* Abbas Denies Jewish Temple and Christian Theology Abbas refers to the "alleged" Jewish Temple, but if not Jewish, how did Jesus chase the money changers?
* MI chief: Region becoming less stable, more Islamist In annual intelligence evaluation, Military Intelligence head Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi says Israel's environment will face crises and be more prone to unexpected eruptions.
* Taliban beheads 17 for attending mixed-sex party Gruesome incident recalls darkest days of rule by the ultra-conservative Islamist insurgents before their ouster in 2001.
* Assad Vows to Defeat 'Foreign Plot' Assad says Syria will defeat the foreign plot being waged against the country as his troops continue to kill rebels.
* U.S. blogger cites 'high-level' source for Israel plan to strike Iran An American blogger has posted what he called Israel's military operation against Iran.
* Iran Takes on UN at NAM Summit, Slams 'Current World Order' Iran kicked off the NAM summit on Sunday by slamming the "adverse consequences of the current world order" and demanding change from the UN.
* Merkel wants EU treaty convention by end of year German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pressing for a new EU treaty convention by December, despite opposition from many countries, Der Spiegel reports in its latest print edition on Monday (27 August).
* Syria: Helicopter crashes in Damascus Armed rebels in Syria say they have shot down a military helicopter over the capital, Damascus.
* Report: Lawless Libya 'awash in weapons', out of control NATO has become quietly concerned over the collapse of authority in Libya.
* Scientists Successfully 'Hack' Brain To Obtain Private Data It sounds like something out of the movie "Johnny Mnemonic" but scientists have successfully been able to 'hack' a brain with a device that's easily available on the open market.