Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I'm off for my holiday break and wanted to wish you all a happy and joyous Christmas. I know that the news we link to here is often grim but I'm sure that most of you who visit this site are Christians who understand that beyond the headlines we know that God is sovereign and always in control. We know that this effort to be watchful has a purpose and a focus, and that focus is on Jesus Christ, the very reason for this season of celebration.

We watch the signs of His return, but this season is all about the First Coming, not the Second Coming, so as we turn to our families and friends to celebrate the holidays we offer thanks and praise to God and above all, celebrate Jesus as the reason for the season.

Hark the herald angels sing
lyrics by Charles Wesley

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

My Way News - Hamas declares Gaza truce with Israel is at an end
AP reports: "Hamas formally announced the end of its unwritten, often-breached truce with Israel on Friday as Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired four rockets into southern Israel."

Russian warships visit Cold War ally Cuba - Americas- msnbc.com
AP reports: "A Russian anti-submarine destroyer and two logistical warships docked in Cuba on Friday, a thumb-your-nose port call aimed at Washington in waters just 90 miles from Florida."

My Way News - Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon protest Gaza siege
AP reports: "Thousands of supporters of the militant Hezbollah group swarmed Beirut's southern suburbs Friday, demanding Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip. [...] Chants of 'Death to America' and 'Israel is the enemy of Muslims' rang out from the crowd."

My Way News - EU to Obama: make Middle East peace a priority
AP reports: "The European Union's external relations commissioner says the new U.S. administration should make the Middle East peace process a priority and build upon progress made so far."

My Way News - Mugabe says 'Zimbabwe is mine,' won't be toppled
AP reports: "He has faced renewed criticism amid a humanitarian crisis that has pushed thousands of Zimbabweans to the point of starvation and left 1,123 people dead from cholera since August."

Officials: U.S. not ready for cyber attack - Security- msnbc.com
Reuters reports: "The United States is unprepared for a major hostile attack against vital computer networks, government and industry officials said on Thursday after participating in a two-day 'cyberwar' simulation."

My Way News - Got the flu? CDC says Tamiflu may not be much help
AP reports: "The medical arsenal against the flu just got weaker. Government health officials said Friday that a leading flu medicine, Tamiflu, might not work against all cases of the flu this year. The most common flu bug right now is overwhelmingly resistant to Tamiflu, they said."

Russian air defence deal with Iran under way - report - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Russia is currently fulfilling a contract to deliver S-300 air defence systems to Iran, RIA news agency quoted confidential sources as saying on Wednesday. [...] The most advanced version of the S-300 system can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 km (75 miles) away."

My Way News - UN says Zimbabwe cholera death toll reaches 1,111
AP reports: "The cholera death toll in Zimbabwe has risen above 1,000, the United Nations said Thursday, as one expert warned that the country is ill-prepared to deal with outbreaks of other diseases."

My Way News - Hamas says won't extend truce with Israel
AP reports: "Two Hamas officials said the Islamic group would not extend a six-month truce with the Israelis as militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at southern Israel and Israel hit back with airstrikes Thursday."

My Way News - Shoppers flee as police, youths clash in Athens
AP reports: "Masked youths set up burning barricades and threw fire bombs and chunks of marble at riot police Thursday, after a protest march erupted into new fighting that sent Christmas shoppers and panicked parents fleeing to safety."

My Way News - In Paris, Netanyahu airs concerns on Iran
AP reports: "Benjamin Netanyahu, who hopes to become Israel's next prime minister, warned Thursday that 'a terribly dangerous threshold will be crossed' if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, and urged world leaders to make sure it does not happen."

VOA News - US Says Russia Hardening Stance Against European Missile Defense Plan
VOA reports: "The Bush administration's top arms control official says Moscow is hardening its stance against a proposed U.S. missile defense system in Europe - apparently intending to 'test the mettle' of incoming President Obama on the issue."

My Way News - Planner of Rwandan massacres convicted of genocide
AP reports: "The main organizer behind the 1994 slaughter of more than 500,000 people in Rwanda was convicted of genocide Thursday and sentenced to life in prison, the most significant verdict of a U.N. tribunal set up to bring the killers to justice."

My Way News - Gaza militants ready for end of truce with Israel
AP reports: "Israel's military says 1,786 rockets were fired in the first half of 2008, compared to around 199 in the second. During the truce, Hamas has been smuggling weapons through tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border. Hamas militants are also believed to be burrowing tunnels into Israel to carry out attacks."

Comment: So, they are using the truce to continue to launch rocket attacks and to prepare for ground attacks. But, really, they do want peace...really.

My Way News - Israel issues new warning on Iranian nuclear arms
AP reports: "Indicating the possibility of a military strike, Barak said, 'We recommend to the world not to take any option off the table, and we mean what we say.'"

My Way News - Army says Gaza militants fire 9 rockets at Israel
AP reports: "Israel's army says Gaza militants have fired nine rockets at Israel. Wednesday's rocket fire came just two days before militants say a truce along the Gaza border is to expire. The rockets were fired by three small militant groups and caused no injuries, the army said."

Comment: Well, I guess that answers that question, Hamas did not get the memo about the peace process being irreversible. It won't change anything, of course, the U.S. and the rest of the Quartet will continue to act as if the Palestinians want peace, even as rockets fall on Israel.

My Way News - Russia wants to negotiate arms control with Obama
AP reports: "Russia's foreign minister said he hoped that Moscow will negotiate a new arms control deal with Barack Obama's administration, news agencies reported Wednesday."

My Way News - Pope: crisis helps restore simplicity to Christmas
AP reports: "Benedict has expressed hope that the financial crisis will help people focus on the spiritual meaning of Christmas, when Christians worldwide mark the birth of Jesus."

My Way News - Oxfam appeals for funds for Zimbabwe
AP reports: "The British charity Oxfam is asking the public and international donors for $6 million to fight cholera and hunger in Zimbabwe."

My Way News - Israeli-Palestinian peace process is irreversible

AP reports: "The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Tuesday stressing that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process initiated by the United States last year is irreversible and urging intensified efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East."

Comment: Nice to hear that the process is irreversible, I hope Hamas gets the memo.

My Way News - Arabs want meetings on Iran's nuclear program
AP reports: "Arab nations concerned about Iran's nuclear program want to meet regularly with the six international powers trying to ensure that it remains peaceful, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday."

My Way News - Indonesia scraps plans to tag HIV patients
AP reports: "An Indonesian province beleaguered by a spiraling HIV infection rate scrapped plans to implant microchips in those with full-blown AIDS on Tuesday, following strong opposition from government officials, health workers and rights activists."

Comment: I was watching this story to see how it developed, to see if a government in the world right now had the power to impose mandatory chip implants. Looks like the answer is no.

My Way News - UN says cholera death toll in Zimbabwe reaches 978
AP reports: "The United Nations says the death toll from a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has risen to 978 - an increase of nearly 25 percent in three days."

My Way News - UN gives OK to land, air attacks on Somali pirates
AP reports: "On the same day Somali gunmen seized two more ships, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize nations to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases on the coast of the Horn of Africa country."

Comment: It's official now, it's open season on Somali pirates, this could get interesting.

My Way News - Impoverished NKorea gets new mobile network
AP reports: "An Egyptian telecoms giant launched an advanced mobile phone network in North Korea on Monday, the latest attempt to introduce a global symbol of personal freedom into one of the world's most tightly controlled societies. [...] Orascom runs networks in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and has not shied from investing in places considered challenging and politically unpredictable, such as Zimbabwe."

