My Way News - Quake in Aegean Sea shakes Turkey and Greece
My Way News reports: "An earthquake centered beneath the Aegean Sea shook cities and islands in Turkey and Greece on Tuesday, causing panic in some areas but no injuries or damage, officials said. The Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, occurred at 4:16 p.m. (1416 GMT) off the coast from Turkey's northwestern Canakkale province. The earthquake was felt in the Turkish cities of Istanbul and Izmir, and their environs, officials said."

My Way News - Milder temperatures ease Australian wildfire fears
My Way News reports: "Temperatures cooled from record highs across much of southern Australia on Wednesday, reducing the danger from scores of wildfires that have blazed for days. Australia recorded its hottest day on record on Monday with a nationwide average of 40.33 degrees Celsius (104.59 degrees Fahrenheit), narrowly breaking a 1972 record of 40.17C (104.31F)."

CNN Money - Nations prepare for cyber war
CNN Money reports: "Security analysts are predicting that 2013 is when nation-sponsored cyberwarfare goes mainstream -- and some think such attacks will lead to actual deaths."

My Way News - Israeli premier: frontier fence with Syria needed:
My Way News reports: "Israel's premier pledged Sunday to build a fortified fence along the frontier with Syria, warning that radical Islamist forces have taken over the area. [...] Israel worries that Syrian President Bashar Assad might try to draw Israel into the fighting as a distraction if his situation becomes desperate. An even greater concern is a scenario in which Assad is toppled, Islamic extremists take his place and gain control of Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons."

My Way News - Egypt's pope urges Copts to 'not be afraid'
My Way News reports: "Even before the rise of Islamists to power, the Christian minority had long complained of discrimination by the state and the Muslim majority. But over the two years since Egypt's uprising against authoritarian rule, the community has grown more concerned about its future as Islamist political forces, long repressed under the previous autocratic regime, grew more assertive."

My Way News - Hagel nomination unnerves some in Israel
My Way News reports: "Hagel's positions on Israel's two most pressing foreign policy issues - Iran's nuclear program and relations with the Palestinians - appear to be at odds with the Israeli government, and critics here fear the appointment could increase pressure on the Jewish state to make unwanted concessions."

My Way News - Strong earthquake shakes parts of Alaska, Canada
My Way News reports: "A powerful earthquake sparked a tsunami warning for hundreds of miles of Alaskan and Canadian coastline, but the alert was canceled when no damaging waves were generated. The magnitude 7.5 quake and tsunami warning that followed caused concern in some coastal communities, with alarms sounding and people rushing to higher ground for safety."

My Way News - Iran says it will restart nuclear talks
My Way News reports: "Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Friday his country has agreed in principle to resume international talks on its nuclear program later this month, although a place and date for the negotiations have not been finalized. Iran has been hit by punitive sanctions imposed by Western countries concerned that Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes."

My Way News - India gang-rape victim's friend recounts attack
My Way News reports: "The suffering of a university student and her male friend who were brutally attacked aboard a bus in India's capital did not end after the woman was gang-raped and both were savagely beaten for 2 1/2 hours. Dumped naked on a roadside, the pair encountered shocking apathy as passersby offered only cursory looks and police debated jurisdiction for 30 minutes before taking them to a hospital, where the man received no treatment as he sat without clothes on the floor for hours, the friend recounted in a television interview."

My Way News - Brotherhood official urges Egypt's Jews to return:
My Way News reports: "Some denounced the Brotherhood for trying to put up a veneer of tolerance by inviting Jews to return while Egypt's other religious minorities, particularly Christians, are increasingly worried about persecution under the new Islamist rulers and an Islamist-slanted constitution."

My Way News - India launches new system for handling welfare
My Way News reports: "India will send billions of dollars in social welfare money directly to its poor under a new program inaugurated Tuesday, aiming to cut out the middlemen blamed for the massive fraud that plagues the system [...] The program will eliminate middlemen and transfer cash directly into bank accounts using data from Aadhar, a government project working to give every Indian identification numbers linked to fingerprints and retina scans. Currently hundreds of millions of Indians have no identity documents."

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."