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.

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!"

CNN.com - U.N. cites 'a slow but steady exodus' of Iraqi Christians
CNN reports: "Violence in recent weeks has prompted a 'slow but steady exodus' of Christians from the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Mosul, the U.N. refugee agency said on Friday [..] The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Baghdad and Mosul Christians have been headed to other destinations in Iraq, such as the Kurdish region and the Nineveh Plains, a region in the north with a strong Christian presence."

My Way News - SKorea to hold firing drills despite NKorea threat
My Way News reports: "South Korea said Saturday it will go ahead with artillery drills on a border island shelled by North Korea last month despite Pyongyang's threat to retaliate again, as Russia and China expressed concerns over tension on the volatile peninsula."

My Way News - CIA chief pulled from Pakistan; drones kill 54
My Way News reports: "The CIA yanked its top spy out of Pakistan after his cover was blown and his life threatened, and 54 suspected militants were killed in a U.S. drone missile attack Friday in stark new signs of the troubled relationship between mistrustful allies locked in a war on terror groups."

My Way News - Venezuela congress grants Chavez decree powers: "Venezuelan lawmakers granted President Hugo Chavez broad powers Friday to enact laws by decree, undermining the clout of a new congress that takes office next month with a bigger opposition bloc. Chavez opponents condemned the move as a power grab, saying the law gives him a blank check to rule without consulting lawmakers."

Comment: I wonder how long it will be before he appoints himself president-for-life and puts his political enemies in camps?

My Way News - Coast Guard: Little seafloor oil from Gulf spill
My Way News reports: "Federal scientists said Friday extensive sampling of the Gulf of Mexico seafloor found oil in quantities too small to collect and in concentrations below harmful levels, except in the area surrounding the BP well. The Coast Guard's report contrasts independent scientists who say oil from the BP spill extensively damaged the seafloor and killed coral, sea fans and many bottom-dwelling animals like tubeworms."

Comment: I'd been waiting for this report and the finding are encouraging. As you know, there have been some very negative suggestions about the extent of the damage and the long-term implications of the spill - apocalyptic implications - but it would appear that those fears are overblown.

UPI.com - Seismic stress said moving toward LA
UPI reports: "Scientists say a 7.2 magnitude Easter earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border shifted fault stress to Southern California, creating risks of a temblor there."

My Way News - Palestinians ask Europe to recognize a state
My Way News reports: "The Palestinians have asked European countries to recognize an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip - a new step in the campaign to pursue statehood outside the framework of a peace deal with Israel."

My Way News - Arabs against peace talks without clear borders
My Way News reports: "Arab foreign ministers spoke out Wednesday against any talks between Israel and the Palestinians, direct or indirect, unless the U.S. takes a firm stance on the future borders of a Palestinian state."

My Way News - Pope calls Christians the most persecuted
My Way News reports: "Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday that Christians suffer more religious persecution than any other group, denouncing lack of freedom of worship as an 'intolerable' threat to world security."

My Way News - Pakistan, China celebrate 'all-weather' friendship
My Way News reports: "Pakistan calls China its 'all-weather' friend - an ally that offers consistent, no-strings-attached support during turbulent times. However, the reality is a more complicated mix of economics, security and self-interest - complexities that will be on display during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's three day-visit to Pakistan starting Friday [...] China is Pakistan's closest friend in the region, giving Islamabad military aid and technical assistance, including nuclear technology."

My Way News - New Japan defense policy focuses on China
My Way News reports: "Japan needs to focus on the rise of China and not the Cold War threat of Russia in defining its security goals, according to new defense guidelines announced Friday [...] To bolster its forces, Japan will acquire new submarines and fighter jets, upgrade its missile defense capabilities and make its ground forces more mobile so that they can quickly respond to emergencies in southwest Japan."

Comment: There's nothing like a regional arms race to make everyone feel more secure.

My Way News - 30,000 killed in Mexico's drug violence since 2006
My Way News reports: "Mexico said Thursday that more than 30,000 people have been killed in drug violence since President Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown against cartels in late 2006."

My Way News - Obama: US on track in Afghanistan, issues remain
My Way News reports: "Though mostly upbeat, the Obama administration's assessment of war progress in Afghanistan suggests tough combat will continue for years and if the president begins to bring U.S. troops home next summer, as promised, the numbers will be small."

My Way News - London, tuberculosis capital of Western Europe
My Way News reports: "The number of people infected with tuberculosis has jumped by 50 percent in London in the last decade, making it the tuberculosis capital of Western Europe, a new report says."

My Way News - Arabs against peace talks without clear borders
My Way News reports: "Arab foreign ministers spoke out Wednesday against any talks between Israel and the Palestinians, direct or indirect, unless the U.S. takes a firm stance on the future borders of a Palestinian state."

My Way News - Rabbi says Western Wall cameras desecrate Sabbath
My Way News reports: "A leading Israeli rabbi has declared the Western Wall off limits to the faithful on the holiest day of the week because of security cameras that he says desecrate the Sabbath [...] The Western Wall, located in Jerusalem's Old City, is a retaining wall of the compound where the biblical temples stood 2,000 years ago. Devout Jews and tourists pray in front of the outdoor site and stick small prayer notes between the stones of the wall."

My Way News - Disagreement over EU debt crisis measures deepens
My Way News reports: "Disagreement over how to fight Europe's debt crisis deepened Wednesday, on the eve of a two-day summit of European leaders, as violent protests and uncertainty fueled investors' concerns once again."

My Way News - SKorea stages mass evacuation drill amid tension
My Way News reports: "South Koreans stopped their cars, donned gas masks and ducked into underground shelters Wednesday in the country's biggest-ever evacuation drill - a government attempt to prepare traditionally indifferent citizens for possible new attacks by North Korea."

My Way News - US missile intercept test fails
My Way News reports: "An interceptor missile launched from California on Wednesday failed to hit a target fired from a Pacific atoll 4,000 miles away during a test of an anti-ballistic missile defense system, the Air Force announced."

My Way News - Report: Transplant may have cured man of AIDS
My Way News reports: "A very unusual blood transplant appears to have cured an American man living in Berlin of infection with the AIDS virus, but doctors say the approach is not practical for wide use. The man, who is in his 40s, had a blood stem cell transplant in 2007 to treat leukemia. His donor not only was a good blood match but also had a gene mutation that confers natural resistance to HIV."

My Way News - Boat smashed on Australian cliff; 28 migrants die
My Way News reports: "Australians on a high cliff watched helplessly Wednesday as a wooden boat smuggling as many as 100 would-be migrants was smashed against the jagged rocks by monstrous waves, dumping screaming men, women and children into the stormy surf. At least 28 people died and 44 were rescued."

CNN.com - Cruise ship battered in Mediterranean storm
CNN reports: "A violent storm over the weekend lashed a Royal Caribbean ship trying to get to port in Alexandria, Egypt, injuring nearly 30 passengers, shattering glass and overturning furniture."

BBC News - Middle East countries hit by storms
BBC News reports: "Shipping has been delayed through the Suez Canal and most Egyptian ports, both on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean - including the country's largest at Alexandria - have closed, with winds reaching speeds of up to 60km/h (37mph) [...] Waves of up to 10m (33ft) battered coasts, damaging fishing boats in Lebanon."

My Way News - Envoy says US committed to Palestinian state
My Way News reports: "The U.S. will not be deterred by setbacks and will persevere until a Palestinian state is established alongside Israel, President Obama's Mideast envoy said Tuesday after meeting the Palestinian president."

My Way News - Hamas celebrates 23rd anniversary with mass rally
My Way News reports: "Huge crowds of flag-waving Hamas supporters clogged the streets of Gaza City Tuesday and cars and buildings were adorned with the militant movement's trademark green as tens of thousands turned out to mark the 23rd anniversary of the group's founding [....] In a message distributed to media Tuesday morning, Hamas said it remains committed to destroying Israel, bringing back Palestinian refugees and seizing control of Jerusalem's holy sites."

My Way News - Indonesian police arrest 4 more terror suspects
My Way News reports: "Indonesian authorities have arrested four Islamist militants suspected of having links to a top terrorist suspect captured last week, a police spokesman said Tuesday [...] Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim nation of 240 million, has battled extremists since 2002, when the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah bombed two nightclubs on the resort island of Bali, killing 202 people, most of them foreign tourists."

