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 - Middle East and China forge ties over oil
CNN reports: "When King Abdullah took over the throne in Saudi Arabia, his first foreign visit in January 2006 was to Beijing after an invitation of President Hu Jintao. Six years later, the countries' two state-run energy giants, China's Sinopec and Saudi Aramco, inked a huge oil agreement guaranteeing the Asian nation an additional 400,000 barrels a day from a Red Sea refinery in the Saudi city of Yanbu. This is on top of the estimated one million barrels of oil a day it now orders from the Kingdom."

Telegraph - Mayan apocalypse: panic spreads as December 21 nears
The Telegraph reports: "Ahead of December 21, which marks the conclusion of the 5,125-year "Long Count" Mayan calendar, panic buying of candles and essentials has been reported in China and Russia, along with an explosion in sales of survival shelters in America. In France believers were preparing to converge on a mountain where they believe aliens will rescue them."

NASA Science - Why the World Didn't End Yesterday
NASA reports: "NASA is so sure the world won't come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, they have already released this news item for the day after. Dec. 22, 2012: If you're reading this story, it means one thing: The World Didn't End Yesterday. According to media reports of an ancient Maya prophecy, the world was supposed to be destroyed on Dec. 21, 2012. Apparently not. 'The whole thing was a misconception from the very beginning,' says Dr. John Carlson, director of the Center for Archaeoastronomy. 'The Maya calendar did not end on Dec. 21, 2012, and there were no Maya prophecies foretelling the end of the world on that date.' The truth, says Carlson, is more interesting than fiction."

My Way News - Gunman kills 26 at Conn. school, commits suicide
My Way News reports: "A man killed his mother at their home and then opened fire Friday inside an elementary school, massacring 26 people, including 20 children, as youngsters cowered in fear to the sound of gunshots reverberating through the building and screams echoing over the intercom."

My Way News - 22 kids, 1 adult hurt in China school knife attack
My Way News reports: "A knife-wielding man injured 22 children and one adult outside a primary school in central China as students were arriving for classes Friday, police said, the latest in a series of periodic rampage attacks at Chinese schools and kindergartens. "

My Way News - Russia backtracks on statement about Assad's fall
My Way News reports: "Russia's attempt to backpedal after a top diplomat said Syrian President Bashar Assad is losing control of his country reflects the dilemma Moscow faces as opposition fighters gain ground [...] Facing further questions Friday about Bogdanov's statement, Lukashevich insisted there had been no shift in the Russian position on Syria [...] Russia maintains a naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such outpost outside the ex-Soviet Union serving Russian navy ships in the Mediterranean and hosting an unspecified number of military personnel. Russia also has an unspecified number of military advisers teaching Syrians how to use Russian weapons, which make up the bulk of Syria's arsenals."

My Way News - Russia positions itself for fall of Syrian regime
My Way News reports: "Syria's most powerful ally and protector, Russia, began positioning itself Thursday for the fall of President Bashar Assad, saying for the first time that rebels might overthrow him and preparing to evacuate thousands of Russian citizens from the country [...] Russia's ties to Syria date back to Assad's father, Hafez, who ruled from 1971 until his death in June 2000. In the last four decades, Russia has sold Syria billions of dollars' worth of weapons. A change in power in Damascus could not only cost Russia lucrative trade deals, but also reduce Russia's political and strategic interests in the Arab world."

My Way News - Chilean town shaken by reminders of deadly quake
My Way News reports: "More than 170 tremors were felt in Navidad in just five weeks [...] So far, the recent tremors have not caused damage or injuries, but they're a frequent reminder of the 8.8-magnitude quake and tsunami in 2010 that devastated much of Chile's coast, including Navidad. That quake killed 551 people, destroyed 220,000 homes and washed away docks and seaside resorts, costing Chile $30 billion, or 18 percent of its annual gross domestic product."

My Way News - Egypt court gives Christian 3 years for blasphemy
My Way News reports: "A Cairo court on Wednesday convicted a Coptic Christian blogger who shared an anti-Islam film on social networking sites and sentenced him to three years in prison for blasphemy and contempt of religion."

CNN - North Korea carries out controversial rocket launch
CNN reports: "North Korea surprised and angered the international community Wednesday by launching a long-range rocket just days after suggesting it would be delayed. The secretive North Korean regime said the rocket had successfully blasted off from a space center on its west coast and claimed the satellite it was carrying had entered its intended orbit. The launch followed a botched attempt in April."

My Way News - Experts: Russia likely to stay course on Assad
My Way News reports: "Russia's refusal to join the West in calling for Assad's ouster is rooted both in a sober geopolitical calculus and deep suspicions about Western intentions - as well, perhaps, as a desire to save face after supporting the Syrian leader for so long. Moscow sees little profit in dumping its last ally in the Middle East, and President Vladimir Putin has described calls for a regime change in Syria as a dangerous example of Western meddling in a sovereign country's affairs."

My Way News - Israel's Netanyahu: World has double standards
My Way News reports: "Israel's prime minister on Monday accused the international community of "deafening silence" in response to recent vows by the head of the Hamas militant group to fight on until the Jewish state is destroyed, and appeared unmoved by the gathering storm of global condemnation of his government's plans to continue settling the West Bank."

My Way News - UK gov't told to rethink data surveillance plan:
My Way News reports: "British lawmakers on Tuesday demanded the government water down plans to keep track of phone calls, email and Internet activity - a bill critics dub a 'snooper's charter.' The Communications Data Bill would force telecoms service providers to retain for a year records of all phone and email traffic and website visits, though not the content of calls and messages."

My Way News - 3 dead, including gunman, in Oregon mall shooting
My Way News reports: "A gunman opened fire in a suburban Portland shopping mall Tuesday, killing two people and wounding another as people were doing their Christmas shopping, authorities said."

My Way News - Egypt's military takes over security ahead of vote
My Way News reports: "Egypt's military assumed responsibility Monday for protecting state institutions and maintaining security ahead of a Dec. 15 constitutional referendum, as the country braced for another round of mass demonstrations by the supporters of the country's Islamist president and the liberal opposition over the disputed charter."

My Way News - Egypt's president behaves like his predecessors
My Way News reports: "In the past three weeks alone, Morsi has given himself near-absolute powers; placed himself above any oversight; allowed or looked the other way when his supporters set upon peaceful protesters outside his palace or besieged the nation's highest court to stop judges from issuing an unfavorable ruling; and, ominously, indicated he was spying on his foes. "

My Way News - EU receives Nobel Peace Prize
My Way News reports: "The European Union has received this year's Nobel Peace Prize in the Norwegian capital for promoting peace and human rights in Europe for six decades following the devastation of World War II."

My Way News - Chemical weapons risk: Syrian missiles and shells
My Way News reports: "Growing fear that civil war in Syria could unleash the world's first use of chemical weapons in nearly three decades is based on two grim scenarios - neither considered likely but both carrying risks of civilian massacre and a major escalation of violence."

My Way News - Syrian capital a maze of checkpoints, blast walls
My Way News reports: "Rebels have set their sights on the city of 1.7 million, and fighting on the outskirts is raising fears that Damascus soon could be facing the most brutal battle of the Syrian civil war."

My Way News - NATO moves toward deployment on Syria border
My Way News reports: "As fears grow in the West that Syrian President Bashar Assad will unleash chemical weapons as an act of desperation, NATO moved forward Thursday with its plan to place Patriot missiles and troops along Syria's border with Turkey to protect against potential attacks. "

My Way News - Quake shakes east Iran; 5 dead, several injured
My Way News reports: "A moderate earthquake shook eastern Iran Wednesday, killing five people and injuring several others, Iranian TV reported. State TV said the 5.5-magnitude quake hit South Khorasan province in eastern Iran near the border with Afghanistan at 20:38 local time (17:08 GMT) Wednesday."

My Way News - US: Situation 'dangerous' ahead of NKorea launch
My Way News reports: "The commander of American troops in Japan said Thursday that the situation ahead of North Korea's planned launch of a long-range rocket this month is 'very dangerous.' [...] He said the United States sees the launch as a violation of U.N. restrictions in place to keep North Korea from developing its long-range missile capabilities."

