Category Archives: Top 10 News Stories

11-21-11

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* Round 2 of Cairo’s Arab Spring: 23 Dead, 1,500 Wounded Round Two of the Muslim Arab uprising in Egypt rages for the third straight day, with a death toll of 23 and 1,500 wounded.

* Dozens of US spies captured in Lebanon and Iran Current and former US officials concede that CIA suffered difficult blow; sources say Lebanon informants were compromised by meeting CIA agents at a Beirut Pizza Hut.

* Al-Assad – Syria will not bow down Officials sparred over a proposed plan to send observers into Syria as the nation’s president warned against military intervention.

* Russia says West fanning flames of Syria conflict UK defense minister: “Behavior of Syrian regime is appalling and unacceptable,” working with Arab League against Assad.

* King Abdullah Visits Abbas on Eve of Hamas Unity Deal Jordan’s King Abdullah visits Ramallah for the first time in 11 years – and two days before Abbas and Hamas are to from a unity government.

* Iran Begs Israel to Attack and Be Buried A bluff or a threat? A top Iranian commander begs Israel to attack so Iran can throw the “enemy” into the “trash can of history”.

* China vice premier sees chronic global recession A long-term global recession is certain to happen and China must focus on domestic problems, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan has said.

* Criticism of Israel at bay as IAEA opens first meet on nuclear-free Mideast Israeli representatives report relative calm at Vienna conference, after chief of UN’s nuclear watchdog urges Mideast nations to focus on fresh thinking.

* Spanish elections: 5th EU government to fall due to crisis With markets putting Spanish bonds in the cross-hairs, voters dismayed by the country’s economic situation are expected to eject the incumbent government in parliamentary elections.

* Abbas: No signs of resumption of peace talks PA president tells Jordanian king settlement halt is not a pre-condition but rather an obligation, in Ramallah meeting; PA foreign minister: Abbas told Abdullah most pressing issue is reconciliation with Hamas.

11/19/11

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* Iran army tests defenses as nuclear tensions rise The Iranian army is conducting a four-day training exercise to test its defenses.

* Pope to call for African peace and reconciliation Pope Benedict is to present plans by the Roman Catholic church to encourage reconciliation in Africa, on the second day of his visit to the state of Benin.

* The Islamic Winter is already here The heavy rains last Wednesday didn’t just disrupt traffic. The stormy weather did its work.

* Libya restored as UN humans right panel member The UN General Assembly on Friday restored Libya’s membership in the UN Human Rights Council.

* Russia warships to enter Syria waters in bid to stem foreign intervention Russian warships are due to arrive at Syrian territorial waters.

* Pope to call for African peace and reconciliation Pope Benedict is to present plans by the Roman Catholic church to encourage reconciliation in Africa.

* German lawmaker shocked to be on neo-Nazi list A German Jewish lawmaker spoke on Friday of the “nightmarish” discovery his name was on a hit-list found in a neo-Nazi hideout.

* Gamburtsev ‘ghost mountains mystery solved’ Scientists say they can now explain the existence of what are perhaps Earth’s most extraordinary mountains.

* Hevron, a Jewish City From Time Immemorial – and Forever Hevron is the first Jewish city in the land of Israel , home of our patriarchs and matriarchs — Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Sarah, Rebecca and Leah.

* Hundreds injured in Cairo clashes Egyptian riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets stormed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square Saturday.

11/18/11

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* US army tests advanced hypersonic weapon The Pentagon on Thursday successfully conducted the first test flight of the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW), a “glide vehicle” which will allow the US to strike a target anywhere in the world within an hour.

* Egypt may cancel elections, ‘declare military rule’ Egypt’s new military regime could cancel national elections amid rising unrest.

* Germany’s Shocking Neo-Nazi Killers: How Did They Go Undetected? Until last weekend, many Germans were almost complacent about right-wing extremism in their country.

* Erdogan’s Moment Red carpets, honor guards and gun salutes are for garden-variety visiting politicians and monarchs.

