My Way News - Christians Fear Attacks by Indian Hindus
AP reports: "Hundreds of Christians, fearing more clashes with Hindu nationalists, fled to government-run relief camps where authorities on Saturday were providing them with food, medicine and security. [...] Since Monday, Hindu nationalists have ransacked and burned about 19 churches, according to officials who say Christians burned down several Hindu homes in apparent retaliation."

My Way News - Chance of Asteroid Hit on Mars Increases
AP reports: "The chance of a football field-sized asteroid plowing into Mars next month has been increased to 4 percent, scientists said Friday after analyzing archival data."

My Way News - 2007 a Year of Weather Records in U.S.
AP reports: "When the calendar turned to 2007, the heat went on and the weather just got weirder. January was the warmest first month on record worldwide - 1.53 degrees above normal. It was the first time since record-keeping began in 1880 that the globe's average temperature has been so far above the norm for any month of the year."

Russian plane crosses into Finnish airspace: Finland - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Finland's border guard is investigating why a Russian aircraft crossed into Finnish airspace on Wednesday, the second such incident this year, Finland's defense ministry said."

My Way News - New Jersey Targets HIV Transmissions
AP reports: "HIV testing will soon become part of routine prenatal care and be required for some newborns in New Jersey under a new law that supporters say is putting the state in the forefront of the national fight against HIV transmission to babies."

My Way News - Bin Laden Issues Warning on Iraq, Israel
AP reports: "Osama bin Laden warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against fighting al-Qaida and vowed to expand the terror group's holy war to Israel in a new audiotape Saturday, threatening 'blood for blood, destruction for destruction.' [...] 'We intend to liberate Palestine, the whole of Palestine from the (Jordan) river to the sea,' he said, threatening 'blood for blood, destruction for destruction.' "

Labels
I just added the list of labels (Blogger calls them labels, they also known as tags or categories) to the sidebar so it will be easier to browse the blog.

My Way News - Israelis, Palestinians Try for Peace
AP reports: "Israeli and Palestinian leaders both say they hope to sign a peace deal by the end of 2008. On Nov. 27, the two sides got together in Annapolis, Md., in the presence of some 45 nations to relaunch peace talks that had been stalled during the past seven years of Israeli-Palestinian violence."

My Way News - Analysis: Bhutto's Death Shakes Pakistan
AP reports: "Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's assassination deals a stunning blow to liberal political forces in Pakistan and gathering unrest by her supporters risks tipping the volatile country into chaos."

Comment: I received an e-mail from Joel Rosenberg's Flash Traffic listserv explaining why the Bhutto assassination is important:

Pakistan and her nuclear weapons are in danger of falling into the hands of Islamic radicals. Such radicals have attempted to assassinate Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf multiple times in the last few years, hoping to seize control of the government and impose sharia law. Today's attack is a sobering reminder that Pakistan is just one coup d'etat away from Osama bin Laden or one of his fanatical, murderous allies suddenly gaining control. It is difficult to imagine a more nightmarish scenario than al-Qaeda in possession of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, but this is not an impossibility.

I would also note that Pakistan, as one of the most powerful countries (by virtue of nuclear weapons and large standing army) to the east of Israel qualifies as one of the Kings of the East that we should be watching closely. In particular, we should monitor: the strength of Islamic radicals in Pakistan; the orientation of that country towards the West in general and Israel in particular; and finally, emerging political, commercial, and military ties to countries surrounding Israel.

My Way News - Iran to Get Russian Anti-Missile Defense
AP reports: "Russia is preparing to equip Iran with a powerful new air defense system that would dramatically increase its ability to repel an attack, Iran's defense minister said Wednesday. [...] Russia has provided Iran with Kilo-Class submarines, MIG and Sukhoi military planes and bombers in recent decades. Iran-Russia ties increased after a visit here by Russian President Vladimir Putin in October. "

My Way News - Earthquake Hits Turkey
AP reports: "An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 shook the Turkish capital early Thursday, rattling furniture and rousing residents from their sleep, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of injuries."

My Way News - Iranian Jews Arrive in Israel
AP reports: "Greeted by joyous relatives and a crowd of reporters, about 40 Iranian Jews landed in Israel on Tuesday, leaving behind their lives in the Islamic Republic for new homes in the Jewish state."

My Way News - Russia Successfully Tests New ICBM

AP reports: "Russia's military on Tuesday successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads - a weapon intended to replace aging Soviet-era missiles. [...] President Vladimir Putin has used windfall oil revenues to modernize Russia's military arsenals amid increasing tensions with the West. "

My Way News - Hindus, Christians Clash in India
AP reports: "Hindu extremists torched nearly a dozen churches and the home of a Christian leader Thursday, defying a curfew imposed to quell three days of religious violence in eastern India. Christians retaliated by setting fire to several homes belonging to Hindus."

My Way News - Pakistan's Bhutto Killed in Attack
AP reports: "The murder of Bhutto, one of Pakistan's most famous and enduring politicians, sparked violence that killed at least nine people and plunged efforts to restore democracy to this nuclear-armed U.S. ally into turmoil."

Merry Christmas
I wish you all a very blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

My Way News - Asteroid May Hit Mars in Next Month
AP reports: "Mars could be in for an asteroid hit. A newly discovered hunk of space rock has a 1 in 75 chance of slamming into the Red Planet on Jan. 30, scientists said Thursday."

My Way News - Father Sentenced for Online Sex Abuse
AP reports: "A Canadian man who sexually abused his 4-year-old daughter live on the Internet so another man could watch was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison."

My Way News - Strong Quake Rattles North New Zealand
AP reports: "A strong earthquake struck New Zealand on Thursday night, collapsing at least three older buildings in one coastal city on North Island, sparking small fires and forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency there."

My Way News - Israel Looking at Hamas Truce Idea
AP reports: "Israel is examining a Hamas truce proposal delivered by Egypt, defense officials said Thursday after at least six Palestinians were killed in a day of Israeli air and ground strikes aimed at stopping rocket salvos from Gaza."

My Way News - EU Expands Border-Free Zone Farther East
AP reports: "Border controls along the old Iron Curtain from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic cease to exist from midnight Thursday as most of the European Union's former communist new members join the bloc's passport-free travel zone."

My Way News - Earthquake Shakes Turkish Capital
AP reports: "A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 shook the capital of Ankara on Thursday, a Turkish seismology center said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but the quake brought down a minaret of a village mosque."

Jet From Supermassive Black Hole Seen Blasting Neighboring Galaxy - washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post reports: "A jet of highly charged radiation from a supermassive black hole at the center of a distant galaxy is blasting another galaxy nearby -- an act of galactic violence that astronomers said yesterday they have never seen before."

My Way News - Bush to Make His First Trip to Jerusalem

AP reports: "President Bush will make his first trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank next month to push Israel and the Palestinians toward peace and try to write his own chapter in the annals of Mideast diplomacy. On a nine-day trip beginning Jan. 8, Bush plans to stop in Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt."

My Way News - Bush Orders Cuts in Nuclear Stockpile
AP reports: "President Bush has approved 'a significant reduction' in the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, cutting it to less than one-quarter its size at the end of the Cold War, the White House said Tuesday. [...] there are believed to be nearly 6,000 warheads that either are deployed or in reserve."

