Prophecy News

2012-01-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Children among 74 dead in 2 days of Syrian turmoil
My Way News reports: "Two days of bloody turmoil in Syria killed at least 74 people, including small children, as forces loyal to President Bashar Assad shelled residential buildings and fired on crowds in a dramatic escalation of violence, activists said Friday [...] The U.N. Security Council met in a closed-door session to discuss the crisis, which diplomats said was a step toward a possible U.N. resolution against the Damascus regime."

Comment: It will never happen, Russia will veto it, and all the while sell weapons to Damascus.

2012-01-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Israel proposes West Bank barrier as border
My Way News reports: "Israel is proposing to essentially turn its West Bank separation barrier into the border with a future state of Palestine, two Palestinian officials said Friday, based on their interpretation of principles Israel presented in talks this week."

2012-01-26T20:18:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Russia to keep blocking UN sanctions on Syria
My Way News reports: "Russia is standing firm on blocking any U.N. sanctions against Syria, its longtime ally and a significant arms customer, saying that any resolution by the world body must exclude the possibility of international military involvement such as in Libya [...] Russia has been a strong ally of Syria since Soviet times, when Syria was led by the president's father, Hafez Assad. It has supplied Syria with aircraft, missiles, tanks and other heavy weapons. The 27-nation EU, in contrast, has imposed an arms embargo against Syria."

2012-01-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

My Way News - AP Interview: Saudi warns of Mideast nuclear race
My Way News reports: "An influential member of the Saudi royal family warned Wednesday that unless the Middle East becomes a nuclear weapon-free zone, a nuclear arms race is inevitable and could include his own country, Iraq, Egypt and even Turkey [...] actually establishing a WMD-free zone will take negotiations in which all the underlying issues in the region, from the establishment of a Palestinian state to the future of the Golan Heights, 'will have to be dealt with to make the zone workable.'"

2012-01-25T21:07:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Palestinian leader: Talks with Israel over
My Way News reports: "Visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is scheduled to meet separately over the next two days with Abbas and Netanyahu to try to salvage the exploratory talks. Two officials involved in the contacts said she is trying to put together a package of Israeli incentives that would keep the Palestinians from walking away."

2012-01-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Islamists, liberals square off in Egypt's Tahrir
My Way News reports: "Hundreds of thousands thronged major squares across Egypt on Wednesday, marking the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak with rallies that laid bare the divisions that have replaced the unity of last year's revolt [...] Elections held over the past two months gave the [Muslim] Brotherhood just under half the seats in the new parliament that convened Monday, and the ultraconservative Salafis snapped up another quarter. Liberals and left-leaning groups credited with leading the protests that ousted Mubarak garnered less than 10 percent."

2012-01-25T20:37:00.001-08:00

My Way News - MSF: 15,000 Congo AIDS victims likely will die
My Way News reports: "Some 15,000 AIDS victims in Congo likely will die waiting for lifesaving drugs in the next three years, Doctors Without Borders warned Wednesday in a report describing "horrific" health care access."

2012-01-25T20:28:00.001-08:00

New Scientist - FBI releases plans to monitor social networks
New Scientist reports: "The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has quietly released details of plans to continuously monitor the global output of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, offering a rare glimpse into an activity that the FBI and other government agencies are reluctant to discuss publicly. The plans show that the bureau believes it can use information pulled from social media sites to better respond to crises, and maybe even to foresee them."

2012-01-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Study: Major quake could hit Tokyo within years
My Way News reports: "A new study is warning that the Tokyo region has a 70 percent chance of being hit directly by a powerful magnitude-7 earthquake within four years. The study by University of Tokyo seismologists bases the estimate on an increase in earthquake activity in the Tokyo region since last year's March 11 disaster, when a magnitude-9 quake and subsequent tsunami about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northeast of the capital left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing."

2012-01-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Clashes between Tibetans, gov't spread in China
My Way News reports: "Deadly clashes between ethnic Tibetans and Chinese security forces have spread to a second area in southwestern China, the government and an overseas activist group said Wednesday."

2012-01-24T19:01:00.000-08:00

My Way News - West displays Gulf military power to defiant Iran
My Way News reports: "Military power near the strategic Strait of Hormuz could be bolstered by additional British forces, the country's defense secretary said Tuesday, as a defiant Iran shrugged off Europe's oil embargo and moved ahead with plans to hold naval exercises alongside the oil tanker shipping lanes it has threatened to block."

2012-01-24T18:55:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Solar storm sparks dazzling northern lights
My Way News reports: "A storm from the broiling sun turned the chilly northernmost skies of Earth into an ever-changing and awe-provoking art show of northern lights on Tuesday. Even experienced stargazers were stunned by the intensity of the aurora borealis that swept across the night sky in northern Scandinavia after the biggest solar flare in six years."

2012-01-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

Space War - US to press Russia on reported Syria jet deal
AFP reports: "In Moscow, the Kommersant business daily reported that Syria had signed a $550-million (425-million-euro) contract to purchase 36 Yak-130 advanced training/light attack planes from Russia."

2012-01-23T21:59:00.001-08:00

USATODAY.com - Strongest solar storm since 2005 hitting Earth
USA Today reports: The sun is bombarding Earth with radiation from the biggest solar storm in more than six years with more to come from the fast-moving eruption. The solar flare occurred at about 11 p.m. EST Sunday and will hit Earth with three different effects at three different times. The biggest issue is radiation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado.

