Author Archives: jimmy

09/07/10

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* Netanyahu: Arabs Must Accept Jewish State “Last year was one of the safest years in two decades,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Israelis in a message for the Jewish New Year.

* Abbas: No ‘historic compromise’ on Jerusalem, borders In ‘Al-Quds’ interview, PA president says Palestinians won’t recognize Israel as Jewish state, accuses PM of trying to “strip” Israeli-Arabs’ rights.

* Petraeus: Koran burning plan will endanger US troops The top US commander in Afghanistan has warned that troops’ lives will be in danger if an American church sticks to its plan to burn copies of the Koran.

* Political deadlock damaging Iraq security – minister Six months after Iraq’s parliamentary elections, a government minister has warned that the political deadlock is damaging the security situation.

* Jewish Birth Rate in Israel at Record High A Hebrew University demography professor has announced there were more Jewish births in the past year in Israel than any other time in the history of the State.

* Jewish Towns Under PA Rule? Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been talking of “creative solutions” lately.

* Egypt seizes anti-aircraft weapons bound for Gaza Egyptian troops on Tuesday seized nine weapons consignments bound for the Gaza Strip that included anti-aircraft weapons.

* EU has survived economic crisis, Barroso says in first State of Union address European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a major speech on Tuesday morning said the EU has survived the economic crisis.

* Russian FM tells Iran to cooperate with IAEA Lavrov calls for clarity on Teheran’s nuclear program, asks Islamic Regime to behave transparently for the sake of all concerned, including Iran.

* Indian Prime Minister Warns of More Assertive China China has dismissed fears expressed by India’s prime minister that Beijing is intent on establishing a foothold in South Asia.

09/06/10

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* New Year statistics: Israel’s population hits 7.6 million CBS data released ahead of Rosh Hashana 5771 shows increase in Jewish, Christian birthrates; country still classified as young, with nearly 28% of population under age of 14.

* Report: Iran Paying Taliban to Kill U.S. Troops At least five Iranian companies in Afghanistan’s capital are using their offices covertly to finance Taliban militants in provinces near Kabul, according to an investigation by London’s Sunday Times.

* Egyptian TV: ‘Islam Will Conquer Italy and the Entire West’ MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) has released a transcript of excerpts from a televised sermon given by Egyptian cleric Salem Abu Al-Futuh.

* Lieberman: No Peace in Our Time Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Sunday that the expectations of Israel’s current negotiations with the Palestinian Authority are not realistic.

* 17,880 Made Israel Their Home in 5770 17,880 people made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel in the Jewish year 5770, according to Jewish Agency records – up from the previous year, when 15,180 people came to Israel via the Jewish Agency.

* Clinton Sidesteps Her ‘United Jerusalem’ Pledge U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backtracked on Friday from her previous pledge that “Israel’s right to exist in safety as a Jewish state, with defensible borders and an undivided Jerusalem as its capital, secure from violence and terrorism, must never be questioned”.

* Lieberman: Coalition won’t extend building freeze FM promises that he will vote against any extension of building freeze, reiterates call that achieving peace in a year is “unrealistic”.

* Abbas: Borders most important to us, security for Israelis PA chairman tells Palestinian paper ‘al-Ayyam’ that he made clear that there will be no Israeli presence in future state.

* Russia, Israel sign military cooperation deal Barak signs long-term agreement on military cooperation with Russian defense minister in Moscow; deal may lead to further purchases of Israeli weapons, technology.

* Hillary Clinton to Attend Round 2 of Talks at Sharm El-Sheikh U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend the second round of direct peace talks between Binyamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas.

09/04/10

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* US envoy Oren: Hizbullah has 15,000 rockets on border Ambassador says Islamist group amassing arsenal in southern Lebanon with long enough range to hit Eilat.

* Hamas official: Israeli settlers are a legitimate military target Israeli settlers in the West Bank are legitimate targets since they are an army in every sense of the word.

* Radical Islam is world’s greatest threat – Tony Blair Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has described radical Islam as the greatest threat facing the world today.

* Iran’s Ahmadinejad calls on Palestinians to fight on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Palestinians to keep up their armed struggle against Israel.

* Muslims hold mass prayers at Jerusalem mosque Tens of thousands of Muslims poured into the heavily guarded Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem for the last Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan.

* Iraq dedicates international training center specializing in…roadside bombs Iraq has unveiled a training center meant to teach security forces to detect, identify and neutralize improvised explosive devices.