My Way News - Turkish Army Sends Soldiers Into Iraq
AP reports: "Turkey sent hundreds of troops across the border into the frigid mountains of northern Iraq on Tuesday, claiming it inflicted heavy losses on Turkish Kurd rebels in the small-scale incursion and from air strikes two days earlier."

My Way News - Palestinian's Islamic Jihad at a Glance
AP provides this background on the Islamic Jihad Palestinian group:

- SIZE: About 15,000 armed militants in the Gaza Strip.

- WEAPONS: Assault rifles, heavy machine guns, explosives, land mines, homemade rockets, some Katyusha rockets.

- IDEOLOGY: Strict Islam, rejection of existence of Israel, refusal to compromise with Jewish state.

- TACTICS: Armed attacks against Israeli targets inside Israel, including suicide bombings and almost daily rocket barrages from Gaza. Unlike the Islamic militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, Islamic Jihad has no social wing and only limited political activity.

- ORGANIZATION: Gaza leadership takes instructions from exiled leaders based in Syria. Funding from Iran and Syria.

- HISTORY: Founded in 1979 by Fathi Shikaki as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Shikaki was killed in 1995 in Malta in attack widely attributed to Israel. Current Damascus-based leader is Ramadan Shalah.

One thing they omit, the GOAL of the group: destruction of the state of Israel.

My Way News - Israel Pledges More Airstrikes in Gaza
AP reports: "Israel will keep striking the leaders of groups that launch rockets from the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged Tuesday after an hours-long aerial assault killed 12 militants including the commander of the extremist group Islamic Jihad."

My Way News - Iran Receives Russian Nuclear Fuel
AP reports: "Iran received its first nuclear fuel from Russia on Monday, paving the way for the startup of its reactor in 2008. Both the U.S. and Russia said that with the shipment, the Iranians would no longer have any reason to produce enriched uranium that could be used to build a nuclear weapon."

My Way News - Hamas-Run Gaza Will See Little of Aid
AP reports: "Hamas has successfully derailed past peace efforts with attacks on Israel. A barrage of rocket attacks could provoke the Israeli military into invading Gaza. [...] Hamas has rejected repeated demands that it recognize Israel and renounce violence in exchange for international acceptance."

My Way News - Palestinians Raise $7.4 Billion
AP reports: "Led by Europe, international donors on Monday pledged $7.4 billion over three years to help Palestinians as new peace talks begin with Israel, yet old Mideast fights over disputed land and freedom of movement shadowed the largest show of support for the Palestinians in more than a decade."

My Way News - 5 Killed in Gaza Airstrikes
AP reports: "Israeli airstrikes blasted two cars in Gaza Monday night, killing five Islamic Jihad militants, including a senior commander and a master rocket maker."

My Way News - Putin Seeks Prime Minister's Post
AP reports: "Vladimir Putin assured his political party Monday that Russia's age of Putin is far from over, pledging to accept an offer of the prime minister's post when he leaves the presidency next year."

My Way News - NY Couple Convicted in Slavery Case
AP reports: "A jury on Monday convicted a millionaire couple of enslaving two Indonesian women they brought to their mansion to work as housekeepers."

My Way News - Bali Climate Talks Reach Agreement
AP reports: "World leaders overcame bitter divisions Saturday and agreed to reach a new deal on fighting global warming by 2009, turning a corner in mankind's race to stave off environmental disaster caused by rising temperatures."

My Way News - Bird Flu Flares Again in Asia
AP reports: "Bird flu has resurfaced in parts of Asia, with human deaths reported in Indonesia and China and fresh outbreaks plaguing other countries during the winter months when the virus typically flares."

My Way News - Assad Says Alliance With Iran Unshakable
AP reports: "President Bashar Assad rejected claims that Syria's alliance with Iran had been weakened by Damascus' participation in last month's U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference, insisting Thursday that ties between the two countries will never be shaken."

My Way News - EU Leaders Sign Bloc's New Treaty

AP reports: "European Union leaders signed a new treaty on Thursday that would give the 27-nation bloc a long-term president and streamline its decision-making process. [...] The so-called Lisbon Treaty, said by leaders to be a milestone in the history of the post-World War II bloc, will come into force after it is ratified by all member states. The aim is to complete that process by 2009."

My Way News - Russia's Putin in Belarus for Talks
AP reports: "Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Belarus' leader late Thursday, starting a visit that was closely watched for signs the two ex-Soviet neighbors were advancing toward a merger."

My Way News - At Least 17 Dead in Somali Unrest
AP reports: "A radical Islamic group that was driven from power a year ago by a Western-supported offensive is making a significant comeback in Somalia, and the government can do little to stop it, officials said Thursday, as shelling and gunbattles in the capital killed at least 17 people."

ISN Security Watch - Eurasian groupings seek closer security ties
ISN reports: "The Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have pledged to boost their partnership in an apparent bid to keep western forces out of Central Eurasia."

My Way News - A Rocky Start for Mideast Peace Talks

AP reports: "A Palestinian rocket barrage, an Israeli army incursion in Gaza and a fresh land dispute in Jerusalem marred the first Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years Wednesday."

My Way News - Car Bomb Kills Lebanese General
AP reports: "A powerful car bombing Wednesday killed the likely next head of the army in the first such assassination targeting Lebanon's military, seen by many Lebanese as the only institution keeping the divided nation from breaking apart."

My Way News - Putin Goes to Belarus for Talks on Union
AP reports: "If the two countries can agree, it would mark the first merger of a former Soviet state with Russia since the Soviet Union split apart in 1991 - a step that would make many Russians proud."

US sees Iran threat despite warm words
AFP reports: "The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) -- the consensus of all 16 US spy agencies -- said Iran halted a nuclear weapons programme in 2003 and US allegations about Iran's atomic goals had been overblown for at least two years, though it also said the Islamic republic could have the capability to make a nuclear weapon by 2015."

US 'deeply regrets' Russia's 'wrong' decision on CFE - Space War
AFP reports: "The United States said Wednesday it 'deeply regrets' that Russia has suspended a key Soviet-era arms pact and urges Moscow to reverse course. [...] Russia's foreign ministry announced that participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty was suspended from midnight in Moscow (2100 GMT Tuesday)."

My Way News - al-Qaida Claims Bloody Algiers Bombings
AP reports: "Two truck bombs set off in quick succession sheared off the fronts of U.N. offices and a government building in Algeria's capital Tuesday, killing at least 26 people and wounding nearly 200 in an attack claimed by an affiliate of al-Qaida."

Comment: And who says we don't need a new Africa Command?

My Way News - Medvedev: Putin Should Be Prime Minister

AP reports: "The day after President Vladimir Putin threw his colossal political weight behind a loyal aide in the 2008 presidential race, the aide returned the favor Tuesday, urging Putin to accept the post of prime minister."

Comment: Nice move, at last we can see exactly how Putin will retain power. So, Putin stays in power, in some fashion or another, and continues to chart an independent course for Russia, and most importantly for our concerns, increases Russian influence in the Middle East. Next, expect him to leverage his Quartet membership to host the next major Mideast Peace Conference in Moscow next year with the aim of shielding Iran from intrusive nuclear inspections and bolstering ally (and former Soviet client state) Syria.

