War - Nations in Distress

My Way News - Ukrainian president ends unilateral ceasefire
My Way News reports: "Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he was abandoning a unilateral cease-fire in the conflict with pro-Russian separatists and sending military forces back on the offensive after talks with Russia and European leaders failed to start a broader peace process."

Global Community

My Way News - EU slashes mobile data roaming fees by 55 percent
My Way News reports: "The European Union says the surcharges for surfing the Internet on mobile devices while traveling across the 28-nation bloc will be more than halved. [...] The bloc's executive Commission — keen on being seen as helping the EU's 500 million consumers — started cracking down on the fees in 2007 and seeks to abolish them altogether by 2016."

Rumors of War - Persecution

My Way News - Islamic state declaration could lead to schism
My Way News reports: "In a bold move Sunday, the group announced the establishment of its own state, or caliphate, governed by Islamic law. It proclaimed its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a highly ambitious Iraqi militant with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, to be the caliph, and it demanded that Muslims around the world pledge allegiance to him. [...] the militants have banned music, forced Christians to pay an Islamic tax for protection, and killed violators of its interpretation of Islam in the main square, activists say."

Jerusalem Security - Rumors of War

My Way News - Bodies of missing Israeli teens found in West Bank
My Way News reports: "The Israeli military found the bodies of three missing teenagers on Monday just over two weeks after they were abducted in the West Bank — a grim discovery that ended a frantic search that led to Israel's largest ground operation in the Palestinian territory in nearly a decade and drew Israeli threats of retaliation."

Comment: What a tragic end to this story. Why do the Palestinians continue to express their strong desire for peace by kidnapping Israelis and launching rockets from Gaza?

Rumors of War - King of the North

My Way News - Ukraine signs historic EU pact, snubbing Russia
My Way News reports: "Over Russia's objections, Ukraine's new president on Friday signed a free-trade deal binding his country more closely to Western Europe, sealing the very agreement that triggered the bloodshed and political convulsions of the past seven months."

Pestilence

My Way News - Sierra Leone warns of contact with Ebola infected
My Way News reports: "Sierra Leone warned Friday that it is a serious crime to shelter someone infected with the ebola virus. The statement from the Health Ministry also lamented the fact that a number of patients had discharged themselves from hospital in Kenema district where the outbreak is taking place and gone into hiding. According to the World Health Organization, there are 176 people infected with the ebola virus in Sierra Leone and at least 46 fatalities in what is being called the worst outbreak of the deadly disease across three West African countries."

Global Community

My Way News - World Cup hits online streaming record, buzz soars
My Way News reports: "More than 300 million tweets have been sent about the World Cup so far, and Google has logged over 1.1 billion searches related to the world's most popular sporting event. [...] Thursday's concurrent U.S. vs. Germany and Portugal vs. Ghana games hit a peak of 6.8 terabits per second in online streaming traffic, according to Akamai Technologies Inc., which helps companies distribute online video and works with more than 50 World Cup online streaming rights holders worldwide."

Persecution

My Way News - Sudanese Christian woman freed again
My Way News reports: "A Sudanese Christian woman whose death sentence for apostasy was overturned was freed again on Thursday after being detained on accusations of forging travel documents. Wearing a traditional white and green dress, Meriam Ibrahim, 27, walked out of a Khartoum police station carrying her newborn baby hours after lawyers said she was ordered released."

Comment: Praying for her and her family. I hope they get as far away from Sudan as possible before the authorities change their minds.

Earthquakes

My Way News - Oklahoma looks for answers on earthquakes
My Way News reports: "Central Oklahoma residents are demanding to know whether earthquake swarms that have shaken their homes and their nerves in recent months are caused by oil and gas drilling operations in the area. [...] Earthquakes used to be almost unheard of on the vast stretches of prairie that unfold across Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, but they've become common in recent years."

War & Rumors of War

My Way News - Kerry issues warning after Syria bombs Iraq
My Way News reports: "Syrian warplanes bombed Sunni militants' positions inside Iraq, military officials confirmed Wednesday, deepening the concerns that the extremist insurgency that spans the two neighboring countries could morph into an even wider regional conflict. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned against the threat and said other nations should stay out. [...] More of Iraq's sectarian tensions boiled over into violence on Wednesday, with Sunni militants shelling a Christian village 45 miles (75 kilometers) from the frontier of the self-ruled Kurdish region, which has so far escaped the deadly turmoil unscathed."