San Jose Mercury News - California and feds sign earthquake plan
The San Jose Mercury News reports: "More than 1,500 emergency officials worked on the Southern California response plan, which was signed Tuesday. It outlines how to deploy resources and handle injuries from a hypothetical magnitude-7.8 quake on the southern San Andreas Fault."

NYTimes.com - More Christians Are Fleeing Iraq In New Violence
The New York Times reports: "A new wave of Iraqi Christians has fled to northern Iraq or abroad amid a campaign of violence against them and growing fear that the country’s security forces are unable or, more ominously, unwilling to protect them."

Comment: It's amazing that in the 21st Century we see Christians being driven out of an entire country. Let's agree to pray for the church in Iraq as they undergo this hardship and persecution.

My Way News - After setback, US resumes Mideast peace push
My Way News reports: "The U.S. Mideast envoy returned to the region on Monday, seeking to revive troubled peace efforts after a major setback in which Washington abandoned efforts to coax Israel to freeze Jewish settlement in areas Palestinians want for a future state."

My Way News - Iran's president abruptly fires foreign minister
My Way News reports: "Iran's president abruptly fired his foreign minister Monday and named the nuclear chief as acting top diplomat, the latest sign of a rift at the top levels of the Islamic theocracy as the country faces intense pressure from the West over its nuclear program."

My Way News - Iran conducts large military exercise
My Way News reports: "Iran's army has finished a large military exercise by ground forces near the Iraqi border, the state news agency reported Monday. But unlike previous war games in which Iran boasted of weapons advances, the latest maneuvers were largely held under wraps."

My Way News - Opposition leader: Cables show Iran 'vulnerable'
My Way News reports: "U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show Iran's hard-line policies have left it without 'a single ally' among neighboring countries, an Iranian opposition leader said Sunday in a direct challenge to Tehran's official view that Washington seeks to poison relations in the region."

My Way News - Stockholm bomber seen as radical by UK Muslims
My Way News reports: "At his local mosque in England, Taimour Abdulwahab alarmed elders with his extreme views on Islam. On the Internet, he posted videos of Chechen fighters and abused Iraqi prisoners. On Saturday, officials say, he died in a botched suicide bombing in Stockholm."

My Way News - Germany lays out goals for Security Council tenure
My Way News reports: "Germany's ambassador to the United Nations said Monday his country hopes to use its two-year tenure on the influential Security Council to focus on fighting terrorism, peace-building and bringing climate-related threats to the forefront. Peter Wittig also stressed Germany's aim of working together with fellow two-year Security Council member India to push for reforms that would include expanding the number of permanent council members, with hopes of securing a seat itself."

My Way News - No decisive victory one year into Afghan surge
My Way News reports: "One year after President Barack Obama ordered a troop buildup to halt the Taliban's momentum, the war in Afghanistan has not broken decisively in favor of U.S.-led forces - at least not yet. While NATO forces have routed insurgents from their strongholds in southern Afghanistan, the Taliban's strongest region, the militants have opened new fronts in the north and west and have stepped up attacks in the east."

My Way News - Mullen: No big change in US troops in Afghanistan
My Way News reports: "The top U.S. military officer said Monday he doesn't foresee big changes to the number of U.S. forces fighting in Afghanistan. Adm. Mike Mullen told troops there won't be any significant increases over the current level of roughly 100,000. But he says there won't be big decreases either. The Obama administration plans to begin a modest withdrawal in July next year."

My Way News - NKorea threatens SKorea with nuclear war
My Way News reports: "North Korea warned Monday that U.S.-South Korean cooperation could bring a nuclear war to the region, as the South began artillery drills amid lingering tension nearly three weeks after the North's deadly shelling of a South Korean island."

CSMonitor.com - Cancun climate change deal falls flat, Kyoto Protocol on life support
The Christian Science Monitor reports: "The climate change conference in Cancun appears to have sealed the fate of the Kyoto Protocol, the only legally binding treaty to combat climate change, and left countries squabbling over the substance and form of a new treaty for the future."

BBC News - Hillary Clinton 'frustrated' at Middle East deadlock
BBC News reports: "US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed frustration at the latest setback to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, but insisted that the US would continue to push for progress. She vowed to promote indirect talks on 'core issues' including borders, settlements, refugees and Jerusalem."

My Way News - Palestinians reject talks without settlement halt
My Way News reports: "The Palestinian president is sticking to his refusal to resume peace talks with Israel unless it freezes all construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his position during a visit to Cairo Thursday, days after U.S. officials said they had dropped efforts to persuade Israel to temporarily renew curbs on settlement."

My Way News - Israel draws international rebuke over settlements
My Way News: "The European Union, the United Nations and the Arab League have rebuked Israel after its refusal to halt settlement construction forced Washington to drop efforts to relaunch Mideast peace talks."

My Way News - Students attack Prince Charles' car after fee hike
My Way News reports: "Furious student protesters attacked a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, vandalized buildings and battled riot police Thursday as a controversial hike in university fees triggered Britain's worst political violence in years."

My Way News - Protests, cyber-skirmishes rage over WikiLeaks
My Way News reports: "Skirmishes raged across cyberspace between WikiLeaks supporters and the companies they accuse of trying to stifle the group, with websites on both sides of the battle line taken out of service or choked off by attacks."

Comment: Unrestricted cyberwar has been declared, it's a new era.

My Way News - After new setback, Obama Mideast plan in doubt
My Way News reports: "The U.S. decision to abandon its efforts to coax a settlement freeze out of Israel marks the biggest failure yet in the Obama administration's much-trumpeted Mideast peace push, casting serious doubts over whether the president can broker a deal by his September target."

My Way News - Evidence for ET is mounting daily, but not proven
My Way News reports: "In the past several days, scientists have reported there are three times as many stars as they previously thought. Another group of researchers discovered a microbe can live on arsenic, expanding our understanding of how life can thrive under the harshest environments. And earlier this year, astronomers for the first time said they'd found a potentially habitable planet."

My Way News - Haiti cholera likely from UN troops, expert says
My Way News reports: "A contingent of U.N. peacekeepers is the likely source of a cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed at least 2,000 people, a French scientist said in a report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press."

My Way News - Israel claims WikiLeaks distracts US from Mideast
My Way News reports: "Israel's defense minister claimed Tuesday that the WikiLeaks crisis was distracting Washington from efforts to restart Mideast peace talks. But the U.S. denied those efforts were on hold and countered sharply that perhaps Israel was distracted by fighting a wildfire. Hours later, however, U.S. officials said they had abandoned efforts to reinstate a freeze on new building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, concluding that was not the best way to restart the talks."

My Way News - Palestinians seek unilateral statehood recognition
My Way News reports: "The Palestinians' Plan B - an alternative to the elusive peace deal with Israel - is gradually taking shape: convince as many countries as possible to recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, and use that to lobby the United States not to veto recognition by the U.N. Security Council."

My Way News - Iran talks recess with no signs of progress
My Way News reports: "Talks between Iran and six world powers recessed Monday with no sign that Tehran was ready to discuss U.N. Security Council calls to curb its nuclear activities that could be harnessed to make weapons, an official at the negotiations said."

My Way News - Iran claims full control over making nuclear fuel
My Way News reports: "Iran claimed Sunday it could now use domestically mined uranium to produce nuclear fuel, giving the country complete control over a process the West suspects is geared toward producing weapons."

My Way News - Argentina: Palestine is free and independent state
My Way News reports: "Argentina announced Monday that it recognizes the Palestinian territories as a free and independent state within their 1967 borders, a step it said reflects frustration at the slow progress of peace talks with Israel."

My Way News - US cable: China leaders ordered hacking on Google
My Way News reports: "Contacts told American diplomats that hacking attacks against Google were ordered by China's top ruling body and a senior leader demanded action after finding search results that were critical of him, leaked U.S. government memos show [...] The hacking that angered Google and hit dozens of other businesses was part of a rash of attacks aimed at a wide array of targets, from a British military contractor to banks. Experts said then the highly skilled attacks suggested the military or other government agencies might be breaking into computers to steal technology and trade secrets to help state companies."

