* Peres wishes world merry Christmas, year of peace President Shimon Peres on Thursday wished the Christian world a merry Christmas and a peaceful new year, as religious leaders ushered in holiday celebrations in the Holy Land.

* Anti-Freeze Action Plan Released Grassroots organizations in Yesha (Judea and Samaria), together with the National Union faction in the Knesset, have published a rough draft of a plan to actively fight the construction freeze.

* Significant Quantities of Oil Discovered in Center of Israel An everlasting hope of finding significant amounts of oil in Israel may have been realized with the announcement Thursday that “significant quantities” of oil were found in a well in the area of Rosh HaAyin, a city located east of Tel Aviv on the western edge of Samaria.

* INTERVIEW-Hamas armed wing says ready for new fight Hamas declares right to use “any weapon” against Israel

* Israel teenagers pledge ‘no settlement evacuation’ About 200 Israeli teenagers have pledged to disobey any orders to evacuate Jewish settlements during their military service.

* Iran says to launch new satellite early next year Defense Minister Vahidi says launch of ‘Sunrise’ sattelites will mark a ‘big step for continued presence of Iran in space’

* Russia to work on new nuclear missiles: Medvedev Russia will work on a new generation of atomic weapons to strengthen its nuclear deterrent, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday, just hours after Moscow test-fired one of its most feared missiles.

* Pakistan Christians celebrate Christmas in fear No Christmas decorations brighten the tent camp sheltering Christians left homeless by the worst violence against minorities in Pakistan this year.

* Bethlehem ready for Christmas A 10m high pine tree stands decorated with Christmas ornaments outside Casa Nova coffee shop on Manger Square in the biblical West Bank city of Bethlehem.

* Deaths in Yemen raid on al-Qaeda At least 30 suspected al-Qaeda fighters have been killed in a dawn air raid by Yemeni forces in the eastern Yemeni province of Shabwa.