UPI - Yemen faces famine, aid agencies say
UPI.com reports: "The agencies -- CARE, International Medical Corps, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Mercy Corps, Oxfam and Save the Children -- warned at an aid conference in Yemen 44 percent of Yemen's population is at risk of famine with a third of children in some parts of the country severely malnourished."

My Way News - Euro structure is 'unsustainable,' ECB chief warns
My Way News reports: "The head of the European Central Bank warned Thursday that the euro currency union is 'unsustainable' without stronger political and financial ties, and called for a new course to save it from a crippling debt crisis [...] in just over two weeks Greece returns to the polls with the real possibility that it might elect a government that rejects the terms of its multibillion-dollar bailout. This could force the country out of the euro, irreparably fracturing the eurozone and further roiling markets."

My Way News - Warming gas levels hit 'troubling milestone'
My Way News reports: "Monitoring stations across the Arctic this spring are measuring more than 400 parts per million of the heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere. The number isn't quite a surprise, because it's been rising at an accelerating pace. Years ago, it passed the 350 ppm mark that many scientists say is the highest safe level for carbon dioxide. It now stands globally at 395. So far, only the Arctic has reached that 400 level, but the rest of the world will follow soon."

My Way News - 13 corpses found in Syria amid massacre fallout
My Way News reports: "Thirteen bound corpses, many apparently shot execution-style, have been discovered in eastern Syria, U.N. observers said Wednesday, days after the massacre of more than 100 people provoked international outrage and the coordinated expulsion of Syrian diplomats from world capitals."

My Way News - Western nations expel Syrian envoys over massacre
My Way News reports: "Cranking up the pressure on Assad, the Obama administration gave Syria's most senior envoy in Washington, the charge d'affaires at the Syrian Embassy, 72 hours to leave the United States. Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria also expelled Syrian diplomats."

My Way News - Iran, other Mideast states hit by computer virus
My Way News reports: "Iran and other Middle East countries have been hit with a cunning computer virus that can eavesdrop on computer users and their co-workers and filch information from nearby cellphones, cybersecurity experts said Tuesday. And suspicion immediately fell on Israel as the culprit."

My Way News - Israeli premier: World powers too soft on Iran
My Way News reports: "World powers are being too soft over Iran's nuclear program by only asking an end to low grade enrichment, Israel's prime minister said Tuesday, charging that Tehran is proceeding to develop atomic weapons."

VOA - Powerful Earthquake in Italy Kills 15
The Voice of America reports:  "A powerful earthquake in northern Italy has left at least 16 people dead, striking after another deadly quake in the same region earlier this month. Officials say 350 other were injured in the 5.8-magnitude quake Tuesday with the epicenter in the Emilia-Romagna region between the cities of Modena and Ferrara.The tremblor was felt across much of central and northern Italy, including the major city of Milan. Several strong aftershocks later hit the region."

My Way News - Egypt results point to deeply divisive runoff race
My Way News reports: "The Muslim Brotherhood's candidate and a veteran of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's autocratic regime will face each other in a runoff election for Egypt's president, according to first-round results Friday. The divisive showdown dismayed many Egyptians who fear either one means an end to any democratic gains produced by last year's uprising."

My Way News - Israeli archaeologists find rare ancient jewelry
My Way News reports: "Israeli archaeologists have discovered a rare trove of 3,000-year-old jewelry, including a ring and earrings, hidden in a ceramic jug near the ancient city of Megiddo, where the New Testament predicts the final battle of Armageddon [...] Megiddo was an important trade center in ancient times. According to the New Testament, Megiddo will be the site of the final apocalyptic battle between good and evil. "

My Way News - Israel steps up security ties with China
My Way News reports: "With Israel offering much-needed technical expertise and China representing a huge new market and influential voice in the international debate over Iran's nuclear program, the two nations have stepped up military cooperation as they patch up a rift caused by a pair of failed arms deals scuttled by the U.S."

Comment: China has many ties to the Middle East, some are trade ties, some are military ties, and as this report suggests, those ties are getting stronger.

CNN - Russia test-fires missile amid tensions over NATO defense shield announcement
CNN reports: "Russia test-fired a ballistic missile Wednesday, a move that comes amid tensions about a recent NATO announcement that it placed an interim missile defense shield in Europe."

My Way News - Europe's leaders to tackle growth at summit
My Way News reports: "The leaders of the 27 countries that make up the European Union are to meet in Brussels Wednesday to try and find a way to keep the debt crisis in Europe from spiraling out of control and promote jobs and growth [...] The electoral turmoil in Greece threatens to pull apart the eurozone."