My Way News - Toll from typhoon rises to 420 dead, 400 missing
My Way News reports: "Authorities say the death toll from a strong typhoon that hit the Philippines has risen to about 420 people and nearly 400 are missing. Most of the confirmed dead from Typhoon Bopha lived in a steep valley in the country's south where flooding was so widespread that places people thought were safe, including two emergency shelters, became among the deadliest."

My Way News - Islamists battle opponents as Egypt crisis grows
My Way News reports: "Egypt descended into political turmoil on Wednesday over the constitution drafted by Islamist allies of President Mohammed Morsi, and at least 211 people were wounded as supporters and opponents battled each other with firebombs, rocks and sticks outside the presidential palace."

My Way News - NATO backs Patriot anti-missile system for Turkey
My Way News reports: "NATO announced Tuesday that it will deploy Patriot anti-missile systems near Turkey's southern border, shoring up defenses against the threat of cross-border attacks from Syria and bringing the United States and its allies closer to Syria's civil war."

My Way News - 100,000 protest at Egypt's presidential palace
My Way News reports: "More than 100,000 Egyptians protested outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Tuesday, fueling tensions over Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi's seizure of nearly unrestricted powers and the adoption by his allies of a controversial draft constitution."

My Way News - US weighing military options if Syria uses WMD:
My Way News reports: "The White House and its allies are weighing military options to secure Syria's chemical and biological weapons, after U.S. intelligence reports show the Syrian regime may be readying those weapons and may be desperate enough to use them, U.S. officials said Monday."

My Way News - US struggles to get Israel, Palestinians to talks
My Way News reports: "The Obama administration sought Friday to direct Israel and the Palestinians back toward direct peace talks, even as the two sides and much of the world seemed to be ignoring the U.S. attempts at leadership on a Mideast peace strategy."

My Way News - N. Korea rocket preparations might be a bluff
My Way News reports: "Rocket sections are apparently being trucked into North Korea's northwest launch site, but some analysts are asking whether it's just a calculated bluff meant to jangle the Obama administration and influence South Korean voters ahead of presidential elections in three weeks."

My Way News - Tutu: EU not worthy to win Nobel Peace Prize
My Way News reports: "Three Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have contested the awarding of this year's prize to the European Union, saying the 27-nation bloc contradicts the values associated with the prize because it relies on military force to ensure security. [...] There was no immediate response from the EU headquarters in Brussels."

My Way News - Ukraine fights spreading HIV epidemic
My Way News reports: "Andrei Mandrykin, an inmate at Prison No. 85 outside Kiev, has HIV. He looks ghostly and much older than his 35 years. But Mandrykin is better off than tens of thousands of his countrymen, because is he receiving treatment amid what the World Health Organization says is the worst AIDS epidemic in Europe."

My Way News - UN vote recognizes state of Palestine; US objects
My Way News reports: "The United Nations voted overwhelmingly Thursday to recognize a Palestinian state, a victory decades in the making for the Palestinians after years of occupation and war. It was a sharp rebuke for Israel and the United States. [...] In an extraordinary lineup of international support, more than two-thirds of the world body's 193 member states approved the resolution upgrading the Palestinians to a nonmember observer state. It passed 138-9, with 41 abstentions [..] The Palestinians turned to the General Assembly after the United States announced it would veto their bid last fall for full U.N. membership until there is a peace deal with Israel. [...] The vote grants the Palestinians the same status at the U.N. as the Vatican, and they will keep their seat next to the Holy See in the assembly chamber."

My Way News - Ice sheets melting at poles faster than before
My Way News reports: "Fueled by global warming, polar ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are now melting three times faster than they did in the 1990s, a new scientific study says. So far, that's only added about half an inch to rising sea levels, not as bad as some earlier worst case scenarios. But the melting's quicker pace, especially in Greenland, has ice scientists worried."

Wired News - Student Suspended for Refusing to Wear a School-Issued RFID Tracker
Wired News reports: "A Texas high school student is being suspended for refusing to wear a student ID card implanted with a radio-frequency identification chip. Northside Independent School District in San Antonio began issuing the RFID-chip-laden student-body cards when the semester began in the fall. The ID badge has a bar code associated with a student’s Social Security number, and the RFID chip monitors pupils’ movements on campus, from when they arrive until when they leave."

My Way News - Gazans thank Iran for help in battling Israel
My Way News reports: "Residents of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday plastered large billboards in key locations thanking Iran for its help during a recent eight-day battle against Israel. The posters reflected the strong ties between Iran and the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups in Gaza."

My Way News - Germany: won't back Palestinian state at UN
My Way News reports: "Germany says it won't back a Palestinian drive for statehood in a U.N. vote this week - putting it at odds with France and other European countries. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Wednesday Berlin is still evaluating the situation and consulting with its European partners."

My Way News - Key players, positions on Palestinian statehood:
My Way News reports: "The vote is largely symbolic, the outcome nearly assured: The Palestinians and Israelis are closely watching the evolving positions of a few key countries in Thursday's U.N. General Assembly resolution to raise the Palestinians' status from a U.N. observer to a nonmember observer state. The measure only requires a majority and is all but certain to pass. "

Comment: It is unprecedented for a candidate state in the middle of a civil war ask to be given such status. There can be no doubt that a state of civil war exists between Hamas (ruling in Gaza) and Fatah (ruling in the West Bank) and that the Palestinians are far too divided to become a single state. And yet, none of that will matter to the U.N. because their majority vote will be more of vote against Israel then a vote for the Palestinians. The "two-state solution" is predicated on the idea that the Palestinians want peace with Israel. Hamas long ago demonstrated that they really want peace without Israel. And yet the world will look away, once again, and ignore that inconvenient fact. Kudos to Germany for standing against the tide.

My Way News - Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable missile
My Way News reports: "Pakistan's military says it has successfully test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. A military statement says the Hatf V or Ghauri missile was launched Wednesday from an undisclosed location. It says the missile can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads over a distance of 1,300 kilometers (810 miles)."

My Way News - Strong earthquake shakes eastern Indonesia
My Way News reports: "A strong earthquake struck the eastern part of Indonesia on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of damage. The magnitude-5.5 quake was centered 56 kilometers (35 miles) under the sea, the U.S. agency reported."

My Way News - Egypt court sentences 8 to death over prophet film:
My Way News reports: "An Egyptian court convicted in absentia Wednesday seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor, sentencing them to death on charges linked to an anti-Islam film that had sparked riots in parts of the Muslim world [...] Coptic Christians make up most of Egypt's Christian minority, around 10 percent of the country's 83 million. They complain of state discrimination. Violent clashes break out occasionally over land disputes, worshipping rights and love affairs between Muslims and Christians."

Tony Blair: the EU needs a president - Telegraph:
The Telegraph reports: "In a move interpreted by some as a job application, the former prime minister said the EU could do with a strong leader approved by the people. He also warned that too deep a political divide between Britain and the core eurozone countries could lead towards a break-up."

My Way News - Israel bombards Gaza Strip, shoots down rocket:
My Way News reports: "Israel bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with about 300 airstrikes Saturday and shot down a Palestinian rocket fired at Tel Aviv, the military said, widening a blistering assault to include the Hamas prime minister's headquarters, a police compound and a vast network of smuggling tunnels. The intensified airstrikes came as Egyptian-led attempts to broker a cease-fire and end Israel's four-day-old Gaza offensive gained momentum."

My Way News - Hamas targets Jerusalem in major escalation
My Way News reports: "Palestinian militants took aim at Jerusalem for the first time Friday, launching a rocket attack on the holy city in a major escalation of hostilities as Israel pressed forward with a relentless campaign of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. Israel called up thousands of reservists and massed troops along the border with Gaza, signaling a ground invasion of the densely populated seaside strip could be imminent. [...] Israel's two largest cities have never before been exposed to rocket fire from Hamas-ruled Gaza. Over the past three days, Israel has struck suspected rocket-launching sites and other Hamas targets in Gaza with scores of airstrikes, while Hamas has fired more than 450 rockets toward Israel. "

My Way News - Analysis: Israel-Hamas: a clash waiting to happen
My Way News reports: "Since Israel completed a devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip four years ago, military officials have warned it was only a matter of time before the next round of fighting. Violence erupted this week with little warning, driven by Hamas' ambitions to make its mark on a changing Middle East and an Israeli government reacting to public outcry over rocket attacks just weeks ahead of national elections."