My Way News - Negotiator: Israel wants 6.8 percent of West Bank
AP reports: "Israel proposed to annex 6.8 percent of the West Bank and to take in a few thousand refugees under a peace deal, but it has not revealed its position on the most contentious issue - the future of Jerusalem, the chief Palestinian negotiators said Friday night."

My Way News - Week of Greek rioting taps into wider discontent
AP reports: "Protesters took to the streets of Athens for the seventh consecutive day Friday, vowing to maintain pressure on the government with both peaceful demonstrations and violent clashes that left one police officer engulfed in flames."

My Way News - EU hails climate deal as example for the world
AP reports: "European nations on Friday dared the United States, Russia and China to follow their lead on global warming after agreeing on a plan to meet the so-called '20-20-20' targets: reducing greenhouse emissions by 20 percent and ensuring that 20 percent of energy comes from wind, sun and other renewable sources by 2020."

My Way News - 6 alleged Islamic extremists charged in Belgium
AP reports: "Authorities on Friday arrested the Belgian widow of a man involved in killing an anti-Taliban warlord, saying she was part of an al-Qaida group that was about to launch a suicide attack."

My Way News - Hyperinflation, cholera, politics curse Zimbabwe
AP reports: "As Zimbabweans suffer, President Robert Mugabe claimed Thursday that his government, with the help of international groups, has contained a cholera epidemic that has come on top of a hunger crisis, the highest inflation rate in the world and shortages of everything from cash to medicine."

Police: Teen attended mom's sex party - UPI.com
UPI reports: "A Detroit mother has been arrested after allegedly hosting a sex party that involved her 16-year-old daughter and 19 prostitutes, police said."

Vietnam prostitutes kept in dog cages - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Some 130 women were held prisoner, some in dog cages, at a Ho Chi Minh City brothel, forced to work as prostitutes 18 hours per day, local media reports say."

EU giant isolated as Merkel puts Germany first - The Guardian
The Guardian reports that Germany and France are leading the EU in different directions: "The expansion of the EU from 15 countries only a few years ago to 27 and growing has also shifted the German perspective, putting Berlin in the centre of the union, rather than on its eastern frontier, and weakening the centrality of the Franco-German alliance that has been the backbone of the EU."

My Way News - Greek-inspired protests spread across Europe
AP reports: "Protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks this week, while in France, cars were set ablaze Thursday outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux, where protesters scrawled graffiti warning about a looming 'insurrection.'"

My Way News - Suicide bomber kills 55 in packed Iraq restaurant
AP reports: "A suicide bomber killed at least 55 people Thursday in a packed restaurant near the northern city of Kirkuk where Kurdish officials and Arab tribal leaders were trying to reconcile their differences over control of the oil-rich region."

My Way News - Israel's Netanyahu tells EU he will pursue peace
AP reports: "Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu sought Thursday to reassure Europeans that he will continue peace talks with the Palestinians if he wins February's general election, despite a rightward tilt in his Likud Party."

My Way News - 14 alleged Islamic extremists detained in Belgium
AP reports: "Police detained 14 suspected al-Qaida-linked extremists on Thursday in raids in Brussels and eastern Belgium, including one militant who allegedly was plotting a suicide attack."

My Way News - Sumatra quake likely in few decades
AP reports: "Another devastating earthquake along the coast of western Sumatra is likely during the lifetime of many people now living there, researchers are warning."

My Way News - Nobel Peace winner urges Obama to focus on Mideast
AP reports: "Obama has pledged to make progress on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a key diplomatic priority. He has called for a sustained push to achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state in Israel and a Palestinian state, that can exist in peace and security. He has also pledged to end the Iraq war and employ diplomacy more often than Bush."

My Way News - Clashes, looting rock Greek cities for 4th night
AP reports: "Masked youths and looters marauded through Greek cities for a fourth night Tuesday, in an explosion of rage triggered by the police shooting of a teenager that has unleashed the most violent riots in a quarter century."

My Way News - Petraeus: more troops from US for Afghan war
AP reports: "The 20,000 additional troops sought by American commanders for the NATO mission in Afghanistan would come from the United States, with any additional increase supplied by allies, the U.S. general who oversees the Afghan war said Tuesday."

My Way News - Scientists try to mitigate climate change effects
AP reports: "Scientists studying the changing nature of the Earth's climate say they have completed one crucial task - proving beyond a doubt that global warming is real. Now they have to figure out just what to do about it."

My Way News - Illinois governor's arrest stuns politicos
AP reports: "Even in this city inured to political chicanery - three other governors have gone to prison in the past 35 years, and numerous officeholders from Chicago have been convicted for graft - the latest charges were stunning. And not just for the vulgarity, but for the naked greed, the recklessness and the self-delusion they suggest."

My Way News - Rioters rampage for 3rd day in main Greek cities
AP reports: "Gangs of youths smashed their way through central Athens, Thessaloniki and other Greek cities into the early hours Tuesday, torching stores, buildings and cars in a third day of mayhem after the fatal police shooting of a teenager."

Comment: The groups are composed mainly of young anarchists who believe in rebellion against all forms of authority. They are in rebellion against all laws, whether of man or of God. Pray for peace in Greece and especially in Thessaloniki, site of one of the earliest churches in Christendom, it is under extreme attack by our common spiritual enemy.

My Way News - Iran rejects Obama's 'carrot-and-stick' proposal
AP reports: "Iran on Monday rejected a proposal by President-elect Barack Obama that a combination of economic incentives and tighter sanctions might persuade the Iranian government to change its behavior."

My Way News - Health groups: Unknown thousands dying in Zimbabwe
AP reports: "Even as deaths from a cholera epidemic climbed into the hundreds, international and local organizations say many more are dying needlessly in a disaster critics blame on President Robert Mugabe's government. [...] She said many people Oxfam interviewed in Zimbabwe say they have cut back to one meal in three days. Some are trying to survive on insects and berries."

Op-Ed Contributor - They Hate Us — and India Is Us - NYTimes.com
From an op-ed in The New York Times regarding the terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks and their supposed political motivations:

But there is no sane reason to think Lashkar-e-Taiba would shut down if the situation in Kashmir improved. Its literature is much concerned with establishing a caliphate in Central Asia, and murdering those who insult the Prophet. Its leader, Hafiz Saeed, who lives on a large estate outside Lahore bought with Saudi Money, goes about his business with minimal interference from the Pakistani government. Lashkar-e-Taiba is part of the International Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders (the Qaeda franchise). Mr. Saeed’s hatreds are catholic — his bugbears include Hindus, Shiites and women who wear bikinis. He regards democracy as “a Jewish and Christian import from Europe,” and considers suicide attacks to be in accordance with Islam.

I find it noteworthy that the religious aspect of the terrorist attacks have not received attention from the mass media. I wonder why that is? Can it be that if the motive was religious the media will simply ignore it? Is it plausible that the mass media can ignore the question of motive entirely and simply report on what happened and offer sensational interviews with tearful victims and never get around to discussing motive? The answer would appear to be yes if that discussion would call into question the MSM narrative of Islam as a peaceful religion.

My Way News - Malaria vaccine shows promise in Africa tests
AP reports: "A vaccine that may become the world's first to prevent malaria shows promise in protecting African children, researchers said Monday, calling the results a 'major milestone.'"

Hoax phone call 'almost took Pakistan to war' - Times Online
The Times Online reports: "A hoax telephone call almost sparked another war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan at the height of last month's terror attacks on Mumbai, officials and Western diplomats on both sides of the border said today."

BBC NEWS - Zimbabwe 'set for cholera jump'
BBC News reports: "The UN Children's Fund in Zimbabwe says it is preparing to deal with a possible 60,000 cholera cases in coming weeks, four times current official estimates."

