Friday, March 21, 2008

My Way News - Pilgrims Mark Good Friday in Jerusalem
AP reports: "Thousands of Christians from all over the world crowded the stone alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City to mark Good Friday, retracing the route the Bible says Jesus took to his crucifixion."

Comment: Happy Easter everyone! I will be off for the next few days, but I wanted to wish you all a happy resurrection celebration with your family and friends. While the world plays games with bunnies and eggs, I know you will remember to put the holy back into the holiday. Keep watching the signs!
My Way News - Bomb Targets Christian Pastor's Home
AP reports: "Israeli media speculated that the bomb - apparently delivered in one of the gift baskets Jews exchange on the Purim holiday that began Thursday night - might have been directed at the family's Christian missionary activities."
My Way News - Lavrov: Ease on Gaza, Stop Settlements
AP reports: "Russia's foreign minister called on Friday for an end to the blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and demanded that Israel halt settlement activity in Jerusalem and the West Bank."
My Way News - Palestinians to Get Armored Vehicles
AP reports: "Israel has agreed to let Russia deliver 25 armored vehicles to Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, a Defense Ministry spokesman said Friday, a move meant to bolster moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas."
My Way News - France to Cut Nuclear Arsenal
AP reports: "The Federation of American Scientists, which tracks nuclear arsenals around the globe, said in a status report for 2008 that France had 348 strategic nuclear weapons. It lists 193 for China and 160 for Britain, all far less than the United States, with 3,575, and Russia, with 3,239."
My Way News - Flooding, Heavy Snow Plague Midwest
AP reports: "Flood-weary residents in Missouri, Arkansas and Ohio fought to save their homes Friday after heavy rainstorms pushed swollen rivers out of their banks, and a fresh snowstorm blew through parts of the Upper Midwest, canceling flights and some Good Friday services."
My Way News - Star Explodes Halfway Across Universe
AP reports: "The explosion of a star halfway across the universe was so huge it set a record for the most distant object that could be seen on Earth by the naked eye. The aging star, in a previously unknown galaxy, exploded in a gamma ray burst 7.5 billion light years away, its light finally reaching Earth early Wednesday."
My Way News - Torture Death Shocks Ill. Town
AP reports: "Dixon - six months pregnant - died after weeks of abuse. Police have charged two adults, three teenagers and a 12-year-old boy with murder in the case that has repulsed many in this Mississippi River town."

Thursday, March 20, 2008

My Way News - 7.2-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes China

AP reports: "A major earthquake struck western China early Friday, but there were no reports of casualties. The 7.2-magnitude quake hit at 6:33 a.m. (2233 GMT Thursday), about 140 miles southeast of the city of Hotan in southwest Xinjiang province, the U.S. Geological Survey reported."
My Way News - Russia Foreign Minister Meets Hamas Head

AP reports: "Russia's foreign minister discussed the situation in Gaza with the exiled leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas during a visit to Syria, a Hamas official said Thursday. [...] Russia, a member of the international Quartet of nations trying to broker a Mideast peace, has offered to host a follow-up conference to the U.S.-brokered negotiations held in November in Annapolis, Md."
My Way News - Annan Warns Against Conflict With Iran
AP reports: "Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Thursday that military action against Iran would be 'a real disaster' and said the Middle East could explode if the international community doesn't handle the many conflicts in the region very carefully."
My Way News - After 38 Years, Israeli Solves Math Code
AP reports: "A mathematical puzzle that baffled the top minds in the esoteric field of symbolic dynamics for nearly four decades has been cracked - by a 63-year-old immigrant who once had to work as a security guard. [...] Experts say the proposition could have real-life applications in mapping and computer science."
My Way News - Pope Leads Holy Thursday Service
AP reports: "The Holy Thursday ceremony in St. John Lateran Basilica commemorated Jesus' last supper with his 12 apostles on the evening before his Good Friday crucifixion."
My Way News - Bin Laden Urges Jihad for Palestinians
AP reports: "Osama bin Laden lashed out Thursday at Palestinian peace negotiations with Israel and called for a holy war to liberate the Palestinian lands."
My Way News - China Blankets Tibetan Areas With Troops
AP reports: "China blanketed restive Tibetan areas Thursday with a huge buildup of troops, turning small towns across a wide swath of western China into armed encampments."
My Way News - Man Kills 2, Self at Va. Apartments
AP reports: "A man opened fire on workers coming to inspect the apartment his mother had been ordered to leave, killing two and wounding three before committing suicide, authorities said Thursday."
My Way News - Science, Bible Agree: Giving Is Better
AP reports: "The Bible counsels misers that it's better to give than to receive. Science agrees. People who made gifts to others or to charities reported they were happier than folks who didn't share, according to a report in Friday's issue of the journal Science."

