* Iraq parties reach deal on Maliki-led government Iraq's main parties have agreed to form a government, ending eight months of deadlock since elections in March.
* Pope calls for religious freedom in Muslim states Pope Benedict Thursday said all states must guarantee the freedom for everyone to practice their faith publicly, a clear criticism of some Muslim countries where religious rights are restricted.
* Nasrallah provokes Iran: No such thing as Persian civilization "Today there is no such thing as Persian civilization in Iran. There is an Islamic civilization in Iran".
* Mediterranean summit canceled again due to Arab threat to boycott over Israel An international summit of Mediterranean leaders has been canceled for the third time.
* Syria remains key conduit for sustaining Al Qaida in Iraq Syria is continuing to allow the transmission of resources to sustain Al Qaida's network in neighboring Iraq.
* MK Eldad: 'Jordan is Palestine' Conference Planned MK Prof. Aryeh Eldad (National Union) is planning to hold a conference under the heading 'Jordan is Palestine' in the coming days.
* Iran's Growing Influence in Afghanistan Last month, it was revealed that Iran has been bribing Afghan officials in order to increase loyalty to Iran within the Afghani government.
* Currencies set to dominate G20 summit agenda There are fears the G20 meeting in Seoul could descend into a row between the US and China about so-called "currency wars" and trade imbalances.
* Meet the Israeli Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle - AvantGuard The bi-annual Robotics Conference is taking place in Herzliya, and Israel National News TV was there to meet the developers of the AvantGuard Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle (UGCV).
* Palestinians gather in Ramallah to mark anniversary of Arafat death Thousands of people began gathering at the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in Ramallah on Thursday to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the death of their leader, Yasser Arafat.