Airports turn to fingerprinting, biometrics for security
Salt Lake Tribune reports, "Fingerprinting was chosen as the easiest to use following 1 1/2 years of testing biometric measures including eye scans and mapping hand forms..." :: Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18).

Credit Cards Enter the Micropayment Game
AP reports, "If your image of a typical video-game arcade customer is a teenager emptying quarter-filled pockets into a machine to do battle with space aliens, think again. Today's high-tech games increasingly appeal to an older set. And soon those customers will be able to use credit or debit cards as a payment option." :: Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18).

Report: Warming May Lower Rice Yield
AP reports, "Global warming could mean bad news for one of the world's most important crops, rice. Increased nighttime temperatures were associated with significant declines in crop yield at the International Rice Research Institute Farm in the Philippines, according to a report in Monday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." :: Fear for the Future (Luke 21:11).

Minister: Iran Won't Stop Nuclear Program
AP reports, "Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Wednesday rejected international pressure to halt his country's work on centrifuges for its nuclear program." :: Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6), Persia (Ezekiel 38:5).

Floods Hit Guam As Typhoon Strikes Area
AP reports, "The Northern Mariana Islands were under a typhoon warning Monday as Tropical Storm Tingting was upgraded to typhoon status. As the storm moved through the region, it dumped record-breaking rains, causing flooding and mudslides on neighboring Guam." :: Fearsome Events (Luke 21:11).

Palestinians Fire Rockets As Sharon Visits
AP reports, "Palestinian militants rocketed this Israeli border town Tuesday during a visit by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, underscoring Israel's helplessness in stopping the crude projectiles launched from the Gaza Strip."

Children, Pregnant Women Face Great Risks As Famine Approaches
OneWorld reports, "With the paucity of humanitarian response and the onset of seasonal water-borne diseases, relief agents are warning that pregnant women and children under five in refugee camps may not survive the on-coming famine." :: Famine (Matthew 24:7).

Israel Fires Missiles at Gaza After Blast
From the AP, Israel strikes back at Palestinian terrorists.

Report: 5 Israeli Troops Killed in Blast
AP reports, "Palestinian militants set off a huge explosion at an Israeli army outpost in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, collapsing a concrete building. Paramedics reported at least 30 casualties, and Arab satellite stations said at least five Israeli soldiers were killed...In a call to The Associated Press, Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent group with ties to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility."

Intel chief: Palestinians still want Israel destroyed
WND reports, "After three years of watching their society be ripped apart by launching the Intifada, the Palestinian people and their leadership still maintain the goal of destroying Israel, according to an assessment released yesterday by Israel's Military Intelligence research chief." :: Battle for Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Luke 21:20).

Calif. Combats West Nile With Pesticides
AP reports, "Workers sprayed pesticides Friday in a neighborhood where five family members contracted West Nile virus, hoping to control an outbreak that has spread to heavily populated Southern California...The disease first appeared in the United States in 1999 in New York and has since expanded westward. It has killed more than 560 people in the past five years." :: Pestilence (Luke 21:11).

Japan ponders biometric screening of visitors
ZDNet reports, "Japan will consider using unique biological data about individuals such as fingerprints and facial features to tighten immigration controls..." :: Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18).

HIV/AIDS Striking Young Women More
AP reports, "HIV/AIDS is increasingly striking young women, including married women previously thought to be at low risk of contracting the disease, a U.N. official warned Thursday." :: Pestilence (Luke 21:11)

N. Korea Threatens to Test Nuclear Weapon
AP reports, "North Korea told the United States on Thursday that it would test a nuclear weapon unless Washington accepted Pyongyang's proposal for a freeze on its atomic program, a senior administration official said." :: Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

U.S. Launches Airstrike in Fallujah
AP reports, "The U.S. military launched its third airstrike in a week Friday in Fallujah, using precision weapons to destroy a suspected safehouse for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terror network." :: Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

A Crowning at the Capital Creates a Stir
The New York Times reports, "As a shining symbol of democracy, the United States capital is not ordinarily a place where coronations occur. So news that the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the eccentric and exceedingly wealthy Korean-born businessman, donned a crown in a Senate office building and declared himself the Messiah while members of Congress watched is causing a bit of a stir." :: False Christs (Matthew 24:4).

