Category Archives: Top 10 News Stories

01/24/12

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* PM: World silent while Iran, Hezbollah threaten to destroy Israel “Seventy years have passed since the Holocaust, and many around the world still remain silent in the face of Iran’s threats to wipe Israel off the map.

* German report: 20% of Germans are anti-Semitic The German government released on Monday the findings of a two year inquiry into modern anti-Semitism in the Federal Republic, showing that latent anti-Semitism affects one of every five Germans.

* Israel to UN: Tomorrow will be too late for action against Iran “The Arab world is in flames and the Security Council is dealing with construction permits in Judea and Samaria.

* Security Council Remains Unfavorable to PA Statehood Bid US diplomats on Monday repeated their position that a solution to the Arab-Israeli crisis would only come through direct talks saying the Security Council makeup remained unfavorable to the Palestinian Authorities.

* Gaddafi supporters seize control of Libyan town Fighters loyal to Libya’s overthrown leader Muammar Gaddafi took control of a town south-east of the capital on Monday.

* Iranian Currency Crashes 80 Percent in One Month The Iranian “rial” currency sank again Monday after the European Union slapped sanctions on oil imports.

* IMF: Global economy ‘in danger zone’ over euro crisis The world’s economy is “deeply into the danger zone” because of risks from the eurozone, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

* Huge Solar Eruption Sparks Strongest Radiation Storm in 7 Years A powerful solar eruption is expected to blast a stream of charged particles toward Earth tomorrow.

* Gulf Arab states to pull observers from Syria Gulf Arab states have announced that they are withdrawing from the Arab League’s observer mission in Syria.

* Egypt parliament chooses Brotherhood speaker Egypt’s Islamist-led parliament voted to appoint a top politician in the Muslim Brotherhood as the new assembly’s speaker.

01/23/12

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* US carrier enters Gulf after Iran tones down threats USS Abraham Lincoln is the first US carrier in Gulf since December.
* European Union agrees on Iran oil embargo European Union nations have agreed on an oil embargo against Iran as part of sanctions over its nuclear program.
* PA Mufti Denies He Called to Kill Jews The PA’s principal religious leader denies he called for genocide of Jews, claims “sentences were cut from my speech.”
* Christians in Iran, Syria face rising persecution Iranian pastor Nardakhani refuses to renounce Christian beliefs in exchange for release from prison.
* Iraq risks slipping into authoritarianism Human Rights Watch report says Iraqi authorities are suppressing freedoms, abusing anti-gov’t protesters, using secret prisons.
* PM: Probe Jerusalem mufti who encouraged killing of Jews Netanyahu urges attorney general to order investigation against Palestinians’ top Muslim cleric who cited hadith calling for religious battle against Jews.
* Republicans Downplay “One Israel” Resolution The Republican party has downplayed a national committee resolution that implicitly backs Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
* Clinton, Peres speak in virtual peace conference Dignitaries speak in “Yala Young Leader’s Conference for Peace” conference on Facebook.
* Russia to deliver combat jets to Syria $550-million deal envisages delivery of 36 Yak-130 aircraft.
* Egypt parliament holds first session since revolution Islamist MPs took centre stage on Monday as Egypt’s parliament met for the first time since a popular uprising ousted Hosni Mubarak, while their supporters massed outside to cheer the historic event.

01/21/12

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* Official results: Egypt’s Islamists dominate new parliament The Muslim Brotherhood won by far the biggest share of seats allocated to party lists in Egypt’s first freely-elected parliament in decades.

* US army chief: Won’t let Holocaust happen again Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey visited Friday the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem.

* Iran: US presence in Gulf ‘not new issue’ Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday it considered the deployment of US warships to the Gulf part of their routine activity.

* Nigeria violence: Scores dead after Kano blasts Hospitals and mortuaries are struggling to deal with the numbers of killed and injured still arriving.

* Libyan Islamists rally to demand sharia-based law Hundreds of Libyan Islamists rallied on Friday to demand that Muslim sharia law inspire legislation in what organizers called a response to the emergence of secular political parties.