My Way News - APNewsBreak: Iran ready to ramp up nuke program
My Way News reports: "Iran is on the threshold of being able to create weapons-grade uranium at a plant it has heavily fortified against Israeli attack, diplomats told The Associated Press on Thursday, calling into question an Israeli claim that Iran had slowed its nuclear time table."

My Way News - Analysis: Israeli Gaza offensive looks to be brief
My Way News reports: "The major operation Israel launched to stop Gaza rocket fire bears some striking similarities to a punishing three-week campaign it unleashed against Hamas militants four years ago [...] Israel military officials say their goal is identical to four years ago - re-establishing its deterrence following a bout of rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel, and delivering a crippling blow to Hamas' missile capabilities."

My Way News - Eurozone slides back into recession
My Way News reports: "The 17-country eurozone has fallen back into recession for the first time in three years as the fallout from the region's financial crisis was felt from Amsterdam to Athens. And with surveys pointing to increasingly depressed conditions across the 17-member group at a time of austerity and high unemployment, the recession is forecast to deepen, and make the debt crisis - which has been calmer of late - even more difficult to handle."

My Way News - Scores isolated after new Ebola outbreak in Uganda
My Way News reports: "Scores of Ugandans were isolated on Thursday to prevent the spread of a new outbreak of Ebola which has already killed three people. Uganda has experienced increasingly regular outbreaks of deadly hemorrhagic fevers that have left health officials grappling for answers."

My Way News - Xi Jinping takes helm of China amid reform calls
My Way News reports: "Xi Jinping became leader of China on Thursday, securing the Communist Party's top spot and oversight of the military in a political transition upset by scandals that have added fuel to public demands for change as the country faces slower economic growth."

My Way News - Russia expands treason law, critics fear crackdown
My Way News reports: "Adding to fears that the Kremlin aims to stifle dissent, Russians now live under a new law expanding the definition of treason so broadly that critics say it could be used to call anyone who bucks the government a traitor. The law took effect Wednesday, just two days after President Vladimir Putin told his human rights advisory council that he was ready to review it."

My Way News - Austerity protests stall several European nations
My Way News reports: "Hundreds of thousands of Europe's beleaguered citizens went on strike or snarled the streets of several capitals Wednesday, at times clashing with riot police, as they demanded that governments stop cutting benefits and create more jobs [...] The zone of the 17 countries that use the euro currency is expected to fall into recession when official figures are released Thursday. Unemployment across those countries has reached a record 11.6 percent, with Spain and Greece seeing levels above 25 percent."

My Way News - Glacier melt cited as main cause of rising seas:
My Way News reports: "Austrian experts say melting glaciers have been the single greatest cause of rising sea level over the past century. Scientists at the respected University of Innsbruck say that between 1902 and 2007, glaciers contributed 11 centimeters (4.33 inches) to a total sea level rise of about 20 centimeters (nearly 8 inches). They also said Wednesday that by 2100, melting glaciers could raise sea levels by another 22 centimeters."

My Way News - Israel assassinates Hamas military chief in Gaza:
My Way News reports: "Israel carried out a blistering offensive of more than 50 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, assassinating Hamas' military commander and targeting the armed group's training facilities and rocket launchers [...] in response to days of rocket fire out of Hamas-ruled Gaza, were the beginning of a broader operation against the Islamic militants codenamed 'Pillar of Defense.' Israeli defense officials said a ground operation was a strong possibility in the coming days though they stressed no decisions had been made and much would depend on Hamas' reaction. There were no immediate signs of extraordinary troop deployments along the border."

My Way News - Iran says it's tested new air defense system:
My Way News reports: "Iran said Tuesday it successfully tested a new air defense system modeled after the U.S. Hawk system during a drill in the country's east. A senior Iranian official called the maneuvers a 'slap' to America and Israel. State TV broadcast footage Tuesday said to be from the drill, which began Saturday and which has been billed as 'massive.' The footage shows a Hawk missile being launched and hitting a mock aircraft."

My Way News - Egypt's Brotherhood slams Israel over Gaza strikes:
My Way News reports: "Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood sharply criticized Israeli leaders on Tuesday over airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, accusing them of heating up the conflict to score political points ahead of elections. The latest round of violence began Saturday, with rocket attacks from Gaza militants and Israeli airstrikes that killed seven Palestinians. More than 100 rockets have exploded in Israel since the weekend [...] Also, Israeli tanks struck a Syrian artillery launcher Monday after a mortar shell flew into Israel-held territory, fueling concerns that Israel could be dragged into the Syrian civil war."

Strong 6.6 magnitude quake strikes Myanmar | Reuters
Reuters reports: "A major earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude struck central Myanmar on Sunday, around 60 km (37 miles) northwest of the city of Mandalay, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake, which was initially measured at 7.0 magnitude and which was quiet shallow at around 10km (6 miles) deep."

My Way News - Up to 11,000 people flee Syria in 24-hour period:
My Way News reports: "As many as 11,000 people fled Syria in 24 hours, some of them desperately clambering through a razor-wire fence into Turkey on Friday to escape fierce fighting between rebels and government forces for control of a border town. The exodus is a sign of the escalating ferocity of the violence, which has killed more than 36,000 people since March 2011."

My Way News - Scientology makes few waves in Israel
My Way News reports: "In August, Scientology opened a gleaming new headquarters in the ancient port city of Jaffa, part of Tel Aviv. Since then, visitors and the curious have streamed through with no incidents [...] Scientology has confronted charges in many countries that it is a dangerous cult that brainwashes its followers and confiscates their assets."

My Way News - Mortar fire from Syria lands in Israeli-held Golan
My Way News reports: "Israel's military says three mortar rounds fired from Syria have landed inside the Israeli-held Golan Heights. It's the third time in less than a week that Syria's civil war has spilled over into the Golan. No injuries were reported from the mortar fire on Thursday. One round fell on a communal farm."

My Way News - Russia's Putin meets with Israeli president
My Way News reports: "Russia's President Vladimir Putin has hosted his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres for talks focusing on economic ties and international crises. Putin said at the start of Thursday's meeting with Peres that bilateral ties have been developing successfully. The two leaders were expected to discuss the situation in Syria among other international issues."

My Way News - Asia-Europe Meeting: build growth with cooperation
My Way News reports: "Leaders from Asia and Europe are calling for closer cooperation between the two continents in addressing the current global economic and financial crisis. The president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, also unequivocally affirmed the euro's future. The two-day Asia-Europe Meeting in Laos was attended by leaders and ministers from 51 countries, including new members Norway, Switzerland and Bangladesh."

My Way News - Powerful quake hits Guatemala, killing at least 48
My Way News reports: "A 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Guatemala on Wednesday, killing at least 48 people in two provinces as it toppled thick adobe walls, shook huge landslides down onto highways, and sent terrified villagers streaming into the streets of this idyllic mountain town near the border with Mexico. One hundred people were missing, and hundreds were injured."

My Way News - TV report: Israel security heads nixed Iran attack
My Way News reports: "Israel's prime minister ordered the military to go on high alert for a looming attack on Iran's nuclear program two years ago, but backed off following strong objections from senior security officials, a respected Israeli news program reported Monday."

Israeli think tank simulates aftermath of 'successful' strike on Iran nuke facilities - CNN.com:
CNN reports: "An Israeli think tank with close links to the government has simulated what would happen in the Mideast and internationally if Israel attacked Iran's nuclear facilities -- and concluded that reaction would be "in the direction of containment and restraint," not the trigger for a larger war."

My Way News - Russia warns West over Syria moves:
My Way News reports: "A senior Russian diplomat on Friday warned the West against trying to predetermine a future leadership of Syria [...] Russia has been the main supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, shielding it from U.N. sanctions over a crackdown on the 19-month uprising, in which at least 36,000 people have been killed, according to opposition activists. Earlier this week, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's rejection of calls for Assad's ouster, saying that it would only exacerbate the conflict."

My Way News - Syria war puts anti-US alliance on the defensive
My Way News reports: "Iran's economy is showing signs of distress from nuclear sanctions, Syria's president is fighting for his survival and Hezbollah in Lebanon is under fire by opponents who blame it for the assassination of an anti-Syrian intelligence official. Hamas - the Palestinian arm - has bolted."