My Way News - Bush: war in Iraq on its way to being won
AP reports: "President George W. Bush said Saturday the U.S.-Iraqi security pact approved this week calls for 150,000 American troops to be withdrawn from Iraq in two stages - all by the end of 2011."

Comment: Nice to have some good news on the war front for a change. I'm actually amazed that they passed the status of forces agreement, I guess the Iraqis really can set aside their sectarian differences, let's hope that spirit of unity is motivated by something more than anti-Americanism or it won't last very long.

WND - Scientists: Rain stopped when Jews left Mideast
WND reports: "Confirming a rabbi's reading of Bible prophecy, scientists reported yesterday that an analysis of rings on stalagmite from a cave near Jerusalem reveals the climate of the region got drier shortly after the Roman dispersion of the Jews in A.D. 70."

Iran Confronts an 'Economic Evolution': Ahmadinejad's Plan to Curb Government Subsidies Threatens to Alienate Recipients - washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post reports: "Known abroad for incendiary rhetoric and his defense of Iran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad's domestic political standing relies more on his largely unfulfilled promises to use Iran's oil wealth to improve the lives of poor people."

Comment: Depending on how his economic program goes, Ahmadinejad's days may be numbered.

Report: Syria won't renew peace talks until Israel clarifies Golan plans - Haaretz
Israel News reports: "Syria refuses to renew its indirect negotiations with Israel until the latter responds to queries regarding plans for the disputed Golan Heights, the Arabic-language Al-Hayat daily reported on Thursday."

SpaceWeather - Meteor Explodes over Colorado
Space Weather reports, "Last night, a fireball one hundred times brighter than the full Moon lit up the sky near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Astronomer Chris Peterson photographed the event using an all-sky video camera dedicated to meteor studies. "In seven years of operation, this is the brightest fireball I've ever recorded."

VOA News - US Conducts Another Successful Missile Defense Test
VOA reports: "The Pentagon says its forces successfully conducted a ballistic missile defense test over the Pacific on Friday, further demonstrating the capabilities of the ground-based system the United States wants to deploy to Poland and the Czech Republic. But a key part of the test did not go as planned."

BBC NEWS - Somalia nearing a 'total famine'
BBC News reports: "Somalia is in danger of descending into famine while the world's attention is focused on the problem of piracy off its coast, the Red Cross has warned."

NBC News - Thousands Fee Zimbabwe Cholera Crisis

Jerusalem Post - IDF preparing options for Iran strike
The Jerusalem Post reports: "The IDF is drawing up options for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities that do not include coordination with the United States, The Jerusalem Post has learned. While its preference is to coordinate with the US, defense officials have said Israel is preparing a wide range of options for such an operation."

CNN - Missile shield test to be most realistic yet, officials say
CNN reports: "In the upcoming test, the target will be a mock warhead accompanied by 'countermeasures similar to what Iran or North Korea could deploy,' according to a missile defense agency official."

My Way News - Israelis can't escape troubles in world travels
AP reports: "This week, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said there was 'no doubt' the attacks in Mumbai targeted Jewish institutions. Jewish and Israeli targets have been struck before, most notably in the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, which killed 29 people, followed by an attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish center that killed 85 in 1994. In recent years, Israelis have been killed in hotel bombings in Sinai and Mombasa, Kenya. During the 2002 attack in Kenya, attackers also fired a missile at an Israeli airliner but missed their target. Even so, the perception that no place is safe doesn't deter the young trekkers."

My Way News - OSCE gives cool response on Russian security pact
AP reports: "Russian plans for a European security pact drew a cool response from a long-established, trans-Atlantic group Thursday, with the U.S. saying there was no need for a new 'security architecture.'"

My Way News - Putin: no need for Cuban, Venezuelan bases
AP reports: "Russia does not need to build permanent naval bases in Cuba or Venezuela, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, speaking amid a Kremlin push to increase Moscow's influence in Latin America."

My Way News - Zimbabwe declares national health emergency
AP reports: "Zimbabwe has declared a national emergency over a cholera epidemic and health care system collapse, and is seeking more international help to pay for food, drugs and hospital equipment, the state-run newspaper said Thursday."

My Way News - Measles deaths drop worldwide, report estimates
AP reports: "Measles deaths worldwide declined dramatically to about 200,000 a year, continuing a successful trend, global health authorities reported Thursday."

Comment: It's nice to see some good news on the pestilence front.

My Way News - Russia to send warship through Panama Canal
AP reports: "Russia said Wednesday it is sending a warship through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II, a short journey loaded with symbolic weight: the destroyer will dock at a former U.S. naval base, showcasing Russia's growing influence in the region."

My Way News - Human noise drowns out song of whales
AP reports: "That sound pollution - everything from increasing commercial shipping and seismic surveys to a new generation of military sonar - is not only confounding the mammals, it also is further threatening the survival of these endangered animals."

BBC NEWS - Zimbabwe 'asks for cholera help'
BBC News reports: "Cholera has killed at least 565 people in Zimbabwe since August, the UN says. Ministers previously said the outbreak was under control. They blamed it on Western sanctions on President Mugabe."

Comment: Brilliant, blame the West and not the dictator who has allowed his country to fall into a preventable humanitarian crisis. It's a tale as old as history, keep the people impoverished and starving and they will be too weak to resist.

AFP - Fourteen wounded as Jewish settlers riot in Hebron
AFP reports: "At least 13 Palestinians and one Israeli were wounded on Tuesday as ultra-nationalist Israelis clashed with residents and police in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron."

Comment: Read the news report above and then read this AP chronology of the Jewish presence in Hebron, which starts in 1800 B.C. and then marvel yet again at the scandal of the Jews continuing to occupy land that was theirs thousands of years ago. What I find interesting (and a great example of media bias) is the very last paragraph of the chronology which describes this month as, "Forty years after first Jews moved into Hebron," and yet their own chronology (just scroll up) goes back thousands of years. Forty years indeed.

CNN - Biological terror attack likely by 2013, panel says
CNN reports: "Terrorists are likely to use a weapon of mass destruction somewhere in the world in the next five years, a blue-ribbon panel assembled by Congress has concluded. They are more likely to use a biological weapon than a nuclear one -- and the results could be devastating, the chairman of the commission told CNN."

My Way News - Crisis in South Asia may overshadow NATO talks
AP reports: "NATO nations are worried that rising tensions between India and Pakistan, after last week's attacks in Mumbai, could weaken Pakistan's resolve to combat pro-Taliban fighters on its border with Afghanistan."

My Way News - 2 arrested in alleged torture of teen, who escaped
AP reports: "A Girl Scout leader and her husband were arrested after an emaciated, terrified and nearly naked 17-year-old showed up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle, saying he had just fled his captors, authorities said Tuesday."

Anderson Cooper 360: Blog Archive - Imagine this: Ready for the WMD attack
CNN reports: "The new report from the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction underscores the danger. It tells us that terrorists are likely to hit in the next five years using a weapon of mass destruction…most likely a biological weapon."

My Way News - Russian warships hold exercises with Chavez's navy
AP reports: "Russia sent the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and support ships, and Russian television said they were joined by three Venezuelan frigates for the exercises, dubbed 'Venrus 2008.'"

My Way News - China pledges to fight AIDS discrimination
AP reports: "Official estimates put the number of people living with HIV in China at about 700,000, with around 85,000 people with full-blown AIDS, UNAIDS said in a statement. But the number of officially reported HIV cases remains only 264,302 - far lower than the estimated total, in part because of reluctance to seek testing."

