01/04/2012

        Struggle for Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:3; Luke 21:20)

IDF and Hamas battle Jihad Islami snipers trying to provoke Gaza warfare

The most violent event of Palestinian-backed Earth Day Friday, March 30, was a battle around the Gaza-Israeli Erez crossing between Israeli forces and marksmen of the Iran-backed Palestinian Jihad Islami, debkafile’s military sources report. The shooters were laying down fire to cover a mass Palestinian rush on the Israeli border and the crossing so as to force Israeli soldiers to shoot into the crowd.

         Damascus, Syria (Isaiah 17:1-3)

Syrian 'Peace': Fresh Clashes Break Out

Fresh clashes erupted between Syrian soldiers and rebels across many parts of Syria on Friday, despite President Bashar Assad having accepted a peace plan brokered by UN envoy Kofi Annan earlier this week.According to The Associated Press, there were clashes in the suburbs of Damascus, in the northern Idlib province, the restive central province of Homs and in eastern Syria.

By securing Assad and its alliance, Iran gains upper hand for nuclear talks

Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan’s talks with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Thursday, March 29 were closed to the press, but a statement published on Khamenei's official website said he told Erdoğan that Iran strongly opposes any foreign intervention in Syria's conflict and will defend Damascus so that it can continue to be a center of “resistance” against Israel.

         Middle East (Psalm 83:1-4) (Rev 9:16) (Rev 16:12)

Libya: 147 killed in 6 days of clashes in south 

Six days of tribal clashes in a remote desert town in southern Libya have killed 147 people, the country's health minister said Saturday.Fatma al-Hamroush said in a press conference in Tripoli that the fighting in Sabha has also left 395 wounded. Around 180 people have been transported to the capital Tripoli for emergency treatment, she said.

40 killed in army-Qaeda clashes: Yemen officials

At least 40 people were killed in heavy fighting on Saturday between the army and suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen's southern province of Lahij, officials said.

"Twenty-eight soldiers were killed" in the fighting which erupted when the Islamist fighters attacked army positions in Mallah, a town in Lahij, an army officer on the ground told AFP.

An official in the Al-Qaeda stronghold of Jaar, southeast of Lahij, said 12 militants were also killed.

         Magog Invasion – Iran, Russia (Ezekiel 38-39)

Clinton: Time running out for diplomacy with Iran

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made clear Saturday that time is running out for diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program and said talks aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon would resume in mid-April. With speculation over a possible U.S. or Israel military attack adding urgency to the next round of discussions in Istanbul set for April 13, Clinton said Iran's "window of opportunity" for a peaceful resolution "will not remain open forever."

        Decline of United States (Hosea 4-14) 

 Everything Is Going To Be Alright?

Is the U.S. economy going to be okay? Well, if the only source you listened to was the mainstream media, you would be left with the distinct impression that the U.S. economy is heading toward a full recovery and that everything is going to be alright. Unfortunately, that is not the case at all. The United States is rapidly becoming poorer as a nation and less competitive in the global marketplace. At the same time, consumer debt levels are rising, corporate debt levels are rising,...

      Famines, Drought, Floods, Earthquakes & Pestilences (Matthew 24:7-8) (Luke 21:11; 25) (Rev 6:5-8)

‘That noise was not thunder,’ Poconos residents say: Boom violently shakes houses in Pennsylvania

March 31, 2012 – PENNSYLVANIA – Strong thunderstorms hit the Poconos Friday night, moving through shortly after 10 p.m. and continuing for at least a half hour, but the weather event that had folks talking was a loud sonic-like boom that shook houses at about 10:15 p.m. Gilda Spiotta of Long Pond said, “The shaking last night lasted unusually long. Didn’t sound like thunder, didn’t feel like thunder, was wondering if something happened on 380/80; tanker accident.”


