Sarkozy walkout threats at G-20, reports say - CNN.com
CNN reports: "French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants a 'real transformation' of international financial regulations out of this week's G-20 summit in London, a spokesman said Tuesday amid reports that Sarkozy will walk out of the gathering if he's not satisfied."

Comment: I think Sarkozy is doomed to be disappointed with this summit, I see no indication that a transformation of the international system is being contemplated by world leaders. The time is not yet right. The world financial crisis would have to be much more severe for major changes to be considered, and as bad as it may be, world leaders would only like to see more regulation of international finance, they are not planning to create any new international organizations or institutions to manage world affairs. The world order that prevails at the end of this summit will be the same world order we have going in to the summit.

My Way News - WHO: World must fight drug-resistant TB threat
AP reports: "The World Health Organization's chief warned Wednesday that emerging, hard-to-treat strains of tuberculosis are set to spiral out of control and urged countries to fight the growing threat to global public health."

My Way News - A look at key members of Israel's new government
AP offers a review of the, "Key members of Israel's new Cabinet."

My Way News - Pakistani Taliban threaten strike on Washington
AP reports: "Baitullah Mehsud, who has a $5 million bounty on his head from the United States, also vowed to 'amaze everyone in the world' with an attack on Washington or even the White House. The FBI, however, said he had made similar threats previously and there was no indication of anything imminent."

Unexplained Lights Seen Over East Coast - CBS News
CBS News reports: "The National Weather Service said there is no evidence of any naturally occurring phenomenon to explain bright lights in the eastern sky that prompted hundreds of calls to the service and emergency officials. [...] Callers reported seeing 'great balls of fire' lighting up the sky in shades of yellow, white orange and blue. Some described the explosion as sounding like thunder."

My Way News - Israel's Netanyahu says he will pursue peace
AP reports: "Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that his new government will have an 'outstretched hand' for peace to the Arab world. Speaking to a special session of parliament marking 30 years since Israel signed a peace agreement with Egypt, Netanyahu said he was eager to reach peace with the entire region."

My Way News - Researchers: Cyber spies break into govt computers
AP reports: "A cyber spy network based mainly in China hacked into classified documents from government and private organizations in 103 countries, including the computers of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan exiles, Canadian researchers said Saturday."

My Way News - Israel successfully tests anti-rocket system
AP reports: "Developed at a cost of over $200 million, the system is intended to eventually fire missiles that home in on incoming short and medium-range rockets of the type used by militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups have launched thousands of rockets into Israel from Gaza since 2001, sparking numerous Israeli military incursions, most recently the devastating three-week Gaza war that ended Jan. 18. Rocket fire has continued since the war, though it has dropped off in recent weeks."

My Way News - Russia plans to create Arctic military force
AP reports: "Russia plans to create a new military force to protect its interests in the disputed Arctic region, a Kremlin strategy paper says. The document outlines Russia's policy for the Arctic, which is believed to contain as much as 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas."

My Way News - China challenges US global financial leadership
AP reports: "China has made its agenda clear: It wants a stable U.S. dollar, and has even advocated the creation of another global currency altogether. It is leery of protectionism. And it is demanding a larger say in how financial systems are regulated and rescued, while holding back on any promises for new rescue or stimulus measures of its own."

Calif. Quake Swarm Puts Residents On Alert - CBS News

AP reports: "An earthquake swarm near a section of the notorious San Andreas Fault that has not ruptured in more than 300 years has prompted some people 150 miles away to take action."

My Way News - Obama widens al-Qaida war, making it his own
AP reports: "Stirring echoes of Sept. 11 and making the war his own, Obama warned that al-Qaida is actively planning attacks on the United States from secret havens in Pakistan. He said he was setting new benchmarks and sending in 4,000 more troops, hundreds of civilians and increased aid for a war that has lasted more than seven years and still has no end in sight."

Ethiopia's Famine: Deny and Delay - ISN

ISN reports: "Millions of Ethiopians once again face misery and famine. Addis Ababa's desire to project an image of a new dynamic country has led to callous denial of the reality."

Comment: I think the world is already suffering disaster fatigue with Darfur and will probably not pay any attention to Ethiopia, especially if that government is actively blocking aid efforts. Perhaps the best we can do is pray for rain and good harvests for the long-suffering people of Ethiopia.

My Way News - Sources: More US troops for Afghan war
AP reports: "Confronting an inherited and faltering war, President Barack Obama plans to dispatch thousands more military and civilian trainers to Afghanistan by the fall on top of the 17,000 combat troops he has already ordered, senior administration officials said Thursday. Obama's war strategy, which he plans to announce Friday, includes no timeline for withdrawal of troops."

My Way News - 30 years on, Egyptians at odds over Israel peace
AP reports: "Thirty years after Egypt signed a historic peace treaty with Israel - the first Arab country to do so - many here still question whether the 1979 deal with the Jewish state delivered the benefits Egyptians believed it was supposed to."

My Way News - NKorea positions rocket for April liftoff
AP reports: "North Korea's positioning of a rocket on its east coast launchpad has ratcheted up tensions with Washington on Thursday, which warned that pushing ahead with the April launch would violate a U.N. ban and have serious consequences."

My Way News - EU presidency: US stimulus is 'the road to hell'

AP reports: "The head of the European Union slammed President Barack Obama's plan to spend nearly $2 trillion to push the U.S. economy out of recession as 'the road to hell' that EU governments must avoid."

Comment: The EU is having a leadership crisis. The current EU president is an inexperienced and discredited leader who does not speak for the majority of great powers in Europe. This incident will force many to note that this would never have happened if the treaty had been approved and a more institutionalized presidency implemented. Perhaps it will cause a change in thinking about the treaty and the need for a strong EU president?

My Way News - UN says little progress made on key Gaza issues
AP reports: "Two months after Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers declared unilateral cease-fires, Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that there has also been little progress on preventing illicit arms trafficking into the coastal territory and reconciling the rival Palestinian factions."

