Friday, October 31, 2008

Iranian Nuke Scientist: Weekend Quake was a Nuclear Test - Israel News - Arutz Sheva
INN reports: "The report quotes an Iranian nuclear scientist who claims to be working in uranium enrichment for the project, and who said that the 'quake' was actually an underground nuclear bomb test."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the peace of Jerusalem and the entire region. This is a dangerous time as Israel enters into an election cycle and top Iranian leaders are facing health problems at the same time as the global financial crisis hits their country. Let's pray that the leaders of Iran don't do something reckless like attack Israel to distract their people from their domestic problems.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

My Way News - Intel says Iran plans secret nuclear experiments

AP reports: "With Iran's nuclear program already under international scrutiny, any new efforts by Tehran to increase its nuclear expertise and its store of enriched uranium would set off alarm bells - particularly if that stock was highly enriched. [...] Defying weak sanctions, the Islamic Republic has moved further through enrichment toward developing weapons capability - now anywhere from six months to several years away, depending on the source."
SpaceWeather.com - Colorado Fireball
Space Weather reports, "On Oct. 28th, a meteoroid hit Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated with the luminosity of a full Moon. By happenstance, the event occurred directly above an all-sky video camera in Colorado. Today's issue of Spaceweather.com features a movie of the fireball, the sound of radio echoes from the fireball's trail, and eyewitness reports from several US states."
My Way News - Iran feels economic pain as oil prices fall
AP reports: "Iran plunged this week into a bitter storm of political recrimination, largely directed at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as officials and ordinary Iranians realized with shock that the Islamic republic faces a severe economic crisis of its own."
My Way News - Syrian crowd protests US raid amid heavy security
AP reports: "Tens of thousands crowded a Damascus square in a government-orchestrated rally Thursday to denounce a deadly U.S. raid on Syrian territory near Iraq and send a loud message to America: Leave us alone!"
My Way News - Taliban storm Afghan culture ministry, kill 5
AP reports: "Taliban fighters stormed the Ministry of Culture in the heart of Kabul Thursday, killing five people in an attack the president said aimed at derailing the government's new effort to draw militants into a peace process and end a seven-year insurgency."
My Way News - Kids in Pakistan quake zone beg for food
AP reports: "Children begged for food from trucks passing through Pakistan's quake zone Thursday as the death toll rose to 215 and survivors prepared for another frigid night camped out amid wrecked mountain villages."
My Way News - Attackers kill at least 61 in northeast India
AP reports: "The scale and planning behind the 13 blasts surprised authorities, who struggled to determine who was behind the attacks - among the worst in a region plagued by separatism, ethnic violence and Islamic militants."
My Way News - Archaeologist says he found oldest Hebrew writing
AP reports: "An Israeli archaeologist has discovered what he believes is the oldest known Hebrew inscription on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard - a find that suggests Biblical accounts of the ancient Israelite kingdom of David could have been based on written texts."

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

My Way News - 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami biggest in 600 years

AP reports: "The tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 2004 was the biggest in the Indian Ocean in some 600 years, two new geological studies suggest. That long gap might explain how enough geological stress built up to power the huge undersea earthquake that launched the killer waves four years ago, researchers said."

Comment: Over the years many Bible prophecy teachers interpreted Jesus' prophecy about roaring waves causing distress among the nations as a spiritual symbol of one thing or another, they couldn't see how the prophecy could literally be about roaring waves. Of course, now, in a world where global warming is assumed to be raising sea levels and great earthquakes cause mega tsunamis we can certainly appreciate the danger posed to coastal areas.
My Way News - Quartet to discuss Israel-Palestinians peace talks

AP reports: "A senior Palestinian official said Wednesday the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers will meet early next month at Sharm el-Sheik to assess progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. [...] The so-called Quartet is made up of the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia."
My Way News - Syria hardens stance after deadly US raid
AP reports: "Syrian President Bashar Assad has pursued indirect peace talks with Israel and says he is open to direct talk as early as next year. Syria also has agreed to establish diplomatic ties with Lebanon - a country it used to dominate - for the first time in their history."

Comment: Syria is on an interesting trajectory and it could be that the destruction of Damascus is years away, though it's clear that Syria may fall easily into reckless behavior if the recent overtures noted in the AP report are not reciprocated.
My Way News - At least 170 dead as quake hits southwest Pakistan
AP reports: "Desperate villagers clawed through piles of mud and timber looking for victims of an earthquake that collapsed thousands of homes in southwestern Pakistan before dawn Wednesday, killing at least 170 people."
My Way News - Congo soldiers fleeing Goma along with refugees
AP reports: "Firing wildly, Congolese soldiers commandeered cars, taxis and motorbikes Wednesday in a retreat from advancing rebel fighters, joining tens of thousands of terrified refugees struggling to stay ahead of the violence. [...] Congo said Rwandan troops had crossed the border and attacked its soldiers - raising the specter that neighboring nations will again be drawn into Congo's war"

Tuesday, October 28, 2008


My Way News - Strong quake hits Pakistan, at least 100 killed
AP reports: "A government minister says the death toll from an earthquake in southwestern Pakistan has risen to more than 100. Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Zamaruk Khan says the government is readying food, shelter and medical care for survivors of Wednesday's quake. He says 'more than 100' people have been killed so far."
My Way News - Internet companies embrace human rights guidelines
AP reports: "Leading Internet companies, long criticized by human-rights groups for their business dealings in China, agreed Tuesday to new guidelines that seek to limit what data they should share with authorities worldwide and when they should do so."