My Way News - Pakistani cleric calls for Christian to be killed
My Way News reports: "A hardline Pakistani cleric offered a cash reward Friday for anyone who kills a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy against Islam. A Pakistani court sentenced Asia Bibi to death on Nov. 8, triggering protests from human rights groups and Christian organizations in Pakistan and abroad [...] Christians accused of, or convicted of blasphemy, have been murdered before in Pakistan. Rights groups say police are often reluctant to investigate the crimes or give minorities protection in general."

Comment: Let's agree to pray for the safety and welfare of Asia Bibi and for the persecuted church in Pakistan.

My Way News - Israel battles forest fire with foreign help
My Way News reports: "The eruption of the blaze Thursday overwhelmed Israel's small firefighting force and prompted an unprecedented call for international help from a country better known for helping in other countries' disaster zones [...] Some 100 firefighters from Bulgaria arrived as well as fire extinguishing planes and crews from Greece, Britain and Cyprus, Israeli officials said. Additional planes were offered by other EU nations and Russia. The U.S. was sending a team of firefighting experts as well as tons of fire retardant and foam, and pledged to help with additional aircraft [...] Israel's Mideast neighbors, Jordan and Egypt, also sent firefighters and equipment [...] The help that drew the most attention came from Turkey, once a close ally but now a vocal critic [...] The Palestinian Authority, which recently cut off U.S.-sponsored peace talks with the Netanyahu government, also dispatched firefighters and trucks."

Comment: Praying that God will bless all those that have come to Israel's aid.

My Way News - Egypt considering nuclear arms if Iran gets them
My Way News reports: "Egypt's president would consider turning his country into a nuclear power if Iran acquired atomic weapons, leaked U.S. diplomatic cables revealed [...] Iran's growing nuclear program, which it insists is only for peaceful energy production, has sent chills throughout the region and several Arab countries expressed their concern to the U.S. about it, included support for military strikes."

My Way News - Clinton hopes for Iranian turnaround on nukes
My Way News reports: "Until now, Arab worries generally have been expressed publicly in careful, diplomatic language with the emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy. The WikiLeaks disclosures showed private concerns about Iran expressed by a range of Arab leaders."

Comment: One silver-lining from the WikiLeaks scandal has been the emergence of a broad regional consensus that Iran should not be allowed to go nuclear. Iran's neighbors that had previously been guarded in their public statements are now firmly asserting their determination to stand against Iran.

My Way News - Poland deaths from deep freeze reach 30
My Way News reports: "The death toll from a deep freeze in Poland has increased to 30 with a dozen more deaths overnight, while some of the worst floods in a century devastated parts of the Balkans [...] the worst in 104 years."

My Way News - Obama, troops cheer each other in Afghan visit
My Way News reports: "There are now about 150,000 coalition forces in Afghanistan, roughly 100,000 of them Americans. The U.S. and its NATO partners agreed last month in Lisbon, Portugal, to begin turning over control to local Afghan authorities in 2011, with a goal of completing that transition by the end of 2014 [...] This has been the deadliest year to date for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. More than 1,300 have died here since the war began, more than 450 in 2010. The visit comes a year after Obama announced he was sending an additional 30,000 troops to try to gain control - and then get the United States out - of a worsening conflict. Obama's plan is to start pulling U.S. forces out of Afghanistan in July."

My Way News - US, Japan begin war games; China denounces drills
My Way News: "In an ongoing show of force following a deadly North Korean attack on a front-line island, the U.S. and Japan began one of their biggest-ever military exercises Friday, mobilizing more than 44,000 troops, hundreds of aircraft and a U.S. supercarrier."

My Way News - Brazil recognizes Palestinian state
My Way News reports: "Brazil says it has recognized the state of Palestine based on borders at the time of Israel's 1967 conquest of the West Bank [...] "and hopes that the recognition will help lead to states of Israel and Palestine "that will coexist peacefully and in security.'"

My Way News - Debt crisis is changing Europe's currency union
My Way News reports: "Europe and the euro will never be the same. The debt crisis is forcing governments to rewrite some of the eurozone's most fundamental rules. While some see the current turmoil as the slow-motion wreckage of the common currency bloc, others maintain Europe will have the political resolve to keep it together and even bring it closer together."

Comment: Perhaps it will splinter into a small core of fiscally responsible members under German leadership with a larger set of debtor members who no longer carry the weight or privileges of being full members.

Reuters - South Korea urged to hit back hard if attacked again
Reuters reports: "A former commander of the U.S. Forces Korea has called for a strong, 'asymmetrical' retaliation against North Korea in the event of further provocations against the South and a halt to all contact with the reclusive regime."

My Way News - Egypt considering nuclear arms if Iran gets them
My Way News reports: "Egypt's president would consider turning his country into a nuclear power if Iran acquired atomic weapons, leaked U.S. diplomatic cables revealed. A cable from May 2008, one of hundreds of secret diplomatic documents released by the WikiLeaks website over the past week, described how President Hosni Mubarak told a U.S. Congressional delegation that everyone in the region was 'terrified' of a nuclear Iran."

My Way News - Hamas: No al-Qaida in Gaza but local zealots grow
My Way News reports: "Gaza's Hamas prime minister was adamant: There is no al-Qaida presence in Gaza, he said, rebuffing what he portrayed as Israeli allegations meant to justify military action against the territory. At the same time, a new homegrown crop of zealots - even if only inspired by the global terror network - is increasingly turning into a problem for Gaza's ruling Islamic militants."

My Way News - 12 dead as heavy snow, flooding slams Europe
My Way News reports: "Freezing temperatures and often blinding snowfall killed 12 more people and caused travel chaos across northern Europe on Thursday, while some of the worst floods in a century devastated parts of the Balkans. Airports closed down or delayed flights across the continent, roads were coated in an impassible mix of ice and snow and even Europe's vaulted high-speed trains struggled to cope."

My Way News - UN nuke chief attacks Iran's lack of cooperation
My Way News reports: "The head of the U.N. atomic agency on Thursday shook off suggestions of pro-U.S. bias, asserting that his investigation of Iran's nuclear program was factual and objective."

My Way News - SKorea defense nominee vows airstrikes on North
My Way News reports: "President Lee Myung-bak's choice for new defense minister said Friday that South Korean jets will bomb North Korea should Pyongyang stage an attack similar to last week's deadly artillery barrage."

My Way News - Report: North Korea boosts multiple-launch rockets
My Way News reports: "A news report says North Korea now has more multiple-launch rockets capable of hitting Seoul. Yonhap news agency says North Korea has increased its arsenal of rockets by 100 pieces to about 5,200. Yonhap cited an unidentified South Korean military source. The agency says the rockets have a range of 37 miles (60 kilometers), putting Seoul within striking distance."

My Way News - US, Japan begin large-scale military exercises
My Way News reports: "The U.S. and Japan began one of their biggest-ever military exercises on Friday with tens of thousands of troops, hundreds of aircraft and a U.S. supercarrier joining in drills that simulate an attack on Japanese territory."

My Way News - Microbe found that can use arsenic as nutrient
My Way News reports: "The discovery of a strange bacteria that can use arsenic as one of its nutrients widens the scope for finding new forms of life on Earth and possibly beyond. While researchers discovered the unusual bacteria here on Earth, they say it shows that life has possibilities beyond the major elements that have been considered essential."

My Way News - Global experts: Warming could double food prices
My Way News reports: "Even if we stopped spewing global warming gases today, the world would face a steady rise in food prices this century. But on our current emissions path, climate change becomes the 'threat multiplier' that could double grain prices by 2050 and leave millions more children malnourished, global food experts reported Wednesday."

Reuters - Factbox: AIDS virus infects 33 million globally
Reuters reports: "A new report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine recommends that governments and non-profit groups fighting AIDS in Africa concentrate more on preventing new cases than on treating patients. The panel of international experts projects that 70 million Africans will be infected with the human immunodeficiency virus by 2050 unless something changes."

CNN - Russia will build up forces without New START, Putin says
CNN reports: "Russia will have to build up its nuclear forces if the United States fails to ratify the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty the two countries signed this year, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warns in an upcoming CNN interview."

My Way News - Powerful earthquake shakes Papua New Guinea
My Way News reports: "A powerful earthquake struck waters off Papua New Guinea early Thursday, but there was no threat of a widespread, destructive tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 and struck 20 miles (32 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor."

