Category Archives: Top 10 News Stories

12/17/11

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* EU diplomats: ‘Jewish state’ is becoming too Jewish EU countries have raised a red flag on Israel’s treatment of its Arab minority in a complaint.

* Federal judge: Iran shares responsibility for 9/11 terror attacks In an historic hearing in the federal courthouse in Manhattan on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge George Daniels said he planned to issue a ruling in the coming days declaring that Iran shares in the responsibility for the 9/11 terror attacks.

* Cradle of Arab Spring celebrates first anniversary Tens of thousands of people packed a provincial town square to celebrate the first anniversary on Saturday of Tunisia’s democratic revolution.

* Egyptian Army Beats Demonstrators, Kills Two Video shot Saturday shows Egyptian soldiers administering savage beatings to protesters in Tahrir Square.

* Israeli military announces new unit for long-range strikes srael’s military plans to form a long-range strike command.

* David Cameron says the UK is a Christian country In a speech in Oxford on the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, the prime minister called for a revival of traditional Christian values to counter Britain’s “moral collapse”.

* Arab League may ask UN Security Council to adopt Syria peace plan Arab states may ask the UN Security Council to endorse their peace .

* Iraq sends delegation to Syria for crisis talks Iraq has sent a delegation to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and his opponents.

* Panetta becomes first defense chief to visit Libya United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Tripoli Saturday, taking advantage of the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi.

* New treaty in force when 9 countries have ratified The first draft of a new treaty meant to tighten economic governance in eurozone countries was circulated Friday.

12/16/11

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* Palestinian Authority Music Video Lauds Yasser Arafat: ‘Oh AK-47 Make Sounds of Joy’ Palestinian Media Watch, a watchdog group whose sole purpose is to monitor print and broadcast media — particularly put out by the Palestinian Authority, has uncovered a new PA music video honoring the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

* Hizbullah Charged with Laundering Money in the U.S. Several Lebanese financial institutions with alleged ties to the Hizbullah terror organization were part of a massive scheme that funneled hundreds of millions of dollars in criminal proceeds through the United States.

* U.S. to leave Iraqi airspace clear for strategic Israeli route to Iran The U.S. military’s fast-approaching Dec. 31 exit from Iraq, which has no way to defend its airspace, puts Israel in a better place strategically to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

* Turkey, Egypt in Joint Naval Exercises Egyptian navy ships were on their way to the waters off Turkey Thursday afternoon, where they will rendezvous with Turkish navy vessels for a joint exercise.

* Expose: The Vatican Wants to Lay its Hands on Jerusalem The Vatican is now reiterating demands for control of religious sites in Jerusalem.

* Iran official: We tricked the U.S. surveillance drone to land intact Iranian electronic warfare specialists were able to “trick” the recently downed U.S. surveillance drone to land on Iran soil intact.

* Russian President: EU Parliament ‘means nothing’ President Dmitry Medvedev at his last-ever EU summit told MEPs to stay out of Russian affairs and dropped hints on a $10 billion donation for euro bail-outs.

* Israel’s forms new brigade for deployment to Egyptian border Israel’s military has established a regional brigade along the border with Egypt amid threats from the Sinai Peninsula.

* U.S. Proposal: Aid for the PA, but No More Pushing at UN A proposal released Thursday would see the U.S. Congress allowing American economic aid to the Palestinian Authority to continue next year.

* Syria crisis: Russia circulates surprise UN resolution The draft condemns the violence by both Syria’s government and the opposition, but does not mention sanctions.

12/15/11

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* The Protester Once upon a time, when major news events were chronicled strictly by professionals and printed on paper or transmitted through the air by the few for the masses, protesters were prime makers of history.

* Hamas leader: We’ll lead intifada after intifada Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday called for the formation of an Arab army “to liberate Jerusalem and the Aksa Mosque very soon.”

* US flag ceremony ends Iraq operation The flag of American forces in Iraq has been lowered in Baghdad, bringing nearly nine years of US military operations in Iraq to a formal end.

