Category Archives: Top 10 News Stories

03/24/12

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* Hosting Arab leaders, Iraq tries to return to fold A summit of Arab leaders, held here for the first time in a generation, is a prime opportunity for Iraq to reassert itself as a political player in the Arab world.

* ‘Iran planned to bomb Israeli ship in Suez Canal’ Iran was planning to bomb an Israeli ship while it crossed the Suez Canal.

* Jordan: Hundreds Protest ‘Procrastination’ on Reform Hundreds of Jordanians demonstrated on Friday against what they charged was ÒprocrastinationÓ on reform in the country.

* Holocaust Memorial Vandalized in Ukraine A Jewish group said on Friday that a Holocaust memorial has been vandalized in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

* Israel Warns Neighbors Over March to Jerusalem As activists are planning to lead a Global March to Jerusalem next Friday, Israel has warned neighboring countries that it would forcefully respond to attempted breaches of its borders.

* Turkey blames Syria for supporting Kurdish rebels, inches closer to military action Will the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) drag Turkey into a war in Syria?

* African Union launches US-backed force to hunt Kony Following viral video, US, AU put together 5,000-strong military force to hunt down fugitive warlord Joseph Kony.

* ISS crew take to escape capsules in space junk alert The crew of the International Space Station (ISS) briefly took refuge in escape capsules as a piece of space junk drifted nearby.

* Pope Benedict: communism no longer working in Cuba Pope Benedict XVI, flying to Cuba for a historic visit, has said that Marxism was out of place in the contemporary world and urged Cubans to find “new models”.

* Annan takes Syria peace plan to Russia Syrian peace envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Moscow on Saturday to gauge how far Russia was willing to push its Arab ally.

03/23/12

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* Yaalon: Iran World’s Number One Threat Vice Premier and Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Yaalon said Thursday that Iran’s nuclear program is the leading global security threat.

* Toulouse Terrorist Not Alone: Extreme Islam Threatens Europe Mohammad Merah, the terrorist who murdered seven people in Toulouse, France, including four Jews, was killed following a standoff on Thursday.

* French Police Detain Toulouse Killer’s Family French police on Friday extended the remand the mother and brother of the self-proclaimed al-Qaeda terrorist who killed seven people in France before being shot dead at the end of a 32-hour standoff with police.

* Syrian activists: Clashes near Turkish border Syrian government forces fired machine guns and mortars Friday.

* Tunisia’s Secular Opposition Uniting Against Islamists Five months after an Islamist-led coalition came to power in Tunisia, the country’s fractious opposition is working to unite and fight for a secular state.

* EU countries to reduce dependence on US military European defence ministers endorsed plans on Thursday (22 March) to develop air-to-air refuelling capabilities and field hospitals in a bid to reduce military costs.

* Merkel: Eurozone crisis not over yet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday (21 March) said the eurozone crisis is “not over” yet.

* In Egypt, a cellphone is a wireless lifeline Post-revolution chaos, wandering youth spur families to stretch budgets to stay in touch.

* ‘Iran may activate US Hezbollah cells after strike’ A congressional report finds that Hezbollah fundraising cells are rampant across the United States.

* Summit lockdown frustrates Baghdad residents Hosting an Arab summit may be Iraq’s way of opening up after years of conflict, but Baghdad residents have been left smarting as swathes of the city have been largely shut down for it to do so.

03/22/12

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* A first look at world’s future battleground Unmanned boats, cars and tanks and small remote-control operated aircraft are just some of the new developments presented at this week’s AUVSI conference.

* Barak: Israel, US Disagree on Iran Timetable Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Israel and the US disagree on what would be a realistic timetable for stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

* French killings suspect dies shooting at police, authorities say The French police siege to capture a suspected al Qaeda-trained militant came to a bloody end Thursday.

* Islamists seek influence in Syria uprising The gunmen in eastern Syria, wielding grenade launchers and assault rifles, announced on the Internet they were forming the “God is Great” Brigade.

