My Way News - Hezbollah warns of possible Syria intervention
My Way News reports: "The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group said Tuesday that Syrian rebels will not be able to defeat President Bashar Assad's regime militarily, warning that Syria's 'real friends,' including his Iranian-backed militant group, were ready to intervene on the government's side."

My Way News - Israel lawmaker: Hezbollah getting chemical arms
My Way News reports: "A former Israeli defense minister alleged Monday that Syria's chemical weapons are "trickling" to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. It was the first such claim by a senior politician in Israel, but he did not supply evidence to support his assertion [...] Israel has repeatedly expressed concern that Syria's chemical arsenal could fall into the hands of anti-Israel militants like Hezbollah, an Assad ally, or an al-Qaida-linked group fighting with the rebels. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that militants' acquisition of chemical arms or other sophisticated weapons is could trigger military action."

My Way News - Report: 260,000 died in Somali famine
My Way News reports: "The 2011 Somali famine killed an estimated 260,000 people, half of them age 5 and under, according to a new report to be published this week that more than doubles previous death toll estimates [...] The toll was also exacerbated by extremist militants from al-Shabab who banned food aid deliveries to the areas of south-central Somalia that they controlled."

My Way News - Arab League sweetens Israel-Palestinian peace plan
My Way News reports: "The Arab League's decision to sweeten its decade-old proposal offering comprehensive peace with Israel has placed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a bind and swiftly exposed fissures in his new government [...] The changes are meant to win Israeli support by allowing it to keep parts of the West Bank and east Jerusalem as part of an agreement."

My Way News - Hubble snaps image of approaching comet
My Way News reports: "The operators of the Hubble Space Telescope say the orbiting observatory has snapped photos of an approaching comet. The Baltimore-based Space Telescope Science Institute says the Comet Ison is being called the 'comet of the century' because it could be brighter than the full moon when it makes its closest pass by the sun in late November."

My Way News - Putin, Japanese leader step up peace treaty effort
My Way News reports: "The leaders of Russia and Japan have instructed their diplomats to intensify efforts to work out a peace treaty between the two nations. Russia and Japan have yet to sign a formal peace treaty ending hostilities from World War II due to a dispute over four islands that were captured by Soviet forces at the end of the war."

My Way News - Germ-zapping 'robots': Hospitals combat superbugs
My Way News reports: "The diarrhea-causing C-diff is now linked to 14,000 U.S. deaths annually. That's been the catalyst for the growing focus on infection control, said Mayfield, who is also president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. C-diff is easier to treat than some other hospital superbugs, like methicillin-resistant staph, or MRSA, but it's particularly difficult to clean away."

My Way News - NATO crash kills 4; Taliban begin spring offensive
My Way News reports: "A NATO plane crash in southern Afghanistan killed four international troops on Saturday, the same day the Taliban announced its spring offensive and said it will target military and diplomatic sites with suicide bombers and infiltrate enemy forces to conduct deadly insider attacks."

My Way News - Israel fears end to 40-year peace on Syrian front
My Way news reports: "Assad is a bitter enemy, an ally of Iran and a major backer of Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla attacks against Israel. But like his father whom he succeeded as president, he has faithfully observed U.S.-brokered accords that ended the 1973 war. Israel worries that whoever comes out on top in the civil war will be a much more dangerous adversary. Chief among Israeli concerns is that Assad's advanced weaponry could reach the hands of either his ally, the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, or Islamic extremist groups among the rebels trying to oust him."

My Way News - Southern Baptist website blocked on some US bases
My Way News reports: "Some military chaplains trying to access the Southern Baptist Convention website this week were surprised to find it blocked with a message that it contained 'hostile content.' The problem left military officials having to explain to leaders of the nation's largest Protestant denomination that it was an unintentional software glitch."

Comment: Is Christianity becoming too subversive for the multi-faith religionism of the American military? 

My Way News - Smartphones overtake 'dumb' phones worldwide
My Way News reports: "Research firm IDC said more smartphones than 'dumb' phones are being made this year, a milestone in a shift that's putting computing power and Internet access in millions of hands worldwide. [...]  In the U.S., smartphones overtook regular cellphones in 2011. IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said Friday that the shift to a global majority of smartphones is now being driven by consumers in developing countries such as China, India and Indonesia."