Clintonville’s reign of terror from mysterious booms continues

March 30, 2012 – WISCONSIN — Geological officials said Wednesday they are considering putting a seismometer in a Wisconsin city where a small earthquake was recorded last week after strong booms and rumblings shook residents once again. Clintonville police received 65 calls Tuesday night between 10:35 p.m. and 11:40 p.m. and another 19 calls came in between 3:25 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Clintonville Police Chief Terry Lorge said.

San Diego residents rattled by 3 loud booms, following tremor

March 30, 2012 – SAN DIEGO, CA – The USGS confirmed a small earthquake struck San Diego County Thursday night. The quake struck with a magnitude of 3.3 and at a depth of 7 miles at 11:09 p.m. The epicenter of the earthquake was four miles south-southeast of the Palomar Observatory, 17 miles northeast of Escondido and 39 miles north-northeast of San Diego, according to a computer-generated USGS report.

31/03/2012

Struggle for Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:3; Luke 21:20)

One PA Arab Dead in Land Day Riots

The Land Day protests, some of which turned violent, ended late Friday afternoon with one Palestinian Authority Arab dead in Gaza.
According to a report in the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency, the Arab was killed by Israeli fire. The report cited a medical official in Gaza who added that over 30 other people were wounded in clashes at two sites in Gaza.

Tibi: Arabs have right to Israel's land

Thousands of Arab Israelis took part in a Land Day marches across the country on Friday, while similar rallies in the Palestinian territories saw dozens injured.
Arab Knesset members were among the protesters, who wielded Palestinian flags. At one rally, Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi said Arabs have a right to Israel's land.

Damascus, Syria (Isaiah 17:1-3)

Annan to Assad: 'The Deadline is Now'

UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on Friday demanded the Syrian Government implement a ceasefire it previously agreed to immediately. "The deadline is now," an Annan spokesman said, adding the former UN chief believed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad needed "to make a good faith gesture."

Khamenei: Syria's Anti-Israel, So We'll Defend It

Iran will defend the Syrian regime due to its anti-Israeli stance, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader said on Thursday.
According to a report in The Daily Star, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the comments during a meeting with visiting Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Activists: Fresh clashes erupt in Syria

BEIRUT (AP) — Fresh clashes between Syrian soldiers and rebels erupted across many parts of Syria Friday as U.N. envoy Kofi Annan urged the government to lay down its weapons first to immediately end the nation's yearlong crisis. Syrian President Bashar Assad accepted a peace plan brokered by Annan earlier this week, but the bloodshed has persisted despite calls for a cease-fire. The opposition is deeply skeptical Assad will carry out Annan's peace plan

Middle East (Psalm 83:1-4) (Rev 9:16) (Rev 16:12)

Eight die in Yemen violence

Eight people, including five suspected Al-Qaeda members, were killed in an air strike and a shooting in Yemen on Friday, local officials and tribal sources said.An official in Shabwa province in eastern Yemen said two drone attacks, apparently carried out by US forces, targeted Al-Qaeda suspects. Five members of the Islamist group were killed when a missile slammed into their car in the town of Azzan, 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa, he said.

Iran and Turkey battle for Iraq supremacy

 

Baghdad (CNN) - As Iraq's capital emerges from almost a decade of conflict and civil strife it is becoming an economic battleground for Turkey and Iran. Turkish firm Tefirom is contracted to build Baghdad Mall. Featuring a five-star hotel more than 100 meters tall, it is set to be the tallest building in Baghdad. It will also house shops, gyms, a giant parking garage and a state-of-the art medical center.

Magog Invasion – Iran, Russia (Ezekiel 38-39)

 Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, subs in the Gulf: the Israeli military encirclement of Iran – prelude?

