Bush: Iraq Attack Would 'Cripple' Economy
President Bush said Tuesday that an attack by Saddam Hussein or a terrorist ally "would cripple our economy," offering new justification for potential war against Iraq even as he said North Korea's nuclear ambitions can be curbed without military conflict. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

Arafat Welcomes U.S. Call for Cease-Fire
Yasser Arafat said he welcomes a U.S.-backed call for an immediate cease-fire with Israel, but stopped short of committing to steps the Palestinians would be required to take ahead of such a truce. :: This AP report is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) and covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

U.S. Receives NYC Maritime Attack ThreatFederal authorities received unsubstantiated information that terrorists could launch a maritime attack on New York City, a threat taken seriously because of the large crowds that gather in Times Square on New Year's Eve, a Homeland Security Department official said Tuesday. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) and fear for the future (Luke 21:26) files.

Yemen Arrests Man in Slaying of Americans
A suspected Muslim extremist, cradling his hidden gun like a baby under his jacket, slipped into a Southern Baptist hospital in Yemen on Monday and opened fire, killing three American missionaries and seriously wounding a fourth, officials said. :: This AP report is submitted for your believers persecuted (Matthew 24:8) files.

Pakistan Weighed Using Nuclear Bomb
Pakistan's president indicated Monday he had been ready to use nuclear weapons if Indian forces crossed the two countries' border earlier this year, but his government later backed off the assertion, saying he never specifically mentioned atomic weapons. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

U.S. Military Begins Maneuvers in Kuwait
The U.S. Army launched its biggest maneuver in the Kuwaiti desert since the Gulf War on Saturday, throwing thousands of soldiers and hundreds of armored vehicles into live-fire exercises to sharpen their skills ahead of a possible new war with Iraq. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) and Iraq destroyed (Jeremiah 51:29&37) files.

U.S. Soldier Is Killed in Afghanistan
Hours after a top American commander warned that coalition troops in Afghanistan face the threat of increased attacks, a U.S. soldier was killed in a firefight Saturday while another was injured by rocket fire in a separate incident. :: This AP report is submitted for your war (Matthew 24:6) files.

Palestinians Offered Parts of Jerusalem
Israel's Labor Party has adopted a new platform offering the Palestinians parts of Jerusalem and joint administration of disputed holy sites - the most explicit program of compromise laid out before an election by a major Israeli party. :: This AP report is submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) and Temple Mount (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4) files.

U.S. Says Iraq Violated U.N. Resolutions
Iraq has totally failed to comply with U.N. disarmament demands and if it continues its pattern of lies and deception "we're not going to find a peaceful solution to this problem," Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday. :: This AP report is submitted for your war (Matthew 24:6) and Iraq destroyed (Jeremiah 51:29&37) files.

Mississippi Tornado Injures 50 People
A tornado smashed into stores jammed with holiday shoppers and flipped over trucks Thursday, injuring about 50 people, at least two critically, authorities said. :: This AP report is submitted for your fearsome events (Luke 21:11) files.

Groups Say Cloned Babies Due in Weeks
The race to produce the first birth of a human clone is nearing the finish line - if you believe the public pronouncements. :: This AP report is submitted for your fear for the future (Luke 21:26) files.

U.S., EU Disagree on Timing Middle East Peace Plan
The United States on Wednesday proposed putting off a Middle East peace plan until after Israelis vote in January, while the European Union said Israelis should see the plan before they cast their ballots. The disagreement came to the surface after talks in Washington between Secretary of State Colin Powell and European Union leaders visiting Washington for semiannual consultations on the state of the world. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

Iran to Increase Defense Expenditures
Iran is going to increase its military spending because of heightened tension in the region, Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said Wednesday. :: This AP report is submitted for your Iran/Persia (Ezekiel 38:5) files.

Death Saint Popular in Mexican Frontier
La Santisima Muerte, or Saint Death, is a spirit representing death worshipped by everyone from drug traffickers to jealous housewives in Mexico's borderlands. Anthropologists say a growing number of border residents are turning to witchcraft and black magic for power over a host of evils, from deceit and jail time to poverty and sickness. :: This AP report is submitted for your false christs (Matthew 24:4) files.

West Nile Outbreak One for Record Books
The United States suffered the biggest reported outbreak of West Nile encephalitis in the world this year, a federal disease control expert said Wednesday. :: This AP report is submitted for your pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Alarm At 'EU Pentagon' Plan
The European Union is drawing up plans for a "Euro-Pentagon" in Brussels commanded by a defence chief able to launch military operations anywhere in the world. :: This Telegraph report is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Luke 21:20) files.

Britain Invites Palestinians for Talks
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Monday he has invited Palestinian leaders to London in the new year to discuss progress on reform in Yasser Arafat's self-rule government and ways to further the Mideast peace process. :: This AP report is submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27).

Gadhafi Unleashes His African Ambitions
The soldiers Moammar Gadhafi sent to this African backwater speak no French or tribal languages - nothing the residents can understand. When the Libyan troops want to make a point, they flick the safety off their AK-47s and let the "click" speak for them. :: This AP report is submitted for your Libya (Ezekiel 38:5; Daniel 11:43) files.

U.S. Warplanes Hit 3 Targets in S. Iraq
U.S. jets attacked three air defense installations Saturday south and east of Baghdad after Iraqi military jets violated the southern no-fly zone, the U.S. Central Command said on its Web site. :: This AP report is submitted for your war (Matthew 24:6) and Iraq destroyed (Jeremiah 51:29&37) files.