Comment: It's nice to see that these companies recognize that they have a responsibility when dealing with repressive countries, but I'd like to see how these new polices fare when tested by real events. Is this just PR?
My Way News - Israeli elections to be held in mid-February
AP reports: "A spokeswoman for Israel's Parliament says national elections will be held in mid-February. That leaves three and a half months for what is expected to be a tough election campaign with significant ramifications for Mideast peace talks."
My Way News - Diplomats: IAEA says Syrian nuke info needs probe
AP reports: "Diplomats say soil and air samples from an alleged Syrian nuclear site bombed last year by Israel provide enough evidence to justify a further inquiry."
My Way News - Tens of thousands of civilians flee in east Congo
AP reports: "Rebels vowing to take Congo's eastern provincial capital advanced toward Goma Tuesday, sending tens of thousands fleeing. Chaos gripped a separate front as government soldiers fired on civilians and aid workers trying to escape, the top U.N. envoy said."

Monday, October 27, 2008

My Way News - UN nuclear chief says Iran blocking progress
AP reports: "The U.N. nuclear chief said Monday that Iran is blocking his watchdog agency from verifying whether the nation has any ambitions for nuclear weaponry."
My Way News - Polls show even split in Israeli elections
AP reports: "Israel moved closer Monday to a bruising election campaign that will decide the future of peace talks, as polls showed the moderate foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, in a surprisingly close race with hard-line opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu."
My Way News - Iranian general reports arming 'liberation armies'
AP reports: "Iran is supplying weapons to 'liberation armies' in the Middle East, a top Revolutionary Guards commander said, offering the first official confirmation the country provides weapons to armed groups in the region."
My Way News - US official: Raid on Syria killed leader of cell
AP reports: "A cross-border raid by U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida-linked head of a Syrian network that smuggled fighters, weapons and cash into Iraq, an American counterterrorism official said Monday."
My Way News - Suspected US strike kills up to 20 in Pakistan
AP reports: "Suspected U.S. missiles killed 20 people at the house of a Taliban commander near the Afghan border on Monday, the latest volley in a two-month onslaught on militant bases inside Pakistan, officials said."
My Way News - Lord's Prayer questioned in Australian Parliament
AP reports: "The speaker of Australia's Parliament has called for a public debate about whether the country's lawmakers should end the practice of starting each session with the Lord's Prayer. Lawmakers have started every day of Parliament with the Christian prayer for more than a century - a tradition inherited from Britain during colonial rule."
My Way News - Mine from time of King Solomon found
AP reports: "Researchers led by Thomas Levy of the University of California, San Diego, and Mohammad Najjar of Jordan's Friends of Archaeology, discovered a copper-production center in southern Jordan that dates to the 10th century B.C., the time of Solomon's reign. [...] 'We can't believe everything ancient writings tell us,' Levy said in a statement. 'But this research represents a confluence between the archaeological and scientific data and the Bible.'"
My Way News - Staph germs harder than ever to treat, studies say
AP reports: "Now, the germs causing outbreaks in schools, on sports teams and in other social situations are posing a growing threat. A CDC study found that at least 10 percent of cases involving the most common community strain were able to evade the antibiotics typically used to treat them."
Israeli election looms as coalition bid rejected - CNN.com
CNN reports: "Shas, which has been known for its hardball negotiating demands, said it could not reach agreement with Livni on two major points -- increasing welfare payments to the poor and the final status of Jerusalem."
Pope condemns Christian killings in Iraq, India - CNN.com
CNN reports: "Pope Benedict XVI decried the killing of Christians in Iraq and India and appealed Sunday for political and religious leaders to defend them."

Sunday, October 26, 2008


My Way News - US special forces launch rare attack inside Syria
AP reports: "U.S. military helicopters launched an extremely rare attack Sunday on Syrian territory close to the border with Iraq, killing eight people in a strike the government in Damascus condemned as 'serious aggression.'"

Friday, October 24, 2008

My Way News - UN aids Iraqi Christians chased from Mosul
AP reports: "Some 13,000 Christians have been chased away by threats and extremist attacks in Mosul this month, said Ron Redmond, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. That number is over half the community in a city where Christians have lived since the early days of the religion."
My Way News - Al-Qaida in Iraq focused on outside attacks
AP reports: "Al-Qaida in Iraq's leader says in a new audiotape that his group is focused on attacks outside Iraq and seems to claim responsibility for the June 2007 attack on Glasgow International Airport."
My Way News - Leaders call for new rules for financial system
AP reports: "Asian and European leaders agreed Friday that the rules guiding the global economy should be rewritten and the International Monetary Fund should be given a lead role in aiding countries hit hardest by the financial crisis."
My Way News - US training Pakistani forces to fight Taliban
AP reports: "U.S. special forces have begun teaching a Pakistani paramilitary unit how to fight the Taliban and al-Qaida, hoping to strengthen a key front-line force as violence surges on both sides of the border with Afghanistan."
My Way News - Nun accusing India mob of rape slams police
AP reports: "Hiding her head and face behind a scarf, the nun told reporters that she was raped after a mob attacked a Christian prayer hall on Aug. 25 in the eastern state of Orissa."
My Way News - Bush welcomes Albania, Croatia into NATO
AP reports: "NATO leaders agreed at a summit earlier this year in Romania to invite Albania and Croatia into the alliance. However, the alliance rebuffed U.S. attempts to begin the process of inviting Ukraine and Georgia, both former Soviet republics, to join. Despite strong U.S. backing to bring them in, Germany, France and some other alliance members opposed the move, fearing it would provoke Russia."
My Way News - UN: Over 12,000 cholera cases in Guinea Bissau
AP reports: "The United Nations says over 12,220 people have been infected with cholera in Guinea-Bissau and 201 have died from the disease."