My Way News - Israel's Gaza Thrust Clouds Peace Talks
AP reports: "Since the Hamas takeover in Gaza, Israel has carried out frequent airstrikes and ground incursions in response to near daily Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli border communities. Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group and holds it responsible for all attacks launched from Gaza."

Comment: I highlighted the paragraph above because it gets to the heart of the matter, but you really have to read the actual report to get to it. If you merely read the headline, or even the first few paragraphs of the report, you would think that Israel has recklessly damaged peace efforts instead of defensively responding to attacks. The spin demonstrated in the headline is actually the Palestinian spin on the Israeli incursion, and apparently the AP editor and/or writer is seeking to make that spin color the rest of the report. Sometimes the anti-Israel bias is just so blatant, the attitude appears to be, "Oh, those Israelis, there they go again, defending themselves, so very reckless of them."

My Way News - 6 Shot After Leaving Vegas School Bus
AP reports: "Assailants shot six young people Tuesday at a school bus stop, wounding two critically, in a midday attack that followed a fight over a high school girl, authorities said."

My Way News - Gunman May Have Warned of 2nd Attack
AP reports: "In between his two deadly shooting sprees, church gunman Matthew Murray apparently posted furious threats on the Internet to kill Christians."

My Way News - Ominous Arctic Melt Worries Experts
AP reports: "An already relentless melting of the Arctic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point. One even speculated that summer sea ice would be gone in five years."

My Way News - Olmert Promises 'Serious' Peace Effort
AP reports: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised Monday to 'forge a historic path' toward a final settlement with the Palestinians at this week's first peace talks in nearly seven years."

Seven years, huh? Interesting period of time, it could also make for nice bookends to a start date and end date for the entire process?

Moscow pushing for follow-up Mideast peace summit in April - Haaretz
Israel News reports: "The United States supports the holding of a second peace conference in Moscow that would address Israel's conflicts with Syria and Lebanon as well as the Palestinian issue, according to information obtained by the Foreign Ministry from Russian sources in recent days. "

My Way News - Germany Seeking to Ban Scientology
AP reports: "Germany's top security officials said Friday they consider the goals of Church of Scientology to be in conflict with the principles of the nation's constitution and will seek to ban the organization."

My Way News - Russia Ignores Call for Iran Sanctions

AP reports: "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday the United States would continue along a two-track strategy to deal with Iran, pressing for new sanctions and demanding Tehran come clean about its nuclear program while offering talks to sweeten the deal. But Russia ignored her calls to punish Iran."

My Way News - UN Says 31 Killed in Myanmar Crackdown
AP reports: "Myanmar's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters killed more than twice as many people as the junta has acknowledged, a U.N. investigator said Friday, citing at least 31 dead."

My Way News - Suburban Sex Parties Draw Complaints
AP reports: "The most popular address on Cedar Ridge Drive is Jim Trulock's split-level home, which has a group sex room and attracts as many as 100 people to swinger parties featuring 'Naked Twister' nights."

My Way News - WHO Says Victim's Dad Also Has Bird Flu
AP reports: "The father of a Chinese man who died of bird flu has also been infected with the H5N1 virus that causes the disease, the World Health Organization reported Friday, saying it could not rule out the possibility of human-to-human infection."

Biometric security gains importance in increasingly online world - Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News reports: "Biometrics, the technology of using unique physiological or behavioral characteristics to identify a person, will take on greater importance in the consumer world to protect against identity theft. But first, businesses must overcome the reluctance they have with the technology."

Famine in Africa
It's taken a few years to recalibrate policy, but the World Bank has finally realized that their famine relief policies had actually been contributing to famine in Africa. The little country of Malawi is a test case (Ending Famine, Simply by Ignoring the Experts - New York Times):

But this year, a nation that has perennially extended a begging bowl to the world is instead feeding its hungry neighbors. It is selling more corn to the World Food Program of the United Nations than any other country in southern Africa and is exporting hundreds of thousands of tons of corn to Zimbabwe.

It's nice to see some good news on the famine front.

Syria blocks access to Facebook - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "Syrian authorities have blocked Facebook, the popular Internet hangout, over what seems to be fears of Israeli 'infiltration' of Syrian social networks on the Net, according to residents and media reports."

My Way News - Encephalitis Strain Kills 484 India Kids

AP reports: "An outbreak of a mystery strain of encephalitis has killed nearly 500 children in northern India this year and seems to be getting worse, doctors said Thursday. Doctors in Uttar Pradesh state, the center of the outbreak, have been unable to identify the strain of the disease, which has affected only children, killing 484 of them since the beginning of the year, said state Health Minister Anant Kumar Mishra."

My Way News - Abbas Rejects Provisional State
AP reports: "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he has rejected the concept of a provisional Palestinian state out of concern that the temporary borders of such an entity would become permanent."

My Way News - Diplomats: No Russian Buildup on Border
AP reports: "Russia will not expand its armed forces on its western border as long as NATO refrains from a military buildup, Russian diplomats and lawmakers said Thursday."

My Way News - Putin to Discuss Union With Belarus
AP reports: "President Vladimir Putin and other top Russia and Belarus officials will consider next week a proposed framework for the long-debated merger of the two countries into a single state, officials said Thursday."

My Way News - Man Jailed for Not Taking TB Medication
AP reports: "A man was jailed for failing to take his tuberculosis medication after officials said he was a serious health risk."

My Way News - Mall Gunman Called Quiet and Depressed
AP reports: "But police said it was Hawkins who went into an Omaha shopping mall on Wednesday and began a shooting rampage that killed eight people. It ended when he turned his high-powered rifle on himself. The rampage was as troubling as it was puzzling for those who knew him."

My Way News - Israel Feels Alone After Report on Iran
AP reports: "With the U.S. now less likely to take military action, an increasingly nervous Israel might feel compelled to strike out on its own if it perceives a dangerous threat."

My Way News - Gmail Links to AOL Instant Messaging
AP reports: "Fulfilling a pledge made two years ago, Google Inc. (GOOG) this week unveiled a feature that enables people to chat on AOL's instant messaging service through 'Gmail' - the popular search company's free e-mail service."

My Way News - Scientists Beg for Climate Action
AP reports: "For the first time, more than 200 of the world's leading climate scientists, losing their patience, urged government leaders to take radical action to slow global warming because 'there is no time to lose.'"

My Way News - Global Warming Wreaks Havoc With Nature
AP reports: "While humans debate at U.N. climate change talks in Bali, global warming is already wreaking havoc with nature. Most plants and animals are affected, and the change is occurring too quickly for them to evolve."

My Way News - Bush to Travel to Mideast

AP reports: "President Bush will visit the Mideast in early January as he presses the Israelis and Palestinians to resume long-stalled peace talks and forge an elusive agreement for an independent Palestinian homeland."

My Way News - Questions Surround TV Preacher Inquiry
AP reports: "All the ministries preach a form of Word of Faith theology, known as prosperity gospel, which effectively teaches that God wants believers to be rich."

