07/02/12

* Russia to hold talks with Syrian opposition, Annan Russia will hold talks with two Syrian opposition groups and with U.N. envoy Kofi Annan later this month, a Russian news agency reported after a weekend of stalled efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria.

* Iran to test-fire long-range missiles in desert war game Revolutionary Guards chief announces start of three-day maneuver, warns that if Israel plans any attack on Iran, it 'will provide us a reason to remove Israel from the earth.'

* Syria Rebels Gaining Ground Rebel forces in Syria have enjoyed meaningful success in fighting against the regime of Bashar Assad in the last few weeks. 

* Turkey scrambles F-16 jets on Syria border Turkey has scrambled six F-16 fighter jets near its border with Syria after Syrian helicopters came close to the border, the country's army says.

* Iran threatens Israel; new EU sanctions take force Iran announced missile tests on Sunday and threatened to wipe Israel "off the face of the earth" if the Jewish state attacked it, brandishing some of its starkest threats on the day Europe began enforcing an oil embargo and harsh new sanctions.

* From the underground to the political spotlight Former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir never compromised on his belief in an Israel whose borders would include Jewish sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria.

* PLO to ask UNSC for meeting on settlements Palestinians working to pass a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity; protests against talks with Israel continue.

* Expert: Anti-Zionism, Anti-Semitism Now the Same Experts debate the relationship between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Some say the two are now one and the same.

* Islamic hackers post hundreds of Israeli email addresses and passwords It is yet unclear what website was hacked to obtain the information published on the website of Anonymous Arab.

* Are we heading for a 'half-Europe'? Crisis rescue programs as well as the negotiations of the next seven-year EU budget must be viewed in a context broader than a purely economic one.