Category Archives: Top 10 News Stories

07/23/11

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* Norway police say 85 killed in island youth camp attack At least 85 people died when a gunman opened fire at an island youth camp in Norway, hours after a bombing in the capital Oslo killed seven.

* Archaeologists Discover High Priest’s Bell? Archaeologists have discovered a rare gold bell with a small loop at its end.

* Mars rover aims for deep crater Nasa’s next Mars rover will be aimed at one of the planet’s deepest craters.

* Iran: Nuclear scientist ‘shot dead’ in Tehran An Iranian nuclear scientist has been shot dead outside his home in Tehran.

* Egypt military leader: We will respect all previously signed agreements The head of Egypt’s ruling military council Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi said on Saturday that Egypt intends to keep all previously signed agreements.

* Erdogan: ‘Unthinkable’ for ties to improve before apology Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said it was “unthinkable” for Turkey to repair relations with Israel.

* Israel’s special-ops units are the missing element Considering its grave consequences it is surprising that the next war has come and gone without leaving any traces.

* Palestinians ‘forced’ into UN bid, says Abbas Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Saturday the Palestinians’ bid to win UN backing for statehood was forced upon them by Israel’s refusal to halt settlement building.

* The Tisch: Virtual temples The Temple is part of Jewish collective memory; alas, it is a distant memory.

* Syrian Army said to be defecting by the hundreds to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey President Bashar Assad is seeking to stop rising defections in the Syrian military.

07/22/11

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* Oslo: Bomb blast near Norway prime minister’s office A large bomb blast has hit government buildings in the Norwegian capital Oslo, killing at least two people and injuring 15 others.

* Panetta to OK end of military gay ban Pentagon chief Leon Panetta has decided to end the ban on gays serving openly in the armed services.

* Eurozone agrees new 109bn euros Greek bailout Leaders of the Eurozone countries have agreed a new bailout package for Greece worth 109bn euros.

* Race to the Moon Heats Up for Private Firms Now that the last space shuttle has landed back on Earth, a new generation of space entrepreneurs would like to whip up excitement about the prospect of returning to the Moon.

* IDF Gearing Up For September The IDF is boosting deployments in Judea and Samaria and building its stores of non-lethal crowd control devices.

* Syrians defy crackdown to protest over Assad regime Tens of thousands of Syrians have again taken to the streets for Friday protests.

* Qadaffi Vows ‘No Negotiations’ Libyan strongman Muammar Qadaffi vowed this week he will never negotiate with the rebels.

* Assad ‘Death Squads’ Raid Homs Groups of men residents and activists described as ‘Assad death squads’ stormed several neighborhoods in Homs.

* Jordanians accuse US of interference in region Scores of Jordanian protesters demanding democratic reforms from their king have denounced what they say is years of U.S. interference.

* This Week in History: The King David Hotel bombing On July 22, 1946, three phone calls were placed to the King David Hotel.

07/21/11

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* Space shuttle Atlantis makes final landing Space shuttle Atlantis has landed back on Earth, bringing to a close America’s 30-year orbiter program.

* How Iran Is Helping Assad Suppress Syria’s “Arab Spring” Iran has been backing Damascus since the beginning of the Syrian civil uprising.

* Palestinians using statehood push at UN to set stage for war with Israel The Palestinian Authority plans to use international backing to legitimize a new conflict with Israel.

* ‘Al-Qaeda jihadist animation targets children’ Al-Qaeda supporters say they are making an animated children’s film aimed at inspiring them to take up armed struggle with the militant group.

* Israel sees Libya as new source of smuggled weapons for Gaza Libya has become a new source of smuggled weaponry for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

* Eurozone leaders begin crunch debt talks Eurozone leaders have begun delicate negotiations to agree further help for Greece and prevent other economies from being dragged into the debt crisis.

* Top Nazi Rudolf Hess exhumed from ‘pilgrimage’ grave The grave holding the remains of Adolf Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess has been destroyed to stop it being used as a pilgrimage site by neo-Nazis.

* Euro states set to agree second loan for Greece Eurozone leaders look set to greenlight a new loan for Greece as well as establish what will effectively be a European Monetary Fund.

* New Egyptian Cabinet sworn in by military ruler The head of the military council ruling Egypt swore in a new Cabinet on Thursday under pressure from protesters demanding faster change.

* Israeli history photo of the week: Turkish-German forces The Library of Congress has recently digitalized a collection of over 10,000 photographs, taken by the “American Colony” in Jerusalem.

07/20/11

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* Iran’s acceleration of its nuclear program angers the west Western capitals have reacted angrily to an announcement by Iran.

* Egypt army moves to secure key role in country’s future The military establishment running Egypt’s interim regime is discreetly moving to ensure the army retains its influence over Cairo’s post-revolutionary government.

* Panel opposes political role for Egyptian military A key member of a panel drafting guidelines for Egypt’s next constitution said on Wednesday that most of the group’s 50 members object to giving the military a future role in politics.