From the devastating surge to crippling snow, Hurricane Sandy by the numbers - Capital Weather Gang - The Washington Post:
The Washington Post reports: "Superstorm Sandy slowly weakened over land Tuesday, but not before leaving behind a massive trail of destruction across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Initial estimates suggest the powerful storm has claimed at least 51 lives and caused up to $20 billion in damage."

Comment: This "superstorm" has been an unprecedented and historic weather event, this reports looks at the data collected so far.

My Way News - Iran begins new military exercises
My Way News reports: "Iran's regular army has begun a two-day ground and air military exercise aimed at upgrading its combat readiness and increasing its deterrence against possible attacks. [...] The war games are taking place amid escalating tensions between Iran and the West over Iran's disputed nuclear program. Israel has hinted that it may take military action if talks fail to get Iran stop its uranium enrichment program."

My Way News - Disarray, millions without power in Sandy's wake
My Way News reports: "The most devastating storm in decades to hit the country's most densely populated region upended man and nature as it rolled back the clock on 21st-century lives, cutting off modern communication and leaving millions without power Tuesday as thousands who fled their water-menaced homes wondered when - if - life would return to normal."

My Way News - Scientists look at climate change, the superstorm
My Way News reports: "Climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer stood along the Hudson River and watched his research come to life as Hurricane Sandy blew through New York. Just eight months earlier, the Princeton University professor reported that what used to be once-in-a-century devastating floods in New York City would soon happen every three to 20 years. He blamed global warming for pushing up sea levels and changing hurricane patterns."

My Way News - Lull in fighting between Israel, Gaza militants:
My Way News reports: "A deadly flare-up in fighting between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas group subsided on Thursday after Egypt helped to restore calm ahead of a major Muslim holiday [...] Under longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, Egypt had played an important role in halting multiple outbreaks of hostilities between Israel and Gaza militants. The new government of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who belongs to Hamas' parent movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, kept up the tradition."

Schools in Israel's south reopen in wake of Egypt-brokered ceasefire - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper:
Haaretz reports: "Schools in the south reopened yesterday, hours after an informal Egypt-brokered cease-fire aimed at putting an end to Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and Israeli reprisals reportedly went into effect.The truce took effect on midnight Wednesday, according to French news agency AFP."

My Way News - Gazans fire rockets at Israel, bringing airstrikes
My Way News reports: "Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired dozens of rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel on Wednesday in the heaviest bombardment on the area in months, drawing ominous Israeli threats of retaliation and dangers of escalation."

My Way News - AP Exclusive: France to send drones to Mali region
My Way News reports: "France will move surveillance drones to West Africa and is holding secretive talks with U.S. officials in Paris this week as it seeks to steer international military action to help Mali's feeble government win back the northern part of the country from al-Qaida-linked rebels [..] Many in the West fear that northeast Mali and the arid Sahel region could become the new Afghanistan, a no-man's-land where extremists can train, impose hardline Islamic law and plot terror attacks abroad. And France, former colonial ruler to countries across the Sahel, is a prime target."

My Way News - Major US, Israeli air defense exercise begins
My Way News reports: "The Israeli military says its largest ever exercise with the United States has begun. A major air defense drill called Austere Challenge 2012 started Sunday and includes more than 3,500 Americans and 1,000 Israelis. The militaries are practicing their ability to work together against a range of threats facing Israel, the main U.S. ally in the Mideast."

My Way News - Top security official among 8 dead in Beirut blast
My Way News reports: "A powerful car bomb tore through the heart of Beirut's Christian sector Friday, killing a top security official and seven others in a devastating attack that threatened to bring the war in Syria directly to Lebanon's doorstep. The blast sheared the balconies off apartment buildings, upended cars and sent dazed rescue workers carrying bloodied children into the streets. Dozens of people were wounded in the blast, the worst the Lebanese capital has seen in more than four years."

Small earthquake in Maine felt all over New England - CBS News
CBS News reports: "The earthquake that hit southern Maine Tuesday night and was felt in New England states as far away as Connecticut caused no apparent damage or injuries, but it rattled residents throughout the region. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 4.0 magnitude quake hit around 7:12 p.m. and its epicenter, about 3 miles west of Hollis Center, Maine, was about 3 miles deep. That location is about 20 miles west of Portland. The quake was first estimated to be 4.6 magnitude but was later downgraded."

My Way News - Hawaii, NY women to be elevated to sainthood
My Way News reports: "Mother Marianne is being canonized after the church determined that through her intercession, two people were miraculously cured. Teenager Kate Mahoney's medically inexplicable recovery from multiple organ failure in 1993 paved the way for her beatification in 2005. Sharon Smith's successful 2005 fight against an infection that tore a hole between her intestines and stomach was the miracle needed for her to be canonized. They were cured after friends and family prayed to Mother Marianne [emphasis added, ed.]. In Smith's case, a sister pinned a bag of soil containing some of Mother Marianne's bone fragments to her hospital gown."

Comment: To our Catholic readers, no disrespect intended, just know that humans do not become demigods when we die, we can't hear or answer prayers. Jesus told the disciples how to pray, study that model, and you will be on solid ground.

Texas School District Reportedly Threatening Students Who Refuse Tracking ID, Can't Vote For Homecoming:
The Huffington Post reports: "The "Student Locator Project,' which is slated to eventually reach 112 Texas schools and close to 100,000 students, is in trial stages in two Northside district schools. In an effort to reduce truancy, the district has issued new student IDs with an embedded radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip that tracks the location of a student at all times [...] John Jay High School sophomore Andrea Hernandez refuses to use the new IDs, citing religious beliefs and instead sticking with her old badge from previous years, calling the tracking devices the 'mark of the beast.' She tells Salon that the new badges make her uncomfortable and are an invasion of her privacy."

My Way News - Israel: Gaza militants fired anti-aircraft missile
My Way News reports: "Israeli defense officials say that Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have for the first time fired an anti-aircraft missile at Israeli aircraft. The officials say the militants fired the Strela shoulder-fired missile at an Israeli helicopter operating over Gaza last week, but missed their target."

My Way News - China begins aircraft carrier flight training:
My Way News reports: "China has begun flight training on its first aircraft carrier, with photographs posted on websites Monday showing navy pilots practicing touch-and-go landing exercises [...] The carrier's launch underscores China's ambitions to be a leading Asian naval power amid sharpening conflicts with its neighbors over disputed island chains in the South China and East China Seas."

My Way News - Jump from 24-miles high provides collective moment:
My Way News reports: "Felix Baumgartner stood poised in the open hatch of a capsule suspended above Earth, wondering if he would make it back alive. Twenty four miles below him, millions of people were right there with him, watching on the Internet and marveling at the wonder of the moment."

My Way News - Egypt's Islamists play to anti-Israel sentiment:
My Way News reports: "A fiery tirade against Jews by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's leader highlights one of the foremost diplomatic challenges facing the country's new Islamist President Mohammed Morsi as he balances popular sentiment with the need for security relations with Israel [...] Morsi has avoided speaking of Israel in public, only making pledges to respect Egypt's international agreements and the peace accord. The treaty, the first between Israel and an Arab country, has been a foundation for regional stability for more than three decades."

My Way News - US: Hackers in Iran responsible for cyberattacks
My Way News reports: "U.S. authorities believe that Iranian-based hackers were responsible for cyberattacks that devastated Persian Gulf oil and gas companies, a former U.S. government official said. Just hours later, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the cyberthreat from Iran has grown, and he declared that the Pentagon is prepared to take action if American is threatened by a computer-based assault [...] the Pentagon is particularly concerned about the growing Iranian cyber capabilities, as well as the often discussed threats from China and Russia."

My Way News - Buffeted by debt crisis, EU wins Nobel Peace Prize
My Way News reports: "The European Commission president had no reason to expect anything but another bad day. Then, out of the blue, after three years of back-biting and seemingly daily financial crisis, the European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize for fostering peace on a continent long ravaged by war. It was a badly needed morale boost for a 60-year-old union in the midst of a midlife crisis [...] The EU is now made up of 500 million people in 27 nations, with others lined up to join."