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

My Way News - Bin Laden Slams EU Over Prophet Cartoons
AP reports: "Osama bin Laden, in a new audio message posted Wednesday, condemned the publication of drawings that he said insulted the Prophet Muhammad and warned Europeans of a 'severe' reaction to come."
My Way News - China Moves Quickly on Tibet
AP reports: "The death toll from the rioting and the ensuing counteroffensive is in dispute. China says 16 died; 80 says the exile Tibetan government led by the Dalai Lama, the revered spiritual leader of Buddhist Tibetans. And while Beijing reimposes order in Lhasa, outbursts of anti-China protests are erupting across Tibetan communities in a 750-mile arc of territory that borders the Chinese heartland."
My Way News - Israel Bars Access From W. Bank, Gaza
AP reports: "Israel declared a heightened security alert Wednesday and barred Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip from entering the country, fearing Hezbollah guerrillas might try to carry out a major attack during holiday celebrations this week."
My Way News - EU Internet: Speeds Up, Prices Down
AP reports: "Increasing competition has cut prices as Internet speeds increase, while mobile third-generation Internet services doubled last year to include 88 million users, some 20 percent of the EU's population, the commission said Wednesday."
My Way News - UN: Indonesia Failing in Bird Flu Fight
AP reports: "Efforts to contain bird flu are failing in Indonesia, increasing the possibility that the virus may mutate into a deadlier form, the leading U.N. veterinary health body warned."

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

My Way News - Worldwide Protests Over Tibet Crackdown
AP reports: "Protesters in Australia burned Chinese flags on Tuesday, demanding freedom for Tibet, following similar demonstrations in Europe and the U.S. against Beijing's crackdown on anti-government riots in the Himalayan region."
My Way News - Israelis, Palestinians Fight on Facebook
AP reports: "Israeli and Palestinian groups on Facebook also compete to gain the most members, displaying their enrollment as the numbers grow into the thousands."
My Way News - Merkel: Germany Will Stand by Israel
AP reports: "Merkel said Germany would always stand by Israel, and promised to be vigilant about Iran's nuclear program. 'If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, it would have disastrous consequences,' she said. 'We have to prevent this.'"
My Way News - UN Accuses Serbs of Encouraging Violence
AP reports: "The United Nations accused Serbian officials Tuesday of complicity in the violence in northern Kosovo that left a U.N. policeman from Ukraine dead and dozens of people hurt."
My Way News - Biggest Passenger Jet Flies to London
AP reports: "A Singapore Airlines A380 touched down at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday afternoon, completing the first commercial flight to Europe by the world's largest passenger jet."
My Way News - Lavrov: Russia, US Differ on Missiles
AP reports: "After talks with Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Lavrov told a news conference that the United States remains determined to deploy missile defense facilities in central Europe and that Russia continues to oppose those plans."
My Way News - Arctic Sea Ice Builds, but Vulnerable
AP reports: "Overall, Arctic sea ice has shrunk precipitously in the past decade and scientists blame global warming caused by humans."

