* Taliban vow to fight US troop surge in Afghanistan The Taliban say they will step up their fight in Afghanistan, after pledges by the US and its allies to send large reinforcements to the country.

* EU trying to ‘provoke’ Israeli government, analyst says EU plans to call for East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state have been described as a “provocation” of Israel’s right-wing government by a key figure in the history of the Middle East Peace Process.

* Mayor Arrested, Police Violence in Freeze Clashes More clashes and violence were the order of the day between construction freeze inspectors and residents in Jewish towns on Wednesday.

* Ahmadinejad says UN sanctions on Iran will not work Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said international sanctions against his country will not work.

* Allies use Obama’s Afghan plan as rallying cry U.S. President Barack Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan earned strong support among global allies with leaders of NATO countries using it as a rallying cry against flagging support for the drawn-out conflict.

* New Chief Takes Charge at the U.N. Nuclear Agency A new top inspector took charge Tuesday of the International Atomic Energy Agency as it faces one of the most turbulent periods in its 52-year history.

* Rivlin insists Jerusalem will never be divided despite EU plan Knesset members from across the political spectrum condemned a plan by the European Union that was reported on Tuesday to unilaterally declare Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.

* North Caucasus group in Russia train bomb web claim A North Caucasus Islamist group has claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed 26 people on a Moscow-to-St Petersburg train.

* Luxembourg leader set to extend euro zone reign Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, looks set to receive a fresh mandate under Lisbon Treaty rules as head of the 16-nation group that shares the euro currency.

* European Union Treaty to Make EU More Powerful The European Union’s Lisbon Treaty has come into force with the aim of streamlining EU decision-making.