06/30/07

* Hamas: Int'l force in Gaza Strip will be met with 'shells and rockets' The armed wing of Hamas rejected Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's call for the deployment of international troops in the Gaza Strip.

* Pope to revive 'anti-Semitic' Mass The Vatican is expected to publish this week a document authorizing the use of a controversial Latin Mass.

* Any Kennebunkport in a storm The menu has been decided, security and secret service agents are in town and small Russian flags are already on sale. Vladimir Putin is about to get what has become known as the Kennebunkport treatment.

* Sarkozy promises Abbas $20 million Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas appealed for an international force for Gaza so the divided Palestinians can hold new elections.

* U.S., allies to Iran: No new sanctions if enrichment stops The United States and fellow permanent U.N. Security Council members have told Iran they will hold off on new sanctions if it stops expanding its uranium enrichment.

* Syrian paper: Blair can't be peace envoy A state-run Syrian newspaper on Saturday lambasted Tony's Blair's appointment as a special Middle East envoy.

* EU 'faces backlash from Turkey' The European Union is risking an Islamic backlash in Turkey, according to the EU's enlargement commissioner, Olli Rehn.

* Haniyeh tours Arafat's house in Gaza The deposed Hamas PA prime minister toured the house of former Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat on Saturday.

* Car bombs come to London Police were last night hunting a suspected al-Qaida-inspired terrorist cell after the discovery of two "Iraqi style" car bombs.

* Gilad: Syria producing more missiles Syria is producing more missiles and preparing its army for possible armed conflict in other ways.

06/29/07

* Abbas urges immediate resumption of peace talks Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Israel Friday afternoon to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

* Lebanese troops fire on refugees Lebanese troops have fired at Palestinian civilians demanding to return to their homes at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.

* Israel sees hope in Iranian unrest Defense officials expressed satisfaction Thursday with reports emerging from Teheran claiming that Iranians had set fire to a dozen gas stations.

* Saudi king avoids meeting Abbas Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has snubbed the Palestinian president.

* Abbas determined to isolate Hamas The Palestinian Authority is determined to isolate Hamas in the aftermath of its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip.

* Mubarak: Olmert should 'forget about' talks with Saudi officials Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should "forget about" holding talks with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.

* Africa: Daily HIV/Aids Report First lady Laura Bush on Thursday in Lusaka, Zambia, began the third day of her four-nation tour of Africa by visiting an HIV/AIDS treatment center.

* PM: Full Kassam protection impossible Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that he had no intention of providing maximal protection to all residents of Gaza periphery communities.

* Police avert car bomb 'carnage' A car bomb planted in central London would have caused "carnage" if it had exploded.

* 'Space hotel' test craft launched An experimental spacecraft designed to test the viability of a hotel in space has been successfully sent into orbit.

06/28/07

* Bush creates Muslim envoy post Amid growing criticism that his administration hasn't focused enough on engagement in the Middle East, US President George W. Bush on Wednesday announced that he would appoint an envoy.

* Gaza gas talks with Israel, UK firm quietly ongoing At least one commercially-exploitable gas field, Gaza Marine, is located within a Palestinian maritime.

* Blair plans Middle East visit in July Tony Blair said in an interview published Thursday that he will begin his new job as special Middle East envoy immediately.

* Senior Russian diplomat says Russia to keep Hamas contacts Russia intends to keep up its contacts with Hamas, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

* Aliya from North America increasing The Aliyah Department of the Jewish Agency for Israel anticipates a five to 10 percent increase in aliya from North America by the end of 2007.

* Iraqi security forces 'not ready' At least 20 people have been killed in a car bombing at a Baghdad bus stop.

* Analysis: Keeping Hamas Away from the West Bank Wednesday's killing in Gaza indicates that even following the optimistic statements expressed in Sharm only two days ago, the transition to a new reality is still very far.

* Hamas critical of Blair envoy role Hamas has condemned the appointment of Tony Blair as Middle East envoy after stepping down as Britain’s prime minister.

* Blair will have limited role as Middle East envoy - Merkel German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that Tony Blair's mandate as the new Middle East envoy would be limited.

* Russia lays claim to the North Pole - and all its gas, oil, and diamonds Russian leader Vladimir Putin has made an astonishing bid to grab a vast chunk of the Arctic.