* Russia election: Putin accepts ‘lawful’ protests Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has rejected calls to re-run disputed parliamentary elections but said he accepted “lawful” protests.

* Syria ‘authorised forces to shoot to kill’ in crackdown Syrian soldiers said their commanders told them to stop anti-government protests “by all means necessary”.

* Hizbullah names CIA agents, details meetings in Beirut Starbucks, Pizza Huts The Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah has disclosed details of CIA officers stationed in Lebanon, including their names and their recruitment and operational methods.

* Israeli officials say Syria’s Bashar al-Assad is doomed In a shift, Israeli officials are welcoming the prospect that Syria’s embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, will be overthrown.

* Apple Opening Israel Dev Center, First Outside US For the second day in a row, Apple is making hi-tech headlines in Israel.

* Egypt votes in 2nd round, Islamist win forecasted Egyptians voting on Thursday said they felt empowered by the first free election after Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule.

* Doubts, fears nag Iraqis as US pulls out Zahora Jasim lost two brothers to bombs and gunmen in the years of turmoil and violence that followed the US invasion of Iraq.

12/14/11

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* Hordes attend Hamas’ Gaza anniversary Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters, waving the militant movement’s green flags and honking car horns in celebration, marked the 24th anniversary of the founding of Gaza’s ruling group.

* ‘Iran may soon start nuclear work in new underground facility’ Iran could soon launch sensitive atomic activities in an underground facility deep inside a mountain.

* Hundreds in Fallujah burn U.S. flag to celebrate troops pulling out of Iraq Hundreds of Iraqis set alight U.S. and Israeli flags on Wednesday as they celebrated the impending pullout of American forces from the country in the former insurgent bastion of Fallujah.

* Egypt Heads to Polls for Round 2 Egyptians are heading to the polls for round two of their parliamentary elections.

* Violent pushback from West Bank Jews shocks Israeli government The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite warnings by the intelligence community, has been stunned by the ferocity of Jewish resistance to demolition operations in the West Bank.

* Political union beginning to take shape, Merkel says German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said a political union is beginning to take shape in the EU.

* Poland sees praise for EU presidency in turbulent times EU politicians praised Poland on Wednesday (14 December) for the way it has handled the six-month rotating presidency.

* Abbas: EU should support Palestinian UN statehood bid The European Union should support the Palestinians’ recognition bid at the United Nations.

* Clinton slams Gingrich comments on Palestinians Newt Gingrich’s comment that the Palestinians are an “invented people” was unhelpful, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

* Iran seeks to calm Turkey over missile threat Iran’s foreign minister has told Turkey that threats by Iranian political and military figures to strike Turkish missile defenses if attacked do not represent official policy.

12/13/11

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* IDF Commander: Hizbullah Will Take Over Assad’s Missiles The fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime will result in Hizbullah’s taking over his arsenal of advanced missiles.

* Iran Mocks Obama Who ‘Begged’ for Drone Iran is having a field day over the latest downed Drone.

* MK Danon: Everyone Should Have Access to Temple Mount MK Danny Danon (Likud) said on Monday that he plans to work towards ensuring equal access to the Temple Mount for Jews and Christians.

* General Mizrahi: I’ve never seen such hatred against soldiers IDF Central Command Chief Major-General Avi Mizrahi called the rioting of dozens of settlers on Monday night “a very serious incident”.

* As US exit from Iraq nears, Sunni worries grow In the hometown of the late Saddam Hussein, arrests have become so commonplace that whenever a police car shows up, young men flee from the street.

* ‘Weekend of Terror’ Goes Unnoticed by Mainstream Media The IDF Website reported a “significant increase” in terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria.

* JNF becomes Project HEART sponsor Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund has become a Project HEART sponsor.

* UN rights chief: Syria death toll exceeds 5,000 The latest figure reported to the UN Security Council by Navi Pillay is 1,000 higher than the one she announced just 10 days ago.