* ‘Anti-Semitic notions’ on rise among French, other Europeans The French have grown more likely to believe that Jews hold too much power in business or world finance.

* Egypt struggles for spy satellite program progress Since Egyptian technicians lost touch two years ago with an observation satellite they hoped would help carry the country into the “space club,” the country has struggled to make progress in gaining intelligence satellite capabilities.

* Effective World Government Will Be Needed to Stave Off Climate Catastrophe Almost six years ago, I was the editor of a single-topic issue on energy for Scientific American that included an article by Princeton University’s Robert Socolow that set out a well-reasoned plan for how to keep atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations below a planet-livable threshold of 560 ppm.

* Clashes rage across Syria despite UN statement Syrian troops shelled and raided opposition areas and clashed with rebel fighters around the country Thursday.

* Zawahiri to Afghans: Rise Against ‘Crusader Swine’ Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri urged Afghans to rise up against “Crusader swine” in an audio message on Wednesday.

* Oil Prices at $200 a Barrel? Some Think It’s Coming Signs that crude futures may hit much higher levels are converging, say oil traders and analysts.

03/21/12

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* French police surround suspect in Jewish school shooting Some 300 police officers surround suspect’s building in preparation to storm his apartment.

* Barak: Israel will decide its own fate over Iran Israel will decide its own fate with regards to Iran, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

* Al-Qaida claims responsibility for Iraq attacks Al-Qaida’s front group in Iraq claimed responsibility Wednesday for a wave of attacks that killed 46 people across the country this week.

* Ashton faces wrath of Israel over Toulouse-Gaza remark Just about every top politician in Israel has in the past 24 hours attacked EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton for her remarks about killing of Jewish and Palestinian children.

* Egypt’s Brotherhood may bid for president The Muslim Brotherhood might make a policy U-turn and contest May’s presidential election.

* Israel purchases sixth submarine from Germany Defense Minister Ehud Barak signed a contract for the purchase of a sixth submarine for Israel’s navy on Wednesday.

* Fayyad: Palestinian Cause Does Not Justify Terror Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad said Wednesday that extremists must stop using “the Palestinian cause” as a justification for terror.

* New Film Presents Israelis from Pioneers to Entreprenuers Israel will celebrate its 64th Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut) on April 26.

* Russia out to maintain clout, improve image on Syria Russia’s sharper tone toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is calculated to improve Moscow’s image.

* Security Council Makes Toothless Show on Syria The UN Security Council on Wednesday called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to immediately implement proposals by international envoy Kofi Annan.

03/20/12

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* 50 dead in Iraq attacks ahead of Arab summit A wave of attacks killed 50 people in more than a dozen Iraqi cities on Tuesday.

* Nato commander: EU could not do Libya without US Last year’s Nato operation in Libya, code named Unified Protector, is unlikely to have succeeded without US military support.

* Russian Anti-Terror Troops Arrive in Syria A Russian military unit has arrived in Syria, according to Russian news reports.

* ‘Syrian troops threw civilians from rooftops’ Rebels battled government forces in Damascus on Monday, in the most violent clashes Syria’s capital has seen since the start of the year-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

* Pentagon Fears ‘Regional War’ Pentagon war games predict an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites may quickly spiral out of control and result in a large regional war.

* Russia Fears ‘Nuclear Arms Race’ Russia warned Tuesday that Iran would have no option but to develop nuclear weapons if it came under attack from either the United States or Israel.

* Anti-Semitism in Europe on the rise, ADL poll finds Anti-Semitic attitudes in ten European countries remain at “disturbingly high levels,”.

* ‘Paralysis warfare’: China’s cyber focus is to cripple U.S. infrastructure China’s cyber warfare capabilities have become sophisticated enough to easily cripple key elements of the U.S. national defense infrastructure.

* Germany warns Israel against attack on Iran Germany said on Tuesday it will sell Israel a sixth military submarine and shoulder part of the cost.

* ‘Less focus on Israel expected at nuclear summit’ Israel is less concerned than it was two years ago that the Arab world will pounce on it over its reported nuclear capabilities.