* Clinton warns of ‘last chance’ for Mid-East peace talks The US secretary of state has said the current round of Mid-East peace talks may be “the last chance for a very long time” to resolve the conflict.

* US military chief seeks Turkish support over Iran The United States’ top military officer stressed on Saturday the need for Turkey to help enforce United Nations sanctions against Iran.

* ‘US to continue supplying military assistance to Lebanon’ The US will continue to supply the Lebanese Armed Forces with equipment and weapons estimated to be worth approximately $100 million.

* ‘IAEA chief asked Israel to join nonproliferation treaty’ The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency asked Israel to consider signing up to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

09/03/10

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* ‘Jerusalem Day paves the way for Israel’s collapse’ Ahmadinejad says “the Zionists are hypocrite racists” at rally on Quds Day.

* Hezbollah leader praises Hamas for West Bank shooting attacks Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah praised Hamas on Friday for the West Bank shooting attacks which left four Israelis dead and two injured.

* Israelis, Palestinians to work out framework agreement In the first concrete decision to emerge from the direct talks that began here on Thursday, Israelis and Palestinians agreed to work out a framework agreement in the coming months as a first step to a full peace treaty.

* Nasrallah: Direct peace talks ‘born dead’ Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Friday slammed the Palestinian Authority’s decision to launch direct peace talks with Israel.

* Arab papers warn against talks: Abbas is weak The Arab press saw eye to eye with the Western media on Friday in the bleak outlook it forecasted in its coverage of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

* Turkey’s incoming military chief warns government he will uphold secularism In what could portend another confrontatation, Turkey’s new military chief has warned that he would repel any government attempt to Islamize the country.

* Which is the real threat? Terrorism or China? Four facts pertaining to the People’s Republic of China, as Mao named his China in 1949, suggest Mao’s China’s conquest of the world.

* Experts Fear Mideast Talks Are Too Ambitious As the Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged at the peace summit meeting in Washington this week to try to resolve the core issues that have long divided their people and bloodied the land, a growing number of stakeholders here in Israel worried that the two sides were aiming too high.

* Deal reached on pan-European financial supervisors After months of tough negotiations, the three sides of the EU triangle came to agreement on Thursday on the creation of financial supervisors.

* UN nuclear chief asks Israel to join treaty The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency asked Israel to consider signing up to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

09/02/10

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* Middle East direct peace talks begin in earnest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have begun direct peace talks in Washington.

* Settlers end freeze, resume construction While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington to launch direct peace talks with the Palestinians, tensions are mounting in the West Bank.

* IDF warns of wave of violence as Hamas vows to sink peace talks The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday warned of a possible wave of attacks as Hamas militants try to sabotage Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

* UN chief ‘very encouraged’ by Israel-Palestinian talks Ban Ki-moon calls on both sides to show sincerity, flexibility ahead of Netanyahu-Abbas meeting in Washington.

* ‘Hamas won’t let the PA reach a peace agreement’ Yishai says renewed negotiations will lead to nowhere, as Hamas won’t honor Abbas’s agreement; Shas declares opposition to building freeze.

* Iraq on high alert for spike in Al Qaida attacks following U.S. exit Iraq is bracing for an escalation in Al Qaida mass-casualty suicide attacks, following the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops.

* Islamist Turkey government finds arms requests being blocked by Congress Turkey has been concerned over delays in its arms requests from the United States.

* Peres, Pope to Discuss Peace Talks President Shimon Peres plans to meet Thursday with Pope Benedict XVI in Italy. The two are to discuss the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

* Stephen Hawking: God did not create Universe There is no place for God in theories on the creation of the Universe, Professor Stephen Hawking has said.

* ‘You got the Belgians running Europe?’ Bush asked Blair Ex-UK prime minister Tony Blair has burst back onto the media landscape in the UK after a three-year absence with the publication of his keenly awaited memoir.

Obama’s Iraq Address Misses the Mark

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By: Robert Maginnis – Human Events

President Obama’s Oval Office speech on Tuesday night celebrating the end of American combat operations in Iraq included four messages but failed to address our most pressing regional problem, Iran. That was a strategic mistake.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is arguably at the center of every security problem in the Middle East. It defies logic how Obama could deliver his most important foreign policy address to date and completely ignore Iran. No doubt, Tehran was pleased with the speech and our allies are rightly nervous.

Consider Obama’s four somewhat disjointed messages and then what he should have said about Iran.

