* "Israel too unstable to talk Saudi plan" Arab leaders briefed key international players on a newly revived Arab initiative to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but decided to hold off on approaching Israel because of its current political turmoil.
* China claims major oil field find China's biggest oil firm, PetroChina, says it has made the country's largest crude discovery in a decade.
* Conference offers plan to bolster Iraqi government Iraq and its neighbors on Friday issued a declaration aimed at rallying support for the Shiite-led government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki from long-reluctant Sunni Arab countries.
* Conference on Iran adjourns in deadlock Under fire for stalling a 130-nation nuclear meeting, Iran accused the US of being the real culprit, as the conference adjourned for the weekend in deep deadlock over Teheran's opposition to language of the gathering's agenda.
* Turkish PM, army hold crisis talks Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with the head of Turkey's armed forces Friday, a week after the military threatened to intervene in an ongoing presidential election if it thought secularism was in danger.
* U.S. Targets Iranian-Made Weapons U.S.-led forces on Friday arrested suspected Shiite militants accused of smuggling powerful bomb components from Iran, and clashes between Shiite factions broke out in two major cities.
* U.S. ‘Benchmark Plan’ May be a Timeline for Terror Israeli officials are worried about a set of so-called “benchmarks” presented last week by U.S. diplomats that would be used as steps toward final status negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.
* Olmert says won't resign despite public protest Following demonstration attended by 100,000 people against Olmert in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, the prime minister insists he plans to stay in office, "A government is replaced in elections, not rallies."
* Egypt weighs moat for Gaza border Egypt has expressed newfound interest in allowing Israel to construct a moat along the Philadelphi Route separating the Sinai Desert from the Gaza Strip to combat Palestinian weapons smuggling.
* Guns banned from Somali streets The new mayor of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has banned people from carrying weapons on the streets.