Luciferian News Hour
January 6, 2006
Well
Luciferians, our new year has started out with a harsh kick in the seat of the pants.
In
the first five days we have had a coal mine disaster, a five story hotel collapse at the Moslem yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, deadly ice rink roof
collapse in Bavaria, killer floods ravaging California,
Java and Mozambique, and killer fires fanned by hot dry winds in Australia and the
states of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Also the Iraq War has heated up once more, with suicide bombers taking nearly 200 hundred lives in two
days. Everywhere we looked, the news was very bad.
Starting at what seemed to be a high note:
Chinese President Hu Jintao reiterated
China’s strong commitment to peaceful
development in his New Year Address broadcast Saturday to domestic and overseas audience via state TV and radio stations.
“I would like to reiterate that China’s
development is peaceful development, opening development, cooperative development and harmonious development,” Hu said.
”The Chinese people will develop ourselves by means of striving for a peaceful international
environment, and promote world peace with our own development,” Hu said.
He said the
Chinese people are willing to join with peoples of all nations in the world to promote multilateralism, advance the development
of economic globalization toward common prosperity, advocate democracy in international relations, respect the diversity of
the world and push for the establishment of a new international political and economic order that is just and rational.
Taiwan Response:
But
across the pond, in Taiwan, the mood was
very different on New Year’s Day. In a televised speech that squelched months of speculation he might seek to improve
relations with Beijing, Taiwan President
Chen Shui-bian did just the opposite, He said that Taiwan
needed to increase its weapons purchases and warned against greater economic ties to the mainland.
Chen
had said fairly little in the weeks since his Democratic Progressive Party, which seeks greater political independence from
the mainland, fared badly in municipal elections on Dec. 3. The Nationalist Party, which favors closer relations with Beijing,
did much better in those elections and has been riding a surge in popularity since its then-chairman, Lien Chan, visited the
mainland in late spring shortly before his retirement last summer.
But
Chen made clear Sunday that those setbacks would not fundamentally alter his policies. In his New Year’s speech, he
used a series of politically charged phrases that appeal to independence advocates in Taiwan,
but will probably offend Beijing, while calling for legislative approval of his plan to buy
more weapons from the United States.
Do
we see a pattern developing here? Remember that Chen is a fundamental Armageddon Christian president. He is driven by the
angels to excite a world war. That is the last thing this world needs right now.
South American Socialist Movement
Exciting
events are happening in South America as the socialist movement cranks up. Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez and Bolivian president-elect Evo Morales met on Tuesday to consolidate ties between socialist soulmates united
in their opposition to Washington.
Chavez
and Morales, a former coca leaf farmer, have antagonized the U.S. government
with their alliances with Cuba and promotion of leftist integration as
an alternative to U.S. free-market policies in Latin
America.
Morales,
elected by more than 50 percent in a December 18 vote, made his short stop in Venezuela
as part of a world tour that includes Spain, France,
Brazil, China and South Africa. He takes office on January 22.
The
Bolivian leader has rejected charges from foes that he received financing from Chavez, who Washington
accuses of destabilizing the region by using Venezuela's
huge oil wealth to spread his socialist revolution.
"We
are joining this anti-neoliberal, anti-imperialist fight," Morales said as he met Chavez and his ministers at the airport.
"We are in a new era, we are in a new millennium, a millennium for the people, not for the empire."
And In Israel:
In
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke Wednesday and was on a respirator after falling ill at his ranch.
Doctors operated to drain excess blood from his brain and later in the week operated on his heart. In the meantime, the power
of running the country was transferred to his deputy, Vice Premier Ehud Olmert. It seems that a sudden and unexpected change
of leadership is occurring in Israel.
What will this bring for 2006?
Will U. S. Attack Iran?
A
German newspaper reports that the United States government is coordinating
with NATO its plans for a possible military attack against Iran.
The
newspaper Der Tagesspiegel collected various reports from the German media supporting this story. One report indicated
that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is examining the prospects of such a strike.
According
to the report, CIA Director Porter Goss, in his last visit to Turkey on
December 12, asked that country to provide military bases in 2006 from where the U.S. would be able to launch an assault.
The
German news agency DDP noted that countries neighboring Iran, including
Saudi Arabia, Jordan,
Oman, and Pakistan,
were updated regarding the probable strike. American sources sent to those countries apparently mentioned an aerial attack
is a possibility, but did not provide a time frame for the operation.
The
Der Spiegel report also said that a January, 2005 New Yorker story stated that American forces entered Iran to mark possible targets for an aerial assault. The paper
could not confirm that the plans for an attack were concrete, however.