06/27/07

* Jordan, Saudi Arabia warn against Palestinian infighting Saudi Arabia and Jordan cautioned Wednesday that a bloody conflict between Hamas and Fatah could hamper the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

* Ahern confirms Middle East role for Blair Tony Blair has already accepted a job as a Middle East envoy.

* Poll: Most Palestinians favor Iran nukes Iran's potential acquisition of nuclear arms is favored by majorities in only Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Palestinian territories.

* Brown is UK's new prime minister Labour leader Gordon Brown is the UK's new prime minister after being asked to form a government by the Queen.

* Bolton: I'm 'very worried' for Israel Sanctions and diplomacy have failed and it may be too late for internal opposition to oust the Islamist regime.

* Turkish army backs Iraq incursion An armed incursion into northern Iraq is needed to crush Kurdish rebels based there.

* Saudi king arrives in Jordan on first visit in more than 25 years Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah arrived Wednesday in Jordan for talks on ways to restart Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking.

* Abbas orders fighters to disarm The Palestinian president has ordered all armed groups that are not part of government security forces, including those linked to his own Fatah movement, to disarm immediately.

* Analysis: Russia's aggressive energy policy is bad news for Israel Amid the looming Turkish failure to preserve the secular nature of its democracy, it seems like global diplomacy is becoming more dictated by increased demand for cheap and efficient energy.

* Doctors back plan to store medical info under your skin Doctors could soon be storing essential medical information under the skin of their patients, the American Medical Association says.

06/26/07

* Mid-East group debates Blair role The Quartet of Middle East mediators is considering naming Tony Blair for a top peacemaking post, diplomats say.

* Olmert agrees to free Palestinians The Israeli prime minister has announced he is prepared to release 250 Palestinian prisoners as a show of support for Mahmoud Abbas.

* Russia presses Nato over shield Russia has urged Nato to avoid any steps that could undermine Russia's security, at the start of discussions on several thorny issues in Moscow.

* Netanyahu: Prisoner release a 'mistake' "This is a wrong, harmful message that will not strengthen the Palestinian Authority. It will only weaken it," Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu said.

* Turkey unhappy at EU talks delay Turkey has said it is not satisfied with the EU's reasons for not opening membership talks in the area of economic and monetary policy.

* Pope restores office dealing with Muslims Pope Benedict XVI on Monday restored an office that specializes in relations with Muslims.

* Germany bans Cruise film shoot from military sites Germany has barred the makers of a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming at German military sites because its star Tom Cruise is a Scientologist.

* Yadlin Warns What Happened In Gaza Will Happen in Judea, Samaria General Amos Yadlin, Chief of Military Intelligence told participants at a Jewish Agency conference in Jerusalem Tuesday that Israel should not withdraw from Judea and Samaria.

* Analysis: The anti-Hamas alliance gathers in Sharm The four leaders who met at this Red Sea resort on Monday all have one common enemy: Hamas.

* Mideast Quartet envoys meet in Jerusalem The four powers sponsoring the stagnant Middle East peace process met Tuesday for the first time since Hamas seized Gaza.

6/25/07

* Mid-East summit begins in Egypt Arab and Israeli leaders have begun a summit in Egypt in a show of support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after the Hamas takeover in Gaza.

* Settler heads slam plans to boost Fatah Yesha heads call on government to reverse decision to arm Fatah gunmen loyal to Abbas after Hamas takeover of Gaza.

* 'Hamas coup was coordinated with Iran' The Palestinian Authority intelligence chief on Sunday accused Iran of close involvement in Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza, saying Teheran funded the group and trained hundreds of their gunmen.

* Lebanon seeks help to stem violence The Lebanese government has called the car bombing of UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon "a challenge to the international community".

* Al-Zawahri urges Sharia law in Gaza Al-Qaida's deputy leader called on Muslims around the world to back Hamas with weapons, money and attacks on US and Israeli interests in a Web audiotape Monday, urging the Palestinian militant group to unite with al-Qaida's "holy warriors" after its takeover of Gaza.

* 'Chemical Ali' sentenced to hang A cousin of the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for the murder of some 180,000 Kurds in 1988.

* Abbas to demand release of Barghouti Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is expected to demand the release of hundreds of Fatah prisoners from Israeli jails during Monday's summit in Sharm e-Sheikh, PA officials said.

* Iran: We'll launch nuclear plant in Oct. Iran's energy minister said Monday the country would launch its first nuclear power plant in October, state-run television reported.