My Way News - Magnitude-6.1 earthquake rumbles near Fiji
My Way News reports: "A strong magnitude-6.1 earthquake has struck in waters near Fiji on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey says, but there are no immediate reports of injuries or damage. No tsunami warning was in effect after the undersea quake struck 115 miles (185 km) east-northeast of Lambasa, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre website."

My Way News - Storm brings strong winds, rain to East Coast
My Way News reports: "A potent storm system that spawned tornadoes in the South reached the Northeast on Wednesday, where it knocked out power to thousands, closed the Statue of Liberty and delayed flights for hours. At least three people were killed."

Comment: Tornadoes this time of year?

My Way News - Ex-cop sentenced in Katrina shooting coverup
My Way News reports: "Michael Hunter stood quietly as a judge sentenced the former New Orleans Police officer Wednesday to eight years in federal prison for his role in the coverup and deadly shooting of unarmed civilians after Hurricane Katrina [...] Hunter admitted firing at the people on the bridge, although he knew they were unarmed and posed no threat, but said he did not hit anyone."

My Way News - Starry starry starry night: Star count may triple
My Way News reports: "The universe may glitter with far more stars than even Carl Sagan imagined when he rhapsodized about billions upon billions. A new study suggests there are a mind-blowing 300 sextillion of them, or three times as many as scientists previously calculated. That is a 3 followed by 23 zeros. Or 3 trillion times 100 billion."

Comment: Looks like the Creator has been busy.

Haaretz - U.S. condemns Palestinian claim that Western Wall 'isn't Jewish'
Haaretz.com reports: "The United States on Tuesday condemned claims by a senior Palestinian official that the Western Wall of Jerusalem's Temple Mount holds no significance for Jews."

My Way News - Report saying Western Wall not holy to Jews is cut
My Way News reports: "The Palestinian Authority has removed a report from a government website claiming that Jerusalem's Western Wall isn't holy to Jews, officials said Wednesday, after it provoked furious reactions from the U.S. and Israel [...] Palestinians have consistently claimed that Jews have no historical religious attachment to Jerusalem, in defiance of archaeological finds, in an attempt to counter Israel's claims to the city."

Comment: Should we continue to believe that the Palestinians really want to live peacefully side-by-side with Israel, in spite of all evidence to the contrary?

My Way News - PM says Palestinians ready for statehood by August
My Way News reports: "Palestinians will be ready for statehood by August, as promised in a two-year action plan, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in an interview Tuesday, dismissing a host of steep obstacles to independence."

My Way News - US says Iran got missile boost from North Korea
My Way News reports: "A U.S. intelligence assessment concludes that Iran has received advanced North Korean missiles capable of targeting Western European capitals and giving the Islamic Republic's arsenal a significantly farther reach than previously disclosed."

My Way News - EU: Iran agrees to Dec 6-7 nuclear talks
My Way News reports: "Iran has agreed to discuss its nuclear program at a meeting next week in Geneva, the European Union announced Tuesday. Saeed Jalili, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, will meet with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton on Dec. 6 and 7 - the first talks in a year after negotiations bogged down."

Comment: It appears to me that Iran has suddenly realized that not only is the West determined to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat, but Iran's neighbors have been secretly encouraging the U.S. to attack them. Suddenly, negotiations don't look so bad.

My Way News - East Jerusalem housing gets preliminary OK
My Way News reports: "Israel gave preliminary approval Monday for 130 new apartments in disputed east Jerusalem, the area the Palestinians want as the capital of their hoped-for state. Monday's decision by Jerusalem city authorities comes as peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are at a standstill over building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem."

My Way News - Pakistani court delays pardon for Christian
My Way News reports: "A lawyer says a Pakistani court has barred the country's president from pardoning a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy before it rules on her appeal. Attorney Allah Bakhsha Leghari says the chief justice of the Lahore High Court, Khawaja Sharif, issued the order Monday."

My Way News - Turkey gives orphanage to Ecumenical Patriarchate
My Way News reports: "The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians was given back the deed to a historic building on Monday in a move hailed as a symbolic but important victory for the formerly dominant church in Turkey [...] Turkey, which is overwhelmingly Muslim and officially secular, has long been criticized by the EU and human rights groups for its dealings with its religious minorities, including the confiscation of property."

Comment: Some bad news followed by some good news on the persecution front.

My Way News - Scientists trick cells into switching identities
My Way News reports: "Scientists are reporting early success at transforming one kind of specialized cell into another, a feat of biological alchemy that doctors may someday perform inside a patient's body to restore health."

CNN.com - Leaked cables point to vital, volatile U.S. relationship with Turkey
CNN reports: "Dozens of diplomatic cables released by the website WikiLeaks reveal a complex and often difficult relationship between the United States and Turkey in recent years, with persistent anxieties among U.S. officials that long-time Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is prodding the country in a more Islamist direction."

My Way News - Israel says Arabs agree on Iran threat
My Way News reports: "Israel's prime minister said Monday that newly leaked U.S. diplomatic memos provide clear proof that the Arab world agrees with his country's assessment that Iran is the chief danger to the Middle East."

CNN.com - WikiLeaks documents shed light on U.S.-Israel talks over Iran
CNN reports: "Diplomatic cables obtained by the website WikiLeaks show a continuous dialogue between Israel and the United States about the threat posed by Iran, with the Israeli defense minister and other Israeli officials suggesting that 2010 would be a critical year."

BBC News - Border clash prompts South Korean missile warning
BBC News reports: "South Korea says it will retaliate with missile strikes against the North if faced with 'further provocations', after an exchange of fire in which two South Korean marines were killed. President Lee Myung-bak was responding to the shelling of an inhabited island close to a disputed maritime border. The South returned fire in one of the worst clashes since the Korean War."

CNN.com - Official: Pakistani Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy
CNN reports: "A preliminary investigation shows that a Pakistani Christian woman has been falsely accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammed, a government official said Monday."

Comment: That's very good news, praying they release her soon.

My Way News - Israel begins work on Egypt border fence
My Way News reports: "Israel began work Monday on a border fence along its frontier with Egypt that is meant to keep out Islamic militants and African migrants, the Defense Ministry said. Bulldozers were dispatched to three points along the 150-mile (250-kilometer) boundary and Israeli TV showed them clearing patches of land and digging trenches near Egyptian border posts."

Comment: Israel is still building walls...we are still far away from the fulfillment of the prophecy about Israel becoming a land of un-walled villages.

My Way News - Reichstag security tightened over terror concerns
My Way News reports: "Germany closed down the famous glass and steel dome and rooftop terrace of the Reichstag parliament building to visitors Monday over concerns of a possible terror attack. The building, which attracts thousands of tourists daily for its stunning panoramic views of the city, will be shut until further notice, parliamentary spokeswoman Birgit Landskron said."

My Way News - AP Exclusive: Troubles stop Iran nuke enrichment
My Way News reports: "Iran's nuclear program has suffered a recent setback, with major technical problems forcing the temporary shutdown of thousands of centrifuges enriching uranium, diplomats told The Associated Press on Monday [...] suspicions focused on the Stuxnet worm, the computer virus thought to be aimed at Iran's nuclear program, which experts last week identified as being calibrated to destroy centrifuges by sending them spinning out of control."

My Way News - Iran strategy in nuclear talks: Stand its ground
My Way News reports: "In one of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first major policy speeches back in 2005, he laid out some bedrock principles: Iran will never halt uranium enrichment and the West needs to deal with the Islamic Republic on equal footing. Jump ahead to today, and Iran's stance remains unchanged as it and world powers prepare to resume talks on Tehran's nuclear program on Dec. 5."

My Way News - Leaking Siberian ice raises a tricky climate issue
My Way News reports: "Gas locked inside Siberia's frozen soil and under its lakes has been seeping out since the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. But in the past few decades, as the Earth has warmed, the icy ground has begun thawing more rapidly, accelerating the release of methane - a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide - at a perilous rate [...] 1.5 trillion tons of carbon, locked inside icebound earth since the age of mammoths, is a climate time bomb waiting to explode if released into the atmosphere."