Thursday, October 23, 2008

My Way News - UN: Millions suffer food crisis in North Korea
AP reports: "North Korea has relied on aid to help feed its 23 million people since natural disasters and mismanagement devastated its centrally controlled economy in the mid-1990s. Famine is believed to have killed 2 million people. The country's food shortage has worsened this year following devastating floods in 2007."
My Way News - Peres: Arab peace initiative is an opportunity
AP reports: "Israeli President Shimon Peres says a long-stalled Arab peace initiative could bring peace to the Middle East and resolve the Palestinian conflict."
My Way News - `We blew it' on global food, says Bill Clinton
AP reports: "Clinton criticized decades of policymaking by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and others, encouraged by the U.S., that pressured Africans in particular into dropping government subsidies for fertilizer, improved seed and other farm inputs as a requirement to get aid. Africa's food self-sufficiency declined and food imports rose."
My Way News - Djibouti warns UN over Eritrea's occupation
AP reports: "Djibouti, a key U.S. ally in the Horn of Africa, warned the U.N. Thursday that Eritrea's occupation of Djibouti territory on their border overlooking critical Red Sea shipping lanes could lead to war if the dispute isn't quickly resolved."
My Way News - HIV scare puts Mo. school in uncertain territory
AP reports: "The department is not saying whether the infected person was a student or connected with the school, only that the person indicated as many as 50 students may have been exposed. [...] the possibilities include sexual activity, intravenous drug use, piercings and tattoos."
Cryptome - And Now the Manchurian Microchip
The Investigator reports: "The myth: Chinese intelligence services have concealed a microchip in every computer everywhere, programmed to 'call home' if and when activated. The reality: It may actually be true."

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

My Way News - Israeli, Egyptian leaders to meet on Mideast peace

AP reports: "Israeli President Shimon Peres will discuss an Arab proposal for comprehensive Mideast peace when he meets with Egypt's leader this week, Peres' office said Wednesday."

Comment: We are getting very conflicting signals, some say there is no chance for a peace agreement in the remaining days that Bush has left in office, while others suggest that the parties are fearful of losing momentum and will take great risks to move forward before he leaves office.
My Way News - Atheists plan ad campaign on side of London buses
AP reports: "Most Britons identify themselves as Christians, but few attend church regularly, and public figures rarely talk about their beliefs. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair was rare among politicians in speaking openly about his Christian faith."

Comment: This strikes me as something born of a desire to persecute but also something that provides an opportunity to reach more people and share the gospel. Let's pray for the church in the UK that they can rise to this challenge with love and compassion.
My Way News - World leaders to meet on economy in Washington
AP reports: "World leaders will meet Nov. 15 in Washington to address the global financial crisis - the first in a series of summits to mitigate what economists predict could be a long and deep downturn."

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

My Way News - Russia, Iran and Qatar discuss forming gas cartel
AP reports: "Russia, Iran and Qatar made the first serious moves Tuesday toward forming an OPEC-style cartel on natural gas, raising concerns that Moscow could boost its influence over energy markets spanning from Europe to South Asia."
My Way News - US, Russia hold fence-mending military talks
AP reports: "The top U.S. military officer held 'businesslike' talks on Georgia, Afghanistan and missile defense with his Russian counterpart Tuesday, a signal of thawing relations between the two powers."
My Way News - 2 convicted in Denmark of preparing terror attack
AP reports: "Two men who were secretly filmed mixing the type of explosive used in the 2005 London transit bombing were convicted on Tuesday of preparing a terrorist attack. Hammad Khuershid, a Danish citizen of Pakistani origin, and Abdoulghani Tokhi, an Afghan, were sentenced to 12 and seven years in prison, respectively."
Army Technology - Libya Seeks Russian Arms Worth $2bn
Army Technology reports: "Libya may agree to buy more than $2bn worth of Russian weapons during a visit by Muammar Gaddafi to Moscow this month, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing an unidentified source in Russia's arms industry."
AFP - Jordan king 'pessimistic' about Mideast peace deal
AFP reports: "Jordan's King Abdullah II said he doubted a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal will be clinched by January 20 when President George W. Bush steps down, in an interview published on Saturday in Spain's El Pais daily."

Monday, October 20, 2008

My Way News - Taliban gunmen kill Christian aid worker in Kabul
AP reports: "Taliban assailants on a motorbike gunned down a Christian aid worker in Kabul on Monday and the militants said she was killed for spreading her religion - a rare targeted killing of a Westerner in the nation's capital."
My Way News - Britain releases UFO files, dispels some mysteries
AP reports: "Monday's release is the second batch of UFO files that Britain's military has put out this year. David Clarke, a UFO expert who has worked with the National Archives, said in the next few years, a total of 160 UFO-related files will be made available to the public."

