Persecution

My Way News - North Korea gives SKorean missionary life sentence

My Way News reports: "North Korea said Saturday it has sentenced a South Korean Baptist missionary to hard labor for life for allegedly spying and trying to set up underground churches, the latest in a string of missionaries to run into trouble in the rigidly controlled North. [...] North Korean defectors have said that the distribution of Bibles and secret prayer services can mean banishment to a labor camp or execution."

NYTimes.com - Church-State Clash in China Coalesces Around a Toppled Spire
The New York Times reports: "This urban area of nine million in eastern China, nestled between rugged mountains and a jagged coastline, has moved to the center of a national battle with a Communist Party increasingly suspicious of Christianity and the Western values it represents. Since March, at least a dozen other churches across Zhejiang Province have been told to remove their crosses or have received demolition orders, a significant escalation in a party campaign to counter the influence of China’s fastest-growing religion."

Earthquakes

My Way News - 45 hurt in China quake along Myanmar border
My Way News reports: "A moderately strong earthquake in southwestern China has injured 45 people and forced thousands to seek shelter in an area near the border with Myanmar, Chinese authorities said Saturday."

Rumors of War - Kings of the East

My Way News - Hagel: China territorial claims destabilize region
My Way News reports: "China's territorial claims in the South China Sea are destabilizing the region, and its failure to resolve disputes with other nations threatens East Asia's long-term progress, Hagel said."

Earthquakes

My Way News - Earthquake strikes China-Myanmar border area
My Way News reports: "A moderately strong earthquake struck an area along China's southwestern border with Myanmar on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The quake's epicenter was in a mountainous area of China's Yunnan province. The Chinese earthquake center put the magnitude at 6.1, while the U.S. Geological Survey and Myanmar's seismic agency said it was 5.9."

Pestilence

My Way News - Officials take back report of MERS spread in US
My Way News reports: "Health officials on Wednesday backtracked on an earlier report that a mysterious Middle East virus had apparently spread from one person to another in the United States. Additional testing has shown the virus did not, in fact, spread to an Illinois man from a traveler he'd met in a business meeting."

Final Kingdom

My Way News - EU summit seeks way out of election quagmire
My Way News reports: "British Prime Minister David Cameron's recurring complaint that the European Union is "too big, too bossy, too interfering" gained traction at an EU summit on Tuesday, after election results that underscored voter apathy and hostility forced government leaders across the bloc to consider profound change."

Wickedness Increases

My Way News - Sheriff: Calif. gunman killed 3 people at home:
My Way News reports: "The son of a Hollywood director stabbed three men to death in his apartment, gunned down two women outside a sorority and killed a sixth person in a rampage that was foreshadowed by a chilling Internet video in which he vowed to his victims that he would 'take great pleasure in slaughtering all of you.' "

Persecution

My Way News - Pope to see Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan:
My Way News reports: "Christians make up about 5 percent of Syria's population, but assaults on predominantly Christian towns by rebels fighting against President Bashar Assad's rule have fueled fears among the country's religious minorities about the growing role of Islamic extremists in the revolt. Christians believe they are being targeted in part because of anti-Christian sentiment among Sunni Muslim extremists and partly as punishment for what is seen as their support for Assad."

Final Kingdom

My Way News - Exit poll shows shock loss for Dutch euroskeptic
My Way News reports: "The shock slide for Wilders' Party for Freedom bucked the expected trend of anti-EU parties winning support across the continent. Only the Netherlands and Britain voted on the first day of elections whose official results will not be known until Sunday night when all 28 nations in the bloc have gone to the polls."

King of the North / Kings of the East / Gog Alliance

My Way News - China signs 30-year deal for Russian natural gas
My Way News reports: "China signed a landmark $400 billion deal Wednesday to buy natural gas from Russia, binding Moscow more closely to Beijing at a time when President Vladimir Putin's relations with the West have deteriorated to the lowest point ever. China's president also called for an Asian security arrangement that would include Russia and Iran and exclude the United States."

My Way News - Few barriers to China's push in South China Sea
My Way News reports: "Southeast Asian countries, with diverging interests and wariness of angering Beijing, have so far shunned any collective action that might halt China as it relentlessly nudges forward its sovereignty claims in disputed seas seen as a possible flashpoint for the world's next major conflict."

