* Independence 1948 As the Sabbath noon of May 15, 1948 turned to afternoon, and afternoon into evening, the mood in downtown Jerusalem grew from excitement to tumult.

* Gay marriage evil, abortion terrorism: Vatican The Vatican’s second-highest ranking doctrinal official on Monday forcefully branded homosexual marriage an evil and denounced abortion and euthanasia as forms of “terrorism with a human face.”

* Probing the Declaration of Independence’s preparation For Prof. Yoram Shachar, Independence Day 5767 will be different than those that came before. Twenty-five years of research and painstaking labor have borne fruit, yielding an archive of original documents.

* Ahmadinejad offers to have direct talks with Bush President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday proposed holding talks with U.S. President George W. Bush.

* Independence Day marked at Homesh The first group of activists arrived at the ruins of the former settlement of Homesh early Tuesday morning.

* US gives Sudan Darfur ‘ultimatum’ The US has said it expects Sudan to prove its commitment to allowing a strengthened UN peacekeeping force into Darfur within a matter of weeks.

* The Independence Day that changed all others Of all the Independence Days in the 59 years of the State of Israel, the 19th Yom Ha’atzma’ut is seen by many as one of the most significant.

* US increases pressure on Syria The United States has imposed sanctions on 14 foreign people, companies and government agencies, including the Syrian navy and air force.

* IDF: Hamas attempt to kidnap soldiers foiled IDF sources stated on Tuesday that they had prevented an attempt by Hamas to kidnap an Israeli soldier.

* Tributes flow for flamboyant Yeltsin Former Russian president Boris Yeltsin has been remembered for his success as the man who dismantled the Soviet Union as well as for his failings in office.