The bulldozers, he said, intended to demolish a mound next to al-Maghareba Gate, one of the entrances into Jerusalem's Old City leading to the mosque compound. According to the Waqf religious trust, two underground rooms connected to the mosques lie under the mound. They claim that levelling the mound would threaten the foundation of the entire al-Aqsa compound.

The work, just outside the site known as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims and as the Temple Mount to Jews, is likely to inflame tensions. Israeli police have already restricted access to the site, preventing tourists and Palestinian men under the age of 45 from entering.

Israel's project entails excavating the mound to ensure that the subsequent renovation work does not damage any archaeological artifacts found at the site, officials said. Yuval Baruch, the antiquities authority's chief archaeologist for the Jerusalem region, told Israel radio the work was a salvage operation."We have begun the work in preparation for the salvage dig that is supposed to start here in the coming days in the framework of the renovation of the Maghareba Bridge," he said

The compound, which houses al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, is where the second Palestinian uprising erupted in September 2000 following a controversial visit by Israel's then-opposition leader, Ariel Sharon.The site is also revered by Jews as once the site of Solomon's temple, the holiest shrine in Judaism, destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.

On Sunday, Jordan's King Abdullah II warned against "any attack on Islamic sites" in Jerusalem and condemned Israeli attempts "seeking to change the nature of these sites and erase their Muslim character".In January 2007, Israel revealed a project to set up a synagogue next to the al-Aqsa Mosque's Dome of the Rock.

In February 2004, excavation works carried out by Israeli authorities led to the collapse of a part of the path leading to Al Maghareba Gate, one of the mosque's main entrances. The Israeli government has been conducting exploratory excavation works underneath the al-Aqsa Mosque since 1969.

Replacing the current Hamas-led government with a more moderate coalition might enable the Palestinians to re-engage more fully with the West, says our correspondent. Hamas has so far refused to recognise Israel or renounce violence - both preconditions to end a crippling Western aid boycott of the Hamas government.

"There may be obstacles but we confirm that we are going with true intentions to reach a Palestinian-Palestinian agreement that would end tensions and reinforce national unity," said Mr Haniya. Earlier Hamas-Fatah meetings - brokered by other Arab countries, Egypt, Syria and Qatar - have been preceded by equally optimistic words, but have led to nothing.

But there is a feeling that this time could be different, our correspondent says. There is huge domestic and international pressure on the two parties for a breakthrough, and the talks are being held in the auspicious surroundings of Islam's most holy city. The mediating will be done by Saudi Arabia, which has significant political and financial clout.

Saudi Arabia also has its own motives for seeking a solution to the crisis in Gaza, says the BBC's Middle East analyst Roger Hardy. Saudi leaders are deeply uneasy about the role of Iran in three of the region's main trouble spots - Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, he says. Saudi Arabia may have ambitions of filling a leadership vacuum in the Arab world, he says - though whether they are capable of doing so remains to be seen.

Opponents say Perry should have let the Legislature decide whether to impose a mandate. "He's circumventing the will of the people," said Dawn Richardson, president of Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education, a citizens group that fought for the right to opt out of other vaccine requirements. "There are bills filed. There's no emergency except in the boardrooms of Merck, where this is failing to gain the support that they had expected."

Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons. Conservative groups say such provisions still interfere with parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children.

The executive order is effective until Perry or a successor changes it, and the Legislature has no authority to repeal it, said Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody. Moody said the Texas Constitution permits the governor, as head of the executive branch, to order other members of the executive branch to adopt rules like this one. The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active.

Merck could generate billions in sales if Gardasil -- at $360 for the three-shot regimen -- were made mandatory across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which has been shown to have no serious side effects.

The numbers are barely comprehensible by anyone not involved in the industry. Foot and mouth saw the destruction of seven million sheep and cattle (quite unjustifiably, but that's another story). Avian flu, which has now been diagnosed on one of Bernard Matthews's turkey farms in Suffolk, could, if it takes hold in poultry farms across Britain, be equally devastating. The one infected farm holds 160,000 birds. They will all have to be slaughtered.

