07/28/10

* Al Qaeda No. 2 Threatens More U.S. Attacks Al Qaeda's second in command Ayman Al-Zawahiri has surfaced again, this time threatening more attacks against the U.S. and the West.

* US in 'full court press' to restart direct Mideast talks The United States said Tuesday it is making a "full-court press" to encourage the Israelis and Palestinians to resume direct peace talks that lapsed in late 2008.

* US Report: Israel Hampers Training of PA Forces A report published on Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington accuses Israel of causing delays in the transfer of weapons, radios, vehicles, helmets and other equipment to the the PA in Judea and Samaria.

* Geopolitical threat: China's and America's growing need for imported oil A tiny mid-July ballet among American, Chinese and UN statisticians camouflages a growing geopolitical threat: China's unquenchable thirst for and America's dependence on imported oil.

* Israel: Palestinians have set 'impossible' conditions for direct peace talks Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has laid down "impossible" conditions for moving to direct peace talks, Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said.

* More Troops for Somalia, but No Peace to Keep If there is one place on the African continent that could benefit from new thinking, it is Somalia, a country that has been mired in mutating forms of civil war for nearly 20 years.

* Iran to pay for new babies to boost population Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated a new policy on Tuesday to encourage population growth.

* EU population over half-a-billion The European Union's population reached the half-a-billion mark at the beginning of 2010.

* Snapshot of global internet speeds revealed The data, from network giant Akamai reveals the average global net speed is only 1.7Mbps (megabits per second) although some countries have made strides towards faster services.

* Waqf Bulldozers on Temple Mount May Be Destroying Jewish History Jewish residents report that Waqf works at the Dome of the Rock have restarted 'under cover', likely destroying Jewish archaeological artifacts.