First, he confirmed his intent to leave Iraq next year whether Baghdad is ready or not. He used the speech to formally announce the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the beginning of Operation New Dawn, our “advise and assist” mission.

The President said the “Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.” He admitted there is still a lot of violence but expressed confidence Iraq will eventually contain the problem.

On Aug. 25 alone, militants conducted 34 attacks in 16 cities across Iraq that killed at least 77 and wounded more than 400. Iraqis are buying weapons to defend themselves and key leaders are complaining that America’s withdraw is premature.

Obama encouraged Iraq’s leaders to move forward with a sense of urgency to form an inclusive government—now six months in the making—but then announced “all U.S. troops will leave by the end of next year.” He pledged even though “our combat mission is ending … our commitment to Iraq’s future is not.” He failed to clarify that “commitment.”

Obama’s second message was to the parties engaged in the Afghan war. He announced Washington’s clock in Afghanistan begins running out next summer.

He warned the American people “Don’t lose sight of what’s at stake.” Then he restated the threat, our strategy, and policy objective in Afghanistan. He said “al Qaeda continues to plot against us, and its leadership remains anchored in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.” His strategy which was first announced last December remains to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda, and his policy objective “is to prevent Afghanistan from again serving as a base for terrorists.”

Obama referenced his 30,000-man surge in Afghanistan and reminded the American people that our additional troops are “under the command of General David Petraeus,” the author of our success in Iraq.

“As with the surge in Iraq,” Obama said, “these forces will be in place for a limited time to provide space for the Afghans to build their capacity and secure their own future.” But then he cautioned, “next July, we will begin a transition to Afghan responsibility.” He intends to begin troop reductions next summer “because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people’s.”

The President’s restatement of his intent to begin withdrawing forces next summer sealed any hope we have that the counterinsurgency will ever work. Historically, successful counterinsurgencies on average take 14 years.

Obama’s third message was to the American people and was an indirect plea for patience. He indicated the end of combat operations in Iraq allowed him to shift resources to Afghanistan and by implication to finish that war sooner.

His plea for patience was linked to widespread concern about the economy. Almost as if he considers our wars a distraction, Obama said “Our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work.” He understands that his sinking job performance polling is tied to the economy and not to the wars.

His final message was to the veterans. “Our troops are the steel in our ship of state,” the commander in chief said. He praised their sacrifice and pledged “to maintain the finest fighting force that the world has ever known” and “to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.” He promised long-term healthcare and funding for education.

These messages—Iraq, Afghanistan, the economy, and veterans—were loosely linked together. But he missed an opportunity to deliver a message to the radical regime in Iran.

Iran is behind the unrest in Iraq, feeds the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, and threatens to cut-off the flow of Persian Gulf oil which could devastate the global economy. Its nuclear weapons program will soon spark a Middle East arms race which will create nightmares for the Pentagon.

Obama as the leader of the free world should never miss an opportunity to show the connection of crises, warn our adversaries, and reassure our allies.

The President should have used his speech to make clear that America will stay at Iraq’s side until it is stable and able to secure itself, internally and externally. That sends a strong message to Iran to keep its distance.

He should have renounced his previous announcement that U.S. forces will begin withdrawing in July 2011. By restating that deadline Obama encouraged our enemies and discouraged our allies.

Obama mentioned the al Qaeda terror threat in the context of both Iraq and Afghanistan but ignored Iran’s Middle East-wide support for terrorism, the threat that regime poses to oil shipments through the Persian Gulf, and its rapidly advancing atomic weapons program.

Obama’s Oval Office speech scratched his need to celebrate a campaign promise—“bring our combat brigades out of Iraq”—but completely ignored our most pressing problem in the region: Iran. That was a strategic mistake which will drain confidence from our allies and encourage our enemies like the Taliban, al Qaeda, and the mad mullahs in Tehran.

Please note: These stories are located outside of Prophecy Today’s website. Prophecy Today is not responsible for their content and does not necessarily agree with the views expressed therein. These articles are provided for your information.

09/01/10

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* Obama declares U.S. combat mission in Iraq over After more than seven years of war, President Barack Obama declared the combat mission in Iraq over on Tuesday night.

* Trying to Buck Odds, Obama Takes On 3 Big Mideast Tasks President Obama is attempting a triple play this week that eluded his predecessors over the past two decades.