* EU chiefs 'satisfied' with treaty EU leaders have expressed measured approval of a draft treaty to reform EU systems agreed at a summit in Brussels.

* World Leaders Meet to Discuss Darfur "Silence is killing," stated French President Nicholas Sarkozy at a meeting on the Monday about the humanitarian crisis that is occurring in Darfur.

06/23/07

* EU leaders agree on reform treaty European Union leaders have reached agreement in Brussels on an outline of new rules to govern the 27-member bloc.

* Zahar: Hamas will go after 'Israeli spies' in Gaza Hamas will go after "Israeli spies" in Gaza and might use bombs in its struggle with Fatah in the West Bank.

* Pakistan 'building new reactor' Satellite images show that Pakistan is building a nuclear reactor that could be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium, a US watchdog says.

* Lieberman slams planned Abbas aid Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman opposes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's plan to transfer an assistance package to the Palestinians.

* Soldiers die in Lebanon camp battle Three Lebanese soldiers have been killed after a booby-trap set by Fatah al-Islam fighters exploded in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.

* Israel to appeal to Egypt on smuggling Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will ask Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to intensify his country's efforts to stop the smuggling of weapons.

* Blair meets Pope to stoke conversion speculation Prime Minister Tony Blair held private talks with Pope Benedict on Saturday.

* Major Clan War Feared in Kismayo, Somalia After days of skirmishes between Marehan and Majerteen sub-clan militias in the country's third-largest city, residents of Kismayo say heavy fighting erupted on Friday.

* Hamas chief Haniyeh calls for fresh Hamas-Fatah talks Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the Palestinian government dismissed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah last weekend, called for renewed talks on Saturday between the factions.

* Mideast summit to show support for Abbas Middle East leaders are to meet in Egypt Monday in a bid to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

06/22/07

* Poland pressed on EU treaty deal Germany's chancellor is stepping up efforts to broker a compromise with Poland over a draft treaty to replace the failed EU Constitution.

* Lebanon army starts camp 'clean-up' Sporadic gunfire and explosions could still be heard around a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Friday.

* Lieberman slams Olmert's plan to aid Fatah, Abbas Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman opposes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's plan to transfer an assistance package to the Palestinians.

* Israel: Quartet Plans Jerusalem Meeting Envoys from the United States, European Union, Russia and the U.N. will meet Tuesday in Jerusalem for the first time since Hamas militants seized control of the Gaza Strip.

* Report: IAF preparing for Iran strike The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been training on long-range flights in preparation for potential strikes against Iranian nuclear targets.

* Hamas: Abbas won't be able to wipe out Hamas' sovereignty Hamas spokesman Salah Bardawil on Friday denounced the summit planned for Monday between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

* Iran enriches 100 kg. of uranium Iran has produced 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of enriched uranium, the country's interior minister was quoted Friday as saying.

* 'Mile-wide UFO' spotted by British airline pilot One of the largest UFOs ever seen has been observed by the crew and passengers of an airliner over the Channel Islands.

* Gays celebrate 'victory' in Jerusalem Members of gay and lesbian community say fact pride parade was successfully held in capital despite protests and petitions against it.

* Take back Gaza now For far too long, Israel has been trying to run away from the Gaza problem, and that has gotten us nowhere.

06/21/07

* Blair in Europe: a false messiah? As Tony Blair prepares to attend his last European Union summit as prime minister, William Horsley, a long-time observer of Europe's political scene, says Mr Blair made powerful enemies.

* PM to attend 4-way summit in Egypt Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will travel next week to Sharm e-Sheikh to meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

* EU leaders to discuss new treaty EU leaders are preparing to meet in Brussels to discuss a treaty to help the union work more effectively.

* 75% of Palestinians favor elections Seventy-five percent of Palestinians support holding early elections.

* Abbas accuses Hamas of coup plot Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Hamas of trying to establish its own state in Gaza.

* Oil likely to top China-Iraq talks Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, is in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart which are expected to focus on Iraq's vast oil resources.

* Iraqi politicians agree deal on sharing oil, says Kurd minister Iraq's Kurdish leaders said last night they had struck an important deal with the central government in Baghdad.

* Right-wing activists plan to rebuild Homesh Right-wing activists plan to rebuild the evacuated West Bank settlement of Homesh.

* Jerusalem braced for gay parade A controversial Gay Pride parade is to march through Jerusalem later today with an expected 5,000 participants.

