Indian Bureau Man Charged in Fire
A Bureau of Indian Affairs employee was charged Sunday with starting one of two wildfires that merged to became the largest in Arizona's history and destroyed more than 400 homes. :: This AP report is sibmitted for your wickedness increases (Matthew 24:12) files.

Vigilance Urged for Fourth of July
Americans should take extra care on the Fourth of July because the national holiday is an attractive symbol to potential terrorists, Bush administration officials said Sunday. The FBI plans to monitor and protect major Independence Day parades and festivities as a precaution against an attack. The bureau also has issued a law enforcement bulletin asking police to be on heightened alert even though no specific new intelligence suggests an attack. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

Israeli Forces Kill Senior Hamas Militant
Israeli special forces killed a top bombmaker of the military wing of the Islamic group Hamas in a raid on Sunday on a house in the West Bank city of Nablus, Israel Radio said. :: This Reuters report submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20 ) files. Note that when Israel attacks Hamas it is with surgical strikes against military targets, not civilians.

Korean Warships Exchange Fire; 4 Die
In a blow to Korean reconciliation efforts, a North Korean navy boat sank a Southern patrol boat in the Yellow Sea Saturday, killing at least four South Korean sailors, wounding another 20, and leaving at least one missing. :: This AP report is submitted for your war (Matthew 24:6) files.

Israeli Army Destroys Palestinian HQ
With a pair of thunderous nighttime explosions, Israel destroyed the hulking Palestinian municipal and security headquarters in this West Bank city Saturday, but mystery surrounded the fate of 15 armed Palestinians that Israel said were holed up inside. :: This AP report is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files.

Magnitude-7.2 Quake Shakes China
A strong earthquake shook northeastern China early Saturday but local officials said there were no deaths or major damage. The magnitude-7.2 quake struck Jilin province, which borders Russia and North Korea, at 1:19 a.m., according to the official Xinhua News Agency, which cited the Beijing Seismological Bureau. :: This AP report is submitted for your quake (Matthew 24:7) files.

Photo Purports to Show Baby Bomber
Israel's army released a photograph purporting to show a Palestinian baby dressed like a suicide bomber with ammunition belts and explosives strapped to its body and a head band of the Islamic militant group Hamas. :: According to the article, the Israeli army distributed the picture to "tell the world that the Palestinians are teaching their children how to hate Israel and how to act against Israel." I wonder how there can be peace when entire generations of Palestinians have been indoctrinated to hate Israel and hate Jews? Submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files.

Colombian Priest Killed After Mass
A Catholic priest who was critical of leftist rebels was gunned down in front of a church where he had just performed mass, becoming the latest religious leader killed in Colombia's escalating civil war. :: This AP report is submitted for your believers persecuted (Matthew 24:12) files.

India Rules Out War With Pakistan
India's prime minister ruled out the possibility of war with Pakistan, but expressed doubts Friday that the Pakistani leader would permanently stop incursions by Islamic militants. :: Isn't that reassuring. This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

G-8 Agrees on Anti-Terror Cause
President Bush and wealthy allies reached out to fight both terrorism and poverty Thursday, offering Russia up to $20 billion to secure vulnerable weapons stockpiles and pledging billions of dollars for Africa, the world's most impoverished continent. :: This AP report is submitted for your ten kings (Rev 17:12-14) files.

China Races to Replace U.S. as Economic Power in Asia
China is rapidly strengthening its economic presence across Asia and chipping away at the United States' position as the region's most important trading partner. :: This Yahoo/New York Times report is submitted for your kings of the East (Rev 16:12) files. :: It has been some time since the last Kings of the East update to the ETN list. The last one was when the Chinese leader visited Israel. For those of the new to the study of Bible prophecy, the general idea is that China or a group of Asian powers is implicated in the final battle over Jerusalem before the Second Coming. Though China would seem to lack the power projection capabilities for such a conflict at this time, China does have growing defense and trade relationships with Israel and several Arab countries.

Pledge Ruled Unconstitutional
Stunning politicians on both the left and right, a federal appeals court declared for the first time Wednesday that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because of the words "under God" inserted by Congress in 1954. :: This AP report submitted for your wickedness (Matthew 24:12) increases files. As many have already asked, how can we continue to ask God to bless the USA if we continue to deny Him?

UN Says China Faces AIDS Catastrophe
The United Nations said on Thursday that China was on the brink of an HIV/AIDS catastrophe of unimaginable proportions in one of its harshest assessments yet of the country's efforts to stem the spread of the deadly virus. :: This AP report on the AIDS pandemic is submitted for your pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Bush Middle East Plan Under Scrutiny at G8
The world's most powerful leaders, hidden away in the Canadian Rockies under a massive security blanket, start a two-day summit on Wednesday that is likely to be dominated by President Bush's troubled plan to end the Middle East crisis. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your ten kings (Rev 17:12-14) files.