* Thousands protest in Tahrir against army rule About 50,000 mainly Islamist protesters flocked to Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday to press Egypt’s military rulers to transfer power to elected civilians.

* Libya UN envoy accuses Qatar of arming Islamists Libya’s United Nations envoy Mohammed Abdel Rahman Shalgam accused Qatar on Friday of providing weapons and money to Libyan Islamists.

* ‘IAEA report threatens lives of Iranian scientists’ The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) violated its own terms when it released an incriminating report on Iran’s nuclear program.

* Neutrino experiment repeat at Cern finds same result The team which found that neutrinos may travel faster than light has carried out an improved version of their experiment – and confirmed the result.

* Wen warns US on South China Sea dispute China has warned “external forces” not to get involved in its maritime disputes with neighbouring countries over the South China Sea.

* Egypt Prepares to Vote: Cynicism, Confusion and Fear of ‘Remnants’ On a weekday morning in Cairo’s working-class district of Shubra, Mohamed Abdallah, a fruit vendor, is paying little heed to the hand-painted political banners.

11/17/11

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* Iran faces big power pressure, IAEA wants mission Vienna-based Western diplomats said that six big powers – United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China – agreed Thursday to compromise language for a draft resolution on Iran.

* Million Men to March in Cairo Against “Judaization” of Jerusalem Hamas announced Thursday that the new rulers of Egypt – swept into power as a result of the “Arab Spring” rebellion – have given their blessing to a major demonstration.

* Syria conflict ‘similar to civil war’, Russia says Russia’s foreign minister has said the situation in Syria is beginning to resemble civil war, after renegade soldiers attacked a key army base..

* Russia’s military chief warns that heightened risks of conflict near borders may turn nuclear Russia is facing a heightened risk of being drawn into conflicts at its borders that have the potential of turning nuclear.

* EU needs fewer presidents and a new budget ‘tsar’, say Finns The EU needs fewer presidents and a new budget ‘tsar’ if it is to emerge from its current economic and political crisis.

* ‘Syrian army planting mines along Jordanian border’ The Syrian army planted landmines at the border with Jordan in order to “restrict Syrians access to humanitarian asylum in Jordan.”

* ‘Iran ready to help Turkey with nuclear plant’ A senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran was willing to share its controversial nuclear technology with neighboring countries.

* Internet titans fight SOPA with full-page NY Times ad Nine giants of the Internet — Google, eBAy, AOL, Facebook, Yahoo, Zynga, LinkedIn, Mozilla and Twitter — placed a full-page ad in The New York Times.

* U.S. Banks Face Contagion Risk From Europe Debt U.S. banks face a “serious risk” that their creditworthiness will deteriorate if Europe’s debt crisis deepens and spreads beyond the five most-troubled nations.

* Gamburtsev ‘ghost mountains mystery solved’ The Gamburtsevs are the size of the European Alps and yet they are totally buried beneath the Antarctic ice.

11/16/11

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* Netanyahu: ‘All options are on the table’ regarding Iran Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that “all options are on the table,” in a written response to a Knesset discussion on “the dilemma of attacking Iran.”

* U.S. Troops Heading Down Under The U.S. is shipping 250 Marines to Australia by the middle of next year, a force that eventually will grow to 2,500.

* Israel, Arab nations to attend rare round of nuclear talks next week Israel and Arab states plan to attend a rare round of talks next week on efforts to free the world of nuclear weapons.

* Syria: Turkish-Arab call for ‘urgent’ action Turkey and members of the Arab League have called for “urgent measures” to protect Syrian civilians from a brutal government crackdown.

* Iran: Military research caused missile base blast A massive explosion that killed 17 troops including an officer regarded as the architect of Iran’s missile defenses last week took place during research on weapons that could strike Israel.

* Eurozone faces systemic crisis, says EU’s Barroso European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has warned that the eurozone faces a “systemic crisis” that needs deeper integration to resolve.

* Idaho Man Arrested for Firing Gun at White House Federal law enforcement authorities on Tuesday arrested a 21-year-0ld Idaho man suspected of shooting with a semiautomatic rifle at the White House on Friday night.