* LHC: Higgs boson ‘may have been glimpsed’ The particle is purported to be the means by which everything in the Universe obtains its mass.

* Palestinian flag raised at UNESCO after admission The Palestinian flag was raised for the first time on Tuesday above a UN agency, the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, in a diplomatic victory won despite stiff resistance from the US and Israel.

12/12/11

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* “Mugrabi Bridge closure is religious war” Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhum: Bridge’s closure shows the “Zionist scheme of aggression against al-Aqsa mosque.”

* “Iran to reverse-engineer, mass produce US drone” Senior Iranian official says Iran will soon be able to reproduce and upgrade the US RQ-170 Sentinel.

* Syria, Iran: We will never give in to foreign pressure Syria’s opposition may have plans to cut ties with Ahmadinejad’s Iran but for now Tehran, Damascus are closer than ever before.

* Turkish President Slams Israel, Hails Hamas Turkish president Abdullah Gul: Israel should stop attacking “Palestine” and make peace. Hamas wants to live in peace with Israel.

* Hamas Talks Peace and Declares War Hamas unknowingly acts out a verse from Psalms and talks about another ceasefire while proclaiming to “remove the occupier… from Palestine.”

* Mysterious explosion kills 7, injures 16 in Iran Explosion occurred in Yazd, a city where reports have indicated the existence of covert nuclear facilities.

* Documentary looks at life of Yasser Arafat New film “The Price of Kings – Yasser Arafat” screens in Dubai.

* Sarkozy: There are now clearly two Europes The French president has said that there are now clearly “two Europes”, following last week’s summit in which the UK vetoed EU treaty changes.

12/10/11

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* Hamas joins Global Muslim Brotherhood A senior Hamas source told the London-based Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper on Saturday that the Palestinian organization has joined the global movement of the Muslim Brotherhood.

* Russian election: Biggest protests since fall of USSR Thousands of people have attended the biggest anti-government rally in the Russian capital Moscow since the fall of the Soviet Union.

* Euro crisis: US General Martin Dempsey warns of unrest The top US military commander, Gen Martin Dempsey, says he is concerned about “the potential for civil unrest” as Europe’s financial crisis unfolds.

* Muslim Brotherhood to ‘Re-examine’ Camp David Accords The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt denies a report in Israeli newspaper Yediot Acharonot, according to which the movement has reached understandings with the United States and Israel.

* UK alone as EU agrees fiscal deal European leaders say 26 out of 27 EU member states have backed a tax and budget pact to tackle the eurozone debt crisis.

* New EU deal faces multiple referendum threat Within hours of arriving at a fragile treaty deal for the eurozone and nine other EU states, the agreement delivering deeper integration is already confronting the spectre of multiple referendums and a host of legal barriers.

* IDF strikes in Gaza after rocket barrage Four Qassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning.

* ‘Massacre’ feared brewing in Syrian city Syria’s leading opposition movement warned Friday of an impending government “massacre” designed to crush activists in the city of Homs.

* Skywatchers enjoy lunar eclipse Skywatchers have begun enjoying the last total lunar eclipse until 2014.

12/09/11

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* Fear, speculation in Iran over military strike The threat of military strikes on Iran has upturned the quiet and comfortable lives once enjoyed by many Iranians, ushering in a new era of struggle and fear.

* Turkey sets terms for backing Free Syrian Army: Bow to Muslim Brotherhood group Turkey, aligned to the Muslim Brotherhood, has cracked down on the rebel army in Syria.

* Egypt’s military said to be subsidizing Muslim Brotherhood’s party Egypt’s new military regime is said to have been financing the Islamic opposition.

* Security and Defense: Preparing for nuclear terror Israel will hold a civil defense drill that for the first time will simulate the response to an attack by a dirty bomb.

* Arab World: Getting under Tehran’s umbrella Iraq’s stance on Syria reflects a new sectarian regional reality in the increasingly Islamized political landscape of the Middle East.