My Way News - As world warms, negotiators give talks another try
My Way News reports: "The last time the world warmed, 120,000 years ago, the Cancun coastline was swamped by a 7-foot (2.1-meter) rise in sea level in a few decades. A week from now at that Mexican resort, frustrated negotiators will try again to head off a new global deluge [...] The core failure has been in finding a consensus formula for mandatory reductions in countries' emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases, byproducts of power plants, other industries, agriculture and automobiles."

Comment: People have been brainwashed into thinking that human activity is the cause of global warming. Perhaps the first report, and others like it, will remind them that there are plenty of other natural sources of greenhouse gases. Does this mean we no longer need to cut back on emissions? No, of course not, to do damage when we don't have to would be irresponsible. But let's not expect that human restraint will have an appreciable impact on the overall system of natural heating and cooling which takes place over geologic time.

My Way News - Scientist: NKorea has 'stunning' new nuke facility
My Way News reports: "North Korea's claim of a new, highly sophisticated uranium enrichment facility could be a ploy to win concessions in nuclear talks or an attempt to bolster leader Kim Jong Il's apparent heir [...] Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said uranium enrichment activities would violate U.N. resolutions and agreements by North Korea over its nuclear program."

My Way News - Pentagon: New facility speeds N. Korean nuke ability
My Way News reports: "A newly revealed North Korean nuclear facility could speed up that unpredictable nation's ability to make and deliver viable nuclear weapons, the Pentagon's top leaders said Sunday."

Haaretz - NATO planning 'integral' role in enforcing Mideast peace deal
Haaretz reports: "NATO will play an integral role in enforcing a Middle East peace deal, but will not play a direct role in reaching that agreement, the alliance's secretary general told Haaretz this weekend. 'If a Middle East peace agreement is reached, an international military force will be needed to monitor and implement it,' Anders Fogh Rasmussen said."

Haaretz - Former Obama aide: Palestinians receptive to gradual peace deal
Haaretz reports: "Jones went further on the issue on a possible gradualism, saying if the PA 'are willing to agree to this reasonable gradualism in terms of how you get to the final status and that is somehow guaranteed, that it's not something that it's going to take 30 years or 20 years or even maybe even 10 years, whatever that number is -I have a feeling it's no more than 10, but somewhere between 0 and 10.'"

Comment: Seven years sound like a good period of time for a gradual implementation, don't you think? And, of course, NATO will be in hand to keep the peace (not like the UN's ineffectual efforts to keep weapons from Hezbollah in Lebanon).

WND - Experts: Mystery contrail was from Chinese missile
World Net Daily reports: "Although the U.S. Defense Department and North American Aerospace Defense Command have speculated publicly that the unidentified contrail of a projectile soaring into the skies off the California coast – and recorded by a KCBS television crew – came from a jet and posed no security threat to the U.S. [...] Two governmental military experts with extensive experience working with missiles and computer security systems have examined the television video and conclude the mysterious contrail originating some 30 miles off the coast near Los Angeles did not come from a jet – but rather, they say the exhaust and the billowing plume emanated from a single source nozzle of a missile, probably made in China."

My Way News - Pakistani family seeks pardon for Christian woman
My Way News reports: "The case against Asia Bibi - which started with a spat over a sip of water - has renewed calls for reform of Pakistan's blasphemy law, which critics say have been used to settle grudges, persecute minorities and fan religious extremism."

Comment: Praying for Asia Bibi's release and for all the believers in Pakistan.

My Way News - Israel says US has provided written guarantee
My Way News reports: "The U.S. has given Israel a written guarantee that it won't pressure the Jewish state for additional settlement freezes if it accepts a limited 90 day construction moratorium to revive Mideast peace talks, a top Israeli official said Saturday."

My Way News - Hezbollah says its arms needed to resist Israel
My Way News reports: "Hezbollah's weapons are still necessary to defend the country despite Israel's decision to pull out of a disputed border village, a senior official with the group said Saturday [...] Backed by Iran and Syria, the well equipped group is the strongest armed force in the country and fired some 4,000 rockets into Israel during the 34-day war in 2006."

Reuters - Pentagon says aware of China Internet rerouting
Reuters reports: "The Defense Department is aware that Internet traffic was rerouted briefly through China earlier this year, a Pentagon spokesman said on Friday, referring to what a congressionally appointed panel has described as a hijack."

My Way News - Obama: NATO to erect missile shield for Europe
My Way News reports: "President Barack Obama won NATO summit agreement Friday to build a missile shield over Europe, an ambitious commitment to protect against Iranian attack while demonstrating the alliance's continuing relevance - but at the risk of further aggravating Russia."

Comment: I have mixed feelings about this. If the U.S. believes that Europe is safe behind a missile shield then is it possible that a permissive attitude toward the Iranian nuclear program could develop? Many people assume (especially in Israel) that it's simply unacceptable for Iran to have even one nuclear missile. But, if Europe and Israel are protected by shields, then what's the harm of removing the "attack Iran" option from the table and allowing Iran to have a small nuclear arsenal? I don't agree with this idea and I'm not suggesting that it's likely, I'm just saying that allied acceptance of a missile shield is not necessarily the great advance that it appears to be, not if it leads to appeasement.

My Way News - Satellite appears to show NKorea nuke building
My Way News reports: "North Korea vowed in March to build a light-water reactor using its own nuclear fuel, and two American experts who recently visited the North have reportedly said that construction has begun [...] North Korea is pursuing an arsenal of atomic weapons, so all its nuclear projects are of intense interest to its neighbors and to the United States. It carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, drawing international condemnation and U.N. sanctions."

My Way News - Israel condemns Web list of Gaza soldiers
My Way News reports: "Israel's military on Friday condemned the publication of names and photographs of 200 Israeli soldiers on a website that called them 'war criminals.' Militants in Gaza, meanwhile, fired rockets at southern Israel, causing no casualties, but sparking retaliatory Israeli air strikes that wounded five."

My Way News - Officials find 2,000 fetuses at Bangkok temple
My Way News reports: "On the grounds of a Buddhist temple, dozens of white plastic bags lay in carefully arranged rows. Each sack was knotted at the top and contained the remains of a fetus. Thai authorities found about 2,000 remains in the temple's mortuary, where they had been hidden for a year - apparently to conceal illegal abortions."

Comment: That is a very graphic reminder of the evil of abortion.

My Way News - China church ordains bishop over Vatican objection
My Way News reports: "The Vatican said Thursday it was 'disturbed by reports' that a number of bishops loyal to the pope were being forced by government officials to attend the ordination [...] Recent estimates by scholars and church activists put the number of Chinese Catholics loyal to the pope as high as 60 million - three times the size of the official church."

BBC News - Antimatter atom trapped for first time, say scientists
BBC News reports: "Antimatter atoms have been trapped for the first time, scientists say. Researchers at Cern, home of the Large Hadron Collider, have held 38 antihydrogen atoms in place, each for a fraction of a second."

Comment: Great! When can we expect warp drives?

My Way News - NATO: 2 leaders of al-Qaida linked network seized
My Way News reports: "Two leaders of the al-Qaida linked Haqqani insurgent network were apprehended in overnight raids in eastern and northern Afghanistan - part of the international military coalition's stepped up campaign to kill and capture militant bosses, NATO said Friday."

My Way News - Pakistani officials: US missiles kill 4 in vehicle: "Suspected U.S. missiles destroyed a moving vehicle near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan on Friday, killing four alleged militants [...] The attack by unmanned drones is the second in a week to hit North Waziristan as the U.S. intensifies its search-and-destroy missions in the strongholds of Taliban and al-Qaida-linked fighters who plot attacks on NATO troops across the border in Afghanistan."

Comment: Nice to see some victories emerge from this long war.

My Way News - Namibia suspicious package was a security test
My Way News reports: "A suspicious package found in a Namibian airport near bags bound for Munich was a device designed to test security and didn't contain explosives, officials said Friday. One aviation official said the test was conducted by Namibian police."

WSJ.com - Leon de Winter: Never Again?
The Wall Street Journal reports: "'A New Shoa: The Untold Story of Israel's Victims of Terrorism,' is a hard read [...] it would destroy the prevailing narrative that the Mideast conflict is about land and Palestinian suffering. It isn't. It is about that old sickness, Jew-hatred."

Comment: This is a review of a book that looks to be well worth a read. The book appears to put Palestinian aggression into historical context and refutes the notion that if only they were given some land for a state, all would be well.

