called for the establishment of a Palestinian state comprising the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. "If there is to be [peace] a way has to be found to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the capital of two states," it said.

Most EU ministers appeared supportive of the latest draft, although some said the declaration should not antagonize either party in the dispute at the risk of undermining efforts to restart peace talks.

"I don't really understand why Israel does not accept that Palestine consists of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem," Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told journalists. "The Israelis have a right to live in Israel, the Palestinians have a right to live in Palestine."

Finish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said the EU must affirm its stand on the status of Jerusalem and insist that Israel must not resume settlement building.

"The EU has very strong principles and we have to stick to those principles," Stubb said. "I think the negotiations, the peace process must simply start and this is a way forward."

The EU foreign ministers meeting is intended to pave the way for the regular, year-end summit on Thursday and Friday.

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) also reacted with disappointment to the foreign ministers' declaration.

EJC President Dr. Moshe Kantor said that the declaration hardly took into account recent Israeli concessions including the 10-month moratorium on settlement building, removing West Bank roadblocks, boosting the Palestinian economy and accepting the premise of a Palestinian state.

"Although the declaration goes some way to correcting the unprecedented proposals by the Swedes, it is still extremely lopsided towards the Palestinian point of view," Kantor said. "This will only embolden the Palestinians by sending them the message that they don't need to negotiate because they will receive everything on a silver platter. It also ignores the fact that Israel has repeatedly called for immediate and direct negotiations without preconditions, something repeatedly ignored by the Palestinians."

"Israel has taken significant steps towards the renewal of talks by its actions, including freezing the settlements, and it is time to push the Palestinians back to the negotiation table, not in the opposite direction," Kantor added. "Peace can only be achieved by negotiations between the two parties."

He said the EJC believes that the nature of the declaration stood in contrast to the role of an honest broker that the European Union sought to play.

"Europe could and should play a role in the Middle East peace process but some of the wording in the declaration is counterproductive. We call on the EU to assist the process and not hamper," Kantor said. "We urge all EU member states to strive for evenhandedness when dealing with the Middle East."

However, he said that the EJC acknowledged the role played by France, Italy and other nations to soften the original Swedish text.

Faiths Meet to Build Ties Across Religious Divides
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsBBC News - Christopher Landau
Categories: Today's Headlines;One World Church

What happens when an imam, a priest and a rabbi get into a lift together?

It may sound like a joke, but it is an everyday occurrence at the world's largest inter-faith gathering - and such unexpected encounters are positively encouraged.

The Parliament of the World's Religions has brought together representatives from 80 nationalities and more than 220 faith traditions for seven days of debate and dialogue.

The organisers hope that chance meetings in lifts, along with attendance at the 600 different formal meetings, will lead to new partnerships between religious groups.

This is only the fifth such "parliament" to take place.

This is only the fifth such "parliament" to take place.

A groundbreaking meeting between religious leaders from different parts of the world happened in Chicago in 1893.

One hundred years later, a group of inter-faith practitioners decided to hold another such meeting, and they have happened almost every five years since then.

The emphasis is on building relationships and giving members of each faith the opportunity to better understand several others.

There are no formal debates or votes, but organisers say that any commitments made by members of a particular community are formally recorded.

Aboriginal involvement

This parliament is distinctive because of the central role being given to representatives of Australia's aboriginal peoples - and to leaders of indigenous peoples from around the world.

Ten percent of the parliament's sessions are devoted to issues of concern for aboriginal and indigenous communities.

The opening ceremony began with a traditional aboriginal dancer accompanied by the didgeridoo, before an elder from the Wurundjeri people of Melbourne gave a formal welcome.

"We are grateful. We are honoured. We are privileged to have you here," said Aunty Joy Murphy-Wandin, before welcoming visitors with a traditional ceremony, symbolically inviting participants to share a leaf from "the branches of learning".

"I take a leaf in hope that you will accept this welcome to country," she said.

The opening ceremony also included performances from Melbourne's philharmonic choir and orchestra, plus formal blessings from the world's eleven major faiths.

Environmental concerns

A key area of debate and dialogue has been around environmental issues.

