* Nasrallah ‘most admired’ Arab leader Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah is the most admired leader among the Arab public.

* Israeli critics question lopsided prisoner swap Critics of Israel’s lopsided prisoner exchange with Lebanese guerrillas said Wednesday that such deals only encourage more hostage-taking.

* Prisoners’ homecoming a triumph for Hezbollah Tens of thousands of people waving flags, lighting fireworks, smiling, laughing, and jostling for a view of Hezbollah’s leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, packed into an open square in this city’s southern suburb.

* Iran threatens President Bush Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a personal threat against American President George W. Bush.

* Roots of Inter-faith Animosity Run Deep An inter-faith conference opened in Madrid Wednesday hoping to find a solution that would end disputes between the world’s major religions.

* Russians remember murdered tsar Thousands of Russians have been taking part in events to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the assassination of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.

* Turkey urges dialogue on Iran standoff Turkey’s foreign minister encouraged dialogue to resolve the standoff over Teheran’s disputed nuclear program.

* UK ratifies the EU Lisbon Treaty The UK has officially ratified the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty.

* Pope Assails Moral Relativism Pope Benedict XVI laid out a modern agenda Thursday for the event that the Catholic Church is describing as the largest gathering of young people on the planet.

* US ‘to open Iran base in weeks’ The US has refused to deny reports that it will establish a US diplomatic presence in Iran in the next month.