It was often overlooked that Germany had failed to ratify it, because both chambers of the German parliament voted massively in favour of the constitution. But an appeal lodged with the federal constitutional court by Karl-Albrecht Schachtschneider succeeded in obtaining an injunction from the court preventing the federal president from signing the instrument of ratification pending the EU's decision on what to do after the constitution was rejected in France and the Netherlands.

"The heart of the problem is fascist Islam," said Geert Wilders in a letter to the newspaper, De Volkskrant, "the sick ideology of Allah and Mohammed as it is laid out in the Islamist 'Mein Kampf'." Wilders said that several verses of the Koran called on believers to kill Christians and Jews and that the book should therefore be banned, that no more mosques be built and that no more Muslims allowed to come and live in the Netherlands. Wilders founded the Freedom Party last year and won nine seats in the Dutch parliament, in a country where relations with Islam have gone from bad to worse in recent years.

The city authorities in Brussels decided on 9 August to ban a demonstration which had been planned for 11 September - the sixth anniversary of the attacks in America - to demand "a stop to the Islamisation of Europe". According to the organisers, there were to be "tens of thousands" of demonstrators. The organisation behind the demonstration is called "Stop the Islamisation of Europe" (SIOE) and it says that it is a movement of ordinary people determined to prevent Islam from becoming a political force in Europe.

The group links together various national anti-Islamic groups in Europe including the Danish group "SIAD", the British movement "No Sharia Here" and the German group Pax Europe. The movement's slogans and goals include things like "No more mosques before there are churches in Mecca" and the group rejects the notion of moderate Islam, saying that "Islam is the very opposite of moderation".

The Flemish separatist party, Vlaams Belang, and the Dutch Freedom party of Geert Wilders, called on their supporters to join the demonstration. The Brussels city authorities justified their decision to ban the march in the name of security and because, they said, the demonstrators were going to propagate a xenophobic message. The Muslim community in Brussels would have been offended and this would have led to public disturbances.

The report notes that despite the terrorism the British themselves have experienced of late, they are not preventing the use of their country as a centre for the dissemination of publications that include incitement and hatred towards Israel and the west, and the encouragement of suicide terrorists. The report's introduction states that the Hamas terrorist movement attributes great importance to the media, both written and electronic, as a major tool in its struggle against the West.

"The media empire of Hamas includes a satellite television station, newspapers, a radio station, internet sites in eight languages, and book publishing," the report notes. "With these tools, Hamas disseminates the message of extremist Islam and incites to violence and terrorism to a range of target audiences in the Palestinian Authority, the Islamic and western world, and to Arab/Moslem communities in the West."

Although the headquarters of the Hamas media empire is found in Gaza, with guidance and help from Damascus and other Arab countries, it has a large branch in Great Britain, "which continues to be a centre for the publication and dissemination of Hamas literature."

As a result of terrorist attacks in Britain in recent years, some of which were thwarted and some of which were not, the government's awareness of the dangers inherent in extremist Islam has grown. However, the British authorities have not as yet taken significant steps to end the use of their country as a centre for dissemination of literature of incitement. This, despite the fact that the message being issued is liable to be welcomed not only among Palestinian or other Arab/Moslem communities, but even in the Moslem community in Britain itself

In a letter to President Bush on July 27, thirty-four evangelical leaders argued that evangelical individuals and organizations that exist to support Israel offer a minority opinion and that most evangelical Christians favour Israel withdrawing from most of the post-1967 territories in order to arrive at an agreement with the Arabs.

Meanwhile, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America took a step toward a partial boycott of Israeli goods. At its 2007 Churchwide Assembly in Chicago last week, the church's top legislative authority urged "consideration" of economic options, including the refusal to buy Israeli products or invest in activities in Israeli settlements, The JERUSALEM POST reported.

The church also resolved to work toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict and for investment in the PA. The assembly rejected a call for divestiture from Israel. "This marks the first time a mainline American Protestant church has moved toward a possible boycott of Israel," said the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's associate dean, Rabbi Abraham Cooper.