Monday, March 17, 2008

My Way News - WHO: Progress in Fighting TB Slows
AP reports: "he fight against the global tuberculosis epidemic has slowed to a crawl, the World Health Organization said in a report Monday. The worldwide rate of TB infection has been declining for several years. But between 2005 and 2006, the rate of new cases fell by less than 1 percent, far less than the annual decrease of 5 to 7 percent sought by health officials."
NATO, EU should pool defence resources: Scheffer - Space War
AFP reports: "NATO and the European Union should pool defence resources to cut costs and ensure that equipment and troops can be found when needed, NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Saturday."
Analysis: Tibet crackdown spreads to Web - Space War
UPI reports: "The Chinese authorities' crackdown on Tibetan protests spread to the Internet at the weekend, with censors blocking YouTube and other sites as the Dalai Lama accused the regime of 'cultural genocide' against his people."
My Way News - EU Picks Mobile TV Standard
AP reports: "The European Union on Monday chose a mobile TV broadcast standard and suggested that its member governments now ask cell carriers to favor it."
My Way News - Peacekeepers Battle Serbs in Kosovo
AP reports: "Serb demonstrators attacked international peacekeepers with rocks, grenades and Molotov cocktails Monday, setting off the worst violence in Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia last month."
My Way News - Tibet Unrest Sparks World Reaction
AP reports: "Mark Malloch-Brown, Britain's minister for Asia, Africa and the U.N., said Western governments are reminding China that its handling of the unrest could damage its international standing."

Sunday, March 16, 2008

My Way News - Crowds Trace Jesus' Path on Palm Sunday
AP reports: "Thousands of Christians from around the world celebrated Palm Sunday by walking the path they believe Jesus rode on his donkey as he entered Jerusalem days before his crucifixion."
My Way News - Split Conservatives Hold Iran Parliament
AP reports: "But the conservatives are split. Ahmadinejad's hard-line allies won the largest share of the votes, but a powerful bloc was formed of supporters-turned-critics of the president's fiery, confrontational manner and his handling of the ailing economy."
My Way News - Missiles Hit Pakistani Tribal Area
AP reports: "Missiles that witnesses say came from an unmanned drone flattened a suspected militant safehouse Sunday in Pakistan's tribal area along the Afghan border. State television said the strike killed about 20 people."
My Way News - UN: World's Glaciers Melting Faster
AP reports: "Glaciers are shrinking at record rates and many could disappear within decades, the U.N. Environment Program said Sunday. Scientists measuring the health of almost 30 glaciers around the world found that ice loss reached record levels in 2006, the U.N. agency said."
Alpha Centauri May Have Earth-like, Habitable Planets - Wired.com
Wired News reports: "Researchers at the University of California have developed a computer model of the triple star system at Alpha Centauri that shows that Alpha Centauri B (the largest of the three stars) could have rocky Earth-like planets orbiting within its habitable zone, where liquid water could exist."
‘Silent famine prevails in country’ - Independent Bangladesh
Independent Bangladesh reports: "A silent famine is now prevailing in the country with majority people facing starvation due to abnormal price hike of food items recently, Regulatory Reforms Commission chairman Akbar Ali Khan said on Friday."

Saturday, March 15, 2008

My Way News - Chinese Security Forces Swarm Tibet
AP reports: "Soldiers on foot and in armored carriers swarmed Tibet's capital Saturday, enforcing a strict curfew a day after protesters burned shops and cars to vent their anger against Chinese rule. In another western city, police clashed with hundreds of Buddhist monks leading a sympathy demonstration."

Thursday, March 13, 2008

My Way News - Captive Archbishop's Body Found in Iraq
AP reports: "The body of a Chaldean Catholic archbishop was found in a shallow grave in northern Iraq on Thursday, two weeks after he was kidnapped by gunmen in one of the most dramatic attacks against the country's small Christian community."

