Tuesday, January 12, 2010

01/12/10

* Israel and US behind Tehran blast - Iranian state media Iranian state media have accused Israel and the US of being involved in a bomb attack which killed an Iranian physicist in Tehran.

* 'Hizbullah, Lebanese army the same' Israel has launched a diplomatic campaign to impress upon countries providing military assistance to Lebanon that any equipment and technology it provides the Beirut government is likely to fall into Hizbullah's hands.

* Ankara summons Israeli envoy for talks Amid yet more diplomatic tensions, Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy was called in for a clarification meeting in Ankara on Tuesday afternoon.

* Islamists loot and burn protestant church in Algeria Islamists looted and burned a Protestant church in Algeria, the congregation's leader said Monday, suggesting they were inspired by a recent wave of religious intolerance in the Arab and Muslim world.

* Baidu hacked by 'Iranian cyber army' China's most popular search engine, Baidu, has been targeted by the same hackers that took Twitter offline in December.

* Vatican says 'Avatar' is no masterpiece The Vatican newspaper and radio station have called the film "Avatar" simplistic, and criticized it for flirting with modern doctrines that promote the worship of nature as a substitute for religion.

* Israeli Robots Remake Battlefield Israel is developing an army of robotic fighting machines that offers a window onto the potential future of warfare.

* Russia to lease nuclear submarine to India - report Russia will lease one of its newest nuclear-powered submarines to India in the second half of this year.

* Netanyahu: Israel will never share Jerusalem with Palestinians Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that Israel would never cede control of united Jerusalem nor retreat to the 1967 borders.

* EU's new top diplomat remains cool under fire The EU's new foreign relations chief, Catherine Ashton, was tough on Iran but cautious on Israel and Russia in a lively hearing with MEPs on Monday.