03/19/12

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* Israeli official: Iranian military experts operating in Gaza, Sinai Iran pressured Islamic Jihad and popular resistance groups in Gaza to continue firing rockets into Israel despite cease-fire, says high-ranking Jerusalem official.

* Barak Warns Iran Nuclear Program Soon to be Strike-Proof Iran’s nuclear program will soon be strike-proof, according to Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

* Iraqis demand better services on war anniversary Followers of the anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Monday demanded better living conditions in Iraq on the ninth anniversary of the US-led invasion of their country.

* An Iraq-style civil war seems to be taking off in Syria Both the Syrian government and the Free Syrian Army deny responsibility for a spate of recent bombing attacks, and indeed, a third option exists.

* Syria training Hezbollah to use antiaircraft guns IDF officers believe that Hezbollah use of advanced antiaircraft missiles could jeopardize Israeli aerial supremacy.

* Jews around world under growing terror threat Former Counterterrorism Bureau chief tells ‘Post’ that jihadist organizations seeking to attack Israeli, Jewish targets overseas.

* Russia fuels Syrian arms increase of 580% SIPRI report notes that Russia supplied 78% of Syria’s arms imports in 2007–11, arms sales stayed strong in Middle East.

* In China, millions make themselves at home in caves Some are basic, others beautiful, with high ceilings and nice yards. ‘Life is easy and comfortable here,’ one cave dweller says.

* Defiant North Korea says rocket launch to go ahead North Korea on Sunday rejected criticism of its planned long-range missile launch which threatens to upset its only major benefactor, China, and put relations with the United States back in the freezer just as they seemed to be starting to thaw.

* This WEEK in the European Union The Union’s next seven-year budget, new tax laws, Palestinian refugees, Belarus and Syria stand out on next week’s EU agenda.

03/17/12

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* Iran: Israel ‘a barking dog’ that will not dare attack Islamic Republic over nuclear program Iran’s parliamentary speaker has called Israel a “barking dog” that won’t dare attack the Islamic republic over its controversial nuclear program.

* Annan: Syrians ‘want to get on with their lives’ The U.N. point man on Syria said Friday that he’s working hard to stop the yearlong violence there and “get unimpeded access” for humanitarian relief.

* North Korean Missile May Explode Food Deal The United States on Friday denounced North Korean’s plan to launch a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit next month as “highly provocative.”

* ‘Deadly blasts’ shake Syrian capital Damascus At least 27 people have been killed and 97 wounded in two explosions in the Syrian capital Damascus, officials say.

* The bin Laden plot to kill President Obama Before his death, Osama bin Laden boldly commanded his network to organize special cells in Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack the aircraft of President Obama and Gen. David H. Petraeus.

* Uganda to head new military force to hunt for Kony Uganda will head a new four-nation military force to capture Joseph Kony.

* Bin Laden urged cronies to stress Palestinian cause Osama bin Laden chided terrorists in his network for not making the Palestinian cause a primary issue.

* Saudi Grand Mufti: ‘Destroy All Churches’ The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah declared, last Monday, that it is “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.”

* Hamas Angry at Adidas Over Jerusalem Marathon As more than 15,000 runners from 50 countries prepared for the Jerusalem Marathon which was held on Friday, Hamas was busy organizing a protest against it.

* Tauran: Christians under attack According to the Vatican, more than half of Iraq’s Christians have left the country since the US-led invasion in 2003.

03/16/12

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* Panel: J’lem of incidental importance in Islam Jerusalem is of incidental significance to Islam, its importance varying through history according to political circumstances.

* Netanyahu says Israel won’t need U.S. OK to hit Iran Israeli aircraft and Gaza rocket squads traded strikes across the border on Thursday.

* Iran Behind ‘Global March to Jerusalem’, Say Experts Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center presents proof that Iran is behind the Global March to Jerusalem on March 30.

* Syria activists urge intervention as Annan briefs powers Activists called for rallies across Syria on Friday to demand “immediate military intervention”.