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

My Way News - Hamas Offering Israel Truce, Not Peace
AP reports: "When is a truce not quite a truce? Hamas is once again offering Israel a cease-fire, but the language that the Islamic movement has chosen reveals a deep reluctance to talk about any real peace with the Jewish state."
My Way News - Hong Kong Closes Schools Due to Flu
AP reports: "Hong Kong government orders all kindergartens and primary schools to be closed for two weeks amid flu outbreak."
My Way News - Spitzer Resigns in Disgrace Over Scandal
AP reports: "In a startlingly swift fall from grace, Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned Wednesday after getting caught in a call-girl scandal that made a mockery of his straight-arrow image and left him facing the prospect of criminal charges and perhaps disbarment."

Comment: I'm reminded of Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

My Way News - Israel Pledges Restraint After Rocket
AP reports: "The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a tiny militant group, claimed responsibility for Tuesday's rocket, which Israel said landed in an open area south of Ashkelon, causing no injuries."

Monday, March 10, 2008

Arab leader denies temple ever existed - Jerusalem Post

The Jerusalem Post reports: "He went on to deny any Israeli or Jewish historical claim to the city, denying that there ever existed a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. 'The claims of the Jews are big lies and they have no right to any speck of dust here,' he said."

Comment: Wow, that's pretty amazing stuff. I hope that the learned scholars of both the Israeli and Palestinian academic communities, including historians and archaeologists, will be quick to denounce his absurd claims. Or is it ok now for Palestinians to just make things up? Will scholarly authorities be so fearful of getting jihaded that they don't call them on it?

Friday, March 07, 2008

Chinese Cyberattacks Target US Think Tanks - Space War
UPI reports: "Defense-related think tanks and contractors, as well as the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies, were the target of repeated computer network intrusions last year apparently originating in China, the Department of Defense said this week."
My Way News - Israeli Warplanes Fly Over Beirut
AP reports: "Israeli warplanes flew over Beirut on Friday, the Lebanese army said, a day after a Palestinian gunman killed eight Jewish seminary students in Jerusalem."
My Way News - Egypt Walls Up Gaza Border
AP reports: "Egypt is building a 13-foot high concrete and rock wall interspersed with watch towers along its narrow boundary with the Gaza Strip to prevent Hamas militants from breaching the border, an official said Thursday."
My Way News - EU Report Cites Climate Change Threats
AP reports: "Climate change will worsen tensions and instability between nations competing for arable land, water and other resources, according to a European Union report."
My Way News - Medvedev Wins 70 Percent of Russia Vote
AP reports: "Final results show Dmitry Medvedev has won Russia's presidential election with over 70 percent of the vote."
My Way News - Hamas Backtracks on Attack Claim
AP reports: "Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing, confirmed the group was not taking responsibility for the attack - at least yet."
My Way News - Jurors Deciding on Death, Life for Man
AP reports: "A jury began deliberations Friday to decide whether to sentence a man to death for luring a 10-year-old girl into his apartment, killing her and mutilating her body."

Thursday, March 06, 2008

My Way News - Gunman Kills 8 at Jerusalem Seminary
AP reports: "A gunman entered the library of a rabbinical seminary and opened fire on a crowded nighttime study session Thursday, killing eight people and wounding nine before he was slain, police and rescue workers said. It was the first major militant attack in Jerusalem in more than four years. Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip praised the operation in a statement, and thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza to celebrate."