Saturday, October 18, 2008

My Way News - Bush plans to host a summit of world leaders
AP reports: "Sarkozy and other European leaders want Bush and representatives of presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, to meet before the end of the year, possibly in New York, and to forge a new vision for the global economy. Sarkozy has floated the idea of reforming rating agencies and even exploring the future of currency systems."
My Way News - Hamas grip on Gaza hardens: peace outlook bleak
AP reports: "Hamas' control of the Gaza Strip is now virtually complete. Since the summer, the Islamic militants have silenced and disarmed their remaining opponents, filled the bureaucracy with their supporters, and kept Gaza's economy afloat, even if just barely, despite a 16-month-old international embargo and border blockades by Israel and Egypt."
My Way News - China to help build 2 Pakistan nuclear plants
AP reports: "Pakistan said China will help build two more nuclear power plants in the energy-starved Muslim nation, tightening its bonds with Beijing as rising militant violence strains its anti-terror alliance with the United States."
My Way News - Darfur: UN says 40,000 displaced in last 2 months
AP reports: "Some 40,000 civilians have been displaced in Darfur in the last two months by fighting between Sudanese government forces and rebels in the northern and central parts of the wartorn region, said the U.N. on Saturday."
Arab Times - US is open to explore idea of Mideast regional organisation
The Arab Times reports: "In a first public reaction to Bahrain’s proposal to form a new regional organization in the Middle East, the United States seemed open to explore an idea that has yet to be vetted and framed to quell disputes in a troubled part of the world."
My Way News - European leaders press for new economic order
AP reports: "The idea is ambitious: World leaders joined by aides to the new U.S. president-elect would gather before the year's end in New York and attempt to forge a new vision for the global economy. [...] The gathering aims to bring together the Group of Eight industrial powers as well as emerging players like China and India - and countries at different stages of economic maturity will bring different needs to the table, as climate change talks have made abundantly clear."
NextGov - FBI warns of sweeping global threat to U.S. cybersecurity
NextGov reports: "The FBI's newly appointed chief of cybersecurity warned today that 'a couple dozen' countries are eager to hack U.S. government, corporate and military networks."
Goldmine bug DNA may be key to alien life - New Scientist Environment
New Scientist reports: "Chris McKay, of NASA's Ames Research Center says that D. audaxviator is an amazing discovery, and represents the kind or organism that could survive below the surface of Mars or Saturn's sixth largest moon Enceladus."
My Way News - Glance at Islamic terror money
This AP brief examines the way terrorist groups raise the money they need to finance their operations and how their efforts have changed over time.
My Way News - Pakistan seeks cash amid financial crunch
AP reports: "Pakistan's new leaders are scrambling for foreign cash to ward off a possible economic meltdown at a time when they are trying to contain soaring violence by Islamic fundamentalists. [...] Pakistan's overwhelmingly poor population is already suffering from skyrocketing food and fuel prices and are enduring daily power cuts due to energy shortages."
My Way News - Austria and Turkey win Security Council election
AP reports: "Japan handily defeated Iran for a non-permanent seat on the U.N. security council and Austria and Turkey edged out Iceland in secret ballot voting Friday. [...] Ten of the council's 15 seats are filled by the regional groups for two-year stretches. The other five are occupied by its veto-wielding permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States."
My Way News - NASA to launch probe to map solar system's edge
AP reports: "The solar wind, a stream of charged particles spewing from the sun at 1 million miles per hour, carves out a protective bubble around the solar system. This bubble known as the heliosphere shields against most dangerous cosmic radiation that would otherwise interfere with human spaceflight. Scientists recently discovered that the solar wind pressure is at its weakest level in 50 years, although the exact reason remains a mystery."
The Media Line - France Wants Egypt in Expanded G8
The Media Line reports: "The French intention was expressed by its foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, during a weekend visit to Cairo when he was quoted by the Daily News Egypt as saying, “It is our wish and hope that the G8 will expand as fast as possible, with you in particular.”"

Thursday, October 16, 2008

SpaceWar - Swords and Shields: Russia shields Syria


UPI reports: "The increased Russian naval presence in the region means that [...] Russia would also be able to deploy electronic intelligence-gathering ships that could then improve its monitoring capabilities against NATO forces and Syria's ability to monitor NATO and Israeli transmissions, expanding the previous naval intelligence engagement during the Balkan wars. [...] Russian naval forces could deter or disrupt Israeli naval or air assets deployed in wartime against Syria or Hezbollah in Lebanon."

Comment: Probably the most significant prophetic event to happen so far this year is the reintroduction of Russia to the Mideast theater. As this report notes, Russia has a minor naval presence, but it will grow and could be potentially inspire overconfidence on the part of Syria and/or Iran, sparking the Ezekiel 38 invasion. Let's watch these developments closely.
SpaceWar - Venezuela buying Russian tanks, armored vehicles
AFP reports: "Venezuela is buying more Russian weapons, including armored personnel carriers and tanks, to replace aging ordnance and to improve the country's security and defense capabilities, a top military commander said Thursday."
SpaceWar - Russia extends ABMs to Belarus
UPI reports: "However, the new treaty is still notable as part of Russia's far-ranging plans to put its entire armed forces on a much more formidable footing, capable of fighting and winning a war against NATO in Europe."
SpaceWar - EU united on finance but cracks appear elsewhere
AFP reports: "European Union leaders headed home Thursday from a summit that saw unity on fixing the global financial system but schisms when it came to an ambitious climate pact and repairing ties with Russia."
SpaceWar - Pakistani, Chinese presidents meet in Beijing
AFP reports: "Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Wednesday as he looked to Islamabad's loyal ally for crucial financial and nuclear energy investments."
My Way News - Analysts: al-Qaida has funds despite economic woes
AP reports: "Al-Qaida, which gets its money from the drug trade in Afghanistan and sympathizers in the oil-rich Gulf states, is likely to escape the effects of the global financial crisis."
My Way News - Israelis kill 2 alleged Palestinian firebombers
AP reports: "Israeli troops shot and killed a 21-year-old Palestinian allegedly preparing to carry out a firebomb attack in a West Bank village early Thursday. He was the third Palestinian killed by army fire in as many days."
My Way News - Iran's army air force begins military exercise
AP reports: "Iranian state-run television says the country's army air force has begun a military exercise near Iran's northwestern border with Turkey. Thursday's report says jet fighters, including American-made F-4s, F-5s and F-14s and Russian-made Sukhoi planes, are involved in the drill."
My Way News - Iceland, Iran up for seats on UN Security Council
AP reports: "Ten of the council's 15 seats are filled by the regional groups for two-year stretches. The other five are occupied by its veto-wielding permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. In January, the five countries will replace Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa."
My Way News - Missile strike, suicide attack kill 5 in Pakistan
AP reports: "A suspected U.S. missile strike killed a purported foreign militant Thursday in a Pakistani tribal area considered a haven for the Taliban and al-Qaida, while a suicide bombing left four security personnel dead, officials said."

