Thursday, January 31, 2008

My Way News - AU Leader: Kenya a Priority for Africa
AP reports: "More than 800 people have been killed across Kenya and tens of thousands have fled their homes since a Dec. 27 vote Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki is accused of stealing. Much of the violence has pitted other ethnic groups against Kibaki's Kikuyu."
My Way News - Wave of Attacks on Jews in Russia
AP reports: "In Ulyanovsk, a group of about a dozen young men painted swastikas Tuesday on the walls of a synagogue and cursed at members inside, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia said."
My Way News - Top al-Qaida Figure Killed in Pakistan
AP reports: "A missile from a U.S. Predator drone struck a suspected terrorist safehouse in Pakistan and killed a top al-Qaida commander believed responsible for attacks on U.S. forces and the brazen bombing during a visit last year by Vice President Dick Cheney to Afghanistan, a U.S. official said Thursday."
My Way News - Israeli Embassy in Mauritania Attacked
AP reports: "At least one gunman opened fire on the Israeli Embassy in Mauritania Friday, setting off a battle with guards that wounded one person, according to Israeli officials and witnesses."
My Way News - Witness: Mom Copped to Microwaving Baby
AP reports: "Thermal burns on the baby were different from those that would have been suffered from a fire, electrical shock, hot water, an iron or chemicals, said Russell Uptegrove, a forensic pathologist with the Montgomery County coroner's office. It took him awhile to consider that the burns might have come from a microwave oven, he said. 'It was so heinous to think of that, that I couldn't convince myself it was a real possibility,' Uptegrove said. DNA recovered from the ceiling of the oven matched that of the baby, he said."
My Way News - Trains, Bloggers Are Threats in Drill
AP reports: "The little-known Cyber Response group, headed by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, represents the largest U.S. government departments - including law enforcement and intelligence agencies - and is the principal organization for responding to cyber attacks and recovering from them."

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

My Way News - Mubarak Meets Iranian Parliament Speaker
AP reports: "Egypt has always maintained that normal ties with Iran would come only after Iran stopped meddling in the internal affairs of Arab countries. But Iranian support for Iraqi Shiites, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian radical Hamas group has stood in the way."
My Way News - Turkish Military Shuns Head-Scarf Debate
AP reports: "The tumultuous year appeared to signal the diminishing political influence of the military in a country with an emboldened class of devout Muslims and aspirations to join the European Union, which says Turkey must do more to keep army generals out of politics."
My Way News - Israel PM Mostly Unscathed by War Report
AP reports: "The report stopped short of blaming Olmert personally for what many Israelis saw as a stunning debacle that emboldened the Jewish state's enemies. A harsher indictment could have threatened Olmert's rule and his stated goal of signing a peace treaty with the Palestinians within a year."

Comment: It's unfortunate that Olmert will not be held personally responsible for that disastrous war, which weakened Israel's strategic position and emboldened Iran and Syria and their proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas.
My Way News - Tribe All but Vanishes From Kenyan City
AP reports: "Members of Kenya's biggest tribe have disappeared in their thousands from Kisumu, making it the first - but perhaps not the last - city to be ethnically cleansed."
My Way News - U.S. No. 1 in Communications Study
AP reports: "On Waverman's 'Connectivity Scorecard,' the U.S. stood out for good use of telecommunications by businesses. Close behind are Sweden and Japan. But the survey found that much more could be done, even in the most developed countries, to take advantage of existing technologies."
My Way News - Study: US Broadband Goal Nearly Reached
AP reports: "Broadband penetration has been a sore point for the government and industry as international surveys have shown that the United States, the birthplace of the Internet, lags behind other nations. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranked the U.S. in 15th place for broadband lines per person in 2006, down from No. 4 in 2001."
My Way News - Damaged Cables Cut Internet in Mideast
AP reports: "Internet outages disrupted business and personal usage across a wide swathe of the Middle East on Wednesday after two undersea cables in the Mediterranean were damaged, government officials and Internet service providers said."
My Way News - Earthquake Rattles East Timor
AP reports: "A strong earthquake struck off the coast of East Timor on Wednesday, prompting authorities to briefly issue a tsunami alert - but no large waves hit the tiny nation's coast. The 6.2 magnitude tremor struck 160 miles northeast of the capital, Dili, in Indonesia's Banda Sea at a depth of 6 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. [...] here were no immediate reports of damage or injuries."

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

My Way News - Secular Turks Fear End of Head Scarf Ban
AP reports: "A bill that would lift a decades-old ban on women wearing head scarves at universities was submitted to parliament on Tuesday, worrying secular Turks who fear the government is raising the profile of Islam."

Comment
: It's so weird to see this happening right before our eyes: Turkey will fall into the Islamic camp and join the Gog Alliance. It's only a matter of time.
My Way News - Hate Crimes on Rise in Russia
AP reports: "Students from Africa, visitors from Asian countries, Jews and Russian anti-Nazi activists have become frequent victims of attacks by Russian nationalists in recent years."
My Way News - Poor Haitians Resort to Eating Dirt
AP reports: "Food prices around the world have spiked because of higher oil prices, needed for fertilizer, irrigation and transportation. Prices for basic ingredients such as corn and wheat are also up sharply, and the increasing global demand for biofuels is pressuring food markets as well."
My Way News - Winter Storm Chaos Grips China
AP reports: "Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers desperate to get home for the Chinese New Year shivered in the cold under a sea of umbrellas outside train stations Tuesday, as the worst winter storms in half a century paralyzed China."
My Way News - No Quick Fix for Kenyan Crisis
AP reports: "A gang of Luos stoned a Kikuyu man, then slashed him with machetes and threw him to burn to death on their roadblock of flaming tires. Police took away the body."
My Way News - Body Parts Found Along Pa. Highways
AP reports: "A woman's severed head was found Tuesday in a trash bag along an interstate highway, one of eight bags containing body parts discovered beside expressways in northeastern Pennsylvania, authorities said."
My Way News - Research: Asteroids Pose Greater Danger
AP reports: "An asteroid that exploded over Siberia a century ago, leaving 800 square miles of scorched or blown down trees, wasn't nearly as large as previously thought, a researcher concludes, suggesting a greater danger for Earth."
China's weapons exceed self-defence needs: US military - Yahoo! News
AFP reports: "'The PLA (China's People's Liberation Army) appears engaged in a sustained effort to develop the capability to interdict, at long ranges, aircraft carrier and expeditionary strike groups that might deploy to the western Pacific,' according to the annual Pentagon report last year to the US Congress."

