* IAEA chief focuses on Israel The head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency is asking for international input on an Arab-led push to have Israel join the Nonproliferation Treaty.
* 'We're committed to missile defense' Washington remains determined to deploy its planned anti-missile system in Europe to counter the danger of Iran's nuclear program and its long-range ballistic missiles.
* U.S. exercise with Gulf states based on defense against attack by Iran The United States has launched one of its largest joint military exercises with Persian Gulf states.
* Israel official defends nuclear ambiguity as 'strategic advantage' An Israeli official on Thursday defended the country's "opaque" policy regarding its nuclear program a "strategic advantage", responding to mounting international pressure.
* Mubarak warns about "chaos" amid reform push Egypt's president warned opposition groups Thursday against fomenting "chaos" in the country and challenged them to outline plans to rival his for sustaining growth and development in the Arab world's most populous nation.
* Britons Go to Polls in Tight Race for Parliament Concluding one of the most passionate election campaigns in years, Britain went to the polls on Thursday.
* The United Nations as global enabler of terrorism In this ever changing world of politics overshadowed by the current threat to peace by rogue states, the United Nations is failing to fulfill its duty as guardian to peace and security.
* Israel Developing Switch To Make Computers 100s of Times Faster A new nano-based technology being developed at Tel Aviv University will make computers and the internet hundreds of times faster.
* Washington Post warns Obama against pressuring Israel The Washington Post warned US President Barack Obama Wednesday against applying too much pressure on Israel as proximity talks with the Palestinians begin.
* Sarkozy and Merkel keen to show united front ahead of summit In a time-honoured EU tradition, the leaders of France and Germany have sought to present a united front ahead of a euro area leaders' meeting this Friday.