2012-01-23T19:19:00.001-08:00

My Way News - EU formally adopts Iran oil embargo
My Way News reports: "European Union nations have formally adopted an oil embargo against Iran as part of sanctions over its nuclear program [...] Diplomats say the measures, adopted by the EU's 27 foreign ministers, include an immediate embargo on new contracts for crude oil and petroleum products while existing ones are allowed to run until July."

My Way News - Israel welcomes EU sanctions on Iran
My Way News reports: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is welcoming a decision by the European Union to impose an oil embargo on Iran as part of wider sanctions over Iran's nuclear program. Netanyahu called the embargo 'a step in the right direction.' He was speaking at a Monday meeting of his Likud Party."

My Way News - Iran steps up threats to shutter Strait of Hormuz
My Way News reports: "Two Iranian lawmakers on Monday stepped up threats their country would shutter the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude flows, in retaliation for oil sanctions on Tehran."

2012-01-21T22:24:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! News - AIDS killed 28,000 in China in 2011, study says
Yahoo! News reports: "AIDS killed 28,000 people in China last year, and another 48,000 new infections from the HIV virus were discovered in the country, according to an official report on Saturday."

2012-01-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Scientists pause research with lab-bred bird flu
My Way News reports: "Scientists who created easier-to-spread versions of the deadly bird flu said Friday they're temporarily halting more research, as international specialists debate what should happen next [...] The U.S. government funded the work but last month urged the teams not to publicly reveal the exact formula so that would-be bioterrorists couldn't copy it. Critics also worried a lab accident might allow the strains to escape."

Comment: Score one for common sense.

2012-01-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Coordinated sect attack kills 143 in north Nigeria
My Way News reports: "A coordinated attack by a radical Islamist sect in north Nigeria's largest city killed at least 143 people, a hospital official said Saturday, representing the extremist group's deadliest assault since beginning its campaign of terror in Africa's most populous nation."

Comment: Although this report doesn't mention it, this is the same group that bombed churches in Nigeria on Christmas Day.

2012-01-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

The Economist - India’s UID scheme: Reform by numbers
The Economist reports: "FOR a country that fails to meet its most basic challenges — feeding the hungry, piping clean water, fixing roads—it seems incredible that India is rapidly building the world’s biggest, most advanced, biometric database of personal identities. Launched in 2010, under a genial ex-tycoon, Nandan Nilekani, the 'unique identity' (UID) scheme is supposed to roll out trustworthy, unduplicated identity numbers based on biometric and other data."

2012-01-21T20:14:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Britain OKs television ads for abortion clinics
My Way News reports: "Britain's broadcast advertising body has given the go-ahead for private abortion clinics to advertise their services on television, angering those who say that the move desensitizes the public to the practice."

2012-01-20T21:49:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Sarkozy urges much tougher sanctions on Iran
My Way News reports: "French President Nicolas Sarkozy is urging stronger, more decisive sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. France wants the entire European Union to impose an embargo on Iranian oil and freeze the international assets of Iran's central bank to force it to halt the suspected development of nuclear arms."

2012-01-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

IPS - Mayans Demand Voice in "Doomsday Tourism" Boom
IPS reports: "The indigenous people of southeast Mexico are demanding to be included in the official programmes planned for 2012 [...] The surge of global interest in Mayan civilisation in 2012 is fuelled by interpretations that the Maya calendar predicted great catastrophes for Dec. 21, 2012, bringing an end to civilisation as we know it. But leaders and representatives of these indigenous people deny this prophecy."

Comment: So the Mexican government is promoting a series of cultural events designed to capitalize on world interest in the Mayans and indigenous groups are being left out. I think they should take their revenge by sending representatives to the media to explain what happens when a calendar ends...another one begins.

2012-01-19T21:02:00.001-08:00

My Way News - US military chief in Israel to discuss Iran nukes
My Way News reports: "The top U.S. general, visiting Israel at a delicate and dangerous moment in the global standoff with Tehran, is expected to press for restraint amid fears that the Jewish state is nearing a decision to attack Iran's nuclear program."

2012-01-19T20:48:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Strong earthquake strikes off New Zealand
My Way News reports: "A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of New Zealand's South Island, but there are no reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami warning has been issued. The 6.1-magnitude quake struck Thursday 126 miles (203 kilometers) west of New Zealand's southernmost city, Invercargill, at a depth of 11 miles (18 kilometers)."

2012-01-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

Washington Times - Coptic Christians in Egypt fear Islamists' rise
The Washington Times reports: "The isolated village of Abo Korkas lies 150 miles south of Cairo, amid untouched patches of fertile green land, and likely looks little different from the way it did nearly 2,000 years ago, when Christianity blossomed here under Roman rule [...] Behind the quiet and quaint facade of Abo Korkas, Christian residents who live amid a labyrinth of dirt roads say they are worried."

2012-01-19T20:42:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Slow response to East Africa famine 'cost lives'
My Way News reports: "Thousands of people died needlessly and millions of dollars were wasted because the international community did not respond fast enough to early signs of famine in East Africa, aid agencies said Wednesday, while warning of a new hunger crisis in West Africa."