Monday, January 28, 2008

My Way News - Blair Wants Mideast Peace in 2008
AP reports: "Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the final session of the World Economic Forum on Sunday that he wants an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and a pact on climate change by the end of 2008."
My Way News - Soviet Military Support Group Is Revived
AP reports: "A Soviet-era military support organization said Monday it wants to reclaim its past role training youths for Russia's armed forces, which have been plagued by draft dodging, cadet abuse and low morale."
My Way News - Israeli Officials: Musharraf Met Barak
AP reports: "Pakistan's president held a rare and secret meeting with Israel's defense minister in a Paris hotel last week, and the Iranian nuclear program figured high on the agenda, Israeli defense officials said Monday."
My Way News - Hamas Helps Egypt to Reclose Gaza Border
AP reports: "Hamas militants joined Egyptian forces for a second day Monday in trying to restore control at three breaches in the Gaza border, building a chain-link fence to seal off one opening and directing traffic at two others."
My Way News - Indonesia Reports 100th Bird Flu Death
AP reports: "Indonesia, the nation hardest hit by bird flu, has recorded its 100th human death as the virus picks up speed across Asia."
My Way News - Microwaved Baby Trial Begins in Ohio
AP reports: "Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a woman accused of killing her 1-month-old daughter by burning the child in a microwave oven."
My Way News - Startups Rush to Pave Way for Web Video
AP reports: "Video on the Internet has gone from being the next big thing to the current big thing. But murky YouTube videos are just the start - there's a lot of room for improvement. A raft of startups are rushing to supply the tools to make better and more profitable video available. Nearly a dozen video-related startups will be presenting at the DEMO 08 technology conference, starting Monday in Palm Desert, Calif."

Sunday, January 27, 2008

First Temple seal found in Jerusalem - Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post reports: "A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday."

Saturday, January 26, 2008

My Way News - Iran Says It Could Attack US Bases

AP reports: "Iran's top military commander said Saturday that his forces would retaliate against American military bases in the Persian Gulf if they are involved in any possible future attack on Iran."
My Way News - Egypt Tries to Control Chaotic Border
AP reports: "In its first public criticism of Gaza's Hamas rulers, Egypt complained Saturday of 'provocations' during the Gaza-Egypt border crisis and said more than three dozen members of its security forces were hospitalized as a result."
My Way News - Gadhafi's Son Said Tied to Iraq Attack
AP reports: "A son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is behind a group of foreign and Iraqi fighters responsible for this week's devastating explosion in northern Iraq, a security chief for Sunni tribesmen who rose up against al-Qaida said Saturday."
My Way News - New Taliban Chief Entering Limelight
AP reports: "Sometime in mid-December, as the winter winds howled across the snow-dusted hills of Pakistan's inhospitable border regions, 40 men representing Taliban groups all across Pakistan's northwest frontier came together to unify under a single banner and to choose a leader."
My Way News - Pakistan Says Nuclear Assets Are Safe
AP reports: "Pakistan's nuclear weapons are safe from Taliban and al-Qaida militants because of the military's stringent security system and a political climate that precludes a takeover by religious extremists, a top official said Saturday. [...] 'There's no conceivable scenario, political or violent, in which Pakistan will fall to extremists of the al-Qaida or Taliban type,' Kidwai told foreign journalists at a briefing."
My Way News - Disabled Spy Satellite Threatens Earth
AP reports: "A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and could hit the Earth in late February or early March, government officials said Saturday."

Comment: This seems a bit sensational, it's not even as big as Skylab was in the 70's. Still, I'm sure that the small amount of toxic material on-board will have some saying it's Wormwood, so it's of interest, if only for that reason.
My Way News - Microchips Everywhere: a Future Vision
AP reports: "With tags in so many objects, relaying information to databases that can be linked to credit and bank cards, almost no aspect of life may soon be safe from the prying eyes of corporations and governments, says Mark Rasch, former head of the computer-crime unit of the U.S. Justice Department."

Friday, January 25, 2008

My Way News - Border Chaos Challenges Hamas Strategy
AP reports: "The chaotic scenes on the Gaza-Egypt border are forcing Israel, Egypt and the international community to rethink a two-year policy of trying to weaken Gaza's Hamas rulers by keeping the territory sealed."
My Way News - EU Justice Chief Proposes Security Plan
AP reports: "The European Union's top justice official on Friday proposed replicating U.S. border security measures in Europe, with plans to fingerprint and electronically record the entry and of all visitors."
My Way News - Russian Energy Deal Adds to Europe Fears
AP reports: "Russia expanded its growing European energy empire Friday, signing two more deals in a drive that is raising fears Moscow could use its vast oil and gas resources to meddle in the affairs of its neighbors."
My Way News - Spain Doubts Alleged Terror Cell's Plan
AP reports: "The Spanish government expressed doubt on Friday about how close an alleged Islamic cell may have been to staging suicide attacks, questioning the view of a judge who said such bombings had been imminent and jailed 10 suspects."
My Way News - S. Africa Declares Electricity Emergency
AP reports: "South Africa will ration electricity, increase prices and encourage a switch to solar energy, all part of emergency measures now being undertaken amid power outages that have caused chaos and misery nationwide and threatened to choke economic growth."
My Way News - Chavez: Colombia Plans 'Aggression'
AP reports: "President Hugo Chavez on Friday accused neighboring Colombia and the United States of plotting a military 'aggression' against Venezuela."
My Way News - Fighting Erupts in Western Kenyan Town
AP reports: "Fierce street battles erupted in a western Kenyan city Friday, leaving bodies lying on the ground with machete slashes and pierced with arrows, witnesses said."
My Way News - Gazans Breach Egyptian Border Again
AP reports: "Hamas-backed militants driving bulldozers knocked down more fortifications Friday along the Gaza-Egypt border - a brazen challenge to Egyptian riot police, who abandoned their positions after attempting to reseal the frontier using human chains, dogs and water cannons."
My Way News - Scientists Create Synthetic Genome
AP reports: "It's another step in the quest to create artificial organisms: Scientists have synthesized the complete DNA of a type of bacteria. The experiment, published online Thursday by the journal Science, isn't a living germ, just its genetic structure."
Jamaica Gleaner News - National ID coming - Golding wants Jamaicans registered, moves to make country more manageable
Jamaica Gleaner reports: "Speaking yesterday at a post-Cabinet retreat press conference at Jamaica House, Mr. Golding said the national identification system would be introduced in the 2008/2009 fiscal year. He said this would require every Jamaican who is resident in the country to be registered and be assigned a unique number from the date of birth."

Thursday, January 24, 2008

My Way News - Asteroid Will Swing By, but Won't Stop
AP reports: "An asteroid at least 500 feet long will make a rare close pass by Earth next week, but there is no chance of an impact, scientists reported Thursday. The object, known as 2007 TU24, is expected to whiz by Earth on Tuesday with its closest approach at 334,000 miles, or about 1.4 times the distance of Earth to the moon."
My Way News - UN Powers Agree on More Iran Sanctions
AP reports: "Major U.N. Security Council powers have agreed on an incremental increase in sanctions on Iran, including a new restriction on exporters doing business with the country, diplomats said Thursday."
My Way News - Barak Says Israel May Go Back Into Gaza
AP reports: "Israel's defense minister said Thursday his government has not ruled out a large-scale military operation to counter continuing rocket attacks from Gaza. He added that Israel would not rush 'to reconquer' the teeming, impoverished seaside strip."