The work started last month on the northern section of the Temple Mount in the area of the outer courts of the ancient Jewish Temples with the approval of the Israel Police and the state-run Antiquities Authority, Israeli and Islamic officials said. Independent Israeli archeologists said that the work left a 100-meter-long and roughly 1-1.5 meter deep trench, and has damaged the site.

"This is a barbaric action on the most sensitive place in archeology of the Jewish nation," said Bar-Ilan University archeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkai, a member of the Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount. Barkai said that work carried out at the site on Monday - which eyewitnesses say was done with an Antiquties Authority official present - was the most damaging to date.

"If this was done with the Antiquities Authority supervision it is even worse, because the crime was done before our very eyes," he added. "It is outrageous that the Antiquities Authority is taking part in an archeological crime by pretending they are supervising the site while they are in fact witnessing the crime as it takes place," said group spokeswoman Dr. Eilat Mazar, a leading Temple Mount expert.

The Antiquities Authority, which by law is charged with supervising Israel's archeological sites, has in the past been criticized by the apolitical group of archeologists for overlooking large-scale Islamic construction on the site which resulted in archeological damage because of the political sensitivities involved.

The 23-year-old paratrooper, blown up by a landmine in Afghanistan last year, lost both legs and suffered other multiple injuries. Yet the Ministry of Defence has told him that he will receive only £152,150 with which to rebuild his life, little more than half the maximum award allowed under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

The amount is paltry, by comparison with the sums given to "traumatised" teachers, mistreated jail inmates and - most notoriously - THE £484,000 AWARDED TO AN RAF TYPIST WHO ALLEGEDLY SUFFERED REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURY TO HER THUMB. Sometimes, in cases of this kind, after a surge of publicity it emerges that the facts are not quite as they seem, that the apparent injustice is less disgraceful than we were led to suppose. But military sources confirm that the treatment of Ben Parkinson is indeed a scandal.

This is not surprising, considering that the drums have been beating loudly in Washington this summer about a potential attack -- first from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and then in the form of a National Intelligence Estimate. More recently, several other reports have appeared concerning an impending attack, including an alert over the weekend in New York triggered by an alleged dirty bomb plot.

One of the reasons for the heightened concern is that most everyone, including Stratfor, is surprised that no major jihadist attack has occurred on U.S. soil since 9/11. Many plots have been disrupted, and it is only a matter of time before one of them succeeds. SIMPLY PUT, ATTACKS ARE NOT DIFFICULT TO CONDUCT AND THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT STOP THEM ALL.

When disaster strikes, as in a terrorist attack, a number of things happen quickly and simultaneously. Often, panic erupts while people attempt to flee the scene of the attack. At the same time, police, fire and emergency medical units all attempt to respond to the scene, so there can be terrible traffic and pedestrian crowd-control problems. This effect can be magnified by smoke and fire, which can occlude vision, affect breathing and increase panic. INDEED, MANY OF THE INJURIES PRODUCED BY TERRORIST BOMBINGS ARE NOT A DIRECT RESULT OF THE BLAST OR EVEN SHRAPNEL, BUT OF SMOKE INHALATION AND TRAMPLING.

Those in the vicinity of an attack have the best chance of escaping and reconnecting with loved ones if they have a personal contingency plan. Though such planning is critically important for people who live and work in close proximity to known terrorist targets such as Manhattan, Washington and Los Angeles, the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis has demonstrated that such planning is important for people in other parts of the country as well. SUDDEN DISASTERS, SUCH AS TORNADOS, EARTHQUAKES, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS OR THE DERAILMENT OF TRAIN CARS CARRYING CHLORINE, CAN STRIKE ANYWHERE.

EMERGENCY PLANS ARE VITAL NOT ONLY FOR CORPORATIONS AND SCHOOLS, BUT ALSO FOR FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS.

Planning also is important because, when confronted with a dire emergency situation, many people simply do not know what to do. Not having determined their options in advance -- and in shock over the events of the day -- they are unable to think clearly enough to establish a logical plan, and instead wander aimlessly around. HAVING AN ESTABLISHED PLAN IN PLACE GIVES EVEN A PERSON WHO IS IN SHOCK OR DENIAL AND UNABLE TO THINK CLEARLY A FRAMEWORK TO LEAN ON AND A PATH TO FOLLOW.