My Way News - Netanyahu: Israel is Palestinians' peace partner
AP reports: "Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday his government will be a 'partner for peace with the Palestinians,' the latest sign that the new Israeli leader is softening his stand as he prepares to take office next week."

My Way News - Vaccine scare threatens health in Ukraine
AP reports: "Hundreds of thousands of fearful Ukrainians have refused vaccines for diseases such as diphtheria, mumps, polio, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, whooping cough and others this year, according to official estimates. [...] Around the world, health officials say they are struggling with the repercussions of vaccine fears they call unwarranted and dangerous."

Comment: Sad to think that people will die from easily prevented diseases because of their irrational fear of vaccination. Ignorance kills.

My Way News - US: North Korea loading rocket on launch pad
AP reports: "Both the satellite launch rocket and long-range missile use similar technology, and arms control experts fear even a satellite launch would be a test toward eventually launching a long-range missile."

My Way News - NY man charged with freezing mom, cashing checks
AP reports: "An upstate New York man has been accused of stashing his 98-year-old mother's dead body in a freezer in their home so he could keep cashing her Social Security checks."

My Way News - Study: Range of pharmaceuticals in fish across US
AP reports: "The EPA has called for additional studies about the impact on humans of long-term consumption of minute amounts of medicines in their drinking water, especially in unknown combinations. Limited laboratory studies have shown that human cells failed to grow or took unusual shapes when exposed to combinations of some pharmaceuticals found in drinking water."

Comment: We are all unwitting participants in this long-term health experiment.

Obama dismisses idea of single global currency - Reuters
Reuters reports: "U.S. President Barack Obama and his top two economic officials on Tuesday dismissed suggestions by emerging economic powers that the world move away from using the dollar as the world's main reserve currency."

My Way News - Centrist Labor joins new Israeli government

AP reports: "Israel's Labor Party voted Tuesday to join the incoming government of Benjamin Netanyahu, lending a moderate voice to a coalition dominated by hard liners and easing concerns of a head-on confrontation with Washington over Mideast peacemaking."

Comment: There will still be a confrontation, the only real hope is that the U.S. and the other peace partners will see the need to disarm Hamas before concluding a peace agreement. Otherwise, what's the point?

My Way News - Palestinians launch rocket into Israel
AP reports: "Israeli police say Palestinian militants have fired a rocket into Israel from Gaza after several days of quiet. [...] Palestinian militants have continued firing rockets into Israel since Israel's offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers ended on Jan. 18. Israel has responded with air strikes against smuggling tunnels."

My Way News - WHO issues pessimistic global tuberculosis report
AP reports: "The number of people infected with both tuberculosis and HIV is twice what researchers previously thought, top health officials said Tuesday. The World Health Organization's annual report on TB, presented in Rio, indicates that there were 1.37 million cases of people with both TB and HIV in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available."

My Way News - China calls for new global currency
AP reports: "China is calling for a new global currency to replace the dominant dollar, showing a growing assertiveness on revamping the world economy ahead of next week's London summit on the financial crisis."

My Way News - WHO: Money, drugs needed to rein in new TB strains: "More money and better science are urgently needed to rein in new strains of tuberculosis that are tough or nearly impossible to treat, the WHO announced Monday in China, where the disease has long been a leading killer."

Comment: Some important news about a disease few consider a great threat.

My Way News - Ultra-Orthodox party joins Netanyahu's coalition
AP reports: "Shas' presence would help cement the coalition's tilt the right. The party, which represents Jews of Middle Eastern descent, opposes giving up any part of Jerusalem as part of a future peace deal and doesn't even want the matter discussed in future peace talks."

Comment: This is good news for those concerned about the direction of Mideast peace talks. The addition of this nationalist party to the coalition should make it much more difficult for those who would give even more land to the Palestinians and give up parts of Jerusalem.

My Way News - NATO: Taliban commander among 10 killed in strike
AP reports: "NATO troops killed a senior Taliban commander and nine other militants in southern Afghanistan, officials said Monday, striking a blow in the group's heartland where the U.S. plans to send thousands of additional troops to stem the growing violence."

Comment: Today's war news is actually good news.

China Takes Aim at Dollar - WSJ.com

The Wall Street Journal reports: "China called for the creation of a new currency to eventually replace the dollar as the world's standard, proposing a sweeping overhaul of global finance that reflects developing nations' growing unhappiness with the U.S. role in the world economy. [...] China is on the offensive, backed by other emerging economies such as Russia in making clear they want a global economic order less dominated by the U.S. and other wealthy nations."

Comment: As I noted in my comments on a similar news report on the Mark Watch blog, it's important to note here that they are not talking about currency in the way you are probably thinking about it, as in the currency you use every day. They are talking about accounting units used by international banking institutions to lend money to other institutions and countries. This is still important because the EU's common currency, the Euro, began in the same way, so it's entirely possible that this effort to create a new international reserve currency could lead in the future to the rise of a new international currency of the type that individuals could use. I'm also worried about the obvious anti-American agenda behind China and Russia seeking alternatives to the U.S. dollar. You may have heard about a so-called "new world order," there are actually several different competing world orders (there always are) and the world order being promoted by Russia and China is a world in which the U.S. is no longer the leader of the global system. They appear to be doing everything they can to undermine the dollar (with a little help from American politicians). It will be interesting to see how the Obama administration reacts to this effort. Stay tuned.

UFO alien sketches include banana with dangling limbs - Telegraph

The Telegraph reports: "Sketches of aliens and UFOs spotted by members of the public have been released by the Ministry of Defence. The drawings include a blue banana-shaped object with dangling human-like arms and legs, seen in London in 1989."

Comment: Witness observations are notoriously unreliable, still, there's something more disturbing about the UK's MOD releasing this information than there is about banana shaped aliens. I wonder what the folks at the Disclosure Project would say about this? I worry more about the potential for deception. Perhaps it should be called the Delusion Project?

Reuters AlertNet - Traffickers prey on disaster-hit children in India

Reuters reports: "Hundreds of children left vulnerable after devastating floods in eastern India are being trafficked to work as bricklayers, domestic servants and even sold as brides, aid agencies say. "

Comment: It is hard to imagine something more wicked than victimizing children who are already suffering so terribly.