Obviously
President George W. Bush is leaving this option “on the table.”
The Iranian Threat
To
make the situation in Iran even more ominous, a western intelligence report
states that the Iranian government has been successfully scouring Europe for the sophisticated
equipment needed to develop a nuclear bomb.
Scientists in Tehran
are also shopping for parts for a new ballistic missile capable of reaching Europe, with
"import requests and acquisitions ... registered almost daily", the report concludes.
The warning came as Iran raised the stakes in its dispute with the United
States and the European Union by notifying the International Atomic Energy Authority that
it intends to resume nuclear fuel research next week. Tehran
has refused to rule out a return to attempts at uranium enrichment, the key to the development of a nuclear weapon.
Political Trouble At Home
Once-powerful lobbyist Jack Abramoff
pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud, agreeing to cooperate in an influence-peddling
investigation that threatens powerful members of Congress.
In a heavily scripted court appearance,
Abramoff agreed with U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle when she said he had engaged in a conspiracy involving "corruption
of public officials." The lobbyist also agreed when she said he and others had engaged in a scheme to provide campaign contributions,
trips and other items "in exchange for certain official acts."
Abramoff faces 30 years in prison, and
he will cooperate with federal prosecutors in a wide-ranging corruption investigation that is believed to be focusing on as
many as 20 members of Congress and aides.
Abramoff's travels with former House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay are already under criminal investigation. The lobbyist's interactions with the Texas Republican's
congressional office frequently came around the time of campaign donations, golf outings or other trips provided or arranged
by Abramoff for DeLay and other lawmakers. In all, DeLay received at least $57,000 in political contributions from Abramoff,
his lobbying associates or his tribal clients between 2001 and 2004.
Court papers released Tuesday also detailed
lavish gifts and contributions that Abramoff gave an unnamed House member, identified elsewhere as Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, chairman
of the House Administration Committee, in return for Ney's agreement to use his office to aid Abramoff clients.
Bird Flu In Turkey
The
death of three teenagers from the same family in Turkey from bird flu,
the first human cases of the disease outside China
and southeast Asia, is a serious concern but not the start of a pandemic, health experts say.
A
15-year-old girl from a remote area near the Armenian border, died early on Thursday less than a week after the death of her
14-year-old brother. Her 11-year-old sister died today.
Turkish
officials said tests at two laboratories showed the boy died of the H5N1 bird flu virus. Further tests are being done to confirm
if it is the same strain of the virus that has killed 74 people in Asia since 2003.
Doctors
at the hospital said 20 other people are being treated with similar symptoms.
"It
is surprising that there are two deaths and a number of people have been infected in what we thought to be a rather small
outbreak," said Professor John Oxford, of Queen Mary's School of Medicine
in London.
"From
an infectious disease point of view, that is the surprising thing and the unsettling thing."
It
could mean that the extent of the outbreak in poultry in Turkey
has been underestimated or that the virus can now jump more easily from birds to humans, he said.
But
Oxford said it is his opinion that the deaths do not signify
the start of a pandemic, which scientists believe could kill millions of people, because the virus has not shown it can spread
easily from person to person.
Iraq Bloodshed
Two
suicide bombers killed at least 110 people and wounded more than 200 in the Iraqi cities of Kerbala and Ramadi on Thursday,
the second consecutive day of concerted insurgent attacks.
Another
three bombs exploded in Baghdad, two of them detonated by suicide bombers, and a roadside bomb
targeted a U.S convoy near the southern Shi'ite holy city of Najaf,
destroying a Humvee and killing at least two civilians.
Coming
a day after 58 people died in a wave of bombings and shootings, the latest bloodshed appeared certain to ratchet up tension
between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims after December's election.
Kerbala
is one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest cities while Ramadi is a Sunni Arab stronghold and a hotbed of insurgency.
The
bombs shattered hope that Iraq might start
2006 on a more peaceful footing.
Troops
Killed Too
And the killing rampage continues, with
even more attacks today.
The
U.S. military today announced the deaths of six more American troops killed
in the recent barrage of violence that has swept Iraq,
bringing to 11 the number of troops killed on the same day.
A
U.S. Marine and soldier died in the attack by a suicide bomber who infiltrated a line of police recruits in Ramadi on Thursday,
killing at least 58 and wounding dozens. Two soldiers were also killed in the Baghdad
area when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
In
addition, two U.S. Marines were killed by separate small arms attacks while conducting combat operations in Fallujah.
Will We Cut And
Run?
An Australian newspaper
reports that the United States is beginning a drawdown of troops in Iraq because the nation is running out of money.