One of the keys to surviving a catastrophe is situational awareness. This means recognizing the threat at an early stage, and taking measures to avoid it. In some cases, evacuation might not be the best idea. If there is no immediate threat to you at your current location, you could run a larger risk of being injured by joining the crowd of panicked people on the street. In some cases, it might be safest to just stay in place and wait for order to return -- especially if you are in a location where you have emergency stocks of food and water.

Plans must be reviewed periodically. A plan made following 9/11 might no longer be valid. Your equipment also should be checked periodically to ensure it is functional.

FINALLY, WHILE HAVING A CONTINGENCY PLAN ON PAPER IS BETTER THAN HAVING NOTHING, THOSE THAT ARE TESTED IN THE REAL WORLD ARE FAR SUPERIOR. Running through an evacuation plan (especially during a high-traffic time such as rush hour) will help to identify weaknesses that will not appear on paper. It also will help to ensure that all those involved know what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to go. A plan is of limited use if half of the people it is designed for do not understand their respective roles and responsibilities.

No plan is perfect, and chances are you will have to "shift on the fly" and change your plan in the event of an actual emergency. HOWEVER, HAVING A PLAN -- AND BEING PREPARED -- WILL ALLOW YOU TO BE MORE FOCUSED AND LESS PANICKED AND CONFUSED THAN THOSE WHO HAVE LEFT THEIR FATE TO CHANCE. In life and death situations, an ounce of prevention is a good thing.

IF THEY CUT INTEREST RATES to save the economy, the US dollar is toast - IF THEY DON'T CUT RATES, the economy is toast - the days ahead will be quite a show - most would concur the dollar will be sacrificed, with the obvious implications for gold.

Now the credit derivative implosion problem has worked its way into the commercial paper market which since last week has declined by $90 billion. The word is that the commercial paper market for all purposes is closed down, yet Professor Bernanke sleeps on. No one can say with a straight face that a shut down commercial paper market will fail to shut down the US Economy. It will.

THE SYSTEM FINANCIALLY IS HANGING BY A THREAD. Of the total $2.2 trillion, $1.2 of the commercial paper market is mortgage backed. Action is either taken by Professor Bernanke immediately, or Bernanke is a reincarnation of Nero and the US is standing on the "Burning Platform" as the Financial Times said last week. No action and very soon you can kiss the US economy goodbye for at least a generation, maybe longer.

The sins of the Father is visited today upon the Son who has done more sinning than the Father ever even considered. WHAT THEN COMES NEXT?

'Something unbelievable happened,' Roth said in an interview in the Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. The chairman of the Swiss National Bank indicated that he did not foresee a swift end to the crisis triggered by the US sub-prime, or high-risk, home loan market in the United States.

Dozens of US mortgage lenders have been put out of business and major US and European banks have also taken a hit, making them more wary about granting new loans. Roth told the newspaper that many questions remained unanswered, generating a high degree of volatility and mistrust.

'We're certainly not at the end of the story with developments in the US mortgage market. The source is bad loans.' The economic climate in Europe was 'robust', while Asia remained 'dynamic', he added.

'There are certainly some question marks now surrounding the development of the American economy,' Roth said.

With virtually no media attention, in 2005 President Bush shifted U.S. policy on avian flu and pandemic influenza, PLACING THE COUNTRY UNDER INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES NOT SPECIFICALLY DETERMINED BY DOMESTIC AGENCIES. The policy shift was formalized Sept. 14, 2005, when Bush announced a new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza to a High-Level Plenary Meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, in New York.

WND could find NO EVIDENCE THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION PRESENTED THE INFLUENZA PARTNERSHIP PLAN TO CONGRESS FOR OVERSIGHT OR APPROVAL. The SPP plan gives primacy for avian and pandemic influenza management to plans developed by the WHO, WTO, U.N. and NAFTA directives - NOT DECISIONS MADE BY U.S. AGENCIES.

In Sept. 2005, Dr. David Nabarro was appointed the first U.N. system influenza coordinator, a position which also places him as a senior policy adviser to the U.N. director-general. Nabarro joined the WHO in 1999 and was appointed WHO executive director of sustainable development and health environments in July 2002. In a Sept. 29, 2005, press conference at the U.N., Nabarro made clear that his job was to prepare for the H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu.