My Way News - Strong quake near Tonga prompts tsunami warning

AP reports: "A strong 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Friday near Tonga, generating a tsunami with the potential of striking coastlines in the South Pacific, officials said. There were no immediate reports of damage. The quake struck about 130 miles (200 kilometers) south-southeast of the Tongan capital of Nuku'Alofa at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said."

Comment: An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 is huge, if it had struck a populated area there would have been massive casualties.

My Way News - France hit by new wave of nationwide protests
AP reports: "More than 1 million people marched in France on Thursday to demand the government do more to overcome the economic crisis, but planned strikes failed to fulfill a key goal - to paralyze the country."

My Way News - Report: Iranian defector tipped Syrian nuke plans
AP reports: "An Iranian defector told the West that Iran was financing North Korean moves to transform Syria into a nuclear weapons power, leading to the Israeli airstrike that destroyed a secret reactor, a report said Thursday."

My Way News - Report: Syria's Assad ready to mediate with Iran
AP reports: "Syrian President Bashar Assad told an Italian newspaper that he is ready to act as a mediator between the West and Iran, and would like to meet U.S. President Barack Obama."

My Way News - China not boosting South China Sea naval presence
AP reports: "China has no plans to beef up its naval presence in the South China Sea following a confrontation earlier this month between Chinese boats and a U.S. Navy ship, an official newspaper reported Friday."

My Way News - Militants' rocket in Pakistan tribal area kills 10
AP reports: "Rising Taliban attacks have raised doubts about the reliability of the critical supply routes through Pakistan, prompting the U.S. and NATO to seek alternatives. Afghan-based U.S. and NATO forces get up to 75 percent of their supplies via routes through Pakistan."

My Way News - Dallas school accused of staging fights
AP reports: "The Dallas school system was rocked by allegations Thursday that staff members at an inner-city high school made students settle their differences by fighting bare-knuckle brawls inside a steel cage. The principal and other employees at South Oak Cliff High knew about the cage fights and allowed the practice to continue, according to a 2008 report by school system investigators."

Comment: What next, gladiatorial combat on the school yard? At least they won't be able to throw the Christians to the lions because there probably aren't any at that school.

U.N. Panel Says World Should Ditch Dollar
Reuters reports: "A U.N. panel will next week recommend that the world ditch the dollar as its reserve currency in favor of a shared basket of currencies, a member of the panel said on Wednesday, adding to pressure on the dollar."

Comment: While this is certainly not the first time we have heard of standardized currency, the issue could garner more attention with the sagging worldwide economy.

Is a global rebranding what Israel needs? - International Herald Tribune
IHT reports: "Israel, whose founding idea was branded as racism by the United Nations General Assembly in 1975 and which faced an Arab boycott for decades, is no stranger to isolation. But since its Gaza war, and as it prepares to inaugurate a hawkish right-wing government, it is facing its worst diplomatic crisis in two decades."

Comment: This is an interesting report because it suggests that Israelis are bothered by the way they are viewed by the world at large, and that they want to change to become more well liked. This is dangerous if we accept the notion that there is a spiritual explanation for why Israel is hated, and that this hatred cannot be appeased. There's noting Israel can do that will make their most vociferous critics like them, so they should just go about the business of defending themselves and their way of life as if public opinion didn't matter, because in the end, it can't, not for Israel.

My Way News - Hamas not budging in Israel, Fatah talks
AP reports: "Instead, Gaza's Islamic militant rulers have been sticking to their demands, even though that would seem to be hurting their interests. But some analysts suggest that Hamas believes time is on its side and that Israel, along with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the West, will eventually give in."

Comment: And they will give in and it will be a shame. A new age of appeasement is dawning and Israel will be forced (by the U.S. and the EU and the rest of the Quartet) to learn some very hard lessons. Maybe Netanyahu can stand against them, but I'm not optimistic.

My Way News - Incest father pleads guilty to charges, faces life
AP reports: "Josef Fritzl abruptly pleaded guilty to all of the charges against him Wednesday [...] Fritzl was charged with negligent homicide in the death of an infant boy as well as enslavement, rape, incest, forced imprisonment and coercion."

My Way News - Reports: Russia confirms Iran missile contract
AP reports: "Supplying S-300s to Iran would change the military balance in the Middle East and the issue has been the subject of intense speculation and diplomatic wrangling for months. Israel and the U.S. fear that, were Iran to possess S-300 missiles, it would use them to protect its nuclear facilities - including the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz or the country's first atomic power plant, which is now being built by Russian contractors at Bushehr."

My Way News - Report: Assad would like to meet Obama
AP reports: "Syrian President Bashar Assad has expressed worry over what he sees as Israeli society's turn to the right, according to a newspaper interview published Wednesday. Assad also said he would like to meet President Barack Obama, the Rome daily La Repubblica reported."

Comment: I still think Assad is playing off both sides, Israel and Iran, he has not really decided which side he is on, though it would appear (based on BP) that he or one of his successors will make the fateful decision to stand against Israel.

My Way News - Drunken mayhem mars St. Patrick's in Ireland
AP reports: "Cars were torched, firefighters attacked and police bombarded in mayhem spawned by dusk-to-dawn drinking on St. Patrick's Day, Irish authorities said Wednesday. Authorities were still assessing the damage from inebriated revelers who turned some districts of Dublin and Belfast into nightmares."

Comment: What a way to celebrate the life of a saint!

My Way News - Top UN official accuses US of demonizing Iran
AP reports: "During a wide-ranging press conference, d'Escoto insisted he wasn't being divisive or promoting his own agenda - but was just fulfilling his duty as president of the 192-member General Assembly to uphold the U.N. Charter and promote peace and nonviolence."

Comment: And since he is a leftist he naturally thinks he can promote peace and nonviolence by supporting despots and human rights violators who prove their worth by being anti-American and anti-Israel, because in the end, that's really the core of his ideology.