* Barak to Haaretz: Israel ready to cede parts of Jerusalem in peace deal Ehud Barak has always vacillated between peace and security, dovishness and hawkishness, left wing and right wing.

* A Peace Plan Within Our Grasp It’s been 10 long years since the Palestinians and Israelis last came close to establishing a permanent peace.

* Sarkozy, Mubarak see role for Mediterranean Union in Mideast talks French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Egyptian counterpart, Hosny Mubarak, said Monday in Paris that the Mediterranean Union (UPM) could yet become an important factor in finding a peace settlement in the Mideast.

* US moves into final military phase in Iraq The U.S. on Wednesday moved into the final phase of its military involvement in Iraq.

* Dr. Kedar Warns: Iran May Take Over Persian Gulf Dr. Mordechai Kedar, an expert on Arab politics and Islamic Fundamentalism at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies warns that Iran may be planning a full takeover of Persian Gulf states.

* Italian Outrage Over Gaddafi ‘Convert-to-Islam’ Party in Rome Italian politicians and media expressed outrage this week over a “convert-to-Islam” party held in Rome by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

* Barroso blames capitals for plunge in EU popularity Faced with a plunging popularity of the EU institutions, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has blamed national capitals for not defending the European project.

* Ashton: West Bank killings aimed at peace talks The gunning down of four Israeli civilians in the West Bank on Tuesday (31 August) must not derail the new round of Middle East peace talks.

God, the gospel, and Glenn Beck

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By: Dr. Russell Moore – American Family News Network

A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.

The news media pronounces him the new leader of America’s Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America’s Christian conservatives have no problem with that.

If you’d told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it’s not. It’s from this week’s headlines. And it is a scandal.

Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, of course, is that Mormon at the center of all this. Beck isn’t the problem. He’s an entrepreneur, he’s brilliant, and, hats off to him, he knows his market. Latter-day Saints have every right to speak, with full religious liberty, in the public square. I’m quite willing to work with Mormons on various issues, as citizens working for the common good. What concerns me here is not what this says about Beck or the “Tea Party” or any other entertainment or political figure. What concerns me is about what this says about the Christian churches in the United States.

It’s taken us a long time to get here, in this plummet from Francis Schaeffer to Glenn Beck. In order to be this gullible, American Christians have had to endure years of vacuous talk about undefined “revival” and “turning America back to God” that was less about anything uniquely Christian than about, at best, a generically theistic civil religion and, at worst, some partisan political movement.

Rather than cultivating a Christian vision of justice and the common good (which would have, by necessity, been nuanced enough to put us sometimes at odds with our political allies), we’ve relied on populist God-and-country sloganeering and outrage-generating talking heads. We’ve tolerated heresy and buffoonery in our leadership as long as with it there is sufficient political “conservatism” and a sufficient commercial venue to sell our books and products.

Too often, and for too long, American “Christianity” has been a political agenda in search of a gospel useful enough to accommodate it. There is a liberation theology of the Left, and there is also a liberation theology of the Right, and both are at heart mammon worship. The liberation theology of the Left often wants a Barabbas, to fight off the oppressors as though our ultimate problem were the reign of Rome and not the reign of death. The liberation theology of the Right wants a golden calf, to represent religion and to remind us of all the economic security we had in Egypt. Both want a Caesar or a Pharaoh, not a Messiah.

Leaders will always be tempted to bypass the problem behind the problems: captivity to sin, bondage to the accusations of the demonic powers, the sentence of death. That’s why so many of our Christian superstars smile at crowds of thousands, reassuring them that they don’t like to talk about sin. That’s why other Christian celebrities are seen to be courageous for fighting their culture wars, while they carefully leave out the sins most likely to be endemic to the people paying the bills in their movements.

Where there is no gospel, something else will fill the void: therapy, consumerism, racial or class resentment, utopian politics, crazy conspiracy theories of the left, crazy conspiracy theories of the right; anything will do. The prophet Isaiah warned us of such conspiracies replacing the Word of God centuries ago (Is. 8:12–20). As long as the Serpent’s voice is heard, “You shall not surely die,” the powers are comfortable.

This is, of course, not new. Our Lord Jesus faced this test when Satan took him to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth, and their glory. Satan did not mind surrendering his authority to Jesus. He didn’t mind a universe without pornography or Islam or abortion or nuclear weaponry. Satan did not mind Judeo-Christian values. He wasn’t worried about “revival” or “getting back to God.” What he opposes was the gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected for the sins of the world.