My Way News - Iran says it tested new air defense missile system
My Way News reports: "Iran has successfully tested a newly developed air defense missile system during the country's biggest ever air defense drill, the country's military announced Thursday [...] Iran has been looking to upgrade its air defenses, especially as Israel has refused to rule out an airstrike over concerns by the United States and its European allies that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons."

My Way News - Israel says no building freeze in Jerusalem
My Way News reports: "Israel insisted Thursday it would keep building homes in disputed east Jerusalem, threatening to hold up a U.S.-proposed settlement construction moratorium designed to renew deadlocked Mideast peacemaking."

My Way News - Palestinian militants threaten Israel in Hebrew
My Way News reports: "Palestinian militants inspired by al-Qaida posted a Hebrew-language threat on a radical Islamic website Thursday, vowing revenge for the deaths of two Gaza militants in an Israeli airstrike."

My Way News - NATO fine-tunes Afghan exit strategy at summit
My Way News reports: "NATO is expected to set a 2014 target for handing over security to Afghans at a summit that starts here Friday, as the alliance's appetite for the conflict dwindles after nine years of fighting, growing European war angst, and renewed criticism by Afghan President Hamid Karzai [...] Allied casualties in Afghanistan have reached record levels of about 650 dead so far this year, and the Taliban have spread into parts of the country where they were not active before."

My Way News - UK's Cameron: 2015 Afghanistan deadline is final
My Way News reports: "Prime Minister David Cameron insisted Thursday that British troops will quit their combat role in Afghanistan by 2015, whatever the security conditions or progress made in tackling insurgents."

My Way News - Stuxnet virus could target many industries
My Way News reports: "A malicious computer attack that appears to target Iran's nuclear plants can be modified to wreak havoc on industrial control systems around the world, and represents the most dire cyberthreat known to industry, government officials and experts said Wednesday."

CNN.com - Hong Kong diagnoses first human bird flu case in 7 years
CNN reports: "The first human case of bird flu in seven years has been diagnosed in Hong Kong, health officials said Thursday, urging the public to take precautions."

My Way News - UN: Drug-resistant malaria spreading in Asia
My Way News reports: "The World Health Organization says countries are not doing enough to detect drug-resistant malaria, which is spreading in Southeast Asia. The U.N. health agency says there is evidence that type of malaria has now spread from Thailand's western border with Myanmar to its southeastern Cambodian border."

My Way News - Cholera protesters attack cars in Haiti capital
My Way News reports: "Anti-U.N. violence spread to Haiti's capital Thursday as protesters blocked roads and attacked foreigners' cars over suspicions that peacekeepers introduced a cholera epidemic that has killed more than 1,100 people."

CNN.com - U.S. motorcycle missionaries attacked in Haiti
CNN reports: "The Christian Motorcyclists Association came to Haiti to distribute motorcycles to pastors. Instead, angry Haitians, some of them on motorbikes, ended up attacking the 11 American missionaries when they tried to flee this city aboard a big, yellow bus."

My Way News - Israel pullout stirs fear in Lebanon border hamlet
My Way News reports: "Israel agreed Wednesday to pull its troops from the northern half of a village that straddles the border with Lebanon, defusing a long-standing political dispute but frightening villagers who don't want their community divided."

My Way News - Iran says foreign planes violated its airspace
My Way News reports: "Iran said Wednesday that unidentified foreign planes violated its airspace six times as the country kicked off its biggest ever air defense drill but that the intruders were intercepted and forced back by Iranian jets."

My Way News - Despite US effort, Syrian Mideast role on the rise
My Way News reports: "Syria has bounced back from years of international isolation and is wielding its influence in crises around the Middle East, shrugging off U.S. attempts to pull it away from its alliances with Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah."

My Way News - Heavy rain and gales spark floods in SW England
My Way News reports: "Heavy rain and gales sparked floods and landslides in southwest England Wednesday, disrupting travel and trapping people in their homes. Police said they are dealing with a 'major incident,' with flooding in several areas of the coastal county of Cornwall."

My Way News - Pope urges freedom for Pakistani Christian
My Way News reports: "Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday urged the release of a Christian woman in Pakistan facing the death sentence on a charge of blasphemy. Benedict told his weekly public audience that Christians in Pakistan 'are often victims of violence and discrimination.'"

My Way News - Death toll from Indonesia's volcano climbs to 275
My Way News reports: "The number of people killed by a series of eruptions at Indonesia's most volatile volcano in recent weeks has risen to 275. The National Disaster Management Agency said Thursday that the toll climbed after more than a dozen victims succumbed to their injuries - mostly severe burns."

My Way News - Hong Kong officials meet after bird flu confirmed
My Way News reports: "Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of human bird flu in seven years. Health Secretary York Chow said late Wednesday that a 59-year-old woman had tested positive for H5N1 bird flu after returning to Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland, and is in serious condition in a local hospital."

My Way News - NATO: Combat role in Afghanistan could pass 2014
My Way News reports: "NATO may keep fighting in Afghanistan past its 2014 target date for shifting authority to Afghan forces, the alliance's top civilian in the country said Wednesday."

My Way News - Obama bestows science, technology medals
My Way News reports: "From super glue to microchips to digital cameras, President Barack Obama on Wednesday celebrated the brains behind these inventions and other breakthroughs as examples of 'the promise of science.' [...] The medals represent the government's highest honor for scientists, engineers and inventors."

WSJ.com - Crisis of Democracy Faces Euro Zone
The Wall Street Journal reports: "In reality, the political end of the European project is now being completed, having been parked because it was too difficult a subject when the single currency was founded. So Ireland is not just 'linked' to another currency—its independence is no more than notional. In return for its bailout it will lose control over its corporate tax rates, if not this time then a little further down the line. There will be extraordinary oversight not just of budgets but all manner of other aspects of euro-zone countries' economies. That goes well beyond a pooling of sovereignty. If it walks like a government, and it talks like a government, then it probably is a government."

Reuters - Iran starts biggest air defense war games
Reuters reports: "Iran began what it said was its biggest ever air defense drill on Tuesday to test its ability to deter air strikes, which the United States and Israel have not ruled out to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons."

My Way News - Gunmen kill 2 Christians in northern Iraq
My Way News reports: "Gunmen burst into a home in northern Iraq and killed two Christian men as they sat in their living room, continuing a string of attacks again spreading fear through the dwindling religious minority."

My Way News - Muslims torch Christian homes in southern Egypt
My Way News reports: "Muslims set fire overnight to at least 10 houses belonging to Coptic Christians in a village in southern Egypt over rumors that a Christian resident had an affair with a Muslim girl, security officials said Tuesday."

Comment: Such a great religion of peace, right? I'm wondering where the outrage is? Funny how silly drawings of a Muslim prophet inspire riots and protests all over the world while Christians are murdered and burned out of their homes and the world looks the other way.

My Way News - Lebanon PM: Army to get assistance from Russia
My Way News reports: "Russia will provide the Lebanese army with free helicopters, tanks and munitions in a deal that will boost the country's poorly equipped military, officials said Tuesday. The announcement comes at a time when military assistance to Lebanon is under scrutiny after U.S. lawmakers demanded assurances that American aid will not fall into the hands of Hezbollah."

My Way News - Official: Iran, West agree on timing of nuke talks
My Way News reports: "Iran's foreign ministry spokesman says the country has agreed with the West on the timing of talks about Tehran's nuclear program. Ramin Mehmanparast's announcement Tuesday follows a letter to Iran last week in which EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, suggested the meeting be held in Vienna or Switzerland on Dec. 5."

My Way News - Iran kicks off 5-day air defense war games
My Way News reports: "Iran kicked off five-days of air defense war games Tuesday to display the country's capabilities in protecting its nuclear facilities from possible attack, state television reported."

My Way News - Leading cell phone carriers in mobile payments bid
My Way News reports: "Three of the country's leading cell phone carriers have formed a joint venture aimed at allowing people to make purchases with their mobile phones. And they say the technology they plan to introduce could eventually do away with any need for cash, credit cards or even metro passes - it will all be done with a wave of a cellphone."