My Way News - Iran: Leading candidate vows Islamic-based reform
AP reports: "Iran's leading reformist challenger to hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in upcoming elections vowed Tuesday to pursue democratic reforms but also stay true to the country's Islamic values."

My Way News - AP Interview: France opposes global role for NATO
AP reports: "France's return has come with conditions: It wants to give Europe a greater say in NATO policymaking, and dispel concerns that its plans to build a European Union defense force would compete with NATO."

Comment: I find this report interesting because it suggests that France will stand in the way of the movement to expand the reach of NATO, to make it a Global NATO, which suggests to me that France is on the wrong side of history. If we accept from Bible prophecy that there will indeed be Mideast peace, that Israel will stand down and become a land of "unwalled villages" then the peace will have to be secured by someone else, and that someone is the Western alliance. NATO has a long way to go before it can do that, including scoring a win in Afghanistan, but in time, NATO will be what the UN could never be, the military arm of the final world empire.

Tweet My Blog - A TOOL FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
This is some interesting reading on how the myth of Palestinian nationhood came to be.

My Way News - Russia: US, NATO actions mean new arms are needed
AP reports: "Medvedev, meanwhile, cited NATO expansion, international terrorism and regional conflicts as reasons why upgrading Russia's nuclear forces was the top priority in an ambitious military modernization plan that he pledged to pursue despite the worst economic crisis in a decade."

My Way News - Analysis: Mideast peace up to interlocking deals

AP reports: "The biggest question now is whether Israel would sign a deal under any circumstances. Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, a political hawk, early Monday initialed a coalition agreement with the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu Party - increasing the likelihood that Israel's next government will spurn peace talks."

Study: Sea Rise Threatens Northeast U.S. - CBS News

AP reports: "The northeastern U.S. coast is likely to see the world's biggest sea level rise from man-made global warming, a new study predicts. However much the oceans rise by the end of the century, add an extra 8 inches or so for New York, Boston and other spots along the coast from the mid-Atlantic to New England."

My Way News - Egypt talks to Europe, US on Palestinian unity
AP reports: "Egypt has been mediating the talks, which have hinged on whether Hamas has to 'commit' itself to past PLO agreements with Israel or if it could just 'respect' them. The language is sensitive because Hamas, which calls for Israel's destruction, is wary of wording that could convey an implicit recognition of Israel."

Comment: This is such a farce and it would be comical if lives were not at stake. Basically they are seeking the proper wording that will include Hamas in a united Palestinian government that will then seek peace with Israel while not compromising Hamas' refusal to recognize that Israel actually has a right to exist.

My Way News - UN expert: North Korea commits widespread torture
AP reports: "North Korea is routinely described in U.N. and other reports as one of the world's most repressive regimes. Its economy is shattered and its people have suffered through years of hunger, even as iron-fisted leader Kim Jong Il has focused the country's limited resources on building the military and its nuclear and missile programs."

My Way News - NATO soldier dies after attack in Afghan south
AP reports: "A NATO soldier died of wounds received in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan, the military alliance said Tuesday. The death followed a surge in violence in Afghanistan over the weekend that led to the deaths of eight other foreign troops - including four Americans."

My Way News - Walking, talking female robot to hit Japan catwalk
AP reports: "Developers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, a government-backed organization, said their 'cybernetic human,' shown Monday, wasn't ready to help with daily chores or work side by side with people - as many hope robots will be able to do in the future."

My Way News - Dozens of soldiers seize a palace in Madagascar
AP reports: "Soldiers broke into an unoccupied presidential palace Monday and took it over in a symbolic show of force after Madagascar's opposition leader called on the army to arrest the president."

My Way News - Report says 3 percent in DC have HIV or AIDS
AP reports: "A new report by D.C. health officials says that at least 3 percent of residents in the nation's capital are living with HIV or AIDS and every mode of transmission is on the rise."

My Way News - Austrian admits incest, pleads innocent to murder
AP reports: "An Austrian who fathered seven children with a daughter he held captive for 24 years refused to even speak to her for years, coming into the squalid cellar only to rape her, often in front of the youngsters, a prosecutor said Monday."

Nasrallah vows Hezbollah will never recognize Israel - Haaretz - Israel News
Haaretz reports: "Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Friday that his organization will never recognize Israel."

Comment: I think this was to be expected, but it's good to have this on record.

My Way News - Deep split over an economic fix as ministers meet
AP reports: "The leaders of the world's most powerful economies are deeply split over how to fight a downturn that is intensifying around the globe, with no nation in a position of strength as finance ministers gather to talk about the crisis."

Comment: It seems like there is a desire for more global regulation but there is little interest in the plans offered by various nations. We may be near the edge, but the time is not yet, they are still waiting for a leader of global stature who will offer a plan they can all accept.

My Way News - Livni, Netanyahu said weighing alliance talks
AP reports: "Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni are taking another look at teaming up in a governing coalition, according to media reports Friday. [...] A centrist government with Livni also would help Netanyahu avoid a clash with President Barack Obama, who has promised to become 'aggressively' involved in pursuing Mideast peace."

My Way News - Israelis support captured soldier's family
AP reports: "Posters and bumper stickers of Sgt. Gilad Schalit decorate the tent, with a growing number of handwritten cards. The outpouring has drawn new attention to the soldier, who marks his 1,000th day in captivity next week and is at the center of efforts for a long-term cease-fire with Gaza's Hamas rulers."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the release of Sgt. Gilad Schalit, held for almost 1,000 days by his Palestinian captors.

My Way News - Home of Web celebrates 20th birthday looking ahead
AP reports: "The inventor of the World Wide Web celebrated its 20th anniversary Friday by encouraging fellow scientists at his former particle physics laboratory in Switzerland to look to the future. [..] He said Web usage grew 10 fold every year. 'You think it's a great change to society that you can look things up on the Web,' said Berners-Lee. But changes that are yet to come 'are going to rock the boat even more.'"

My Way News - Japan protests NKorea's rocket launch plan
AP reports: "Japan hinted it could down an incoming North Korean rocket, but analysts said the communist country will go ahead with a planned April launch with little fear of the consequences."

