My Way News - Strong earthquake hits Greece; 2 dead
AP reports: "A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 struck southwestern Greece on Sunday, killing at least two people, injuring more than 100 and leveling dozens of homes, authorities said."

My Way News - Israelis, Palestinians to start writing peace pact

AP reports: "Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to start drafting sections of a proposed peace accord that address the main issues of their conflict, the chief Palestinian negotiator said."

My Way News - India, China jostle for influence in Indian Ocean
AP reports: "For decades the world relied on the powerful U.S. Navy to protect this vital sea lane. But as India and China gain economic heft, they are moving to expand their control of the waterway, sparking a new - and potentially dangerous - rivalry between Asia's emerging giants."

My Way News - Bird flu detected in Hong Kong market
AP reports: "Occasional H5N1 infections in wild birds are common in Hong Kong but the territory has not suffered a major outbreak of the disease since the virus killed six people in 1997. [...] At least 241 people have died of bird flu worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organization."

My Way News - Israeli minister: Israel prepared to attack Iran
AP reports: "Israel will attack Iran if it doesn't abandon its nuclear program, a Cabinet minister hoping to replace embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was quoted Friday as saying."

My Way News - Muslim scholars back call for interfaith dialogue
AP reports: "Religious practice is so restricted in Saudi Arabia that even certain Muslim sects, such as Sufis and Shiites, face discrimination, while conversion by a Muslim to another religion is punishable by death."

My Way News - Israel retaliates for Hamas shelling, kills 1
AP reports: "Israel sent aircraft, tanks and ground troops to pummel the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing one Palestinian and injuring 17, a day after Palestinian militants killed an Israeli civilian in a mortar attack."

My Way News - Leaders of ex-Soviet alliance meet
AP reports: "Russia's new president met Friday with leaders of a fractious alliance of ex-Soviet republics, warning Ukraine and Georgia not to lead their countries into NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said."

My Way News - All Zimbabwe opposition rallies banned
AP reports: "Just three weeks before Zimbabwe's presidential runoff, Robert Mugabe is giving the opposition little room to campaign - detaining its candidate, banning rallies and attacking diplomats who try to investigate political violence."

My Way News - Oil's biggest day yet drags down stocks
AP reports: "Oil prices made their biggest single-day leap ever Friday, dragging the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 400 points and raising the once-unthinkable prospect of $150 oil and more record gas prices by the Fourth of July."

My Way News - Gartner: Smart phone sales double in North America
AP reports: "Sales of 'smart' phones doubled in North America in the first quarter, outstripping the category's growth in the rest of the world, according to a report by research firm Gartner."

My Way News - Study: $45 trillion needed to combat warming
AP reports: "Scientists say temperature increases beyond that could trigger devastating effects, such as widespread loss of species, famines and droughts, and swamping of heavily populated coastal areas by rising oceans."

SpaceWar - Commentary: Rainbow -- or Guns of August?
UPI reports: "This week the diminutive Iranian president left no room for ambiguity. He predicted Muslims would uproot 'satanic powers' and that Israel would soon disappear."

Comment: This commentary from UPI offers some insight into the confusing situation in Iranian domestic politics and how that is playing in the wider region.

SpaceWar - Analysis: Armament makes world insecure
UPI reports: "A group of German security and peace researchers warns that current armament tendencies may pose greater threats to the world than the Cold War did."

My Way News - Turkey, Iran launch coordinated attacks on Kurds
AP reports: "Turkey and Iran have been carrying out coordinated strikes on Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq, a top Turkish general said Thursday in the first military confirmation of Iranian-Turkish cooperation in the fight against separatists there."

Comment: This is an ominous development, it means that operational links are being established between the Turkish and the Iranian military and intelligence services, links that in the future may be used to turn Turkey away from the West and towards the Russian - Iranian alliance against Israel. Let's keep a close eye on this.

My Way News - Olmert: Israel moving toward using force in Gaza
AP reports: "Israel is inching toward using military force against Hamas in the Gaza Strip because Egyptian cease-fire efforts there are not 'ripening,' Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday."

My Way News - Leaders at UN summit pledge to ease food crisis
AP reports: "World leaders at a U.N. summit pledged Thursday to reduce trade barriers and boost agricultural production to combat a food crisis that is spreading hunger and violent unrest across the world."

My Way News - Russia warns NATO expansion will sour relations
AP reports: "Russia's president showed muscle on Thursday in his first major foreign policy speech since taking office a month ago, warning that a further NATO expansion eastward would ruin Russia's relations with the West."