My Way News - Hezbollah says it sent drone over Israel
My Way News reports: "The leader of Hezbollah claimed responsibility Thursday for launching an Iranian-made drone aircraft into Israeli airspace earlier this week, adding more tension to an already explosive Mideast atmosphere. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah warned that it would not be the last such operation by his Lebanese militant group."

My Way News - UN says world has 6 billion cell phone subscribers
My Way News reports: "The world now has nearly as many cell phone subscriptions as inhabitants. The U.N. telecom agency says there were about 6 billion subscriptions by the end of 2011 - roughly one for 86 of every 100 people."

My Way News - Puerto Rico declares dengue epidemic
My Way News reports: "Puerto Rico's health department has declared a dengue epidemic. Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez says at least six people have died, including two children younger than 10. A total of 4,816 cases have been reported, including 21 cases of the potentially fatal hemorrhagic dengue."

My Way News - NATO backs Turkey in standoff with Syria
My Way News reports: "NATO is ready to defend Turkey, the alliance's top official said Tuesday, in a direct warning to Syria after a week of cross-border artillery and mortar exchanges dramatically escalated tensions between the two countries. Ankara has sent additional fighter jets to reinforce an air base close to the frontier with Syria where shells killed five Turkish civilians last week, sparking fears of a wider regional crisis."

My Way News - Malta hosts first Europe-Arab summit in a decade
My Way News reports: "Terrorism, lawlessness, immigration and the European debt crisis were all discussed Friday at the first Mediterranean summit since the Arab Spring uprisings [...] The summit on the island of Malta was originally scheduled for 2011 but was postponed because of the dramatic political changes in North Africa. The 5+5 summit, which brings together five European nations and five North African states - Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Algeria and Morocco - comes to an end Saturday."

My Way News - Think tank: path to Iran nuke warhead 2-4 months
My Way News reports: "Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to arm a nuclear bomb within two to four months but would still face serious "engineering challenges" - and much longer delays - before it succeeds in making the other components needed for a functioning warhead, a respected U.S. think tank said Monday."

My Way News - Israel police disperse Palestinians at holy site
My Way News reports: "Israeli police have stormed a holy site in Jerusalem's Old City, dispersing dozens of Palestinians who police say lobbed rocks at officers. Friday's clash occurred at a compound containing the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. Jews call the compound the Temple Mount because of the biblical Jewish temples that once stood there."

My Way News - Turkey authorizes military operations in Syria
My Way News reports: "Turkey sanctioned further military action against Syria on Thursday and bombarded targets across the border with artillery for a second day, raising the stakes in a conflict that increasingly is bleeding outside Syrian territory."

My Way News - Facebook now home to 1 billion monthly users
My Way News reports: "More than a billion people now log into Facebook each month to check up on old friends, tag photos of new ones and post about politics, religion, cats or what their kids are doing. [...]  The latest milestone also amounts to nearly half of the world's roughly 2.5 billion Internet users, as measured by the International Telecommunications Union."

My Way News - White House widening covert war in North Africa
My Way News reports: "Small teams of special operations forces arrived at American embassies throughout North Africa in the months before militants launched the fiery attack that killed the U.S. ambassador in Libya. The soldiers' mission: Set up a network that could quickly strike a terrorist target or rescue a hostage."

My Way News - Italy FM: Israeli attack against Iran could happen
My Way News reports: "Italy's foreign minister said the option of an Israeli attack against Iranian nuclear facilities is a concrete possibility, though increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic from Europe in the coming weeks could help jump start negotiations [...] European nations are looking to agree to a new round of sanctions against Iran at a meeting of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council next month, and are expected to focus on Iran's financial and energy sectors."

My Way News - Animals suspected in spread of new virus
My Way News reports: "Britain's Health Protection Agency has published an early genetic sequence of the new respiratory virus related to SARS that shows it is most closely linked to bat viruses, and scientists say camels, sheep or goats might end up being implicated too. So far, officials have only identified two confirmed cases and say the virus isn't as infectious as SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed hundreds of people, mostly in Asia, in a 2003 global outbreak."

My Way News - Israel's Netanyahu draws his "red line" for Iran
My Way News reports: "In his most detailed plea to date for global action against Iran's nuclear program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the world has until next summer at the latest to stop Iran before it can build a nuclear bomb [...] Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be an existential threat, citing Iranian denials of the Holocaust, its calls for Israel's destruction, its development of missiles capable of striking the Jewish state and its support for hostile Arab militant groups."

My Way News - Iran unveils new long-range drone:
My Way News reports: "Iranian military leaders gave details of a new long-range drone and test fired four anti-ship missiles Tuesday in a prelude to upcoming naval war games planned in an apparent response to U.S.-led warship drills in the Persian Gulf [...] the Shahed-129, or Witness-129, has a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles). That covers much of the Middle East including Israel and nearly doubles the range of previous drones produced by Iranian technicians, who have often relied on reverse engineering military hardware with the country under Western embargoes."

My Way News - Obama urges UN to confront roots of Muslim rage
My Way News reports: "With U.S. campaign politics shadowing every word, Obama also warned that time to peacefully curb the Iranian nuclear crisis is running out. He said there is 'still time and space' to resolve the issue through diplomacy. But that time is not unlimited.' 'Make no mistake: A nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained. It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations and the unraveling of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty,' he said."

My Way News - China says first aircraft carrier entering service
My Way News reports: "China formally entered its first aircraft carrier into service on Tuesday, underscoring its ambitions to be a leading Asian naval power, although the ship is not expected to carry a full complement of planes or be ready for combat for some time."

My Way News - Nigeria: 150 arrested in sweep against sect
My Way News reports: "Nigeria's military says it arrested more than 150 people and killed 36 others in a campaign across the nation's northeast to disrupt a radical Islamist sect. The military swept through towns in Adamawa and Yobe states over the past few days and ordered civilians to stay indoors. The soldiers focused on apprehending members of Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist sect responsible for a series of bombings and gun attacks in the region."

My Way News - Lebanese Christian leader says escaped assassin
My Way News reports: "The leader of Lebanon's largest Christian bloc in parliament, which supports the Syrian-backed Shiite Hezbollah group, says he was the target of a failed assassination attempt when his convoy came under fire. Tensions in Lebanon linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria are on the rise."

My Way News - Iran threatens attacks on US bases in event of war
My Way News reports: "A senior commander in Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard warned that Iran will target U.S. bases in the region in the event of war with Israel, raising the prospect of a broader conflict that would force other countries to get involved, Iranian state television reported Sunday."

My Way News - New SARS-like virus detected in Middle East
My Way News reports: "Global health officials are closely monitoring a new respiratory virus related to SARS that is believed to have killed at least one person in Saudi Arabia and left a Qatari citizen in critical condition in London. The germ is a coronavirus, from a family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as SARS, the severe acute respiratory syndrome that killed some 800 people, mostly in Asia, in a 2003 epidemic."

My Way News - UN envoy: Syria war is threatening the region
My Way News reports: "Syria's civil war is worsening and there is no prospect of a quick end to the violence, international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said Monday in a gloomy assessment to the U.N. Security Council."

My Way News - Iran shows off new air defense system
My Way News reports: "Iran on Friday displayed a new, all-Iranian-made air defense system, saying it was designed to confront American warplanes in case of a U.S. attack on the country. The system was on show during a military parade in Tehran commemorating the start of the Iraq-Iran war 32 years ago."

My Way News - Pakistan hit by deadly riots over anti-Muslim film
My Way News reports: "Thousands angered by an anti-Muslim film ignored pleas for peaceful rallies and rampaged in several Pakistani cities Friday in battles with police that killed 19 people and touched off criticism of a government decision to declare a national holiday to proclaim devotion for the Prophet Muhammad."