My Way News - China 'worried' about US Treasury holdings
AP reports: "China's premier didn't say it in so many words, but the implied warning to Washington was blunt: Don't devalue the dollar through reckless spending. [...] China already is Washington's biggest foreign creditor, with an estimated $1 trillion in U.S. government debt. A weaker dollar would erode the value of those assets."

Comment: An ominous development, to be sure. The U.S. has no one else to blame, and yet it is still shocking to see this power relationship reversal acted out on the world state in such a public manner.

My Way News - Chinese premier defends Tibet policies
AP reports: "Beijing is willing to hold talks with the Dalai Lama if Tibet's exiled spiritual leader abandons his separatist cause, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Friday, as he defended his government's hard-line policies toward the region."

My Way News - Madagascar mutineers say they are deploying tanks
AP reports: "An army faction that has said it will no longer obey Madagascar's leader announced Friday that it has taken control of army tanks, but denied rumors that it plans to attack the presidential palace."

My Way News - Baby sitters accused of taping sex with children
AP reports: "A couple who ran a baby-sitting service out of their home videotaped themselves performing sex acts with children, some as young as 2 months old, police said Friday."

My Way News - Slain pastor's wife: `I refuse to let Satan win'
AP reports: "The widow of a pastor killed in mid-sermon urged mourners to reject hate and to take comfort in their faith at his funeral Friday, in the church where he was gunned down five days earlier. [...] Winters said her two young daughters told her, 'I want everyone to come to know Jesus through this. I hope the man who did this learns to love Jesus.'"

My Way News - Dutch police arrest 7 suspected of planning attack
AP reports: "Dutch police on Thursday arrested seven people suspected of preparing a terrorist attack in Amsterdam, including a relative of one of the attackers who died in the 2004 bombings in Madrid. [...] District Attorney Herman Bolhaar said six men and one woman, aged 19-64, were arrested in Amsterdam. All are Dutch nationals of Moroccan ancestry."

My Way News - Scientists warn of 'irreversible' climate shifts
AP reports: "Hundreds of leading scientists warned Thursday that global warming is accelerating beyond the worst predictions and threatening to trigger 'irreversible' climate shifts on the planet. [...] The climate change panel predicted a sea level rise of 7 to 23 inches (18 to 59 centimeters) by the end of the century, which could flood low-lying areas and force millions to flee. But more recent research presented at the conference suggested that melting glaciers and ice sheets could help push the sea level up at least 20 inches (50 centimeters), and possibly as much as 39 inches (1 meter)."

My Way News - UN agencies: NKorea plans April satellite launch
AP reports: "North Korea told two U.N. agencies it plans to launch a communications satellite between April 4-8 [...] The U.S. and other governments have said any rocket launch - whether missile test or satellite - would violate a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution banning North Korea from ballistic missile activity."

My Way News - USGS: 5.0-magnitude earthquake hits central China
AP reports: "A 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck central China's Sichuan province on Thursday near the border with Gansu province, the U.S. Geological Survey said."

My Way News - Palestinians struggle with differences over Israel
AP reports: "Palestinian factions trying to hammer out a power-sharing agreement are struggling to reconcile their differences toward peace talks with Israel [...] Hamas is insisting that the concept of the Palestinians' right to resistance to Israel be included in the political agenda of any future unity government, said a Fatah official, Ibrahim Aboul Maja."

Comment: Hamas does not want peace, they want to keep fighting and they are so brazen about it that they want it written into their reconciliation agreement with Fatah. And still Western politicians will support a unity government so that Israel can have someone to negotiate with. It's so delusional as to be absurd, yet this is the reality of Mideast politics. Just ignore the people with guns trying to kill Israelis and make peace with their moderate spokesmen, this is the entire Western-imposed peace strategy. I hope the Israelis don't buy it.

My Way News - Nationalist rising fast in Israeli politics
AP reports: "Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity so as not to appear to be meddling in Israeli affairs, said potential problems relating to Lieberman's appointment have been discussed at high levels in the Obama administration. 'There is concern Arab nations won't want to deal with him,' said one of the officials."

Comment: That's absurd. If you remember the Cold War and the U.S. diplomatic opening to China, it was said that only Nixon could go to China - only a hardline ideologue could actually be trusted to make it work. Israel needs a Nixon to make peace with the Palestinians.

My Way News - Hamas, in rare move, condemns Gaza rocket fire
AP reports: "The Islamic militant group Hamas made a rare criticism Thursday of Palestinian rocket fire on Israel, saying now is the wrong time as truce talks continue."

Comment: But it's Hamas that is shooting the rockets at Israel, not Fatah. So, Hamas is criticizing Hamas? I'm confused. I think this is just a PR ploy, of the type Arafat used to do, saying one thing to the Western media and another to their local media.

My Way News - Al-Qaida front claims Iraq police academy bombing
AP reports: "An al-Qaida front group is claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing outside a police training academy in Baghdad that killed about 30 people on Sunday. The self-styled Islamic State of Iraq says in an Internet statement that a suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest carried out the attack."

My Way News - Killer's march took 200 bullets, 1 hour, 11 lives
AP reports: "Hell was on its way to McLendon's old hometown Tuesday. In less than an hour, he would shed enough blood across rural Alabama to become the state's most prolific killer. The peace of a warm, almost idyllic Southern afternoon was about to be shattered by the sound of gunfire."

Comment: This is a shot-by-shot account of the Alabama shooting rampage. I think we should call these kinds of things a rampage, not a spree. People go on shopping sprees, this was a murderous rampage.

Teens caught 'sexting' face porn charges - USATODAY.com
USA Today reports: "Police have investigated more than two dozen teens in at least six states this year for sending nude images of themselves in cellphone text messages, which can bring a charge of distributing child pornography."

Comment: Not sure what to say here, but if this isn't a sign of the times, I don't know what is.