* Syria ready for peace, FM says Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Moallem reiterated his country's interest in renewing peace talks with Israel without preconditions.

06/20/07

* Hamas calls for PA gov't of technocrats A senior exiled Hamas leader on Wednesday called for the formation of a new Palestinian Authority goverment made up of independent technocrats.

* Warning to EU members over treaty European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has told EU members not to block progress towards an EU treaty.

* Blair may become Quartet's envoy Tony Blair could soon be appointed the Middle East Quartet's envoy.

* Palestinian mediators bring hope of ceasefire to Lebanon The end may be in sight for "Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war."

* Wheel of misfortune The law of unintended consequences continues to throw up more consequences that were not intended.

* Anti-Pride Parade Protests Take a Turn Leading hareidi-religious rabbis say that anti-Gay Pride Parade protests should be put on a low burner.

* Abbas calls Hamas 'murderous terrorists' Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, addressing his people on TV Wednesday, harshly criticized the Islamic Hamas.

* Dichter: 'Kadima ready to replace PM' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's comrade in Kadima, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, said Kadima must be prepared to move on without him if necessary.

* 'New PA situation makes two-state solution possible' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was upbeat Tuesday evening after a lengthy three-hour meeting with US President George W. Bush in the White House.

* Up to 20 Sudanese reach Israel daily The pace of refugees seeking asylum in Israel has doubled in the past six months.

06/19/07

* Bush to Olmert: 'All options are on the table' regarding Iran "All options are still on the table regarding Iran," US President George W. Bush said before a meeting Tuesday with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the Oval Office.

* 'Christians must accept Islamic rule' Christians can only continue living safely in the Gaza Strip if they accept Islamic law.

* Carter: Stop favoring Fatah over Hamas The United States, Israel and the European Union must end their policy of favoring Fatah over Hamas, or they will doom the Palestinian people to deepening conflict between the rival movements.

* Food convoy finally enters Gaza The first food aid delivery for eight days has arrived in Gaza from Israel, following last week's fighting.

* Hamas official wants dialogue with Fatah Facing growing international isolation, the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday called for a "national dialogue" with their vanquished Fatah foes.

* EU officials, leaders make last-ditch effort to reach treaty deal EU officials are to make a last-ditch bid later today to narrow differences over a European treaty of reforms.

* Car bomb kills 75 in crowded Baghdad square A truck bomb ripped through a crowded square in the capital Tuesday, killing at least 75 people and wounding 204 others.

* The world will end in 2060, according to Newton His famously analytical mind worked out the laws of gravity and unravelled the motion of the planets.

* Millions of shekels transferred from Saudi to Hamas According to two indectments served Monday, millions of shekels have been transferred from a Saudi organization to Hamas operatives in Jerusalem.

* Syria denies secret talks, calls for new negotiations with Israel Syria's ambassador to the United Nations on Monday dismissed rumors of secret Syrian-Israeli talks.

6/18/07

* Key powers back Abbas government Key international powers have publicly backed the new Palestinian Authority government, offering aid and support to an administration without Hamas.

* Lebanese forces battle militants The Lebanese army has resumed shelling a besieged Palestinian refugee camp, a day after it said important militant positions had been destroyed.

* U.S. and Iraqi Troops Begin Big Offensive American and Iraqi troops began major military operations north and south of Baghdad today, while deep in the south near the Iranian border, a ferocious battle between American troops and Shiite militants left at least 20 dead and wounded scores more, Iraqi and American officials.

* Barak sworn in as defense minister; Peretz says goodbye Newly-appointed Defense Minister Ehud Barak was sworn in at the Knesset Monday evening, taking the reins from outgoing Amir Peretz.

* Abbas to Bush: Now is time to resume peace talks Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. President George W. Bush in a phone call Monday that now is the time to resume Middle East peace talks, Abbas' spokesman said.

* Push for Blair as new EU president Tony Blair, the British prime minister, could end up swapping Downing Street for a job as the first full-time European Union president, under a plan being actively touted by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.

* EU to resume Palestinian aid The EU is to resume direct aid to the new Palestinian emergency government, said Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, ending its 15-month aid embargo following Hamas's election victory.

* Jerusalem Police Stand Firm on Gay Parade for Thursday Protestors hurled rocks at an Egged bus Monday morning in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot, damaging the vehicle. No one was injured.

