* This WEEK in the European Union Another European summit in Brussels kicks off this afternoon, with leaders aiming to finalize outstanding issues on the European stability mechanism and the fiscal compact treaties.
* Peres: Iran the most corrupt country on earth President Shimon Peres voiced concern over Hamas' foreign funding but expressed hope that direct talks with the Palestinian Authority could bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an interview with CNN.
* US to cut almost 100,000 troops The US will cut almost 100,000 troops as part of its plans for a "smaller, leaner" military, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has announced.
* Asteroid makes near-miss fly-by An asteroid hurtled past the Earth on Friday in something of a cosmic near-miss, making its closest approach at about 1600 GMT.
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Technion developing 3 tiny, unique satellites
Researchers at the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology - for
years experts in the miniaturization of satellites - plan to build and
dispatch into space a fixed formation of three nano-satellites weighing
up to six kilograms each, the first time scientists will attempt this
feat.
* 'No peace talks unless J'lem agrees to Palestine borders' The Palestinian Authority will not restart direct peace negotiations with Israel unless Jerusalem recognizes the borders of a Palestinian state.
* MK Tells US: Prepare for Abdullah's Fall MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) told U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro on Wednesday that the plan for two countries west of the Jordan River has reached a dead end.
* Assad's fall could solve Iraqi weapons mystery If Syria’s regime falls, the U.S. will be in a better position to answer one of the lingering questions from the long Iraq War: Did Baghdad ship weapons of mass destruction components to Syria before the 2003 American-led invasion?
* German report: 20% of Germans are anti-Semitic The German government released on Monday the findings of a two year inquiry into modern anti-Semitism in the Federal Republic, showing that latent anti-Semitism affects one of every five Germans.
* Israeli Hacker Groups Raise Cyberwar Stakes Several days after a hack attack by Saudi and other Arab hackers against the web sites of El Al and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Israel's "IDF-Team" hacker group struck back against web sites of large banks in the United Arab Emirates, and in Gaza.
* Worries grow over Syria chemical weapons arsenal As the days of Syrian President Bashar Assad increasingly look numbered, concerns are mounting that the regime's vast stockpile of chemical weapons might fall into the hands of terrorists by accident or by plan.
* European envoys: Blacklist Israeli settlers The heads of European Union delegations to the Palestinian Authority have drafted a document with harsh recommendations meant to strengthen the PA's control over east Jerusalem.
* Iran oil, gold and banks on EU hitlist An oil embargo from 1 July, a partial ban on the central bank and a prohibition on trade in gold and gems are among the latest EU ideas on how to stop Iran building nuclear bombs.
* Parliament worried new treaty divides Europe As negotiations on a new inter-governmental agreement on fiscal discipline reach the final stage, MEPs have warned that it risks dividing Europe and widening the democratic gap.
* Iran warns Gulf Arabs on oil Iran warned Gulf Arab oil producers against boosting production to offset any potential drop in Tehran's crude exports in the event of an embargo affecting its oil sales.
* U.S. Warns Israel on Strike U.S. defense leaders are increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran.
* Hizbullah Rejects UN Demand to Disarm Lebanon-based Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has rejected a call by visiting United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his terrorist organization to disarm.
* UK Minister Calls For Divided Jerusalem A British Minister on Tuesday kept up his nation's mantra that Israeli construction is a material bar to final status talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
* Red Sea 'virtual fence' to foil Sinai terror A virtual electronic fence in the Red Sea as well as new fortified military positions and a significant increase in the number of IDF units along the border with Egypt are some of the changes that have taken place.
* Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists? Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram - which has caused havoc in Africa's most populous country through a wave of bombings - is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.
* 'Palestinians are biggest winners of Arab Spring' Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh claimed Tuesday that Palestinians would be the biggest winners of the so-called Arab Spring revolutions that saw the successful overthrow of three separate regimes in the Middle East.