* Arab Regimes Fear Ramadan will Be Month of Violence Authorities in Syria fear the nightly prayers during Ramadan will transform every day into Friday.

* EU to toughen sanctions after Syria bloodbath The EU is likely to toughen sanctions against the Syrian regime after some 100 people were reportedly killed in the city of Hama when government tanks stormed in.

* Iraq dusts off F-16s order Even as ground insurgency grows, Baghdad aims to buy 36 aircraft to protect its skies.

* China blames Muslim extremists for attack in Xinjiang China said that Islamic militants had mounted an attack that left 11 people dead in the restive western region of Xinjiang, which announced a crackdown on “illegal” religious activities at the start of the Muslim fasting month.

* Facebook: No Problem With Holocaust Denial Pages Holocaust denial “fan pages” abound on Facebook – and that’s OK with the social networking site’s administrators

* Mullen focuses on Afghanistan-Pakistan border havens The top US military officer has said the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan is still the world’s most dangerous area, calling it the epicentre of terrorism.

* Iraq More Dangerous, Iran Suspect Iraq has grown more dangerous over the past year as Shiite violence soars, US official reveals.

* Palestinians set date for mass demonstrations Palestinian officials say they plan to begin mass marches against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank on September 20, the eve of a largely symbolic UN vote expected to recognize their independence.

* Egypt troops clash with activists in Tahrir Square Egyptian troops clashed Monday with a small group of protesters camping out in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to press demands for faster change and justice for demonstrators killed in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.