Thursday, August 06, 2009

08/06/09

* IDF reportedly training for pointed attack on Hezbollah The Pentagon has learned of intensive Israel Defense Forces preparations for a pointed attack against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.

* World's Largest Temple Model Inaugurated next to Temple Mount The model, built at a scale of 1:60, was built by Michael Osanis for the Aish HaTorah Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s old city.

* Stormy Fatah Conference Extended Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the head of Fatah, had a busy day Wednesday as he referreed an increasingly angry Fatah conference.

* Security tight as Iran's Ahmadinejad sworn in With hundreds of protesters gathering and riot police out in force on the streets of Tehran, hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the oath of office Wednesday.

* Putin seeks new Turkey gas deal Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is in Turkey hoping to clinch a deal on Russia's South Stream gas pipeline.

* Saudi king urges Palestinians to close ranks The official Saudi news agency says King Abdullah has urged Palestinians to unite.

* GOP Whip Cantor: Obama Must Focus on Iran, not 'Settlements' Republican House of Representatives Whip Eric Cantor (Virginia) said Thursday that U.S. President Barack Obama should be focusing on the Iranian threat.

* U.S. asks Israel for one-year settlement freeze American Middle East envoy George Mitchell has asked Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak for a "deposit," an advance commitment of a one-year freeze on construction.

* Haaretz survey: 46% of Israelis thinks gays are deviants Almost half of the Israeli population believes that homosexuality is a perversion.

* EU ambassadors stand by Iran leader Top diplomats from all but two EU embassies in Iran attended the inauguration of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Wednesday.