G8 Summit 2002
G8 leaders pose against a Canadian Rocky Mountain backdrop at Kananaskis June 26, 2002. Left to right are Italian President Silvio Berlusconi, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, U.S. President George Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of the EU Council and European Commission President Romano Prodi. (Sergey Karpukhin/Reuters)

Microsoft Aims to Improve Security
Microsoft Corp. has disclosed an ambitious new project to improve security by creating within its Windows software a virtual "vault" where customers would conduct electronic transactions and store sensitive information. :: This AP report on digital ID verification and e-commerce security is submitted for your mark of the beast (Rev 13:16-18) files.

WHO: Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Gabon
Experts investigating a possible outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Republic of Congo have found four suspected cases in neighboring Gabon, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. :: This AP report is submitted for your pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Bush's Mideast Plan Draws Israeli Praise, Arab Ire
President Bush's new Middle East policy stirred anger and despair among Palestinians and throughout the Arab world but delighted Israel Tuesday as it pressed on with its West Bank military offensive. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

Study: Earth Can't Meet Human Demand for Resources
The consumption of forests, energy and land by humans is exceeding the rate at which Earth can replenish itself, according to research published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your fear for the future (Luke 21:26) files.

Bush: New Palestinian Leadership Needed for Peace
President Bush, charting a course to Middle East peace and rebuking Yasser Arafat, said on Monday Palestinians must choose new leaders "not compromised by terror" to achieve a state alongside Israel. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

G-8 to Focus on Terrorism, Africa
President Bush and colleagues in the rich-country club will focus on terrorism in all its aspects at this year's economic summit, they will consider improving intelligence cooperation as well as other measures to combat poverty. :: This AP report is submitted for your ten kings (Rev 17:12-14) files. I applaud G8 efforts to combat poverty. Who could argue with that? But, they are laboring under the assumption that poverty breeds terrorism. This is misguided. There are poor people all over the world, but their response to their situation does not include blowing people up. OBL came from a wealthy Saudi family and yet he still became a terrorist.

Sharon Pledges Gaza Strip Offensive
Israeli forces clamped down harder on the West Bank, as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged to widen his military offensive against Palestinian extremists to the Gaza Strip, where a helicopter strike killed four Hamas members Monday. :: This AP report is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files.

Broadband Broadens Base
Internet surfers who have high-speed ''broadband'' connections do more than just point, click and consume content. They also contribute to cyberspace by becoming creators. :: This USA Today report is submitted for your wired world (Rev 11:9-10) files.

Israel Retakes Palestinian City, Calls Up Reservists
Israeli army expanded its West Bank operations on Sunday, killing at least one Palestinian and pushing into another town to hunt militants behind a series of devastating suicide attacks. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files.

Qaeda Says Behind Tunis Synagogue Attack, Vows More
A known al Qaeda spokesman said in a voice recording broadcast on Sunday that the militant group was behind a deadly suicide attack at a Tunisian synagogue and warned of fresh attacks against the United States in "months." :: This Reuters report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

The Bible and the Apocalypse
Time Magazine is devoting a cover story to Bible prophecy. It is not unusual for Time to consider religious matters, they have done previous cover stories on prayer, on Jesus and on Biblical archaeology. Of the national news magazines, I would say that Time has shown the most interest, and the most balance, in covering religious issues. So, I heartily encourage you to read this article while keeping in mind that it is from mainstream media. Still, God is very cool to use this forum to give people a heads-up on events.

Arafat Said Ready to Accept Clinton Plan
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is prepared to accept a Mideast peace plan put forward by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton in December 2000, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Friday. :: This AP report is submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files. :: Here is a thought, what if the Clinton plan is the "covenant" that awaits confirmation? At one time it was accepted by Israel (Barak accepted it) and now it has been accepted by Arafat. And now, a little war to shake things up. After the dust settles, the plan returns to the table and is "confirmed." Just a thought. Still, the reality now is that the plan is off the table and Arafat's comments are a sign of his desperation as his credibility continues to collapse.

Seventeen Killed in Raging Gunbattles Across Kashmir
Violence flared in the disputed Kashmir region, at the core of a fight between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, with 17 people, including 15 rebels, killed in separate gunbattles, officials said on Friday. :: This Reuters report submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files. :: The media seemed to have backed away from covering this crisis, a missing Utah girl being so much more important, but it's worth noting that India and Pakistan still have over a million troops facing each other on their border and gunbattles between them are still raging. It's a war that could turn hot, and nuclear, at any moment.