2012-01-19T20:19:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Vietnam, Cambodia report bird flu deaths
My Way News reports: "Vietnam on Thursday confirmed its first human death from bird flu in nearly two years, a day after neighboring Cambodia also logged its first fatality this year as new cases of the H5N1 virus are reported in Asia and the Middle East."

2012-01-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

AFP- China's Wen vows to promote Mideast peace
AFP reports: "China's prime minister vowed on Monday to keep promoting peace in energy-rich Middle East and North Africa through the United Nations, at a time of high tension between the West and major oil producer Iran."

2012-01-18T20:56:00.001-08:00

JPost - Soldiers in uniform now allowed on Temple Mount
The Jerusalem Post reports: "For the first time in a decade, soldiers in uniform will be allowed to access the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site. Due to the sensitive nature of the area, which also holds the Dome of the Rock and al-Aksa Mosque, soldiers had been prohibited from entering the area in uniform."

2012-01-18T20:48:00.001-08:00

My Way News - IMF seeks up to $500 billion in new funds
My Way News reports: "The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday that it's aiming to increase its financial firepower by around $500 billion so it can give out new loans to help mitigate a worsening financial crisis [...] How the IMF's fund-raising goal will be reached is set to be discussed at a meeting of finance ministers of the Group of 20 leading economies in Mexico next month."

2012-01-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Islamic extremism remains Norway's biggest threat
My Way News reports: Islamic extremism remains Norway's biggest terror threat, but the danger of lone wolf attacks has also increased in the aftermath of a massacre by a homegrown anti-Muslim extremist, Norwegian security service PST said Tuesday.

2012-01-17T21:21:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Gulf states show rising confidence to rattle Iran
My Way News reports: "The Iranians have watched as frustrated bystanders while the leader of its most influential ally, China, began a tour of Gulf Arab states with talks in Tehran's top regional rival Saudi Arabia. Two other major Iranian oil customers - South Korea and Japan - also had high-level delegations in the Gulf to discuss supply guarantees if they fall in line with U.S.-led pressures to cut back on Iranian imports."

2012-01-17T20:31:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Hackers disrupt Israel airline, stock market sites
My Way News reports: "A hacker network that claims to be based in Saudi Arabia paralyzed the websites of Israel's stock exchange and national airline on Monday, escalating an international cyber war that has jolted this security-obsessed country."

2012-01-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

My Way News - India reports new TB strain resistant to all drugs
My Way News reports: "Indian doctors have reported the country's first cases of 'totally drug-resistant tuberculosis,' a long-feared and virtually untreatable form of the killer lung disease [...] The airborne disease is mainly transmitted through close personal contact and isn't nearly as contagious as the flu."

2012-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Huff Post - Shelly Yachimovich: A Biometric Tower of Babel
From Huff Post op-eds: "The fundamental question here is the mere right of a state to hold such a database, providing itself with not only unrestrained power over offenders, but also over every human. Going down a slippery slope, this database could become a tracking device in an unbearable and easy way. First against criminals, then against protestors, and so on. This is Orwell's 1984. A gateway towards a totalitarian state, in which one's basic freedoms are crushed and it is potentially being traced without knowing."

2012-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Anti-US chants as slain Iran nuclear expert buried
My Way News reports: "Thousands of mourners chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America' on Friday during the funeral of a slain nuclear expert whom Iranian officials accuse the two nations of killing in a bomb blast this week as part of a secret operation to stop Iran's nuclear program [...] The independent news website, irannuc.ir, quoted an unidentified security official as saying Iran is preparing a covert counteroffensive against the West in retaliation for the bomb blast. It suggested the retaliation could include assassinations abroad."

2012-01-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Sect leader challenges Nigeria president in video
My Way News reports: "The leader of a radical Islamist sect has challenged the authority of Nigeria's president in an online video, promising more attacks in a nation increasingly overcome by unrest and divided by religion [...] It also exploits the widening mistrust those living in Nigeria's Muslim north feel for a weak federal government run by a Christian president, who has sparked a nationwide strike and protests after removing subsidies that kept gasoline prices low."

2012-01-12T21:03:00.001-08:00

Yahoo! News - U.S. military moves carriers, denies Iran link
Yahoo! News reports: "The U.S. military said on Wednesday that a new aircraft carrier strike group had arrived in the Arabian Sea and that another was on its way to the region, but denied any link to recent tensions with Iran and portrayed the movements as routine."

2012-01-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

Window for Palestinian state 'rapidly closing': EU
Yahoo! News reports: "A European Union report obtained by AFP on Thursday says that booming Israeli settlement in the West Bank and limits on Palestinian movement and building are eroding chances of a Palestinian state [...] EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's spokesperson said the report was aimed at helping peace efforts."

Comment: Yes, I'm sure that's right. Israel's construction efforts are certainly much more dangerous than missiles fired from Gaza. After all, people get hurt is construction accidents, missiles almost never kill anyone. Yes, Israel is at fault, it's all their fault. I'm so glad the EU is so even-handed in their assessment of peace prospects.