The report said the U.S. is nearing the end of a $16.4 billion fund for Iraqi
reconstruction “with little prospect of further multi-billion-dollar injections.
In language mirroring
the announcement of a planned reduction of troops, US officials in Baghdad have begun talking of "drawdown", "transition"
and the "wind-down" of US reconstruction projects.
Instead, they will focus
on the Iraqi Government's capacity to manage its own affairs.
Outlining the "drawdown",
one US official said: "US
reconstruction is basically aiming for completion (this) year. No one ever intended for outside assistance to continue indefinitely,
but rather to create conditions where the Iraqi economy can use reconstruction of essential services to get going on its own."
The realization that the
last of the US money will be allocated
by mid-year, but with work due to continue well into next year, will dismay the Iraqis, the newspaper Australian said.
Millions are frustrated
at the lack of large-scale projects such as power stations. They expect the US
coalition to rebuild the shattered country's electricity network and essential services.
This is how they see us
from down under. And there may be an element of truth in the story. Since we attacked Iraq under false pretenses and literally bombed their infrastructure into ruins,
it seems really wrong for us to just walk away. But in doing what we did, we launched a guerilla war that we cannot win.
It is, indeed, George
Bush’s Vietnam all over. It is suicide
for our troops to hang around and try to beat the insurgents. No matter what we do now, it will be wrong.
No Money For Research
Defense and space
projects account for most increases in the $135 billion federal research and development budget next year, worrying scientists
who fear that after years of growth the United States
is beginning to skimp on technology that fuels marketplace innovation.
The realignment
by Congress of research money toward national defense and human space exploration means many universities, institutions and
scientists will have to scramble for new sources of money or cut back current or planned projects.
“There
is a battle for the future in science and technology. That’s what is going to govern the future of our country. Not
increasing investments in those areas sends a signal the country is going to regret,” said Dr. Harold Varmus, who now
heads the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New
York.
Federal research
and development spending will rise $2.2 billion, or 1.7 percent, in 2006, to about $135 billion, according to an analysis
by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Of that increase,
97 percent will go to Department of Defense weapons development and National Aeronautics and Space Administration spacecraft
programs, AAAS said.
The nation’s
universities and research institutes fret the emphasis increasingly falls on development, which tends to help industry, instead
of the experimentation and exploration associated with basic research.
Research spending
is falling or stagnating, disproportionately hurting the colleges and universities that depend on federal support to run their
electrical engineering, computer science and other departments, said Tobin Smith, senior federal relations officer for the
Association of American Universities.
The group’s 60 research
universities account for 60% of federally supported, university-based research.
For Lack Of A Shuttle
Europe has begun evaluating
its options in the event the U.S. space shuttle is retired too early to
launch the Columbus science laboratory, Europe’s billion-dollar
showcase contribution to the international space station, the European Space Agency (ESA) says.
ESA has ordered a team of engineers
to evaluate scenarios in which the shuttle is capable of launching 20 times, 15 times and 10 times between now and its intended
2010 retirement date. The study, whose conclusions are expected in early September, includes a scenario in which the shuttle
cannot launch the Columbus module.
"I will have an evaluation
of all these scenarios, including a scenario in which there is no Columbus,"
the agency director said. "My biggest concern is to optimize the investments that our member governments have already made."
Columbus is the centerpiece of a multibillion-dollar
European investment in the space station that includes an unmanned space tug, called the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)
that will deliver water, fuel and other supplies to the station. The ATV, whose first launch is scheduled for mid-2006, has
been financed by ESA governments in part to repay NASA for the U.S.
investment in the station’s basic infrastructure and utility-type support including electricity and astronaut transport.
If Columbus is not launched, the ATV program’s original reason for being would be lost
and the program’s interest to European governments would diminish, the ESA statement said.
Coal Mine Disaster
Twelve
of 13 West Virginia coal miners died after they became trapped
260 feet below the surface of the Sago Mine in an explosion early Monday.
Family
members and friends gathered near the mine while rescue operations continued for two days and nights. Then early Wednesday
the word spread that 12 of the 13 miners were found alive and people began celebrating. They danced in the streets and the
churches rang their bells.
Then
they learned the truth, that only one man, Randy McCloy, 27, came out alive. McCloy was found unconscious and was hospitalized
in critical condition, suffering from hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning. The cause of the explosion and the deaths
of the miners is under investigation.
Hotel Collapse In Mecca
A
five-story hotel outside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest city collapsed Thursday as millions of Muslims converged
for the annual (hazh) hajj pilgrimage. Al-Jazeera TV said at least 76 people were killed and 60 injured. Rescue teams pulled
bodies from beneath the rubble of the hotel located about 200 feet away from the mosque.