NABARRO FUELED THE GLOBAL FEAR THAT AN EPIDEMIC WAS VIRTUALLY INEVITABLE. In response to a question about the 1918-1919 flu pandemic that killed approximately 40 million people worldwide, Nabarro commented, "I am certain there will be another pandemic sometime."

Nabarro stressed at the press conference that he saw as inevitable a worldwide pandemic influenza coming soon that would kill millions. He quantified the deaths he expected as follows: "I'm not, at the moment at liberty to give you a prediction on numbers, but I just want to stress, that, let's say, the range of deaths could be anything from 5 to 150 million."

In a March 8, 2006, U.N. press conference that was reported on a State Department website, NABARRO PREDICTED AN OUTBREAK OF THE H5N1 VIRUS WOULD "REACH THE AMERICAS WITHIN THE NEXT SIX TO 12 MONTHS." NORTHCOM and other governmental websites document the growing role the Bush administration plans FOR THE U.S. MILITARY TO BE INVOLVED IN CONTINENTAL DOMESTIC EMERGENCIES INVOLVING HEALTH, INCLUDING AVIAN FLU AND PANDEMIC INFLUENZA.

WND also has reported President Bush signed in May two documents, National Security Presidential Directive-51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive-20, WHICH GIVE THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT EXTRAORDINARY POWERS TO DECLARE NATIONAL EMERGENCIES AND TO ASSUME NEAR-DICTATORIAL POWERS.

Japan's Nikkei index lost 275 points or 1.7%, to close at 16,013. Wall Street's Dow Jones had earlier finished Tuesday down 280 points or 2.1% to 13,042.

The latest share falls was caused by a major stock brokerage warning that the credit squeeze will hurt bank profits. Investor confidence was also hit by weak US consumer sentiment figures.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority will announce its decision next week on whether to give permission to UK laboratories to create the hybrid embryos to advance the understanding of genetic diseases.

The issue is controversial because it involves scientists taking an animal egg, removing its genetic material and putting DNA from a human cell into it. This can be used to create lines of stem cells which can then be made part of studies into incurable genetic diseases such as motor neurone disease. However, it has caused controversy as some campaigners and religious groups argue that it is unethical to mix human and animal cells in this way.

The move has prompted strong protests from some religious and anti-abortion groups that oppose any such research. Anti-embryo campaigners had said earlier this year it was appalling that the government had, in their view, bowed to pressure from 'a random collection of self-interested scientists'.

The Catholic Church has made clear its opposition. Bishops told the parliamentary committee scrutinising a draft bill to allow the research to go ahead, that they opposed the creation of any embryo solely for research - they believe that all life begins at conception. They said they were also anxious to limit the destruction of such life once it had been brought into existence.

In a submission to the committee, they said: 'At the very least, embryos with a preponderance of human genes should be assumed to be embryonic human beings, and be treated accordingly.'

About 20 people were injured in floods and storms which also killed hundreds of sheep and other animals in the Arab country, they said. At least 20 people were killed earlier this year and thousands driven from their homes by flooding in Yemen, one of the poorest countries outside Africa.

Dozens of people were evacuated from homes and cars and many roads closed because of rising flood waters and fallen trees after the Sunshine Coast was lashed with days of torrential rain, officials said. The dumping of more than 1,000 millimetres (40 inches) of rain on the Sunshine Coast has been attributed to a once-in-a-century weather event.

"They are very rare in August and the last one we can find was probably in the 1880s," the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was told.

Zalmay Khalilzad told the daily Die Presse the Middle East was now so disordered that it had the potential to inflame the world as Europe did during the first half of the 20th century.

"The (Middle East) is going through a very difficult transformation phase. That has strengthened extremism and creates a breeding ground for terrorism," he said in remarks translated by Reuters into English from the published German.

"Europe was just as dysfunctional for a while. And some of its wars became world wars. Now the problems of the Middle East and Islamic civilisation have the same potential to engulf the world," he was quoted as saying.