* Giants meet to counter US power India, China and Russia account for 40 per cent of the world’s population, a fifth of its economy and more than half of its nuclear warheads.

* Abbas cancels Mecca Accord speech Less than a week after the signing of the Mecca “national unity” agreement, a new crisis is looming between Fatah and Hamas over the formation of a coalition government.

* Russia may leave arms reduction treaty A top Russian general said Thursday that Moscow may unilaterally opt out of a key Soviet-era arms reduction treaty with the United States that banned medium-range missiles, Russian news agencies reported.

* Turkey to send team to J’lem to inspect Mughrabi dig Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed to a Turkish inspection of the construction work at the Mughrabi ramp in Jerusalem’s Old City.

* Iran jets in long-range training Israel could be a target of recently reported Iranian air force drills aimed at giving jets long-range attack capabilities.

* Serbia rejects UN plan for Kosovo Serbia’s parliament has overwhelmingly rejected a United Nations proposal on the future status of Kosovo.

* Webcast for Jerusalem excavations The Israeli authorities have installed cameras to film excavation work being carried out near the Temple Mount or Haram Sharif in East Jerusalem.

* Radical Shia cleric ‘is in Iran’ Radical Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr is currently in Iran.

* U.S., Iraqi Forces Expand Operation U.S. and Iraqi forces expanded a security sweep to a southern Baghdad neighborhood Thursday, but suspected Sunni insurgents struck back with car bombs that killed four people.

* PA Planning New City Between Jericho and Ramallah A meeting took place this week in the Herzliya home of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Richard H. Jones.