* We must unite against Hamas, Livni tells Arab paper In optimistic article published in Arab world's leading newspaper, foreign minister writes, 'Israel has a strong interest to find a stable and prosperous Palestinian partner'; says Israel was wrong for not cooperating sufficiently with regional elements 'in order to help us build Israeli-Palestinian peace'.

* EU treaty rifts remain after deal on name and symbols EU foreign ministers have agreed on how the new EU treaty should be presented - it should not be called a constitution, and not contain symbols such as an EU flag - but key divisions on the substance of the text remain unresolved.

06/16/07

* Fatah militants storm parliament Fatah gunmen have stormed the Hamas-controlled Palestinian parliament building in Ramallah in the West Bank.

* Gates pushes Iraq's leaders on reconciliation U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met Iraqi leaders for talks in Baghdad on Saturday to tell them Washington is disappointed with their efforts.

* US forces in new Iraq offensive US forces in Iraq have launched a major security offensive around Baghdad.

* Lebanese army unleashes barrage of shells on camp Lebanese troops unleashed an intense artillery bombardment Saturday against positions of Islamist fighters who have been holed up inside a refugee camp for almost a month.

* Report: PA premier denies completing gov't's formation Newly appointed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad hasn't completed the formation of his new government yet.

* Crowd loots Gaza home of Arafat A crowd on Saturday looted the home of longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, destroying one of the strongest symbols of the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip.

* Hamas threatens to expand fighting against Fatah to W. Bank Hamas on Saturday threatened to retaliate against Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' forces in the West Bank.

* Berlin avoids adding voting issue to EU treaty review list Berlin has identified seven outstanding problems to be discussed at next week's EU leader's summit .

* US debate over Iran strategy erupts A debate on US strategy regarding how the country plans to deal with Iran's nuclear program within President George Bush's administration has broken out.

* Secret new plan for EU superstate Tony Blair wants to hand the European Union radical new powers in his last act as Prime Minister.

06/15/07

* Abbas appoints Salam Fayyad as new PA prime minister Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas appointed former finance minister Salam Fayyad as the new PA prime minister on Friday.

* Olmert appoints Barak defense minister The government unanimously approved the appointment of newly elected Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak as Israel's next defense minister.

* Fighting flares at Lebanon camp Four Lebanese soldiers have been killed in renewed clashes with Islamist militants entrenched in a Palestinian refugee camp, officials say.

* US to continue training Abbas' guard The United States will continue financing the Palestinian Authority's presidential guard.

* Final 'surge' troops arrive in Iraq The US military has said it completed the deployment of extra troops to Iraq as part of the "surge" aimed at curbing sectarian violence.

* 'Multinational force must fight Hamas' A proposed multinational force deployed along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt must be willing to fight Hamas to stop weapons smuggling in the area.

* Turkey president calls referendum Turkey's president has called a referendum on plans to for the head of state to be elected directly by the public rather than by parliament.

* Arab Media Reports Syria Making Preparations for War with Israel A Qatari newspaper, Al Watan, reported Friday that Syria is making concrete preparations for war with Israel.

* The fall of Gaza First Hamas won at the ballot box, now it has won again, with bullets.

* US sticks to European missile shield plan NATO and Washington have poured cold water on Moscow's offer to use a Russia-operated radar base in Azerbaijan.

06/14/07

* Hamas seizes second Fatah base Hamas fighters continue to seize control of key Fatah security installations across Gaza as the Palestinian government teeters on the brink of collapse.

* Arab League urges immediate PA truce The head of the Arab league on Thursday warned of a "disastrous outcome" if the bloody infighting between Hamas and Fatah continues.

* 'Gaza will become Hamastan if Israel does not act' "The irresponsible pullout from Gaza allowed Hamas to arm itself with mass amounts of explosives, weapons and funds that flowed into the Strip."

* World oil supplies are set to run out faster than expected, warn scientists Scientists have criticised a major review of the world's remaining oil reserves, warning that the end of oil is coming sooner than governments and oil companies are prepared to admit.

* Can the IAF take out Iran's nukes? Barring a "catastrophic development," reports Middle East Newsline, George W. Bush has decided not to attack Iran.

* Huge bird dino unearthed in China The fossilized remains of a giant bird-like dinosaur have been uncovered in the region of Inner Mongolia, China.

* General: China taking on U.S. in cyber arms race China is seeking to unseat the United States as the dominant power in cyberspace.

* Protest planned against gay parade A major haredi protest Sunday against next week's gay parade in Jerusalem is likely to turn violent.