My Way News - S. African health minister: HIV rates declining
AP reports: "South Africa's health minister said Thursday that HIV infection rates among pregnant women declined for the second straight year and claimed it was proof of the success of government policies."

My Way News - Indonesia hushes up bird flu deaths
AP reports: "A 15-year-old girl died of bird flu last month, becoming Indonesia's 109th victim, but the government decided to keep the news quiet. It is part of a new policy aimed at improving the image of the nation hardest hit by the disease."

My Way News - Video shows bystanders ignoring hit-and-run victim
AP reports: "A 78-year-old man is tossed like a rag doll by a hit-and-run driver and lies motionless on a busy city street as car after car goes by. Pedestrians gawk but appear to do nothing. One driver stops briefly but then pulls back into traffic. A man on a scooter slowly circles the victim before zipping away."

TheStar.com - Blair unfazed by Mideast peace obstacles

The Toronto Star reports: "As special envoy of the Quartet – the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia – his job in the Middle East is not to negotiate (despite his known skills, demonstrated in taming the IRA). Rather, it is to prepare the ground for peace – upgrading the capability of the Palestinian Authority on security for Israel, convincing Israel to ease its iron grip on the Palestinians, and improving their economic and social conditions."

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My Way News - Al-Qaida's No.2 urges holy war over Gaza Strip
AP reports: "Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader called on Muslims to launch a holy war to break Israel's economic blockade of the Gaza Strip, in an audio recording posted Wednesday on an Islamic militant Internet site."

My Way News - Al-Qaida claims it attacked Denmark's embassy in Pakistan
AP reports: "A Web posting late Wednesday purportedly by al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the suicide attack against Denmark's embassy in Pakistan that left six people dead."

My Way News - US, EU criticize Iran's defiance on nuclear work
AP reports: "The United States urged Iran to abandon the pursuit of nuclear arms forever, saying Wednesday that the International Atomic Energy Agency had overwhelming evidence of an Iranian weapons program."

My Way News - Saudi king opens conference on interfaith dialogue
AP reports: "Saudi Arabia has presented its dialogue proposal as a strictly religious initiative - an opportunity to ease tensions within Islam and between it and Christianity and Judaism. [...] though it is not clear if Israeli Jewish leaders will be invited to take part."

My Way News - UN food crisis summit delegates work on compromise
AP reports: "The proposed final declaration would call for stepped-up food production, reduced trade restrictions and more research on the contentious issue of biofuels."

My Way News - 2 bombings near Algerian capital wound 6 people
AP reports: "On Thursday and Friday, top diplomats are expected in Algiers to discuss the idea of a Mediterranean Union to bridge Europe and North Africa. Foreign ministers from France, Algeria, Egypt, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey are expected."

My Way News - Aid group: Somalia in worst crisis in 10 years
AP reports: "Somalia is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in a decade, and the situation is deteriorating, an international aid agency said Wednesday."

My Way News - Outcry after French court rules on virginity
AP reports: "The ruling ending the Muslim couple's union has stunned France and raised concerns the country's much-cherished secular values are losing ground to cultural traditions from its fast-growing immigrant communities."

My Way News - Palestinian leader urges new dialogue with Hamas
AP reports: "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Wednesday for new dialogue with Hamas, in what appeared to be an about-face after insisting for a year that he would not talk with the Islamic militant movement unless it first gave up control of Gaza."

My Way News - SoftBank to sell iPhone in Japan this year
AP reports: "Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank Corp. said Wednesday it has a deal with Apple Inc. to start selling the iPhone later this year - the first such agreement in Japan for the hit cell phone. [...] Japan boasts some of the world's most sophisticated cell phones, which can be used for watching digital TV broadcasts, taking digital photos, doing restaurant searches, e-mail, electronic payments, reading digital novels and music downloads."

My Way News - Study secretly tracks cell phone users outside US
AP reports: "Researchers secretly tracked the locations of 100,000 people outside the United States through their cell phone use and concluded that most people rarely stray more than a few miles from home."

My Way News - Report: Assad says talks with Israel need US sponsor
AP reports: "Syria's president said he was willing to hold direct peace talks with Israel in the future under U.S. sponsorship, laying out his vision of how negotiations could progress. [...] The nations have fought three wars, their forces have clashed in Lebanon, and more recently, Syria has given support to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and Palestinian militant groups."