MEMRI: Incitement to Jihad on Saudi Government-Controlled TV
I quote:

These channels include shows with leading Saudi religious figures, professors, members of the royal family, government leaders and intellectuals. Constant themes within Saudi television shows include: calls for the annihilation of Christians and Jews, rampant anti-Americanism and antisemitism, support for Jihad, incitement against U.S. troops in Iraq, and the coming Islamic conquest of the U.S.

Submitted for your War and Rumor of War files.

Health Officials Fear New Mosquito Disease
AP reports, "As if West Nile virus wasn't bad enough, now U.S. health officials are on the lookout for another mosquito-borne disease, fearing it could become a permanent part of the American landscape if it entered the country. Rift Valley fever, which originated in Africa and hasn't been seen outside that continent in three years, is the only disease at the top of both human health and agriculture lists of dangerous diseases." :: Pestilence (Luke 21:11).

Vatican Condemns China's Arrest of Bishop
AP reports, "The Vatican condemned on Wednesday recent arrests of Catholic bishops in China, calling them a violation of religious freedom." :: Believers Persecuted (Matthew 24:8).

Panel Urges Japan on Human Cloning
AP reports, "A government panel on Wednesday said it will recommend that Japan permit the limited cloning of human embryos for scientific research, an official said Wednesday." :: Fear for the Future (Luke 21:26).

Embedding Their Hopes In RFID
The Washington Post reports, "The technology has been around for a decade --including use in the E-ZPass system that helps speed drivers through toll booths on many East Coast highways - but RFID is now robust enough, and getting cheap enough, that it is beginning to transform numerous sectors of the economy by allowing unparalleled tracking of products and people." :: Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18) :: Is RFID the "mark" or just the latest trend?

China, Syria Seek To Expand Defense Ties
MENL reports, "China and Syria have launched an effort to conclude what could be a series of defense and military deals." :: Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6); Doomed Damascus (Isaiah 17:1); King of the East (Rev 16:12); and, the Battle for Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Luke 21:20).

WHO: Africa on Brink of Polio Outbreak
AP reports, "Africa is on the brink of the biggest polio epidemic in years, with the crippling disease hitting Nigeria hard and re-emerging in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. The number of polio cases globally has reached 333 so far this year, almost double the number for the same period last year." :: Pestilence (Luke 21:11).

Congo Sends 5,000 Troops to Rwanda Border
AP reports, "Congo on Monday denied claims by rival and neighbor Rwanda that it was massing troops for attack, and international diplomatic pressure built to avert what one African leader called a 'potentially catastrophic war' in central Africa." :: Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

Iran Confiscates Three British Vessels
AP reports, "Iran seized three British military patrol boats Monday in the Shatt-al-Arab waterway, Iraq's main link with the Persian Gulf, and eight armed crewmen were detained for entering Iranian territorial waters." :: Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6); Persia (Ezekiel 38:5).

WorldNetDaily: Israel creating 'remote control' border. A roving robotic bomb squad, and an equally robotic border patrol with shoot-to-kill rules of engagement, added to the already existing plans to dig a moat across the border to make tunnelling more difficult, if not impossible. Another Maginot Line? Sadly, yes. Not because Arab terrorists might find a physical way around it--but because the Jews ignore the Beast from the Sea [Revelation 13].

WorldNetDaily: Time for Jews to leave France? A top Nazi hunter says so for the first time, and just as the Jewish Agency for Israel prepares a new campaign to persuade French Jews to make aliyah (literally, "going up"), i.e., to leave their country of birth and take up residence in Israel. Most Jews in France are well-to-do, however, and that might tempt them to remain--a situation with which Christians might become overly familiar as the Tribulation [Daniel 12:2; Revelation 13-14; Zechariah 12, 14] continues its approach.

