* Barak: Time running out on Iran threat Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday that immediate diplomatic action must be taken on the Iranian nuclear program.

* Bibi against talks with a Hamas-PA gov’t Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to lobby Secretary of State Hillary Clinton next week.

* Palestinians relaunch unity talks Leaders of the rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah have opened reconciliation talks in a renewed effort to create a unity government.

* U.N.: 15,000 flee southern Darfur Fighting has prompted thousands of people in the southern part of Sudan’s Darfur region to seek security and shelter at a refugee camp in the northern part of the war-torn area.

* U.S. envoy, Netanyahu meet on peace efforts The special U.S. envoy tasked with jump-starting flagging peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians huddled Thursday with designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

* EU trio proposing more sanctions for Iran Three EU members proposed tougher sanctions against Iran to possibly aid the United States in its expected engagement with Iran.

* ‘Reactor highlights world’s failure’ The activation of the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran demonstrates the international community’s failure to stop the Islamic republic.

* US military weaning Iraq’s army from support There was the time the Iraqis spent millions of dollars on ammunition from Romania, only to discover that it was defective or didn’t fit their U.S.- or Russian-made weapons.

* The Iran-Israel nuclear endgame is now much closer In recent days, four key developments have clicked in to edge Iran and Israel much closer to a military denouement with profound consequences for American oil that the nation is not prepared to meet.

* Financial crisis threatens east-west divide in EU Eastern European member states’ fears that they will be left behind by richer EU members in the economic crisis are growing.