Comment: I've filed this post under the False Christs and Persecution labels because it's arguably an example of both. It's persecution because the government should not be singling out certain religions for special treatment. Why are the politicians only going after Christians? Are there no suspect Buddhist, Islamic or Jewish groups that may fall under the purview of this Senate investigation?

I've also filed the post under the False Christs label because these ministries are preaching a false image of Jesus. The Bible teaches two important things about wealth: wealth is a gift from God that should be used with wisdom to help others, as a good steward would use the property entrusted to him by his master, it is not for hoarding or for self-aggrandizement; and, wealth is a spiritual snare that can trap you and cause you to become too concerned with the things of this world and distract you from thinking about more spiritual matters. Wealth is a tool, it can be used for good or ill, but the lust for wealth and the love of money is always evil, and these prosperity theology teachers tap into that lust for wealth to sell their religious product.

Does Jesus want you to be rich? Let's use the word of God (Matthew 19:24, NIV) to answer that question:

24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

And don't forget Matthew 6:24 (NIV) which is equally as clear:

24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

There are many other scripture passages I could quote, but I think the point is made, tapping into the human desire for wealth in order to preach the Gospel is a duplicitous move on the part of these ministries, they should know better, and when they don't disavow prosperity theology and warn their followers of the spiritual dangers of wealth then that is a tacit acknowledgment that they are bent more on enriching themselves rather than the Kingdom of Heaven.

My Way News - Rice Concerned About Volatile Africa
AP reports: "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday expressed growing unease about the deteriorating security and faltering peace deals in a number of African countries as she headed to the continent for regional talks."

My Way News - Bethlehem Santa Gives Joy in Cool Shades
AP reports: "Hana Rishmawi said his business has grown a little every year, a small miracle considering that Christians are a diminishing minority - just 2 percent of the West Bank's 2.4 million residents. Economic hardship and growing Muslim fervor have fueled the Christian exodus."

Comment: Interesting way to put it, perhaps "Muslim fervor" is a bit of euphemism? I think the Palestinians want the holiday tourists, they just don't want any actual Christians living there.

My Way News - Europeans Relieved at US Report on Iran
AP reports: "Europeans say the U.S. U-turn strengthens their argument for negotiations with Tehran. But they also said that sanctions are still an option to compel Iran to be fully transparent about its nuclear program."

My Way News - Jewish Festival of Lights Begins
AP reports: "Hanukkah, which features presents, jelly-filled doughnuts and potato pancakes, commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 B.C. after its desecration by the Syrian Greeks."

My Way News - US: Iran Halted Weapons Program in 2003
AP reports: "A new U.S. intelligence report concludes that Iran's nuclear weapons development program has been halted since the fall of 2003 because of international pressure - a stark contrast to the conclusions U.S. spy agencies drew just two years ago."

My Way News - What Role Will Putin Play After Vote?
AP reports: "Vladimir Putin claimed Monday that parliamentary elections handed him the mandate he sought to remain Russia's leader after his presidency ends next spring. But he needs to decide quickly how to use that mandate or risk seeing his influence erode."

My Way News - Facebook Gets $60M From Asia Billionaire
AP reports: "Facebook Inc. has raised $60 million from Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, adding to the list of financial heavyweights backing the online hangout's rapid growth."

My Way News - Tsunami Warning Map for 3 Areas Finished
AP reports: "Elevation models of the coastal areas of three East Coast communities have been completed in the government's effort to determine the areas at risk from giant waves called tsunamis."

My Way News - Indonesia Rattled by Strong Quake

AP reports: "A powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia on Saturday, geological agencies said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and was centered 65 miles from Sibolga, a city on Sumatra island, the U.S. Geological Survey."

My Way News - US, Japan Eye China After Ships Barred
AP reports: "But both Tokyo and Washington are deeply concerned about recent Chinese military activities, particularly its rapid improvements in missile technology, the modernization of its huge standing army and the expanding reach of its navy."

My Way News - Israeli Strike Kills 4 Militants in Gaza
AP reports: "An Israeli airstrike killed four Palestinian militants early Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian witnesses and officials said. [...] Israel carries out regular military operations in Gaza, targeting militants launching near-daily rocket barrages into Israel."

My Way News - US Withdraws Mideast Resolution at UN
AP reports: "In an about face, the United States on Friday withdrew a U.N. resolution endorsing this week's agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to reach a Mideast peace settlement by the end of 2008, apparently after Israel objected."

My Way News - Christian Cleric Freed in Turkey
AP reports: "A Christian cleric who was abducted earlier this week in southeast Turkey was freed Friday, a friend and an official said."

My Way News - Turkey: Military Ready to Move on Rebels
AP reports: "Turkey's prime minister said Friday the government had granted authorization to the military to launch a cross-border operation against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq at any time."

My Way News - EU-Iranian Talks Break Up; No Compromise
AP reports: "An 18-month attempt to persuade Iran to halt uranium enrichment collapsed Friday after a senior EU envoy failed to dent Iran's resolve to expand the technology, despite the threat of new U.N. sanctions."

My Way News - New Subtype of Ebola Suspected in Uganda
AP reports: "A new form of the deadly Ebola virus has been detected in an outbreak in western Uganda that has so far killed 16 people, the World Health Organization said Friday."

My Way News - Reporter Gets Circumcised to Fight AIDS
AP reports: "A study published in the Lancet medical journal in February concluded that the findings of three major trials - in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda - show that circumcision can significantly reduce men's chances of contracting the virus that causes AIDS."

WorldNetDaily: Israeli leader lying about Temple Mount?
WND reports: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's statements yesterday that Israel's sovereignty over the Temple Mount is not up for negotiation are 'false,' according to a chief Palestinian negotiator who told WND the Israeli leader already agreed to forfeit Judaism's holiest site to a coalition of Arab countries."

My Way News - Israel Marks Historic UN Vote
AP reports: "It was one of the most dramatic moments in the modern history of the Middle East - the world's nations voting one by one in the U.N. General Assembly to partition the Holy Land into separate Jewish and Arab states."

Comment: This is a great overview of this historic event. In reading it, I can't help notice how the Arabs never wanted a state with Israel, they wanted a state without Israel, even in the 1940s. They could have had the two-state solution at the start, but they chose the path to war. Anyway, I digress, what I really wanted to note was the how momentous this event was, the creation of a new country in one day, and yet this event was foretold thousand of years before by the prophet Isaiah (66:7-9, NIV):

7 "Before she goes into labor,
she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
she delivers a son.

8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.

9 Do I bring to the moment of birth
and not give delivery?" says the LORD.
"Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?" says your God.

And don't forget Ezekiel 11:17 (New International Version):

17 "Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.'

The rebirth of the state of Israel is one of the greatest fulfillments of Bible prophecy the world has ever witnessed. And, of course, the God of Israel is not finished, you haven't seen anything yet. Stay tuned as prophecy continues to unfold.

My Way News - Bin Laden: Europeans Should End US Help
AP reports: "Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden called on Europeans to stop helping the United States in the war in Afghanistan, according to excerpts of a new audiotape broadcast Thursday on Al-Jazeera television."

