Nukestrat - Global Strike Nuclear Simulation In Nevada
Nukestrat reports, "The Divine Strake explosion scheduled at the Nevada Test Site in June 2006 will simulate use of a low-yield nuclear weapon against a tunnel. The simulation is "an integral part" of STRATCOM's new Global Strike mission and follows a secret directive signed by President George W. Bush in 2004 that ordered STRATCOM to 'extend Global Strike to counter all [Hard and Deeply Buried Targets] to include both tactical and strategic adversarial targets.' [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

WND - 'American Hiroshima' lnked with Iran attack
World Net Daily reports, "Al-Qaida has already obtained nuclear suitcase weapons from the Russian black market, weapons tested in Afghanistan in 2000, and they may have already been forward-deployed inside the U.S., according to the only journalist to interview Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri in the wake of Sept. 11. He believes that an "American Hiroshima" will occur as soon as the U.S. launches an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Yahoo News - NASA Says Comet Fragments Won't Hit Earth
Space.com reports, "Chunks of a comet currently splitting into pieces in the night sky will not strike the Earth next month, nor will it spawn killer tsunamis and mass extinctions, NASA officials said Thursday.[...] Aside from a great sky show, the comet poses no danger to Earth and its inhabitants, NASA officials said." [Signs and Wonders in the Heavens, Luke 21:11]

My Way News - Visa, Nokia Launch Phone Payment Project
AP reports, "Visa International and Finnish cell phone maker Nokia Corp. (NOK) jointly released the world's first credit card payment pilot system in Malaysia, allowing consumers to shop and pay using their mobile phones." [Mark of the Beast, Rev 13:16-18]

Again, this is not the mark of the beast, just some interesting payment tech trends.

My Way News - Iran Gets First North Korean-Made Missiles
AP reports, "Iran has received its first batch of North Korean-made surface-to-surface missiles that put European countries within firing range, Israel's military intelligence chief said in an interview published Thursday." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - U.N. Says Bird Flu Spreading
AP reports, "Bird flu has hit 45 countries, killed more than 100 people and seems to be spreading quickly, the U.N. official in charge of tracking the virus said Wednesday." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

My Way News - Iran Leader Warns U.S. Against Attacking
AP reports, "Iran's supreme leader warned the United States on Wednesday that his nation would hit back twice as hard if America attacked its nuclear sites." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

My Way News - U.N. Envoy Warns of Mideast Deterioration
AP reports, "Clashes between Palestinian groups, a fiscal crisis for the new Palestinian government, and Israel's closing of border crossings represent a dangerous deterioration in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the U.N. Mideast envoy said Monday. [...] Secretary-General Kofi Annan has invited the Quartet that drafted the roadmap - the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia - to a meeting at U.N. headquarters on May 9 to discuss the deteriorating situation." [Covenant With Many, Daniel 9:27]

Yahoo News - Poll Shows Fear of Bird Flu Widespread
AP reports, "Their expectations shaken by Katrina, Americans are divided over whether the government is likely to do a good job handling the bird flu if it reaches the U.S., a poll finds. People want a resolute response that includes quarantines if Americans do become infected. The AP-Ipsos survey, out Friday, found widespread belief that birds will become infected in this country in the next year, as the government has predicted." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

Yahoo News - Mideast 'axis' forms against West
The Christian Science Monitor reports, "Rising tension between the West and Iran is coinciding with the emergence of a loose anti-Western alliance - Israel now dubs it an 'axis of terror' - spanning the Middle East, presenting a new challenge to the US's regional ambitions."

Yahoo News - Huge Quake Rattles Russian Hinterlands
AP reports, "A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit a distant, sparsely populated region of Russia's Far East on Friday, and there were reports in at least one coastal village of minor injuries and damaged buildings - including schools and a hospital." [Quakes, Matthew 24:7]

Yahoo News - Bush won't rule out nuclear strike on Iran
Reuters reports, "President Bush refused on Tuesday to rule out nuclear strikes against Iran if diplomacy fails to curb the Islamic Republic's atomic ambitions." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

MyWayNews - Palestinians: Tel Aviv Bombing Justified
AP reports, "A Palestinian suicide bomber struck a packed fast-food restaurant during Passover on Monday, killing nine other people and wounding dozens in the deadliest attack in more than a year."