Frogs, locusts and boils could hardly be worse.Except that there is something worse. The H5N1 strain of bird flu could, as may have happened with BSE, leap the species barrier. Indeed, in a statistically small number of cases, this has already happened: 164 people have died from the human form of the disease since 2003. The official word for a disease which originates in animals but is passed to humans is zoonosis.

Zoonoses include many of the world's most fearful killers - anthrax, bubonic plague, Ebola, Lassa fever, probably HIV. So far, nearly all the people who have died from human bird flu live or work close to poultry. They caught the disease directly from birds. The fear is that the avian flu virus will mutate into a form that can be transmitted easily from person to person. The result could be a pandemic on the scale of the influenza of 1918-19, which killed 70 million people around the world.

Commercial farms cram poultry into tiny spaces. They may never see daylight. Bernard Matthews has a very good brand. But his white turkeys grow fast and die young. They have been bred to put on weight as quickly as possible. While old-fashioned turkey breeds, such as the bronze, mature slowly, only reaching their optimum size after six months, modern commercial equivalents have been bred to plump up in just half the time.

Can it be right? We may wake up to the consequences of paying so little money - little more than £5 in the case of some frozen turkeys being offered before Christmas - for food.

Her position conflicts with the British preference for a mini-treaty to streamline voting rules and end the rotation of the EU presidency every six months. New tensions emerged last week after Gordon Brown, the chancellor, was reported to have indicated that he would not even consider such technical changes without a promise that the constitution was off the agenda.

Government sources confirmed this weekend that Britain did not believe a formal constitution was necessary for the EU to work efficiently with 27 members. Britain also wants to avoid changes that would encroach on sensitive national interests such as defence policy. Several British ministers have gone on record saying the constitution in its current form is not a viable option. The challenge now is to agree on some sensible institutional reforms that suit all 27 member states, a senior British official said.

Burying the constitution recently described by John Reid, the home secretary, as a dead parrot would release Tony Blair and his successor from the promise of a potentially damaging referendum. Britain's stance may anger the 18 countries who have ratified the constitution. At a meeting in Madrid this month, the 18 friends of the constitution, plus Portugal and Ireland, reaffirmed support for the document and discussed expanding it to cover climate change and immigration.

Merkel will try to break the deadlock during Germany's six-month presidency of the EU before a summit in June. Britain's opposition is shared by Poland and the Czech Republic.

Hundreds of thousands of them came together in Beirut's southern suburbs, heavily Shia in population, and a Hezbollah stronghold - that is why parts of it were devastated during last summer's Israeli bombings. Old and young, men and women, babes in arms, almost everybody dressed in black, in mourning for the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

More than anything else, the martyrdom of Hussein over 13 centuries ago has given Shia Islam the defining characteristics at the heart of its ethos: suffering and sacrifice in the face of oppression, the patience and endurance of the downtrodden, and reverence for the ultimate sacrifice, martyrdom. But that does not necessarily mean passively accepting death and defeat.

In fact, Shia Islam is on the march, throughout the region, whose faultlines - sectarian, ethnic and political - have been perilously exposed by the tectonic pressures currently exerted on it. When sectarian strife broke out between Sunnis and Shias in Iraq, especially after the attack on the Shia shrine at Samarra a year ago, people began talking of Iraq as "the new Lebanon".

Sectarian revenge killings between Iraqi Shias and Sunnis are now claiming more than 100 lives every day. In the meantime, the region remains in grievous danger of exploding out of control, especially in terms of the Sunni-Shia divide. Despite the fact that it is allied to the United States, Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the custodian of Sunni Islam, has seen the dangers.

It has been talking intensively to the Iranians, and that dialogue is partly credited with persuading the factions in Lebanon to draw back from the brink. The Saudis are also brokering a ceasefire between Hamas and Fatah in the Palestinian territories, though it is proving difficult to consolidate.

If the Americans are pulling in different directions, it is hard to see how local and regional initiatives can get very far.

Hamas embarked on this war with some 10,000 fighters 6,000 from among the ranks of what is known as the Executive Police Force founded by the Hamas government, and 4,000 armed members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Martyrs' Brigades.