2012-01-12T20:16:00.001-08:00

Yahoo! News - Turkey: Russian ship carrying arms reached Syria
Yahoo! News reports: "A Russian ship, allegedly carrying tons of weapons, made a dash for Syria after Cypriot officials allowed it to leave their waters, Turkish officials said Thursday. The ship had made an unscheduled stop in Cyprus Tuesday, technically violating an EU embargo on arms shipments to Syria, which has killed thousands in a crackdown on dissent."

2012-01-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Czech govt OKs landmark religious compensation law
My Way News reports: "It all harks back to 1948, when the Communists seized power in the small central European nation then named Czechoslovakia. The Communists confiscated all the property owned by churches and persecuted many priests. Churches were allowed to function only under the state's strict control and supervision and priests' salaries were paid by the state. At least 65 Catholic priests, monks and nuns were executed or killed in prisons while others were driven to suicide by the harsh conditions, according to Stanislava Vodickova of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes."

Comment: This is worth a read, it describes persecution of Christians by Communists, not just in Czechoslovakia but all of Eastern Europe and the old Soviet Union.

2012-01-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Moderate earthquake hits northern Iran
My Way News reports: "Iran says a moderate earthquake has rattled a town in north Iran on the Caspian Sea. The semiofficial Fars news agency says the quake hit Sari in the densely populated Mazandaran province, about 165 miles (265 kilometers) northeast of Tehran, around 20:44 local time (17:14 GMT) Wednesday."

2012-01-11T20:42:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Russian ship stopped carrying arms bound for Syria
My Way News reports: "A Russian ship that made an unscheduled stop in Cyprus while carrying tons of arms to Syria was technically violating an EU embargo on such shipments, say Cypriot officials."

2012-01-11T20:35:00.001-08:00

My Way News - US fires 1st drone in Pakistan in 6 weeks; 4 dead
My Way News reports: "An American drone strike killed four Islamist militants in Pakistan, the first such attack since errant U.S airstrikes in November killed two dozen Pakistan troops and pushed strained ties between the two nations close to collapse, Pakistani intelligence officials said Wednesday [..] The late-night missile launch broke the longest pause between strikes since the drone program began in earnest in 2009."

2012-01-11T20:26:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Pentagon: No assurances against Pakistan coup
My Way News reports: "Amid near-open conflict between Pakistan's civilian and military leadership, the Pentagon has neither sought nor received assurances that the Pakistani army won't stage a coup, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday."

2012-01-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Blast kills Iran nuclear expert amid 'covert war'
My Way News reports: "The attack - which instantly killed the scientist and fatally wounded his driver on Wednesday - was at least the fourth targeted hit against a member of Iran's nuclear brain trust in two years. Tehran quickly blamed Israeli-linked agents backed by the U.S. and Britain [...] Russia strongly warned the West on Wednesday against any attack on Iran, saying it would upset global security."

2012-01-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Israel: Disagreements emerge in peace efforts
My Way News reports: "Disagreements have already emerged in nascent negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, an Israeli official said Tuesday, but he said his government remains committed to a year-end target to reaching a final peace deal [...] The talks are taking place under the auspices of the international 'Quartet' of Mideast peace mediators. The Quartet hopes to broker a peace deal by the end of this year."

2012-01-10T20:30:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Iran's roar shows widening sway of military
My Way News reports: In the high desert along Iran's Afghan border this week, soldiers from the powerful Revolutionary Guard practiced ambush tactics in subzero temperatures. Next month, the Guard's warships are expected to resume battle drills near Gulf shipping lanes that carry much of the world's oil. Iran looks like a country preparing for war.

2012-01-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Japan arrests woman who lived with cult fugitive
My Way News reports: "A woman claiming to have lived with a senior member of the doomsday cult behind the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subways turned herself in and was arrested Tuesday for helping him evade police for nearly 17 years [...] Hirata was one of the last three wanted cult members. Nearly 200 members of the cult have been convicted in the gas attack and dozens of other crimes [...] The cult, renamed Aleph, once had 10,000 members in Japan and claimed another 30,000 in Russia. It still has hundreds of members."

2012-01-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

CBS News - Nigerian church attacked by radical Muslim sect
CBS News reports: "Members of a radical Muslim sect attacked a church in northeast Nigeria during a worship service, part of a series of assaults that killed at least 13 people, authorities said Saturday [...] The group claimed responsibility for attacks that killed at least 42 people in a Christmas Day strikes that included the bombing of a Catholic church near Abuja."

2012-01-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Hamas PM: No ceding ground in struggle with Israel
My Way News reports: "Hamas' prime minister in Gaza says the anti-Israeli militant group will never give up its arms, its territory or its claims on Jerusalem on behalf of the Palestinians. Ismail Haniyeh spoke to a cheering crowd of 5,000 in the Tunisian capital Sunday."

2012-01-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Clarification: Russia-Bhagavad Gita story
My Way News reports: "In a Dec. 28 story, The Associated Press reported that books distributed by the Scientology movement were among the texts that Russia had put on its Federal List of Extremist Materials, which bans them from distribution in the country. A Russian court ruled in June that certain Scientology texts were extremist and would be placed on the list, but the decision has not yet taken effect due to a still-pending appeal by the Scientologists."