* 70% of Arab Youth Want to Leave Region As the Arab Spring heads into an increasingly Islamic Winter some three quarters of Arab youth want to migrate to countries outside the Middle East region.

* Iran: Human chain against Israeli strike Some 1,000 Iranian students created a human chain Tuesday around the Isfahan uranium conversion facility.

* Galaxies bursting with star birth discovered Using its near-infrared vision to peer 9 billion years back in time, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered an extraordinary population of tiny, young galaxies that are brimming with star formation.

11/15/11

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* ‘Hizbullah on Alert, Preparing for War’ Hizbullah has canceled leaves and is preparing for war.

* China’s Century — or India’s? I saw the Indian hit movie 3 Idiots recently in an unusual location: a cineplex in Hong Kong.

* Tunisia: Islamist Party Big Electoral Winner Tunisia’s final election results confirmed the victory of a once-banned Islamist party.

* IDF chief: Gaza violence may lead to significant military action Recent bouts of violence along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip are leading toward significant and offensive military action in the coastal enclave.

* IDF’s Judea Brigade Simulates Terror Attack The Judea Regional Brigade of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division held an educational program for all its commanders and medical teams.

* Germany, France join opposition to attack on Iran nuclear program It appears that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can rest easy for now.

* EU piles sanctions on Syria, raises possibility of UN troops A french-trained lawyer, the head of a family-run militia and the deputy interior minister are among 18 new people added to EU sanctions on Syria.

* Gas summit starts with call for fair price Leaders of the world’s biggest gas suppliers opened their first summit in the Qatari capital.

* Water – Bridge over Troubled Mideast or Bridge to Peace? The Arab-Israeli need for water can be a bridge to peace and not a reason for bloodshed.

* Fighting in Syria kills 40 near Jordan border At least 40 Syrians were killed in fighting on Monday between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and insurgents in a town near the border with Jordan.

11/14/11

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* The Return of the Brown Shirts in Germany The “Brown Shirt Faction” in Germany is the tip of the iceberg of the return of violent neo-Nazi extremism, despite a ban on Nazism.
* Israel refuses to tell US its Iran intentions Israel has refused to reassure President Barack Obama that it would warn him in advance of any pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear capabilities, raising fears that it may be planning a go-it-alone attack as early as next summer.
* Was Israel Behind a Deadly Explosion at an Iranian Missile Base? Israeli newspapers on Sunday were thick with innuendo, the front pages of the three largest dailies dominated by variations on the headline “Mysterious Explosion in Iranian Missile Base.”
* Tony Blair: Euro collapse would be catastrophic Former prime minister Tony Blair has told the BBC the collapse of the euro would be “catastrophic” – and Europe must get behind it.
* Gaza Terrorists May Be Planning to Down Airliners Israel is speeding up on-board missile defense systems in light of fears that Gaza terrorists have obtained anti-aircraft missiles.
* Iran subsidizing the conversion of Palestinians to Shi’ites Palestinians have been quietly converting from Sunni to Shi’a Islam.
* Israel’s giant UAV becomes operational Dubbed ‘world’s most advanced UAV’ and weighing five tons, Eitan unmanned aerial vehicle to begin operations in several months
* New Bible museum to be built in Jerusalem “It’s absurd that in the land of the Bible, there is no center dedicated to it,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
* Europol wants to host EU cyber crime center The EU’s joint policy body, Europol, is angling to host a new European cyber crime center, with the European Commission due next year to decide where to put its new defense against the threat.
* Jordan’s King Abdullah: If I were Syrian president, I would resign Abdullah tells the BBC that Assad should respond to months-long protest against his regime and make sure his successor has the “ability to change the status quo”.

11/12/11

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* U.S. demands Iran respond to IAEA report within days Iran must respond soon to a report by the UN atomic agency alleging that it is working secretly on developing a nuclear weapon.

* Nasrallah warns of regional war if Iran, Syria attacked Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Friday warned Israel and the US that a war against Iran and Syria would lead to an all-out regional conflict.