The gunmen are well trained and organized within a quasi military organization, and they are equipped with every means of warfare including sniper rifles, communications devices, flack jackets, night vision equipment, Kalashnikov rifles, hand grenades, RPGs and almost limitless munitions. This force is ready for battle, it has been training for the past two years, and is also ready to engage in a civil war.

Up against them are Fatah and Abbas loyalists along with the national security forces who together total some 60,000 gunmen. The majority lacks any formal military training and is fighting with light weapons while suffering from a lack of munitions and logistic means yet more importantly, they were not trained for warfare against Hamas.

The Palestinian infighting is no different than other civil wars. This is a war over values, over a way of life, and over the future identity of Palestinian society and state: It pits Fatah's secular democratic nationalism against Hamas' radical Islam. Hamas is fighting passionately in the name of religion and is backed by the "fatwas"- religious edicts that defines Fatah members as heretics and justifies the killing of Muslims. Such a war took place in Algeria. Fatah sources are saying that the battles are aimed at preventing "Algerization" of the Territories.

Hamas treats Fatah as "mortadin," namely as those who abandoned the way of Islam after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. His successor, Caliph Abu Bakr, issued a religious edict that permits and encourages their killing. Fatah members, on the other hand, regard themselves as true Muslims and view Hamas as 'khawaraj' - a group that detached itself from the Islamic community, strictly adheres to religious laws, and defines those who do not follow its path as heretics punishable by death.

Fatah and Hamas both believe that the infighting in the Palestinian Authority has just begun. Therefore, Hamas is insisting on establishing a national unity government under its cover it will maintain its power and continue to instill the values of radical Islam among the population.

Hamas and Abbas want a unity government in order to reach a lull in the fighting for the purpose of strengthening their forces for the next round of battles, which will culminate in either a military victory or a victory at the polls. A unity government is not likely to bridge the gaps, and the battles will inevitably be resumed. A decision will only be reached after a lot of blood has been shed and after the defeated party will disarm and accept the authority of the victor.

Israel and the entire region would be much better off if Fatah were to win this war.

"I just received a call from the White House that the president has signed the declaration for public assistance," David Paulison, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) said.

He said Fema trucks were on their way with food, water and other supplies, but urged volunteers to help with recovery operations. "It's neighbours helping neighbours. If we work together, we can do this," Mr Paulison said. Shelters have been opened to house the affected residents.

Hilary Hague, who lives in The Villages retirement complex near Lady Lake, told BBC News that the storms had started with severe lightning, followed by heavy rain. She said it got worse later " when there was almost continuous lightning". She said survivors were "quite shocked - this is not a usual occurrence in this area - but also grateful" that they had apparently escaped the deaths and injuries suffered elsewhere.

In 1998, tornadoes killed 42 people in Florida in what was the state's worst storm on record.

"In the name of God the most merciful, the most compassionate. We thank you, God, to bless us among your creations. We thank you, God, to make us as a great nation. We thank you God, to send us your messages through our father Abraham and Moses and Jesus and Muhammad. Through you, God, we unite. So guide us to the right path. The path of the people you bless, not the path of the people you doom. Help us God to liberate and fill this earth with justice and peace and"

Spencer, in a post on his Jihad Watch website, said he found it interesting to see the Muslim leader praying, "in veiled terms to be sure, for their conversion to Islam, and, oh yes, for the destruction of Israel ("And help us to stop the war and violence, and oppression and occupation").

"Imagine if a Christian priest or minister had prayed at a DNC meeting that those attending be guided away from the path of those doomed by God," Spencer said. He explained the imam was echoing the Fatiha, the first sura, or chapter, of the Quran and the most common prayer of Islam.

It asks Allah: "Show us the straight path, the path of those whom Thou hast favored; not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray." The traditional Islamic understanding is that the "straight path" is Islam, Spencer points out. On the other hand, he continued, the path of those who have earned Allah's anger are the Jews, and those who have gone astray are the Christians.

