01/18/10

* Haiti quake: Death toll may be 200,000, US general says The leading US general in Haiti has said it is a "reasonable assumption" that up to 200,000 people may have died in last Tuesday's earthquake.

* Afghan capital Kabul hit by Taliban attack Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers have attacked buildings in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul, setting off explosions and sparking gun battles.

* Planning a New Strategy for Judea and Samaria Public figures, residents of Judea and Samaria, politicians and academic figures gathered in the Judean region of Gush Etzion on Sunday for a conference.

* Netanyahu and cabinet in Berlin for session with Merkel's gov't Israel's government convened for the first time in Berlin, the former heart of the Nazi regime, for a special joint session with the German government highlighting the nations' bond six decades after the Holocaust.

* Computer Network Terrorism New World Threat “A fleet of fighter planes is not necessary to attack a power station; a keyboard is sufficient, according to University of Haifa Dr. Yaniv Levyatan, an expert on information warfare.

* Vatican worked to save Jews from Nazis Pope Benedict XVI defended his predecessor Pius XII against Jewish critics Sunday, telling the audience at a Rome synagogue that the Vatican worked quietly to save Jews from the Nazis during World War II.

* Turkey and Israel share interests In a joint press conference with visiting Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Ankara, Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said that Israel and Turkey would remain strategic allies as long as their interests force them to do so.

* Abbas: Only Difference from Hamas Is that Fatah Is in Power Palestinian Authority PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said in a speech Sunday that his party’s being in power is the only difference between it and the rival Hamas terrorist faction.

* Islamic Solidarity Games cancelled after Iran insists Gulf is 'Persian' A Saudi-based body organizing the world's second Islamic Solidarity Games has cancelled the sports event planned for Iran amid a dispute over whether the Gulf waterway is "Arab" or "Persian."

* Al Qaeda Threatens New Strikes Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issued fresh threats Monday against the U.S. and its Mideast allies, promising to retaliate against a surge of strikes launched in the past month against its leaders and safe havens in Yemen.