* Monitors denounce Russia election Foreign observers have said that Russia’s parliamentary election, won by President Vladimir Putin’s party, was “not fair”.

* Olmert Sets Free 429 Convicted Arab Terrorists For the third time in less than five months, the Olmert government has released convicted Arab terrorists from Israeli prison in “goodwill” gestures to PA chief Abbas.

* Expert: Major quake will cause enormous damage ‘Israel isn’t prepared for a earthquake because government not implementing its own decisions.’

* Iran says ties with Syria rock solid Iran’s adversaries cannot harm the strong ties between Tehran and Damascus, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday, a week after Iran appeared to chide Syria for its decision to take part in a Mideast summit in the United States.

* PM says high Arab turnout made Annapolis a success Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a Kadima faction meeting Monday that he considered last week’s Annapolis peace summit to be a success, citing the high turnout from Arab states.

* Lebanon leaders back army chief Lebanon’s parliamentary majority has backed a compromise candidate for president, raising hopes of an end to months of tense political deadlock.

* Ahmadinejad arrives for Gulf summit Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has joined Gulf leaders for a two-day summit in Doha, the Qatari capital.

* Chavez loses constitutional vote Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said Monday he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state.

* Egypt relaxes its Gaza border for haj Egypt opened its border with Gaza on Monday to let in hundreds of Palestinian pilgrims headed for Saudi Arabia – the first time Palestinians have been allowed to cross directly into Egypt since Hamas seized control of Gaza in June.

* Sudan frees Briton in teddy row A British teacher in Sudan jailed over the naming of a teddy bear has been released from police custody, the British Embassy in Khartoum said, several hours after Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir pardoned her.