Texas – Oklahoma Wildfires
A
wildfire that scorched about 50,000 acres in western Texas
was nearly contained Wednesday as firefighters across the state monitored flare-ups amid slightly lighter winds and cooler
temperatures.
The
blaze, which stretched across Irion and Reagan counties west of San Angelo, was the last major
wildfire in Texas.
Grass
fires started by as little as a spark from a car or downed power lines have burned more than 600,000 acres across a drought-stricken
stretch of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico in the past week and a half. The fires have destroyed at least 470 homes and killed
five people.
Officials
in New Mexico contained a grass fire there Tuesday night.
Fires were largely contained in Oklahoma, but more were
expected, with highs in the low 60s and winds of up to 20 mph in some areas. No rain was in the forecast.
Some
smaller towns were completely destroyed by the fast moving fires.
Australian Wildfires
In southeastern
Australia, walls of flames 100 feet high
swept through parched eucalyptus forests Sunday as several fires raged out of control injuring one man and destroying several
homes and seven fire vehicles.
Dozens of people
fled their homes north of Sydney - some using boats - as hundreds
of firefighters battled flames lapping the edges of the city. Authorities closed the main freeway heading north from the city
as a huge pall of gray smoke drifted across the area.
Three houses
were destroyed near Woy Woy, nearly 40 miles north of Sydney, the New South Wales state Rural Fire Service said.
Elsewhere, a
wildfire destroyed five houses and blackened nearly 60,000 acres in Junee, 180 miles southwest of Sydney. A man was hospitalized with burns to 60 percent of his body.
Dozens of fires
burned across New South Wales state, fanned by hot dry winds from the Australian Outback
as temperatures reached 111 degrees in Sydney - the hottest
New Year’s Day on record for the city.
Several blazes
north of the city merged into one “very fast-moving fire,” consuming seven firefighters’ vehicles.
Ice Rink Disaster
A
snow-laden roof of an ice rink collapsed in Bavaria Monday killing up to 15 people, including children, hospitalized 13 others,
and four skaters were still missing as of Tuesday, authorities said..
Schools
in the region were on holiday and about 50 children and their parents were inside the building in the Bavarian town of Bad Reichenhall, near the Austrian border, when the roof, weighed down
by masses of snow, fell in.
By
early Tuesday rescuers had recovered the bodies of 11 people, including a woman, two teenagers and six children aged between
nine and 12, all from the local area.
Police
said four people were still buried in the wreckage, although the chance of finding any alive appeared slim.
“It’s
unfortunately deathly quiet in the hall,” a spokesman said during the night.
Record Snows In Japan
Japan was bracing for more snow today after some of the heaviest snowfall on record that has left 57
people dead and paralyzed transport.
Almost
13 ft of snow has piled up in the worst-hit areas of Niigata near the Japan Sea coast, though the snowiest season
of the year is yet to come.
Television
pictures showed drifts burying the ground floors of houses and almost covering street lamps.
Java Flood And Mud
Some 200 people are feared dead in a
landslide triggered by heavy rains that buried scores of houses in Indonesia's
Central Java province Wednesday, police said as rescuers scrambled to find survivors.
"We suspect there are about 200 people
in 120 houses buried in the mud," local chief of police operations Budi said, adding that about 150 police and soldiers were
at the scene carrying out rescue operations.
In
East Java, Indonesia, rescuers combed through debris and mud for victims after flash floods inundated villages and swept away
homes there as well. The death toll was at 77 on Tuesday. Another 50 people were hospitalized.
Thousands
sought shelter, medical care and food in the wake of the disaster, which environmentalists have blamed on rampant illegal
logging in one of the world’s most densely-populated areas.
Starvation In Kenya
The death toll from hunger and related
illness in drought-hit northeastern Kenya has risen to at least 40 as more malnourished children perish, hospital and aid
officials said, amid new appeals for urgent help to avert a major famine in the region.
Since the beginning of December, at
least 40 people have died as a result of malnutrition in hospitals and outlying nomadic villages in northeastern Kenya, which, along with neighboring southern Somalia
and southeast Ethiopia, has been badly
hit by two years of failed rains, they said.
Heavy Rains In California
The
second major storm in two days washed across Northern California on Sunday, prolonging the
threat of flooding as residents tried to clean up thick layers of mud and debris left behind as the first wave of floodwater
receded.
Hundreds
of homes and businesses were inundated on Saturday as heavy rain sent the Napa
and Russian rivers spilling over their banks.
In
many areas, the rivers and creeks were back within banks, though some towns remained flooded or flooded again as the rain,
heavy at times, came and went throughout the day Sunday. The Sonoma County town of Guerneville was among
those still fighting floodwater amid pouring rain.