My Way News - US general takes over NATO command in Afghanistan
AP reports: "The U.S. general who led American troops into Iraq took command Tuesday of the 40-nation NATO-led campaign in Afghanistan."

My Way News - Diplomats: 3 suspect Syrian nuke sites off limits
AP reports: "The U.N. agency is also interested in following up on information that Syria may have three other undeclared atomic facilities. Diplomats and a nuclear expert told the AP on Monday that at least one of the sites may have equipment that can reprocess nuclear material into the fissile core of warheads."

My Way News - Boy wrote of desire to kill many at Indiana school
AP reports: "A teenager accused of plotting a school attack wrote that he wanted 'instant recognition' for shooting a record number of victims and that he wouldn't feel sorry about it, according to documents unsealed Tuesday."

My Way News - Food aid saves millions but world hunger lingers
AP reports: "World leaders convening in Rome on Tuesday to grapple with skyrocketing food prices will have to make progress on this problem if they want to eradicate chronic hunger, say U.N. experts, nonprofit aid groups and economists."

My Way News - 6 die in bomb outside Danish Embassy in Pakistan
AP reports: "A car bomb exploded outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad on Monday, killing six people and wounding dozens weeks after al-Qaida issued threats against Denmark over the reprinting of a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad."

My Way News - Malaysian women urged to carry condoms
AP reports: "Malaysia's deputy health minister urged every woman in the country to carry a condom to protect against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, a news report said Sunday."

The Vancouver Courier - The watcher
The Vancouver Courier reports: "Interest in UFOs began in earnest in the 1950s and peaked in the 1990s when it dominated pop culture with television shows such as The X-Files, but has eroded over the past two decades."

My Way News - Africa, Japan pledge to tackle food crisis
AP reports: "African leaders, Japan and development organizations agreed Friday that there is an urgent need to boost agricultural productivity in Africa and pledged to tackle the widespread impact of soaring food prices."

My Way News - Britain looked to Israel when studying military deception
AP reports: "After Egypt blocked the strategic Straits of Tiran and expelled U.N. forces from the Sinai Desert, Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on June 5, 1967, against Egyptian and Syrian air forces, destroying them on the ground. In six days of one-sided battles, Israeli forces captured the West Bank, Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and Sinai from Jordan, Syria and Egypt."

Comment: I thought this was an interesting article, but the part I noted was posted because I like to see the historical facts in black and white. It's so easy to buy into the political spin that Israel has been "occupying" Palestinian territory and really should just give it back. Israel won territory in a war, and historically the rule is, if you win it, it's yours, you don't have to give it back. Of course, this standard is held not to apply, because it's Israel, and the rules never seem to be applied fairly to Israel. Also note the specific countries that lost territory, and then consider to whom Israel has been asked to give territory back to. Instead of giving Gaza back to Egypt they gave it to the Palestinians - look how well that worked out. I think a good strategy for Israel to pursue would be to abide by a strictly legalistic approach: give the territory it won back to the country that lost it, and then leave it up to that country to decide if they want to give it to the Palestinians, who really have no legal, diplomatic, or historic standing in this.

My Way News - Brazil's top court approves stem cell research
AP reports: "Brazil's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that scientists can conduct embryonic stem cell research, which holds the promise of curing Parkinson's disease and diabetes but raises ethical concerns about the limits on human life."

My Way News - Nurse charged with injecting patients with bleach
AP reports: "A former nurse accused of intentionally injecting bleach into two patients at a dialysis center was arrested Friday, police said."

My Way News - World Bank warns tidal flood may hit Jakarta

AP reports: "The World Bank warned Thursday that an exceptionally high tide could inundate the Indonesian capital next week, forcing thousands of people to flee homes and cutting off the highway to the international airport. [...] Rising sea waters especially pose a threat to coastal cities like Jakarta, which has sunk at least 7 feet in the last three decades because of excessive ground water extraction, said Hahm."

My Way News - US: Report increases Iran concerns
AP reports: "An IAEA report Monday said Iran may be withholding information needed to establish whether it tried to make nuclear arms."

My Way News - Report: World food prices will remain high
AP reports: "The report is based on a forecast of the cereals, oilseeds, sugar, meats, milk and dairy products markets for the period 2008 to 2017. It reflects agriculture and trade policies in place in early 2008 and includes an assessment of the biofuels markets for bioethanol and biodiesel."

