* US urges Syria, Israel to show restraint As tension continues to rise between Damascus and Jerusalem, the United States is urging Syria and Israel to show restraint and return to the negotiations table.

* Iran: Moscow gave missile reassurance Russia has assured Iran that it still intends to deliver long-range air-defense missiles.

* Israel Reportedly Training Kurdish Forces According to recent media reports, Israeli military and intelligence agents are currently operating in Iraqi Kurdistan.

* Assad: Golan withdrawal before peace “(The Israelis) are like children fighting each other, messing with the country; they do not know what to do.”

* Bombings hit Iraq Shia pilgrims in Karbala Two suicide bombers have killed 27 people and injured dozens on the outskirts of the Iraqi city of Karbala.

* Assad sits comfortably on his throne The UN probe into the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri pointed at direct involvement of senior members of the Assad regime.

* World stocks hit by fears of debt crisis contagion World stocks tumbled again Friday as investors worried that the debt crisis enveloping Greece may spread to other vulnerable countries in Europe such as Portugal.

* Iran rocket puts mouse, turtle, worms into orbit Iran has reported another launch of an indigenous rocket into space.

* Romania to host new version of US missile shield Romania on Thursday announced it had agreed to the new US anti-missile defence shield envisaged by the Obama administration after scrapping initial plans in Poland and the Czech Republic.

* ‘Strike on Iran would not help Israel’ An Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program will neither completely stop Teheran’s nuclear march, nor bring down the ayatollahs’ regime.