Wildfire-damaged
areas of Southern California were under a flash flood watch and a threat of mudslides as
heavy rain headed in their direction.
In
Pasadena heavy rain pounded the Rose Parade for the first
time in a half century, sending hundreds fleeing while die-hard fans fought to steady their umbrellas in strong winds and
parade participants proudly marched on as if it were sunny and warm. A powerful storm hit Southern
California late Sunday and by the time the parade started Monday morning about four inches of water gushed down both sides
of Colorado Boulevard, the parade route.
Poland Storms
Tens of thousands of homes were without
electricity after snow blanketed parts of Poland and Romania, power companies said.
In southwest Poland about 30,000 homes were without electricity.
"We have a large number of small blackouts
caused by trees that broke under the weight of wet snow which damaged power lines," an electric company spokesman said.
Pakistan Relief Blocked
The season’s
heaviest rain and snow lashed Pakistan’s
earthquake-hit areas Sunday, grounding helicopter aid flights and deepening the misery of survivors who huddled around campfires
to keep warm.
Aid workers have
warned that cold weather in the Himalayan foothills, where temperatures have already fallen below freezing, may claim more
lives after the magnitude-7.6 quake Oct. 8 left about 87,000 dead and 3.5 million homeless.
Poor visibility
forced a suspension of flights by helicopters from the United Nations, foreign militaries and Pakistan’s army, which have been delivering winterized tents, clothes, food
and other provisions to survivors.
Severe Cold In China
China,
already enduring its coldest winter in 20 years, is preparing for a cold snap that will see temperatures drop by as much as
29 degrees Fahrenheit.
Northern
China, where temperatures are already as low as minus 15-20 degrees Celsius, will feel the strongest effects of the cold front,
which is sweeping in from Mongolia and western Siberia,
the China Daily reported.
In
the capital of Beijing, which enjoyed a relatively warm start
to the New Year with temperatures just above freezing, the thermometer is expected to plunge 10 degrees on Monday night, according
to the paper.
Flooding In Mozambique
Heavy rainfall and flooding in southern Africa over the past few days has claimed 13 lives in Mozambique and left thousands homeless.
"Incessant
rainfall and lightning across the country claimed two lives in the central province, four in the northern province and another
two in the southern province in the past few days," a spokesman for Mozambique's National Institute for Disaster Management
said Tuesday.
In an ironic twist of fate, the drought-ravaged district in southern Malawi experienced its worst flooding in almost half a century. At least 2,000
people were displaced as the Ruo River
burst its banks to flood six villages.
Australian Heat Records
Last year was the hottest on record
in Australia, official figures show, forcing
the government to defend its refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing global warming.
The annual mean temperature in 2005
was 1.09 degrees Celsius (1.96 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average between 1961 and 1990, the Bureau of Meteorology
said in its annual climate summary.
This made it "the warmest year since
reliable, widespread temperature observations became available in 1910."
Whales
Beached
Wildlife officers
shot 41 pilot whales that beached on New Zealand’s South
Island, the Department of Conservation said.
A total of 49
whales came ashore Saturday near Farewell Spit in the second major stranding in the area within two weeks. Eight died on the
beaches, and the remaining animals were shot when heavy seas prevented any attempt to re-float them.
Fighting Smog In China
Beijing
is fitting out 50 of its buses with experimental braking systems that it hopes could cut fuel use by up to 30 percent and
help clear its smoggy skies, the China Daily reported on Tuesday.
The
50 buses in the trial will be fitted with hydraulic hybrid vehicle technology, which absorbs energy released as a vehicle
brakes and allows it to be released when they restart or speed up, the paper said.
It
is believed to cut fuel consumption by over 30 percent, and emissions by 20 to 70 percent.
The
test run would last one to two years, but if it was successful Beijing
could add the technology to its whole fleet of 18,000 buses, the article quoted a municipal official saying.
The
move is just one of a series of strategies Beijing is sampling
or considering to help clear its smog-laden skies before the 2008 Olympics. It has a trial fuel cell bus plying its roads,
and some of its fleet is powered by cleaner gas.
Cutting Oil Dependency In France
President
Jacques Chirac announced plans on Thursday to cut oil consumption in France,
including the launch of the latest nuclear reactor prototype so that French trains will not use a drop of oil in 20 years'
time.
Chirac
sealed France's commitment to nuclear
power by announcing the launch of a fourth generation prototype reactor to be in use by 2020.
France has become the world's second largest nuclear power producer after it decided after the 1970s
oil shocks to reduce its oil dependence by building a fleet of 58 nuclear reactors.