My Way News - Mormon-owned press releasing Joseph Smith journals
AP reports: "Smith founded the Mormon church in 1830 with just six adherents, most of them members of his own family. By the time he was shot and killed in 1844, hundreds had joined the church, which was maligned and persecuted for its practice of polygamy and the exhortations of its colorful leader."

My Way News - Some fearful Christians hope to flee Iraq
AP reports: "Both church spires and mosque minarets rise above the low-slung houses. Violence is rare. [...] And yet, many Christians here say they want to flee a town where their ancestors have lived for generations and, if possible, to abandon a country where their religion has survived for some 2,000 years - longer than in Europe - but one they fear is growing ever more violent."

My Way News - British government's identity card plan begins
AP reports: "The British government began its identity card program for foreign nationals Tuesday - six years after heated debate over whether the costly plan is an effective tool against terrorism, identity theft and welfare fraud. [...] The cards will contain a computer chip with fingerprint information and other data, including date of birth and nationality, but will not contain religious or ethnic data."

My Way News - UN urges aid for Zimbabwe despite political crisis
AP reports: "U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed alarm Tuesday at the desperate humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe [...] U.N. officials say more than 5 million people face imminent starvation in Zimbabwe and cholera is spreading in the country and the region."

My Way News - UN reports more cholera deaths in Zimbabwe
AP reports: "More than 50 cholera deaths have been reported in Zimbabwe in the past day, bringing the toll to 366 since August, the United Nations said Tuesday."

My Way News - Thanksgiving sky: Jupiter, Venus, moon together
AP reports: "Starting Thanksgiving evening, Jupiter and Venus will begin moving closer so that by Sunday and Monday, they will appear 2 degrees apart, which is about a finger width held out at arm's length, said Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky and Telescope magazine. Then on Monday night, they will be joined by a crescent moon right next to them, he said."

My Way News - Study says HIV could be eliminated in a decade
AP reports: "The virus that causes AIDS could theoretically be eliminated in a decade if all people living in countries with high infection rates are regularly tested and treated, according to a new mathematical model."

Israel: Hizbollah arsenal has tripled in size - Telegraph
The Telegraph reports: "Israel has accused Lebanon's militant Shia group Hizbollah of tripling its arsenal to 42,000 rockets, many with a range long enough to reach beyond Tel Aviv."

My Way News - Venezuela's Chavez welcomes Russian warships
AP reports: "Russian warships arrived in Venezuela Tuesday in a show of strength aimed at the United States as Moscow seeks to expand its influence in Latin America."

My Way News - Indonesian AIDS patients face microchip monitoring
AP reports: "Lawmakers in Indonesia's remote province of Papua have thrown their support behind a controversial bill requiring some HIV/AIDS patients to be implanted with microchips - part of extreme efforts to monitor the disease."

Comment: I think this is part of a larger trend of tech diffusion in which these things start out in small and powerless populations (children, the sick, the elderly, pets) before expanding to the larger population. It will be interesting to see if the Indonesian government is able to force people to get chipped against their will. You don't have to be a Christian to find that idea troublesome.

My Way News - Man killed at Scientology building had church ties
AP reports: "An Oregon man who was fatally shot as he wielded samurai swords and tried to attack guests at a landmark Scientology building was a former follower of the religion who had made at least a dozen previous threats against the church, officials said Monday."

My Way News - Siberian quake triggers false US seismic reports
AP reports: "A powerful undersea earthquake off Russia's eastern coast on Monday caused automated monitoring systems to falsely indicate small temblors in Idaho and California, scientists reported. The real quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 and struck the Sea of Okhotsk 195 miles west of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered at a depth of about 300 miles."

My Way News - Witnesses: Large meteor streaks across Canada sky
AP reports: "Scientists say they hope to find remnants of a meteor that brilliantly lit up the sky before falling to earth in western Canada. University of Calgary planetary scientist Alan Hildebrand called it one of the largest meteors visible in the country in the last decade."

World Net Daily - North Korea enraged by launch of Gospel gas balloons
WND reports: "North Korea long has had a record of banning Christianity and torturing and killing Christians. WND reported a Christian ministry launched a campaign seeking to have North Korean students who were caught reading the Bible freed from jail."

My Way News - Economy, not rights, rules the new China-US world
AP reports: "The crisis that Obama is inheriting has pushed aside the old points of contention and underscored how profoundly the power equation between Washington and Beijing has changed."

My Way News - Strong quake hits waters off western Indonesia
AP reports: "The U.S. geological agency says a strong earthquake has struck in the waters off western Indonesia. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The U.S. Geological Survey put Saturday's preliminary magnitude of the quake at 6.8."

WND - Every language by 2025 is Bible translators' goal
World Net Daily reports: "A $50 million donation is being used to kick off an effort to reach an estimated 200 million people around the world with a Bible written in their own language by the year 2025."

Comment: This sounds like a worthy effort, but I can't imagine it would cost that much, haven't they ever heard of the internet? If they translate and publish on the web, it should be much cheaper and faster than traditional publishing.

My Way News - Japanese Christian martyrs to be beatified
AP reports: "Samurai warriors, housewives and children were crucified, thrown into hot springs and tortured, but refused to renounce their religion. Japan's extraordinary but relatively unknown history of Christian persecution is finally receiving recognition in a beatification of 188 martyrs."

Comment: I'm really surprised to learn about this history of persecution. I knew that there was a long and storied history of missionaries in Japan, but I didn't know about the persecution, I'm glad they are being honored.

My Way News - Rocket hits Israeli city, Gaza still sealed
AP reports: "Palestinians fired a rocket at an Israeli city near the Gaza Strip on Friday but caused no casualties, police said, as the Israeli military continued its closure of all crossings into the coastal territory because of ongoing rocket fire."

Comments: The Palestinians really do want peace, they just have a lot of amateur rocket hobbyists with bad aim.

My Way News - Germany drops attempt to ban Scientology
AP reports: "Germany has said it considers Scientology to be in conflict with the principles of the nation's constitution, calling it less a church than a business that uses coercion to take advantage of vulnerable people. A report on extremism last charged that Scientology 'seeks to limit or rescind basic and human rights, such as the right to develop one's personality and the right to be treated equally.'"

My Way News - Britain's Miliband calls Iran world threat
AP reports: "Britain's foreign policy chief said Friday that Iran continues to pose the most serious threat to the world, warning that Tehran's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons risks an arms race across the Middle East."

My Way News - Germany bans Hezbollah television station Al-Manar
AP reports: "Government spokesman Markus Beyer said Al-Manar programming was forbidden on Nov. 11 under Article 9 of Germany's constitution, which says that organizations cannot operate with the purpose of violating 'international understanding.' Beyer was not more specific, but Al-Manar is known to be staunchly anti-Israel and frequently broadcasts footage of Hezbollah fighters."

Comment: Good for them! It's nice to see a European government take a realistic approach to the activities of Hezbollah.

My Way News - Syria all but rules out more UN nuclear inspection
AP reports: "A senior Syrian official on Friday all but ruled out new visits by U.N. inspectors probing allegations that his country had a covert program that could be used to make nuclear weapons."

Rumors of CyberWar
My Way News - Pentagon bans computer flash drives
AP reports: "The Pentagon has banned, at least temporarily, the use of external computer flash drives because of a virus threat officials detected on Defense Department networks. [...] military leaders have consistently warned of potential threats from a variety of sources including other countries - such as China - along with other self-styled cyber-vigilantes and terrorists."

My Way News - Panel: China has accelerated computer espionage
AP reports: "China has accelerated computer espionage attacks on the U.S. government, defense contractors and American businesses, a congressional advisory panel said Thursday."

