"He who sits in the heavens shall laugh . . ." (Psalm 2:4)
1. Slovakian Police: Seized Uranium Rich Enough To Make Dirty Bomb- Fox News
Two Hungarians and a Ukrainian arrested in an attempted sale of uranium were peddling material believed to be from the former Soviet Union, and it was enriched enough to be used in a radiological "dirty bomb," police said Thursday.
· Thank you Lord that this arrest prevented a huge tragedy. We continue to ask that You will prevent any nuclear attacks or disasters of any kind throughout the globe.
· "I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him I will trust." (Psalm 91:2)
2. 6,000 Sunnis Join Pact With U.S. In Iraq- NewsMax
Nearly 6,000 Sunni Arab residents joined a security pact with American forces Wednesday in what U.S. officers described as a critical step in plugging the remaining escape routes for extremists flushed from former strongholds.
· Thank you, Father, for creating a working relationship with the Sunni people in Iraq. We pray that it will grow and strengthen in the days ahead.
· "When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Proverbs 16:7)
3. Report: World Headed For Cyber Cold War- Washington Times
Government and military computer systems in the West are coming under sustained attack from China and other countries, a major new study warns. Internet Security company McAfee's closely-read annual Virtual Criminology Report, which draws on interviews with senior staff at organizations including Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency, NATO and the FBI, says that the world has entered a "cyber cold war" in which Web-based espionage poses the biggest threat to national security.
· Father we thank You that our security forces are aware of this problem, but we pray that You will intervene to prevent China or any other nation from breaching major security systems.
· "No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling." (Psalm 91:10a)
4. Oil Prices Jump After Pipeline Explosion- Fox News
Oil prices were up around US$2 a barrel on Thursday, but moving lower after news that two of the four pipelines carrying crude oil from Canada to the U.S. Midwest were back online after being shut down due to an explosion and fire.
· Father once again, we pray for your mercy over our fragile economy and the dangerous dependence upon the oil industry. Your people, O Lord, call upon Your Name to protect the nation at this time of volatile economic problems, from oil prices to credit problems.
· ". . .Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread." (Psalm 37:25)
5. Pat Robertson Endorsement Sparks Backlash - NewsMax
When the Rev. Pat Robertson endorsed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the presidency, he created a schism among evangelical Republicans - one that may cost the GOP the White House next year.
· Lord we stand fast in the hope that You will unite Your people to vote according to Your heart in the Presidential Election. We bind the words that have spoken our doom, and we release Your Holy Spirit to draw us together.
· ". . . endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3)
6. Massachusetts Spanking Ban Would Criminalize Good Parents - Worthy News
House Bill 3922 states "it shall be unlawful" for a parent to provide corporal punishment to their own children. Taking direct aim at good parents who occasionally spank to correct rebellion, the bill specifically bans "the willful infliction of physical pain," even temporary pain to a child's buttocks.
· Father we pray Your covering of protection over good parents in Massachusetts. May this bill be defeated, and may all other states be protected against proliferation of this idea.
· "He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor."( Psalm 72:4)
7. CNN Host Allows Clinton Backer To Question GOP Candidates in YouTube Debate- Fox News
A CNN host acknowledged the participation of a retired Army colonel linked to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in a televised Republican debate Wednesday.
· Lord, we ask that You will move on the parties in this campaign to stop planting people whose purpose is to deliberately trip up the candidates. Lord, we ask for You to break off the envy, jealousy, and evil self-seeking evident in the current political arena.
· "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there." (James 3:16)
| The Middle East in Focus | |
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The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." (Ps 33:10-11)
1. Ahmadinejad Says Israel Doomed To 'Collapse' - NY Sun
President Ahmadinejad of Iran said today the American-hosted Middle East peace conference was a "failure" and that Israel is doomed to "collapse." He also suggested it was a mistake for his closest Arab ally, Syria, to participate.
2. Joint statement: US to judge disputes, no "Jewish State", treaty in 2008 - Israel Insider
As Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and West Bank leader Mahmoud Abbas meeting with US President George Bush, Channel Two Mideast expert Ehud Yaari reports that one of the few points of agreements that the two sides have reached is that the US will become the judge of all outstanding disputes, effectively putting the Americans in the position to dictate a solution to the Israelis and the Palestinians.
3. IDF air strikes in the Gaza Strip kill four Hamas operatives - Jerusalem Post
Two IAF air strikes killed four Hamas men overnight near the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis, Palestinian security officials said early Thursday morning.
4. Palestinian violence brings Bush a reality check - London Times
President Bush's hopes for Middle East peace were given a sobering reality check yesterday, with violent protests in the West Bank and Gaza and apparently intractable opposition from hardliners against his efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks.
5. Olmert: Two-state solution, or Israel is finished - Ha'aretz
"If the day comes when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights (also for the Palestinians in the territories), then, as soon as that happens, the State of Israel is finished," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Haaretz Wednesday, the day the Annapolis conference ended in an agreement to try to reach a Mideast peace settlement by the end of 2008.
6. Nehemiah's wall uncovered - Jerusalem Post
The remnants of a wall from the time of the prophet Nehemiah have been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's ancient City of David, strengthening recent claims that King David's palace has been found at the site, an Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.