European Union Adopts First Constitution
AP reports, "European Union leaders agreed Friday on the first constitution for the reunited continent, spelling out the voting system and nations' rights for the bloc's 25 members but keeping out any reference to God, officials said." :: Revived Rome/Final World Empire (Revelation 17).

Spring Was 3rd Warmest on Record in U.S.
AP reports, "The March through May period was the third warmest spring on record for the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday." :: Fear for the Future/Climate Change (Luke 21:26).

IAEA Rebukes Iran Over Nuclear Cover-Ups
AP reports, "The International Atomic Energy Agency rebuked Iran Friday for past cover-ups in its nuclear program and warned the Islamic republic it has little time left to disprove it has a nuclear weapons program." :: Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6); Persia (Ezekiel 38:5).

Pilgrims Flock to See Statue in Italy
AP reports, "Thousands of people flocked to see a bronze statue of Christ in Genoa after a woman claimed she saw the face of Italian saint Padre Pio on the statue's chest." :: False Christs (Matthew 24:4).

al-Qaida Group Beheads American Hostage
AP reports, "An al-Qaida group beheaded American engineer Paul M. Johnson Jr., posting grisly photographs Friday of the hostage's severed head. Hours later, Arab TV reported the death of the chief suspect." :: War and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

Benefits of Globalization Not Shared By Developing Countries
OneWorld and Oxfam International report, "As negotiations continue at the 2004 UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) this week, a recent report from Oxfam shows that many developing countries are poorer now than they were twenty years ago when globalization started." :: Nations in Distress (Luke 21:25).

Russia, China, C. Asia in Security Pact
The presidents of China, Russia and four Central Asian nations met Thursday to breathe life into a security alliance and open an anti-terrorism center, part of efforts by Beijing and Moscow to counter the U.S. military presence in the region. :: King of the East (Rev 16:12); Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

EU Leaders Push for Deal on Constitution
AP reports, "Six months after their first bid to establish a new constitution failed, European Union leaders faced a new round of difficult talks to create a guiding document for 25 disparate nations and win over a skeptical public. Politicians opened a two-day summit Thursday still divided over everything from making a reference to God in the preamble to sharing power in the union, which swelled to 25 members with 10 additions last month. A deal needs the green-light from all 25 EU nations." :: Revived Rome/Last World Empire (Revelation 17).

Australians Report Meteorite Explosion
AP reports, "People claiming they saw a "house-sized" meteorite slam into Earth and explode with a flash may actually have seen a small space rock streaking through the atmosphere as it burned up, an astronomer said Thursday." :: Signs and Wonders in the Heaves (Luke 21:11).

Diplomat: Info May Show Iran Nuke Cover-Up
AP reports, "The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has information Iran may be engaging in a new nuclear cover-up near a military facility outside Tehran, diplomats said Thursday as the agency's board prepared to rebuke Iran for hindering an international probe." :: Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

Britain to Get Airport Iris Scanners
AP reports, "A test run of an iris-scanning system will begin at Britain's five busiest airports next year in a bid to increase security and speed immigration controls, the government said Tuesday." :: Mark of the Beast/ID tech news (Rev 13:16-18).

Conference on Internet Hate, Racism Opens
AP reports, "European neo-Nazis post online pictures of paint-smeared mosques. Web sites of Islamic radicals call for holy war on the West. Aliases like 'Jew Killer' pop up on Internet game sites. International experts met Wednesday in Paris to tackle the tricky task of fighting anti-Semitic, racist and xenophobic propaganda on the Internet - seen as a chief factor in a rise in hate crime." :: Wickedness Increases (Matthew 24:12).

U.S. AIDS Patients Donate Drugs to World
AP reports, "From Mexico to Mauritania, India to Iran, patients in poor countries have to piece together drug cocktails helping to prolong their lives using HIV and AIDS pills donated in the United States." :: Pestilence (Luke 21:11).

