Saturday, April 18, 2009

04/18/09

* Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days.

* Obama's stance worries Israelis Can Israel still call the United States its best international friend? Apparently not, if you believe the tone of the local media.

* Egyptian state paper: 'Axis of evil' tried to overthrow regime An axis of evil which includes Iran, Syria, Qatar and Hamas has attempted to destabilize Egypt and ultimately engineer a coup against the government.

* North Korea: Sanctions a declaration of war North Korea said Saturday any sanctions or pressure applied against it following its rocket launch earlier this month will be considered a "declaration of war."

* Post-Passover: Arabs Threaten, Police Ban Jews from Temple Mt. The police restricted the Temple Mount to Muslims – and then closed it completely to Jews, citing "security warnings."

* Somalia parliament votes in Sharia law Somalia's transitional federal parliament has unanimously backed the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in the country after a vote over the issue was brought to parliamentarians Saturday.

* Mitchell: Egypt vital in Mideast peace plan President Barack Obama's Mideast envoy said Saturday in Cairo that a Palestinian state alongside Israel is the only way to end the Mideast conflict.

* At summit, Obama gets friendly with Chavez President Barack Obama extended a hand to America's hemispheric neighbors on Saturday.

* Thousands protest arrests in coup plot Thousands of people marched to the mausoleum of secular Turkey's founder on Saturday.

* Iran jails journalist as US spy An Iranian-American journalist branded a US spy has been jailed for eight years by Iran after a brief trial held behind closed doors.