Chirac
also said in a New year's speech that France
had to develop solar energy, electronic and hybrid diesel cars, and increase production of biomass fuels five times over the
next two years.
Considering Biofuels
Waste
products make a better biofuel than traditional crops such as rapeseed and grain because of the energy it takes to grow them,
a former chairman of Shell Trading and Transport said.
"The
attractive thing about waste is that it represents a problem," Lord Oxburgh told reporters at the annual Oxford Farming Conference
in the UK.
He
said rapeseed and grain required fertilizer inputs, effectively negating much of the savings they might otherwise provide
when changed into biofuels.
"You
really have got to think very hard about the amount the energy that goes into producing your biofuel," he said.
Oxburgh
pointed to the production of ethanol from waste straw in Canada
as one example of a project which was energy efficient and had environmental benefits.
By
way of contrast, he said the most expensive method was being employed in the United
States using corn, which consumes an enormous amount of energy before being turned into fuel.
"You
put in nearly as much energy into producing energy than you get out of it. It doesn't actually make a lot of sense," he said.
Caviar Banned
Caviar
lovers beware: the United Nations has slapped a freeze on exports of caviar from wild sturgeon, saying the move was essential
to protect the endangered fish that produces the gourmet eggs. Every year, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) has asked caviar producing countries for a quota for the following year’s catch.
In Business News:
Stock
markets in Japan and across Europe finished the year with double-digit
gains, significantly outperforming U.S.
stock markets during 2005.
For
the year, the Nikkei gained 40.24 percent – the largest annual gain since 1986 amid encouraging signs of an economic
recovery in Japan.
European
stock indexes ended the year with smaller double-digit gains, propelled by buyout activity, a weaker dollar and corporate
restructurings. The FTSE 100 climbed over 16 percent, Germany’s
DAX 30 gained 28 percent and the French CAC 40 jumped about 24 percent.
By
comparison, the Dow Jones Industrials fell 0.61 percent for the year, closing in negative territory for the first time since
2002, while the S&P rose 3 percent and the Nasdaq gained 1.37 percent.
End Of Year Reports
Deep
December discounts lured holiday shoppers and pushed sales slightly ahead of modest expectations, top U.S. retailers reported on Thursday, but a disappointing profit forecast from Wal-Mart
raised concerns about the vital fourth quarter.
Teen
apparel retailers were among the big winners as cut-price winter fashions flew off the shelves at chains.
Department
stores including Nordstrom Inc. and Federated Department Stores Inc. rebounded from a disappointing November with stronger-than-expected
sales.
But
stores catering to lower-income shoppers struggled as some blamed steep gasoline and heating fuel prices that have cut into
consumer spending. Ultra-discounters including Dollar General Corp. missed sales forecasts, while mid-tier department store
chain Kohl's Corp. warned of weaker-than-expected profit.
U.S. Auto Sales Down
General Motors Corp. said its US sales fell 10.3 percent in December and four percent
in 2005 with the biggest losses coming from passenger car sales. The struggling automaker sold 392,041 vehicles in December,
bringing the year's total to 4,517,730.
Ford Motor Co. said its December US
auto sales fell nine percent, ending the month at 267,881 units. Full-year sales also were lower, falling five percent to
3,168,156 vehicles in 2005.
A strong performance at Chrysler Group
pushed US auto sales up four percent in
2005 at DaimlerChrylser AG, the company said. The company sold 2,529,254 vehicles in 2005 after posting a two percent monthly
dip in December to 220,641 vehicles.
Layoffs Increasing
Planned
U.S. layoffs rose by 8.6 percent in December,
pushing the 2005 annual total of job cuts 3.1 percent higher than in 2004, according to a report released on Thursday.
The
increases were due in large part to big jumps in job cuts in the government, non-profit and automotive sectors.
Total
announced layoffs in the month were 107,822 jobs, compared with 99,279 planned cuts in November.
"Unfortunately
for workers in these sectors, there does not appear to be any relief in the near term," one analyst said.
Unemployment Down?
The
government is telling us something different. The Labor Department said the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment aid plunged by an unexpectedly
large 35,000 last week to the lowest level in more than five years.
The
Labor Department said 291,000 initial claims for state jobless benefits were filed in the week ended December 31, the lowest
number since September 2000 and down from a revised 326,000 in the prior week. It was the largest weekly drop since late September.
It
appears a large block of unemployed people has either dropped off into limbo and is no longer being counted, or these people
all went to work at Walmart for the holiday season.