March 30, 2012 – ISRAEL - Last week, it was announced by Info Live that the Israelis were using military bases in Kurdistan to launch surveillance flights into Iran. Now, the three-way tension between the United States, Israel, and Iran became tenser this week with a widely cited report that Israel is developing a “secret staging ground” in Iran’s neighbor to the north – Azerbaijan – for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Mideast officials: Obama in secret talks with Iran


JERUSALEM – President Obama has been engaged in secret, back-channel talks with Iran in which he informed Tehran’s leaders he is completely opposed to any Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to informed Middle Eastern officials. The officials told WND the behind-the-scenes talks aim to secure a guarantee from Iran that it will not...

The Rise of the Far East

Japan issues destroy order as NK rocket launch looms 


The Japanese Defense Minister has ordered missile units to intercept North Korea’s rocket if it flies over Japan. Satellite imagery confirms North Korea is proceeding with its plans to launch the Unha-3 rocket despite growing international pressure.­Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka issued the destroy order at a meeting of the country’s national security council on Friday. The Japanese military had been instructed earlier to intercept the Unha-3 rocket if it flies over the country’s territories.

North Korea test fires short-range missiles: reports

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its west coast on Thursday believed to be part of a test to upgrade capabilities, said news reports published on Friday, quoting South Korean military officials.North Korea has raised tensions in recent weeks by announcing it would launch a rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but regional powers are urging Pyongyang to drop the plan

 

30/03/2012

Struggle for Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:3; Luke 21:20)

State Department Refuses to Say Jerusalem is Israel's Capital

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Wednesday refused to say that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, according to a report by The Weekly Standard.
The report said the exchange took place at the daily State Department press briefing. The questions Nuland was asked were regarding a Washington Free Beacon story that highlighted the State Department's refusal to list Jerusalem as part of Israel.

Abbas: Hamas Unity Deal 'Frozen'


Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that the reconciliation deal between his Fatah faction and Hamas is going nowhere.
"Unity is frozen," said Abbas, who is in Baghdad to attend the Arab League summit.
Abbas said he had agreed "on many points" with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal during their meeting in Qatar in February.

Abbas drops threat to dismantle PA over stalled Israel talks, foreign diplomats say

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has dropped a planned threat to dismantle the Palestinian Authority in protest of the deadlock in peace efforts with Israel, foreign diplomats said on Thursday.

Abbas had been planning to deliver the threat in a letter to Israel. But, according to the letter obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, the language has been dropped from the text. 

Israel braces for Arab protests on Friday

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Thursday stepped up preparations a day before a series of planned Arab protests, deploying thousands of troops and police across the country and along its borders in anticipation of possible violence. On Friday, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are marking Land Day, an annual protest against what they say are discriminatory Israeli land policies. Supporters in neighboring Arab countries planned marches near the Israeli borders in a solidarity event they call a "Global March to Jerusalem."

Israeli tanks enter southern Gaza Strip

Israeli tanks enter the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah as Tel Aviv launches yet another incursion into the besieged Palestinian territory.

Watch this space for updates!!!

 
Damascus, Syria (Isaiah 17:1-3)


UN Human Rights Chief: No Statute of Limitations for Assad

US human rights chief Navi Pillay says there is enough evidence to bring human rights charges against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over his year-long crackdown on protesters.
“Factually there’s enough evidence pointing to the fact that many of these acts are committed by the security forces, (and) must have received the approval or the complicity at the highest level,” she told the BBC.

Syria conflict continues amid peace bid

 (CNN) -- Syria's president said his government will "put every effort to ensure the success" of U.N. envoy Kofi Annan's peace mission, but said the plan will only work if it vanquishes support for "terrorism."

Bashar al-Assad gave the assurance in a letter to a meeting in New Delhi of the world's top emerging economies, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency. The Syrian regime accepted Annan's six-point initiative earlier this week, but activists and diplomats say.....

UN chief to Syria's Assad: World is waiting for you to implement peace plan

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Syria's President Bashar Assad must turn his acceptance of a six-point peace plan into action to divert his country from a "dangerous trajectory" with risks for the entire region."It essential that President Assad put those commitments into immediate effect. The world is waiting for commitments to be translated into action. The key here is implementation, there is no time to waste," Ban told an Arab League summit in Baghdad on Thursday.