Comment: Is there a moral difference or equivalence between Israeli targeted assassinations of military leaders and Palestinian attacks on civilians? Should the world take note of this distinction? Given that both sides in the "peace process" want Jerusalem, we could hope that terrorist attacks in Jerusalem should cross a red line, even for Rice. Diplomacy, at least in the Middle East, however, operates in another reality. Note that diplomatic statements were immediately released saying that peace negotiations would continue in spite of this latest atrocity. We should ask of the Israeli government: How many of your people must be killed by your peace partners before you realize they are not interested in peace?
My Way News - Breakaway Regions Push for Independence
AP reports: "Since Kosovo's declaration of independence last month, Russian and other officials have warned that it could fuel other separatist movements. Nations that recognize Kosovo's independence from Serbia say its situation was unique."
My Way News - UK Tests ID Card on Foreigners, Students
AP reports: "Britain will begin issuing national identity cards within months, targeting foreigners, airport staff and students in the first wave of the program, the government said Thursday."
My Way News - Russian Plane Approaches US Carrier
AP reports: "The Russian plane flew close to the USS Nimitz in waters off South Korea's eastern coast Wednesday, but retreated shortly after the allied warplanes approached, an official at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said on condition of anonymity, citing office policy."
My Way News - Egypt Walls Up Gaza Border
AP reports: "Egypt is building a 13-foot high concrete and rock wall interspersed with watch towers along its narrow boundary with the Gaza Strip to prevent Hamas militants from breaching the border, an official said Thursday."
My Way News - Bombs Kill More Than 50 in Baghdad
AP reports: "Two bombs went off within minutes of each other in a crowded shopping district in the capital Thursday, killing at least 53 people and wounding 130 - a reminder that deadly attacks are a daily threat even though violence is down."
My Way News - Commander Warns of al-Qaida Threat to US
AP reports: "l-Qaida terrorists may be plotting more urgently to attack the United States to maintain their credibility and ability to recruit followers, the U.S. military commander in charge of domestic defense said Thursday."
My Way News - Largest Optical Telescope Now Operating
AP reports: "The world's most powerful optical telescope is now operating on southeastern Arizona's Mount Graham, capturing striking images of objects millions of light years away. The Large Binocular Telescope - two 8.4-meter diameter mirrors that together gather more light and have 10 times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope - took its first images using both mirrors late last year. The first images were released to the public on Thursday."
My Way News - Bill Gates Encourages New Health Ideas
AP reports: "The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has set aside $100 million to encourage innovation in global health research, offering grants to those with innovative ideas on four topics: Tuberculosis, HIV, infectious diseases and drug resistance."

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

My Way News - Seized Laptop Shows Chavez's Rebel Ties
AP reports: "They indicate that Chavez, seeking to raise the FARC's stature and relieve it of its international pariah status, shares their goal of isolating and discrediting Colombia's president, Alvaro Uribe. But do they prove that Venezuela was actually financing the FARC's bid to overthrow a democratically elected government? That's not clear."
My Way News - UN Launches Team on Conflict Mediators
AP reports: "The United Nations has launched a team of conflict mediators that can rapidly deploy to global hotspots with advice on security, constitution drafting and human rights."
My Way News - 6 Held in Anti-Semitic Attack in France
AP reports: "Six people kidnapped and tortured a Jewish teenager by punching and kicking him and writing 'dirty Jew' on his forehead, judicial officials said Wednesday."
My Way News - Hezbollah Says It Is Prepared for War
AP reports: "Kassem also told Al-Akhbar daily that Hezbollah 'is well-prepared to face an Israeli, American and international war.'"
My Way News - NJ School Attack Plan Foiled, Police Say
AP reports: "One person has been charged in the ongoing investigation, which began this week after officials at Belvidere High School heard allegations that a 17-year-old senior male student was developing a hit list of students and teachers, State Police spokesman Capt. Al Della Fave said Wednesday night."
My Way News - Palestinians Say Peace Talks Back On

AP reports: "If Israeli-Palestinian talks resume as pledged it will essentially restore the precarious balance in place since President Bush announced last fall that the two sides would resume full negotiations for the first time in seven years. The talks are supposed to frame a deal for a Palestinian state this year."