* ‘Italy to help Libya protect borders, oil’ Italy will help Libyan authorities protect the North African country’s borders and oil facilities.

* Turkey intercepts material for missiles, chemical weapons on Iranian trucks Material for manufacturing missiles and chemical weapons has been discovered by the Turkish authorities on Iranian trucks heading to Turkey.

* Israeli ‘to-do’ app voted best app of 2011 Ever feel frustrated over the way you organize your to-do’s? Tangled in a web of post-it stickers hung around your office? There might be some hope yet.

* U.S. military can no longer rely on Turkey for regional ops The U.S. military maintains only limited access to facilities in Turkey.

* US threatens to close Damascus embassy soon The United States warned on Friday that it may soon close its embassy in Syria due to the worsening security situation.

01/20/12

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* US military chief holds talks in Israel on Iran The U.S. military’s top general conducted an intense string of closed-door talks with Israeli leaders Friday.

* Hamas urges end to Israel-Palestinian talks after West Bank arrests The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas urged President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday to suspend exploratory peace talks with Israel.

* France’s Sarkozy: Military strike on Iran would trigger Middle East war French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned against any military intervention against Iran over its nuclear program.

* Arab World: Qatar, Midwife of the new Arab world Qatar’s Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani this week called for the deployment of Arab troops in Syria.

* Obama plan seen ending U.S. military edge in space The Obama administration is launching a new space arms-control initiative that critics say will lead to restrictions on U.S. military activities in space.

* Syria on the brink? Russia upgrades major port at Tartous to accommodate aircraft carriers Russia, defying a revolt against the regime of President Bashar Assad, plans to modernize a major naval facility in Syria.

* Minister: Israel is an Internet Superpower Israel’s top public relations official, on Thursday, told Israelis not to worry about the Arab-Israeli Hacker War that has erupted in recent weeks.

* Israeli Ambassador Flies Back to Tel Aviv Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Yaakov Amitai has quietly left Cairo.

* Future EU bail-outs only for treaty signatories, new draft says The latest version of the treaty on EU fiscal discipline says countries cannot get bail-outs unless they sign and apply the pact.

* Iran calls for Israel to be ‘punished’ for scientist An ally of Iran’s supreme leader called on Friday for Israel to be “punished” for its alleged role in killing an Iranian nuclear scientist last week.

01/19/12

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* PM: Iran already decided to become a nuclear state Iran has already decided to become a nuclear state.

* Iran Threatens U.S., Persian Gulf Cities with Missile Attacks Iran might pound Persian Gulf cities with ballistic missiles and use swift boats to attack American war ships.

* Panetta: U.S. military fully prepared to deal with Iran threat The U.S. military is fully prepared to deal with any threats by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.

* IDF Paratroopers Renew Brigade Jumps, Ground Attack in Drill This week, the IDF held its first parachuted brigade training exercise in 15 years.

* Israeli Hacker Groups Raise Cyberwar Stakes Several days after a hack attack by Saudi and other Arab hackers against the web sites of El Al and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Israel’s “IDF-Team” hacker group struck back against web sites of large banks in the United Arab Emirates, and in Gaza.

* ‘Muslim Brotherhood site rife with anti-Semitism’ The Arabic website of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is rife with anti- Semitic and anti-Israel content.

* Lebanese Army Warns Hizbullah: Disarm Before Assad Falls Lebanese Army leader Samir Geagea warned the Hizbullah terrorist organization this week that it is better to make a “historic” deal to disarm before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is toppled from power.

* Dangerous abortions ‘on the rise’, says WHO A rising proportion of abortions worldwide are putting women’s health at risk, researchers say.

* Russia: EU and US want war with Syria Russia has accused Nato countries of trying to start a war with Syria and foment revolution in Iran.

* Worries grow over Syria chemical weapons arsenal As the days of Syrian President Bashar Assad increasingly look numbered, concerns are mounting that the regime’s vast stockpile of chemical weapons might fall into the hands of terrorists by accident or by plan.