My Way News - Signs of US-Syria Thaw After Summit
AP reports: "Syria left a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference without a specific promise from Israel to restart stalled talks but with signs the Bush administration is softening its diplomatic hard line against an Arab state that has played a role in past peace efforts."

My Way News - Israeli Says Elusive Biblical Wall Found
AP reports: "A wall mentioned in the Bible's Book of Nehemiah and long sought by archaeologists apparently has been found, an Israeli archaeologist says."

My Way News - Olmert: Palestinian State Key for Israel
AP reports: "In unusually frank comments, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned in an interview published Thursday that 'the state of Israel is finished' if a Palestinian state is not created, saying the alternative was a South African-style apartheid struggle."

My Way News - Report: Sex Main Cause of HIV in China
AP reports: "Sex has overtaken drug use as the main cause of HIV infections in China, leading to worries the disease may spread outside of high-risk groups into the general population, according to experts and a report released Thursday."

My Way News - Powerful Earthquake Hits Caribbean
AP reports: "A powerful earthquake rocked the eastern Caribbean on Thursday, damaging buildings and panicking residents, some of whom were hurt when they jumped from windows."

My Way News - Arabs Call for US Hand in Peace Talks
AP reports: "In a sign of Iran's anger over the Mideast peace conference, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad scolded Arab nations - implicitly including Iran's ally Syria - that they had made a mistake by attending. He said Israel was doomed to 'collapse' and 'will not survive.'"

My Way News - Iran Says It Has Sonar-Evading Submarine
AP reports: "Iran claimed Wednesday to have built a small submarine equipped with sonar-evading technology, saying the craft had been launched in the Persian Gulf."

My Way News - Vatican: Palestinians Should Return Home
AP reports: "A Vatican official said Wednesday that Palestinian refugees have the right to return to their homeland and he hoped Israeli-Palestinian peace talks would address the issue."

Comment: Sad, but predictable. Do you think that maybe Palestinians should live in the new Palestinian state, whenever that is created? Otherwise, what's the point? Isn't it odd that otherwise rational people think it's fine to ask Israel (instead of Egypt or Jordan) to give up territory so the Palestinians can have a state and then ask them to also let more Palestinians live inside Israel? Anyway, I do hope someone corrects the Vatican official, Israel is not the Palestinian homeland. Perhaps the Vatican isn't familiar with that whole Promised Land part of the Bible?

My Way News - Fever Outbreak Linked to Climate Change
AP reports: "An outbreak in Europe of an obscure disease from Africa is raising concerns that globalization and climate change are combining to pose a health threat to the West."

My Way News - Rights Group: China Political Arrests Up
AP reports: "The number of people arrested in China on charges of endangering national security more than doubled last year, a rights lobbying group reported Wednesday in a finding that underscores the communist government's sustained clampdown on dissent."

My Way News - Jerusalem, Refugees Hinder Mideast Peace
AP reports: "If Israelis and Palestinians have any hope of achieving their stated goal of signing a final peace treaty within a year, they may have to slice Jerusalem in half with a wall, come up with $85 billion for Palestinian refugees and figure out how to wrest control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas."

My Way News - Analysis: Tough Mideast Bargaining Ahead

AP reports: "After months of frantic diplomacy, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared before a conference of some 50 countries and international agencies that they were intent on achieving what has eluded their predecessors for decades: bringing peace to peoples with clashing dreams and conflicting claims to the Holy Land. They set themselves an ambitious deadline - December 2008, before President Bush's term ends."

Comment: This peace conference is not the Covenant With Many of Daniel 9:27, it's simply another in a long line of failed peace bids, yet it's still important because it has expanded the scope of the participants. As the report above notes, 50 countries and international groups were invited to participate in the conference. The quest for Mideast peace has moved far beyond the Israelis and Palestinians, and even beyond the Quartet, to embrace a much larger number of interested parties. So, even as we witness the spectacle of President Bush calling a conference together to issue a statement agreeing to talk about talking about Mideast peace in the future, we can at least find something of prophetic significance to the proceedings. This may not be the covenant, but at least we have defined the many.

My Way News - Saudi Urges Broader Talks
AP reports: "Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Tuesday urged delegates at a U.S.-sponsored peace gathering to work toward a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement by reviving stalled peace talks between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Syria and Lebanon, as early as possible."

My Way News - Iran Claims Another Long-Range Missile
AP reports: "Iran's military said Tuesday it has manufactured a new missile with a range of 1,200 miles capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases across the Mideast, the official news agency IRNA reported."

My Way News - Youths Riot for 3rd Night Outside Paris
AP reports: "Youths rampaged for a third night in the tough suburbs north of Paris and violence spread to a southern city late Tuesday as police struggled to contain rioters who have burned cars and buildings and - in an ominous turn - shot at officers."

My Way News - Israelis, Palestinians Doubt Peace Talks
AP reports: "Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters chanted 'Death to America!' at a Gaza City rally and denounced the Annapolis conference as a sellout of Palestinian dreams. [...] Hamas, a radical Islamic group committed to Israel's destruction, seized control of the coastal territory after routing fighters loyal to Abbas' Fatah movement in June."

My Way News - Syria Defends Decision to Attend Summit
AP reports: "The U.S.-brokered Mideast peace conference Tuesday raised tensions between allies Syria and Iran. Damascus defended its participation, while Iran said it was surprised by Syria's decision and warned that Arab countries risk falling for an Israeli plot."

My Way News - Russian Workers Told Where, How to Vote
AP reports: "With the Kremlin determined to see a high turnout in Sunday's election, many Russians say they are being pressured to vote at work under the watchful eyes of their bosses or risk losing their jobs. [...] But Putin has turned the parliamentary elections into a plebiscite on his rule, and the Kremlin appears to be pushing for nothing short of a landslide."

My Way News - Hard-Liners Oppose Mideast Talks in US
AP reports: "Gaza's Hamas rulers have been staging daily demonstrations against the conference, restating their commitment to Israel's destruction and promising to reject any decisions that come out of Annapolis. The criticism has grown increasingly vitriolic, with one Hamas leader on Monday calling Abbas a 'traitor.'"

My Way News - Bush: Mideast Leaders Open to Compromise

AP reports: "President Bush stepped cautiously into the most direct Mideast peacemaking of his administration on Monday, meeting separately with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to explore whether peace is possible."

Do you think this is the Covenant with Many of Daniel 9:27? Please use the comments link to respond.

My Way News - Riots in Poor Paris Suburb Show Tension
AP reports: "Rampaging youths threw Molotov cocktails and fired buckshot at police in troubled neighborhoods outside Paris on Monday, the second night of violence after two teens were killed in a crash with a police patrol car. Officials said 38 officers were wounded."

My Way News - Undersea Cable to Link E. Africa, Europe
AP reports: "A consortium of companies planning an undersea cable linking eastern Africa with Europe on Monday won the funding it needed to start construction, a move organizers said will bring this part of the world affordable and reliable telecommunications for the first time."

My Way News - SKorea Confirms First Bird Flu Outbreak
AP reports: "South Korea's first bird flu outbreak in eight months forced the slaughter of thousands of ducks in the country's south Saturday, although the deadly H5N1 virus was not involved, the government said."