Meteor lights up skies over Canada - Space- msnbc.com
MSNBC reports: "A massive ball of fire that lit up the skies over two Western Canadian provinces on Thursday evening was likely among the biggest meteor events to be witnessed in Canada this year, one expert said."

My Way News - The year 2025: Oil, dollar out; Russia, Islam in
AP reports: "The potential for conflict will be greater in 2025 than it is now, as the world's population competes for declining and shifting food, water and energy resources."

NYT - Iran Said to Have Nuclear Fuel for One Weapon

The New York Times reports: "Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors."

Comment: When the usually anti-Israel MSM newspaper of record announces that Iran may have enough nuclear fuel for one nuclear bomb then I suspect the reality is a bit more worrisome. After all, an enormous amount of evidence would be needed to overcome the presumed editorial bias against that finding. Of course, they are merely reporting on the IAEA conclusion, but still, the paper decided not to intentionally cast doubt on the report, even as they note the chances of the nuclear fuel being weaponized immediately are remote.

My Way News - Palestinian leader appeals to Israelis in peace ad

AP reports: "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas took his case for a peace deal directly to ordinary Israelis Thursday, assuring them in Hebrew-language newspaper ads that a withdrawal from the West Bank, Gaza and parts of Jerusalem would bring them full recognition by the Arab world."

Comment: How ironic. I'd think he would do better to take his case for peace to his own people, the people who voted for Hamas, the people who fire rockets at Israel, the people who smuggle weapons across the borders. Until the Palestinian people are willing to support peace, well, there will be no peace.

My Way News - Polls show Israel's Likud party leading
AP reports: "Netanyahu believes the U.S.-backed talks, which aim to establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, have been a failure and thinks negotiations should largely be limited to developing the Palestinian economy. Livni, who has been Israel's chief negotiator the past year, wants to continue the talks."

My Way News - Putin grabs spotlight, vows Russia will thrive
AP reports: "Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin used a meeting of his powerful political party to take center stage Thursday, casting himself as an indispensable leader even as the global financial meltdown threatens the achievements of his boom-time presidency."

My Way News - China says 19,000 students died in May earthquake
AP reports: "China acknowledged Friday for the first time that more than 19,000 schoolchildren were among the dead in the massive earthquake that struck Sichuan province in May."

Threat Level - Teen Kills Self on Justin.tv
Threat Level reports: "About 1,500 people were viewing the feed on the San Francisco-based live-streaming service. But the teen apparently announced his pending suicide on a bodybuilding chat forum, left a suicide note, and viewers were said to have egged him on."

Comment: Suicide as entertainment.

My Way News - Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet
AP reports: "Al-Zawahri did not threaten specific attacks, but warned Obama that he was 'facing a Jihadi (holy war) awakening and renaissance which is shaking the pillars of the entire Islamic world; and this is the fact which you and your government and country refuse to recognize and pretend not to see.'"

My Way News - IAEA: Syrian site could have been nuclear reactor
AP reports: "The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Wednesday that a Syrian site bombed by Israel in 2007 had the characteristics of a nuclear reactor. It also admitted that its investigation into Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program is deadlocked."

My Way News - Israel boycotts UN racism conference, claims bias
AP reports: "The U.S. and Israel walked out midway through the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, because of a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and compared Zionism - the movement to establish and maintain a Jewish state - to racism. The resolution was not approved. Critics said that conference mostly ignored other conflicts around the world and focused on Israel. Livni said the 2009 gathering would be a repeat performance."

Comment: Hatred of Israel and of Jews has a spiritual source, but those who don't believe in the notion of anything spiritual will never understand that. Thus well educated international activists will convene in a bastion of Western tolerance to single out one country above all others as an extreme violator of human rights, and that country will not be a dictatorship, a kleptocracy or a thugocracy, it will be a liberal democracy named Israel. They will heap scorn on Israel and feel self-righteous about doing it, and will never once consider the notion that they are being used. It will be quite a spectacle to see. I, for one, hope the U.S. representative again does the decent thing and refuses to give an American sanction to such moral hypocrisy.

My Way News - Hungry in Zimbabwe: `If you rest, you starve'
AP reports: "These scenes from a food catastrophe are unfolding in Doma, a district of rural Zimbabwe where journalists rarely venture. It's a stronghold of President Robert Mugabe's party and his enforcers and informants are everywhere."

Comment: Like the famine in North Korea, this famine in Zimbabwe is purely man-made. Warning: dictators are dangerous to your health.

My Way News - Prosecutor says woman plotted Web hoax with others
AP reports: "A federal prosecutor says a Missouri mother hatched a plot with her daughter and an employee to stage an Internet hoax on a 13-year-old girl who later committed suicide."

My Way News - Mammoth task: Scientists map DNA of ancient beast
AP reports: "Bringing 'Jurassic Park' one step closer to reality, scientists have deciphered much of the genetic code of the woolly mammoth, a feat they say could allow them to recreate the shaggy, prehistoric beast in as little as a decade or two."

My Way News - Herod may have been buried among lavish artwork
AP reports: "Herod was the Jewish proxy ruler of the Holy Land under imperial Roman occupation from 37 B.C. and reigned for more than six decades. He is known to have had a taste for extravagance. [...] The Herod of Christian tradition was a bloodthirsty megalomanic, who flew into a frenzy when he met the three wise men on the way to Bethlehem carrying gifts for the baby Jesus and telling of the birth of a new king of Israel. Herod purportedly ordered the slaying of all children in his realm younger than 2. But historians are not convinced of the story's accuracy."

My Way News - Israeli tanks rumble into Gaza, raze farmlands
AP reports: "Both Israel and Hamas leaders have said they hoped the Egyptian-brokered truce could be preserved. But a small, Hamas-allied group said they consider the truce to have broken down, and Israel has threatened to hit hard if the rocket fire persists."

My Way News - Opposition to Russian military reforms grows
AP reports: "The reforms come at a delicate time for the Kremlin. Russian national pride has surged amid a decade-long economic boom. Extensive state-run TV coverage of military maneuvers - such as sending long-range bombers on trans-Atlantic missions or a naval flotilla to the Caribbean for exercises - have given Russians renewed confidence in their armed forces."

My Way News - China rejects sending troops to Afghanistan
AP reports: "China said Tuesday it would not send any troops to Afghanistan - rejecting recent speculation that Beijing might support the international coalition there."

My Way News - Man charged in death of retiree who befriended him
AP reports: "A wealthy retiree opened his three-story lake home to an out-of-work mechanic he had befriended, then was murdered and his possessions plundered, according to indictments against the mechanic and 15 other people."

Israel urges greater force vs Iran nuclear work - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on Sunday for a stronger international campaign against Iran's nuclear programme to 'thwart it with greater force.'"

My Way News - Georgia calls for independent war probe
AP reports: "Georgia's U.N. ambassador Monday called for an international investigation to determine whether Georgia or Russia started the war in South Ossetia in August that badly damaged ties between Moscow and the West."

My Way News - Russian lawmakers back extending presidential term
AP reports: "Russian lawmakers moved to lengthen the presidential term from four to six years on Friday with a vote that opponents called a step toward Vladimir Putin's return to power."

My Way News - Diplomats: West opposed to IAEA nuke aid to Syria
AP reports: "The U.S. and key allies object to an International Atomic Energy Agency offer to help Syria as it considers building a nuclear power plant because of suspicions it secretly worked on a program that could make nuclear weapons, diplomats said Friday."