We used to sing that old gospel song, “I will cling to an old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.”  The scandalous scene at the Lincoln Memorial indicates that many of us want to exchange it in too soon. To Jesus, Satan offered power and glory. To us, all he needs offer is celebrity and attention.

Mormonism and Mammonism are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They offer another Lord Jesus than the One offered in the Scriptures and Christian tradition, and another way to approach him. An embrace of these tragic new vehicles for the old Gnostic heresy is unloving to our Mormon friends and secularist neighbors, and to the rest of the watching world. Any “revival” that is possible without the Lord Jesus Christ is a “revival” of a different kind of spirit than the Spirit of Christ (1 Jn. 4:1-3).

The answer to this scandal isn’t a retreat, as some would have it, to an allegedly apolitical isolation. Such attempts lead us right back here, in spades, to a hyper-political wasteland. If the churches are not forming consciences, consciences will be formed by the status quo, including whatever demagogues can yell the loudest or cry the hardest. The answer isn’t a narrowing sectarianism, retreating further and further into our enclaves. The answer includes local churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and disciple their congregations to know the difference between the kingdom of God and the latest political whim.

It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish.

And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer.

Please note: These stories are located outside of Prophecy Today’s website. Prophecy Today is not responsible for their content and does not necessarily agree with the views expressed therein. These articles are provided for your information.

08/31/10

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* Iraq ‘independent’ as the US combat operation ends Iraq’s prime minister has said the country is “independent” as the US formally ends combat operations.

* Netanyahu heads to Washington as settlement building casts shadow over peace talks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boarded a plane for Washington on Tuesday morning to begin new negotiations with the Palestinians.

* PA Prime Minister’s Diplomatic War Against Israel As negotiating teams from Israel and the Palestinian Authority prepare to head to Washington for the first direct talks in more than two years, PA officials are quietly working hard to sabotage the effort.

* Israel training troops for unconventional warfare Israel’s military, preparing for regional war, has been enhancing its skills to fight during a nonconventional weapons attack.

* Putin hints will return to Kremlin in 2012 Russia’s paramount leader, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, hinted on Monday he would return to the presidency in 2012 for six more years.

* Gaddafi wants EU cash to stop African migrants Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi says the EU should pay Libya at least 5bn euros (£4bn; $6.3bn) a year to stop illegal African immigration and avoid a “black Europe”.

* Israeli academics boycott West Bank settlements In a letter, they said they supported the recent decision by a group of actors and others not to take part in cultural activity there.

* UK and France to share aircraft carriers Britain and France are preparing to reveal unprecedented plans to share the use of their aircraft carriers in a controversial step to maintain military power in an era of cost-cutting.

* Netanyahu’s Office Joins World of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Office (PMO) has joined the modern world of social media.

* Football hooligans to launch ‘European Defence League’ in Amsterdam The English Defence League (EDL), the anti-Muslim ‘street army’ composed largely of football hooligans that burst onto the front pages of British newspapers.

08/30/10

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* Report: Hezbollah, Syria to join forces in future clash with Israel Kuwait’s al-Rai daily says Lebanon-based group, Syrian army have created a joint military command, dividing potential war fronts.

* US: Rabbi’s ‘offensive’ remarks harm peace efforts US State Department spokesman condemns Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s ‘inflammatory’ statement that all Palestinians should perish.

* Netanyahu: I never promised to extend West Bank settlement construction freeze Netanyahu tells Likud ministers that future of settlements will be discussed as a final-status issue in peace talks with the Palestinians.

* Ashton hits back at Kouchner over Middle East talks EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has defended her plan to go to China instead of to Thursday’s Middle East peace talks following criticism by French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner.

* Abbas wants talks according to Quartet PA launches campaign to sell peace talks to Palestinians and Israelis.

* Obama says not worried by Muslim ‘rumors’ Asked about persistent accusations that he wasn’t born in US, president responds, ‘I can’t spend all my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead’

* Gaddafi gives lesson on Islam to young Italians Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who considers himself self-styled feminist, gives lesson on Islam and copies of the Quran to a few hundred young Italian women recruited by modeling agency in Rome.

* Chinese state TV confirms visit by NKorea’s Kim China and North Korea confirmed Monday that their leaders met while Kim Jong Il was on a secretive trip to China.

* 2,000 year-old cameo found in Jerusalem Israel Antiquities Authority excavation yields semi-precious onyx.