2012-01-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

My Way News - China slams new Asian slant in US defense strategy
My Way News reports: "China on Monday slammed the United States' new Asian-focused defense strategy, saying its accusations of a lack of openness in Beijing's military policy were "groundless and untrustworthy." The strategy unveiled Thursday shifts the U.S. military focus away from Iraq and Afghanistan and makes a renewed commitment to assert America's position in the Asia-Pacific region."

2012-01-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Merkel, Sarkozy stress growth a priority in crisis
My Way News reports: "The German and French leaders stressed Monday that boosting economic growth in the 17-nation eurozone is a priority, a recognition that the focus on austerity cuts is unlikely to get Europe out of its debt crisis. Some analysts fear excessive austerity measures will take a heavy toll on weakening economic growth and push the eurozone into recession this year, in turn hindering the region's deficit-cutting efforts."

2012-01-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

My Way News - PayPal tests in-store payment system at Home Depot
My Way News reports: EBay's PayPal service is testing out a payments system in brick-and-mortar Home Depot stores [...] To pay using PayPal, customers will be able to enter their phone number and a pin code, or use a special PayPal card."

2012-01-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Egypt's Christians celebrate Christmas amid fears
My Way News reports: "Egypt's Christians on Saturday celebrated their first Christmas since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, amid tight security and a display of national unity to allay fears of the growing power of Islamists. The Coptic Orthodox celebration follows an escalation in violence against the minority, an estimated 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million people, over the past year. Many Christians blamed a series of street clashes, assaults on churches, and other attacks on radical Islamists who have become increasingly bold after Mubarak's downfall."

2012-01-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Report: Iran begins uranium enrichment at new site
My Way News reports: "Iran has begun uranium enrichment at a new underground site well protected from possible airstrikes, a leading hardline newspaper reported Sunday [...] Iran is under U.N. sanctions for refusing to stop uranium enrichment - which can produce both nuclear fuel and fissile warhead material - and other suspected activities that the international community fears could be used to make atomic arms."

2012-01-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Asian economies look to keep Iranian oil flowing
My Way News reports: "China, the biggest buyer of Iran's oil, has publicly rejected U.S. sanctions aimed at Tehran's energy industry while American allies Japan and South Korea are scrambling to find a compromise to keep critical supplies flowing [...] The sanctions approved by President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve have higlighted the importance of Iranian oil supplies to East Asia's energy-hungry economies [...] China buys nearly one-third of Iran's 2.2 million barrels a day in exports. Analysts say China would have a tough time replacing that supply."

2012-01-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Gaza premier plays down talks with Israel
My Way News reports: "The prime minister of the Gaza government said Thursday the first meeting between Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators in more than a year was 'a futile gesture' that will lead nowhere."

Comment: Can it be that the news media is waking up to the fact that many Palestinians are not in favor of the peace process?

2012-01-05T20:49:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Israel and US to stage major defense drill
My Way News reports: "The Israeli military is gearing up together with U.S. forces for a major missile defense exercise, the Israeli military announced Thursday, as tension between Iran and the international community escalates. The drill is called "Austere Challenge 12" and is designed to improve defense systems and cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli forces. It follows a 10-day Iranian naval exercise near the strategic Strait of Hormuz."

2012-01-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

My Way News - China: Bird flu death not from human-human spread
My Way News reports: "The strain of H5H1 bird flu that killed a Chinese man cannot spread among people, a health agency said Monday, appealing for calm after the country's first reported case of the disease in humans in 18 months."

My Way News - WHO: Bird flu research raises safety questions
My Way News reports: "The World Health Organization is warning that dangerous scientific information could fall into the wrong hands after U.S. government-funded researchers engineered a form of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus more easily transmissible between humans."

Comment: So, a mix of good news / bad news on the pestilence front. Bird flu in China has not mutated into a strain easily transmitted between humans, but scientists have impatiently preempted nature and created the blueprint to create such a strain. What could go wrong?

2012-01-03T20:42:00.001-08:00

Yahoo! News - Israel, Palestinians hold "positive" talks
Yahoo News reports: "Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held a "positive" first face-to-face meeting in more than 15 months on Tuesday and agreed to meet again on Friday, but cautioned that full-blown talks were still some way off."

2012-01-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Iran defiant amid appeals for European sanctions
My Way News reports: "Iran closed out naval war games in the Gulf on Tuesday much the way they began last month: striking a tone of military defiance while Western powers rallied behind tougher oil and financial sanctions as a crippling tool against Tehran's nuclear program."

My Way News - Iran warns US carrier: Don't come back to Gulf
My Way News reports: Iran's army chief on Tuesday warned an American aircraft carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf in Tehran's latest tough rhetoric over the strategic waterway, part of a feud with the United States over new sanctions that has sparked a jump in oil prices.

2012-01-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! News - German Volcano Could Devastate Europe
Yahoo! News reports: "The Daily Mail stirs up some Euro anxiety with a headline today 'Is a super-volcano just 390 miles from London about to erupt?' The story talks about the little known Laacher See volcano in northwestern Germany. It last erupted about 12,000 years ago and the Daily Mail believes it is due to erupt again."

2012-01-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

MSNBC - Islam terror group tells Christians: Leave north Nigeria or be attacked
MSNBC reports: Christians have been warned by a militant Islamist group to leave northern Nigeria or be attacked, according to media reports. Abul Qaqa, a purported spokesman for Boko Haram, said the terror group was “giving a three-day ultimatum to the southerners living in the northern part of Nigeria to move away”, the English language Vanguard newspaper reported. The group has been linked to many attacks on Christians, most notably the bombings on Christmas Day killed 49 people, most of them at a Catholic church as services were ending."