Persecution

My Way News - Christian exodus shadows papal visit to Holy Land
My Way News reports: "Pope Francis will arrive this weekend in the land where Christianity was born — and where Christians are disappearing. This ancient community has dwindled to around 2 percent of the region's population as economic hardship, violence and the bitter realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have sent Christians searching for better opportunities overseas."

Pestilence

My Way News - Painful and rapid spread of new virus in Caribbean
My Way News reports: "They suffer searing headaches, a burning fever and so much pain in their joints they can barely walk or use their hands. It's like having a terrible flu combined with an abrupt case of arthritis. Hospitals and clinics throughout the Caribbean are seeing thousands of people with the same symptoms, victims of a virus with a long and unfamiliar name that has been spread rapidly by mosquitoes across the islands after the first locally transmitted case was confirmed in December."

Nations in Distress

My Way News - Macedonia: 6 hurt in second day of riots
My Way News reports: "Macedonian police say 27 people have been detained in a second night of riots, sparked by the fatal stabbing of a teenager by an alleged bicycle thief."

My Way News - Day 2 of martial law in Thailand stirs confusion
My Way News reports: "Thailand began its second day under martial law Wednesday with little visible military presence on the streets of Bangkok as residents tried to make sense of the dramatic turn of events after six months of anti-government protests and political turmoil."

My Way News - 2 bomb blasts in Nigeria kill at least 118
My Way News reports: "Two car bombs exploded at a bustling bus terminal and market in Nigeria's central city of Jos on Tuesday, killing at least 118 people, wounding dozens and leaving bloodied bodies amid the flaming debris."

Nations in Distress

My Way News - General's revolt threatens to new fight in Libya
My Way News reports: "Since Gadhafi's ouster and death in a 2011 civil war, Libya has been in chaos. The central government has almost no authority. The military and police, shattered during the civil war, have never recovered and remain in disarray. Filling the void are hundreds of militias around the country."

My Way News - Thailand's army declares martial law, denies coup:
My Way News reports: "Thailand's army declared martial law before dawn Tuesday in a surprise announcement it said was aimed at keeping the country stable after six months of sometimes violent political unrest. The military, however, denied a coup d'etat was underway. [...] Thailand's army has staged 11 coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932."

Pestilence

My Way News - MERS in America: Is spread of virus a worry?
My Way News reports: "A respiratory virus that has sickened hundreds in the Middle East has spread for the first time from one person to another in the United States. The case has raised questions about how much contact is needed to transmit the germ. [...] health officials say they don't find it alarming and that the risk of MERS to the general public remains low."

Rumors of War

My Way News - US charges Chinese officials in cyberspying case
My Way News reports: "Accusing China of vast business spying, the United States charged five military officials on Monday with hacking into U.S. companies to steal vital trade secrets in a case intensifying already-rising tensions between the international economic giants."

Comment: Ok, not technically a rumor of war (Matthew 24:6), more a rumor of cyberwar. At some point though, does it become the same thing?

Kings of the East - King of the North

My Way News - China, Russia on verge of gas deal
My Way News reports: "Putin is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during a two-day conference on Asian security that starts Tuesday in Shanghai. Cheng noted they reached a preliminary agreement on gas sales when Xi attended the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia."

Rumors of War - Persia

My Way News - Iran nuclear talks round ends with big setbacks:
My Way News reports: "Iran nuclear talks stalled Friday, casting a shadow on earlier advances and denting hopes that Tehran and six world powers will meet a July 20 target date for a deal meant to curb Iran's atomic program while ending sanctions on the Islamic Republic."

Persecution

My Way News - Pope's trip to Holy Land stirs diplomatic dilemmas
My Way News reports: "Vandals in Israel have recently scribbled anti-Christian graffiti on several Christian holy sites and properties. Israel's internal security agency says it fears there could be more such attacks, and local Vatican officials have urged Israel to safeguard Christian holy sites ahead of the pope's visit."

Rumors of War - Kings of the East

My Way News - On high seas, Vietnam and China play tense game
My Way News reports: "Vietnam is determined to defend what it regards as its sovereign territory against China, which insists that most of the South China Sea — including the Paracel Islands it took from U.S.-backed South Vietnam in 1974 — belongs to it. But Hanoi lacks options in dealing with Beijing, as China uses it burgeoning economic and military might to press its claims in the seas."