My Way News - World leaders at economic summit vow to cooperate
AP reports: "Leaders from 21 nations and four international organizations attended the emergency summit that was held as Washington was blanketed in a gray mist and which took on a workaday feel appropriate to the grim crisis that drew them together. At the conclusion of talks that took place over two days, they released a joint communique that was modest in scope but high in hopes."

My Way News - Tsunami warning lifted after Indonesia quake
AP reports: "A powerful earthquake struck waters off eastern Indonesia early Monday, briefly generating tsunami warnings for coastlines within 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) of the epicenter."

My Way News - Al-Qaida in Yemen claims US Embassy attack
AP reports: "A group that monitors extremist Web sites says al-Qaida's branch in Yemen has claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing outside the U.S. Embassy there in September."

My Way News - Rockets from Gaza strike deep into Israel

AP reports: "Hamas militants bombarded a major southern Israeli city with rocket fire Friday, unleashing their most powerful weapons yet in a week of tit-for-tat fighting that threatens to destroy a five-month-old cease-fire."

Comment: Hamas rocket attacks into Israel from Gaza are the best proof that the idea of land for peace is not viable. Israel withdrew from Gaza voluntarily as a prelude to more withdrawals, as envisioned by the "road map" to peace. It was an experiment, and the results are in: the Palestinians do not use their land to build up their people and prepare for a peaceful state living side by side with Israel; they use their land as a launching pad for attacks on Israel. This is the record, this is the reality on the ground, it's simply can't be denied. Israel would be foolish to give up any more land until the Palestinians decide they want peace WITH Israel instead of peace WITHOUT Israel.

My Way News - World leaders move toward tougher financial rules
AP reports: "World leaders prepared Friday to adopt an early warning system for financial calamities, a commitment to tougher accounting rules and other modest steps to try to prevent future crises like the one now threatening the livelihoods of billions of people around the globe."

My Way News - Iraq: UN envoy condemns killing of Christian women
AP reports: "The attack came after about 13,000 Christians fled Mosul, an ethnically mixed city of Kurds, Christians and Arabs, following a spate of threats and killings last month. Sunni insurgents are believed to be behind the campaign to drive them out."

Comment: Let's pray for the church in Iraq, that they will persevere in the midst of persecution and that there will be opportunities for reconciliation.

BBC NEWS - Bin Laden 'cut off from al-Qaeda'
BBC News reports: "The CIA says Osama Bin Laden is isolated from the day-to-day operations of al-Qaeda, but that the organisation is still the greatest threat to the US."

My Way News - Britain in shock over abuse death of toddler
AP reports: "The toddler was tortured for months by his mother's boyfriend and a lodger, Jason Owen, 36; they were both found guilty of causing or allowing his death."

My Way News - Russia sees EU talks as ray of hope for economy
AP reports: "The 27-nation European Union is Russia's No. 1 client and No. 1 investor - and Russia is the EU's biggest energy source. Nearly all the business players at Cannes welcomed the prospect of renewed partnership talks between the EU and Russia."

My Way News - Pakistan's leader backs moderate Islam
AP reports: "Abdullah, whose country bans non-Muslims from openly practicing their religion, has expressed interest in increasing inter-religious goodwill, encouraging meetings between sects of Islam and asking Muslims to reach out to their non-Muslim neighbors."

Comment: This report has it exactly right, Abdullah supports good will between Islamic sects, but I've seen no evidence that he supports tolerance for Christians and Jews within the kingdom or among the Gulf states. Holding a conference in one of the most cosmopolitan cities on Earth is a great place to preach tolerance for religious diversity, but the real test is what he and his coreligionists do in those countries that they control.

My Way News - Cast of millions puts on Calif. earthquake drill
AP reports: "The dress rehearsal served to remind Californians that they live on shaky ground that can rupture without warning. That southern San Andreas has not popped in more than three centuries, and scientists fear stress buildup could unleash a big quake."

My Way News - First fuzzy photos of planets outside solar system
AP reports: "Earth seems to have its first fuzzy photos of alien planets outside our solar system, images captured by two teams of astronomers. The pictures show four likely planets that appear as specks of white, nearly indecipherable except to the most eagle-eyed experts."

VOA News - Gates Criticizes Latest Russian Missile Threats
VOA reports: "U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has rejected an offer by Russia's president not to deploy offensive missiles near its borders with NATO allies if the United States will cancel plans for missile defense system partly based in Europe."

My Way News - Iran tests missile - Israel in easy reach

AP reports: "Iran said it successfully test-fired a new generation of long range surface-to-surface missile on Wednesday - one that could easily strike Israel and as far away as southeastern Europe with greater precision than earlier models."

My Way News - Secular candidate wins Jerusalem mayor race
AP reports: "Residents of Jerusalem chose a secular businessman to lead one of the world's most revered and complicated cities, putting an end to five years of ultra-Orthodox Jewish control, election results showed Wednesday."

My Way News - 4 Gaza militants dead in clash with Israeli troops
AP reports: "Israeli troops and Palestinian militants fired missiles and mortars at each other along the Gaza-Israel border on Wednesday, killing four Gaza gunmen and further chipping away at an eroding truce."

My Way News - Iraq: Can ancient Babylon be rescued?
AP reports: "It was one of the world's first, greatest cities - a place where astronomers mapped the stars millennia ago and kings created an early code of law and planted what became known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. [...] Now, for the first time, global institutions led by the U.N. are thoroughly documenting the damage and how to fix it."

My Way News - Reports: Kremlin rejects US missile defense
AP reports: "The Kremlin has rejected a second set of U.S. proposals offered to assuage increasingly strident Russian criticism of plans for an American missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, news agencies reported Wednesday."

My Way News - Putin says term-extension bill not meant for him
AP reports: "The measure could pave the way for a new 12-year presidency for Putin if he decides to seek Russia's highest office again. Lawmakers are moving to fast-track the constitutional change that President Dmitry Medvedev submitted to parliament Tuesday."

My Way News - Massive malaria vaccine trial to begin in Africa
AP reports: "Researchers trying to create the world's first malaria vaccine are launching a massive medical trial as early as next month involving 16,000 children that could be the largest such trial ever conducted on children in Africa. [...] Malaria, caused by parasites and spread by mosquitoes, kills nearly 1 million people every year, most of them children in Africa."

My Way News - Bush to warn of protectionism at summit
AP reports: "In the final weeks of his presidency, Bush is convening representatives of some of the world's biggest industrial democracies, emerging nations and international bodies in Washington. The goal is to hasten a coordinated response to the most painful and deepening economic downturn in decades."

BBC NEWS - Holy City facing splits and decline
BBC News reports: "The future of Jerusalem, home to some 740,000 people and a pilgrimage site for Muslims, Christians and Jews, is hotly contested. Israelis see it as their capital, Palestinians want to have theirs here too."

AFP - Mediterranean Union agrees on HQ, Arab-Israeli role
AFP reports: "Foreign ministers from the new Mediterranean Union struck a deal Tuesday for Barcelona to host the forum's headquarters and for Israel and the Arab League to take part side-by-side."

GodTube-Banned Pastor Tackles 'Absurd Religion' in New Book - Christianpost.com
The Christian Post reports: "According to The Barna Group, there was around a 90 percent increase in the number of unchurched Americans in the last decade. In 1991 there were 39 million unchurched Americans compared with 75 million found in 2004. A more recent study released earlier this year further found that tens of millions of people are experiencing and expressing their faith in God independent of any connection to a conventional church. In his appearance on the 700 Club, Gray claimed that the decline in church attendance reveals the need for churches that are God-centered rather than people-centered."

