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?