Comment: Well, that would be a disaster. The current strategy of letting Egypt take the lead (and the heat) for dealing with the Gazans is the best strategy for the moment. Otherwise, it would give the world one more reason to blame Israel (instead of Hamas) for the Gazan's plight.
My Way News - Britain Unveils Terror Law Proposals
AP reports: "The British government revealed sweeping plans Thursday to toughen terrorism laws, including a proposal to hold suspects for up to 42 days without charge."
My Way News - German Court Convicts Terror Suspect
AP reports: "A German court on Thursday convicted a man of helping al-Qaida in Iraq and sentenced him to nearly six years in prison."
My Way News - Catholic-Communist Land Fight in Vietnam
AP reports: "Vietnam's Catholic Church has always been regarded with suspicion because of its close relations with the French government and the former South Vietnamese government, which fought a U.S.-backed war against the communists. For years, Vietnamese Catholics faced persecution, finding it difficult to get jobs or enter universities. Hundreds of thousands fled to southern Vietnam."
My Way News - Forum Faces World Conflicts
AP reports: "Still grappling with how to keep the global economy out of a crippling recession, the World Economic Forum confronted the urgent need to bring peace and stability to global hotspots like Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East."
My Way News - Hope for Israelis, Palestinians
AP reports: "At the World Economic Forum on Thursday, leaders from both sides joined Tony Blair - now EU envoy to the Middle East - for a session that provided the familiar recriminations, underscored the almost unfathomable complexities on the ground, and ended with some hope and mutual appreciation."
My Way Finance
AP reports: "U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world on Thursday to put the looming crisis over water shortages at the top of the global agenda this year and take action to prevent conflicts over scarce supplies."
My Way News - Doctors Report Transplant Breakthrough
AP reports: "In what's being called a major advance in organ transplants, doctors say they have developed a technique that could free many patients from having to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives."

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

My Way News - Gazans Flood Egypt After Border Breach
AP reports: "Israel, which withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, also expressed concern that militants and weapons might be entering Gaza, and said responsibility for restoring order lies with Egypt."

Comment: The "land for peace" idea doesn't seem to be working out as planned, does it? The solution, according to most, is for Israel to give up more land. Makes sense, right?
My Way News - Karzai Warns of Spreading Terrorism
AP reports: "Formally opening the World Economic Forum, Hamid Karzai gave a sobering rundown of recent attacks attributed to Islamic extremists - among them the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and bombings in Afghanistan and Pakistan that have killed hundreds, including many children."
My Way News - F-16s Were in Area Where UFO Reported
AP reports: "From well-respected business owners to a county constable, several dozen people say they saw a flying object that was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane. They also said its lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane."

Comment: I think they are deluded. Get it?
My Way News - Ohio Nurse Accused of Raping Elderly
AP reports: "A night-shift nurse accused of sexually abusing at least two dozen elderly or disabled patients at a nursing home was in jail Wednesday, authorities said."
My Way Finance
AP reports: "China's economy grew 11.4 percent in 2007, its fastest expansion in 14 years, driven by a boom in exports and investment, but growth slowed slightly toward the end of the year, according to government data reported Thursday."
My Way News - MySpace, BBC Reach Global Video Deal
AP reports: "The online community MySpace is partnering with the BBC to bring some of the British broadcaster's programs to a worldwide audience in the site's first global content deal involving a major network."

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

My Way News - 6 Powers Agree on Draft Iran Sanctions
AP reports: "The U.N. Security Council's permanent members and Germany agreed Tuesday on a new draft resolution on sanctions against Iran, strengthening existing measures over the country's refusal to suspend its nuclear program, officials said."
My Way News - Israel Eases Blockade; Gaza Lights On
AP reports: "Despite the easing of the closure, Palestinian militants fired 19 rockets toward Israel on Tuesday, the military said, up from just two on Monday."
My Way News - Musharraf: Pakistan Isn't Hunting Osama
AP reports: "But he said there was 'zero percent chance' that al-Qaida, the Taliban and their Pakistani allies could defeat his 500,000-strong army or that Islamic militants could win control of the government in Feb. 18 parliamentary elections."
My Way News - Kenya Violence Augurs Ethnic Split
AP reports: "In many regions, the violence following President Mwai Kibaki's re-election has brought a bloody end to decades of coexistence among Kenya's ethnic groups, transforming villages, cities and towns where Kenyans had lived together - however uneasily at times - since independence from Britain in 1963."
Date for mandatory ID cards in Britain put back to 2012: opposition - Yahoo! News
AFP reports: "Britons will not be required to have ID cards until 2012, two years later than originally planned, the opposition Conservatives claimed on Tuesday, citing leaked government documents they obtained."

Monday, January 21, 2008

My Way News - 3-Way Standoff Fuels Mideast Violence
AP reports: "Israel looks powerless to stop the barrage of rockets from Hamas-ruled Gaza. The Islamic militants, choked by a blockade of their territory, find it increasingly difficult to hold on to power. And moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is facing growing pressure to suspend peace talks because of Israel's strikes in Gaza."
My Way News - Lebanese Troops Fire on Israeli Jets
AP reports: "Lebanese troops opened fire Monday on Israeli warplanes over southern Lebanon, the military said - the second time they have done so since a U.N.-brokered cease-fire ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in August 2006."
Foreign companies pour money into China: govt - SinoDaily
AFP reports: "Foreign firms invested a record 82.7 billion dollars in booming China last year, the government said Monday, with analysts adding the tide of money had undermined efforts to slow economic growth."
ISN Security Watch - The war of the long now
ISN reports: "The increased use of American firepower in Iraq, and alliance divisions in Afghanistan, cast fresh light on the progress of the global war."

Comment: This is actually some analysis on how things are going with the GWOT and not a standard news report. It's a pessimistic spin, and I don't agree with it at all, but any analysis is better than the meager reporting that the mainstream media will provide for you.
VOA News - World Stocks Plunge on Fears of US Recession
VOA reports: "Stock prices dropped sharply in Europe, Asia and Latin America Monday, as fears of economic problems in the United States caused some of the biggest single-day losses in years."
Breaking News: Global Markets Tumble
CNN.com's International Breaking News E-Mail Alert reports, "European markets continue global drop in shares: FTSE 100 down 5.48 percent, CAC 40 down 6.83 percent, DAX 30 down 7.16 percent."

Saturday, January 19, 2008

My Way News - Russia: Could Use Nuclear Weapons

AP reports: "Russia's military chief of staff said Saturday that Moscow could use nuclear weapons in preventive strikes to protect itself and its allies, the latest aggressive remarks from increasingly assertive Russian authorities. [...] Moscow-based military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said Russia plays up its nuclear deterrent because of its weakness in terms of conventional arms. 'We threaten the West that in any kind of serious conflict, we'll go nuclear almost immediately,' he said."
My Way News - Israeli Airstrike Kills 2 Gaza Militants
AP reports: "Israeli aircraft killed two Hamas militants in Gaza fighting early Saturday, a day after Israel sealed the borders and bombed an empty Hamas building in an intensifying campaign to halt rocket fire on Israeli border towns."

