10-30-15

* Syria conflict: 'Progress made' in Vienna talks World leaders say progress has been made in talks to resolve Syria's civil war after "historic" talks in Vienna, but they continue to differ on the fate of President Bashar al-Assad.

* Syria conflict: Obama to send special forces to fight IS The US is sending special forces to Syria to assist anti-government rebels in fighting the so-called Islamic State (IS), officials have said.

* Israel hosts its largest-ever international air force exercise Air forces from around the world have gathered deep in the Arava desert in the south of Israel for the past week and a half to take part in the largest aerial exercise in the history of the Israeli Air Force.

* Iran may back away from demand to keep Assad in power Iran on Thursday signaled it might be willing to back away from its insistence that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad remain in power, Reuters reported.

* North Korea prepping nuclear site for new tests Reports surfaced on Friday revealing that the North Korean regime is digging a new tunnel at its nuclear test site to conduct new nuclear weapon tests, according to South Korean media.

* South China Sea: China warns US over 'provocative acts' China's naval commander has warned his US counterpart against "dangerous and provocative acts", days after a US warship sailed close to contested islands in the South China Sea.

* Hamas declares another 'Day of Rage' Friday Hamas is calling for a "Day of Rage" on Friday throughout Judea and Samaria and encouraging rioting and clashes with IDF forces.

* Jews in nearly 1,000 cities 'taste the magic of Shabbat' Over a million Jews took part in the Shabbat Project last Friday night and Saturday, observing the Jewish sabbath in 924 cities located in 75 countries around the world.

* I didn't mean to let Hitler off the hook for the Holocaust, Netanyahu says Following the controversy over his remarks suggesting that it was the Palestinian mufti who nudged Adolf Hitler to annihilate European Jewry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a clarification on his personal Facebook page Friday which stated that he had no intent to diminish the Fuhrer's responsibility for the genocide.

* No quick fix for instability as Turkey heads to polls, again As extremist violence and political uncertainty cast a shadow over Turkey, voters are looking for Sunday's parliamentary election to usher in stability.