My Way News - Israel shoots down drone, Hezbollah suspected
My Way News reports: "Israel shot down a drone Thursday as it approached its northern coast from neighboring Lebanon, raising suspicions that the Hezbollah militant group was behind the infiltration attempt. Hezbollah denied involvement, but the incident was likely to heighten Israeli concerns that the Shiite militant group is trying to take advantage of the unrest in neighboring Syria to strengthen its capabilities."

My Way News - Official says China plans more aircraft carriers:
My Way News reports: "A top navy commander says China plans to operate more aircraft carriers in the future that will be even larger and carry more aircraft than the initial one launched last year. [...] China spent a decade refurbishing a derelict Soviet-era carrier bought from Ukraine before commissioning it as the Liaoning last year. The carrier is part of a major expansion of the Chinese navy that is equipping it with sophisticated new surface ships and submarines, prompting China's neighbors to upgrade and enlarge their own navies."

My Way News - Crossing a 'red line'? US says Syria used poison
My Way News reports: "The White House declared Thursday that U.S. intelligence indicates Syrian President Bashar Assad has twice used deadly chemical weapons in his country's fierce civil war, a provocative action that would cross President Barack Obama's 'red line' for a significant military response. But the administration said the revelation won't immediately change its stance on intervening."

NBC News - A suspected meteor flash briefly transforms night to day in Argentina
Cosmic Log reports: "A suspected meteor flash wowed observers in Argentina early Sunday — and sparked memories of February's more serious blast over Russia. The fireball lit up the night in north and central Argentina at about 3:30 a.m. local time, according to accounts from Argentine news outlets. "The sky lit up completely for a couple of seconds and interrupted the calm in this area of Argentina," BarrioOeste.com reported. Witnesses in Catamarca, Tucuman and Santiago del Estero reported sightings."

My Way News - China says new North Korea nuclear test possible
My Way News reports: "China's top general said a fourth North Korean nuclear weapons test is a possibility that underscores the need for fresh talks between Pyongyang and other regional parties [...] North Korea has been threatening to attack the U.S. and South Korea over recent military drills and sanctions imposed as punishment for its third nuclear test in February."

My Way News - Israeli official: Syria's Assad used chemical arms
My Way News reports: "A senior Israeli military intelligence official said on Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons last month in his battle against insurgent groups. It was the first time that Israel has accused the embattled Syrian leader of using his stockpile of nonconventional weapons."

My Way News - Kerry: NATO needs plan for Syrian chemical weapons
My Way News reports: "U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged NATO on Tuesday to prepare for the possible use of chemical weapons by Syria on the same day that a senior Israeli military intelligence official said Syrian President Bashar Assad had used such weapons last month in his battle against insurgents."

My Way News - Israel: Gaza militants fired from Sinai last week
My Way News reports: "Israel's prime minister is accusing Gaza militants of carrying out a rocket attack from Egypt's Sinai desert on a southern Israeli resort last week. [...]  A shadowy extremist Muslim Salafi group claimed responsibility for firing two rockets at Eilat. Nobody was hurt."

My Way News - Diplomats: New Iran-nuke agency talks agreed on:
My Way News reports: "Two diplomats say Iran and the U.N. nuclear agency have agreed to mid-May talks focused on restarting a probe of suspicions that Tehran has worked secretly on atomic arms. Their last meeting in February extended a string of inconclusive attempts by the International Atomic Energy Agency to re-launch investigations stalled for more than five years."

My Way News - Syrian regime shoring up hold on capital, coast
My Way News reports: "In the past week, government troops have overrun villages near the Lebanese border and suburbs of Damascus, including two districts west of the capital where activists say regime forces killed more than 100 people. The advances have improved the regime's footing in strategic areas that are seen as crucial to its survival."

My Way News - Even in desert retreat, monks feel Egypt's turmoil
My Way News reports: "A mob attack this month on the Cairo cathedral that serves as the seat of the Coptic pope raised alarm bells among Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the country's 90 million people. There has been a surge in attacks on Christians and churches in the two years since the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. But for Christians, the cathedral violence laid bare their vulnerability. Morsi quickly condemned the violence, saying attacking the cathedral was like attacking him personally. But the Coptic Pope Tawadros II accused him of failing to protect the cathedral in an unprecedented direct criticism."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the church in Egypt, that they will not allow their hearts to be embittered but will persevere in faith, love and compassion.