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

My Way News - Experts seek cure to global hunger

AP reports: "An estimated 970 million people are expected to go hungry in the coming year, up from about 920 million last year. But the experts worry that donors may cite the financial meltdown as a reason not to do more."
My Way News - Thousands of Christians march in Jerusalem parade
AP reports: "The annual parade to mark the week-long holiday of Sukkot, or Feast of the Tabernacles, was the latest display of the growing alliance between evangelical Christians and the Jewish state."
My Way News - Deadly fighting erupts at Thai-Cambodian border
AP reports: "Escalating tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over a disputed border near a historic temple erupted Wednesday in a deadly gunbattle, prompting officials to quickly declare that they would resolve the dispute through talks, not bullets."
My Way News - Pakistan gets help from China for ailing economy
AP reports: "Pakistan's president Wednesday won more help from longtime ally China as his country grapples with an ailing economy and chronic electricity shortages, though the prospect of a much anticipated civilian nuclear deal remained uncertain."
My Way News - Ethiopia: $265M needed for worsening drought
AP reports: "An Ethiopian minister says his country urgently needs US$265 million to feed 6.4 million people affected by drought.State Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mitiku Kassa says Ethiopia needs US$225.9 million to buy food through December."
My Way News - US military: No. 2 al-Qaida in Iraq leader killed
AP reports: "American soldiers killed the alleged No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, a Moroccan who trained in Afghanistan, recruited foreign fighters and ran operations in northern Iraq where Sunni insurgents remain a potent threat, the U.S. military said Wednesday."
My Way News - Iranian reformers wonder if Khatami can rise again
AP reports: "The months ahead are critical for Ahmadinejad to try to rebuild his political base and answer critics pointing to his unfulfilled campaign promises from nearly five ago, including spreading the wealth of Iran's oil revenue to poor provinces around the country."
My Way News - NKorea threatens to break off all ties with SKorea
AP reports: "North Korea threatened Thursday to break off all relations with South Korea if its new conservative government continues what the North called a policy of reckless confrontation with the communist nation."
My Way News - EU, US call for a global summit to reshape banking
AP reports: "The Group of Eight major industrial nations announced Wednesday they will hold a global summit - perhaps as early as November in New York - to forge common action to prevent another economic meltdown."
My Way News - Brain signals revive paralyzed muscles in monkeys
AP reports: "Monkeys taught to play a computer game were able to overcome wrist paralysis with an experimental device that might lead to new treatments for patients with stroke and spinal cord injury."

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

My Way News - Christians denounce attacks by Hindus in India
AP reports: "The recent violence began after Hindu activists blamed Christians for the slaying of a Hindu leader killed in Orissa on Aug. 23. Retaliatory attacks left scores dead, dozens of churches destroyed and thousands of people homeless, despite the government's claim that Maoists killed the Hindu leader."
My Way News - US, Russia send high-level teams to Georgia talks
AP reports: "The United States and Russia have assigned high-level delegations to European Union-sponsored talks aimed at promoting security in Georgia under the cease-fire that ended this summer's brief war in the former Soviet republic, officials said Tuesday."
My Way News - Taliban attacks won't ease in winter, UN rep says
AP reports: "Taliban insurgents probably won't ease up on attacks in Afghanistan this winter as they have in the past, because their influence has spread beyond traditional strongholds to provinces around Kabul, the U.N. envoy to Afghanistan said Tuesday."
My Way News - NKorea allows UN monitors to main nuclear site
AP reports: "North Korea allowed United Nations monitors back into their main nuclear site Tuesday, but it was unclear whether they had fulfilled a pledge to resume disabling the facilities in line with a six-nation deal."
My Way News - UN: Nearly 190,000 flee Pakistan battles
AP reports: "Nearly 190,000 people are reported to have fled fighting between Pakistani troops and militants near the border with Afghanistan, the United Nations said Tuesday as fresh clashes in the area killed 17 militants."
My Way News - Syria establishes diplomatic ties with Lebanon
AP reports: "The West is slowly moving away from a policy in recent years of isolating Syria - an ally of Iran and Hezbollah which has also provided a home for some radical Palestinian groups. Instead the West has tried to engage Syria more in Mideast issues."
My Way News - Texas sheriff indicted on drug smuggling charges
AP reports: "The sheriff of a rural Texas county next to the Mexican border was arrested at his office Tuesday after being indicted on charges alleging he was involved in a large-scale cocaine and marijuana smuggling operation."
My Way News - Scientists bleak about AIDS vaccine prospects
AP reports: "The global economic turmoil is likely to take its toll on AIDS research funding and add to the problems plaguing the search for a vaccine against the virus, scientists warned Tuesday. [...] Nine hundred experts are attending the international AIDS vaccine conference in Cape Town, at the epicenter of an epidemic that has infected an estimated 33 million people, of whom 5.5 million are in South Africa."