01/18/12

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* European envoys: Blacklist Israeli settlers The heads of European Union delegations to the Palestinian Authority have drafted a document with harsh recommendations meant to strengthen the PA’s control over east Jerusalem.

* IDF holds first brigade-level parachute jump in 15 years In preparation for future conflicts far from Israel, the IDF Paratroopers Brigade held a brigade-level parachute jump late Tuesday night.

* Thousands in Jerusalem protest racism against Ethiopian Israelis Some 5,000 people were demonstrating in Jerusalem on Wednesday in protest of the racism against Ethiopian immigrants in Israel.

* Russia defends mystery Syria shipment Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday defended Russia’s trade with Syria.

* Iran oil, gold and banks on EU hitlist An oil embargo from 1 July, a partial ban on the central bank and a prohibition on trade in gold and gems are among the latest EU ideas on how to stop Iran building nuclear bombs.

* Did Israel postpone joint drill with US? The postponement of a major US-Israel drill planned for the coming weeks was initiated by Jerusalem.

* Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal to Step Down Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal will step down this year when the group’s elections take place.

* Israel Chastises Britain for ‘Obstacle to Peace’ British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s charge that settlements are “deliberate vandalism” creates an obstacle to peace.

* Sopa: Sites go dark as part of anti-piracy law protests Thousands of internet sites are taking part in a “blackout” protest against anti-piracy laws being discussed by US lawmakers.

* Parliament worried new treaty divides Europe As negotiations on a new inter-governmental agreement on fiscal discipline reach the final stage, MEPs have warned that it risks dividing Europe and widening the democratic gap.

01/17/12

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* Presidential Candidate: Egypt Won’t Cancel Peace with Israel Egyptian presidential hopeful Amr Moussa rejects the idea that Egypt will cancel the peace treaty it signed with Israel in 1979.

* IDF official: Nuclear Iran will limit Israel’s ability to protect its borders A nuclear-armed Iran could deter Israel from going to war against Tehran’s guerrilla allies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

* Syrian ‘chemical, biological’ weapons concern Israel Israel has serious concerns about what will happen to “huge stockpiles” of chemical and biological weapons in Syria when the Assad regime collapses.

* British Students Assault Jew in ‘Nazi Game’ Students from the prestige London School of Economics recently assaulted a Jew who objected to a Nazi ‘Ring of Fire’ card game.

* Anti-Israel Hackers Hit Yesha and Azerbaijan Hackers claiming to be from Kurdistan or Iraq invaded the websites of the community of Shiloh in Samaria and of Israel’s ally Azerbaijan.

* In Their Own Words: For Iranians, Negotiations = Stalling “Ah, the Iranians!” the politician said, eyes lighting up. “They make carpets!”.

* For Now, the Eurozone and the Markets Pooh-pooh the Downgrades. But the Long-Term Looms Modestly positive trading on European stock markets Monday morning appeared to confirm what euro zone leaders had predicted for weeks: that the decision Friday by Standard & Poor’s to cut the credit rating of nine European economies had been so fully expected by investors.

* Sinai Bedouin Smuggling ‘Thousands’ of Missiles to Gaza Sinai Bedouin report they have smuggled “thousands” of shoulder-launched missiles into Hamas-controlled Gaza.

* Handful of questions remain on EU fiscal treaty Finance ministers will next week tackle the thorny little details still to be agreed before EU countries can bless a new pact on fiscal discipline.

* New EU parliament president promises to ruffle feathers Martin Schulz has promised to live up to his reputation as something of a political bruiser in his new role as European Parliament president.