Pestilence

My Way News - WHO reduces Ebola death toll in Sierra Leone
My Way News reports: "The World Health Organization on Wednesday announced it was changing the way it reports fatalities from the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone at the request of the government. Previously, probable and suspected deaths from Ebola were included in the count but from now on, only laboratory confirmed cases will be reported, reducing the death toll in Sierra Leone from 58 to 34 as of Tuesday. [...] Doctors Without Borders has described the outbreak as 'out of control' and said with cases in more than 60 sites, its resources are stretched to the limit."

Persecution

My Way News - Freed Christian woman, family detained in Sudan
My Way News reports: "A Christian woman sentenced to death in Sudan and later freed has been detained at an airport while trying to leave the country Tuesday, her lawyer said. [...] Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Christian mother, was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian. Sudan's penal code forbids Muslims from converting to other religions, a crime punishable by death."

Pestilence

My Way News - Ebola cases rise in Africa as doctors sound alarm
My Way News reports: "The international medical organization Doctors Without Borders sounded the alarm Monday over the outbreak of the Ebola disease in West Africa as some 20 new deaths have been reported. [...] This Ebola outbreak is the most deadly ever. The virus has no cure and causes internal bleeding and organ failure, spreading through direct contact with infected people. Containing an outbreak focuses on supportive care for the ill and isolating them to limit the spread of the virus."

Global Communitiy

My Way News - Facebook, Twitter, Google score during World Cup
My Way News reports: "Twitter and Facebook lit up in a World Cup frenzy this week as millions of people around the world took to social media to share in the ups and downs of the matches. [...] Google, meanwhile, tracked more than 641 million World Cup-related searches. In the week leading up the U.S. team's game against Ghana on Monday, there were 10 times more searches for the World Cup in the U.S. than for the NBA Finals, which were in progress at the time."

Rumors of War - Nations in Distress

My Way News - Back to Iraq: Obama sending military advisers
My Way News reports: "Inching back into a fight he tried to leave behind, President Barack Obama announced Thursday he was dispatching 300 U.S. military advisers to Iraq to help quell the rising insurgency in the crumbling nation. He also challenged Iraq's embattled leader to create a more inclusive government or risk his country descending into sectarian civil war."

King of the North

My Way News - Russian buildup seen as fighting rages in Ukraine
My Way News reports: "Russia is resuming its military buildup along the Ukrainian border in an apparent attempt to intimidate its neighbor, NATO's chief said Thursday as Ukrainian government forces unleashed a major offensive against pro-Moscow insurgents."

Final Kingdom - Ten Kings

My Way News - EU ministers squabble over strict deficit limits
My Way News reports: "The push for more leeway comes as the eurozone is emerging from years of crisis that had threatened the very survival of the currency used by 330 million people. At the heart of the crisis were countries that had amassed so much debt that their borrowing costs spiraled out of control as investors took flight. Facing bankruptcy, five countries needed rescue loans from their European peers. [...] The bloc's 28 leaders are set to discuss policy priorities for the next Commission at their summit next week."

Rumors of War

My Way News - GOP leader: Obama may act in Iraq without signoff
My Way News reports: "President Barack Obama and congressional leaders believe he does not need authorization from Congress for some steps he might take to quell the al-Qaida-inspired insurgency sweeping through Iraq, the Senate's top Republican and Capitol Hill aides said after the president briefed senior lawmakers Wednesday."

Covenant With Many

My Way News - Israel leader seeks world pressure on Palestinians
My Way News reports: "Israel's prime minister on Tuesday urged the international community to demand the Western-backed Palestinian president break off ties with the militant Hamas group over the abduction of three Israeli teens, the latest sign that Israel's massive five-day-old search in the West Bank has broader objectives than finding the missing. Israel said it also wants to destroy the Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank and apparently hopes to reclaim international support after the latest failure of U.S.-led peace efforts."

Persecution

My Way News - 2 Christians kidnapped Egypt's Sinai Peninsula
My Way News reports: "Masked armed men, suspected to be Islamic militants, kidnapped two Coptic Christians in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in two separate incidents, and clashes between Egyptian security forces and Islamist supporters of deposed president in the capital left one policeman dead on Monday, officials said. [...] Christians have continued to be targeted by Islamic militants either as retaliation for their support to el-Sissi or for the sake of hefty ransoms. Coptic organizations have reported dozens of abductions since Morsi's July 3 ouster — most in the south, where large concentrations of Christians are located near strongholds of Islamic groups."