Friday, January 18, 2008

My Way News - Iran Receives Nuke Fuel

AP reports: "Iran received a third shipment of nuclear fuel from Russia on Friday for a power plant being constructed in the southern port of Bushehr, state radio reported."
My Way News - Israel Closes Vital Gaza Crossings
AP reports: "Israel sought to put an end to a surge in rocket attacks from Gaza, sending its air force Friday against a symbol of Hamas power in the heart of Gaza City and simultaneously choking off shipments of fuel and food across its border with the strip."
My Way News - Chinese Internet Users Up to 210 Million
AP reports: "The Chinese government said Friday its Internet population has soared to 210 million people, putting it on track to surpass the U.S. online community this year to become the world's largest."
My Way News - Experts Call for Rethinking AIDS Money
AP reports: "But with revised numbers downsizing the pandemic - along with an admission that AIDS peaked in the late 1990s - some AIDS experts are now wondering if it might be wise to shift some of the billions of dollars of AIDS money to basic health problems like clean water, family planning or diarrhea."

Thursday, January 17, 2008

My Way News - Could US, Iran Stumble Into War?
AP reports: "Though a war of words eased a bit recently, President Bush's strong Iran warnings during his just completed Mideast trip, coupled with a ship standoff, are raising fears that a small incident could someday spiral - even by accident - into a real fight."
My Way News - Gaza Violence Threatens Peace Talks
AP reports: "Israel pummeled Gaza Thursday with air and ground fire as Palestinian rockets slammed into southern Israel, endangering recently restarted peace negotiations."
My Way News - Israel Tests New Long-Range Missile
AP reports: "Israel successfully tested a new long-range missile on Thursday, defense officials said, and reports indicate the missiles might be capable of being armed with nuclear warheads."
My Way News - Germany Set on Halting Iran Nuclear Arms
AP reports: "Germany's foreign minister said Thursday that the international community remains determined to prevent Iran from developing technology for nuclear weapons, despite U.S. assessments saying Tehran has stopped working on an arms program."
My Way News - US: Iran Speeding Up Missile Development
AP reports: "The head of the United States' missile defense program sought Wednesday to bolster Washington's argument for anti-missile sites in Europe by warning that Iran has sped up development of long-range missiles. [...] Iran recently announced that it has manufactured a new missile - the Ashoura - with a range of 1,200 miles, capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases across the Middle East."
My Way News - India, Bangladesh Try to Halt Bird Flu
AP reports: "Bird flu has killed at least 217 people worldwide since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003. It remains hard for people to catch, but experts fear it will mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds."
My Way News - Police Crack Down on Protests; 5 Killed
AP reports: "Police cracked down fiercely on a second day of protests across Kenya on Thursday, firing bullets at opposition supporters and tear gas at a hospital. At least five people were killed."
My Way News - Mom Convicted in Autistic Girl's Death
AP reports: "A woman who claimed she tried to 'fix' her 3-year-old autistic daughter by suffocating her with a plastic bag was convicted of murder on Thursday after jurors rejected her insanity plea."
My Way News - EU May Cut Cost of Texting, Mobile Data
AP reports: "Europeans are paying high prices to send cell-phone text messages or use mobile Internet services outside their own country, the EU's telecoms chief said Thursday, just months after the EU capped roaming charges for calls."
My Way News - Scientists Make Human Embryo Clones
AP reports: "Scientists in California say they have produced embryos that are clones of two men, a potential step toward developing scientifically valuable stem cells."
My Way News - U.S. Abortions at Lowest Rate Since 1974
AP reports: "The number of abortions in the United States fell to 1.2 million in 2005, down 25 percent from the all-time high of 1.6 million in 1990 and dropping the abortion rate to its lowest level since 1974, according to report issued Thursday."

Comment: This is good news, I hope the trend continues. Still, 1.2 million is a lot of dead babies. How can people of good conscience overlook that number? Obviously the moral argument doesn't work for a lot of people. Ok, maybe we need more practical arguments. How can we as a society overlook that number of future tax-payers? How can politicians overlook that number of future voters? Think of all the good that those 1.2 million people may have done that will now never get done, songs and books never written, movies never made, art never created, discoveries never made, inventions never dreamed up. How can we as a society be better off without those 1.2 million people? What kind of anti-life force compels 1.2 million mothers to believe that the world would be better of without their child in it?
Texas town still buzzing over UFO sighting - KATU.com
KATU reports: "About 200 UFO sightings are reported each month, mostly in California, Colorado and Texas, according to the Mutual UFO Network, which plans to go to the 17,000-resident town of Stephenville to investigate."

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

My Way News - Egyptian President Backs Mideast Accord
AP reports: "Bush's strategy, formed over the last year, turns the tables somewhat. It asks Arab states to be ground-floor investors in a plan the Israelis and Palestinians will largely write themselves. It would set the terms of peace but probably leave the job of setting up an independent Palestinian state to the next U.S. president."
Plague a growing but overlooked threat: study - Yahoo! News
Reuters reports: "Plague, the disease that devastated medieval Europe, is re-emerging worldwide and poses a growing but overlooked threat, researchers warned on Tuesday."
My Way News - Turkish PM: Head Scarf Ban Can Be Lifted
AP reports: "Turkey's prime minister on Wednesday challenged a ban on women wearing head scarves in universities and public offices, saying there is no need to wait for a constitutional change to remove the ban, state-run media said."
My Way News - 3 Civilians Die in Israeli Strike
AP reports: "Israeli aircraft targeting Palestinian rocket squads on Wednesday killed a 12-year-old boy, his father and uncle in a bungled attack, while Islamic militants, enraged by the death of their leader's son in an Israeli raid, bombarded Israel with rocket and mortar fire. [...] Two days of violence in Gaza appeared to be uniting Palestinians against Israel at a time when peace talks have resumed for the first time in seven years."
My Way News - Islamic Militants Overrun Pakistani Fort
AP reports: "In an embarrassing battlefield defeat for Pakistan's army, Islamic extremists attacked and seized a small fort near the Afghan border, leaving at least 27 soldiers dead or missing."
My Way News - Russia Warns Kosovo on Independence
AP reports: "Russia warned Kosovo's leaders Wednesday that if they declare independence the territory will never become a member of the United Nations or other international political institutions."

Comment: I wouldn't be surprised if Kosovo's declaration of independence becomes the first international crisis of the new year. The West thinks of Kosovo as a resolved crisis, something NATO took care of in the 1990's. At that time, Russia was much weaker, Boris Yeltsin was no Czar Vlad Putin, and so the Western Alliance could do what it willed with Serbia, Russia's ally. Things have changed, and Putin is far more likely to draw a line in the sand and come to the defense of Serbia.

