Thursday, November 29

[Janet]

Venus Has Frequent Bursts of Lightning
WASHINGTON (Nov. 28) - Nearby Venus is looking a bit more Earth-like with frequent bursts of lightning confirmed by a new European space probe. For nearly three decades, astronomers have said Venus probably had lightning - ever since a 1978 NASA probe showed signs of electrical activity in its atmosphere. But experts weren't sure because of signal interference.

Oil Prices Rise Over $3
Oil prices rose more than $3 Thursday after a fire erupted at a pipeline carrying crude oil from Canada to the heart of the United States.

Bush says Israeli, Palestinian leaders off to a hopeful start
United States President George W. Bush, capping an intense flurry of diplomatic activity, said Wednesday the agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to resume long-stalled peace talks was a hopeful beginning. Bush was joined at the White House by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a brief ceremony a day after they agreed to try to reach an agreement by the end of 2008.

Hamas demands UN rescind '47 partition
Hamas on Thursday called on the UN to rescind the 1947 decision to partition Palestine into two states, one for Jews and one for Arabs. The group said in a statement, released on the 60th anniversary of the UN vote, that "Palestine is Arab Islamic land, from the river to the sea, including Jerusalem... there is no room in it for the Jews." head:

Rice announces special envoy on Mideast security
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday named retired Marine Gen. James Jones as special envoy for Middle East security, focusing on Palestinian and Israeli security issues. "General Jones is the person we need to take up this vital mission," said Rice, with Jones at her side.

PM: Jewish groups won't back undemocratic state
WASHINGTON - "If the day comes when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights (also for the Palestinians in the territories), then, as soon as that happens, the State of Israel is finished," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Haaretz Wednesday, the day the Annapolis conference ended in an agreement to try to reach a Mideast peace settlement by the end of 2008.

Geologist's prophecy: Holy Land overdue for a major earthquake
TEL AVIV — Based on 400-year historical cycles a the pattern of recent tremors, the Middle East should be expecting a major earthquake in the near future, a geologist said.

IRAN CLAIMS MISSILE CAN HIT ISRAEL AND US BASES
Fears of a new Middle East arms race have deepened after Iran announced that it had developed a new long-range missile system capable of hitting Israel and American bases in the region. The successful development of the Ashura missile, which has a range of 1,200 miles, was announced by Mostofa Mohammed Najjar, the Iranian defence minister.

Pro-Israel advocate 'trembles' for future of America after Annapolis summit
The head of a pro-Israel ministry says she's convinced there are dark days ahead for America if the Bush administration ultimately pressures Israel to give up more covenant land -- including parts of Jerusalem -- to the Palestinians.

PM: Temple Mount not negotiable
Israel's sovereignty over the Temple Mount is not up for discussion, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday, a day after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem was key to an agreement with Israel. What occurred in Annapolis and Washington over the last two days had no bearing on the situation on the Temple Mount, Olmert said.

Annapolis further divides Christians over support for Israel
The conclusion of the US-hosted Middle East peace summit in Annapolis, Maryland has further highlighted a growing rift within the Evangelical Christian community over the degree of support for Israel's biblical right to the lands between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea. A day after the summit, the leaders of the three most prominent Jerusalem-based Evangelical ministries told The Jerusalem Post that the re-division of the holy city and the surrender of Israel's biblical heartland - an effective reversal of prophecy - are unacceptable concepts for Bible-believing Christians and Jews.

UK woman dies after dog attack
A British woman has died after being attacked by a pack of wild dogs as she walked her own pet dog in Bulgaria. The 56-year-old victim was named by the Foreign Office as Margaret Ann Gordon. She was originally from Wallsend on North Tyneside.