A historic window of opportunity may be brought on by the development of the EU over the past decades, the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East to include a nuclear threat, and the volatility of the U.S. role in the region. In view of this, the United States should realize the strategic value of gradually integrating Israel into the European Union.

Although a full membership is not in the cards at the moment, the EU becoming Israel's second closest strategic ally, alongside the U.S., is in everybody's best interests. Over the next decade or two, relations between the U.S., the EU and Israel should be progressively formulated anew.

Increasingly, the EU complements and in some cases, assumes, the U.S.'s traditional third party role in the region. For example, on the macro level, the EU took on a leading role in the Middle East Quartet and as chief negotiator with Iran, and on the micro level, the EU has an active presence in southern Lebanon and Gaza, and has, on several occasions, attempted to revive negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Europe has a clear interest in stabilizing its backyard and it can offer incentives and exert leverages the U.S. cannot.

Get ready for the showdown across the country where parents are sick and tired of being told they are forced to shoot their kids up one more time. The vaccine is available to anybody who wants it - there is no need to force it.

Understanding what efforts are being put forth by the vaccine manufacturer to force this on our children, it is imperative that you continue to voice your concerns to your state senators and representatives no matter what state you live in. Opt-out provisions are useless in so many instances in Texas and other states that if these bills pass, many will be forced to take the shot. It will take a lot to counter a push from a company who stands to make billions on forced vaccination.

A top official from Merck's vaccine division sits on Women in Government's business council, and many of the bills around the country have been introduced by members of Women in Government. "Cervical cancer is of particular interest to our members because it represents the first opportunity that we have to actually eliminate a cancer," Women in Government President Susan Crosby said.

Mandates take away parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children, said Linda Klepacki of the Colorado-based evangelical organization Focus on the Family. The group contends the vaccine should be available for parents who want it, but not forced on those who don't. But Texas Rep. Jessica Farrar said her proposal is aimed at protecting children whose parents are less informed about or less interested in preventive care.

"Not everybody has equal sets of parents," said Farrar, a Houston Democrat who had precancerous cells removed from her cervix several years ago. "I think this is a public health issue and to not want to eradicate cervical cancer is irresponsible."

Drug-industry analyst Steve Brozak of W.B.B. Securities has projected Gardasil sales of at least $1 billion per year and billions more if states start requiring the vaccine. "I could not think of a bigger boost," he said. The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if Gardasil at $360 for the three-shot regimen were made mandatory across the country.

The new stand replaces a 1,000-year-old podium believed to have been shipped to Jerusalem by the Islamic conqueror Saladin. That stand was destroyed in 1969, when an Australian tourist set fire to the Al Aqsa Mosque. According to a Waqf official speaking to WND, the theme for tomorrow's installation ceremony will focus on exclusive Islamic domination of the Temple Mount.

"The official reason for the ceremony is to mark the installation, but unofficially it will be a celebration that this podium is proof we are the rightful owners of the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount). This podium solidifies our eternal presence here," the Waqf official said. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the centre of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now resides on the site. The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

He Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition.

Most Waqf officials deny the Jewish temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammed tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven.
Last June, in a widely circulated WND interview, a former senior leader of the Waqf contradicted his colleagues, saying he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.

He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and is not rooted in facts. He told WND "true" Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque. "It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place."

Chinese Embassy officials in Cameroon said Hu is expected to sign health and education agreements. China has raised eyebrows by lavishing poor African nations with seemingly no-strings-attached gifts of palatial government buildings, hospitals and dams. Critics contend the flashy gifts are payback for unofficial rights to Africa's rich mineral and natural resources.

Hu is expected to tour two Chinese-funded institutions in Yaounde, including a pediatric hospital and a sports complex. At the airport Tuesday night, the throng of thousands cheered as Hu and his wife descended from their Air China Boeing 747. A 300-person Chinese delegation waved the flags of the two countries.

Hu departs Thursday for Monrovia, Liberia's war-ravaged capital, on his 12-day tour. He's also expected to visit Sudan, where China has come under heavy criticism for offering financial incentives to a regime accused of genocide.