Let me leave you with one more thought to ponder. Take a look at this statement from the AP report:
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that the future of Kosovo is a Security Council issue - not an EU issue - and said council members should prepare a roadmap that would "create dynamics that in our view would lead to a negotiated outcome. "We are respectful of the interest of the European Union to enhance its role in Kosovo, but that should not replace an international effort to find a mutually acceptable solution," he said.
If we see this issue as a contest between the influence of the U.N. and the European Union, then perhaps this may be a tipping point in the ascendancy of the EU. Still, the role of Russia is the wild card here. Is Putin willing to go to war with the EU over Kosovo?
My Way News - Israel Evacuates 2 Settler Outposts
AP reports: "Israeli forces evacuated two makeshift settlement outposts in the West Bank on Wednesday, a step to remove a major obstacle to peace talks with Palestinians."
My Way News - Researchers Restart Rat Heart
AP reports: "Researchers seeking new treatments for heart disease managed to grow a rat heart in the lab and start it beating. [...] Scientists have worked for years for ways to grow body parts."
My Way News - Small Quake Reported at Mount St. Helens
AP reports: "Steam seeping from a fracture atop the lava dome in Mount St. Helens' crater and the mountain's first noteworthy seismic activity since 2004 have caught scientists' attention this week as signs that something is moving inside it."
My Way News - U.S. to Study Bizarre Medical Condition
AP reports: "It sounds like a freakish ailment from a horror movie: Sores erupt on your skin, mysterious threads pop out of them, and you feel like tiny bugs are crawling all over you. Some experts believe it's a psychiatric phenomenon, yet hundreds of people say it's a true physical condition. It's called Morgellons, and now the government is about to begin its first medical study of it."

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

My Way News - Israel Reports Iranian-Made Rocket Hit
AP reports: "A rocket fired at Israel by Palestinians earlier this month was made in Iran, an Israeli lawmaker and security officials said Tuesday. The origins of the rocket, which hit the Israeli town of Ashkelon on Jan. 3, offered a further indication of ties between Gaza's militants and Iran's hard-line Islamic regime."
My Way News - 19 Gazans, Kibbutz Worker Killed
AP reports: "Israeli troops killed a son of Gaza's most powerful leader along with 18 other Palestinians on Tuesday in the bloodiest day of fighting in the coastal area since Hamas militants seized control last summer."
My Way News - Taliban Say They Will Attack Restaurants
AP reports: "The Taliban said Tuesday that its suicide bombers would attack restaurants where Westerners eat in Kabul, an ominous new threat that forced American and European workers to restrict outings in the Afghan capital."
My Way News - Kenya Feud Rooted in Old Tribal Tensions
AP reports: "Kenya's bloody election dispute has been in the making for decades, its main components poverty and tribal tensions."
My Way News - Baby, Toddler Killed in Mothers' Arms
AP reports: "A baby, a toddler and their mothers were shot to death while the women held their children in their arms, police said Tuesday as officers searched for two men seen running from the victims' home."

Monday, January 14, 2008

My Way News - Mideast Peace Negotiations Inch Forward
AP reports: "After a U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference in November, Israelis and Palestinians relaunched negotiations after seven years of violence. They pledged to try to reach an agreement before Bush leaves office a year from now."
My Way News - Britain to Fingerprint Visa Applicants
AP reports: "Logging and checking visitors' biometric information is one of the central planks of the government's new immigration strategy, which includes the introduction of an Australian-style points system intended to encourage skilled immigrants, the creation of police-like border force and fines for bosses who do not ensure their employees are legally entitled to work in Britain."
My Way News - Economy, Tourism Hurt by Kenya Chaos
AP reports: "In the days after the Dec. 27 vote, riots and ethnic violence erupted from the coast to the rural highlands, killing some 500 Kenyans, displacing thousands, and prompting the Nairobi stock exchange to close and shops and restaurants to padlock their doors."
My Way News - India Seeks China Business Opportunities
AP reports: "India's prime minister called for expanding business opportunities with China in construction, education, financial services, and tourism in a speech Monday to business executives at the start of a state visit."
My Way News - Sri Lanka Violence Kills 34
AP reports: "A wave of pitched battles, bombings and an airstrike killed at least 34 people across northern Sri Lanka, the military said Monday, as a Japanese envoy met with officials to try to stop the raging civil war."
My Way News - Attack on Kabul Luxury Hotel Kills 6
AP reports: "Militants stormed Kabul's most popular luxury hotel Monday, killing at least six people as they hunted down Westerners who cowered in a gym - a coordinated assault that could signal a new era of brazen Taliban attacks."
My Way News - Gulf Prankster Possible Message Source
AP reports: "A threatening radio message at the end of a video showing Iranian patrol boats swarming near U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf may have come from a prankster rather than from the Iranian vessels, the Navy Times newspaper has reported."
My Way News - Dozens in Texas Town Report Seeing UFO
AP reports: "Several dozen people - including a pilot, county constable and business owners - insist they have seen a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast. Some reported seeing fighter jets chasing it."

Comment: The prophetic sign of "signs and wonders in the heavens" has always fascinated me because it's something of a mystery. Or perhaps a cynic would say it's simply subjective. After all, the other cosmic signs are very specific - from signs in the stars to signs in the sun and the moon - we know exactly what to look for. But what kind of signs in the heavens (the visible sky) would cause people to be in wonder and amazement? I think UFO sightings certainly qualify. Of, course, it was probably Venus seen through swamp gas, right?
My Way News - Video Ads Are Planned for Grocery Carts
AP reports: "Microsoft Corp. is bringing digital advertising to the grocery cart. The software maker spent four years working with Plano, Texas-based MediaCart Holdings Inc. on a grocery cart-mounted console that helps shoppers find products in the store, then scan and pay for their items without waiting in the checkout line."
My Way News - With Nuclear Rebirth Come New Worries\
AP reports: "Global warming and rocketing oil prices are making nuclear power fashionable, drawing a once demonized industry out of the shadows of the Chernobyl disaster as a potential shining knight of clean energy. [...] Of the more than 100 nuclear reactors now being built, planned or on order, about half are in China, India and other developing nations."
AFP: 'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens
AFP reports: "A director who shares the ideas of Iran's hardline president has produced what he says is the first film giving an Islamic view of Jesus Christ, in a bid to show the 'common ground' between Muslims and Christians."

Comment: Evidence that God and Allah are not the same: God has a Son, Allah does not. This film presents the Islamic view that Jesus was a holy man of God, a great prophet, but not the Son of God. This view, however, is not tenable. Why? Well, a prophet is not a deceiver or a madman. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, and in fact claimed to be God. These claims are so outrageous as to present us (as C.S. Lewis noted) with a clear choice: either Jesus was who he said he was, or he was a madman. So, Islam has to overlook these claims in order to see him as a great prophet. Note that carefully, they are not accepting the claims that Jesus made about himself and dismissing them, they are ignoring them. Which makes me wonder how it can be that the film, "faithfully follows the traditional tale of Jesus as recounted in the New Testament Gospels, a narrative reproduced in the Koran and accepted by Muslims." This Islamic Jesus is most definitely not the Jesus depicted in the gospels.