Syria's Assad says will cooperate with UN peace plan if rebels halt violence 

Syrian President Bashar Assad says will spare no effort to make the mission of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan a success but he demands that armed opponents commit to halting violence, it was reported on Thursday.

SANA news agency quoted Assad, in a letter to the leaders of the BRIC economic powers, as saying "the countries which support the armed groups with money and weapons must be persuaded to stop this immediately."

Middle East (Psalm 83:1-4) (Rev 9:16) (Rev 16:12)

Report: Israel Buys Azeri Air Field on Iran's Northern Border

Foreign Policy magazine reported in an exclusive piece this week that Israel has purchased an Azeri airfield on Iran's northern border, prompting the United States to watch very closely. Journalist Mark Perry wrote the Obama administration is monitoring Israel's relations with Azerbaijan, particularly its military ties. Israel has tightened up its relations with Baku over the past several years, helping Azerbaijan modernize its military with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and becoming its second-largest customer for oil.

USS Enterprise Prepares To Cross Suez Canal, Days Away From Anchor In Arabian Sea

 Much noise has been emanating out of Israel vis-a-vis its Iranian intentions, with some opinions suggesting an attack is imminent, while others claiming that Israel will ultimately defer to D.C., and postpone an attack, and the eventual gasoline price shock, until after the election. The truth is nobody but a few select generals, knows: in warfare surprise is the key factor, so outright flashing invasion intentions is usually an indicator of just the opposite. That said, the most recent update that Azerbaijan has granted Israel access to its airbases along the Iran border is hardly encouraging for Nobel peace prize winners and other pacifists.

US drone raids in Yemen 'kill hundreds'
 

Covert US drone attacks on Yemen have increased this month to exceed the number of strikes on Pakistan's tribal areas, a Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports states.
Up to 500 people, many of whom were civilians, have been killed since last May as part of the US drive to eliminate al-Qaeda from the Arabian Peninsula, according to the report.
But, even after attacks with civilian casualties, there has been little reaction from the Yemeni government.
Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba reports.

Magog Invasion – Iran, Russia (Ezekiel 38-39)

69% of Israelis Support US-Israeli Attack on Iran

Sixty-nine percent of Israelis support a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear installations, according to a poll conducted for the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.
Forty-two percent of Israelis support a strike if Israel has to act alone.

The poll found that 73% of Israelis and 85% of Palestinian Authority Arabs believe that a regional war will break out f Israel attacks Iran.

Report: Iran's Centrifuge Workshops Are Well Hidden

A new report prepared for the U.S. Congress indicates that neither the U.S. nor Israel knows exactly where all of Iran’s nuclear facilities are.
According to the report, parts of which were presented Wednesday by Bloomberg, this places in question the effect a military strike in Iran could have on its nuclear facilities. The report by U.S. congressional researchers says that Iran's “workshops” for making nuclear centrifuges and components for the devices are widely dispersed and hidden.


Turkish premier voices support for Iran nuclear position

"The government and nation of Turkey has always clearly supported the nuclear positions of the Islamic republic of Iran, and will continue to firmly follow the same policy in the future," Erdogan said during the meeting in Tehran on Thursday.
For his part, Ahmadinejad praised Turkey for its "clear and frank" stance on the issue, saying Tehran and Ankara have historically propped up each other on global matters.

Report: Iran Attack Postponed Until Spring 2013

Israel’s plan to attack Iran has been postponed until spring 2013 following a war simulation that showed Iran could kill 200 Americans with a single missile strike, according to a report by senior Haaretz correspondent Amir Oren.“At 8:58 P.M. on Tuesday, Israel’s 2012 war against Iran came to a quiet end. The capricious plans for a huge aerial attack were returned to the deep recesses of safes and hearts. The war may not have been canceled but it has certainly been postponed. For a while, at least, we can sound the all clear: It won’t happen this year.