Yahoo News - Pilgrims Retrace Jesus' Route in Jerusalem
AP reports, "Thousands of Christian pilgrims filled the narrow streets of Jerusalem's Old City on Good Friday, retracing the route that Jesus followed on the way to his crucifixion. [...] worshippers from India, the Philippines, Germany, Spain, Indonesia, France, Switzerland, Italy, and many other countries paused to pray and sing at each of the 14 stations of the cross." [Gospel Preached to All Nations, Matthew 24:14]

Yahoo News - Iran President Again Lashes Out at Israel
AP reports, "The president of Iran again lashed out at Israel on Friday and said it was `heading toward annihilation,' just days after Tehran raised fears about its nuclear activities by saying it successfully enriched uranium for the first time." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Persia/Iran, Ezekiel 38:5]

SpaceWar - Weaponization Of Space Will Have Unpredictable Consequences
RIA reports, "The United States has promised to make public in the next few months its new space doctrine, which allows for the deployment of weapons in outer space. Colonel Anthony Russo, chief of the U.S. Strategic Command's space and global strike division, said the time was ripe for clearly stipulating the Pentagon's responsibility for the security of the national space group." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6]

Yahoo News - NASA to Crash Space Probe Into Moon
AP reports, "NASA plans to crash a space probe into the moon in 2009 - a collision so violent it will be visible on Earth through a telescope, the space agency said Monday." [Signs in the Moon, Luke 21:25]

Yahoo News - US considers use of nuclear weapons against Iran
AFP reports, "The administration of President George W. Bush is planning a massive bombing campaign against Iran, including use of bunker-buster nuclear bombs to destroy a key Iranian suspected nuclear weapons facility, The New Yorker magazine has reported in its April 17 issue. [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Iran/Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]

Daily Telegraph (UK) - Iran has missiles to carry nuclear warheads: "Detailed analysis of recent test firings of the Shahab-3 ballistic missile by military experts has concluded that Iran has been able to modify the nose cone to carry a basic nuclear bomb. The discovery will intensify international pressure on Teheran to provide a comprehensive breakdown of its nuclear research programme." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Iran/Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]

Yahoo News - Hamas seeks talks to clarify two-state solution
Reuters reports, "Hamas is prepared to discuss the concept of a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict that would recognize Israel's right to exist, the Palestinian foreign minister said in comments published on Friday. Mahmoud al-Zahar, who is also a senior Hamas leader, said he wanted clarification on the two-state proposal from the "Quartet" of Middle East mediators -- the United Nations, the United States, European Union and Russia." [Covenant With Many, Daniel 9:27]

Yahoo News - When atheist Hu meets proudly religious Bush
Reuters reports, "Days before a summit between presidents Hu Jintao and George W. Bush in Beijing last November, China jailed a Protestant minister for illegally printing Bibles, ignoring U.S. concerns." [Believers Persecuted, Matthew 24:8]

Yahoo News - PayPal Offers Text Message Payment
AP reports, "Customers of the PayPal online payment service can now use their cell phones to instantly send money, buy items or donate to charities [...] Every customer is assigned an identification number needed for each order." [Mark of the Beast/Commerce Tech, Rev 13:16-18]

The usual disclaimer applies, this is not the mark, don't be afraid of PayPal, we are just watching the trends. I feel like I need to say this, you would be would amazed at some of the e-mails I get on this subject from people afraid of commerce tech. I don't want to inspire fear, just watchfulness.

My Way News - Egypt Reports 9th Human Case of Bird Flu
AP reports, "An Egyptian toddler has been infected with the virulent strain of bird flu, bringing the number of human cases in the country to nine, the Health Ministry said Wednesday." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

My Way News - Iran Test-Fires 'Top Secret' Missile
AP reports, "Iran said Wednesday it has successfully test-fired a 'top secret' missile, the third in a week, state-run television reported."

My Way News - Some Say Iran's Weapons Come From Russia
AP reports, "Iran has unveiled with great fanfare a series of what it portrays as sophisticated, homegrown weapons - flying boats and missiles invisible to radar, torpedoes too fast to elude. But experts said Tuesday it appears much of the technology came from Russia and questioned Iran's claims about the weapons' capabilities."

Yahoo News - U.N. Notes Quick Spread of Bird Flu
AP reports, "The deadly bird flu virus has spread at lightning speed over the past three months, infecting birds in 30 new countries - double the number previously stricken since 2003, the U.N.'s bird flu point man said Tuesday." [Pestilence, Luke 21:11]

My Way News - Iran Tests Second New Torpedo in Gulf
AP reports, "Iran successfully tested its second new torpedo in as many days Monday, the latest weapon to be unveiled during war games in the Gulf that the military said are aimed at preparing the country's defenses against the United States."

My Way News - Iran Quake Survivors Fear New Temblor
AP reports, "Italy and Russia sent planeloads of tents, blankets and other supplies Saturday to help 21,000 Iranian families left homeless by three strong earthquakes that hit in quick succession, killing 70 people." [Quakes, Matthew 24:6]

Yahoo News - Iran Test-Fires Missile Able to Duck Radar
AP reports, "Iran's military said Friday it successfully test-fired a missile not detectable by radar that can use multiple warheads to hit several targets simultaneously, a development that raised concerns in the United States and Israel." [Rumors of War, Matthew 24:6; Iran/Persia, Ezekiel 38:5]