* ‘Syria restarted its nuclear program’ A year after Israel allegedly bombed a partially constructed nuclear reactor deep in the heart of Syria, the nuclear aspirations of Syrian President Bashar Assad have not subsided.

* Egypt to host ‘Annapolis 2’ peace summit in November An international summit is to be held in Egypt in November, with representatives from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the members of the Quartet.

* Israel wants its own technology in F-35s Fearing that the United States will sell the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern states, the Defense Ministry is seeking American approval.

* Analysis: The Syrian Enigma Syria has been massing units of its special forces backed by tanks and helicopters along the Lebanese border for the better part of a week.

* Iraq: Government takes command of Sons of Iraq Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government took command Wednesday of thousands of US-backed mostly Sunni fighters who turned against al-Qaida.

* European summit on finance crisis A European financial summit to discuss the current global crisis will take place in Paris on Saturday, the French President’s office has announced.

* Manual outlines Muslim radicalization in European prisons Security officials from several European countries have developed a manual to help prison authorities prevent their jailhouses from becoming incubators for Muslim extremists.

* EU force to fight Somali pirates The European Union has agreed to establish an anti-piracy security operation off the coast of Somalia.

* Third Palestinian Uprising Possible A senior Palestinian politician and member of Fatah, the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization affiliated with the Palestinian Authority (PA) of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, has warned of the possibility of a third Palestinian uprising.

* US approves Indian nuclear deal The US Senate has approved a nuclear deal with India, ending a three-decade ban on US nuclear trade with Delhi.