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."