* Gates placates Israel on Saudi arms sale US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday tried to ease Israeli concerns about a planned American weapons sale to Arab allies in the Gulf.

* Sudan responds defiantly to threat of new sanctions Sudan has dismissed as unjustifiable the threat of slapping new sanctions because of the Darfur conflict, vowing to do everything it can to protect what it sees as its national security.

* Abdullah: Unilateralism is failed policy Jordan’s King Abdullah presented the Arab peace initiative to Acting President and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik.

* Moscow foreign students told to stay in as racist attacks rise over Hitler’s birthday Russia’s most prestigious medical institute has told its foreign students to stay indoors for three days because of fears they may be attacked by skinheads celebrating Adolf Hitler’s birthday.

* U.S. boosts security in Germany The US Embassy in Germany said on Friday it was increasing security at its facilities in the country in response to a heightened threat situation.

* Strong Quake Strikes Japan; No Tsunamis Detected A series of strong earthquakes rattled southwestern Japan on Friday, prompting the government to warn of a possible tsunami that ultimately never came.

* E.U. Ministers Agree on Rules Against Hate Crimes, Racism European Union officials agreed Thursday to new regulations for combating hate crimes and racism at a time when xenophobia and concern over immigration have been increasing across the 27-country bloc.

* Iran, EU to meet on nuclear stand-off Iran’s top negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will meet on Wednesday for talks on Tehran’s disputed nuclear activity.

* Christians in Turkey fear more attacks The slayings of three Christians in this eastern town highlight Turkey’s uneasy relationship with its minorities, and Christians expressed fear Thursday that growing nationalism and intolerance could lead to more violence against them.

* Nuclear terror: How likely is it? How likely is it that terrorists will some day be successful at detonating a nuclear device in a major American city?