* Iran invests in Islamic Jihad war machine: 8,000 fighters, 5,000 rockets The Iranian-sponsored Islamic Jihad has reported a sharp growth in membership and weapons in 2011.

* The wrong signals to Iran Iran has beeen showing signs of increasing nervousness about the possibility that its nuclear program will come under attack by Israel or the United States.

* Iran protests US drone incursion The US drone which Iran said it had brought down penetrated 250 kilometres (150 miles) inside the Islamic republic’s air space.

* Jordan warns Israel over Al-Aqsa ramp closure Jordan, the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, warned Israel on Friday against closing a wooden access ramp to the sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City.

* Hamas to Arab states: Stop ‘Israeli aggression’ Four rockets fired at Israel from Gaza after IDF strikes targets overnight.

12/08/11

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* Out of options: Report says U.S. must prepare to strike Iran before 2013 The United States must plan for a campaign to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program, a leading think tank said.

* France’s Sarkozy warns Europe risks disintegration French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned that “never has the risk of disintegration been greater” for Europe in a speech in Marseille.

* Turkey to EU: say goodbye to democracy and start printing money Eurozone countries will have to give up on normal democracy and the European Central Bank (ECB) will have to print money if the euro is to survive.

* Terrorists said to be infiltrating military Al Qaeda and other terrorists are trying to infiltrate the U.S. armed forces, which makes military facilities in the U.S. dangerous for American troops.

* Kenya troops to ‘join Somalia’s African Union force’ Kenya’s parliament has approved the integration of government troops in Somalia into the African Union (AU) force fighting militant Islamists.

* Egypt’s Christians split over Islamist gains An Islamist surge in Egypt has left a large Christian minority divided over whether to flee the country, stay silent, or reach out to a political force that seems guaranteed a major role in the country’s future.

* EU to spend billions more on Arab revolutions The European Commission aims to plough an extra €6.2 billion into EU neighbouring countries over the coming years.

* Russia PM Vladimir Putin accuses US over poll protests Mr Putin said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “set the tone for some opposition activists”.

* ‘US expects direct Israeli-Palestinian talks’ Both the US and the Quartet expect Israelis and Palestinians to meet in direct talks and exchange comprehensive proposals there on the issue of security and territory.

* Jerusalem Official: Close Dangerous Bridge to Temple Mount The Jerusalem Municipality’s chief engineer Shlomo Eshkol said Thursday that he planned to issue an immediate order for the closure of the Rambam Bridge.

12/07/11

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* ‘US unsure what might prompt Israel to attack’ The Obama administration does not know Israel’s intentions regarding potential military action against Iran.

* Pearl Harbor Recalled at 70th Anniversary The Dec. 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor and those who lost their lives that day are being remembered Wednesday on the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack that brought the U.S. into World War II.

* Let’s stop pretending The Palestinian Authority and its leaders share the blame for the murders of those five Israelis from Itamar on Friday.

* Oceans’ deepest depth re-measured he Mariana Trench in the western Pacific runs for about 2,500km and extends down to 10,994m.

* Assad: UN report on Syria crimes against humanity not credible The United Nations is not a credible institution and cannot attest to the true nature of events unfolding in Syria.

* Eurozone crisis: New EU treaty ‘may not be needed’ Tougher rules to tackle the eurozone debt crisis can be achieved without changing EU treaties.

* Hu Jintao tells China navy: Prepare for warfare China’s navy should speed up its development and prepare for warfare.

* Russia protests: Gorbachev calls for election re-run Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has said Sunday’s Russian parliamentary election was marred by fraud and has called for a re-run.

* Iran shares captured U.S. drones with Russia Iran has credited its new electronic warfare unit with downing an advanced U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle.

* The Case of the 3,000-Year-old Mystery in Jerusalem The City of David, across from the Western Wall, is asking its Facebook readers to suggest answers to mysterious 3,000-year-old carvings.