Manufacturing Slowing
The U.S. manufacturing sector slowed in December as higher energy prices knocked the
edge off a buoyant economy. In its monthly report for December, the Institute for Supply Management, also pointed to worrying
signs in the U.S. economy. But the private
economic think-tank said the hiccup did not stop manufacturing from growing at a good pace.
Recession Warning
The U.S.
bond market's most accurate forecaster, who plies his trade 500 miles from Wall Street, says yields are sending ominous signs
about the economy.
James F. Smith, 67, who teaches finance at the University of North Carolina says the bond
market is waving a caution flag on the economy. Two-year Treasury yields last week rose above those on 10-year notes, creating
a so-called inverted yield curve for the first time since December 2000. An inversion preceded the past four U.S. recessions.
"When the curve inverts, run for the exits," said Smith, who served as an economist
for the Fed from 1975-77. "It will stay that way until the Fed realizes it caused a recession in 2007. Investors should start
planning for a recession."
Northwest Pilot Threat
The
pilots' union at Northwest Airlines Corp. warned that the carrier is "risking labor peace" if it voids a collective bargaining
agreement before another consensual deal is in place, according to court documents.
The
Air Line Pilots Association asked a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in a filing on Wednesday to defer the hearings on the airline's
bid to void their contract and allow more time for the two sides to reach a deal.
Northwest
plans to renew an earlier request that the judge let the carrier scrap the existing contract with its pilots and other union-represented
workers if a deal is not reached by January 17. A hearing on the airline's motion is set for that day.
"Northwest
is risking labor peace with its pilots," the union said in the document. "The unilateral implementation of Northwest's demands
... would leave Northwest without a consensual pilot contract and the pilots with the right to strike."
Independence Air Shuts Down
Independence
Air, which won fans with its low fares, announced plans Monday to cease operations just days into the new year.
The
carrier said its money troubles will force it to cancel all departures after 7 p.m. Thursday. The end came less than 19 months
after the airline’s first takeoff.
“A
lot of people have described the current economic conditions in the industry as the worst ever in history, and that’s
certainly proved to be the case in our situation,” a company spokesman said.
Thursday
was be last day of work for most of the 2,700 employees, though about 180 will remain to close out the carrier’s affairs.
Indonesian Bombing
A
bomb packed with nails exploded in a crowded Christian market selling pork ahead of New Year celebrations in eastern Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least seven people
and wounding 53, police said.
The
early morning blast in Palu, capital of volatile Central Sulawesi province, came after warnings of militant violence during
the Christmas and New Year season in Indonesia.
But it appeared to be linked to regional tensions, not international Islamic militancy.
Russian-Ukraine Gas Crisis
Russia took Europe
to the brink of a winter energy crisis this week when it carried out a Cold War-style threat and temporarily halted gas deliveries
to Ukraine, the main conduit for exports
to the West.
With
a quarter of its gas supplied by Russia, Europe
found itself facing serious disruption and price rises.
Moscow turned off the tap Sunday after the Ukraine refused to sign a new contract with the Russian state
monopoly Gazprom that raised prices 460 percent.
Russia
and Ukraine reached a face-saving five-year deal on Wednesday, however,
which ended the dispute and assured gas supplies for Europe.
The
European Union welcomed the pact but still held talks to discuss energy security after the sudden reduction over the New Year
of Russian deliveries through Ukrainian pipelines, which cover a quarter of the continent's needs.
Poisoned Pet Food
The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday said it is conducting an investigation into the deaths and illnesses of dogs who
consumed food made by the privately owned Diamond Pet Foods.
The
Meta, Missouri-based maker of premium pet food, sold under labels that include Diamond, Country Value and Professional, last
week said it discovered the toxin aflatoxin in products made at its Gaston,
South Carolina, plant.
“Customers
who have purchased the recalled Diamond Pet Food manufactured in the South Carolina
plant should immediately stop using it and return any remaining product to their retailer,” the FDA said in a statement.
Aflatoxin
comes from a fungus and develops on crops during hot weather and drought. It was detected in several key growing states including
Iowa and Illinois this
year. Large quantities can cause cancer in humans, and it can be deadly to animals.
Hoof-and-Mouth Is Back
An
outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease forced the killing of 91 cattle in northeastern China this week, the official News Agency said. Foot-and-mouth disease causes severe
weight loss in cloven-hoofed animals. It does not affect humans and outbreaks are relatively easy to control, but can have
serious economic impact on the livestock industry.
Laughing At Bush
Call
it the wrong phrase at the wrong time but “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job” was named on as U.S. President
George W. Bush’s most memorable phrase of 2005.
The
ill-timed praise of a now disgraced agency head became a national punch line for countless jokes and pointed comments about
the administration’s handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and added to the president’s reputation for verbal
gaffes and clumsy turns of phrase.