Comment: It's a bit surreal, there is a peace process going on even as Hamas attacks Israel on a daily basis, from Gaza, which was supposed to be the test case for the "land for peace" formula. If Israel giving up Gaza failed to produce peace in that area, why do they believe that giving up even more land will produce different results? We must remember that according to Bible prophecy, even when they do finally reach a peace agreement and Israel tears down the walls, it will still be an illusory peace. Israel is on a difficult path, the path of choosing whether to trust superpowers and peace agreements to provide security, or to trust the God of Israel, with whom they have a much older treaty.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

My Way News - China Warns Taiwan's Chen Over Agenda
AP reports: "Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing considers the self-governing island Chinese territory and has threatened military attack if Taiwan tries to formalize its de facto independence. [...] China continues its huge military buildup opposite Taiwan, further pushing the balance of power between the two rivals toward the mainland's favor, the U.S. Defense Department said in its annual report on China's military."
My Way News - China Dismisses US Military Report
AP reports: "The report repeated the Pentagon's view that China's first priority is to build a broad-based capability to prevent Taiwanese independence. It said China's focus on space warfare is an important part of that Taiwan strategy."
My Way News - Pro-West Broadcaster Yanked in Armenia
AP reports: "Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared the 20-day state of emergency Saturday night following clashes between government forces and demonstrators protesting alleged fraud in the Feb. 19 presidential election. Eight people died and more than 100 were injured in the fighting."
My Way News - Russia Cuts Gas to Ukraine
AP reports: "Western Europe is watching warily as Russia and Ukraine are locked in a natural gas dispute that has reduced the supply to Ukraine by at least half since the beginning of the week."
My Way News - Record Warm Winter for Northern Europe
AP reports: "Winter ended before it started in Europe's north, where record-high temperatures have people wondering whether it's a fluke or an ominous sign of a warming world."
My Way News - Some Israeli Forces Enter South Gaza
AP reports: "About 25 Israeli armored vehicles rumbled into southern Gaza and clashed with militants after nightfall Tuesday. [...] Some Israeli officials are calling for a large-scale invasion of Gaza to stop the rocket attacks, which this week have ranged as far as the coastal city of Ashkelon, 11 miles north of Gaza."
My Way News - Iran Calls New UN Sanctions 'Worthless'
AP reports: "Iran vowed to push ahead with uranium enrichment Tuesday, a day after the U.N. Security Council passed a third round of sanctions that Tehran called 'worthless' and politically biased."
My Way News - Japan Looks to a Robot Future
AP reports: "In the past several years, the government has funded a plethora of robotics-related efforts, including some $42 million for the first phase of a humanoid robotics project, and $10 million a year between 2006 and 2010 to develop key robot technologies."
My Way News - Spacecraft Photographs Mars Avalanche
AP reports: "A robotic spacecraft circling Mars has snapped the first image of a series of active avalanches near the planet's north pole, scientists said Monday."
My Way News - Venezuelan Troops to Colombian Border
AP reports: "Venezuela and Ecuador reinforced their borders with Colombia on Tuesday as the three nations traded increasingly bitter accusations over Colombia's cross-border strike on a leftist guerrilla base in Ecuador."
My Way News - Iraqi PM: Christians Essential to Iraq
AP reports: "'Christians in Iraq are an essential component of the Iraqi society and a part that cannot be separated from the Iraqi people and civilization. Any assault on the Christians is an assault on all Iraqis,' the prime minister's statement said."
BBC News - Muslim protest at Paris book fair
The BBC reports that Muslim countries have announced boycotts of a Paris book fair because the guest of honour is Israel.