North Korea missile test 'brings US within range'
Telegraph reports, "North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile engine capable of hitting the United States, according to a South Korean report. The potential range of the missile was established by American intelligence from scorch marks and other traces of the engine test, the newspaper Joongang Ilbo said, citing diplomatic sources. It could reach up to 3,700 miles, enough to hit Alaska." :: Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

U.S. Kills 80 in 3-Week Afghan Offensive
AP reports, "In the bloodiest fighting this year, U.S. Marines killed more than 80 insurgents in a three-week offensive against a Taliban stronghold in the mountains of southern Afghanistan, the military said Saturday." :: Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

G-8 Adopts Plan to Accelerate HIV Vaccine
AP reports, "The Bush administration won backing from major allies for a proposal to accelerate development of an HIV vaccine, and President Bush on Thursday proposed spending $15 million to launch it." :: Pestilence (Luke 21:11).

ID cards 'alarm' information commissioner
ZDNet UK reports, "Information commissioner Richard Thomas is "increasingly alarmed" about the UK Governments proposals for a national identity card, MPs were told on 8 June, 2004." :: Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18).

Global Military Spending Soars in 2003
AP reports, "World military spending surged during 2003, reaching $956 billion, nearly half of it by the United States as it paid for missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terror, a prominent European think tank said Wednesday." :: Wars and Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

Hezbollah attacks Israeli posts near Lebanese border
AFP reports, "The Lebanese Shiite Muslim militia Hezbollah on Tuesday shelled Israeli army posts near the border with Lebanon, military sources in Israel told AFP." :: Wars and rumors of war (Matthew 24:6).

Gazers Set for Venus' Crossing With Sun
AP reports, "With concerts and sleepovers, astronomy buffs are giddily preparing to watch Venus' silhouette cross the face of the sun on Tuesday - the first time that sight has appeared in 122 years. 'Some people have been waiting all their lives for this. Nobody alive has seen it,' said astronomer Peter Boyce, who plans to watch the "transit of Venus" from Massachusetts' Nantucket Island." :: Signs in the Sun (Luke 21:25).

Dirty-Bomb Risk Suddenly Higher
WorldNetDaily reports, "U.N. records show major rise in level of smuggling of radiological material. There's a greater risk today that a radioactive "dirty bomb" will be triggered somewhere in the world, warns the International Atomic Energy Agency. According to a report in New Scientist, records from the U.N. agency 'show a dramatic rise in the level of smuggling of radiological materials, defined as radioactive sources that could be used in dirty bombs but not nuclear bombs.'" :: Rumors of War (Matthew 24:6).

Moon tells of unexpected Earth climate changes
Spaceflight Now reports, "Scientists who monitor Earth's reflectance by measuring the moon's "earthshine" have observed unexpectedly large climate fluctuations during the past two decades." :: Signs in the Moon (Luke 21:25).

Meteor Lights Up Sky in Washington State
AP reports, "A meteor about the size of a computer monitor flashed across the Northwest sky early Thursday, setting off booms that stunned witnesses. 'There was some question as to whether it was a piece of space junk burning up, but it was not,' said Geoff Chester, a spokesman for the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. " :: Signs and Wonders in the Heavens (Luke 21:11).

Japan stunned by schoolgirl crime
CNN reports, "A stunned Japan is searching for answers on Wednesday after an 11-year-old schoolgirl killed a classmate by slashing her throat, the latest in a string of violent crimes committed by children." Wickedness Increases - Matthew 24:12.

U.S. GIs, Shiite Militants Clash in Iraq
AP reports, "American troops clashed with Shiite militants in this southern city Wednesday - six days after a truce was supposed to have taken effect. At least five Iraqis were killed and more than 40 were wounded." :: War - Matthew 24:6.

Iranian Official Threatens U.S.
World Net Daily reports, "An official of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has threatened the United States and other Western nations with suicide and missile attacks aimed at 29 sensitive sites."

A National ID
The New York Times suggests that, "Now is the time to figure out how to create a card that helps identify people but doesn't rob them of a huge swath of their civil liberties."