My Way News - Tajikistan faces severe food shortages
AP reports: "The crisis comes as skyrocketing food prices, famine in Africa, and the urgent aid needs of cyclone-hit Myanmar put pressure on humanitarian efforts to alleviate hunger around the world."

My Way News - World Bank, UN ask for more food aid for Africa
AP reports: "High oil prices, surging demand, flawed trade policies, extreme weather, growth in biofuel production and speculation have inflated food prices worldwide, trigging protests from Africa to Asia and raising fears of widespread malnutrition and economic instability."

My Way News - 10 states act to stop teacher sex abuse
AP reports: "Ten states have taken action in recent months to crack down on sexually abusive teachers following a stream of arrests and reports that have documented the problem of educators victimizing students."

My Way News - Iceland shaken by magnitude 6.1 earthquake

AP reports: "A strong earthquake shook southern Iceland on Thursday, causing more than a dozen injuries as it rocked buildings in the capital, touched off landslides and forced evacuations in outlying towns, officials and local media said. [...] The U.S. Geological Survey said Selfoss was near the epicenter of the magnitude 6.1 quake, which hit at 3:46 p.m."

My Way News - Gut superbug causing more illnesses, deaths
AP reports: "The number of people hospitalized with a dangerous intestinal superbug has been growing by more than 10,000 cases a year, according to a new study."

My Way News - US makes progress in Iraq's `triangle of death'
AP reports: "The U.S. military says violence across Iraq has reached its lowest level in more than four years after successes this year in breaking al-Qaida's and other Sunni insurgents' hold in western Iraq and - more recently - government crackdowns in the southern city of Basra and northern city of Mosul."

My Way News - Germans ponder string of infant killings
AP reports: "Babies stashed in freezers. A tiny skeleton found in a fish tank. Infants suffocated in plastic bags. Germans are reeling over a recent string of cases involving mothers accused or convicted of killing their babies"

My Way News - Cyclone survivors victimized by Myanmar soldiers
AP reports: "Three weeks after the storm, survivors say they are being victimized again, by a military regime that has forced some to return to flooded, collapsed homes and others to labor on reconstruction projects."

My Way News - Thousands seeking refuge near Cape of Good Hope
AP reports: "Nearly 19,000 people are in shelters after fleeing Cape Town over the weekend as the violence spread from Johannesburg to the so-called Mother City, which prides itself on tolerance and is the jewel in South Africa's tourist crown."

My Way News - EU targets move to longer Internet addresses
AP reports: "The EU's internet commissioner said more addresses were needed if Europeans were to use Internet-enabled devices such as smart tags in shops, factories and airports or intelligent heating and lighting systems in their homes. The addresses include long series of numbers to identify a Web connection."

My Way News - 7 scientists share $1 million prizes for research
AP reports: "Three prizes worth $1 million apiece were awarded Wednesday to seven scientists for their discoveries in neuroscience, astrophysics and the study of vanishingly small structures."

My Way News - Scientists warn of rising Pacific Coast acidity
AP reports: "The increasingly corrosive water threatens the survival of many organisms, from microscopic plants and animals at the base of the food chain to shellfish, corals and the young of some marine species, the researchers told a congressional field hearing Tuesday at the Seattle Aquarium."

My Way News - Iranian aid seen growing among militants on Israel's flanks

AP reports: "Rockets and weapons bearing signs of Iranian paint, lettering and serial numbers are making their way into the Gaza Strip and Lebanon - helping Tehran cement its powerful role within militant movements on Israel's northern and southern flanks, senior Israeli security officials say."

My Way News - US on track to break record for tornadoes
AP reports: "With the year not even half done, 2008 is already the deadliest tornado year in the United States since 1998 and seems on track to break the U.S. record for the number of twisters in a year, according to the National Weather Service. Also, this year's storms seem to be unusually powerful."

My Way News - Iowa tornado rated state's strongest in 32 years
AP reports: "A tornado that leveled half a town in northeast Iowa and killed seven people was the strongest to hit the state in 32 years, the National Weather Service said Tuesday."

My Way News - Dutch scientists claim sequencing of female DNA
AP reports: "Dutch scientists claim they have completed the first sequencing of an individual woman's DNA."

My Way News - European Union's new treaty approved in Germany

AP reports: "The treaty would alter the EU's decision-making process, envisioning more decisions by majority vote rather than unanimous endorsement. It would also provide for an EU president and a more powerful senior foreign policy official to give the bloc a stronger voice in global affairs."