My Way News - iPhone 5 launch draws Apple fans worldwide
My Way News reports: "In a now familiar global ritual, Apple fans jammed shops across the globe to pick up the tech juggernaut's latest iPhone [...] The smartphone went on sale in the U.S. and Canada hours after its launch in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Britain, France and Germany. It will launch in 22 more countries next week. "

My Way News - Worries over violence against churches in Israel
My Way News reports: "After a series of attacks by vandals on Christian holy sites in Israel, normally tight-lipped Roman Catholic officials are beginning to speak out [...] There are about 155,000 Christian citizens of Israel, less than 2 percent of its 7.9 million people [...] The West Bank has seen its Christian population dwindle over the years to roughly 50,000 people today, less than 3 percent of the population [..] Just one third of Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Christ, is Christian today, down from 75 percent half a century ago. In the Gaza Strip, ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas, the situation is even more precarious. Fewer than 3,000 Christians live among 1.7 million Muslim residents, and their numbers have rapidly shrunk in recent years because of turmoil in the territory."

My Way News - Palestinians not worried by Israel-Iran war
My Way News reports: "Opinions about the international showdown over Iran's burgeoning nuclear program are mixed, but Palestinians largely don't see themselves a party to the conflict and don't expect to be drawn into any violence - even though two decades ago Iraqi missiles toward Israel sent them scurrying for cover too."

My Way News - Extremists showing up on front lines in Syria
My Way News reports: "Most of those fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad are ordinary Syrians and soldiers who have defected, having become fed up with the authoritarian government, analysts say. But increasingly, foreign fighters and those adhering to an extremist Islamist ideology are turning up on the front lines."

My Way News - Arctic ice shrinks to all-time low; half 1980 size
My Way News reports: In a critical climate indicator showing an ever warming world, the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean shrank to an all-time low this year, obliterating old records [...] Scientists at the snow and ice data center said their computer models show an Arctic that would be essentially free of ice in the summer by 2050, but they add that current trends show ice melting faster than the computers are predicting."

My Way News - Messaging apps show mobile Internet's rise in Asia
My Way News reports: "A handful of smartphone apps that began as basic instant messaging services have amassed several hundred million users in Asia in just a couple of years, mounting a challenge to the popularity of online hangouts such as Facebook as they branch into games, e-commerce, celebrity news and other areas."

Egypt issues arrest warrants for Terry Jones, Coptic Christians over anti-Islam video - World News:
NBC News reports: "Egyptian authorities on Tuesday ordered the arrest of seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a U.S. pastor for alleged involvement in the production of an anti-Islam video tied to protests across the Middle East and North Africa, the BBC reported."

Comment: So this is how Egypt responds, by going after Coptic Christians? It's a good thing their law does not apply to those on American soil. You know, it's just a YouTube video, anyone can make one. They don't have to be good videos to be uploaded, or even make sense. Stupidity is not illegal. I've seen all kinds of crazy YouTube videos, you know, flat-earth videos, no-moon-landing videos, even post-trib videos.

My Way News - Iran deploys Russian-made submarine in Gulf
My Way News reports: "Tehran has deployed one of its Russian-made submarines in the Persian Gulf, just days after the United States and more than two dozen allies began naval exercises nearby, Iranian state television reported Tuesday."

My Way News - NATO order changes way it will fight Afghan war
My Way News reports: "NATO's decision to restrict operations with small Afghan forces to mitigate the threat of insider attacks means fewer boots on patrols and a shift in how the U.S.-led coalition will fight the war in Afghanistan [...] The U.S. will complete its drawdown of 33,000 American troops that President Barack Obama ordered out of Afghanistan by Sept. 30, leaving 68,000 U.S. service members in the country."

My Way News - Egypt's Christians anxious, anticipate troubles
My Way News reports: "Egypt's Islamist politicians have lashed out at Coptic Christians living abroad but say they won't let the film cause sectarian hatred at home. But that has not eased fears among Egypt's Copts that anger over the film will spill over into broader anti-Christian sentiment."

My Way News - Israel hints it will keep pressing US on Iran
My Way News reports: "Israel's leader suggested in an interview Thursday that he'll keep publicly pressing the United States to get tougher on Iran, despite the strains his remarks have caused with the Obama administration. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks appear to have been aimed at rattling the U.S. into action for fear Israel might otherwise soon attack Iran on its own."  

Comment: The rioting and tantrums in the Arab world mean that the U.S. will not take any actions that might further inflame the situation, which means in practical terms, Israel will have to go it alone on the Iran question...for the time being.

My Way News - US investigates: Attacks coordinated to mark 9/11?
My Way News reports: "The Obama administration, roiled by the first killing of a U.S. ambassador in more than 30 years, is investigating whether the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Libya was a planned terrorist strike to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and not a spontaneous mob enraged over an anti-Islam YouTube video. [...] In a show of force, the Pentagon moved two warships to the Libyan coast [...] At the same time, some 50 U.S. Marines headed to Libya to reinforce security at U.S. diplomatic facilities, initially at the American embassy in Tripoli, not Benghazi."

My Way News - Tall, skinny iPhone in US stores Sept. 21
My Way News reports: "The iPhone 5 will go on sale in the U.S. and eight other countries next Friday, Sept. 21 [...] On Day One, the phone will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the U.K., besides the U.S. A week later, it will go on sale in 22 more countries, including Italy, Poland and Spain."

BBC News - Pakistan Christian girl accused of blasphemy released
BBC News reports: "A Christian girl in Pakistan who was arrested on blasphemy charges has been released from prison in Rawalpindi, a minister has said. The girl, thought to be 14 years old but with a younger mental age, was arrested last month after a mob accused her of burning pages of the Koran. An imam was later remanded in custody, accused of planting burned pages of the Koran in the girl's bag."

My Way News - 7-year-old Colo. girl recovers from bubonic plague
My Way News reports: "Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged that a series of frightening illnesses linked to insects and pests have been surfacing lately across the country, including mosquito-borne West Nile virus outbreaks in Texas and other states, deadly hantavirus cases linked to Yosemite National Park, and some scattered plague cases [...] The bubonic plague, or Black Death, killed an estimated 25 million people in Europe in the Middle Ages. Today, it can be treated with antibiotics, but it's important to catch it early."

Reuters - Powerful quake hits Costa Rica, no deaths
Reuters reports: "Costa Rica escaped relatively unscathed after a powerful earthquake hit the country on Wednesday, sparking landslides and knocking down buildings without killing anyone."

Sun Myung Moon, founder of Unification Church, dies at 92 - World News
NBC News reports: "The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed messiah who turned his Unification Church into a worldwide religious movement and befriended North Korean leaders as well as U.S. presidents, has died, church officials said Monday. He was 92."

Summer Break
As the summer travel season begins I will be taking a break from this blog and using the Twitter service instead. So, please join me in keeping up with events here:

http://twitter.com/portents

Please add this to your bookmarks and if you are on Twitter, please feel free to follow me and send me a direct message (DM) to let me know. I think it would be great to build a larger Bible prophecy community on Twitter. I also have several Twitter lists that you might be interested in following, lists devoted to world news and Bible prophecy.

Not a Twitter user? No problem, you do not need to be a member of Twitter to bookmark the site.

Happy Canada Day to our Canadian visitors and happy Independence Day to our American visitors!

My Way News - Syria troops regain key Damascus suburb:
My Way News reports: "Syrian troops flushed out rebels from a key Damascus suburb Saturday, regaining control of a key area just outside the capital after a 10-day assault that left dozens dead, hundreds wounded and caused a major humanitarian crisis [...] World powers meeting in Geneva to push for an end to the bloodshed accepted a U.N.-brokered peace plan for Syria on Saturday, but left open whether President Bashar Assad could be part of a transitional government."

My Way News - Eastern US storms kill 13, cut power to millions:
My Way News reports: "Millions across the mid-Atlantic region sweltered Saturday in the aftermath of violent storms that pummeled the eastern U.S. with high winds and downed trees, killing at least 13 people and leaving 3 million without power during a heat wave [...] Emergencies were declared in Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, the District of Columbia and Virginia."

My Way News - Report: Iran to deploy submarines in Caspian Sea:
My Way News reports: "Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have soured in the past year. Iran accuses Azerbaijan of harboring anti-Iranian terrorists linked to Israel's Mossad spy agency. Azerbaijan in return says Iran supports Islamist dissidents. Both countries deny each other's charges."

My Way News - Egypt's new president begins struggle for power
My Way News reports: "Islamist Mohammed Morsi became Egypt's first freely elected president on Saturday, launching his four-year term with a potentially dangerous quest to wrest back from the military the full authority of his office [...]  If Morsi succeeds, the Muslim Brotherhood will likely be emboldened to press ahead with realizing the longtime goal of making Egypt an Islamic state."

