* Friday prayers end relatively peacefully About 6,000 Muslim worshipers arrived at the Temple Mount at noon Friday, as police forces deployed by the thousands.

* Olmert: J’lem won’t cut ties with Abbas There is no need to cut off ties with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as a result of the Mecca agreement.

* Palestinian unity deal under way Palestinian PM Ismail Haniya has resigned his post and has been asked by President Mahmoud Abbas to form a new national unity government.

* Report: Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq hurt US and Iraqi forces pushed deeper Thursday into Sunni militant strongholds in Baghdad.

* Anglican leaders discuss U.S. church’s liberal stance on gays Anglican leaders were meeting on Friday after spending a day discussing a report that found the church’s American wing has taken steps to heal a rift.

* Unity government complicates peace efforts, says Rice The United States has informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that it may shun the imminent Fatah-Hamas unity government.

* Chad may face genocide, UN warns The violence in Chad could turn into a genocide similar to that in Rwanda in 1994, the UN refugee agency has warned.

* U.S. Attempts to Calm Down Russian Missile Defense Fears U.S. plans to deploy missile defence systems in Poland and the Czech Republic are in no way directed at Russian strategic forces, the State Department has said.

* Rice on Summit: Full Steam Ahead – More or Less U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will arrive in Israel on Saturday to hold preliminary discussions with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

* Violent protests in Kashmir over al-Aqsa dig Police fired teargas in Indian Kashmir’s main city on Friday to disperse hundreds of people protesting against Israeli excavations near Islam’s third holiest shrine in Jerusalem, police and witnesses said.