Seven Dead In West Bank Violence
Fighting that broke out as Israeli forces moved into Palestinian West Bank territories Thursday has resulted in the deaths of six Palestinians and an Israeli soldier, according to the Israeli army and Palestinian security sources. Submitted for your battle for Jerusalem files.

Surge In Anti-Semitic Crime Worries French Jews
For nearly a decade, anti-Semitic violence in France had become fairly rare. But, according to this IHT report, for more than a year the country has witnessed a wave of attacks on Jews. Submitted for your wickedness increases files.

E.U.: Sharon Ready to Meet Saudis
AP reports that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told an EU envoy Tuesday he was willing to meet Saudi officials, publicly or behind the scenes, to explore their proposals for an overall Mideast peace, the European diplomat said. Submitted for your covenant with many files.

U.S. to Weigh Computer Chip Implant
AP reports that a Florida technology company is poised to ask the government for permission to market a first-ever computer ID chip that could be embedded beneath a person's skin. For airports, nuclear power plants and other high security facilities, the immediate benefits could be a closer-to-foolproof security system. But privacy advocates warn the chip could lead to encroachments on civil liberties. The implant technology could someday mean no more easy-to-counterfeit ID cards nor dozing security guards. Just a computer chip — about the size of a grain of rice — that would be difficult to remove and tough to mimic. Other uses of the technology on the horizon, from an added device that would allow satellite tracking of an individual's every movement to the storage of sensitive data like medical records, are already attracting interest across the globe for tasks like foiling kidnappings or assisting paramedics. Applied Digital Solutions' new "VeriChip" is another sign that Sept. 11 has catapulted the science of security into a realm with uncharted possibilities — and also new fears for privacy. Submitted for your mark of the beast files.

Full Moon Wednesday to Be Brightest of Year
According to this Reuters report, when the moon is full on Wednesday night it will be just about as close to Earth as it gets in its elliptical orbit. As a result, it will appear 9 percent wider than normal and shine 20 percent more brightly, and as as result, it will be the brightest full moon of the year. Submitted for your signs in the moon files.

Spy in the Sky Could Make Drivers Pay
Reuters reports that Britain's motorists could be charged for using busy roads with satellites monitoring their every move under plans to be announced by the government's transport czar on Monday. This has no real bearing on topics that usually fall under the mark of the beast updates, but it does say quite a lot about the kind of surveillance society that is emerging that in time may make the mark less problematic for a population already conditioned to accept the loss of personal privacy.

New Clues Suggest Bin Laden Is Alive on Afghan Border
Administration officials say they have indications that Osama bin Laden is alive and still moving around on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. What are these indications? You will have to read (and trust) the New Yorks Times to find out. P.S. It's just a rumor of war.

Any Strike On Iraq By U.S. May Be A Year Away
IHT reports that despite rhetoric from the Bush administration indicating that a military move against Iraq could be imminent, the military reality is that it could take a year before the U.S. is ready to launch a coordinated assault likely to destroy Iraq's potential for weapons of mass destruction and replace Saddam Hussein. Submitted for your rumor of war files.

Arafat Travel Restrictions Eased
CNN reports that Israel agreed Sunday to ease restrictions placed nearly three months ago on Yasser Arafat, allowing the Palestinian leader to freely move about Ramallah, but not leave the West Bank city without special permission. Far from thanking the Israeli government for this concession, the Palestinians protested that the Israeli action did not go far enough and promptly canceled security meetings scheduled for next week. Submitted for your battle for Jerusalem files.

It has been a while since I last posted. Newsblogger is still down, which was one of the tools that made this easy to do. As you know, this is not the primary Prophecy News web page, it was just an experiment in blogging. It was to be a daily blog, but as you can see, it's become more like a monthly blog. I do hope to post more frequently, and to sort of catch up, here is an assortment of news headlines, in no particular order:

Wired: Games Elevate Hate to Next Level

AP: Group: Chinese Christians Detained

NYT: Israelis Weighing Arafat's Release

NYT: Priest in Child Abuse Case Sentenced to 9 to 10 Years

NYT: Bush Urges Freedom of Worship in China

NYT: Sharon Has Plan for Buffer Zones to Protect Israel

AP: Powell: Saudi Offer Worth Pursuing


AP: 24 Die As Mideast Violence Flares

AP: Microsoft Program Tracks User Habits

AP: U.N. Chief Calls for Mideast Effort

CNET: EarthLink, Nextel Join Liberty Alliance

Wired: Scanning Tech a Blurry Picture

Reuters: Motorola Offers Mobile Internet Content, Services

Suicide Bombing Kills 2 Israelis
A Palestinian suicide bomber set off an explosion at a shopping center in a West Bank Jewish settlement late Saturday, killing two Israelis and wounding 26, Israeli police said. Israel responded by striking at Palestinian targets in Nablus early Sunday with helicopter gunships and warplanes. Submitted for your battle for Jerusalem files.