Monday, March 03, 2008

My Way News - Israel Says Hezbollah Has 30,000 Rockets
AP reports: "Israel has said Hezbollah is rearming and has an arsenal that includes 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 short-range rockets in southern Lebanon, according to a report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. [...] the U.N. chief reiterated his concern about Hezbollah's public statements and persistent reports pointing to breaches of a U.N. arms embargo, which bans weapons transfers to the militant Islamic group."
My Way News - Gaza Fight Goes on As Israel Pulls Back
AP reports: "Israeli troops withdrew from northern Gaza on Monday, but Israel's leaders warned that a broad offensive against Islamic militants would continue as Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian rocket attacks persisted into the night."
My Way News - Syrians Protest Israeli Attacks in Gaza
AP reports: "Tens of thousands of Syrians filled the central square of the capital Monday to protest an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that has left scores of Palestinians dead."
My Way News - World Hopes Medvedev Improves Relations
AP reports: "World leaders described the Russian election as flawed Monday, but said they hope Dmitry Medvedev will help bring more democracy to the vast nation and repair relations damaged during Vladimir Putin's presidency."
My Way News - Iran Defiant Over New UN Nuke Sanctions
AP reports: "The U.N. Security Council imposed another round of sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, but Iran defiantly vowed Monday to continue its nuclear program despite the nearly unanimous censuring vote."
My Way News - Palestinians Call Drones a Deadly Weapon
AP reports: "Israel is at the forefront of the drone technology that is increasingly being used in hotspots around the world. The unmanned craft provide a deadly and cost-effective alternative for armies to target enemies, without risking their own pilots' lives and reducing civilian casualties in heavily populated areas."
My Way News - Kremlin Signals Tough Line After Vote
AP reports: "President Vladimir Putin fast-tracked the transfer of power to his newly elected protege Monday and signaled the Kremlin won't back down from its pull-no-punches anti-U.S. foreign policy or ease up on its critics at home."
My Way News - US Strikes at Terror Target in Somalia
AP reports: "he U.S. Navy fired at least one missile into a southern Somali town before dawn Monday, targeting a terrorism suspect as an Islamic group with links to al-Qaida appears to be gathering sway again in this lawless African nation."
My Way News - Russia Sets Conditions on UN Iran Vote
AP reports: "Two diplomats told The Associated Press on Monday that Moscow wants European nations to drop plans for an resolution critical of Iran at a 35-nation board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency. They said Russia was upset that it was not told earlier about such plans."
My Way News - Fireman, Gunman Dead in Wendy's Shooting
AP reports: "A gunman in a jacket, tie and baseball cap wordlessly opened fire inside a Wendy's during the lunchtime rush Monday, killing a paramedic who had gone back to fetch the right toy to go with his child's meal and wounding five others. The 60-year-old shooter then committed suicide."
My Way News - Chavez Saber-Rattling Doesn't Mean War

AP reports: "Judging by the fever-pitch rhetoric, the Andes region was girding for war on Monday. The leftist presidents of Venezuela and Ecuador recalled ambassadors from Bogota and began moving tanks and troops to reinforce their borders with Colombia.[...] But there is little appetite for armed conflict in the region despite Chavez's recent purchases of $3 billion in Russian arms, including 53 military helicopters, 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles and 24 SU-30 Sukhoi fighter jets."

Saturday, March 01, 2008

My Way News - Israeli Strikes Kill 54 in Gaza
AP reports: "Israeli troops turned heavy firepower on rocket squads bombarding southern Israel Saturday, killing 54 Palestinians in the deadliest day in Gaza since the current round of fighting erupted in 2000. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven were wounded in the clashes, the military said. [...] Palestinian fighters kept up a steady stream of rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli targets, firing around 50 on Saturday alone in defiance of the Israeli assault. Six Israelis were injured by rockets that reached as far as Ashkelon, a coastal city 11 miles north of Gaza."
My Way News - Ahmadinejad on Historic Iraq Trip
AP reports: "There is concern in the United States and in Sunni-dominated Arab countries about a growing Iranian dominance in Iraq. The United States has accused Iran of training and supplying Shiite militia fighters in Iraq with weapons and sophisticated explosives designed specifically to kill American tanks and armored vehicles. Iran denies the accusations."
France to offer Germany concessions on "Club Med" - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "Merkel branded the original idea divisive because France envisaged a grouping of Mediterranean rim states, including its former North African colonies, drawing on EU funds while sidelining non-Mediterranean EU countries such as Germany."

Comment: This is an interesting proposal that deserves our attention. Apparently the leader of France would like to create a new international group that would include countries that border the Mediterranean. As this report notes, the idea has not been well received, due to fears that it would undercut the EU and the EU's already well-developed Mediterranean initiative called the The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Still, it represents another potential fulfillment of the Ten Kings prophecy that we should monitor closely.