 Decline of United States (Hosea 4-14)

20 Signs That We Are Witnessing The Complete Collapse Of Common Sense In America

What do you do when an entire nation begins to lose the capacity to think rationally? Many Americans spend a great deal of time criticizing the government, and there is certainly a lot to complain about, but it is not just the government that is the problem. All over America, people appear to be going insane. It is almost as if we have been cursed with stupidity. Sadly, this applies from the very top of our society all the way down to the very bottom. A lot of us find ourselves asking the following.....

Weapons of Mass Destruction (Ezekiel 39:9,10)

US nuclear arms aimed at Russia beckon WW III: Report 

In an article appearing on the Christian Science Monitor website, David Krieger and Daniel Ellsberg, respectively president and distinguished senior fellow at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, questioned the sincerity of US President Barack Obama’s purported bid to address threats posed by unsecured nuclear material in a recent gathering at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea. “If Mr. Obama is truly concerned about nuclear safety, he should seriously......

Famines, Drought, Floods, Earthquakes & Pestilences (Matthew 24:7-8) (Luke 21:11; 25) (Rev 6:5-8)

5-times size of Earth: Giant solar tornado caught in rare NASA tape (VIDEO)

A giant solar tornado - five times the Earth’s diameter - swirling at incredible speed of some 186,000 mph has been captured on video by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. ­This is the first time a giant solar twister has been caught on video. Solar tornadoes, known as solar prominences, are shaped by the sun’s magnetic field and often occur during coronal mass ejections – huge explosions of solar plasma. The speed of swirling solar gases can sometimes reach several thousand miles per hour. This 124,000-mile-tall tornado was filmed on September 25, 2011, but the video was only released to the public at the National Astronomy Meeting in Manchester (UK) on Thursday.

Preaching the Gospel (Mat 24:14)

Pastor Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Leading House Church in Vietnam

A Protestant pastor was sentenced to 11 years in prison in Vietnam Monday for leading a house church, unregistered as an official church with state officials, state media reported. The incident reportedly left Christians fearful that similar acts of persecution could become more common in the Communist state.
A court in central Vietnam claimed that Nguyen Cong Chinh, 43, was inciting division between the government and its citizens, state-controlled media reported Tuesday

Entire Mosques Coming to Christ in North Africa, Says Former Church Planter

The idea of more than 200,000 former Muslims coming to faith in Sub-Saharan Africa within a few short years is mind-boggling. But entire mosques in Sub-Saharan Africa coming to faith? That news is even harder to wrap one's mind around, but it is in fact what is happening according to reports from a former church planter among Muslims in West Africa.


India's 'lost tribe' dreams of return to Israel

In a synagogue in northeast India, a group of men pray for the chance to "return home" to a country they have never seen and which their ancestors fled nearly 3,000 years ago. "India is not our country," says Haniel Reuben, 72, one of the eldest members of a tiny community that claims to have descended from the Manasseh -- one of the biblical "lost tribes" of Israel exiled in 720 BC by Assyrian conquerors.

"Our forefathers migrated and settled here. Our home is Israel and we will be reunited with our people one day or another," Reuben said.

29/03/2012

         Struggle for Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:3; Luke 21:20)

Jordan to Allow Global March to Jerusalem

 

Jordanian authorities confirmed on Tuesday that they will permit a planned Global March to Jerusalem in the Jordan Valley on Friday.

The Iranian news agency Fars quoted the Jordanian Public Security Department (PSD) as having confirmed authorities will allow Islamist activists to lead a march as part of global demonstrations “in support of Jerusalem.”

Army chief cancels IDF-wide Passover vacation

Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has ordered all IDF units to cancel their traditional Passover breaks so that they can operate in full capacity over the upcoming holdiay, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday.
The implication of the decision is that for the first time in many years, all IDF units will maintain their regular operations and remain on full alert throughout the holiday.