Another earthquake hits Israel - Israel Today
Israel Today reports: "Central Israel was shaken by a mild earthquake Friday night, the third temblor to hit the Jewish state in less than a week."

My Way News - US to Host Mideast Talks Next Week

AP reports: "The Bush administration said Tuesday it will inaugurate peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians next week, ending a seven-year lull, with a conference of leaders and diplomats the U.S. hopes will help shepherd a final Mideast settlement."

This will be my last post for a while, I'm off for the Thanksgiving holiday. See you next week, God willing.

My Way News - Olmert Hopes for Peace in 2008
AP reports: "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to Egypt on Tuesday to rally Arab support for next week's U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference, telling the leader of the largest Arab country that a peace deal with the Palestinians can be signed within a year."

My Way News - Stem Cell Breakthrough Defuses Debate
AP reports: "Scientists have created the equivalent of embryonic stem cells from ordinary skin cells, a breakthrough that could someday produce new treatments for disease without the explosive moral questions of embyro cloning"

My Way News - Blair Announces 4 Palestinian Projects
AP reports: "International Mideast envoy Tony Blair announced four economic projects Monday designed to create thousands of jobs for Palestinians and bolster peace efforts with Israel."

My Way News - Philippines Could Block New Asia Charter
AP reports: "The Philippines warned Monday it is unlikely to ratify a landmark Southeast Asian charter on financial, trade and environmental rules for its members unless Myanmar restores democracy."

My Way News - Israel, Palestinians Fail to Bridge Gaps
AP reports: "The Israeli and Palestinian leaders made little progress Monday in a last effort to narrow gaps ahead of next week's U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference, dimming hopes for a joint declaration of principles in time for the gathering."

My Way News - Ga. Boys Ages 8 and 9 Charged With Rape
AP reports: "Three boys, ages 8 and 9, were being held Monday in a detention center on charges of kidnapping and raping an 11-year-old girl near a suburban apartment complex, officials said."

Hundreds Pray to Transform Hollywood - Christianpost.com
Christianpost.com reports: "Hundreds hoping to redeem Hollywood asked God to change the hearts of entertainment leaders and celebrities like Britney Spears during a media prayer breakfast Friday morning. The crowd of over 700 Christians and media professionals convened starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills for the fourth annual National Media Prayer Breakfast."

My Way News - Analysis: Mideast Peace As Tough As Ever

AP reports: "Years of negotiations have already revealed the only workable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sizable majorities on both sides want peace and the cost of failure is clear: a victory for Hamas and its patron, Iran."

My Way News - Sudan Leader Says He'd Be Ready for War
AP reports: "Sudan's government does not want war but will be ready for one if forced to fight, President Omar al-Bashir warned Saturday during a show of support for a paramilitary force that once battled southern rebels."

My Way News - Chavez: US Attack on Iran Will Spike Oil
AP reports: "In his opening address of a rare OPEC summit, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned the United States on Saturday that oil prices would further surge if the U.S. contemplates an attack against his country or Iran."

My Way News - UN Panel Gives Dire Warming Forecast
AP reports: "Global warming is 'unequivocal' and carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere commits the world to an eventual rise in sea levels of up to 4.6 feet, the world's top climate experts warned Saturday in their most authoritative report to date."

My Way News - Full Moon Will Soon Overshadow Comet
AP reports: "If you haven't seen the mysteriously large comet prominent in the sky in recent weeks, better look soon, astronomers say. The erupting body and its expanding cosmic dust cloud will soon be overshadowed by a commonplace full moon."

My Way News - US Air Assault Targets Militants in Iraq
AP reports: "Hundreds of American and Iraqi troops backed by helicopters descended Friday on a remote desert area southwest of Baghdad to root out al-Qaida in Iraq and search for two U.S. soldiers missing after a deadly insurgent ambush six months ago."

My Way News - China to Quash Protests at Olympics
AP reports: "Chinese police will deal harshly with social or political demonstrations at the Beijing Olympics, a top security official said Friday."

My Way News - Cyclone in Bangladesh Kills 1,100
AP reports: "Military ships and helicopters joined in rescue and relief operations Saturday for survivors of a cyclone that savaged coastal Bangladesh, killing a reported 1,100 people in the deadliest such storm in more than a decade."

My Way News - Hamas Warns Abbas: No Peace Concessions
AP reports: "Thousands of Hamas loyalists protested outside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Gaza City home Friday, warning that violence would erupt if he makes concessions to Israel in a U.S.-sponsored peace conference."

My Way News - Climate Change Talks Reach Agreement
AP reports: "Delegates from more than 140 countries agreed Friday on a scientific 'instant guide' for policy makers, stating more forcefully than ever that climate change has begun and threatens to irreversibly alter the planet."

My Way News - Russian Doomsday Cult Holed Up in Forest
AP reports: "Doctors and rescuers were trying Friday to coax more than two dozen doomsday cult members into leaving their forest hideout near the Volga River, where they were awaiting the end of the world with the coming of spring. [...] Pyotr Kuznetsov, a self-declared prophet who established his True Russian Orthodox Church after he split with the official church, has not joined his followers."

My Way News - Small Quake Shakes Southern Calif.
AP reports: "A magnitude-3.4 earthquake has shaken part of California's central coast, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage."

Comet Holmes Bigger Than The Sun - Space Weather

SpaceWeather.com reports, "University of Hawaii astronomers have measured the diameter of Comet 17P/Holmes: 1.4 million kilometers. This makes the exploding comet bigger than the sun and now the largest object in the solar system. Not surprisingly, the comet is visible to the naked eye; with only a backyard telescope you can watch its gigantic debris cloud expand from night to night."

Don't worry about that "bigger than the Sun" statement, SpaceWeather notes that the sun remains the most massive object in the solar system. The astronomers measured Comet 17P/Holmes' atmosphere of dust and gas, which contains less mass than a typical asteroid, so the diameter of the dust cloud is big in size but not in mass. Still, Comet 17P/Holmes is a pretty spectacular celestial event.

My Way News - US General: Iran Sticking by Pledge
AP reports: "Iran seems to be honoring a commitment to stem the flow of deadly weapons into Iraq, contributing to a more than 50 percent drop in the number of roadside bombs that kill and maim American troops, a U.S. general said Thursday."

My Way News - Turkey Vs. Rebels: a Language of War
AP reports: "A common goal of Turkish war talk is to portray the rebel group as illegitimate and unrepresentative of the interests of Turkey's Kurdish minority, many of whom are tired of fighting that tore apart their communities until the 1999 capture of rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan."

My Way News - Powerful Quake on Peru-Ecuador Border
AP reports: "A powerful earthquake shook the border region of Ecuador and Peru late Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage."

My Way News - Abbas Calls for Hamas Overthrow in Gaza
AP reports: "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Thursday for the overthrow of Gaza's Hamas rulers, following the Islamic group's deadly crackdown on his loyalists in June."

My Way News - Cooling to Begin at Arctic Seed Bank
AP reports: "Refrigeration units on Friday begin cooling a new doomsday vault dug into an already frigid Arctic mountainside to protect the world's seeds in case of a global catastrophe."