Monday, October 13, 2008

My Way News - Christians flee Iraqi city of Mosul after killings
AP reports: "Cars and trucks loaded with suitcases, mattresses and passengers cradling baskets stuffed with clothes lined up at checkpoints Monday to flee Mosul, a day after the 10th killing of an Iraqi Christian in the northern city so far this month."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the church in Iraq.
My Way News - Europe puts more on the line for banks than US
AP reports: "Europe put $2.3 trillion on the line Monday to protect the continent's banks, a figure that dwarfs the Bush administration's $700 billion rescue program, in its most unified response yet to the global financial crisis after a stumbling start. The pledges by Britain and the six countries that use the euro helped soothe stock markets, along with a promise by top central banks to provide unlimited short term dollar credits."
My Way News - US controls bird flu vaccines over bioweapon fears
AP reports: "The regulations, which cover vaccines for everything from Dengue fever to the Ebola virus, have raised concern within the medical and scientific communities. Although they were quietly put in place more than a decade ago, they could now be more relevant because of recent concerns about bird flu."
American Chronicle - UFOs hovered near Springsteen concert, video aired by TV station
The American Chronicle reports: "Mainstream media platforms have appeared to increasingly report on this topic in a more serious, professional and responsible way. In the case of the objects seen at the Springsteen concert in Philadelphia, currently there does not appear to be much more to report at this time. If photo analysis is conducted on the video and results indicate something unusual, undoubtedly this will be reported by some media outlets."

Friday, October 10, 2008

My Way News - WHO probing deaths from mystery disease in South Africa
AP reports: "The U.N. health agency says it is investigating a mystery disease that killed three people in the South African city of Johannesburg. The World Health Organization says the disease appears to be a form of hemorrhagic fever."
My Way News - NATO agrees on Afghan drug role for military
AP reports: "NATO defense ministers Friday authorized their troops in Afghanistan to attack drug barons blamed for pumping up to US$100 million (euro74 million) a year into the coffers of resurgent Taliban fighters."
My Way News - US official: Central Asia gas deal is close
AP reports: "A U.S. official said Friday that a deal may be reached soon allowing natural gas from ex-Soviet nations to reach western Europe without crossing Russian territory. [...] the Nabucco pipeline, which would deliver gas from Turkmenistan and other Central Asian and Caspian countries westward through Turkey while bypassing Russia, will 'eventually' be built."
My Way News - India to get first female Roman Catholic saint
AP reports: "The worst religious clashes have been in the Kandhamal district of India's eastern state of Orissa after the killing of a Hindu religious leader in August. [...] The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India has said at least 40 Christians have been killed."
My Way News - Stocks got slammed, but was it a `crash'?
AP reports: "A crash is commonly defined as a 20 percent decline in a single day or several days. The drop over the seven days ending Thursday lopped 20.9 percent off the Dow Jones industrial average, which would qualify as a crash. On Friday, the Dow fell again, bringing the cumulative loss to 22 percent."
My Way News - Homeless man dies after being set ablaze in LA
AP reports: "A homeless man died after being doused with gasoline and set on fire on a street where he had lived for many years and was a familiar face to residents of Koreatown, police and local merchants said Friday."
My Way News - Soldier punished in beating of Jewish trainee
AP reports: "An Army trainee will face nonjudicial punishment rather than criminal charges for beating a Jewish soldier so badly he was treated by a hospital, the military said Friday, in a move that keeps many details of the attack secret."
My Way News - G7 endorses plan to battle financial crisis
AP reports: "The officials from the Group of Seven countries issued the five-point plan aimed at reversing a credit crisis that has unhinged Wall Street and markets around the globe. They pledged to take 'decisive action and use all available tools.'"
My Way News - Stocks end wild session mixed, Dow falls 128
AP reports: "The Dow has lost 1,874.19 points, or 18.2 percent, during the week. Its dismal performance outdid the week that ended July 22, 1933, which saw a 17 percent drop - and back then, during the Great Depression, there were six trading days in a week."

Thursday, October 09, 2008

My Way News - Clashes erupt in mixed Arab-Jewish city in Israel
AP reports: "Arabs and Jews traded blows and threw rocks in this northern Israeli city on Thursday, in a second day of sectarian violence that marred the somber Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur."
My Way News - Putin: US image damaged forever over economy woes
AP reports: "The financial crisis has irreparably damaged the image of the U.S. as the leader of the free world and the global economy, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Putin's remarks during a Communist Party meeting were the latest Russian attack singling out the U.S. as the chief culprit in the global financial turmoil."
My Way News - Russia official blasts "secretive" UN-NATO deal
AP reports: "Moscow on Thursday accused NATO and the United Nations of secretly forging an agreement that tightens their cooperation without informing Russia, a U.N. Security Council member whose relations with NATO are badly strained."
My Way News - Suspected US missile strike reported in Pakistan
AP reports: "A suspected U.S. missile strike targeted two areas in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghanistan border Thursday, killing at least nine people, Pakistani intelligence officials said."
My Way News - North Korea prepares to restart nuclear facility
AP reports: "North Korea announced Thursday that it is preparing to restart the facility that produced its atomic bomb, clearly indicating that it plans to completely pull out of an international deal to end its nuclear program."