2011-12-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I'm off for my holiday break and wanted to wish you all a happy and joyous Christmas. I know that the news we link to here is often grim but I'm sure that most of you who visit this site are Christians who understand that beyond the headlines we know that God is sovereign and always in control. We know that this effort to be watchful has a purpose and a focus, and that focus is on Jesus Christ.

We watch the signs of His return, but this season is all about the First Coming, not the Second Coming, so as we turn to our families and friends to celebrate the holidays we offer thanks and praise to God and above all, celebrate Jesus as the reason for the season.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing
lyrics by Charles Wesley

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

2011-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Europe forges fiscal union, sees way out of crisis
My Way News reports: "Working almost to exhaustion and persuading countries one by one, European leaders agreed Friday to redefine their continent - hoping that by joining their fiscal fortunes they might stop a crippling debt crisis, save the euro currency and prevent worldwide economic chaos [...] Friday's agreement - 23 countries are in favor and three more say they are open to the idea - would force countries to submit their budgets for central review and limit the deficits they can run [...] A breakup of the euro would have disastrous consequences. It would almost certainly trigger a financial crisis while banks figured out who owned what and while countries leaving the union awkwardly transitioned back to their own sovereign currencies."

Comment: It appears that Europe has succeeded in a rescue plan for both the euro and the Union. 26 countries said yes, one said no. There is still much work to be done though in ratifying the new treaties (it's not just one) and many steps along the way where things can still unravel. Will the European Union continue to grow and expand or collapse into a smaller more tightly integrated group? Keep watching.

2011-11-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

Holiday Hiatus
As this Thanksgiving week begins I will be taking a break from this blog and will be using the Twitter service instead. So, please join me in keeping up with events here:

http://twitter.com/portents

Please add this to your bookmarks and if you are on Twitter, please feel free to follow me and send me a direct message (DM) to let me know. I think it would be great to build a larger Bible prophecy community on Twitter. And remember, you don't have to sign up for Twitter to visit the page, it's a public feed.

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and a great start to the holiday season.

2011-11-21T21:24:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Egypt Cabinet offers to resign but protests go on
My Way News reports: "Egypt's civilian Cabinet offered to resign Monday after three days of violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces in Tahrir Square, but the action failed to satisfy protesters deeply frustrated with the new military rulers."

2011-11-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

My Way News - 16 killed as Syria OKs observers in principle
My Way News reports: "The acceptance came after surprisingly heavy pressure from the Arab League, which brokered the peace plan and this week suspended Syria from the 22-member organization for failing to abide by it. On Wednesday, the league gave Damascus three days to accept an observer mission or face economic sanctions [...] French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called on the U.N. Security Council to strengthen sanctions against Assad's regime. However, Russia, which holds veto power in the council, urged caution in moving against Damascus."

CBS News - Russia: Syria crisis looks like "civil war"
CBS News reports: "Syria's allies in Russia called for urgent talks Thursday between Damascus and the opposition, saying an attack by Syrian renegade troops on a government building looks like the start of a civil war [...] 'This is all looking very much like a civil war,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow, referring to a pre-dawn attack on Wednesday by the Free Syrian Army, a group of army defectors determined to bring down the regime."

Haaretz.Com - Report: Russia warships to enter Syria waters in bid to stem foreign intervention
Haaretz reports: "Russian warships are due to arrive at Syrian territorial waters, a Syrian news agency said on Thursday, indicating that the move represented a clear message to the West that Moscow would resist any foreign intervention in the country's civil unrest. Also on Friday, a Syrian official said Damascus has agreed 'in principle' to allow an Arab League observer mission into the country."

Comment: So Syria, one of the most heavily armed countries in the Middle East, is lurching into civil war, the West wants sanctions and Russia is standing firmly by their long-time ally and sending reinforcements to prevent "foreign" intervention. Yes, folks, those two allies are so close that Russia fails to see the irony in that. I wonder what gestures Iran will take to show solidarity with Damascus? Stay tuned.

2011-11-18T20:27:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Egypt's Islamists confront military, vie for votes
My Way News reports: "Tens of thousands of Islamists and young activists massed Friday in Tahrir Square, confronting Egypt's ruling military council with the largest crowd in months to protest the generals' attempt to give themselves special powers over a future elected government."

2011-11-18T20:24:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Aerial view of tsunami zone: cleaner but barren
My Way News reports: "Yet seen from a helicopter Friday carrying Associated Press journalists, there are few signs of rebuilding eight months after the March 11 disaster, triggered by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake off the tsunami-prone coast. What remains - the brown, barren, emptiness where bustling towns once stood - is a sobering reminder of how much work still lies ahead."

2011-11-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Attackers hit Egyptian Christian marchers, 10 hurt
My Way News reports: "Attackers threw rocks and broken glass at a march by Coptic Christians in Cairo Thursday, injuring 10, in the latest outbreak of sectarian violence less than two weeks before the start of parliamentary elections [...] Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population, have long complained of state discrimination."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the church in Egypt.