My Way News - Powerful Cyclone Strikes Bangladesh
AP reports: "A powerful cyclone packing 150 mph winds slammed into Bangladesh on Thursday night, flattening homes, toppling trees and power poles, and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee for shelters in this low-lying nation."

My Way News - IAEA: Iran Not Open About Nuke Program
AP reports: "The International Atomic Energy Agency also said restrictions the Iranians put on U.N. inspectors two years ago mean it still cannot rule out that Iran has a secret weapons program, as suspected by Washington and its allies."

My Way News - Quake Kills 2, Damages Homes in Chile

AP reports: "A major earthquake crushed cars, damaged hundreds of houses and terrified people for hundreds of miles around Wednesday. Authorities reported at least two deaths and more than 100 injuries."

My Way News - Hamas to Curb Press, Gatherings in Gaza
AP reports: "The crackdown began toward the end of Monday's protest, when Hamas police fired on hundreds of people throwing stones. Eight civilians were killed and dozens wounded by gunfire."

Climate change to threaten a third of wildlife - Telegraph
The Telegraph reports: "Almost a third of the world's species will face extinction if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, a United Nations report will say this week."

My Way News - Russia May Supply Missiles to Belarus
AP reports: "A senior general warned Wednesday that Russia could send short-range missiles to Belarus as part of efforts to counter planned U.S. missile defense sites in Europe, Russian news reports said."

My Way News - Dozens of Taliban Killed in Airstrikes
AP reports: "U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces clashed with militants in southern Afghanistan and called in airstrikes that killed dozens of insurgents, a spokesman said Wednesday."

My Way News - Palestinians Ease Demands for Conference
AP reports: "In Tel Aviv, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki indicated how far the Palestinians have retreated from their original demand that the pre-conference document include concrete statements on all the 'core issues' - borders, Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees."

My Way News - Beijing Denies Ban on Bibles at Olympics
AP reports: "Beijing Olympic organizers angrily disputed allegations of religious intolerance Thursday, saying Bibles and other religious items for personal use will be welcome at next summer's games - except for the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement."

Rabbis warn Bush: Annapolis will bring destruction to US - Israel Jewish Scene, Ynetnews
Ynetnews reports: "A fringe group of prominent ultranationalist rabbis issued a harshly-worded letter to United States President George W. Bush earlier this week, warning him that the upcoming Annapolis peace conference would bring destruction upon America."

Exclusive: Rabbis Invited For Pre-Annapolis Temple Mount Talks - Arutz Sheva

INN reports: "Israel’s Chief Rabbis and the Chief Rabbi of Haifa have been invited to the White House for pre-Annapolis talks to explain the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount."

My Way News - Hope Grows for Mideast Peace

AP reports: "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Tuesday that the Annapolis conference would be during the last week of November, and that the Americans would 'issue the invitations in the coming days.' Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia said the conference would convene on Nov. 26, citing a date for the first time."

My Way News - Syria Denounces US Sanctions
AP reports: "Damascus on Tuesday denounced a U.S. decision to impose sanctions against two Syrian officials as a 'pathetic' move by an American administration struggling with a failed Mideast policy."

My Way News - Turkish Troops Poised on Iraq Border
AP reports: "Tens of thousands of Turkish troops were poised Tuesday on the border with Iraq awaiting the order to attack Kurdish fighters, and President Abdullah Gul said the country will do 'what it believes to be right' to tame the rebels."

My Way News - Bomb Kills Afghan Lawmakers, Children
AP reports: "A bomb attack struck a group of lawmakers Tuesday as they were being greeted by children on a visit to a sugar factory in Afghanistan's normally peaceful north. At least 28 people were killed, including five parliament members as well as children."

My Way News - Pakistan's Ousted Top Judge Urges Revolt
AP reports: "Pakistan's deposed chief justice called on lawyers Tuesday to revolt against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule and a crackdown on the opposition that has left thousands under arrest."

My Way News - Italy Breaks Up European Terror Cell
AP reports: "A Europe-wide sweep disrupted an Islamic cell that was recruiting potential suicide bombers for attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, Italian police said Tuesday, announcing the arrests of 20 terror suspects."

My Way News - Papers: Polygamist Leader Tried Suicide
AP reports: "polygamous-sect leader tried to hang himself in jail in January, eight months before a jury convicted him of rape as an accomplice, according to documents released Tuesday."

My Way News - Scientists Discover Planet Orbiting Star
AP reports: "A new planet was discovered orbiting a sun-like star 41 light years away, making it the first known planetary quintet outside our solar system, astronomers said Tuesday."

My Way News - Comet Draws Scientific, Amateur Interest
AP reports: "A comet that unexpectedly brightened in the last couple of weeks and is now visible to the naked eye is attracting professional and amateur interest."

My Way News - Abbas: All Sides Want Peace
AP reports: "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that all sides want to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians before President Bush leaves office, and Bush's top diplomat welcomed what could be the start of the first serious bargaining in seven years."

My Way News - Report: Hezbollah Stages Maneuvers
AP reports: "Thousands of Hezbollah guerrillas staged secret military maneuvers without weapons or uniforms near Israel's border in southern Lebanon, a pro-Hezbollah Lebanese newspaper reported Monday. The Lebanese government downplayed the report as probably just a simulation."

My Way News - Pentagon Head, Chinese President Talk
AP reports: "The United States and China agreed to work together to steer Iran away from its nuclear ambitions in talks that Chinese President Hu Jintao described Tuesday as 'very candid and friendly.'"

My Way News - Google Dials Into the Cell Phone Market
AP reports: "Google Inc. (GOOG) wants to become as influential in the mobile market as it is on the Internet - and the online search leader thinks it can do that without sticking its prized brand on a cell phone."

My Way News - Thousands Arrested in Pakistan Protests
AP reports: "Police fired tear gas and clubbed lawyers protesting Monday against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule. The U.S. and other nations called for elections to be held on schedule and said they were reviewing aid to Pakistan."

My Way News - Britain: New Sanctions on Iran Possible

AP reports: "The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council agreed Friday to move toward a third set of sanctions against Iran if the country does not answer key questions on its nuclear program, the British Foreign Office said."

My Way News - Abbas Holds Rare Meeting With Hamas
AP reports: "'It's Israel's position that Hamas should be sidelined and kept out of the game until it accepts the conditions placed upon it by the international community,' Baker said. Those conditions are recognizing Israel, renouncing violence, and agreeing to respect past peace agreements. Hamas has refused to meet any of the conditions."

My Way News - Israelis Destroy Gaza Smuggling Tunnels
AP reports: "Israeli forces operating in the Gaza Strip this week uncovered and destroyed seven tunnels used by Palestinian militants to smuggle arms and people, the military announced. [...] The tunnels were used by the Islamic group Hamas, which rules Gaza, to smuggle militants "to and from Egypt," and served as part of the organization's "weapons supply mechanism," the statement said."

AP - Pagan holidays added to excused absences
AP reports, "When George Fain visits a grave to mark a pagan holiday, she won't have to worry about the work she's missing in her classes at Marshall University. That's because her absence Thursday on the Samhain holiday has been approved by the Huntington school, which for the first time is recognizing pagan students' desire to be excused from class for religious holidays and festivals."

