02/13/13

* Benedict's papacy: Close Jewish relations with occasional bumps Pope Benedict XVI's eight-year reign as head of the world's 1 billion Catholics sometimes was a bumpy one for the Vatican's relations with Israel.

* Do Palestinians deserve a state? With President Obama coming to Israel soon, let me ask what some consider a rhetorical question- do the Palestinians actually deserve a state of their own?.

* UN Meets After North Korea Nuclear Test The UN Security Council has opened emergency talks on North Korea's nuclear test, as world powers made calls for swift action against Pyongyang.

* Orthodox rabbi seeks Israeli religious revolution When Rabbi David Stav launched his official campaign last month to wrest control of Israel's top religious institution from its longtime hardline leadership, it was a long shot.

* Israeli Warplanes Soar Through Lebanese Skies Four Israeli war planes were seen flying in the skies of Lebanon on Tuesday, according to that country's official news agency.

* 'Egypt security forces nix Hamas office in Cairo' Egyptian security forces have rejected a Muslim Brotherhood request to establish a Hamas office in Cairo.

* 'Iran installing new-generation centrifuges' Iran started installing a new generation of uranium enrichment machines at its Natanz nuclear site last month.

* Agency: Russia to continue supplying arms to Syria Russia is still delivering weapons to Syria and will continue to do so despite the Middle East country's civil war.

* Hackers Broadcast Zombie Apocalypse Alert on US Television Hackers caused a bizarre alert in the state of Montana by broadcasting a warning about zombies attacking the living.

* Al Jazeera Hires Lobbying Firm to Bolster Image on Capitol Hill Al Jazeera America has hired a lobbying firm to advocate for the broadcasting company on Capitol Hill.