My Way News - Netanyahu tries to shore up support for US plan
My Way News reports: "Despite seemingly premature congratulations from President Barack Obama, Israel's prime minister was scrambling Monday to secure enough Cabinet votes to pass a U.S. proposal to halt West Bank settlement construction for 90 days, aimed at restarting peace talks with the Palestinians."

My Way News - Israeli official: Hamas rockets can reach Tel Aviv
My Way News reports: "A senior Israeli intelligence official warned Sunday that Hamas rulers in the Gaza Strip have rockets that can travel 80 kilometers (50 miles) - a longer range than previously reported, which would put the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv within range of its launchers."

My Way News - Report: Iran to hold air defense war games: "Iran is scheduled to begin five days of nationwide air defense war games later this week, state television reported Sunday [...] Iran's armed forces conduct several war games every year and frequently unveil new weapons and military systems during those exercises."

My Way News - Iran: Arms seized in Nigeria a 'misunderstanding'
My Way News reports: "Iran's foreign minister said Monday that the issue of an alleged Iranian arms shipment intercepted in Nigeria was a 'misunderstanding' that has been settled. Nigeria says the artillery rockets and other weapons, found at a Lagos port last month in shipping containers labeled as building supplies, originated in Iran and may have been destined for Nigerian politicians intending violence if they lose in upcoming elections."

My Way News - Isle rows at APEC highlight China's growing might
My Way News reports: "Though not on the formal agenda of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the summit wrapped up Sunday after a flurry of bilateral meetings that were dominated by territorial disputes among the region's most powerful players - China, Russia and Japan. None appeared to be willing to budge."

My Way News - Karzai remarks raise questions about Afghan war
My Way News reports: "President Hamid Karzai has interfered in corruption cases and even threatened to join the Taliban if foreigners didn't stop meddling. Now he is demanding that the U.S.-led coalition begin reducing its military operations and stop what the military believes is its most successful tactic - night raids against suspected Taliban commanders."

My Way News - Taliban leader: Insurgents waging war of attrition
My Way News reports: "Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar said Monday that the insurgents' strategy aims to increase operations nationwide and battle the U.S.-led coalition in a war of attrition. But in a sign that NATO's campaign against the Taliban may be hurting the militants far more than they have acknowledged, Mullah Omar also appealed for funding from Muslims around the world."

My Way News - Cholera protesters barricade Haiti city, assail UN
My Way News reports: "Protesters who hold U.N. soldiers from Nepal responsible for a deadly outbreak of cholera that has killed nearly 1,000 people barricaded Haiti's second-largest city on Monday, burning cars and stoning a peacekeeping base."

AFP - Stalled Mideast talks delay Mediterranean summit
AFP reports: "A Mediterranean Union summit planned for November 21 in Barcelona has been postponed again because the Middle East peace talks are 'deadlocked', the Spanish government said Monday [...] Launched at a Paris summit in July 2008, the 43-nation Mediterranean Union groups all 27 EU member states with countries in North Africa, the Balkans, the Arab world as well as Israel in a bid to foster cooperation in one of the world's most volatile regions."

Reuters - Facebook takes on Google and Yahoo in Web messages
Reuters reports: "Facebook rolled out an all-in-one messaging service that for the first time allows its half-billion members to communicate with people outside the social network, intensifying a battle with Google Inc and Yahoo Inc for users' Internet time."

My Way News - Diplomats: US offered incentives for freeze
My Way News reports: "The U.S. has offered Israel an incentive package to reinstate a moratorium on West Bank settlement building in an effort to revive stalled peace talks [...] the deal stipulates that Israel would stop settlement construction for 90 days in the West Bank. The moratorium would not apply to east Jerusalem. The U.S. will not ask Israel to extend the new moratorium when it expires [...] the incentive package includes U.S. commitments to fight international resolutions critical of Israel. In addition [...] the U.S. Administration will ask congress to supply 20 F35 stealth fighter jets to Israel in a $3 billion deal."

My Way News - Japan, China leaders meet amid tensions, protests
My Way News reports: "The leaders of Japan and China met on the sidelines of a Pacific Rim summit for their first formal talks since a territorial dispute erupted two months ago that badly strained ties between the Asian neighbors."

My Way News - Japan's PM: APEC to move forward on freer trade
My Way News reports: "Asian-Pacific leaders have ended a summit with pledges to press ahead with moves toward freer trade, with an eventual goal of a region-wide free trade zone. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Sunday that the 21 members had vowed to work for sustainable, better quality growth."

My Way News - Small quake shakes Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic
My Way News reports: "A 5.6-magnitude earthquake has shaken buildings in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic but caused no damage. The quake happened early Saturday in the Mona Passage between the U.S. Caribbean territory and the island of Hispaniola, which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti."

My Way News - AP source: WH moves to break impasse on arms pact
My Way News reports: "In a bid to win approval of a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia before newly energized Republicans increase their clout in the Senate, the Obama administration is offering [...] a boost of $4.1 billion in funding between 2012-2016 for the nuclear weapons complex that will go to maintaining and modernizing the arsenal and the laboratories that oversee that effort."

Reuters - Israel's Netanyahu unveils U.S. plan for new talks
Reuters reports: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed senior ministers a U.S. plan for resuming peace talks with Palestinians, including a 90-day settlement freeze, a diplomatic source told reporters Saturday."

Telegraph - Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan 'for blasphemy'
The Telegraph reports: "A Christian woman has been sentenced to hang in Pakistan after being convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammed [...] Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old mother-of-five, denies blasphemy and told investigators that she was being persecuted for her faith in a country where Christians face routine harassment and discrimination."

My Way News - Spike in dengue has Brazil on alert for epidemic
My Way News reports: "The country saw a dramatic spike in the number of fatal cases this year: 592 were recorded from January through October, an increase of 90 percent over the 312 dengue deaths recorded during the same period last year, according to figures released Thursday by the Ministry of Health."

My Way News - Iraqis injured in church attack airlifted to Rome
My Way News reports: "Twenty-six Iraqis who were injured in a militant attack on one of Baghdad's main Catholic churches arrived in Rome for treatment Friday, airlifted by the Italian military at the request of the Vatican."

My Way News - Toll from volatile Indonesian volcano rises to 240
My Way News reports: "The death toll in a series of eruptions from an Indonesian volcano has hit 240. The figure has continued to rise since a massive blast on Nov. 5 - the largest in a century - as rescuers have pulled more bodies from smoldering villages, people have died from their wounds and officials have counted deaths indirectly caused by the volcano."

My Way News - Iran arms-smuggling case roils Nigeria
My Way News reports: "Nigeria will take actions against Iran if an investigation shows it violated international law and U.N. sanctions in an arms smuggling case, Nigeria's foreign minister said Friday [...] By shipping arms to the country, Iran may be attempting to 'tweak' Western powers by showing it can influence affairs in a country vital to U.S. oil supplies, said David Bender, a Washington-based analyst who studies Iran for the Eurasia Group."

My Way News - After G-20 rancor, Pac Rim leaders push free trade
My Way News reports: "Leaders from 21 Pacific Rim economies converged on Japan on Saturday for an annual summit to push for free trade, hoping for a show of unity after rancor over currencies soured the Group of 20 meeting a day before."

My Way News - G-20 refuses to back US push on China's currency
My Way News reports: "Leaders of 20 major economies on Friday refused to back a U.S. push to make China boost its currency's value, keeping alive a dispute that raises fears of a global trade war amid criticism that cheap Chinese exports are costing American jobs [...] The dispute is threatening to resurrect destructive protectionist policies like those that worsened the Great Depression in the 1930s. The biggest fear is that trade barriers will send the global economy back into recession."

My Way News - G-20 fallout: Trade barriers, tensions could rise
My Way News reports: "The world's most important economies are going home to look after themselves - leaving their summit without any meaningful agreement, finding it ever harder to cooperate and more likely to erect trade barriers to protect their own interests."

Comment: I'm reminded of that Santayana quote about those who fail to learn from history being condemned to repeat past mistakes. It appears that world leaders, bright as they may be, are about to repeat the same protectionist mistakes that contributed to the Great Depression.

My Way News - US team tours Africa to boost bioterror safety
My Way News reports: "The U.S. officials and experts like Noel Stott of South Africa's Institute for Security Studies say it's possible that terrorists could try to use biological weapons, but Stott noted that no such attacks have occurred in Africa yet. Terrorists would need scientific know-how to handle sensitive pathogens without infecting themselves and to turn them into weapons."

