08/21/10

* Israel and the Palestinians to resume direct talks Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have been invited to Washington on 2 September to start the talks.

* PA: No talks if building resumes In an earlier reaction to the announcement made by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Erekat said Friday that he hoped the Quartet and others would work diligently to ensure the one-year time frame for talks is reached.

* Iran begins loading Bushehr nuclear reactor Russia will operate the Bushehr plant in southern Iran, supplying its nuclear fuel and taking away the nuclear waste.

* Ahmadinejad: Our response to attack would be worldwide As fueling of Bushehr nuclear power plant begins, Iranian president warns that a strike on Iran would be answered with "harsh and painful" retaliation.

* Lebanese ship postpones trip to Gaza The Mariam, a Lebanese vessel carrying women and journalists with an intended destination of Gaza has postponed its planned journey.

* The forbidden city 'Ramadan tours to Al-Quds: Make your pilgrimage to the holy mosques." "We offer you a pilgrimage to the sites that were undertaken by Jesus, a trip to the Holy Land, which is open to all citizens of the Kingdom."

* This week in history: First public radio broadcast On August 20, 1920, the radio station WWJ, known then by its call sign 8MK, aired the first public broadcast ever at 8:15 p.m.

* Army of diplomats takes the lead in fractious Iraq As the White House eagerly highlights the departure of U.S. combat troops from Iraq, the small army of American diplomats left behind is embarking on a long and perilous path.

* Palestinians see danger for Abbas in resumed Israel peace talks There was little for Palestinians to be upbeat about Friday as they waited for an official invitation to join Israel.

* The Moon is Shrinking, Like a Wrinkled Apple Scientists consider the Earth's only natural satellite to be a pristine environment, an "open book" where the history of the solar system is written.