2011-11-17T19:30:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Syria's president still has bulwark against foes
My Way News reports: "As his Arab neighbors abandon him and his allies in Moscow warn of impending civil war, Syrian President Bashar Assad still has a strong bulwark to prevent his meeting the same fate as the leaders of Egypt, Tunisia or Libya anytime soon. His key advantages are the support of Russia and China, fear among many Syrians about a future without Assad, and the near-certainty that foreign militaries will stay away [...] Syria's tie to Iran is among the most important relationships in the Middle East, providing Tehran with a presence on Israel's border and a critical conduit to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Hamas in Gaza."

2011-11-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Israelis mapping Mount of Olives necropolis
My Way News reports: "Jews began burying their dead on the hill that later became known as the Mount of Olives about three millennia ago. It was a convenient site a short walk from the city walls. Over the centuries, burial here became linked to a prophecy in the Book of Zecharia according to which the Messiah would approach Jerusalem from the mount, splitting it in two. Those interred on the hill, this belief posited, would be the first to be resurrected."

2011-11-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Queen marks anniversary of King James Bible
My Way News reports: "Queen Elizabeth II attended a ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey Wednesday to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, often considered the most influential book ever printed in the English language."

2011-11-17T18:40:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Occupy protesters march nationwide; 300 arrested
My Way News reports: "Occupy Wall Street protesters clogged streets and tied up traffic around the U.S. on Thursday to mark two months since the movement's birth and signal they aren't ready to quit, despite the breakup of many of their encampments by police. Hundreds of people were arrested, most of them in New York."

2011-11-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Europe fears contagion in debt market turmoil
My Way News reports: "Fear, that contagious emotion, spread from country to country in Europe on Thursday as panicky investors worried the euro currency union could be heading toward an ugly breakup."

2011-11-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Insurgents fire rockets but miss Afghan loya jirga
My Way News reports: "Karzai asked the elders to back negotiations for a new security pact, assuring them that he would demand an end to unpopular night raids in which troops swoop down from helicopters and search Afghan homes. He said U.S. troops should be allowed to stay, but that the night raids should end and that the Afghan government, not Americans, should be put in charge of detainees."

2011-11-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Military-dominated Myanmar to chair ASEAN in 2014
My Way News reports: "The chairmanship is supposed to rotate annually among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, also known as ASEAN. But Myanmar, which has more than 2,000 political prisoners, was forced to skip its turn in 2006 because of intense criticism of its rights record. It has since held its first elections in 20 years, released Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, and eased some restrictions on the media."

2011-11-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Syria faces army defectors, worldwide isolation
My Way News reports: "Syria's president faced a growing challenge to his iron rule from home and abroad Wednesday, with renegade troops launching their most daring attack yet on the military and world leaders looking at possibilities for a regime without Bashar Assad."

My Way News - Arab League confirms Syria's suspension from group
My Way News reports: "The Arab League confirmed the suspension of Syria from the organization on Wednesday and gave its government three days to halt the violence and accept an observer mission or face economic sanctions."

Comment: The real issue here is the danger of miscalculation. Might the Syrian leader precipitate a wider regional conflict in order to crush his opposition while striking out at Israel?

2011-11-15T20:16:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Gaza militants fire rockets after Israeli threat
My Way News reports: "A Palestinian rocket exploded near a kindergarten in southern Israel on Tuesday, police said, just hours after Israel's military chief warned the army would have to carry out a broad offensive in Gaza to stop the rocket salvos [...] Over 1 million Israelis live within range of the Gaza rocket fire. The attacks have severely disrupted life in southern Israel."

Comment: This is how Palestinians demonstrate their desire for peace. I don't know, it just doesn't seem to send the right message. Maybe they need a new PR firm? Or maybe they could just stop the rocket attacks?

2011-11-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Syrian soldiers killed as crisis accelerates
My Way News reports: "Army defectors ambushed dozens of Syrian troops and regime forces gunned down civilians during one of the bloodiest days of the 8-month-old uprising, which appeared Tuesday to be spiraling out of President Bashar Assad's control."

Comment: It's official, this has moved from mass demonstrations to full-fledged civil war.

2011-11-15T20:10:00.001-08:00

My Way News - India and Pakistan agree to normalize trade ties
My Way News reports: "India and Pakistan agreed Tuesday to normalize two-way trade, signifying a gradual thaw in relations between the two bitter rivals. At the end of two days of bilateral trade talks, Pakistan agreed to give its neighbor by early next year a small list of items that India cannot trade in with Pakistan. Both sides hope to do away with the list altogether by the end of 2012, freeing up all trade between the two countries, Indian Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar told reporters."

2011-11-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Iran rejects Bahrain's claim of terror cell links
My Way News reports: "Bahrain's public prosecutor on Sunday alleged the cell planned attacks against high profile sites, such as the Saudi Embassy in the Bahraini capital Manama and a Gulf causeway linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia."

2011-11-14T19:50:00.002-08:00

My Way News - Philippines rejects new Chinese territorial claim
My Way News reports: "China has claimed new territory less than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from a Philippine province, boosting tensions over potentially resource-rich areas of the South China Sea, but the Philippines has dismissed the claim, an official said Monday."