Persecution

CNN - Christian woman in Sudan sentenced to death for her faith
CNN reports: "Hours after a Sudanese court sentenced his pregnant wife to death when she refused to recant her Christian faith, her husband told CNN he feels helpless. [...] The court also convicted her of adultery and sentenced her to 100 lashes because her marriage to a Christian man is considered void under Sharia law. [...] Sudan is one of the most difficult countries in the world to be a Christian, according to international religious freedom monitors. [...] The Sudanese government has arrested Christians for spreading their faith, razed Christian churches and confiscated Christians' property, the commission said."

Rumors of War - Kings of the East

My Way News - Japanese panel urges greater military role
My Way News reports: "Citing threats from China and North Korea, a government-appointed panel is urging Japan to reinterpret its pacifist constitution to allow the use of military force to defend other countries."

Pestilence

My Way News - Saudis question Mecca preparedness as MERS spreads
My Way News reports: "Officials in Saudi Arabia are raising alarm that the kingdom is not doing enough to prevent Mecca from becoming a route for exporting an often deadly respiratory virus as millions of Muslims from around the world converge on the city to perform pilgrimage at Islam's holiest site."

Pestilence

My Way News - World Health Organization: MERS isn't an emergency
My Way News reports: "The spread of a puzzling respiratory virus in the Middle East and beyond is not a global health emergency despite a recent spike in cases, the World Health Organization said Wednesday [...] Since 2012, MERS has sickened more than 500 people and killed 145, mostly in the Middle East. The majority of cases have been in Saudi Arabia, although the disease has spread within the region and to Asia, North Africa, Europe and the United States."

Rumors of War - Persia

My Way News - Iran leader says won't bow to force in nuke talks
My Way News reports: "Iran's top leader said Tuesday his nation will not bow to the West's pressure in nuclear talks with world powers that convene this evening in Vienna. [...] The next round of high-level negotiations between Tehran and six world powers assembles tonight but official talks begin tomorrow to reach a final agreement to limit Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons before a July 20 deadline."

Pestilence

My Way News - Saudi Arabia reports 5 new deaths from MERS
My Way News reports: "Saudi health authorities reported another five deaths Tuesday from a potentially fatal Middle Eastern respiratory virus that has sickened hundreds in the kingdom. The previous evening, they reported that the same number of victims had also died from the virus, known as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. A total of 152 people have now died and 495 have been confirmed to have contracted the virus in Saudi Arabia since it was discovered in 2012."

King of the North - Rumors of War - Nations in Distress

My Way News - Insurgents in eastern Ukraine declare independence
My Way News reports: "Pro-Moscow insurgents in eastern Ukraine declared independence Monday and sought to join Russia, undermining upcoming presidential elections, strengthening the Kremlin's hand and putting pressure on Kiev to hold talks with the separatists following a referendum on self-rule."

My Way News - EU adds 13 people, 2 firms to Ukraine list
My Way News reports: "European Union foreign ministers added 13 people Monday to their visa ban and asset freeze list over Ukraine's crisis but are not expected to decide whether to impose tough economic measures on Russia before Ukraine's May 25 elections, officials said."

Roaring Waves and Seas

My Way News - NASA spots worrisome Antarctic ice sheet melt
My Way News reports: "The huge West Antarctic ice sheet is starting a glacially slow collapse in an unstoppable way, two new studies show. Alarmed scientists say that means even more sea level rise than they figured. The worrisome outcomes won't be seen soon. Scientists are talking hundreds of years, but over that time the melt that has started could eventually add 4 to 12 feet to current sea levels."

Kings of the East - Rumors of War

My Way News - China tensions top ASEAN summit talks in Myanmar:
My Way News reports: "Concerns over China's aggressive behavior in the South China Sea were a key topic Sunday in the first regional summit hosted by Myanmar, which is hoping to demonstrate the progress it's made since emerging from a half-century of brutal military rule. A standoff between Chinese and Vietnamese ships near the Paracel Islands put a fresh spotlight on long-standing and bitter maritime disputes. [...] ASEAN is comprised of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam."

Earthquakes

My Way News - Magnitude 5 earthquake kills 1 in Pakistan
My Way News reports: "A moderate earthquake rattled several towns in southern Pakistan before dawn Friday, killing one person and injuring 70, a government official said. [...] Pakistan is often hit by earthquakes. In September 2013, a 7.7-magnitude quake struck its province of Baluchistan, killing at least 376 people and pushing a new island up in the Arabian Sea."