Low Expectations for Middle East Peace Meeting
The chances have diminished that a meeting of Middle East mediators in Washington next week will complete the peace plan on which they started work more than six months ago, diplomats said on Friday. :: This Reuters report is submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

Hamas Threatens New Attacks at Rally
Hamas marked its 15th anniversary Friday with a rally led by armed militiamen and bombers-in-waiting threatening new attacks on Israel, while an Israeli official said troops will likely remain in Bethlehem during Christmas. :: This AP report is submitted for your battle for Jerusalem (Luke 21:20) files.

Bush Says He'll Take Smallpox Vaccine
President Bush said Friday he will take the smallpox vaccine along with U.S. military forces, but he is not recommending the risky inoculation for most Americans. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) and pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

N. Korea to Reactivate Nuclear Reactor
North Korea said Thursday it will immediately revive a Soviet-designed nuclear power plant the United States suspects was being used to develop nuclear weapons before it was frozen in 1994. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

Carter Willing to Mediate Peace Talks
Former President Jimmy Carter said Thursday he was willing to mediate peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, but only if they and the U.S. government asked him to. "We would go immediately and with great alacrity," the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said. :: This AP report is submitted for your covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) files.

U.S. Vows Harsh Response to Bio Attack
In a warning to Iraq and other hostile countries, the United States says it is prepared to use "overwhelming force" -including nuclear weapons - in response to any chemical or biological attack. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

Harassed, Threatened, Discredited, and Jailed in Pakistan
The Voice of the Martyrs continues to receive reports from Pakistan of Christians suffering harassment and persecution at the hands of Muslims. Last week, a VOM coworker with family in Pakistan learned that her elderly father had been arrested and forced to spend two days in jail before being released on bail. A diabetic who has suffered two hearts attacks and is in poor health, this 69-year-old brother lives with his cousin in one of two units
located in a house in central Hyderabad in a predominantly Christian section of the city. For two days, the older man was jailed until finally friends were able to raise bail for his release. The police refused to release his
42-year-old cousin, however, claiming that they suspected him of drug smuggling. It took over a week until authorities finally released him as well. No charges were ever posted against the men, and the bail money was not returned. As Christians, this sort of harassment and financial exploitation by the police is common. :: This VOM report is submitted for your persecution (Matthew 24:8) files.

Ship With N. Korea Missiles Intercepted
A ship carrying a dozen Scud-type missiles believed to originate in North Korea was intercepted in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, the White House said. U.S. officials said the missiles were at least initially headed for Yemen. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) files.

Meteors From The Twilight Zone
The Geminid meteor shower, which peaks this year on Saturday morning, Dec. 14th, has begun. Unlike the recent Leonids, which were nearly overwhelmed in some places by moonlight, the Geminids of 2002 will not be dimmed by a glaring moon. These meteors come from a curious object--a "Twilight Zone" cross between a comet and an asteroid--called 3220 Phaethon. :: This NASA Science News report is submitted for your signs in the heavens (Luke 21:11, 25) files.

Prime Minister Launches Relief Appeal
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Saturday launched an international appeal for help in averting a looming famine threatening millions in the country. :: This INI report is submitted for your famine (Matthew 24:7) files.

Buildup Leaves U.S. Military Nearly Set to Start Attack
The United States will soon have enough heavy tanks, warships, aircraft, bombs and troops in the Persian Gulf region to enable it to begin an attack against Iraq sometime in January, senior military officials say. :: This New York Times report is submitted for your war (Matthew 24:6) and Iraq destroyed (Jeremiah 51:29&37) files.

U.S. Military Readies for Qatar War Game
U.S. military planners on Saturday began formal preparations for a computer-assisted exercise to evaluate the Central Command's ability to fight a war from a mobile headquarters in this Gulf nation [of Qatar]. :: This AP report is submitted for your war (Matthew 24:6) and Iraq destroyed (Jeremiah 51:29&37) files.

Thousands View Dazzling Solar Eclipse
Darkness fell over thorn trees, lions feasting on fresh kills and grazing elephants and giraffes Wednesday as the moon slipped over the sun in total solar eclipse over southern Africa. :: This AP report is submitted for your signs in the sun (Luke 21:25) files.

Storm Knocks Power for Millions, 20 Dead
Millions of people shivered without electricity Thursday in the Carolinas as one of the worst ice- and snowstorms in years snapped tree limbs, snarled air travel around the country and kept children home from school in a large part of the East. :: This AP report is submitted for your fearful events (Luke 21:11) files.

NATO Mulls U.S. Options for Military Role
NATO nations are studying four scenarios presented by the United States for possible military roles for the alliance should war break out in Iraq, senior alliance officials said Thursday. :: This AP report is submitted for your rumor of war (Matthew 24:6) and Iraq destroyed (Jeremiah 51:29&37) files.

Study Weighs Screening Immigrants for TB
Screening and treating immigrants from developing countries for dormant tuberculosis infections would prevent thousands of cases and save tens of millions of dollars, a study shows. :: This AP report is submitted for your pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

Arctic Sea Ice May Vanish This Century
Perennial sea ice - the floating ice that remains year round near the Arctic Circle - could vanish entirely by the end of this century, warns a new study by researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The NASA study concludes that sea ice is now melting about nine percent faster than prior research had indicated, due to rising temperatures and interactions between ice, ocean and the atmosphere. :: This ENS report is submitted for your fear for the future (Luke 21:26) files.

Disease-Ravaged Africa Marks AIDS Day
Southern African countries marked World AIDS Day on Sunday with hopes that the region, which has the highest rate of HIV positive people on the planet, can slow the spread of the disease. There are 42 million HIV positive people worldwide. :: This AP report is submitted for your pestilence (Luke 21:11) files.

U.S. Uses B-52 in Clash in Afghanistan
A mammoth B-52 bomber was called into combat for the first time in five months Sunday to protect U.S. special forces battling armed Afghans outside an American base. :: This AP report is submitted for your war (Matthew 24:6) files.