U.S. Softens Tone On 2 'Axis' Nations
Secretary of State Colin Powell, maintaining a tough tone on Iraq, said Sunday that covert action to oust President Saddam Hussein could not be ruled out, but he appeared to soften the administration's tone on North Korea and Iran, the other countries that President George W. Bush has described as making up an "axis of evil." Submitted for your rumor of war files.

Man arrested after bodies rotting found near crematorium
A man has been arrested in America after dozens of decomposing corpses were found near a crematorium he was working in. The bodies were found stacked in storage sheds and scattered in the woods behind it in Walker County, Georgia. Submitted for your wickedness increases files.

U.S. Has Not Ruled Out Any Options On Iraq
CNN reports that President Bush's National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said Thursday the United States is "not ruling out any options" in its approach with Iraq, saying Saddam Hussein's regime is a "problem" and that a new approach is needed. In a related development, the British Guardian Daily reported on Thursday that the Pentagon and the CIA have begun preparations for a military campaign on Iraq that would involve up to 200,000 U.S. troops. The newspaper said an attack could take place later this year. Submitted for your rumor of war files.

Arabs Deploy New Explosive Against Tank; 3 Israelis Die
Palestinian militants destroyed an Israeli tank on Thursday night, killing at least three soldiers and lightly wounding a fourth. This is a significant milestone, the first time the Palestinians have destroyed an Israeli tank. This incident, along with the recent Hamas missile attacks, have militarized the conflict. No longer is it suicide bombers attacking civilians, it's military to military. Submitted for your battle for Jerusalem files. And, if you are interested in a rumor of war, how's this one, Israeli Intelligence believes that al Qaida is implicated in the tank demolition, it's a method used before by the Taliban against the Russians, and there have been reports that al Qaida operatives have been moving from Afghanistan into Lebanon and Syria. The recent increase in both the frequency and sophistication of Palestinian attacks on Israel may reflect the presence of OBL agents in the region.

A lot has been going on lately, so let me do a quick roundup. In the Middle East, tensions remain high as Israel keeps Arafat under a virtual house-arrest, while Prime Minister Sharon met with President Bush in the Oval Office, where they both affirmed their commitment to the Mitchell Plan (covenant land for peace) and eventual Palestinian statehood; EU foreign ministers have weighed in, endorsing a plan by France to create a Palestinian state first and then go forward with the peace process (interesting approach, I wonder what would be left to negotiate if they did that?); and finally, amid all of the peace moves, Hamas renews threats of continued attacks. In the wars and rumors of wars department, civil war threatens Liberia, Iran does some saber rattling, and Turkey concedes that efforts to get Saddam to allow UN arms inspectors back in to prevent an American attack have failed, this coming days after Colin Powell said that America is quite prepared to go it alone should the international coalition against terrorism decide it has better things to do than back an allied attack on Iraq; and finally, the foreign minister of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban government, Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, surrendered to the country's new government and was quickly handed over to American forces.. In the pestilence department, an Ebola outbreak continues to rage in the Congo, AIDS remains a pandemic, tuberculosis is now a global epidemic, and we still don't know who was sending anthrax via the U.S. mail. In the persecution department, Abu Sayyaf released demands for the release of the Burnhams, an American missionary couple being held hostage by those Muslim terrorists in the Philippines. In the gospel preached to all department, controversy continues to rage over a new gender neutral translation of the Bible (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). Verily. Sale of Christian books continue to be boosted by the remarkable success of the Left Behind series of end times novel, now being marketed in comic book form. What next, action figures? And finally, in the mark of the beast department, Sun Microsystems wants to put digital IDs on consumer products so they can be more easily assimilated into the Net. Resistance is futile?

Resurgent Sun Peaks for Second Time
CNN reports that Solar Max isn't quite over yet. The sun has entered a second phase of major intensity during it's 11-year cycle of activity. Besides bathing the sky with colorful lights, solar radiation bursts can disrupt radio communications, damage satellites and knock out power grids. Submitted for your signs in the sun files.

They Want Their ID Chips Now
Wired reports that there is a lot of enthusiasm from some happy suburbanites to be the first on their block to be implanted with microchips that contain their personal information. VeriChip is the wave of the future. Submitted for your mark of the beast files.

Powell: Bush Mulling Iraq Options
It looks like the long rumored American attack on Iraq is still on the table. Polls show strong public support for expanding the scope of the war to include Iraq and one could make the case that attacking Iraq makes much more sense that the current American deployment to the Philippines. Certainly Saddam is more of a threat than Abu Sayyaf. He is also better armed. Submitted for your rumor of war files.