My Way News - Strong quake jolts China's Sichuan, killing 156
My Way News reports: "Residents huddled outdoors Saturday night in a town near the epicenter of a powerful earthquake that struck the steep hills of China's southwestern Sichuan province, leaving at least 156 people dead and more than 5,500 injured. [...] The quake - measured by the earthquake administration at magnitude-7.0 and by the U.S. Geological Survey at 6.6 - struck the steep hills of Lushan county shortly after 8 a.m., when many people were at home, sleeping or having breakfast."

My Way News - 7.0 quake hits ocean off Japan, Russia; no damage
My Way News reports: "A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck in seas off far northern Japan and far eastern Russia on Friday, but no damage was expected. The Japan Meteorological Agency said sea changes were possible. No tsunami warnings have been issued."

My Way News - Rockets fired at Eilat in southern Israel
My Way News reports: "Militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula fired at least two rockets at Israel's southern resort town of Eilat early Wednesday, officials said, highlighting what Israel says is a dire security situation across its border. Nobody was hurt in the attack, police said, although one rocket exploded near the courtyard of a house. A shadowy hard-line Muslim group, likely based in the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the attack."

My Way News - Thousands of Pakistanis homeless after quake
My Way News reports: "Thousands of people are homeless and desperate for aid in southwestern Pakistan following a deadly earthquake centered in neighboring Iran that toppled scores of mud brick homes and killed at least 36 people, officials said Wednesday. The Pakistani army has deployed several hundred soldiers to help the relief effort in Mashkel, the area of Baluchistan province hit hardest by Tuesday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake."

My Way News - Volcanic Japanese island hit by series of quakes
My Way News reports: "A strong earthquake and about 20 smaller temblors struck a small volcanic island south of Tokyo on Wednesday, slightly injuring three people but causing no danger of a tsunami. The strongest quake had a magnitude of 6.2 and hit just off Miyake island Wednesday evening at a depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles), Japan's Meteorological Agency said. About 20 smaller temblors, half of them strong enough to be felt by humans, were recorded in the area throughout the day."

My Way News - A new case in China adds unknowns to bird flu
My Way News reports: "A new case of bird flu in China's capital, a 4-year-old boy who displayed no symptoms, is adding to the unknowns about the latest outbreak that has caused 63 confirmed cases and 14 deaths, health officials said Monday."

My Way News - Quake hits Iran, Pakistan; dozens killed
My Way News reports: "An earthquake toppled homes and shops on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border Tuesday, killing dozens of people and causing skyscrapers to sway in Dubai. It also forced Iranian officials - for the second time in less than a week - to issue assurances that its main nuclear reactor wasn't damaged. [...] The U.S. Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude at 7.8 and at a depth of 15.2 kilometers (nine miles)."

My Way News - Israel honors war dead with somber Memorial Day
My Way News reports: "Israelis paused Monday to honor fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism with sirens and ceremonies on the country's annual Memorial Day. It is one of the most melancholy dates on the Israeli calendar. After decades of conflict, most Israelis have lost loved ones or know someone who has."

My Way News - Boston Marathon bombing kills 3, injures over 130
My Way News reports: "Two bombs exploded in the crowded streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three people and injuring more than 130 in a bloody scene of shattered glass and severed limbs that raised alarms that terrorists might have struck again in the U.S."

Comment: What a terrible thing. Please join me in praying for the victims and their friends and families, for the first-responders, for the investigators who are trying to find out who did this, and for the security services on guard to prevent further attacks. We know that even though there are bad people in the world who do bad things, they are outnumbered by the many good people who step up in such times to provide aid and comfort to those hurt and injured. 

My Way News - Israeli artillery retaliates for Syrian fire
My Way News reports: "Israel's military says its troops have shelled a position on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights from which they received fire. It said 'artillery and shots' were fired along the border Friday evening, causing no damage and no injuries. Soldiers responded with artillery fire and identified a 'direct hit.' It did not provide further details. Israel has found itself in a difficult position as clashes rage near its frontier with the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau it captured from Syria in the 1967 war."

My Way News - US stresses limits of N. Korea's nuclear firepower
My Way News reports: "The tensions playing out on the Korean peninsula are the latest in a long-running drama that dates to the 1950-53 Korean War, fed by the North's conviction that Washington is intent on destroying the government in Pyongyang and Washington's worry that the North could, out of desperation, reignite the war by invading the South."