* Iraq lets Iran fly arms to Syria despite U.S. protests The Iraqi government has refused U.S. requests to stop Iranian cargo flights to Syria.

* China, Russia still arming Sudan for attacks on Darfour China and Russia remain the largest military suppliers to Sudan and have been fueling the war with the newly-established South Sudan.

* Baghdad marketplace oasis holds ‘Iraq of dreams’ After a recent wave of attacks in Baghdad, urbane intellectuals sought refuge.

* Gulf Arab states close embassies in Syria Four members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)- the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait- closed their embassies in Syria.

* Dutch public TV pulls ‘anti-Semitic’ game from site Dutch public broadcasting network VPRO removed a game decried by human rights groups as anti-Semitic from its website on Wednesday.

* U.K’s Cameron: No justification for Israeli attack on Iran There is no current justification for an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said.

03/15/12

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* Panetta Seeks to Defuse Afghan Tensions US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Wednesday sought to defuse tensions in Afghanistan in the wake of a Quran burning and the killing of 16 civilians by an American soldier.

* Saudi loses student visa over ‘indicators’ of security issues: He threatened to blow up White House A Saudi national has lost his student visa to the U.S. after triggering “several indicators of national security concerns”.

* Plotting against Iranian nuke sites The first indication that Israel has resorted to military action against Iran’s nuclear program would be explosions across the Islamic republic.

* Netanyahu is preparing Israeli public opinion for a war on Iran Since his return from Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has mainly been preoccupied with one thing: Preparing public opinion for war against Iran.

* FM: If Iran gets nukes it will destabilize Mideast Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Thursday said that if Iran gets nuclear weapons it will destabilize the region.

* Obama: Window for diplomacy in Iran shrinking US President Barack Obama warned Wednesday that the window to resolve the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically was shrinking.

* EU report notes huge increase in Jewish settler attacks EU countries’ ambassadors in Ramallah have said Israeli authorities are not doing enough to stop a massive increase in attacks by Jewish extremists against Palestinians.

* Karzai calls for NATO to leave villages; Taliban scrap talks Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai called for NATO troops to leave Afghan villages.

* Fatah-Hamas Unity? Not This Year Fatah officials on Wednesday admitted they do not expect Hamas leaders in Gaza to follow through on its end of the Cairo reconciliation deal “anytime soon.”

* Eyesight ‘clue’ to mental decline Looking at the back of the eye may offer an insight into the health of someone’s brain, according to the US researchers.

03/14/12

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* Netanyahu says ‘Gaza is Iran’ Iran is the primary actor responsible for escalations in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said.

* Russia Asked to Warn Iran of ‘Last Chance’ The United States has asked Russia to warn Iran that negotiations slated for April are a last chance to avoid military strikes against its nuclear program.

* More Americans than Israelis support Iran strike A series of recent polls has shown that more Americans than Israelis support an Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

* Antiquities Authority Rips Netanyahu over Temple Mount The Knesset’s Education Committee discussed Tuesday the ongoing damage to the Temple Mount caused by Muslims.

* Israel Strikes Oil Off Tel Aviv Coast Israel has struck oil again, this time off the Tel Aviv coast. Developers maintain the find includes 100 million barrels of oil, worth $10 billion.

* Israelis warned: Terror threat in Turkey Counter terrorism bureau says terrorists intending to attack Israeli, Jewish targets in Turkey in coming days.

* Moscow Refuses to Stop Arms Sales to Syria Russia on Tuesday adamantly rejected calls it stop arming Damascus irrespective of emerging reports of war crimes by forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

* Russia: we’re happy to sell arms to Assad Russia insisted yesterday that it would not halt arms shipments to Syria.

* China central banker: EU is our biggest uncertainty In a sign of growing confidence on the global stage, China on Monday (12 March) singled out Europe as the “biggest uncertainty” for the future of its economy.

* Syrian army intensifies attacks on eve of anniversary The U.N.-Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan, said he had received a reply from Damascus to peace proposals that he had laid out at the weekend.