* Most Americans back Israeli strike on Iran Most Americans support an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.

* 17 dead after explosion rocks Revolutionary Guards base outside Iranian capital A massive explosion at a military arms depot near the Iranian capital Tehran killed 17 people on Saturday and wounded 15.

* Arab League suspends Syria, calls for halt to violence The Arab League suspended Syria and called on its army to stop killing civilians in a surprise move on Saturday that turned up the heat on President Bashar Assad.

* PA marks Arafat’s death: ‘He was poisoned’ Palestinians in the West Bank and overseas marked the seventh anniversary of Yasser Arafat’s death on Friday.

* Abbas: PA will continue to push for full UN membership Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas admitted over the weekend that his statehood bid had failed.

* Thousands commemorate Rabin on anniversary of assassination Thousands attended a ceremony marking the sixteenth anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

* Will Israeli Flag be the Third on Moon? An Israeli nonprofit team of young scientists is participating in the competition for the Google Lunar X Prize.

* Israel rushes airliner defenses as Libya leaks SAMs Israel has accelerated the installation of anti-missile defenses on its airliners.

11/11/11

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* IDF continues to train for war with Hezbollah The shooting came from every direction as the soldiers converged on the small ravine below.

* ‘30,000 suicide bombers to infiltrate Israel’ In response to reports of a possible Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran is threatening to mount an attack on Israel .

* U.S. hands over major base to Iraq; once 505, now 11 The United States has returned the second largest base in Iraq.

* Israel’s secret long-range nuke missile could reach any Mideast target Israel is suspected of producing a nuclear missile that could strike Russia.

* Iran’s supreme leader warns West of ‘strong slap and iron fist’ Iran’s supreme leader has warned Israel and the United States that Tehran would respond with “a strong slap and iron first”.

* Is the euro tearing Europe apart? When the euro became official tender 12 years ago, it was hailed as an economic and social savior.

* American voters’ support for Israel rising Americans’ support for Israel is up, with the increase coming from unexpected sectors.

* PA warns violence could follow stymied UN bid A Palestinian Authority official warned Thursday that the region could be headed toward “violence and anarchy”.

* Egypt, Tunisia make bid to bring back tourists Against heavy odds, Egypt and Tunisia are trying to woo back tourists with campaigns making use of the social media, celebrities, new slogans and a dose of image re-branding.

* This Week in History: Yasser Arafat dies in Paris On November 11, 2004, Palestinian Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat passed away in a hospital outside of Paris.

11/10/11

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* Israel Preparing ‘Christmas Surprise’ for Iran With an International Atomic Energy Agency report to be issued this week that will state, officials said Wednesday, that Iran is clearly working towards developing a nuclear weapons program.

* Iran’s Khamenei warns US, Israel against attack Iran’s Supreme leader warned the United States and Israel on Thursday not to launch any military action against its nuclear sites.

* Israeli firm says economic costs too high for Iran strike A leading Israeli investment firm said on Thursday any military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would exact an economic price too high for the world to accept.

* China backs Russia on Iran’s nuclear program China’s Foreign Ministry joined Russia Thursday in warning Western countries that additional pressure on Iran would not solve the nuclear stand-off.

* Lucas Papademos named as new Greek prime minister Mr Papademos, 64, said he was taking over at a “critical point” for Greece.

* Palestinans resigned to defeat in UN bid The Palestinians are resigned to defeat in their quest for full membership at the United Nations.

* IAEA refutes U.S. intelligence estimate on Iran nukes, cites ‘military dimensions’ For the first time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has determined that Iran is conducting a nuclear weapons program.

* French and Germans explore idea of smaller euro zone “France and Germany have had intense consultations on this issue over the last months, at all levels”.

* Holy cities face threat from polluting pilgrims An estimated 2.5 million pilgrims have descended on the city of Mecca for the Islamic Hajj.

* Russia: Iran wants more reactors While Western countries are looking to exacerbate sanctions against Iran, Russia, who built the Islamic Republic’s first nuclear power plant in Bushehr, is already working on future cooperation.