My Way News - Planning for future must consider climate change
AP reports: "The Earth's average temperature has been rising over the last century and scientists attribute much of the increase to greenhouse gases added to the air by industrial processes and burning fossil fuels, such as in automobiles. [...] "The United States faces unprecedented environmental and economic challenges in the decades ahead. Foremost among them will be climate change, sea-level rise, altered weather patterns, declines in freshwater availability and quality, and loss of biodiversity," the group warned at the time."

My Way News - Saudi hosts Arab leaders to try to undermine Iran
AP reports: "Saudi Arabia hosted the leaders of Egypt and Syria on Wednesday in an effort to persuade Damascus to move away from Iran and join with U.S.-allied Arab countries in working to blunt Tehran's influence. [...] Iran and Syria back Hezbollah, a Shiite militant group in Lebanon that is opposed by predominantly Sunni Egypt and Saudi Arabia."

Comment: This is a good sign, but I don't think much will come of it.

My Way News - Iran's president blames West for economic crisis
AP reports: "Iran's president blamed the West on Wednesday for the global economic meltdown, saying capitalism has failed and U.S. efforts to bail out companies prove its collapse [...] in a speech at the opening of the Economic Cooperation Organization summit in Tehran [...] The Economic Cooperation Organization includes Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. "

My Way News - Darwin article causes flap in Muslim Turkey
AP reports: "Turkish university students and teachers on Wednesday protested the removal of an article about Charles Darwin from a state-run science magazine amid concerns that secular views are under threat in the Muslim country."

Comment: Turkey is slowly turning. Who will speak up for secularism in Turkey before it is too late? According to this article, many are still willing to do so.

My Way News - China demands end of US Navy surveillance
AP reports: "High-seas encounters such as the Impeccable incident are likely to grow more common because China wants to assert its right to protect its secrets in the area, while the U.S. wants to gain as much knowledge as possible about China's subs and the underwater terrain, according to maritime policy analyst Mark Valencia. [...] China's claim to the entire South China Sea and its hundreds of islands and reefs overlaps with those of a half-dozen other nations, leading to occasional clashes and standoffs. Increasingly, China's rapid naval upgrade, exemplified by the Hainan base, is putting muscle behind its arguments."

Comment: China is asserting the right to control navel traffic in international waters, it will be interesting to see if this can be resolved without conflict.

My Way News - Teen kills 15 in Germany before taking own life
AP reports: "A 17-year-old wielding a Beretta 9 mm pistol burst into classrooms at his former high school Wednesday and gunned down students - some of whom died with their pencils still in hand - in a rampage that ended with 15 dead before he took his own life, authorities said."

My Way News - Obama, Geithner: recession requires global action
AP reports: "The administration said decisive action is needed by all countries to complement what is being done in the United States. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner outlined an ambitious agenda, including a tenfold increase in the size of an emergency fund the International Monetary Fund uses to help countries in trouble to as much as $500 billion. [...] The U.S. challenge highlighted a rift with European nations who are balking at U.S. calls for more stimulus spending, arguing they do not want to pile up huge levels of debt."

Comment: Odd that they are not going along with calls for greater international coordination of the global economy. I think the problem is that the U.S. wants voluntary coordinated action, while Europe wants to create new international institutions to govern the global economy. The time will come when someone in power will do exactly that.

My Way News - Ala. gunmen kills 9, himself in shooting spree
AP reports: "A gunman killed at least nine people on a terrifying rampage across two Alabama counties Tuesday, burning down his mother's home, killing members of his own family on their porch and shooting apparent strangers as he drove by, authorities said. He then fatally shot himself."

My Way News - Israel-Lebanon borders stable despite attacks
AP reports: "In a report to the council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the firing of rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel during the Gaza conflict as 'serious violations' of the cease-fire resolution."

My Way News - Iran accused of violating UN sanctions
AP reports: "A key Security Council committee reported Tuesday that Iran violated U.N. sanctions by trying to send weapons-related material to Syria on a cargo ship now docked in Cyprus."

My Way News - NKorea vows to protect itself amid US war games
AP reports: "North Korea vowed 'every necessary measure' Wednesday to defend itself against what it calls U.S. threats and accused President Barack Obama's administration of meddling in the country's internal affairs."

My Way News - China-US sea confrontations could continue
AP reports: "The naval upgrade comes alongside a growing diplomatic assertiveness in Beijing, particularly in backing up its claims to extensive maritime territories to the east and south. China views almost the entirety of the South China Sea as its territory. Its claims to small islets in the region have put it at odds with five governments - the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan."

My Way News - China's show of force keeps Tibet quiet
AP reports: "China's authoritarian government has sought in recent weeks to head off trouble ahead of the anniversary, increasing an already heavy paramilitary presence, locking down its Tibetan areas, and barring foreigners to keep information from seeping out of the region."

My Way News - Somali Cabinet votes to implement Islamic law
AP reports: "The Somali Cabinet voted to make Islam the basis of the country's legal system on Tuesday in a bid to undercut an increasingly fractured Islamic insurgency."

My Way News - Obama calls violence in Darfur 'not acceptable'
AP reports: "President Barack Obama, declaring the violence in Darfur and inaction in the face of its worsening humanitarian crisis are 'not acceptable,' pledged Tuesday to work more closely with the United Nations to bring peace to western Sudan's conflict-wracked region."

My Way News - Report: Images from Mars lander show liquid water
AP reports: "Did NASA's Phoenix Mars lander find evidence of liquid water before it froze to death? Some scientists think so. In a provocative new paper, 22 members of the mission argue that droplets seen on Phoenix's leg were from liquid water that splashed during landing."

China harassed U.S. ship, Pentagon says - IHT
The International Herald Tribune reports: "The United States has lodged a formal protest with the government in Beijing. saying five Chinese ships harassed an American surveillance vessel in international waters, in actions the Pentagon described as illegal, unprofessional and dangerous."

My Way News - China on alert for unrest on key Tibet anniversary
AP reports: "Authorities in Tibet and restive parts of western China were on heightened alert Tuesday for possible unrest on the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule and the Dalai Lama's flight from Tibet."