Friday, January 11, 2008

My Way News - US Navy Fired Warning at Iranian Craft
AP reports: "The U.S. Navy said Friday that one of its ships fired warning shots at a small Iranian boat in the Strait of Hormuz in December during one of two serious encounters that month."
My Way News - Pakistan President Tells US to Stay Out
AP reports: "Musharraf said U.S. troops would 'certainly' be considered invaders if they set foot in the tribal regions without his permission. A full transcript of the interview was published on the paper's Web site."
My Way News - White House Times Arms Sale, Bush Trip
AP reports: "The Bush administration will notify Congress on Monday of its intent to sell $20 billion in weapons, including precision-guided bombs, to Saudi Arabia, moving up the announcement to coincide with the president's arrival in Riyadh, The Associated Press has learned. [...] the administration's plan to counterbalance the Saudi sale with $30 billion in military assistance to Israel - a more than 25 percent increase over the next 10 years - and statements from Israeli officials who say they understand the rationale for the sale and will not oppose it."
My Way News - Bush Seeks Arab Support for Peace
AP reports: "The United States dampened hopes Friday for swift agreement on a Mideast peace deal, as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cautioned against expecting a 'blinding flash' of Arab backing for cooperation with Israel, their historic enemy."

Thursday, January 10, 2008

My Way News - Bush Offers Peacemaking Checklist
AP reports: "Bush's peacemaking checklist, combining existing U.S. policy with a few new elements, was his most detailed summary yet of U.S. expectations for resolving some of the hardest issues in a final peace accord."
My Way News - 666 Draws Comment in House of Commons
AP reports: "The beast of the Book of Revelation intruded into the banter of the House of Commons on Thursday when a motion calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England was numbered 666."

Comment: I'm not sure what to make of this, but it's seems noteworthy, Bible prophecy being mentioned, even quoted, in an AP newswire report. Strange days indeed.
My Way News - Putin Chooses Nationalist As NATO Envoy
AP reports: "President Vladimir Putin on Thursday named a prominent nationalist politician as Russia's ambassador to NATO at a time of severely strained ties between Moscow and the Western alliance."
My Way News - Massive US Air Attack South of Baghdad
AP reports: "U.S. warplanes unleashed one of the most intense airstrikes of the Iraq war Thursday, dropping 40,000 pounds of explosives in a thunderous 10-minute onslaught on suspected al-Qaida in Iraq safe havens in Sunni farmlands south of Baghdad."
My Way News - Jewish Cemetery Vandalized; 4 Arrested
AP reports: "Four teenagers were arrested and charged with vandalizing a Jewish cemetery where hundreds of headstones were toppled, authorities said Thursday."
Bush sees Palestine state treaty within year - Yahoo! News UK
Reuters reports: "U.S. President George W. Bush told Palestinians on Thursday he believed they would sign a peace treaty with Israel within a year that would give them a state and end what he called 'the occupation'."
My Way News - Group: Bird Flu Pandemic Risk Overblown
AP reports: "Fears of a flu pandemic originating from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus were overblown, the head of the World Organization for Animal Health said Thursday. [...] H5N1 has infected more than 340 people and killed at least 212 since 2003, mostly in Asia. The virus strain does not easily spread between people, however, and most patients had been infected through close contact with sick poultry."

Comment: This is good news. It confuses me though how some reports can downplay the threat posed by bird flu and other reports can make it seem like a significant threat. Perhaps it simply depends on where you live and how often you handle birds.
My Way News - Proteins Found That AIDS Virus Preys On
AP reports: "The AIDS virus has to hijack human proteins to do its damage, but scientists until now have known only a few dozen of its targets. On Thursday, Harvard researchers unveiled a surprisingly longer list, an important first step in the hunt for new drugs."
My Way News - New Security Rules for Driver's Licenses
AP reports: "Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years under ambitious post-9/11 security rules to be unveiled Friday by federal officials."

Comment: Just to clarify, I'm not suggesting that this is the Mark of the Beast or in any way sinister, it's just an example of the post-9/11 trend in more mandatory ID requirements, and the Mark is (or rather, will be) the most extreme form of mandatory ID.
My Way News - No Big Bang: Asteroid Will Miss Mars
AP reports: "The possibility of a collision between Mars and an approaching asteroid has been effectively ruled out, according to scientists watching the space rock."

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

My Way News - Bush Prods Israel, Palestinians on Peace

AP reports: "President Bush, in the Mideast to push along a peace deal by the end of his presidency, gave orders to both sides on Wednesday. He told Israelis that 'illegal' settlement outposts in disputed land must go and told Palestinians that no part of their territories can be 'a safe haven for terrorists.'"

Comment: Isn't it a bit disingenuous for Bush to tell the Palestinians that they have to do something about Hamas? After all, Hamas won the election and Hamas is well armed (by Iran and Syria), certainly more so than Fatah. Unless the U.S. and Israel are willing to provide substantial arms sales to Fatah and then fully support them in a civil war, well, there's no way that Hamas simply fades away, it just won't happen. This is one way we can know that this particular moment of the peace process is not leading to the "Covenant with Many," it's simply an example of a lame-duck American president trying to secure a legacy. That's not to say, though, that progress can't still be made on a future peace treaty. Let's keep watching.
My Way News - Bush Strongly Warns Iran on Naval Clash
AP reports: "President Bush warned Iran of 'serious consequences' if it meddles again with U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, opening a Mideast peacemaking mission Wednesday on an ominous note."
My Way News - Rockets Hit Israel Before Bush Arrival
AP reports: "Members of the Hamas-allied Popular Resistance Committees told Hamas television that members of their group were firing salvos before the Israeli strike."
My Way News - French Probe E-Mail Threatening Paris
AP reports: "French prosecutors are investigating a cryptic e-mail sent to an Islamic Web site urging attacks on the capital's mayor and its tourist sites, judicial officials said Wednesday."
My Way News - Police: Dad Threw 4 Children Off Bridge
AP reports: "A day after reporting his four young children were missing, a shrimp fisherman broke down and confessed that he threw them off an 80-foot-high bridge to their deaths, authorities said Wednesday."
My Way News - Bodies of 4 Youths Found in D.C. Home
AP reports: "The decomposing bodies of four young people were found Wednesday by U.S. marshals delivering an eviction notice, and a woman who answered the door was taken into custody for questioning."
My Way News - New Satellite Promises Better Broadband
AP reports: "A satellite due to launch in three years promises to expand high-speed Internet services to rural Americans who cannot get access through cable or phone companies."
My Way News - Glowing Pig Passes Genes to Piglets
AP reports: "A cloned pig whose genes were altered to make it glow fluorescent green has passed on the trait to its young, a development that could lead to the future breeding of pigs for human transplant organs, a Chinese university reported."

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

New Risk to Earth Found in Supernova Explosions - LiveScience
LiveScience reports: "If Eta Carina were to explode like SN 2006gy, it would quickly become the brightest object in the sky other than the sun and the moon."
My Way News - Mideast Leaders to Address Core Issues

AP reports: "The Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Tuesday to begin tackling the core issues of a peace agreement in a push to revive stalled negotiations ahead of the arrival of President Bush."
My Way News - Rockets From Lebanon Hit Israel
AP reports: "Two rockets fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel overnight, the military said Tuesday, expanding the violence that has erupted on Israel's other borders ahead of President Bush's visit to the region. No injuries were reported."
My Way News - US Analyzing Recordings of Iranians
AP reports: "The U.S. military has video and audio recordings of Iranian boats that threatened to blow up U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and plans to release them, the top Navy commander in the Mideast said Tuesday. President Bush described the confrontation as a 'provocative act.'"
Olmert, Abbas Agree to Negotiate Over Jerusalem - Arutz Sheva
IsraelNN reports: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas agreed Tuesday to begin negotiations over the three 'core issues' on which Israel is expected to make concessions: the division of Jerusalem, a return to pre-1967 borders and an influx of Arabs into pre-1967 Israel. Despite this, neither Yisrael Beiteinu nor Shas said they would leave the coalition."
My Way News - Ancient Roman Road Gets Virtual Life
AP reports: "A museum on Tuesday unveiled a virtual reconstruction of one of the bustling arteries that led into ancient Rome, allowing visitors to wander through rebuilt monuments and interact with the city's political elite."