My Way News - European leaders agree on long-term union
My Way News reports: "After tough all-night bargaining, European leaders appeared to salvage what had seemed to be a summit teetering toward failure by agreeing early Friday to use the continent's bailout fund to funnel money directly to struggling banks, and in the longer term to the idea of a tighter union [...] leaders of the 17-nation eurozone also agreed to a joint banking supervisory body. And he said the leaders of the full 27-member European Union agreed to a general long-term plan for a tighter budgetary and political union."

My Way News - Heat wave: 1,000 records fall in US in a week
My Way News reports: "Feeling hot? It's not a mirage. Across the United States, hundreds of heat records have fallen in the past week. From the wildfire-consumed Rocky Mountains to the bacon-fried sidewalks of Oklahoma, the temperatures are creating consequences ranging from catastrophic to comical [...] Wildfires pack intense heat, but soaring temperatures and whipping winds are piling on the men and women battling the blazes raging across the Rocky Mountains."

My Way News - Wildfire victims crowd shelters as fight continues
My Way News reports: "Fire crews fought to save the U.S. Air Force Academy and residents begged for information on the fate of their homes Wednesday after a night of terror sent thousands of people fleeing a raging Colorado Springs wildfire. More than 30,000 have been displaced by the fire [...] Overall, there have been fewer fires and less acreage burned for the first six months of the year than for the same period in the previous six years. Some states are seeing fires earlier this year, but Harbour said resources are far from being exhausted."

My Way News - EU to open accession talks with tiny Montenegro
My Way News reports: "European Union foreign ministers recommended on Tuesday that Montenegro open accession negotiations with the bloc later this week, opening the way for the Balkan nation to eventually join the union [...] Despite the financial crisis and structural problems shaking the European Union's foundations, Balkan states are still enthusiastic about joining the 27-nation bloc. Croatia has completed accession negotiations and is slated to become the EU's newest member in 2013."

My Way News - Iran focus of Russian president's visit to Israel
My Way News reports: "Israel urged the visiting Russian president on Monday to step up pressure on Iran to curb its suspect nuclear program but there was no sign of any concessions from Vladimir Putin [...] Israel sees Iran as its most dangerous enemy because it is convinced the country's nuclear program is meant to build bombs and not for peaceful purposes such as energy production, as Iran insists. The fears are compounded by Tehran's frequent calls for Israel's destruction, support for anti-Israel militants and arsenal of ballistic missiles."

My Way News - Turkey warns Syria away from its border
My Way News reports: "Turkey warned Syria on Tuesday to keep its forces away from the countries' troubled border or risk an armed response - a furious reply to the downing of a Turkish military plane last week by the Damascus regime."

My Way News - Israel jittery after Brotherhood victory in Egypt
My Way News reports: "The Muslim Brotherhood victory in Egyptian presidential elections, announced Sunday, has raised fears in Israel that its strategic 1979 peace agreement with its southern neighbor could be in danger. In contrast, in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, ecstatic residents flocked into the streets, fired guns in the air and handed out candy in celebration [...] The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a pan-Arabic movement that favors creation of a Muslim state that encompasses the entire Middle East."

My Way News - Israel to press visiting Putin on Iran
My Way News reports: "When Vladimir Putin visits Israel next week, the world may want to pay attention: The Iranian nuclear program will top the agenda - and the steely Russian president, widely viewed as coddling the Iranians, may hold the key to avoiding a potential slide into another Middle East war [...] Israel sees Iran as its most dangerous foe because it is convinced that Iran's nuclear program is meant to build bombs and not produce energy, as Iran claims. The fears are compounded by Iran's frequent calls for Israel's destruction, support for anti-Israel militants and arsenal of ballistic missiles."

My Way News - Syrian Christians feel vulnerable as country burns
My Way News reports: "Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Syria's population, say they are particularly vulnerable to the violence sweeping the country of 22 million people. They are fearful that Syria will become another Iraq, with Christians caught in the crossfire between rival Islamic groups."

My Way News - Iran claims it defused cyberattack on nuke sites
My Way News reports: "An Iranian news agency says the country's experts have defused a "massive" cyberattack on Iran's nuclear facilities. The semiofficial ILNA news agency says the attack came after Iran and world powers met earlier this week in Moscow to discuss Iran's nuclear program."

My Way News - SKorea sees big demand for fastest mobile network:
My Way News reports: "South Korea, already known for having the world's speediest fixed-line broadband Internet, was not the first to use the fourth generation mobile technology known as Long Term Evolution. The United States already eclipses South Korea in the number of LTE smartphone users. But the proportion of the population using it is higher and rising faster in South Korea than in any other part of the world as mobile operators are making a big push to attract subscribers."

My Way News - Egypt's Mubarak on life support amid crisis
My Way News reports: "The Muslim Brotherhood, emboldened by its claim that its candidate won the election, sent tens of thousands of supporters into the street in an escalation of its confrontation against the ruling generals who invoked sweeping powers this week that give them dominance over the next president. Some 50,000 protesters, mostly Islamists, protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square, chanting slogans in support of Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi and denouncing the generals."

My Way News - Turmoil in Pakistan after prime minister dismissed:
My Way News reports: "Pakistan's top court dismissed the prime minister from office on Tuesday [...] The move was likened by some to a 'judicial coup' in a country with a history of destabilizing conflicts between the courts, the army and elected governments. It comes as Pakistan faces near economic collapse, power shortages and its own struggle against Islamist militants behind attacks that have killed thousands of people over the last five years."

More unrest hits Nigeria after church attacks, riots kill 52 - Yahoo! News
Yahoo News reports: "Fresh explosions and gunfire rocked a northeastern Nigerian city on Monday, a day after suicide attacks claimed by Islamists and reprisal violence by rampaging Christian mobs left 52 people dead [...] Boko Haram claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks on churches in Kaduna state on Sunday which led to deadly rioting, while police blamed the group for the violence that broke out in Damaturu."

My Way News - Gazans welcome claim of Islamist victory in Egypt
My Way News reports: "Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday welcomed the claim of a Muslim Brotherhood victory in Egypt's presidential election, distributing sweets, praising God and expressing hope for a new era of warm relations between Gaza and Egypt. Gaza, a small, densely populated territory, borders Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The strip's ruling militant Hamas group is a local offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and draws inspiration from the Egyptian organization."

My Way News - Egyptian military moves to retain power after vote: Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi claimed a hollow victory Monday in Egypt's presidential vote just hours after the country's military rulers stripped the office of its most important powers [...] The generals, who deny having effectively staged a coup and rendering the elected president a mere figurehead, will maintain authority over the crafting of laws and the drafting of a new constitution."

Comment: The Muslim Brotherhood has come to power in Egypt...or have they? The situation seems far from settled as the election ends. There are many questions left unanswered. What will happen to the peace treaty with Israel? Will Egypt become an Islamic state and drive out the Christian minority?

My Way News - 13 wounded in clashes in north Lebanon camp:
My Way News reports: "Lebanese security officials say three soldiers and 10 Palestinians have been wounded in clashes inside a refugee camp in the country's north. The clashes broke out Monday in the Nahr el-Bared camp during the funeral of a Palestinian who was killed in a confrontation Friday."

Comment: The country of Lebanon keeps Palestinians in camps. In camps! They've done that for decades with no hope of change in sight. Where's the outrage?  Oh, that's right, it's ok because they are not Israel so they can do whatever they want to Palestinians and the world will not care.

My Way News - Militants cross into Israel from Egypt, 1 killed:
My Way News reports: "Militants crossed from Egypt's turbulent Sinai desert into southern Israel on Monday and opened fire, killing an Israeli worker, defense officials said. Two assailants were shot dead in a gunbattle with Israeli troops responding to the ambush [...] Several hours after the attack, an Israeli airstrike killed two men on a motorcycle in the northern Gaza Strip near the Israeli border."

My Way News - Putin says Russia needs new strategic bomber
My Way News reports: "President Vladimir Putin says Russia needs a new strategic bomber and will develop it despite high costs [...]  Russia's air force has several dozen Soviet-built Tu-95 four-engine turboprop bombers whose design dates back to the 1950s and just over a dozen more modern supersonic Tu-160 bombers."