My Way News - China drives home rejection of 'Western' democracy
AP reports: "The head of China's rubber-stamp parliament cited Western democracy no less than nine times in a speech Monday - to illustrate what the country would not become. China will never be a multiparty state with separation of powers, he said. It will not have an independent judiciary. Elections will still have mostly government-approved candidates on the ballot."

My Way News - Obama to reverse Bush-era stem cell policy
AP reports: "Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can morph into any cell of the body. Scientists hope to harness them so they can create replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases - such as new insulin-producing cells for diabetics, cells that could help those with Parkinson's disease or maybe even Alzheimer's, or new nerve connections to restore movement after spinal injury."

My Way News - N. Korea threatens war if satellite shot down
AP reports: "North Korea put its armed forces on standby Monday and threatened 'a war' if anyone tries to shoot down what regional powers suspect is an imminent test-firing of a long-range missile."

My Way News - Telescope blasts into space to find other Earths
AP reports: "The goal is to find, if they exist, Earth-like planets circling stars in the so-called habitable zone - orbits where liquid water could be present on the surface of the planets. That would mean there are lots of places out there for life to evolve, Borucki said."

My Way News - Iran, militant groups support Sudanese president
AP reports: "Senior leaders of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah offered international support Friday to Sudan's president after he was charged with war crimes in Darfur, a sign that the bid to prosecute him could sharply radicalize his regime."

My Way News - NKorean threat has airlines changing flight paths
AP reports: "Air Canada and Singapore Airlines joined South Korean airlines in rerouting flights to steer clear of North Korean airspace Friday after the communist regime threatened Seoul's passenger planes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula."

My Way News - Zimbabwe Prime Minister Tsvangirai hurt in crash
AP reports: "Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's wife was killed and he suffered injuries in a two-vehicle crash near the capital Friday, officials said. President Robert Mugabe paid a condolence visit to the hospital, but a long rivalry with his new premier fed suspicions about the circumstances."

My Way News - NASA planet hunter blasts into night sky
AP reports: "Once it's settled into an orbit around the sun, Kepler will stare nonstop at 100,000 stars. The telescope will watch for any dimming, or winks, in the stellar brightness that might be caused by orbiting planets. It's the first NASA mission capable of detecting Earth-size planets around stars like our sun."

'Israel seriously considering Iran military op' - Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post reports: "Israel is seriously considering taking unilateral military action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, according to a report by top US political figures and experts released Wednesday."

My Way News - Israeli, Turkish foreign ministers meet secretly
AP reports: "Turkey, a secular country ruled by an Islamic-oriented government, has long been Israel's closest ally in the Muslim world, with wide-ranging military, economic and strategic ties. [...] Turkey has forged closer ties with Iran and Gaza's Iranian-backed Hamas rulers. Turkey believes Hamas must play a key role in the Palestinian territories, but Israel shuns the group."

My Way News - A surer Assad reaches out to US to aid needy Syria
AP reports: "President Barack Obama is sending the highest-level administration officials in four years to Damascus to sound out Assad's seriousness about dialogue, possibly as soon as Saturday. [...] Israel and the U.S. want Syria to break its ties with Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any peace deal, something Damascus has rejected. Assad also insists he is committed to the alliance with Iran, which has helped Syria economically and increased Syria's weight in the region."

My Way News - Iran throws conference to support Hamas
AP reports: "Iran, Hamas and their supporters from 30 countries spent two days probing ways to provide assistance to the militant Palestinian group and promote 'resistance against Israel' at an international gathering in Tehran, an Iranian lawmaker said Thursday."

My Way News - Opposition leader: Pakistan security has collapsed
AP reports: "The Sri Lankan cricket team ambush shows the security system has collapsed in Pakistan since the pro-Western government took office a year ago, a leading opposition politician charged Thursday. [...] Islamic militants are widely suspected in the attack, but authorities have not explicitly said that."

My Way News - Iran: Israeli nuclear sites within missile range

AP reports: "Iran's military chief warned Israel Wednesday that its nuclear facilities are within range of Iranian missiles, the latest message from Tehran that it will strike back if attacked."

My Way News - Court issues war crimes warrant for Sudan's Bashir
AP reports: "The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur."

My Way News - Iran's leader says Obama following Bush's path
AP reports: "Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday criticized what he called President Barack Obama's 'unconditional' support for Israel, saying he was following the same mistaken policies as the Bush administration. [...] Iran does not recognize Israel and has called for its destruction. Khamenei called Israel a 'cancerous tumor' Wednesday that is on the verge of collapse."

My Way News - US back as observer to UN rights council
AP reports: "The United States returned Wednesday to the U.N. Human Rights Council, a body it left nine months ago saying it was biased against Israel and had failed to confront notorious rights abusers. [...] The council is dominated by Muslim and African countries."

My Way News - North Korea escalates rhetoric against South Korea
AP reports: "A day after warning Washington against launching military exercises on South Korean soil, North Korea focused its rhetoric Thursday on its neighbor and warned of 'powerful' retaliation if Seoul goes ahead with joint drills next week."

My Way News - China says support for NATO effort unlikely now
AP reports: "A Chinese diplomat says it is premature to consider if China would provide support for NATO's war effort in Afghanistan [...] Until now, China - which also has faced problems with Islamic militants in its western regions - has generally been supportive of the Afghan government and the U.S.-led allied war effort."

Comment: Let's watch how this unfolds, it could be an opportunity for China to extend not only their influence but also the reach of their military.

My Way News - China says ready to talk to Taiwan, end hostility
AP reports: "China's Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday that Beijing is ready to hold talks with Taiwan on political and military issues aimed at ending hostility with the rival island. [...] Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing still claims the island as part of its territory and says it is intent on eventual unification - by persuasion if possible, by force if necessary."

Kepler sets sights on Earth-like planets - Space.com- msnbc.com
MSNBC reports: "If Friday's launch goes according to plan and successfully lobs NASA's new Kepler space telescope into orbit, the mission stands to potentially change the way we look at the universe."