South African Man May Have 'Mad Cow' Disease
A 27-year-old South African man slipped into a coma on Friday after being taken to hospital with what is believed to be the deadly human form of "mad cow" disease, a government official said. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Western Warplanes Launch Raid in Iraq
Iraq said four people were killed on Thursday when Western warplanes launched a raid in south Iraq which the U.S. military said was prompted by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire at jets policing a "no-fly" zone. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) and Iraq toasted to a nuclear cinder (Jeremiah 51:29&37) files. :: You will never hear this from the major news media, but you should know that the Gulf War never ended and is presently ongoing. Traditionally, according to historical precedent and international law, wars are ended with the signing of a formal peace treaty between the combatant nations. Treaties define the peace settlement and establish the postwar order. The Gulf War "ended" in 1991 with the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the United States (leading UN coalition forces) and Iraq. This ceasefire agreement has since been violated many times. When a ceasefire agreement is violated hostilities are said to have resumed until new terms are agreed upon or a formal treaty is signed, neither of which has happened. So, like the Korean War, the Gulf War is technically still ongoing. Just ask Saddam.

Israel Calls Up Reserve Soldiers
Israel called up reserve soldiers Thursday and detained many Palestinian men and youths for questioning after troops entered Palestinian towns in a widening military response to a wave of suicide attacks. :: This AP report is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files.

New Method to Make Faster, Smaller Computer Chips
Computer microchips could become smaller, faster and cheaper, thanks to scientists in the United States who have developed a speedier method of printing minuscule patterns on silicon chips. :: This Reuters report submitted for your mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-18) files.

Baby Star 'Winks,' Hints at Nascent Planet System
A Sun-like star just out of infancy has winked at astronomers, indicating its eclipse by cosmic dust and rocks, the stuff of which planets like Earth could possibly form, scientists reported on Wednesday. :: This Reuters report submitted for your signs in the stars (Luke 21:25) files.

U.S. Concerns Set to Dominate G8 Summit Next Week
A two-day summit of world leaders in Canada next week seems set to be dominated by the needs and concerns of the United States, to the likely irritation of everyone else taking part. :: This Reuters report submitted for your ten kings (Rev. 17:12-14) files.

Suicide Bombing Kills 3 in Israel
A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a bus stop in northern Jerusalem on Wednesday evening, killing at least three people and injuring more than 20, according to Israeli media reports and police. :: This AP report on today's homicide bombing is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files.

Powell May Make Mideast Peace Trip
President Bush may send Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Middle East to try to promote peace efforts that were set back Tuesday by a suicide blast that killed 20 people in Jerusalem. :: This AP submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

Suicide bomber blows himself up on bus; at least 20 killed
An Islamic extremist detonated nail-studded explosives on a Jerusalem city bus crowded with high school students and office workers Tuesday, killing himself and 19 passengers in the deadliest suicide attack in the hard-hit city in six years. Fifty-five people were injured. :: This AP report submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files.

Britain Rethinks Net Surveillance
The British government said Tuesday it was withdrawing a heavily criticized plan to give more bureaucrats and local authorities the power to monitor private e-mail and mobile telephone records. :: This AP report submitted for your mark of the beast (Rev 13:16-18) files.

Airport Safety Group Backs Biometrics
A Silicon Valley group charged with identifying technological answers to security problems at airports has released a report recommending the adoption of several high-tech products to improve passenger safety...including installing biometric identifiers to track airport employees. :: This ZDNet report is submitted for your mark of the beast (Rev 13:16-18) files.

Firefighter Ordered Held in Colorado Blaze
A U.S. federal magistrate on Monday ordered a fire prevention officer held without bail on charges of having ignited the largest wildfire in the history of the state of Colorado. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your wickedness increases (Matthew 24:12) files. :: Wickedness can be defined in many ways, but I think one of the worst expressions of wickedness is the betrayal of trust. For one who is supposed to prevent fires to admit to having set a fire that proved to be so damaging is truly wicked. The same logic applies to priests who abuse children or doctors who do harm. There is just something deeply disturbing about such violations of trust.

Bush to Formalize a Defense Policy of Hitting
President Bush has directed his top national security aides to make a doctrine of pre-emptive action against states and terrorist groups trying to develop weapons of mass destruction into the foundation of a new national security strategy, according to senior administration officials drafting the document. :: This New York Times report is submitted for your rumor of war files.

Big Crowd at Vatican as Padre Pio Made Saint
Before one of the largest crowds ever to fill the Vatican area, Pope John Paul Sunday made a saint of Padre Pio, a 20th century mystic monk who is said to have borne the bleeding wounds of Christ for 50 years. :: This Reuters report submitted for your false Christs (Matthew 24:4) files.

Arabs List Palestinian State Terms
Secretary of State Colin Powell is hearing from Arab leaders that any Palestinian state must include land Israel gained by war in 1967. :: This AP report submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files. :: Historically, territory gained by victory in war is considered the property of the victor. I wonder why that applies to every country except Israel?