My Way News - Iran shrugs off oil sanctions at OPEC meeting
My Way News reports: "Iran's oil minister on Thursday shrugged off the tightening international squeeze on his country's oil exports, declaring that Tehran was not feeling the pinch and warning that an energy-hungry world could not do without Iranian oil and natural gas."

My Way News - Iran's dreams for influence stymied in Egypt
My Way News reports: "With a struggling economy, Egypt is in dire need of financial help from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations whose relations with Tehran are fraught with tensions over its disputed nuclear program, its perceived support for the majority Shiites in Sunni-ruled Bahrain and occupation of three Gulf islands claimed by the United Arab Emirates."

My Way News - Magnitude-4.1 quake shakes Southern California
My Way News reports: "Southern California has been shaken by a small earthquake centered in Orange County. A preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-4.1 quake struck at 8:17 p.m. Wednesday at a depth of about three miles. It was centered eight miles northeast of Anaheim, where a red carpet premiere was under way for the new Cars Land attraction at Disney's California Adventure. Several attendees tweeted that they felt it."

My Way News - Syria overruns rebellious village, violence spikes
My Way News reports: "Syrian forces overran a mountain enclave near the Mediterranean coast Wednesday, seizing the territory back from rebels as a serious escalation in violence signaled both sides are using more powerful weapons. With the bloodshed ramping up, France joined the U.N. peacekeeping chief in declaring Syria was in a state of civil war."

Helicopter allegations roil U.S.-Russia ties - The Washington Post:
The Washington Post reports: "While insisting that Iran diplomacy remains on track, officials in Washington and Moscow acknowledged damage to bilateral ties a day after the Obama administration publicly accused Russia of selling attack helicopters to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The allegation drew a chorus of denials and denunciations from Russian leaders, some of whom accused Washington of mistaking a shipment of refurbished or repaired helicopters for new ones. "

My Way News - Egypt Christians rally behind rival of Islamists
My Way News reports: "Many Christians see the vote as a clear-cut choice between a secular state and one in which an Islamist agenda slowly takes root [...] The region's turmoil has deeply unsettled the Middle East's Christians. Syria's Christian minority, for example, has largely stuck by President Bashar Assad, fearing the strength of Muslim hard-liners in the uprising against his rule. For a worst-case scenario, Christians can look to Iraq, which many Christians have fled after their community and others were repeatedly targeted by extremist militants in the chaotic years after Saddam Hussein's 2003 toppling."

My Way News - Annan wants powers to 'twist arms' over Syria
My Way News reports: "U.N. envoy Kofi Annan has asked governments with influence to 'twist arms' to stop escalating violence in Syria, amid few signs that international pressure is having any measurable effect on the fighting [...] He didn't specify the countries that might still have leverage with the Assad regime, but Russia, China and Iran are considered Syria's closest and strongest allies."

My Way News - Tens of thousands protest Putin despite crackdown
My Way News reports: "Undeterred by a sudden escalation in the Kremlin's crackdown on the opposition, tens of thousands thronged Moscow's tree-lined boulevards Tuesday in the first mass protest against Vladimir Putin since he returned to the presidency in May."

My Way News - Powerful quake shakes areas of Greece and Turkey
My Way News reports: "A powerful earthquake shook Greece's island of Rhodes and southwestern Turkey on Sunday. No deaths or serious damage were reported, but officials said six people were hurt in Turkey by jumping out of buildings."

My Way News - Up to 100 feared dead in Afghan earthquake:
My Way News reports: "As many as 100 people are feared dead in an earthquake and landslide that buried more than 20 houses in northern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said."

My Way News - Attacks strike Nigeria churches, kill at least 6
My Way News reports: "A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives Sunday outside a church in central Nigeria as gunmen attacked another church in the nation's northeast, killing at least six people and wounding dozens of others in the latest attacks targeting Christian worshippers in a nation increasingly divided by faith, officials and witnesses said. A radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram claimed the attacks."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the persecuted church in Nigeria. 

My Way News - Spain relieved, angry over humiliating bank rescue
My Way News reports "Spain on Saturday became the fourth - and largest - of the 17 countries that use Europe's common currency to request a bailout. This is a big blow to a nation that a few years ago took pride as the continent's economic superstar only to see it become the hot spot in the eurozone debt crisis. Its economy is the eurozone's fourth largest after Germany, France and Italy."

My Way News - Iran's Ahmadinejad wounded but wily in final year
My Way News reports: "The one-time favored son of Iran's theocracy - its flame-throwing populist in a common man's wind breaker or bureaucrat's off-the-rack suit - is now limping into his last year in office sharply weakened and in the unexpected position as an outcast among hard-liners."

Merkel says EU ready to act as Spain downgraded - Yahoo! News:
Yahoo News reports: "Speaking after talks in Berlin with British Prime Minister David Cameron - who called for 'urgent action' to tackle the debt crisis - Merkel said Germany stood ready, alongside the other 16 euro zone countries, to do whatever was necessary [...] As the EU's biggest economy and largest contributor, Germany holds the key to how the bloc comes to Spain's rescue, and whether Europe is able to agree on a banking union with a joint deposit guarantee and a bank resolution fund, as envisaged by the European Central Bank and the European Commission."

My Way News - In China, 1 in 10 TB cases are drug-resistant
My Way News reports: "One in 10 cases of tuberculosis in China cannot be treated by the most commonly-used drugs, driven by a lack of testing and misuse of medicine, according to a national survey that showed for the first time the size of the drug-resistant epidemic."

My Way News - Officials probe E. coli outbreak in 6 states
My Way News reports: "A mysterious and scattered outbreak of the E. coli bacteria is linked to 14 illnesses, including a child's death, health officials say [...] The reported illnesses were spread across six states. Georgia had five cases, Louisiana four, Alabama two, and Tennessee, Florida and California each had one."

My Way News - Gonorrhea growing resistant to drugs, WHO warns
My Way News reports: "A sexually transmitted disease that infects millions of people each year is growing resistant to drugs and could soon become untreatable, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. "

My Way News - Spring fever: US smashes heat record for season
My Way News reports: "Call it spring's fever. Federal records show the U.S. just finished its hottest spring on record [...] The first five months of 2012 were the hottest start to a year in U.S. weather record history. The 12-month period starting last June is also the hottest on record."

My Way News - Israel accuses Iran of nuclear deception
My Way News reports: "Renewing its criticism of Iran's atomic agenda, Israel's delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency accused Tehran on Wednesday of working secretly on nuclear weapons while pretending it does not want such arms, under a strategy of 'deception, defiance and concealment.'"

My Way News - China says it's not protecting Syria's Assad
My Way News reports: "China is not trying to protect Syrian President Bashar Assad and will respect the will of the country's people on its future, China's U.N. ambassador said Monday. Li Baodong told reporters that China is calling on all parties in Syria to immediately implement international envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan, stop the killings and launch an inclusive political process to restore peace and stability to the country."

My Way News - Eyes turn skyward as Venus travels across the sun
My Way News reports: "None of us will likely see Venus pass, like a moving beauty spot, across the face of the sun again. From the U.S. to South Korea, people around the world turned their attention to the daytime sky on Tuesday and early Wednesday in Asia to make sure they caught the rare sight of the transit of Venus. The next one won't be for another 105 years."

My Way News - New TV series awards bunker to winning survivalist:
My Way News reports: "The Spike television network is airing a competition this fall to award a fortified bunker to a family that believes the end of the world is near. Seriously. The network said Tuesday that its six-episode series called 'Last Family on Earth' will feature survivalists competing to show how tough and resourceful they are. The winner gets an underground bunker in an undisclosed location."

Comment: I guess they didn't get the memo that the Mayan doomsday gas been cancelled. 

My Way News - Rare sighting: Venus to trek across face of sun
My Way News reports: "It's a spectacle that won't repeat for another century - the sight of Venus slowly inching across the face of the sun. The silhouette of Venus will march across the face of the sun on Tuesday from the Western Hemisphere (Wednesday from the Eastern Hemisphere). Known as a transit of Venus, this won't happen again until 2117."