My Way News - Iraqi Christians flee homes amid militant push
My Way News reports: "Over the past decade, Iraqi Christians have fled repeatedly to this ancient mountainside village, seeking refuge from violence, then returning home when the danger eased. Now they are doing it again as Islamic militants rampage across northern Iraq, but this time few say they ever want to go back to their homes."

Wars and Rumors of War

My Way News - More US troops to Iraq; special forces considered
My Way News reports: "The U.S. is urgently deploying several hundred armed troops in and around Iraq and considering sending an additional contingent of special forces soldiers as Baghdad struggles to repel a rampant insurgency, even as the White House insists anew that America will not be dragged into another war."

My Way News - Pentagon: No joint military acts with Iran in Iraq
My Way News reports: "The Pentagon says it has no plans to coordinate with Iran on possible military action in Iraq. The Pentagon's press secretary, Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, told reporters Monday that while there may be discussions between U.S. and Iranian officials in Vienna about security in the region, it will not include any military coordination."

My Way News - Iran's general in Iraq, militants seize key city
My Way News reports: "In a sign of Iran's deepening involvement in the Iraqi crisis, the commander of Tehran's elite Quds Force is helping Iraq's military and Shiite militias gear up to fight the Sunni insurgents advancing across the country, officials said Monday."

Earthquakes

My Way News - Official: moderate 6.0 earthquake rocks Pakistan
My Way News reports: "A moderate earthquake struck northwest Pakistan on Saturday, causing panic in towns and cities, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, an official said. Mohammad Riaz, a senior scientist at the Pakistan Meteorological Department, said the magnitude 6.0 quake was felt in the northwestern city of Peshawar, Swat Valley and several nearby areas."

Rumors of War - War - Nations in Distress

My Way News - Sunni militants vow to march on Iraqi capital
My Way News reports: "Islamic militants who seized cities and towns vowed Thursday to march on Baghdad to settle old scores, joined by Saddam Hussein-era loyalists and other disaffected Sunnis capitalizing on the government's political paralysis over the biggest threat to Iraq's stability since the U.S. withdrawal. Trumpeting their victory, the militants also declared they would impose Shariah law in Mosul and other areas they have captured."

My Way News - Obama: US will send fresh help to beleaguered Iraq
My Way News reports: "Less than three years after pulling American forces out of Iraq, President Barack Obama is weighing a range of short-term military options, including airstrikes, to quell an al-Qaida inspired insurgency that has captured two Iraqi cities and threatened to press toward Baghdad."

My Way News - Fear, sectarianism behind Iraq army collapse
My Way News reports: "Sunnis are well represented in the military's officer corps. The majority of soldiers and warrant officers are Shiites, but they mostly serve in areas dominated by members of the same sect. That leaves the Sunnis to serve in Sunni areas like Mosul and Anbar, where many of them are demoralized by the idea of fighting against fellow members of their Muslim sect. Police forces are usually drawn from local populations and so are particularly vulnerable to intimidation."

War - Nations in Distress

My Way News - Islamic gunmen push into Iraq's Sunni heartland
My Way News reports: "Al-Qaida-inspired militants pushed deeper into Iraq's Sunni heartland Wednesday, swiftly conquering Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit as soldiers and security forces abandoned their posts and yielded ground once controlled by U.S. forces. [...] The capture of Mosul — along with the fall of Tikrit and the militants' earlier seizure of the western city of Fallujah — have undone hard-fought gains against insurgents in the years following the 2003 invasion by U.S.-led forces."

Jerusalem Security - Covenant With Many

My Way News - Israel chooses veteran hard-liner as president
My Way News reports: "Israel's parliament on Tuesday chose Reuven Rivlin, a veteran nationalist politician and supporter of the Jewish settlement movement, as the country's next president, putting a man opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state into the ceremonial but influential post."

Comment: This is welcome news. Sure, it's a largely ceremonial position, but one given greater stature by Peres during his term, who knows what Rivlin will do with it?

Kings of the East

My Way News - China ships depart for naval drill with US, others
My Way News reports: "A Chinese naval squadron has left port to take part for the first time in the world's largest naval exercises hosted by the U.S. in waters near Hawaii, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. China's participation in the Rim of the Pacific exercises is seen as an opportunity to build mutual trust amid tensions at sea with neighbors ranging from Vietnam and the Philippines to the south, to Japan in the east. [...] Twenty-three countries will participate in this year's drills, including Canada, India, Japan and South Korea. The exercises begin June 26 and last through Aug. 1."

