* ‘Bin Laden’ recording calls for holy war over Gaza conflict A new audio message purportedly from the al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden, has called for all Muslims to launch a holy war to stop the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

* PM, Barak at odds over ending op Senior officials close to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed veiled criticism at Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday.

* Hamas agrees to ceasefire in Gaza Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza based on Egypt’s proposal.

* U.N. chief: ‘No time to lose’ in Mideast U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has once again called for an immediate halt to the fighting in Gaza.

* Rockets from Lebanon threaten 2nd front for Israel Guerrillas in Lebanon rocketed northern Israel on Wednesday for the second time in a week.

* Navy stops Iranian Gaza aid ship again The Navy intercepted an Iranian ship loaded with medicine, food and clothing destined for Gaza.

* Europe baffled by broken gas promises The bitter gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine descended into near-chaos.

* Arabs Squabble as Gaza Burns Nineteen days into a devastating Israeli onslaught of the Gaza Strip, which has killed almost 1,000 Palestinians and sparked angry protests across the region, Arab regimes continued to squabble.

* Report cites need for eurozone central regulator An Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report published Wednesday (14 January) cites the need for centralisation of financial regulation in the euro area.

* Erdogan publicly slams Israel – again Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday reiterated his harsh criticism against Israeli Operation Cast Lead.