Stupid Burglar
Swedish police
caught a burglar after he answered a phone he had just stolen and did not hang up, letting them eavesdrop on his getaway ride
in a taxi.
The man broke
into a house in northern Sweden, stealing
a mobile phone and other possessions.
The police rang
the stolen phone and heard him swearing about the late arrival of a taxi. "The thief answered the phone but then just put
it away without turning it off," said a local officer.
The police tracked
down the taxi and arrested the man.
Stupid
People
Animals know
stupid when they see it. Consider the following:
A South African
mugger fleeing the scene of his crime hid in a tiger enclosure. Authorities found him mauled to death by the big cats.
On this country's
coast, a woman attempts to be a good Samaritan by pushing a young seal into the sea, believing the poor thing is stranded.
The seal bit off her nose.
Both people paid
heavily for their stupidity, underscoring one of nature's truisms: humans do dumb things around wild animals.
"I blame it on
Walt Disney, where animals are given human qualities. People don't understand that a wild animal is not something that is
nice to pat. It can seriously harm you," said James Cameron, a South African professional hunter.
Sky Birth
An airplane flying to France's Indian Ocean island
of Reunion landed with an additional passenger after a woman gave birth
in the aircraft's toilet, the airline said.
The Air Austral flight had been in the
air more than five hours after taking off from the eastern French city of Lyon
on Saturday when a steward noticed a passenger had been in a toilet for a long time, and upon investigation the woman turned
out to be in labor.
"I didn't believe it and so I got up
to go see and the baby was already out," the pilot said after arriving in Reunion on Sunday.
A stewardess wrapped the baby in a blanket
and a doctor on board cut the umbilical cord.
Lost Fortune
The holder of a British lottery ticket
worth nearly 10 million pounds (14.5 million euros, 17.2 million dollars) had until 5:30 p.m. on Monday to collect or forfeit
the entire amount.
Most likely, the soon-to-be unlucky
winner simply forgot to check the ticket which would make him or her 9,476,995 pounds richer.
According to lottery rules, if the winner
fails to recoup the bounty within six months, the money is automatically given to a charitable organization.
Had the ticket holder placed his windfall
into a savings account immediately, a British newspaper calculated, an extra 300,000 pounds (437,000 euros, 517,000 dollars)
in interest would have accrued.
The largest unclaimed lottery prize
in Britain to date has been seven million
pounds (10.2 million euros, 12 million dollars).
Bathroom Shooting
A
21-year-old North Vancouver, BC,
man was facing numerous weapons charges after he shot off one of his fingers while apparently playing with a gun on New Year's
Day, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Police reminded residents that it was not a good idea to play with a
loaded gun while using the bathroom.
We
think there may be more to this story than we are being told.
Useless Ventures Department
A new chord sounded in the world's slowest
and longest lasting concert of a piece of music that is taking a total 639 years to perform in its entirety.
An abandoned church in Halberstadt,
eastern Germany, is the venue for a mind-boggling 639-year-long performance
of a piece of music by US experimental
composer John Cage (1912-1992).
Entitled "organ2/ASLSP" (or "As SLow
aS Possible"), the performance began on September 5, 2001 and is scheduled to last until 2639.
The first year and half of the performance
was total silence, with the first chord -- G-sharp, B and G-sharp -- not sounding until February 2, 2003.
Then in July 2004, two additional Es,
an octave apart, were sounded and are scheduled to be released later this year on May 5.
But on Thursday, the first chord progressed
to a second -- comprising A, C and F-sharp -- and is to be held down over the next few years by weights on an organ being
built especially for the project.
Cage originally conceived "ASLSP" in
1985 as a 20-minute work for piano, subsequently transcribing it for organ in 1987.
Now
there is probably the most useless piece of “creative” work I have ever heard of.
Not Looking Ahead
An intrepid British oarsman's bid to
row round Antarctica ended after just 20 miles when he unexpectedly collided with the Falkland Islands,
British newspapers reported.
Colin Yeates was attempting to make
history with the first solo unsupported rowing circumnavigation, expected to last 10 and a half months and cover 21,630-kilometres.
However, the "personal quest" to "push
the boundaries of what is believed possible" hit the rocks after just 30 miles.
And
That is our news for the first week of 2006. If the volume of news for this one week is any indication of what is to come,
we can expect a very busy and eventful year ahead.
Be
sure to listen to Voice of Lucifer on Sunday evening at this same time with Psychic and Prophet Aaron C. Donahue and his psychic
sister Jennifer Sharpe.
Goodnight,
and thanks for listening.