Comment: Ok, this is a bit fanciful, but has anyone ever considered the idea that the rebuilt Temple might actually be rebuilt in cyberspace? In that way the beast who takes his seat in the temple and declares himself to be God would actually be the avatar of the actual person? Just an idea.
My Way News - Bush Faces Tough Sell on Mideast Reform
AP reports: "For years, President Bush has eagerly waved a flag for democracy in the Mideast from afar. This week, he steps gingerly into the troubled region where his freedom agenda is stalled."
Incurable dengue disease could spread in US: researchers - Yahoo! News
AFP reports: "Incurable, mosquito-borne dengue disease could spread from subtropical areas into the United States through global warming, requiring greater efforts to combat it, health authorities said Tuesday."
My Way News - Bush Supports Turkey Bid to Join EU
AP reports: "President Bush gave Turkey's bid to join the European Union a glowing endorsement on Tuesday and called the Islamic nation a 'constructive bridge' between the West and the Muslim world, offering a much-needed boost to U.S.-Turkish relations."
My Way News - Bush Administration Blogs Mideast Trip
AP reports: "Everybody's doing it, so why not the White House? President Bush's team is joining the blogosphere, planning regular postings during his Mideast trip."

Comment: This is interesting, but I doubt this will be anything casual or unscripted. A calculated move to use the internet, perhaps, but not that far removed from an official press release.
In world of convergence, mini-TVs get legs - Yahoo! News

AFP reports: "In the world of multifunctional electronics, mini-TV sets are getting new life in smart devices being developed that make video mobile. Among the devices unveiled at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a pocket-sized mobile TV by Motorola that can play live TV, on-demand clips and programs saved on a digital video recorder."

Monday, January 07, 2008

The Associated Press: Bush Tries to Advance Mideast Peace
AP reports: "President Bush, trying to defy a history of failure in Middle East peacemaking, is about to embark on his first major trip to the long-troubled region, facing doubts about the seriousness of his commitment and his chances for success."
Universal flu shot in clinical trials - Space War
UPI reports: "U.S. and British researchers are testing a new universal flu vaccine developed to tackle influenza pandemics."
Iran And Pakistan To Sign Peace Pipeline Deal - Space War
UPI reports: "Iran's ambassador to Pakistan said Jan. 25 is the date the two sides will sign the so-called peace pipeline, a multibillion-dollar project to send Iranian natural gas to Pakistan."
Iranian speedboats menaced US navy vessels in Gulf: US - Space War
AFP reports: "Armed Iranian speedboats swarmed three US warships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, radioing a threat to blow them up and sending tensions flaring ahead of President George W. Bush's trip to the Mideast, US officials said Monday."
Mr. President, would you divide New York? - Haaretz - Israel News
Haaretz reports: "'Would any other country in the world give up the right to pray at its holiest site, the Temple Mount, as Israel has done, out of respect for members of another faith who also pray at that site? And in exchange - look at how the Palestinians 'respect' our holy sites: Joseph's Tomb, Rachel's Tomb ..."
My Way News - Navy Involved in Two Mideast Incidents
AP reports: "American Naval forces were involved in two high-profile, but apparently unrelated, incidents in the Persian Gulf region since Sunday."
The truth is out: X-Files go public - The Observer
Guardian Unlimited reports: "British UFO 'sightings' investigated by a secret branch of the MoD are soon to be revealed and officials are braced for a torrent of inquiries."

Saturday, January 05, 2008

My Way News - Jerusalem Readies for Bush's Arrival

AP reports: "With hundreds of hotel rooms booked and municipal crews unfolding red, white and blue flags, Jerusalem is getting ready for its highest-profile visitor in years: President Bush. [...] Israeli officialdom is eagerly anticipating the arrival of Bush, whom Israel sees as one of the most supportive presidents ever to have served in the White House."
My Way News - Quake Rocks Southern Greece
AP reports: "A strong earthquake rattled southern Greece early Sunday and was felt in the capital, Athens. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, police said."
My Way News - Terrified Kenyans Flee Ethnic Violence
AP reports: "Thousands of refugees fled western Kenya Saturday on buses escorted by armed soldiers, streaming down roads strewn with downed power lines, burnt out vehicles and the corpses of others killed when they tried to escape an explosion of postelection ethnic violence."
My Way News - Israel Winds Up Raid in Nablus
AP reports: "Israeli troops wound up a four-day sweep of wanted men and munitions caches in the West Bank town of Nablus on Saturday, and residents confined at home since the operation began ventured outside to survey damage and resume their lives."
My Way News - Al-Qaida Videos Now on Cell Phones
AP reports: "Al-Qaida video messages of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri can now be downloaded to cell phones, the terror network announced as part of its attempts to extend its influence."
Year in science review: Global warming, new species - Yahoo! News
USA Today reports: "From the largest scales (global climate) to the smallest (cell research), this was a year punctuated by significant developments in science. USA TODAY highlights the findings."
My Way News - Dengue Fever Killed 407 in Cambodia

AP reports: "Dengue fever killed 407 people in Cambodia last year, the highest number of fatalities in nearly a decade, a health official said Friday. Most of those who died from the disease were children, said Ngan Chantha, director of the National Anti-Dengue Fever Program."
Olmert: Israel not living up to road map - Yahoo! News

AP reports: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in an unprecedented public acknowledgment, called continued Israeli construction in West Bank settlements a breach of Israel's obligations under a recently revived peace plan."

Comment: Right, Israel's building projects are the problem. No, it doesn't really matter, there will be no real peace agreement until the Palestinians are allowed to have their civil war. Why? See the following:

Meshaal offers Abbas talks, holds to armed struggle - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called on Friday for unconditional talks with the rival Fatah faction to halt violence between Palestinians but vowed to keep up the Islamist group's armed struggle against Israel. [...] 'We can manage the conflict with Israel together, without dropping the option of resistance.'"