Indigenous leaders from northern Canada have highlighted how the effects of climate changes are already being felt in their communities.

Rev Dirk Ficca, director of the parliament, says that delegates are appealing to climate negotiators at the UN summit in Copenhagen to ask this question of themselves:

"Is the earth sacred enough to make those hard, courageous short-term decisions that will have implications for decades to come?

"Religious leaders are trying to draw on their wisdom and persuasiveness to make sure that we all believe it is sacred enough."

Concerns have been also raised about whether religious perspectives are taken seriously, particularly by secular governments in the West.

Prominent American rabbi David Saperstein told delegates that religious leaders must work hard to make their voice heard, particularly concerning the moral questions facing the world.

"We are the first generation that produces enough food to feed every human being on earth. Our failure to do so now is a failure of moral vision and political will.

"In a world in which you can do everything, what you should do - the moral question - is the fundamental challenge facing humanity. And on that question, the religious communities have urgent, profound, indispensible wisdom to offer" he said.

Endless variety

The parliament could hardly be accused of failing to account for the broadest possible range of spirituality and religious experience.

Pagans, Zoroastrians, and even atheists make up the rich mix of perspectives.

Organisers have faced some criticism for giving a platform to the Church of Scientology - which some accuse of being more of a business than a conventional religion.

But this is an event which is prepared to given even the most unusual new religious movements a fair hearing.

The parliament's marketplace offers a glimpse into some of the more unusual spiritual experiences on offer - often only for those prepared to pay.

Leaflets for new initiatives might also raise a few eyebrows. Plans to turn the island of Alcatraz into "a jewel of light" promise "a new, peaceful and enlightened epoch for all humanity".

Meanwhile the "Skywheel" sacred art project hopes to send a satellite into space with thousands of copies of prayers wound inside a prayer wheel, "radiating its blessings to the universe above and our world below".

But however eccentric some of the fringe offerings, the parliament also attracts a wide variety of prominent, mainstream leaders.

From the Dalai Lama and a senior Catholic Cardinal to young community activists, there seems to be a space for anyone of faith who is prepared to engage with others in a spirit of goodwill.

There have been some tense exchanges. The religious freedom in Iran of members of the Baha'i faith was raised with an Iranian speaker; the Roman Catholic church was challenged on its opposition to using condoms to halt the spread of HIV/Aids.

But most of the time this event achieves what so often seems a distant hope in today's world: honest, genuine engagement between people from very different backgrounds, holding profoundly different beliefs.

It may be limited in clear, concrete results, but the parliament certainly helps build relationships across religious traditions - and that alone may offer some hope for fewer religious divisions in future.

Art's Commentary....This is the infrastrucure for the coming world church.

Ahmadinejad Reportedly Claims U.S. is Blocking Return of Mankind's Savior
Dec 8th, 2009
Daily NewsFox News
Categories: Today's Headlines

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims the United States is attempting to thwart the return of mankind's savior, according to reports from Al Arabiya, a television news station based in Dubai.

Ahmadinejad reportedly claims he has documented evidence that the U.S. is blocking the return of Mahdi, the Imam believed by Muslims to be the savior.

“We have documented proof that they believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world,” Ahmadinejad said during a speech on Monday, according to Al Arabiya.

"They have devised all these plans to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam because they know that the Iranian nation is the one that will prepare the grounds for his coming and will be the supporters of his rule," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

Ahmadinejad continued the rant by claiming there have been plots by both the West as well as countries in the East to wipe out his country, according to Iranian news Web site Tabak.

"They have planned to annihilate Iran. This is why all policymakers and analysts believe Iran is the true winner in the Middle East," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the site. He also alleged that foreign nations seek to control Iran's oil and natural resources.

"In Afghanistan, they are caught like an animal in a quagmire. But instead of pulling their troops out to save themselves, they are deploying more soldiers. Even if they stay in Afghanistan for another 50 years they will be forced to leave with disgrace — because this is a historical experience," Ahmadinejad reportedly said.

"They know themselves that they need Iran in the Middle East, but because of their arrogance they do not want to accept this reality. They are nothing without the Iranian nation and all their rhetoric is because they don't want to appear weak."