06/29/12

* Syrian Tanks Gather on Turkish Border The Syrian army has gathered roughly 170 tanks near the Turkish border.

* Hamas Man Assassinated – but Who Did It? Senior Hamas terrorist Kamal Ghanaja, second-in-command to Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, was killed in Damascus this week.

* Officer: 'We are Preparing for Possibility of War' "We are in preparations for the possibility of war and in the midst of deployment with the situation in Syria in mind."

* Mursi to address Tahrir ahead of swearing-in Egypt's Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi will give a speech to crowds in Tahrir Square on Friday.

* Merkel defends compromise deal on eurozone banks Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is satisfied with a deal to help finance debt-laden eurozone countries.

* UNESCO: Nativity Church heritage site in 'Palestine' The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Friday became the first World Heritage Site to be listed under the name of Palestine.

* Arab World: Staying on the sidelines Syria’s Kurds are sitting out the civil war, which they see as a clash between Assad's regime and Turkish-backed Sunni Arabs.

* Top Iran official: U.S. threats of military attack against nuclear program are empty U.S. warnings of the possibility of a military strike against Iran are void, and only meant to undermine the stability of other nations.

* Clinton arrives in Russia for Syria showdown US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were heading for a face-to-face showdown over Syria on Friday.

* Israel stages Holocaust survivor beauty pageant A beauty pageant for Holocaust survivors has been held in Israel for the first time, stirring controversy.