My Way News - NKorea warns South against provoking warfare
AP reports: "North Korea warned South Korea against provoking war on Thursday as it reportedly deployed an arsenal of missiles near their sea border and told U.N. inspectors it plans to restart its nuclear facility."
My Way News - UN food program finds hunger in rural Zimbabwe
AP reports: "The World Food Program appealed for donations to help fight hunger in Zimbabwe, straining as an economic collapse, years of food scarcity, AIDS and poor weather have combined to put it in a category all its own in a region where most nations are poor."
My Way News - Zimbabwe inflation hits 231 million percent
AP reports: "Zimbabwe's state Herald newspaper quotes official statistics saying annual inflation in Zimbabwe has hit 231 million percent. Independent economists say the southern African nation's hyperinflation is running in the billions of percentage points."

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

My Way News - Attacks on Christians in Iraqi city raise concern
AP reports: "An Iraqi archbishop expressed concern Wednesday over what he called a 'campaign of killings and deportations' against Christians in the northern city of Mosul after police reported seven Christians killed in separate attacks this month."
My Way News - Israel shuts down for Yom Kippur

AP reports: "Israel came to a virtual standstill at sundown Wednesday as Jews across the country began observing Yom Kippur, the holiest day of their calendar. [...] Yom Kippur ends at sundown Thursday, with the blowing of a shofar, or ram's horn, in synagogues."
My Way News - Syrian troops gather on Lebanese border
AP reports: "Lebanese press reports have said up to 10,000 troops are involved in the deployment, something Lebanese military officials have described as exaggerated and inaccurate. A Syrian official said Wednesday that the country had deployed 'a few hundred' soldiers to the border to prevent smuggling and the movement of 'saboteurs.' It was the first confirmation of the deployment by Damascus mentioning specific troop figures."

Comment: There are many people who are skeptical about Bible prophecy, they reject the entire notion of future events foretold long ago. Unlike psychics or new age seers, Bible prophecy is specific and there is no better example than the prophecy regarding the destruction of Damascus. If you are a skeptic, that's ok, there's nothing wrong with honest skepticism, especially if you are not a believer, but if you are an honest skeptic, then please do me this favor: when Damascus is destroyed, revisit your skepticism and take another look at Bible prophecy. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in human history, it has been conquered but never destroyed, at least not yet.
My Way News - NATO to meet as Afghan war effort founders
AP reports: "With U.S. and NATO forces suffering their deadliest year so far in Afghanistan, a rising chorus of voices, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the incoming head of U.S. Central Command, have endorsed efforts to reach out to members of the Taliban considered willing to seek an accommodation with President Hamid Karzai's government."
My Way News - US opens trade office in Libya
AP reports: "The United States has opened a trade office in Libya, the latest in a concerted push to normalize relations after three decades of confrontation and sanctions."

Comment
: Nice to see Libya remains on a Western path...for now.
My Way News - Russia, Georgia disagree over troop pullback
AP reports: "Russian troops pulled back from their positions outside Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia but held their ground in contested areas, setting the stage for more tension between the two countries that waged war in August."
My Way News - Smuggling by tunnel goes legit in Gaza
AP reports: "Gaza's smugglers are going legit: Owners of the scores of tunnels running under the Gaza-Egypt border have registered with the Hamas authorities, pledged to pay workers' compensation and hooked up their operations to the electricity network. [...] The tunneling dates to the 1980s, when Israel returned the Sinai Desert to Egypt, and intensified after Hamas seized power in 2007, provoking Israel and Egypt to cut the Gaza Strip off from the outside world."

Comment: The historical record reveals that when Israel "returns" land it is then used by Israel's enemies. The idea of "land for peace" is difficult to defend in practical or strategic terms and yet it is the foundation of the modern peace effort. If only Israel gives up more land, there will be peace. This sentiment is nice and hopeful, but the record proves it to be folly.
My Way News - Customer opens fire at Tenn. mall, killing worker
AP reports: "A customer opened fire in a crowded shopping mall Wednesday afternoon, killing a clothing store employee before he was shot and wounded by police officers, authorities said."
My Way News - Man convicted of murder in Mo. 'Precious Doe' case
AP reports: "A man who kicked his girlfriend's daughter in the head and dumped her body in the woods was convicted Wednesday, resolving a case that haunted the Kansas City area during the four years the 3-year-old was known only as 'Precious Doe.'"
My Way News - Stem cells from testicles an option to embryos
AP reports: "Embryonic stem cells can give rise to virtually any tissue in the body and scientists believe they may offer treatments for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes and for spinal cord injuries. The testicular cells avoid the ethical dilemma of embryonic stem cells, which are harvested in a process that destroys the embryos. For that reason, some people, including President Bush, oppose their use for ethical or religious reasons."

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

My Way News - Israeli PM gets no promises on Russian arms sales
AP reports: "Israel's prime minister said Tuesday he received assurances that Russia would not allow Israel's security to be threatened, but offered no indication he won the concrete promises he sought on Russian arms sales or sanctions on Iran."
My Way News - Hamas in Egypt to talk Palestinian reconciliation
AP reports: "A high-level Hamas delegation has crossed into Egypt for talks with the country's intelligence chief as part of Egyptian efforts to mend the rift between Palestinian factions."
My Way News - European Union tested by world economic crisis
AP reports: "Wall Street's woes extend far beyond Main Street and all the way to Law Street - the hulking headquarters of the European Union. But the 27-nation bloc based at Rue de la Loi in Brussels, Belgium, hasn't taken sweeping joint action to deal with the global financial meltdown. Instead, it's essentially left member countries to go it alone with a patchwork of measures aimed at keeping banks afloat."