JPost.com - Israeli-Arab tensions could cancel top level Med meeting
The Jerusalem Post reports: "Tension between Israel and neighboring Arab states has likely lead to the cancelation of a meeting of leaders from European and Arab Mediterranean states in Barcelona scheduled for the 21st of this month, according to diplomatic sources. A statement about the delay of the Union for the Mediterranean Conference had not been issued by press time."

Comment: What really impresses me about the Mediterranean Union is not how unlikely it is as a political or economic cooperation zone, but how closely its borders mirror the borders of the ancient Roman Empire. Food for thought.

My Way News - Palestinian leader: Peace better than settlements
My Way News reports: "The Palestinian president on Thursday appealed to Israelis to choose peace over settlements, saying that opportunities for a peace deal must not be wasted."

My Way News - Lebanon's Hezbollah: We won't accept arrests
My Way News reports: "The leader of Hezbollah said Thursday his militant group will 'cut the hand' of anyone who tries to arrest its members for the death of a former Lebanese prime minister, an explicit warning that comes amid escalating fears of violence in the country."

My Way News - Israel tells its citizens to leave Egyptian Sinai
My Way News reports: "Israel's government on Thursday told its citizens to immediately leave Egypt's Sinai desert because of a kidnapping threat from the Army of Islam, after Egyptian security rounded up suspected militants and confiscated explosives."

My Way News - Bomb rocks Pakistan's largest city killing 15
My Way News reports: "Militants attacked a police compound in the heart of Pakistan's largest city on Thursday with a hail of gunfire and a massive car bomb, leveling the building and killing at least 15 people, authorities and witnesses said."

VOA - G20 Divided on Key Economic Issues
The Voice of America reports: "Leaders of the world's 20 largest economies have gathered in the South Korean capital. They are hoping to reach consensus on how to avert a so-called currency war and set guidelines for reducing trade imbalances. But even the summit's host is acknowledging how difficult agreement may be."

My Way News - Iraq's Christians terrorized by wave of bombings
My Way News reports: "Suspected Sunni militants took aim again at Baghdad's dwindling Christian community, setting off a dozen roadside bombs Wednesday [...] Five people were killed and 20 were wounded in the bombings and mortar attacks that targeted Christians across the city, police and hospital officials said."

My Way News - Iran won't talk about limiting nuclear program
My Way News reports: "Iran's president said Wednesday that his country wants to discuss cooperation to resolve global issues and to promote peace and security at nuclear talks with world powers, but won't talk about what it insists is its right to continue nuclear activities [...] The U.S. and its allies suspect Iran's nuclear program is aimed at producing weapons, though Iran denies this and says it only wants to generate power."

My Way News - Iran building its own anti-aircraft missile system
My Way News reports: "Iran is building its own advanced anti-aircraft missile system, after Russia wouldn't sell it one, a top commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard said Wednesday. Gen. Mohammad Hasan Mansourian said Iran will soon test its own version of the S-300 missile system, which is still being developed at military industrial sites, the official IRNA news agency reported."

Comment: In other words, they are happy to talk and even cooperate on almost any other issue than the nuclear issue. Great. I wonder if the situation will change if they keep the sanctions going for another year or two or three?

My Way News - Japan may form new unit to watch China navy
My Way News reports: "Japan's military may form a new unit to monitor Chinese naval operations, a move to counter what many Japanese strategists see as an increasingly aggressive stance by Beijing in the East China Sea [...] Tokyo is deeply concerned over the growth of the Chinese navy and its posture in the East China Sea, where the two countries have conflicting territorial claims."

My Way News - Afghanistan: 10 killed, including 3 NATO troops
My Way News reports: "A suicide car bomb exploded in the middle of a bazaar killing two people, in a string of attacks across Afghanistan that left 10 dead, including three NATO service members and five Afghan policemen, officials said Wednesday."

Reuters - G20 officials fight over currencies and imbalances
Reuters reports: "An all-day G20 planning session grew so intense that officials had to leave the door open to keep the room from overheating, underscoring deep tensions over global economic rebalancing one day before the start of a summit."

My Way News - Surge of cholera feared in Haiti's crowded capital
My Way News reports: "Health workers feared a surge of cholera cases in the shantytowns and muddy tent camps of Haiti's capital as suspected cases piled up Tuesday and a laboratory confirmed cases that originated in the overcrowded city."

My Way News - Pentagon can't explain 'missile' off California
My Way News reports: "The Pentagon said Tuesday it did not know what created a vapor trail that crossed the skies off the Southern California coast and resembled a missile launch."

My Way News - Thinning ozone could be leaving whales sunburned
My Way News reports: "A study of whales in the Gulf of California over the past few years shows that the sea-going mammals carry blisters and other damage typically associated with the skin damage that humans suffer from exposure to the ultraviolet radiation."

My Way News - Vigil honors teen stomped to death in party brawl
My Way News reports: "A fight broke out, and authorities say a woman hit a guy, who investigators say decided not to retaliate against her because she was a woman. But he vowed to strike back against the next man who passed by. That's when Tillman happened on the crowd. Four teenagers swiftly stomped, kicked and punched him to death while dozens of bystanders watched, authorities said."

Comment: Savages. What more can be said?

My Way News - Israel moves ahead with new east Jerusalem housing
My Way News reports: "The Israeli government is moving ahead with plans to build nearly 1,300 apartments in disputed east Jerusalem, an official said Monday, drawing a harsh U.S. response just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is there for meetings with American leaders."

My Way News - Car bombs in Iraqi Shiite cities kill 21
My Way News reports: "Car bombs struck three Shiite cities in southern Iraq on Monday, killing more than 20 people in an apparent move to derail progress toward forming a new government as political leaders tried to break the eight-month deadlock."

Reuters - Obama backs India's quest for U.N. permanent seat
Reuters reports: "President Barack Obama endorsed on Monday India's long-held demand for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, a reflection of the Asian country's growing global weight and its challenge to rival China."

NYTimes.com - Change Will Not Come Easily to the Security Council
The New York Times reports: "The idea of overhauling the Security Council, even by the slow standards of the United Nations, has been under negotiation for about 18 years with no end in sight [...] But basically the five permanent members have veto power over any proposed overhaul of the council and do little to move it forward."

Comment: It's an interesting situation, there is a consensus that the present system for global governance and proto-global government is broken and needs to change but those who must approve the change will always be reluctant to do so. I've always felt that the U.N. Security Council could be a fulfillment of the Ten Kings prophecy in the future, but I'm more and more convinced that the ten will come from some other body or alliance that may not even exist at this point.

My Way News - Many flee Indonesia volcano amid fears of eruption
My Way News reports: "Trains, buses and rented autos were crammed with Indonesians leaving a bustling, ash-choked city of 400,000 at the foot of Mount Merapi, which roared again Monday with explosions of volcanic gas and debris."

My Way News - SKorean military on high alert ahead of G-20
My Way News reports: "It's been 60 years since the war began between the communist North and the U.S.-backed South, and there's still no peace on the Korean peninsula. An armistice signed in 1953 maintains the fragile truce monitored by the troops on both sides of the world's most heavily fortified border."

My Way News - Yemen orders US-born cleric found 'dead or alive'
My Way News reports: "A Yemeni judge ordered police Saturday to find a radical U.S.-born cleric 'dead or alive' after the al-Qaida-linked preacher failed to appear at his trial for his role in the killing of foreigners."

My Way News - Moderate earthquake injures 100 in western Iran
My Way News reports: "Iranian state TV is reporting that a magnitude-4.9 earthquake has injured 100 people in western Iran. The quake struck at 7:22 a.m. local time (0308GMT) Saturday in the town of Dorood, causing damage to residential buildings."

BBC News - Church leader urges Iraqi Christians to quit country
BBC News reports: "A senior Iraqi Christian is to call on believers to quit the country, after gunmen targeted a church in Baghdad. Archbishop Athanasios Dawood, who is based in the UK, will make his appeal during a service at the Syrian Orthodox Church in London. [...] Christians - as ethnic Assyrians - have lived in Iraq since the 1st Century, but following the fall of Saddam Hussein, they have become isolated and the Baghdad government has proved unwilling or unable to protect them."