King of the North

My Way News - Putin hails 'return' of Crimea; fighting kills 7
My Way News reports: "Speaking before a cheering crowd of thousands on a triumphant first visit to Crimea since its annexation into Russia, Putin hailed the incorporation of its 2 million people as a 'return to the Motherland' and a tribute to the 'historical justice and the memory of our ancestors.'"

Doomed Damascus

My Way News - Analysis: How Syria's Assad seized momentum in war
My Way News reports: "Western leaders predicted Assad would fall in few months. Almost no one thinks that now. As he prepares for elections through which he is set to claim another seven-year mandate for himself, the 48-year-old leader appears to be on a continuously upward path in the three-year-old conflict."

Pestilence

My Way News - Saudi Arabia reports 5 more deaths from MERS
My Way News reports: "Five more people have died in Saudi Arabia after contracting an often fatal Middle East respiratory virus as the number of new infections in the kingdom climbs higher, health officials confirmed Thursday."

Earthquakes

My Way News - Strong earthquake shakes Mexico's Pacific coast
My Way News reports: "A strong earthquake shook the southern Pacific coast of Mexico as well as the capital and several inland states Thursday, sending frightened people into unseasonal torrential rains that were also bearing down on the coast. [...] There were no reports of injuries but varying reports of damage near the epicenter emerged throughout the day."

Covenant With Many

My Way News - White House official urges Mideast talks continue
My Way News reports: "U.S. President Barack Obama's national security adviser opened a visit to Israel by telling leaders Wednesday that peace with the Palestinians can only be reached through direct negotiations leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state."

Comment: Now that Iran-allied Hamas as been added to the Palestinian government, I wonder just how "independent" a Palestinian state would be?

Rumors of War - Iran

My Way News - Iran admiral: US ships are a target in case of war
My Way News reports: "Iran will target American aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf should a war between the two countries ever break out, the naval chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard warned Tuesday as the country completes work on a large-scale mock-up of a U.S. carrier."

Comment: Now that the world has become so much more peaceful, this would be a good time for the U.S. to cut the defense budget. Sure, the U.S. has enemies, but they're not smart, they would never gang up and attack at the same time. One-at-a-time is the rule. No doubt they will all wait patiently until the draw down in Afghanistan is finished and then and only then challenge the U.S.

Pestilence

My Way News - UN: Spread of polio now a world health emergency
My Way News reports: "For the first time ever, the World Health Organization on Monday declared the spread of polio an international public health emergency that could grow in the next few months and unravel the nearly three-decade effort to eradicate the crippling disease. The agency described current polio outbreaks across at least 10 countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East as an 'extraordinary event' that required a coordinated international response."

My Way News - 1st American MERS patient may leave hospital soon
My Way News reports: "The first American citizen diagnosed with a mysterious virus from the Middle East is improving daily and could be released soon from an Indiana hospital, although he will be isolated at home, health officials said Monday. [...] Since MERS was discovered two years ago, at least 400 people have had the respiratory illness, and more than 100 people have died. All had ties to the Middle East region or to people who traveled there."

Pestilence

My Way News - CDC confirms first case of MERS virus in American:
My Way News reports: "Health officials on Friday confirmed the first case of an American infected with a mysterious virus that has sickened hundreds in the Middle East. [...] Overall, at least 400 people have had the respiratory illness, and more than 100 people have died. All had ties to the Middle East region or to people who traveled there."

Rumors of War - King of the North

My Way News - Ukrainian unrest spreads; dozens dead in Odessa:
My Way News reports: "Ukraine launched an offensive against separatist forces for control of a besieged eastern city Friday, while clashes between pro- and anti-government activists in the previously calm southern port of Odessa led to a fire that police said killed 31 people. [...] The Kremlin said the battle for the separatist-held city of Slovyansk effectively destroyed the Geneva pact aimed at cooling the unrest in the deeply divided country."

Pestilence

My Way News - Drug resistance found worldwide, new drugs needed
My Way News reports: "Bacteria resistant to antibiotics have now spread to every part of the world and might lead to a future where minor infections could kill, according to a report published Wednesday by the World Health Organization."

Comment: Please, people, don't ask you doctor for antibiotics if you have the common cold, they won't do anything for you.