01-16-12

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* US feared backlash from Iran over missile defense exercise with Israel The United States, concerned over an Iranian backlash, has canceled a major ballistic missile defense exercise with Israel.
* Fatah Celebrants: Religious War with Jews, Born of Apes & Pigs A top PA cleric claimed at a major Fatah event that Muslims are in a religious war with the Jews, the descendants of “apes and pigs.”
* Hamas Calls for More Hacking Against Israel Hamas calls for more hacking against Israelis, says hacking is “a new field of resistance.”
* Draft text: EU ministers ‘worried’ by Israeli actions in Jordan Valley A draft statement for EU foreign ministers next week says Israel’s monopolisation of land and water in the occupied West Bank is “worrying” and endangers the two-state solution.
* US military chief to Israel as Iran tension grows The top US military commander is scheduled for talks in Israel this week when the US is concerned that Israel might be preparing to attack Iran over its nuclear program.
* Iran warns Gulf Arabs on oil Iran warned Gulf Arab oil producers against boosting production to offset any potential drop in Tehran’s crude exports in the event of an embargo affecting its oil sales.
* Islamist set to be Egypt’s new parliament speaker Leading Egyptian political parties will back a senior figure in the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) for the assembly’s speaker.
* Iraq Deputy Premier Calls for Prime Minister to Resign Iraqi officials are trading accusations of dictatorship, assassination plots amid political deadlock and a worsening security situation.
* Police: Extreme Right to escalate West Bank violence Israel Police intelligence report also says tensions surrounding Jewish presence in east Jerusalem may boil over in coming year
* UN chief urges end to Israeli ‘occupation’ Ban Ki-moon says violence against civilians must end, settlement construction works against two-state solution in keynote address in Beirut

01/14/12

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* U.S. Warns Israel on Strike U.S. defense leaders are increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran.

* Tension: U.S. Navy focusing on Iran maneuvers and the Strait of Hormuz The U.S. Navy has made the growing Iranian military presence in the Gulf a top priority.

* Tunisians celebrate their revolution one year on Tunisians on Saturday marked the first anniversary of the revolution that started the “Arab Spring” with celebrations that were true to the spirit of the revolt.

* S&P downgrades ratings of 9 euro zone countries Standard & Poor’s stripped France of its top AAA rating on Friday and carried out a mass downgrade of half the nations in the euro zone.

* Hizbullah Rejects UN Demand to Disarm Lebanon-based Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has rejected a call by visiting United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his terrorist organization to disarm.

* Iran terms assassination of fourth nuclear scientist ‘work of the Zionists’ Western intelligence agencies continue to target Iran’s nuclear sector.

* Arab League Chief Warns Against Civil War in Syria The head of the Arab League warned Friday that Syria may be sliding toward civil war.

* Bomb kills pilgrims in south Iraq A bomb tore through a procession of Shiite pilgrims heading toward a largely Sunni town in southern Iraq.

* Israel, Palestinians to hold further talks Saturday Israelis and Palestinians will hold their third round of face-to-face meetings this year on Saturday.

* Israel to Establish Cyber Warfare Administration The Israeli Defense Ministry is to establish a special cyber warfare administration.

01/13/12

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* ‘US warns Iran on Hormuz through secret channel’ The United States used a secret diplomatic channel to tell Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneni that closing the Strait of Hormuz would constitute crossing a “red line.”

* ‘Russian-operated arms ship reaches Syria’ A Russian-operated ship with “a dangerous cargo” has reached conflict-torn Syria.

* IDF Paratroopers March through Jerusalem’s Old City Jewish pride in Jerusalem: 90 recruits of the paratroopers marched on Thursday evening through Jerusalem’s Old City.

* ‘Covert war on Iran – prudent strategy’ The covert war waged against Iran is a practical strategy, a former top Israeli defense official told the New York Times Thursday.

* Ahmadinejad: Ties between Cuba, Iran unbreakable Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday both Cuba-Iranian relations and Fidel Castro were in good shape.

* The anniversary of the Egyptian revolution Almost a year on, the situation in Egypt is still chaotic and the end far from sight.

* Erekat: Freeze Construction or Talks End PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat vowed to terminate exploratory talks between Jerusalem and Ramallah.

* Hackers Break into Israel Fire Services Website Hackers broke into the Israel Fire and Rescue Services website overnight.

* Serbian vulture set free after treatment at Israeli veterinary hospital A Serbian vulture was released back into the wild on Tuesday, following two months of treatment in an Israeli veterinary hospital.

* Negotiators finalise broad outline of EU fiscal treaty Negotiators from 26 member states have reached broad agreement on the new fiscal treaty.