* Giscard calls on EU leaders to be honest on new treaty The architect of the draft EU constitution has called on national governments to be honest about what they are trying to achieve with negotiations on a new-look treaty.

* 'Israel knows, understands Syria well' A UN special envoy for the Middle East said Thursday after meeting a top Syrian official that there is a "different atmosphere" in Israel toward Syria.

06/13/07

* Abbas warns of collapse in Gaza Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has warned that continuing violence in Gaza risks taking the region to the point of collapse.

* Barak wins Labor primary race Former prime minister Ehud Barak stepped back into the political limelight early Wednesday morning when he defeated MK Ami Ayalon.

* Beirut blast kills politician A car bomb has hit Beirut's seafront Corniche al-Manara killing at least four people and injuring 10 more.

* Syria ready to discuss land for peace Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmad Arnous stated Tuesday that Damascus was willing to join Israel at the negotiating table.

* Solana says EU would consider military role in Gaza if asked The European Union would consider participating in an international force in Gaza if asked by the major players in the region.

* Shimon Peres elected ninth president Vice Premier Shimon Peres put an end to his historic losing streak Wednesday by beating MKs Reuven Rivlin (Likud) and Colette Avital (Labor) to become Israel's ninth president.

* Beit El Celebrates Wool-Shearing Surrounded by hundreds of happy children, the last of a herd of five sheep had its wool shorn in Beit El Tuesday afternoon.

* Analysis: It all comes back to Iran Press rewind, stop at May 15, hit play and you'll reel from a sense of deja vu.

* Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq likens s conflict to U.S. Civil War Iraq's embattled prime minister compared the fight for order in Iraq with the U.S. Civil War almost 150 years ago.

* Police approve Gay Pride parade Police on Wednesday approved the Jerusalem Gay Pride march, paving the way for the parade to take place next Thursday.

06/12/07

* Hamas TV: We have taken over the northern Gaza Strip Hamas launched a full-scale attack Tuesday afternoon against Fatah security bases and positions in Gaza.

* President warns of Hamas 'coup' Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accused elements within Hamas of trying to seize power in Gaza by force.

* Sarkozy invites Hizbullah to France In a significant diplomatic shift, French President Nicolas Sarkozy will invite Hizbullah to take part in a conference on Lebanon.

* Hundreds of rightists arrive at evacuated West Bank settlement Hundreds of settlers and right-wing activists arrived at the evacuated West Bank settlement of Homesh on Tuesday.

* Ancient Rome brought back to life Ancient Rome has been brought back to life through a unique digital reconstruction project, said to be the world's biggest computer simulation.

* EU Breaks Freeze on Funding PA The European Union has agreed to transfer 4 million euros (approximately $5 million) to the coffers of the Palestinian Authority government.

* Polls show Ami Ayalon, Ehud Barak are neck and neck Labor Party members set off for the polls across the country on Tuesday to choose between former prime minister Ehud Barak and MK Ami Ayalon to elect the party's sixth leader in eight years.

* 'Harassment' mars Egyptian vote The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has accused the authorities of harassing its candidates and committing widescale irregularities during Monday's voting.

* Missile defence spat a diversion China believes the US system could destabilise Asia and demonstrated disapproval with a dramatic missile shoot down of a redundant Chinese space vehicle.

* 4,000 celebrate Taglit event in J'lem As the Taglit-Birthright Israel "Mega-Event" came to a close, four thousand Jewish college students from all over the world danced in the aisles of the Sultan's Pool stadium.

6/11/07

* 'Military plan against Iran is ready' Predicting that Iran will obtain a nuclear weapon within three years and claiming to have a strike plan in place, senior American military officers have told The Jerusalem Post they support President George W. Bush's stance to do everything necessary to stop the Islamic Republic's race for nuclear power.

* Putin calls for new financial world order Russian president Vladimir Putin called on Sunday for a radical overhaul of the world's financial and trade institutions to reflect the growing economic power of emerging market countries - including Russia.

* Iran: Israel, civilians in ME are targets for retaliatory attack Iran will not only strike American bases if attacked, but also Israel and civilian targets in the Middle East such as crude oil fields and power plants, an Iranian admiral told US Defense News on Monday.

* 'Corruption worse than Iranian threat' The corruption manifest in Israeli leadership and the society as a whole is more worrisome than the Iranian nuclear threat, former chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Moshe Ya'alon said Monday.