Covenant With Many

My Way News - After failed peace talks, Israel divided
My Way News reports: "The collapse of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks has laid bare deep divisions in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition that John Kerry's determined but ill-fated diplomacy had allowed to be papered over. [...] The likely short-term outcome is a period of protracted gridlock in which hopes for peace will remain in deep freeze, and some are sensing that a government collapse and even early elections may follow suit."

Reuters - Pope says Israelis, Palestinians must seek peace 'undaunted in dialogue'
Reuters reports: "The pope made his vibrant appeal to Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the end of a two-hour evening service in the Vatican gardens, an encounter he hopes will relaunch the Middle East peace process. [...] The pope spoke after Jewish rabbis, Christian cardinals and Muslim Imams read and chanted from the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Koran in Italian, English, Hebrew and Arabic in the first such inter-religious event in the Vatican."

Doomed Damascus

My Way News - Hezbollah chief hails Assad win in Syria election
My Way News reports: "The chief of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group on Friday hailed Syrian President Bashar Assad's victory in the country's presidential election this week, saying the "massive" turnout shows the war and the West's conspiracy against Syria have failed. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has been a staunch Assad ally throughout the bloody three-year-long conflict next door. Members of the Lebanese Shiite group are fighting alongside Assad's forces in Syria's civil war."

Rumors of War - Kings of the East

My Way News - Beijing criticizes US report on Chinese military
My Way News reports: "The Pentagon report said China is developing new types of missiles, expanding the reach of its navy and upgrading its air force. It said China also is investing heavily in cyberspace, space and electronic warfare. While China's military modernization is primarily driven by potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, it also seeks to defend China's expanding interests and influence abroad, along with increased tensions in the East China and South China Seas, the report said. Last November, China conducted its largest naval exercise to date in the Philippine Sea. China has territorial disputes with several of its neighbors, including U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines. China is currently locked in a tense, offshore standoff with the Vietnam."

Rumors of War - Persia

My Way News - West: Iran must clear up nuclear arms allegations
My Way News reports: "The U.S. and its allies stuck to their demands on Wednesday that Iran clear up all suspicions it worked on nuclear arms if it wants full sanctions relief — suggesting a broad new accord isn't likely by a July target date. [...] The West wants any comprehensive deal to place strict, long-term constraints on Iranian nuclear programs that could be used to make atomic arms."

Doomed Damascusdo

My Way News - Syria's election shows depth of support for Assad

My Way News reports: "For all the serious flaws in Syria's election, it underscored the considerable support that President Bashar Assad still enjoys from the population, including many in the majority Sunni Muslim community. [...]  The country's rich tapestry of Christian and Muslim minorities, meanwhile, help keep Assad in power, fearing their fate if he were to fall."

Wickedness Increases

My Way News - Neighbors: Stabbing at odds with girls' upbringing
My Way News reports: "Waukesha County prosecutors have charged the two girls in adult court with attempted homicide for allegedly stabbing a girl the same age in the woods. The girls told detectives they conspired for months to kill the other girl in hopes of pleasing Slenderman, a fictional character they read about on a horror website."

Covenant With Many

My Way News - Netanyahu tells AP he is 'troubled' by US decision
My Way News reports: "Israel's prime minister said Tuesday he is 'deeply troubled' by the United States' decision to maintain relations with the new Palestinian unity government, urging Washington to tell the Palestinian president that his alliance with the Hamas militant group is unacceptable."

Pestilence

My Way News - Saudi review finds over 100 more MERS infections
My Way News reports: "Saudi Arabia, which is grappling to contain the spread of a frequently deadly respiratory virus, announced Tuesday that a review of the illness led authorities to sharply revise upward the number of confirmed infections and deaths from the disease. [...] A report by the official Saudi Press Agency said authorities have registered a total of 688 confirmed infections and 282 deaths as a result of MERS since the virus was first identified in 2012."

Persecution

Reuters - Gunmen kill nine in northeast Nigeria church attack
Reuters reports: "Gunmen opened fire on a church service in a remote village in northeastern Nigeria, killing nine people as worshippers fled into the bush, police and a witness said on Monday."

Persecution Update

My Way News - Mob torches Christian shops in Egypt ahead trial
My Way News reports: "A mob of angry Islamic extremists burned shops owned by Coptic Christians near the ancient city of Luxor on Monday, hours before a trial for a Coptic Christian accused of blasphemy, a security official said. [...] The attack came hours before the start of a trial in Luxor for Kerolos Ghattas, a young Coptic Christian charged with contempt to Islam over a series of alleged Internet postings."