G7 Confident on Economies, Sanguine on Dollar
Finance ministers from the world's rich nations were coolly confident on Saturday about the recovering world economy, and sanguine about the euro's rise against fragile U.S. dollar. :: This Reuters report on the ministerial meeting leading up to this months G8 summit is submitted for your ten kings (Rev 17:12-14) files.

West Nile Virus Seen Spreading Through Americas
West Nile virus, the mosquito-borne illness that has killed at least 18 people in the United States since 1999, has established itself in the eastern half of the country and threatens to spread to other parts of the Americas, U.S. health experts said on Thursday. :: This Reuters report submitted for your pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

U.S. in Final Talks on Mideast Vision
The Bush administration held final consultations with Middle East leaders on Friday as President Bush prepared a peace initiative based on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. :: This Reuters report submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

Iraq: U.S. Attacks Targets in South
U.S. and British warplanes staged an attack on southern Iraq on Friday...in response to attempts to shoot down U.S. and British warplanes on Thursday. :: This Reuters report submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) and Iraq (Jeremiah 51:29&37) files.

Microsoft Defends .NET Passport
Microsoft insisted Tuesday that its .NET Passport service complied with European data protection laws, rejecting charges that it is "surreptitiously" collecting and passing on personal information about users. :: This AP report submitted for your mark of the beast (Rev 13:16-18) files. :: Digital ID verification and e-commerce go hand-in-hand and would seem to be what the mark is all about. Sure, we can go lowtek and say the mark will just be a tattoo, but really, in this high tech 21st Century world, I'm betting that the mark will be some combination of biometrics, ID verification, VeriChip, and digital watermark technology. Right now, I lean toward digital watermarks, but really, no matter how it turns out, the question for today is, how much do you really trust Microsoft to manage your digital identity?

Partial Solar Eclipse Expected Mon.
A dazzling solar eclipse will be on display across a broad swath of the western United States, Mexico, Canada and Asia on Monday, with as much as 99 percent of the sun obscured by the moon...It will be the last eclipse visible from the United States until 2005.. :: This AP report is submitted for your signs in the sun (Luke 21:25) files.

Bush: No Palestinian State Timetable
President Bush on Saturday sidestepped Arab pleas to impose a deadline for Palestinian statehood while Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak defended Yasser Arafat and urged, "Give this man a chance." :: This AP report submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

Two Moderate Quakes Shake Mexico
Two earthquakes centered in the Pacific coast state of Oaxaca shook parts of Mexico Friday, but there were no reports of injuries or damages. :: This AP report submitted for your quake (Matthew 24:7) files.

U.N. Fears Severe Africa Food Crisis
Two U.N. food agencies warned Friday that southern Africa will experience a severe food crisis without immediate international assistance. Nearly 13 million people in six southern African countries are at risk of starvation, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement. :: This AP report submitted for your famine (Matthew 24:7) files.

U.S. Hostage Killed in Philippines
U.S.-trained commandos freed a Kansas missionary after more than a year in captivity Friday but her American husband and a Filipino nurse were killed during the shootout with their Muslim extremist kidnappers. :: This AP report submitted for your believers persecuted (Matthew 24:8) files.

Israeli Army Raids Arafat HQ as Bomb Reprisal
Israeli tanks and troops stormed Yasser Arafat's presidential compound on Thursday, blowing up buildings and shelling his living quarters in a six-hour reprisal raid for a Palestinian car bombing. :: This Reuters report on the inevitable Israeli retaliation is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files. I wonder if Islamic Jihad realize that they are only undermining Arafat, who is now revealed for all to see as totally powerless, a mere figurehead, and certainly not the man to negotiate a peace with. After all, one negotiates with the people responsible for that attacks, and for Israel, that's not Arafat.

Bomb Kills 17 Israeli Bus Passengers
A Palestinian suicide bomber pulled a car packed with explosives alongside a moving bus and blew it up Wednesday in a huge fireball that killed 17 passengers, 13 of them Israeli soldiers. The military warned Palestinians were shifting tactics to kill more Israelis each time they strike. :: This AP report submitted for your battle for Jerusalem files.

Pakistan and India trade heavy fire across Kashmir border
Indian and Pakistani troops traded heavy fire on Wednesday after their leaders failed at an Asian security summit to ease fears of war between the nuclear-armed rivals. :: This Reuters report submitted for your rumor of war files.

On Kashmir Line, Pakistanis Wait, With Few Illusions
On this side of Kashmir's disputed frontier, the soldiers wait and watch, their guns ready for the assault that they expect could come at any moment. :: This NYT report on the S. Asian crisis submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

Swiss Back Relaxing Abortion Laws
Swiss voters on Sunday overwhelmingly supported legislation making it easier for a woman to get an abortion within the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy. :: This AP report submitted for your wickedness increases (Matthew 24:12) files.