* Israel launches Ofek 7 spy satellite In face of Iran's race to obtain nuclear weapons and predictions that war with Syria is on the horizon, Israel strengthened its foothold in space on Monday and successfully launched a spy satellite, which defense officials said granted the IDF unprecedented operational capabilities.

* Portugal calls for clear EU treaty commitment from member states The incoming Portuguese EU presidency has indicated it is against opening formal treaty negotiations unless EU leaders meeting in Brussels in two week's time clearly commit themselves to agreeing a new institutional settlement.

* Gun attack on Palestinian Cabinet Gunmen in Gaza have opened fire on a Palestinian government building while the Cabinet was meeting inside.

* Orthodox sector curses gay pride parade Badatz rabbis distribute message that 'all sinners' involved in Jerusalem pride march will 'feel a curse on their souls and evil will pursue them.'

* 66 percent of public dissatisfied with Israeli democracy Poll by Israel Democracy Institute shows only 21 percent of Israeli have faith in prime minister, most don't trust military echelon.

* Israeli Researcher Pioneers New Cancer Treatment An Israeli researcher is testing a new treatment to destroy glioblastoma mulitforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive type of primary brain tumor, according to the Israel21c website.

06/09/07

* Mofaz confirms messages sent to Syria All options, including the military one, are on the table when it comes to dealing with Iran's nuclear program.

* Bush calls for action over Kosovo US President George W Bush has said a plan for Kosovo's UN-backed independence should take effect now, despite Russian and Serbian opposition.

* Russia to US: Halt missile shield moves Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the United States on Saturday to halt moves to deploy missile defense facilities in Europe.

* Iraq condemns Turkish 'shelling' Iraq has made an official protest to Turkey, accusing it of shelling Kurdish areas in northern Iraq this week.

* 'Palestinians united in seeking state' The Palestinians are united in seeking a state in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, a senior Hamas leader said.

* Bush visits pope amid protests Pope Benedict has told the George Bush, US president, that the Vatican would like a "regional and negotiated" solution to Middle East conflicts.

* Lebanese Army Tightens Grip on Palestinian Militants Three more Lebanese soldiers were killed and at least a dozen injured Saturday in stepped-up clashes with Islamic militants hiding out in a Palestinian refugee camp.

* IDF ground troops enter southern Gaza Israel Defense Forces ground troops entered southern Gaza Saturday morning.

* Indonesia, Qatar delay UN condemnation of Ahmadinejad over Israel Indonesia and Qatar were responsible Friday for the delay of a proposed United Nations Security Council statement condemning comments by Iran's president that forecast the destruction of Israel.

* Doubts emerge over Russia's defence shield proposal The head of NATO has welcomed Moscow's apparent backing down from its Cold War rhetoric over the US plan to place an anti-missile shield in central Europe.

06/08/07

* Right wing blasts PM over Syria report Right-wingers were seething on Friday afternoon after a report that a recent flurry of secret messages from Israel to Syria signaled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's willingness to give up the Golan Heights.

* UN condemns Ahmadinejad comments UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said he was "shocked and dismayed" at recent comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about Israel.

* G8 warns Iran against continuing to enrich uranium The Group of Eight countries said Friday that they "will support adopting further measures" if Iran refuses to put a halt to its uranium enrichment program.

* Lebanese Army Pounds Militants in Refugee Camp The Lebanese army has again battled Fatah al-Islam militants holed up inside a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli.

* Putin offers options for US missiles Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Friday that missile defense interceptors could be located in Turkey, or even Iraq or on sea platforms.

* Turkish Military Agitating to Fight PKK Tensions remained high on the Turkish-Iraqi border on Friday, with the latest developments indicating that the Turkish military is pressing the government.

* Europe's seas face 'bleak future' Europe's seas are in a "serious state of decline" as a result of coastal development, overfishing and pollution from agriculture, warn scientists.

* Rift seen in Iraq insurgency -- some groups reject al Qaeda U.S. forces have begun arming nationalist guerrillas and former Saddam Hussein loyalists -- and coordinating tactics -- in a marriage of convenience against al Qaeda radicals.

* Syria Continuing to Mobilize for War The IDF is preparing for a defensive war with Syria.

* Thousands dance in streets at annual Tel Aviv gay pride parade Thousands of people on Friday attended Tel Aviv's gay pride Parade, Israel Radio reported.