Comment: So, you see, Hamas is not interested in peace, they are interested in maintaining and managing perpetual conflict against Israel. Their solution to the political division of the Palestinians is to maintain the status quo of the national split personality, one side that pursues peace with Israel while at the same time the other side of their split personality seeks to destroy Israel, while all the while each side claiming not to be able to control the other. This split-personality strategy should actually be much more effective now that each side is represented by real factions rather than being represented by one person, as in the days of Yasser Arafat. Arafat talked peace to the international media and talked war to his own people in speeches seldom translated for Western audiences to hear. He always told his people that any agreements he entered into with Israel were deceptive temporary agreements (hudna) meant to allow them to continue to advance toward their ultimate goal, the destruction of Israel. This has not changed. The majority of Palestinians voted for Hamas and not Fatah, and it was their electoral victory which precipitated the current political crisis. Fortunately, the international climate is such that world powers can back Fatah while pretending that Hamas does not exist. Unfortunately, backing Fatah is not enough, soon the world powers will be forced to acknowledge that only the destruction of Hamas will put Israel and the Palestinians back on the same road map to peace.
Malaysia maintains limited 'Allah' ban - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "The Malaysian government has reiterated that non-Muslims cannot use the word 'Allah,' sparking concern Friday among Christians who use it to refer to God in their Malay-language Bible and other publications. Abdullah Zin, the de facto minister for Islamic affairs, told reporters Thursday that the Cabinet is of the view that 'Allah' refers to the Muslim God and can only be used by Muslims, who comprise about 60 percent of Malaysia's population."

Comment: Well, there you go, it's official, "Allah" and God are not the same and the terms should not be used interchangeably. I think the minister's advice should be followed so as not to confuse people.
6.3-magnitude quake hits Sumatra coast - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "A 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattled western Sumatra on Friday, the local Meteorological and Geophysics Agency said, causing frightened residents to flee their homes."
NKorea nuclear talks stalled amid disputes - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "International efforts to put an end to North Korea's nuclear programme appeared to hit a snag Saturday after Pyongyang defiantly insisted it had lived up to its end of a six-party disarmament deal."

Comment: I wonder if North Korea understands that it got a very good deal and stretching this out to get even more concessions is a very bad idea. On the other hand, what recourse is there for the six-parties other than war? After all, North Korea has already been sanctioned to death, not that the party and military elite care about all the people who have died, they probably are willing to continue to endure the privations of their international pariah status, so it's not clear that even more sanctions would be effective. Is the Korean War about to resume?
Al-Qaida uses women as suicide attackers - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "It goes against religious taboos in Iraq to involve women in fighting, but three recent suicide bombings carried out by women could indicate insurgents are growing increasingly desperate."

Comment: That's good news, I like the idea of al-Qaida getting desperate. Just some more good news about the war effort that the media is sure to ignore. What, too cynical?

Thursday, January 03, 2008

North Korea makes threat after missed nuclear date - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "North Korea said on Friday it would boost its war deterrent, a day after the United States said it was sending its nuclear envoy back to Asia to discuss an atomic disarmament deal on which Pyongyang has missed a deadline."
My Way News - Bird Flu Discovered in Northern Israel
AP reports: "Israeli authorities ordered fowl destroyed in an area of northern Israel Thursday after chickens kept at a kindergarten were diagnosed with a deadly strain of bird flu."
Israel prohibits Jewish prayers atop Temple Mount - Israel Today
Israel Today reports: "Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter determined this week to arrest any Jew who is found expressing any outward form of worship, including moving one's lips in prayer, atop Jerusalem's Temple Mount."
My Way News - Kenya Streets Wracked by Violence
AP reports: "Police used tear gas, water cannons and batons Thursday to block thousands of people from protesting Kenya's disputed election amid a political deadlock between the president and his chief rival."
My Way News - Libya Takes Charge of UN Council

AP reports: "The council, which oversees global peace and security, is the only U.N. body whose decisions are all binding. Only the United States, China, France, Russia and Britain have veto power; the 10 other member countries, including Libya this year, are elected to two-year terms."
My Way News - Broad Israeli Offensive Kills 9 in Gaza

AP reports: "The Israeli army stepped up a broad offensive in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least nine Palestinians with airstrikes and shelling attacks after militants fired a rocket that struck deep into Israel."
My Way News - Khamenei Says Iran Ties With US Possible

AP reports: "The dispute over Iran's nuclear program and U.S. allegations of Iranian support for armed groups in Iraq have further raised tensions."
My Way News - China Limits Providers of Internet Video
AP reports: "China has moved to restrict videos online, allowing only state-controlled sites to post any - including those shared by users - and requiring Internet providers to delete and report a variety of content."
My Way News - Britain: 2008 May Be Among Hottest Years
AP reports: "The Met Office said a powerful La Nina, the name given to the upwelling of large areas of cold water in the tropical Pacific Ocean, would probably keep 2008's temperature from breaking the global record. But it said the underlying trend of higher and higher temperatures, which scientists say indicates global warming, was likely to continue."
Breaking News: Turkish Bomb Attack Kills 4
CNN.com's International Breaking News E-Mail Alert reports: Turkish prime minister says four dead, 52 injured after bomb attack on military bus in southeastern city of Diyarbakir.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

My Way News - Pressure Mounts With 300 Killed in Kenya
AP reports: "International pressure mounted on Kenya's leaders Wednesday to end postelection violence that has killed more than 300 people, including dozens burned alive as they sought refuge in a church."
My Way News - Hezbollah Wants Veto in Lebanon
AP reports: "Sheik Hassan Nasrallah accused the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority of creating the current presidential deadlock by refusing a partnership with the Syrian-backed opposition. [...] Syria effectively controlled Lebanon for almost three decades but was forced to withdraw its thousands of troops in 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri."
My Way News - Israel Kills 7 Gaza Militants
AP reports: "Israeli forces killed seven Palestinian militants in a clash before dawn Wednesday, pressing its war against armed groups in the Gaza Strip days before President Bush arrives to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace."
My Way News - Sudan Police Investigate American Death
AP reports: "The shooting came a day after a joint U.N.-African peacekeeping force took over control in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, where more than 200,000 have died in a conflict that began in 2003. Al-Qaida has called for a 'jihad' or holy war, in Sudan against the peacekeepers."
My Way News - Al-Qaida Targets Sunni Tribal Groups
AP reports: "A suicide bombing north of Baghdad on Wednesday and a string of attacks against members of a burgeoning Sunni tribal movement have demonstrated al-Qaida in Iraq's concern over the alliance between the U.S. military and the grass roots groups. [...] 'It is perhaps the clearest evidence of Iraqi citizens rejecting Taliban ideology, corrupt practices and the indiscriminate violence that the Iraqi people no longer accept.'"
My Way News - Tenn. Judge Resigns Over Fantasies Tape
AP reports: "A Tennessee judge resigned last month after making a recording of fantasies so lurid that when the tape fell into the hands of the police and FBI, they thought they were listening to a torture session and believed it might be linked to a murder case."
My Way News - US Near Bottom of Global Privacy Index
AP reports: "Individual privacy is under threat around the world as governments continue introducing surveillance and information-gathering measures, according to an international rights group. [...] The survey considered such factors as legal protections, enforcement, data sharing, the use of biometrics and prevalence of closed-circuit cameras."
Breaking News: Oil hits $100 a barrel
CNN's International Breaking News E-Mail Alert reports: Oil hits $100 a barrel for the first time due to fears about a dip in stockpiles, more interest rate cuts and violence in Nigeria.