BBC NEWS - Google searches track flu spread
BBC News reports: "Google's philanthropic arm Google.org has released a new site that tracks the incidence of flu in the US based on terms used in Google searches."

BBC NEWS - Google Earth revives ancient Rome
BBC News reports: "Ancient Rome is the first historical city to be added to Google Earth. Google's blog said the model contains more than 6,700 buildings, with more than 250 place marks linking to key sites in a variety of languages."

CNN - Blair: Obama can help forge Israeli-Palestinian peace
CNN reports: "Blair, envoy for the Mideast Quartet -- four international entities seeking peace between Israel and the Palestinians -- said Obama can capitalize on a recent international consensus on how to achieve peace in the Middle East."

My Way News - Bush punts unfinished Mideast peace deal to Obama

AP reports: "The Bush administration has conceded that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is no longer possible by the end of its term and is preparing to hand the fragile, unfinished U.S.-backed peace effort to President-elect Obama."

My Way News - US says al-Qaida regional leader killed
AP reports: "The U.S. military says U.S. and Iraqi forces have killed a senior al-Qaida in Iraq leader in the Tarmiyah area north of Baghdad."

My Way News - Syria congratulates Obama, hopes for dialogue
AP reports: "President Bashar Assad's note comes just weeks after the Bush administration ordered a U.S. helicopter raid into Syria near Iraq's border last month that strained relations between the two countries."

My Way News - Palestinians fire rockets at Israel, no injuries
AP reports: "Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired at least three rockets at southern Israel on Friday, the Israeli military said, fraying a five-month truce that has been tested sorely this week."

My Way News - Pakistan says 13 killed in US missile strike
AP reports: "A suspected U.S. missile targeting a Taliban commander killed 13 people near the Afghan border Friday, a sign that America's new general for the region is not heeding Islamabad's pleas for a halt to the strikes."

My Way News - US official: Taliban sought wedding party deaths
AP reports: "Taliban fighters held a wedding party captive and fired on U.S. forces in an attack designed to draw U.S. airstrikes on civilians and stoke anti-American sentiment, a U.S. official said Friday citing 'firsthand' reports."

My Way News - UN officials: Angolan troops fighting in Congo
AP reports: "Reports that Angolan troops joined Congolese soldiers battling rebels near the city of Goma raised new fears the conflict could spread in the region, but the U.N. chief holding a peace conference in nearby Nairobi denied the reports."

My Way News - Putin's return? Russian parliament may allow it
AP reports: "Russia's constitution will be amended by year's end to extend the presidential term to six years, lawmakers promised Thursday - a move that could pave the way for Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin."

My Way News - Rice: Mideast peace by year-end no longer possible
AP reports: "The Bush administration conceded Thursday that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by a year-end deadline is no longer possible."

My Way News - Israeli FM: US dialogue with Iran could be problem
AP reports: "Israeli officials describe Iran as the biggest threat to the Jewish state's existence, citing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's frequent calls for Israel's destruction and its development of long-range missiles capable of striking the Jewish state."

My Way News - Petraeus: Afghan tribes needed to fight militants
AP reports: "Afghan tribes are needed as crucial battlefield allies against the Taliban and other extremists in the same way local militias rose up to oppose insurgents in Iraq, the new military overseer of America's two wars said Thursday."

My Way News - Bombers kill 19 and wound dozens in NW Pakistan
AP reports: "Two suicide bombers attacked pro-government tribesmen and security forces Thursday in Pakistan's volatile northwest, killing at least 19 people and wounding dozens, officials said."

My Way News - Bush administration hopeful on summit
AP reports: "Europeans - led by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy- are seeking ambitious regulatory reforms coordinated among countries to prevent a repeat of similar housing, credit and financial debacles that are now imperiling the economies of the United States and the world. Instead, the Bush administration predicts world leaders will come together on broad principles of reform to better protect against future financial crises, promote regulatory cooperation among countries and identify the root causes of the crises at hand."

My Way News - Iran sees US choppers near its frontiers
AP reports: "The Iranian military said it would respond to any violation of its borders and warned the U.S. military to keep its distance."

My Way News - Israel airstrike imperils Gaza truce with Hamas
AP reports: "Gaza militants pounded southern Israel early Wednesday with dozens of rockets to avenge raids a day earlier that killed six militants, but the guns quickly fell silent with neither side appearing to have much to gain from renewed hostilities."

My Way News - Russia to deploy short-range missiles near Poland
AP reports: "Russia will deploy short-range missiles near Poland to counter U.S. military plans in Eastern Europe, President Dmitry Medvedev warned Wednesday, setting a combative tone that clashed with global goodwill over Barack Obama's election."

My Way News - Arab League urges Obama to act quickly in Mideast
AP reports: "Arab League head Amr Moussa has urged President-elect Barack Obama to act swiftly to try to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."

My Way News - New "Euro-Med Union" takes a step to reality
AP reports: "For a Europe that fears unchecked immigration from Africa and hostility from the Muslim world, the new organization is an important outreach program. And for some Europeans, by including Israelis and Palestinians - which both border the Mediterranean - it also offers a forum for European diplomacy."

My Way News - Taiwan leader: Meeting with China envoy successful
AP reports: "Ma praised a landmark agreement signed by the rivals on Tuesday that many believe will greatly ease tensions between them. The deal increases aviation and shipping links between Taiwan and China. It also included measures for better cooperation with food safety issues."

My Way News - Thousands flee Congo fighting; Journalist seized
AP reports: "Associated Press journalists saw several thousand people on the roads, including mothers with babies on their backs, trying to find safety. As insurgents loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda searched houses, artillery fire boomed in the hills nearby, and rebels told the journalists to leave."

My Way News - Africa, and world, celebrate Obama victory
AP reports: "For many across Africa and the world, Barack Obama's election seals America's reputation as a land of staggering opportunity."

Taking the night off to watch the U.S. election returns. Back tomorrow.

My Way News - Burning flags, Iranians cheer US Embassy takeover

AP reports: "Equal parts unofficial school holiday and angry demonstration, the commemoration came on the eve of the U.S. presidential election and was marked by anti-U.S. and anti-Israel chants and the burning of American, Israeli flags and an effigy of Uncle Sam."

My Way News - UAE challenges Iran with US-inspired confidence
AP reports: "The confrontational posture is rare among the conservative Gulf Arab sheikdoms, who normally are cautious about criticizing their massive neighbor. 'They look at Iran as an expansionist, bullying neighbor, but they don't like to say it clearly,' said Simon Henderson, the director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy."

My Way News - Protests mark China's envoy historic Taiwan trip
AP reports: "The highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Taiwan in six decades opened talks with his Taiwanese counterpart Tuesday on a sweeping trade pact that could help ease the threat of war between the rivals."

My Way News - UN says Rwanda tanks fired at Congo
AP reports: "Rwandan forces fired tank shells and other heavy artillery across the border at Congolese troops during fighting last week, the United Nations said Tuesday."

My Way News - US may airlift African peacekeepers to Darfur
AP reports: "The Darfur conflict began in early 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Sudan's Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of discrimination. Many of the worst atrocities in the war have been blamed on the janjaweed militia of Arab nomads allied with the government."

My Way News - S&P: Global markets lose record $5.79T in October
AP reports: "World equity markets lost an estimated $5.79 trillion during October, the biggest monthly loss ever, Standard & Poor's Index Services said Monday."

More UFO sighting reports from small Texas town - FOX11AZ.com
Fox11AZ reports: "Over a three-month period this summer there were 1,000 UFO sightings filed with the National UFO Reporting Center. Some 75 of those UFOs were reported over the state of Texas."