Comment: Devolution coming? The EU once again demonstrates that unity remains a distant dream. Perhaps those looking for the ten kings should hope that the EU will break up and fragment. That, or look for the ten somewhere else.
China warns US over plan for $6.5bn arms sale to Taiwan - The Guardian
The Guardian reports: "China cancelled a visit to Washington by a senior general, slapped an indefinite ban on port calls by US naval vessels, and cancelled low-level diplomatic exchanges with the US yesterday, in retaliation for a US plan to sell $6.5bn (�3.7bn) of advanced weaponry to Taiwan."

Monday, October 06, 2008

My Way News - Israel's Olmert brings security concerns to Russia
AP reports: "Iran says it plans to buy from Russia advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missiles that could target aircraft sent to destroy its nuclear facilities. Syria, which backs Hezbollah guerrillas who battled Israel in Lebanon in 2006, reportedly has asked to buy them, too."
My Way News - Pakistan to deport all Afghans from tribal region
AP reports: "Pakistan ordered the deportation of about 50,000 Afghan refugees in an insurgency-wracked tribal region amid a major military offensive against al-Qaida and Taliban fighters."
My Way News - Dow finishes below 10,000 for first time since '04
AP reports: "Wall Street joined in a worldwide cascade of despair Monday over the financial crisis, driving the Dow Jones industrials to their biggest loss ever during a trading day. Even a big afternoon rally failed to keep the Dow from its first close below 10,000 since 2004."
My Way News - Small asteroid headed for light show over Africa
AP reports: "Harvard scientists announced late Monday afternoon that the asteroid 2008 TC3 would burn up in the sky, making a fireball potentially visible to people in northern Africa. Measuring between 3 feet and 15 feet in diameter, the rock was expected to enter Earth's atmosphere above Sudan at 10:46 p.m. EDT Monday, just before dawn in Africa."
My Way News - 3 share Nobel prize for work on AIDS and cancer
AP reports: "Three European scientists shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for separate discoveries of viruses that cause AIDS and cervical cancer, breakthroughs that helped doctors fight the deadly diseases."
U.S. military says al Qaeda in Iraq mastermind dead - CNN.com
CNN reports: "Coalition forces in Baghdad have killed the man believed to be the mastermind of recent bombings in the Iraqi capital, the U.S. military said. Mahir Ahmad Mahmud Judu al-Zubaydi, also known as Abu Rami and Abu Assad, was believed to be the leader of one of al Qaeda in Iraq's Baghdad networks, the military said in a statement issued Friday."

Friday, October 03, 2008

My Way News - India struggles with Hindu attacks on Christians
AP reports: "Hindu mobs rampaged through villages in eastern India on Tuesday, attacking a Christian minister, damaging two churches and setting off Hindu-Christian clashes that killed at least one person. It was just the latest in a string of attacks by Hindu hard-liners since December that have left dozens of people dead, dozens of churches destroyed and thousands of people homeless, many forced to live for days in thick forests until they could make their way to safety."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the church in India.
My Way News - Analysis: Stable Iraq could influence Mideast
AP reports: "However unlikely it may seem today, a relatively stable Iraq would have all the cards necessary to emerge as a major player in the Persian Gulf, where Saudi Arabia and Iran are competing for leadership."
My Way News - Israeli general warns Hezbollah of harsh response
AP reports: "Israel will use 'disproportionate force' if Hezbollah guerrillas attack Israel, a senior military commander said in published comments Friday, adding that any village used to fire missiles against the Jewish state will be destroyed."
BBC NEWS - EU call for 'universal' broadband
BBC News reports: "Brussels is considering making broadband access available for all. The fast growth of broadband has led the European Commission to bring forward a review of the basic telecoms services Europeans can expect."

Thursday, October 02, 2008

My Way News - Pakistan official says country at war
AP reports: "A senior Pakistani official says the government is fighting a war that will continue until the country is free of terrorism."
My Way News - Iran hints at nuclear rethink if gets guarantees
AP reports: "A leading Iranian nuclear envoy on Thursday suggested the country could reconsider its uranium enrichment program if it gets cast-iron guarantees of regular international fuel supplies for its nuclear power plants. [...] However, he declined to clarify whether that meant that Iran would halt its enrichment program in return for such international guarantees..."

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

NASA - Spotless Sun: Blankest Year of the Space Age

NASA Science News reports: "Astronomers who count sunspots have announced that 2008 is now the 'blankest year' of the Space Age. As of Sept. 27, 2008, the sun had been blank, i.e., had no visible sunspots, on 200 days of the year. To find a year with more blank suns, you have to go back to 1954, three years before the launch of Sputnik, when the sun was blank 241 times.
My Way News - EU monitors begin patrols in Georgian territory
AP reports: "Russia still plans to keep around 7,600 troops in South Ossetia and the other breakaway region of Abkhazia, which the EU and U.S. consider to be violations of its cease-fire commitments. Moscow has refused to allow the EU monitors inside the regions themselves."
My Way News - EU states raise hands for Somalia maritime force
AP reports: "Eight European Union countries offered Wednesday to create a maritime security force aimed to fight piracy off Somalia, the French defense minister said - a move that could give the U.S. Navy crucial support in the hazardous waters."
My Way News - Pakistani diplomat charts fight against terrorism
AP reports: "Pakistan's top diplomat outlined a strategy for battling terrorism Wednesday that emphasizes going-it-alone militarily within Pakistani borders and talking with opponents if they lay down their arms."
My Way News - Study traces AIDS virus origin to 100 years ago
AP reports: "The AIDS virus has been circulating among people for about 100 years, decades longer than scientists had thought, a new study suggests. Genetic analysis pushes the estimated origin of HIV back to between 1884 and 1924, with a more focused estimate at 1908."