My Way News - Remnants of Atlantic Storm Drench Haiti

AP reports: "Noel is the deadliest storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, with at least 132 dead. [...] The death toll in Haiti rose from 43 to 48 Friday as authorities reported more fatalities from the storm."

My Way News - Comet Draws Scientific, Amateur Interest
AP reports: "A comet that has unexpectedly brightened in the past couple of weeks and now is visible to the naked eye is attracting professional and amateur interest."

My Way News - Hundreds of Thousands Flee Mexico Floods
AP reports: "Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans fled a flooded region of the Gulf coast Friday, jumping from rooftops into rescue helicopters, scrambling into boats or swimming out through murky brown water. President Felipe Calderon called the flooding in Tabasco state one of Mexico's worst recent natural disasters, and pledged to rebuild."

My Way News - Video Web Site Gets Religion

AP reports: "GodTube.com, a video-sharing site with Christian content, drew more than 4 million unique visitors during October. It maintains more than 150,000 registered users with active profiles. Plans for the future include producing entertainment programs at the site's headquarters north of Dallas."

My Way News - Noel Soaks Bahamas, Cuba, Toll at 115
AP reports: "A powerful Caribbean storm drenched the Bahamas and Cuba on Thursday while rescue workers in the Dominican Republic headed out in boats and helicopters to reach dozens of communities isolated by floods and mudslides. The death toll rose to 115."

My Way News - US Official Warns Iran on Nuke Program
AP reports: "A senior U.S. official challenged Iran's hard-line president Thursday over his claim that Iranians are immune from further U.N. sanctions, saying such action is in the works unless Tehran meets demands to curb its nuclear program."

My Way News - Turks: Not Seeking Fight With Iraq Kurds
AP reports: "Turkey said Thursday that it isn't seeking a confrontation with Iraqi Kurds by threatening a cross-border offensive in northern Iraq, saying any attack would target only the bases of Turkish Kurd guerrillas."

My Way News - Troops Clash With Venezuelan Protesters
AP reports: "Soldiers used tear gas, plastic bullets and water cannons to scatter tens of thousands who massed Thursday to protest constitutional reforms that would permit Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to run for re-election indefinitely."

My Way News - HIV Infection Rate Drops in Zimbabwe
AP reports: "Zimbabwe has registered a 2.5 percent decline in HIV infection rates, and the number of AIDS deaths also is dropping, the government said Thursday, crediting its 'tireless efforts' to fight the pandemic."

My Way News - Israel Says Hezbollah Can Hit Tel Aviv
AP reports: "Israel alleges that Hezbollah militants in Lebanon have rearmed with new long-range rockets capable of hitting Tel Aviv and tripled their arsenal of land-to-sea missiles since last summer's war, the United Nations secretary-general said in a report Wednesday."

My Way News - Iran Guards Warn US Against Attack

AP reports: "The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the U.S. Wednesday against attacking the Islamic Republic, saying if it did, Washington would be 'stuck in a quagmire' worse than Iraq or Afghanistan."

My Way News - Syria Denies It's Plotting Killings
AP reports: "Syria on Wednesday strongly denied a claim by the leader of Lebanon's parliamentary majority that Damascus was plotting to assassinate him and the Western-backed prime minister."

My Way News - Defiant Monks March Again in Myanmar
AP reports: "More than 100 Buddhist monks marched peacefully Wednesday in a northern Myanmar town noted for its defiance of the country's military rulers, the first large protest since the junta violently crushed a wave anti-government demonstrations."

CNN - Some Christian pastors embrace Scientology
CNN reports, "Some Christian congregations, particularly in lower income, urban areas, are turning to an unlikely source for help -- the Church of Scientology. Rev. Charles Kennedy uses Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's book during a Friday night sermon. Scientologists do not worship God, much less Jesus Christ. The church has seen plenty of controversy and critics consider it a cult."

My Way News - Tropical Storm Death Toll Rises to 81
AP reports: "Tropical Storm Noel triggered mudslides and floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, pushing the death toll to 81 on Wednesday and forcing some parents to choose which of their children to save from the surging waters."

My Way News - Tot Dies in Hot Car Outside Ariz. Eatery
AP reports: "A woman who found her 1-year-old son dead in her hot, stuffy car after she worked her seven-hour shift as a Hooters waitress has been arrested, police said Wednesday."

My Way News - Polygamist Leader Said He Was 'Immoral'
AP reports: "Sitting in jail awaiting trial, the leader of a polygamous sect renounced his role as a prophet and said he had been 'immoral' with a sister and daughter decades ago, newly unsealed documents show."

My Way News - Shell Station Customers 'Pay by Touch'
AP reports: "Ten Shell gas stations in the Windy City are testing biometric systems that let consumers walk up to the pump, scan their fingertips on a device and fill up their vehicles. The systems, also installed at Shell convenience stores, are directly linked to customers' checking or credit-card accounts for payment."

My Way News - Religious Leaders Act on Climate Change
AP reports: "A coalition of religious leaders urged Congress on Wednesday to ensure that the poor and most vulnerable are protected from the effects of climate change."

My Way News - Chaldean Patriarch Seeks Ties to Muslims
AP reports: "Christians were increasingly targeted by the Sunni-led insurgency, causing tens of thousands to flee, isolating many of those who remained in barricaded neighborhoods and forcing them to hide their religious affiliation when venturing out. Up to 50 percent may have left Iraq, says the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which advises the U.S. government."

My Way News - Russia: US Sanctions on Iran Won't Work
AP reports: "Unilateral sanctions will not help solve the Iranian nuclear problem, Russia's foreign minister said Tuesday during his second visit to Tehran in two weeks, according to Russian news reports."

My Way News - Palestinians Raise Stakes for Talks
AP reports: "The chief Palestinian peace negotiator raised the stakes Tuesday for a U.S.-sponsored peace conference, saying there will be no talks with Israel unless it agrees to set a deadline for establishing a Palestinian state."

My Way News - Cuba Warns US Against Regime Change
AP reports: "Cuba's foreign minister on Tuesday warned that his country is prepared to defend itself if the United States tries to bring regime change by force, saying a conflict would jeopardize U.S. stability."

My Way News - Moderate Earthquake Rattles Bay Area
AP reports: "A magnitude-5.6 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Tuesday night, rattling homes and nerves, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries."

My Way News - Bush Wants $400 Million for Palestinians

AP reports: "The top American diplomat in Jerusalem said Monday that the Bush administration is seeking $400 million in new aid for the Palestinian Authority. U.S. Consul General Jacob Walles told Palestinian journalists of the new request as preparations continue for a Mideast conference called by President Bush for later this year, aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks."

My Way News - Moderate Earthquake in Turkey
AP reports: "A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 shook southwest Turkey on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries."

My Way News - 'Superbug' Concern at New York Schools
AP reports: "Public schools in Mount Vernon are being disinfected after a worker and a student showed signs of an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, authorities said."

My Way News - Turkey: Wait-And-See Approach in Iraq
AP reports: "Turkey's leadership will hold off on ordering an offensive against Kurdish guerrilla bases in northern Iraq until the prime minister visits Washington early next month, the military chief said Friday."