Mass Relocations Planned as Sea Levels Rise : Planetsave
Planetsave reports: "The government of Indonesia is preparing to do mass relocation’s of people living on islands considered vulnerable to rising sea levels over the next three decades."

My Way News - Libya's Gadhafi hails energy ties with Russia
AP reports: "Russia has hoped to persuade Libya to back its plans for a gas cartel that would also involve Algeria, Iran, Qatar and the countries of Central Asia. Such an OPEC-like organization could strengthen Moscow's energy leverage over Europe. Gadhafi is also expected to clinch a series of major arms deals on his visit."

My Way News - Fears of new war rise around separatist Abkhazia
AP reports: "A cease-fire ended major hostilities between Georgia and Russia after August's five-day war. But shootings and bombings continue - and nowhere more so than here along the poorly defined, porous border that separates Georgia proper from Abkhazia."

My Way News - Pakistan officials: toll from US strike reaches 29
AP reports: "U.S. drone aircraft are believed to have carried out attacks on suspected al-Qaida and Taliban hide-outs in Pakistan's lawless border zone. Scores of foreign al-Qaida members are believed to be based there. It is considered a likely hiding place for Osama bin Laden. U.S. officials have been frustrated at what they say is Pakistani inaction against extremists blamed for planning attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan - and perhaps Sept. 11-style terror strikes in the West."

My Way News - Iraqi Christians slowly returning home to Mosul
AP reports: "Attacks against Christians and other minorities in Iraq had tapered off amid a drastic decline in overall violence nationwide. But some 1,800 Christians families, or 13,000 people, were chased away by threats and extremist attacks in Mosul earlier this month."

Iranian Nuke Scientist: Weekend Quake was a Nuclear Test - Israel News - Arutz Sheva
INN reports: "The report quotes an Iranian nuclear scientist who claims to be working in uranium enrichment for the project, and who said that the 'quake' was actually an underground nuclear bomb test."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the peace of Jerusalem and the entire region. This is a dangerous time as Israel enters into an election cycle and top Iranian leaders are facing health problems at the same time as the global financial crisis hits their country. Let's pray that the leaders of Iran don't do something reckless like attack Israel to distract their people from their domestic problems.

My Way News - Intel says Iran plans secret nuclear experiments

AP reports: "With Iran's nuclear program already under international scrutiny, any new efforts by Tehran to increase its nuclear expertise and its store of enriched uranium would set off alarm bells - particularly if that stock was highly enriched. [...] Defying weak sanctions, the Islamic Republic has moved further through enrichment toward developing weapons capability - now anywhere from six months to several years away, depending on the source."

SpaceWeather.com - Colorado Fireball
Space Weather reports, "On Oct. 28th, a meteoroid hit Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated with the luminosity of a full Moon. By happenstance, the event occurred directly above an all-sky video camera in Colorado. Today's issue of Spaceweather.com features a movie of the fireball, the sound of radio echoes from the fireball's trail, and eyewitness reports from several US states."

My Way News - Iran feels economic pain as oil prices fall
AP reports: "Iran plunged this week into a bitter storm of political recrimination, largely directed at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as officials and ordinary Iranians realized with shock that the Islamic republic faces a severe economic crisis of its own."

My Way News - Syrian crowd protests US raid amid heavy security
AP reports: "Tens of thousands crowded a Damascus square in a government-orchestrated rally Thursday to denounce a deadly U.S. raid on Syrian territory near Iraq and send a loud message to America: Leave us alone!"

My Way News - Taliban storm Afghan culture ministry, kill 5
AP reports: "Taliban fighters stormed the Ministry of Culture in the heart of Kabul Thursday, killing five people in an attack the president said aimed at derailing the government's new effort to draw militants into a peace process and end a seven-year insurgency."

My Way News - Kids in Pakistan quake zone beg for food
AP reports: "Children begged for food from trucks passing through Pakistan's quake zone Thursday as the death toll rose to 215 and survivors prepared for another frigid night camped out amid wrecked mountain villages."

My Way News - Attackers kill at least 61 in northeast India
AP reports: "The scale and planning behind the 13 blasts surprised authorities, who struggled to determine who was behind the attacks - among the worst in a region plagued by separatism, ethnic violence and Islamic militants."

My Way News - Archaeologist says he found oldest Hebrew writing
AP reports: "An Israeli archaeologist has discovered what he believes is the oldest known Hebrew inscription on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard - a find that suggests Biblical accounts of the ancient Israelite kingdom of David could have been based on written texts."

My Way News - 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami biggest in 600 years

AP reports: "The tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 2004 was the biggest in the Indian Ocean in some 600 years, two new geological studies suggest. That long gap might explain how enough geological stress built up to power the huge undersea earthquake that launched the killer waves four years ago, researchers said."

Comment: Over the years many Bible prophecy teachers interpreted Jesus' prophecy about roaring waves causing distress among the nations as a spiritual symbol of one thing or another, they couldn't see how the prophecy could literally be about roaring waves. Of course, now, in a world where global warming is assumed to be raising sea levels and great earthquakes cause mega tsunamis we can certainly appreciate the danger posed to coastal areas.

My Way News - Quartet to discuss Israel-Palestinians peace talks

AP reports: "A senior Palestinian official said Wednesday the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers will meet early next month at Sharm el-Sheik to assess progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. [...] The so-called Quartet is made up of the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia."

My Way News - Syria hardens stance after deadly US raid
AP reports: "Syrian President Bashar Assad has pursued indirect peace talks with Israel and says he is open to direct talk as early as next year. Syria also has agreed to establish diplomatic ties with Lebanon - a country it used to dominate - for the first time in their history."

Comment: Syria is on an interesting trajectory and it could be that the destruction of Damascus is years away, though it's clear that Syria may fall easily into reckless behavior if the recent overtures noted in the AP report are not reciprocated.

My Way News - At least 170 dead as quake hits southwest Pakistan
AP reports: "Desperate villagers clawed through piles of mud and timber looking for victims of an earthquake that collapsed thousands of homes in southwestern Pakistan before dawn Wednesday, killing at least 170 people."

My Way News - Congo soldiers fleeing Goma along with refugees
AP reports: "Firing wildly, Congolese soldiers commandeered cars, taxis and motorbikes Wednesday in a retreat from advancing rebel fighters, joining tens of thousands of terrified refugees struggling to stay ahead of the violence. [...] Congo said Rwandan troops had crossed the border and attacked its soldiers - raising the specter that neighboring nations will again be drawn into Congo's war"

My Way News - Strong quake hits Pakistan, at least 100 killed
AP reports: "A government minister says the death toll from an earthquake in southwestern Pakistan has risen to more than 100. Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Zamaruk Khan says the government is readying food, shelter and medical care for survivors of Wednesday's quake. He says 'more than 100' people have been killed so far."

My Way News - Internet companies embrace human rights guidelines
AP reports: "Leading Internet companies, long criticized by human-rights groups for their business dealings in China, agreed Tuesday to new guidelines that seek to limit what data they should share with authorities worldwide and when they should do so."

Comment: It's nice to see that these companies recognize that they have a responsibility when dealing with repressive countries, but I'd like to see how these new polices fare when tested by real events. Is this just PR?

My Way News - Israeli elections to be held in mid-February
AP reports: "A spokeswoman for Israel's Parliament says national elections will be held in mid-February. That leaves three and a half months for what is expected to be a tough election campaign with significant ramifications for Mideast peace talks."

My Way News - Diplomats: IAEA says Syrian nuke info needs probe
AP reports: "Diplomats say soil and air samples from an alleged Syrian nuclear site bombed last year by Israel provide enough evidence to justify a further inquiry."