Flu viruses growing resistant to key weapon Tamiflu - USATODAY.com
USA Today reports: "Evidence that flu viruses are becoming more resistant to the drug Tamiflu has sown deep concern among doctors who are worried that their best flu treatment is losing its punch."

4 Indonesians die of bird flu; toll climbs to 119 - USATODAY.com
AP reports: "Four Indonesians have died of bird flu, bringing the death toll in the country hardest hit by the disease over the past several years to 119, an official said Tuesday."

My Way News - Russian scholar says US will collapse next year
AP reports: "The prediction from Panarin, a former spokesman for Russia's Federal Space Agency and reportedly an ex-KGB analyst, meshes with the negative view of the U.S. that has been flowing from the Kremlin in recent years, in particular from Vladimir Putin. Putin, the former president who is now prime minister, has likened the United States to Nazi Germany's Third Reich and blames Washington for the global financial crisis that has pounded the Russian economy."

Clinton criticizes Israel over East Jerusalem demolition - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Israel Wednesday over plans to demolish Palestinian homes in Arab East Jerusalem and said Washington would engage Israeli leaders on Jewish settlements."

Comment: It always makes me uneasy when the U.S. tries to be impartial and evenhanded in dealing with Israel and the Palestinians. Sadly, I think we are going to see more of this kind of criticism of Israel as Secretary Clinton tries to establish her credentials as an "honest broker" between the two sides.

Why Is the UN Blaming the Jews? - The Daily Beast
Bernard-Henri Levy, in his blog post explains why the world is once again about to gang up on Israel: "Next month, the nations of the world will meet in Geneva to talk about racism. The philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy says the whole thing is a sham, a setup to blame the world’s ills on Israel. We must boycott."

Comment: A major UN conference on the evils of racism, racial discrimination, zenophobia and intolerance would find many offenders in many countries all over the world. It would make little sense to single out Israel, a pluralistic and democratic state surrounded by monoculture - Islam only - states, but it is a certainty that Israel will be branded as the #1 offender, far ahead of Zimbabwe, Sudan, or any other repressive human-rights violating dictatorship you could name. We will be watching the conference, of course, but I don't expect any other outcome.

To the non-believer I would ask that they accept this sad spectacle as a challenge and a road to faith. Ask: why does the world hate the Jews? Think about it, consider the question carefully, as to why this people has been hated for so long in human history and by so many people and countries all over the world. What makes them different? Ask that question, start a journey and follow the path and it will lead you to Jesus.

My Way News - China says to boost defense spending in 2009
AP reports: "The increase to 480.68 billion yuan ($70.27 billion), follows a 17.6 percent increase last year, and 17.8 percent in 2007 - the biggest jump in more than a decade. It also marks the 19th double-digit percentage increase in the past two decades."

Comment: The rise of great military powers to the east of the Euphrates is one of the important prophetic trends to watch. I would certainly include China in that group, as well as India and Pakistan, though to a much lesser extent. I think that prophetic scripture is painting a picture of a time when military powers to the east seize an opportunity to take control of the Middle East after decades of Western control.

My Way News - Russia seems open to discussing US plan on Iran
AP reports: "Russia's president seemed open Tuesday to discussing a U.S. plan to cancel an anti-missile system in Europe if Russia helps prevent Iran from developing long-range weapons, a proposal that could snugly fit the Kremlin's strategic objectives."

My Way News - US, other powers urge Iran to curb nuke program
AP reports: "The U.S. on Tuesday joined other major world powers in urging Iran to curb its nuclear program, in a statement notable for its moderate language and for its commitment to diplomacy to defuse the atomic standoff."

My Way News - Clinton calls for action to forge Mideast peace

AP reports: "On her first foray into Middle East diplomacy, Clinton used an international donors conference to issue a blunt call for urgent action to forge a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace. She also signaled a possible warming in U.S. relations with Syria after several years of division."

Comment: Is there anything really new here? No, not really, this is just staged diplomacy, an opening act, but we have yet to see any new developments in the so-called peace process.

My Way News - Donor conference pledges $5B for Gaza, Abbas gov't
AP reports: "International donors pledged $5.2 billion Monday to rebuild the devastated Gaza Strip and fund the Palestinian government, giving a powerful boost to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and putting new pressure on the rival Hamas militant group to moderate."

My Way News - Clinton doubtful Iran will respond to US diplomacy
AP reports: "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed doubt Monday that Iran would respond to the Obama administration's diplomatic initiatives toward Tehran on nuclear and other issues, a senior State Department official said."

My Way News - Russian foreign minister: US should talk to Iran
AP reports: "Russia's foreign minister on Monday urged the United States to talk to Iran and staked out a tough position before talks expected this year on a new nuclear arms control treaty, Russian news agencies reported."

My Way News - US monitoring NKorea missile activity from Japan
AP reports: "The U.S. military is closely monitoring activities in North Korea from its bases in Japan ahead of the expected launch of a long-range missile that could be capable of striking U.S. territory, officials said Tuesday."

My Way News - Twin assassinations leave Guinea-Bissau in turmoil
AP reports: "The man who ruled this small African nation for nearly a quarter-century was assassinated Monday just hours after a bomb killed his longtime rival, the armed forces chief, leaving behind a precarious power vacuum as the country struggles to stem a booming cocaine trade."

My Way News - World's poor drive growth in global cell phone use
AP reports: "Six in 10 people around the world now have cell phone subscriptions, signaling that mobile phones are the communications technology of choice, particularly in poor countries, according to a U.N. report published Monday."

Comment: An interesting thing happened in the development pattern of many poor countries. Because building out the telcom infrastructure is so expensive, they skipped the landline phase and went right to the cell phone phase, allowing for much more connectivity and much more reliance on mobile-commerce applications, bringing millions into the global village much faster than otherwise would have been the case.

Stem Cell Research Breakthrough - CBS News
CBS News reports: "Scientists have potentially discovered a way to make an almost endless supply of stem cells that could safely be used in patients and research, without any need to destroy human embryos."

Comment: This is a welcome discovery, let's hope it leads to cures for many diseases and perhaps the fulfillment of the promise of made to order spare parts.