2011-11-14T19:50:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Quake off east Indonesia panics many; no tsunami
My Way News reports: "A strong earthquake hit waters off eastern Indonesia on Monday, sending people on nearby islands fleeing from their homes in panic. Fearing a tsunami that never came, villagers living along coastlines ran to high ground. The 6.3-magnitude quake was centered 12 miles (20 kilometers) beneath the Molucca Sea, the U.S. Geological Survey said."

2011-11-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Pakistan and China stage war games
My Way News reports: "Pakistan and China are staging joint military exercises, showcasing their relationship as Islamabad's ties with Washington suffer. The war games that began Monday follow remarks by Pakistani officials suggesting that China could step into the economic, military and diplomatic void if Pakistan's relationship with the United States collapsed."

2011-11-12T20:52:00.001-08:00

My Way News - End of an era: Italy's Berlusconi resigns
My Way News reports: "A chorus of Handel's 'Alleluia' rang out Saturday as Silvio Berlusconi resigned as Italian premier, ending a tumultuous 17-year political era and setting in motion a transition aimed at bringing the country back from the brink of economic crisis."

2011-11-12T20:51:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Accidental blast at Iranian arms depot kills 17
My Way News reports: "An accidental explosion at a Revolutionary Guard ammunition depot west of Tehran killed at least 17 soldiers on Saturday, Iranian officials said. The explosion occurred while military personnel were transporting munitions at a base, said Guard spokesman Gen. Ramazan Sharif. The site is located outside Bidganeh village, 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of the capital."

2011-11-12T20:49:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Arab League votes to suspend Syria over killings
My Way News reports: "In a surprisingly sharp move, the Arab League voted Saturday to suspend Syria over the country's bloody crackdown on an eight-month uprising and stepped up calls on the army to stop killing civilians."

2011-11-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Obama seeks Russia, China help on Iran
My Way News reports: "Underscoring the search for some good economic news ahead heading toward a re-election vote, Obama announced the broad outlines of an agreement to create a transpacific trade zone encompassing the United States and eight other nations. He said details must still be worked out, but said the goal was to complete the deal by next year [...] The eight countries joining the U.S. in the zone would be Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. A central topic for Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was Japan's interest in joining the trade bloc."

2011-11-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Syria takes bloody new turn; 250 killed in 11 days
My Way News reports: "November is shaping up to be the bloodiest month yet in Syria's 8-month-old uprising. More than 250 Syrian civilians have been killed in the past 11 days as the regime besieges the renegade city of Homs and the conflict takes a dangerous turn, stoking fears of civil war. The U.N. estimates some 3,500 people have been killed in the crackdown since mid-March, when the uprising began. The latest figures would push that number closer to 4,000."

2011-11-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

Reuters - Italy at breaking point; fears grow of euro zone split
Reuters reports: "EU sources told Reuters German and French officials had discussed plans for a radical overhaul of the European Union that would involve establishing a more integrated and potentially smaller euro zone. The discussions among policymakers in Paris, Berlin and Brussels raise the possibility of one or more countries leaving the zone, while the core pushes to deeper economic integration."

2011-11-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Islamist Tunisian party promises an open society
My Way News reports: The new Tunisia will welcome people of all faiths and carry on the tradition of moderation for which it has always been known, the leader of the Islamist party that won the country's first free elections promised Thursday [...] While Ennahdha has said it wants Islamic law to be the source of the country's legislation, it has vowed to protect personal freedoms and tolerance. 'Tunisia is a society of moderation, it's the Tunisian nature," Jebali said. "There will be no marginalization nor exclusion of Muslims, of Jews, of Christians or of atheists.'"

2011-11-10T21:58:00.001-08:00

My Way News - Iran seeks Moscow and Beijing to buffer pressures
My Way News reports: "Iran's leaders are now counting on the country's two most powerful friends to remain by their side after the release of a U.N. report suggesting that Tehran could be on the brink of having the capability to develop an atomic weapon."

2011-11-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

My Way News - EU warns of possible recession in eurozone
My Way News reports: "The European Union warned Thursday that the 17-country eurozone could slip into 'a deep and prolonged recession' next year as the debt crisis shows alarming signs of spinning out of control."

2011-11-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Industry says Africa fastest growing mobile market
My Way News reports: "Africa is the world's fastest growing mobile phone market and soon poised to have 735 million people using their phones for everything from transferring money to tracking animals for wildlife studies, an industry group said Wednesday."

2011-11-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

My Way News - Palestinians resigned to defeat in UN bid
My Way News reports: "The Palestinians are resigned to defeat in their quest for full membership at the United Nations, officials said Tuesday, and have started work on their backup plan - seeking an upgraded observer status that would give them access to key international organizations."

2011-11-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

NYTimes.com - Palestinians’ U.N. Bid Faces Near-Certain Defeat
The New York Times reports: "The outcome, which had been anticipated, was laid out in typically detached diplomatic language. 'The committee was unable to make a unanimous recommendation to the Security Council,' the report concluded. There was little likelihood from the beginning that the attempt would be successful, because the United States had vowed to veto it."

Comment: As I said previously, this may appear to be a victory for Israel, but in reality it only increases the pressure to give away more land in an negotiated settlement, a settlement that may now be imposed by the U.S. and the rest of the Quartet countries that provided diplomatic cover (except France, of course) for Israel in exchange for a quick deal.