My Way News - South America creates regional union
AP reports: "A new South American union was born Friday as leaders of the region's 12 nations set out to create a continental parliament. Some see the new organization, Unasur, as a regional version of the European Union."

My Way News - 5 Palestinian militants killed in strike
AP reports: "Clashes on Friday between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip left five militants dead, further undermining efforts to bring a brief truce to the violence-wracked area."

My Way News - China's Wen: Earthquake deaths rise above 60,000
AP reports: "China's earthquake death toll has passed 60,000 and could rise to 80,000 or more, Premier Wen Jiabao said Saturday as he and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the disaster area."

My Way News - Israelis express skepticism on Syria peace talks
AP reports: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's dramatic announcement that he is negotiating a peace deal with Syria was greeted Thursday with overwhelming skepticism in Israel."

My Way News - Israel minister to French counterpart: Shun Hamas
AP reports: "The Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, United Nations, Russia and the European Union - has demanded Hamas renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept previous peace accords as a condition for any talks. The militant group has refused."

My Way News - Palestinian suicide bomber attacks Gaza crossing
AP reports: "Although the bomber killed only himself, the magnitude of the explosion - which shook buildings for miles - raised fears that Palestinians are adopting tactics used by al-Qaida, Hezbollah and other extremist groups."

My Way News - Facts about China's May 12 earthquake
AP reports: "Latest facts about the May 12 earthquake that struck China's Sichuan province, the country's worst in 30 years."

My Way News - Russia's Medvedev travels to China for talks
AP reports: "In recent years, China and Russia have made highly symbolic political overtures to one another, holding joint military maneuvers and engaging in high-level talks on creating a 'multi-polar world.' They have taken a coordinated stance on several global issues, sharing opposition to Kosovo's independence and U.S. missile defense plans, and taking a similar approach to the Iran nuclear issue."

My Way News - Tornadoes rip through Colorado, Kansas; 1 killed
AP reports: "A large tornado skipped through several northern Colorado towns on Thursday, destroying dozens of homes, flipping tractor-trailers and freight rail cars, and killing at least one person."

My Way News - Bangladesh reports 1st human case of H5N1 bird flu
AP reports: "Bangladesh's Health Ministry says the nation's first human case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected."

My Way News - Common virus blamed for 5 infant deaths, CDC says
AP reports: "A common virus traditionally viewed as mild killed at least five U.S. infants last year, government health officials said Thursday. [...] The virus comes from a family of infections causing a deadly outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in children in China."

My Way News - Israel engages in indirect peace talks with Syria
AP reports: "Israel and Syria unexpectedly announced Wednesday the resumption of peace talks after an eight-year break, saying they have been speaking indirectly through Turkish mediators 'in order to achieve the goal of comprehensive peace.'"

My Way News - Deal in Lebanon a win for Hezbollah
AP reports: "Hezbollah secured veto power over Lebanon's Western-backed government on Wednesday, leaving the militant group virtually free to build up its weapons, including rockets aimed at Israel."

My Way News - China estimates 4,000 children orphaned in quake
AP reports: "Last week's deadly earthquake in China has created more than 4,000 orphans, a Chinese official said."

My Way News - Company offers to clone dogs for 5 highest bidders
AP reports: "A Northern California biotech company announced Wednesday that it will clone dogs for the five highest bidders in a series of online auctions. Some ethicists condemned the offer, fearing it could lead to human clones."

My Way News - Calif. quake scientists detail impact of 'Big One'
AP reports: "A team of about 300 scientists, governments, first responders and industries worked for more than a year to create a realistic crisis scenario that can be used for preparedness, including a statewide drill planned later this year. Published by the U.S. Geological Survey and California Geological Survey, it is to be released Thursday in Washington, D.C."

My Way News - Scientists witness start of star's explosive death
AP reports: "In a stroke of cosmic luck, astronomers for the first time witnessed the start of one of the universe's most fiery events: the end of a star's life as it exploded into a supernova."

Pilots run out of fuel, pray, land near Jesus sign - Yahoo! News
AP reports: "'My friend and I are both Christians so our immediate reaction in a life-threatening situation was to ask for God's help,' Stubbs told The Associated Press on Wednesday."

Times Online - ‘Big Brother’ database for phones and e-mails
The Times Online reports: "A massive government database holding details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public is being planned as part of the fight against crime and terrorism. Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies would hand over the records to the Home Office under plans put forward by officials."

