* ‘Roadmap’ focus of Mid-East talks Israeli and Palestinian officials are to meet President Bush’s envoy in the first trilateral meeting since peace talks were relaunched last year.

* Aksa Brigades tell Abbas to fire Fayad, band with Hamas Fatah’s armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday to fire Prime Minister Salaam Fayad.

* Iranians vote in general election Voting has begun in Iran’s elections, with conservatives expected to win after opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were barred from running.

* ‘Worldwide anti-Semitism on the rise’ Worldwide anti-Semitism has increased over the last decade.

* EU leaders agree to weakened Mediterranean Union plan EU leaders on Thursday (13 March) approved a watered-down version of a plan put forward by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

* Beirut PM invited to Syria summit Syria has invited the prime minister of Lebanon to an Arab summit in March, in the absence of a Lebanese president.

* Vatican official: New sins on horizon Fifteen hundred years after the Roman Catholic Church introduced the original list of seven deadly sins, a Vatican official last week suggested an updated roster.

* Gates Predicts Big Technological Leaps Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates said Thursday he expects the next decade to bring even greater technological leaps than the past 10 years.

* Archbishop kidnapped in Mosul is found dead The body of the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul was discovered Thursday in an area south of the city.

* Attack aimed at killing senior rabbi The terrorist who carried out the attack at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem last week was sent to assassinate one of the yeshiva rabbis.