           Damascus, Syria (Isaiah 17:1-3)

Syrian Army Seizes City Despite 'Peace Plan'

Syrian Army troops have taken control of the central city of Kalat el-Mudik after a 17-day assault, despite the government having allegedly accepted a peace plan advanced by United Nations envoy Kofi Annan. The force also invaded several villages in the area as well, including a number across the border in Lebanon where Syrian rebels and civilians had taken refuge.

Kofi Annan's plan is destined to fail

President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to U.N. envoy and former Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s
six-point plan to end the bloodshed in Syria. Al-Assad was wise to do so. The U.N. initiative, which endorses al-Assad’s oversight of a “political process to address the legitimate aspirations” of the Syrian people - is a boon to the dictator and a setback for the opposition.
Al-Assad had little to lose by signing on to the plan.

         Middle East (Psalm 83:1-4) (Rev 9:16) (Rev 16:12)

US gears up for land operation in Persian Gulf?

The US is sending an amphibious assault group and a couple of thousand US Marines to the Persian Gulf. With another US carrier making its way to Iran’s doorstep, US military still insist that this is a “regularly scheduled deployment”.
­The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is comprised of amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, amphibious transport dock USS New York, and amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall.

          Magog Invasion – Iran, Russia (Ezekiel 38-39)

Erdogan Rejects 'Outside Pressure' on Iran

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan cozied up to Iran during a visit to Tehran on Wednesday and rejected outside pressure on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
“No one has the right to impose anything on anyone with regards to nuclear energy, provided that it is for peaceful purposes,” Erdoğan said at a news conference after talks with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi.

Wikileaks claims Netanyahu was a Stratfor source, disclosed 2 Iranian nukes on missiles in 2009


Continuing the release of the US Stratfor research site’s e-mails, Wikileaks Wednesday, March 28 issued a batch of mails which indicated that Binyamin Netanyahu may have been a source of the site’s Vice President for intelligence Fred Burton (a former Deputy Chief of the Department of State's counterterrorism division for the Diplomatic Security) from at least May 2007 up until 2010 after he became Prime Minister of Israel.

Iran nuclear talks set to resume, diplomats say


Major powers are set to resume high-stakes negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program starting on April 13th or 14th, diplomats said Tuesday. The talks will probably take place in Turkey, although they cautioned discussions were still continuing.
"We're not going to get involved in a silly back and forth over venue," one American official said Tuesday on condition of anonymity, because the talks have not yet been announced.

        The Rise of the Far East

Tighten your belt, Pyongyang: US suspends food aid to North Korea

The United States has suspended its food aid plan to North Korea, as Pyongyang refuses to cancel its new rocket launch.
­Washington claims that the scheduled launch, which North Korea says has nothing to do with nuclear tests, is breaking a deal made between the two countries last month.
"This planned launch is highly provocative because it manifests North Korea's desire to test and expand its long-range missile capability,"

       Decline of United States (Hosea 4-14) 

Gas price in US passes $3.90 a gallon

The price of an average gallon of regular gas surpassed the $3.90 mark Wednesday, moving to within a dime of the $4 threshold.The average price rose 1.3 cents to $3.911 in the latest daily survey conducted for the motorist group AAA. The price has risen for 19 consecutive days.AAA's daily fuel report showed 19 straight days of price increases with the national average now at $3.911 a gallon, or about a penny-and-a-half more than Tuesday.

     Famines, Drought, Floods, Earthquakes & Pestilences (Matthew 24:7-8) (Luke 21:11; 25) (Rev 6:5-8)

Record catastrophe claims push Lloyds in heavy loss

Lloyd's of London insurance market on Wednesday posted its second-largest annual loss owing to record claims for catastrophes including Japan's earthquake disaster and floods in Thailand.

The company suffered a pre-tax loss of £516 million ($822 million, 615 million euros) in 2011 on soaring claims, Lloyd's said in a results statement. That compared with a profit before tax of £2.195 billion in 2010.