Comment: The UK is inching closer to a total surveillance society. They already have public security cameras that pretty much guarantee that all public - street level - activities are recorded, now personal communication will be timestamped. They are not recording actual content (phone conversations)...yet. What does this have to do with the MOTB? We are moving toward a society in which one can't engage in the normal commerce of life without being monitored and validated by the system.

CNN - Food costs strain efforts to save starving Ethiopian children

CNN reports: "UNICEF estimates that 6 million Ethiopian children under the age of 5 are at risk and that more than 120,000 have only about a month to live. The World Food Program supplies the emergency food for UNICEF, but rising food prices mean it could not guarantee aid for all the areas in need."

Discovery News - Shroud of Turin's Authenticity Probed Anew
Discovery News reports: "The Shroud of Turin, the 14- by 4-foot linen believed by some to have been wrapped around Jesus after the crucifixion, might not be a fake after all, according to new research."

U.S. cites growing China space and cyber threat - Reuters
Reuters reports: "The U.S. military painted China on Tuesday as posing a growing threat to the United States and others in space and cyberspace."

My Way News - Report: Iran's nuclear program feeding proliferation
AP reports: "Iran's disputed nuclear program has sent a wave of interest in atomic energy across the Middle East, a think tank said Tuesday, warning that it risked setting the scene for a regional nuclear arms race."

Space War - A Kinetic Response To Managing The Stans
UPI reports: "Pakistani officials made clear to their U.S. counterparts they have no interest in stopping cross-border attacks. Predictably, a surge of Taliban attacks against allied forces followed days later. Violent incidents in the Afghan east were up 50 percent over the same period last year."

Flu bugs growing resistance to drugs, studies find - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Seasonal flu viruses are developing the ability to evade influenza drugs globally, but how and why this is happening is not clear, experts told a conference on Monday."

My Way News - Palestinians cool to embrace from al-Qaida leader
AP reports: "In Sunday's recording, bin Laden mentioned the blockade of Gaza, which was imposed by Israel and Egypt last June after Hamas fighters seized control of the coastal strip. Israel has tightened sanctions in recent months trying to pressure Gazans to halt daily rocket fire at Israeli towns, causing widespread shortages of fuel and basic goods in Gaza."

My Way News - France confirms informal talks to Hamas
AP reports: "Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States. Fatah had dominated Palestinian politics for decades, but was trounced by Hamas in 2006 parliamentary elections. In June 2007, the militant Islamic group took Gaza by force, triggering a crisis among Palestinians."

My Way News - Warning of major aftershock sparks panic in China
AP reports: "A government warning of a major aftershock sent thousands of panicked survivors running into the darkened streets Monday night following an unprecedented display of mourning for more than 34,000 people killed in a powerful earthquake one week ago."

How To Help China Earthquake Victims
Are you interested in helping the victims of the massive China earthquake? Network For Good has put together this directory of organizations that are rushing emergency aid to the region. These are all reputable aid organizations that have already been vetted so you should have no fear of donating to these groups.

My Way News - Bush: Mideast must push back against Iran, Syria
AP reports: "His emphasis on Iran reflects Bush's desire to counter Tehran's quest for greater influence in the region. New urgency was added to that task by recent turmoil in Lebanon that the U.S. and many Sunni Arab countries believe has been fomented by Shiite-dominated Iran, as well as Syria."

My Way News - Israeli, Egyptian leaders to seek Gaza cease-fire
AP reports: "Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday to discuss efforts to work out a cease-fire between the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip and Israel, officials said."

My Way News - Thousands flee China quake area over flood fears
AP reports: "Two rivers blocked by landslides threatened to flood towns shattered by China's massive earthquake, sending thousands of survivors fleeing Saturday in a region still staggering from the country's worst disaster in 30 years."

My Way News - High-level Lebanese talks in Qatar
AP reports: "Lebanon's ruling coalition demanded Saturday that talks to end the country's 18-month-old political crisis tackle the issue of Hezbollah's weapons, a demand the militant group rejected. Hezbollah insisted the group's arsenal remain untouched, saying it was necessary for fighting Israel..."

My Way News - Christians fearful after bomb at Gaza school
AP reports: "The explosion, the most recent in a series of attacks against Christians in overwhelmingly Muslim Gaza, was heard in surrounding neighborhoods about 4 a.m. Damage was visible at the entrance to the Zahwa Rosary School, which is run by Catholic nuns but serves predominantly Muslim students."