Comment: This could well be a pivotal time for the European Union, it could either break up into smaller units composed of states more economically similar or it could find a path out of the debt crisis and actually start to grow and expand again. Many Bible prophecy students see the EU as a potential fulfillment of Daniel's final world empire and the launching pad for the final world leader depicted in the Book of Revelation.

My Way News - Eager Egyptians hold landmark presidential vote
My Way News reports: "Many of the candidates have called for amendments to Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, which remains deeply unpopular. None is likely to dump it, but a victory by any of the Islamist or leftist candidates in the race could mean strained ties with Israel and a stronger stance in support of the Palestinians in the peace process."

Reuters - Iran's Ahmadinejad to visit as China slams new sanctions
Reuters reports: "Ahmadinejad will be attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting hosted by Beijing in June, China's Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping told reporters at a briefing. The SCO is a regional security forum that groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and which Iran is attending as an observer."

My Way News - UN nuclear chief seeks pact on wider Iran probes:
My Way News reports: "The head of the U.N. nuclear agency pushed Monday for a breakthrough pact with Iran to resume inspections into suspected secret atomic weapons work and possibly set in motion further dealmaking when envoys from Tehran and world powers gather later this week in Baghdad."

My Way News - G-8 leaders hope Greece remains in eurozone
My Way News reports: "President Barack Obama and other leaders of the Group of Eight industrial nations expressed hope Saturday that Greece will remain in the Eurozone, anxious to keep its economic troubles from spreading around the world [...] The Camp David gathering opened with a Friday evening discussion focused on global trouble spots Iran and Syria. Obama said the session also touched on North Korea's aggression and hopeful signs of democratic change in Myanmar."

My Way News - Iran, Syria among top for G-8 and NATO
My Way News reports: "President Barack Obama and leaders of other major industrial powers grappled Friday with options to solidify world resolve against development of an Iranian nuclear bomb and encourage a more forceful response to worsening violence in Syria [...] The G-8 is made up of the leaders of the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia [...] The European Union is represented but is not granted the power to act as host of the annual sessions or to serve as the rotating leader."

Comment: I'm posting this under the "Ten Kings" label and I should probably point out that even though this informal alliance is called the G8, it is now actually the G10. Why? Well, the EU is allowed to send two representatives, the president of the European Commission and the president of the European Council. So, together with the other eight, that's makes it an alliance of ten leaders (see the group photo from the AP posted here and also posted above without the caption). Bible prophecy says that in the future such an alliance will be very important in empowering a new world leader in the period of time called the Tribulation. I'm not suggesting the G8 is that group (as it appears to be declining in influence) but merely noting that there is already a group of ten world leaders who could fulfill the prophetic role.

My Way News - Beijing rejects US report on Chinese military
My Way News reports: "China on Saturday rejected an annual Pentagon report that said Beijing is aggressively modernizing its military forces. [...] This year's report, which was released Friday, describes an ambitious, fast-growing Chinese military program aimed at transforming the People's Liberation Army into a modern force. It says its main goals include preserving Communist Party rule and preparing for possible hostilities with Taiwan."

My Way News - US envoy to Israel: US ready to strike Iran
My Way News reports: "The U.S. has plans in place to attack Iran if necessary to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, Washington's envoy to Israel said, days ahead of a crucial round of nuclear talks with Tehran."

My Way News - 'Ring of Fire' eclipse visible from China to Texas
My Way News reports: "Sunrises and sunsets often dazzle, but they'll have a special ring to them in a few days for people in the western United States and eastern Asia: The moon will slide across the sun, blocking everything but a blazing halo of light [...] The solar spectacle is first seen in eastern Asia at dawn Monday, local time. Weather permitting, millions of early risers in southern China, northern Taiwan and southeast Japan will be able to catch the ring eclipse. Then it creeps across the Pacific with the western U.S. viewing the tail end."

My Way News - Turkey shows renewed interest in EU bid
My Way New reports: "On Thursday, Turkey and the EU are to open talks aimed at bringing Turkey's membership bid back on track, and the Turkish government announced this week that its Parliament will soon vote on a series of draft laws designed to help advance its bid."

Comment: This could be significant. There are many Bible prophecy teachers who believe that Turkey will become alienated from the EU and join an alliance of anti-Western states that eventually invade Israel.