* Iran claims to have shot down U.S. spy drone over nuclear site Iran has shot down an unmanned U.S. spy plane over its Fordu nuclear site.

* Beck to Christians:Call Me a Jew Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Glenn Beck addressed the annual Christians United for Israel conference this week.

* UN declares Somalia famine in Bakool and Lower Shabelle The UN said the humanitarian situation in southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle had deteriorated rapidly.

* Birth control coverage proposed for most health insurance plans Virtually all health insurance plans could soon be required to offer female patients free coverage of prescription birth control.

* Sectarian Clashes Deepen Tensions in Syria Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, was locked down amid heavy gunfire on Tuesday, after clashes between Alawites and Sunnis triggered a violent response from security forces.

* China’s global energy strategy aims at displacing U.S. influence in Central Asia It has not gone unnoticed that China is undergoing unprecedented growth and has been doing so for the past decade.

* Israel ready to talk in Jerusalem, Ramallah Israel is willing to hold peace talks with the Palestinians immediately, in Jerusalem or even Ramallah.

07/19/11

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* Ayalon launches campaign to tell ‘truth about W. Bank’ Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon stars in a video released by his ministry on Thursday, in which he presents a historical narrative meant to help wage the public diplomacy battle.

* Abbas Going for Broke in Bid to UN against ‘Gutless Obama’ Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is “going for broke” in his bid for United Nations recognition of the PA.

* Navy Boards Gaza-Bound ‘Tricky’ Ship The Navy has peacefully ended the latest attempt of flotilla activists to reach Gaza.

* Hamas: Seizure of Gaza-bound ship is ‘piracy, war crime’ Hamas on Tuesday condemned the Israeli seizure of the Gaza-bound French ship Dignity – Al-Karama.

* UK snubs Ashton over EU military headquarters British foreign minister William Hague on Monday (18 July) said his country would “never” agree to the idea of a single EU military headquarters.

* Beck moving J’lem rally over fears of 40,000 Muslims Beck said that warnings from security officials led him to fear that the event could turn violent and possibly result in the outbreak of “World War III.”

* Israel to Help Russian ‘Silicon Valley’ While the original Silicon Valley is in California, Israel’s world-renowned achievements in hi-tech created a local Silicon Valley.

* SkyNews: ‘Palestine’ is ‘Awash with Money’ The foreign affairs editor for Sky News has written a blog piece called “Palestine – ‘Occupation Incorporated’,” which paints a rosy picture of the region supposedly suffering under a cruel Israel occupation and siege.

* Iran says installing ‘speedier’ nuclear centrifuges Iran announced Tuesday it is installing new centrifuges with “better quality and speed” to enrich uranium in its nuclear facilities.

* German ‘role model’ prize withdrawn from Putin Organisers of a German award for “role models for enlightenment, dedication and public good” on Saturday (16 July) decided to revoke the prize from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

07/18/11

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* Israel: Support waning for Palestinian state bid Israel’s deputy foreign minister says he believes international support for recognizing an independent Palestinian state at the U.N. this fall is waning.

* European FMs call on Israel, Palestinians to restart talks In what may be seen as signal to PA that EU not pleased with UN bid, ministers issue statement calling on both sides to resume negotiations.

* Social media game aims to end extremism A social media game with Arab super heroes at its heart has been launched on Facebook.

* Iranian troops attack Kurdish PJAK rebel bases in Iraq Iranian forces have inflicted a “heavy and historic defeat” on Kurdish rebels based in Iraq, army officials say.

* David Petraeus hands over Afghanistan command General David Petraeus, US commander of Nato troops in Afghanistan, has handed responsibility for the military campaign there to his successor, General John Allen.

* Gold Tops $1,600 an Ounce as Debt Fears Simmer Gold prices rallied to record highs above $1,600 an ounce in Europe on Monday, as investors spooked by the euro zone debt crisis and the threat of a US default bought into the metal as a haven from risk.

* Syrian Troops at Three Borders to Stop Defections The troubled Assad regime has deployed soldiers on three borders – Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey – to try to stop more defections from the army as the opposition plans civil disobedience, the first calculated action beyond protests.

* Germany to finance submarine for Israel Angela Merkel’s government allocates funds to subsidize Israel’s purchase of German-made submarine; Submarine is Israel’s third to be subsidized by Germany.

* IDF officer: Yeshiva in West Bank settlement harbors “Jewish terror” and must be shut down GOC Central Command Avi Mizrahi says Yitzhar yeshiva leaders’ views not consistent with democracy.

* Syrian exiles vote for transitional government SYRIAN opposition leaders have taken the first step to forming a transitional government in the hope of securing formal Western backing against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

07/16/11

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* Top CIA officer: Israel will probably attack Iran in Sept. Israel will probably attack Iran in September, a veteran CIA officer who spent 21 years in the Middle East, including in Lebanon and Syria, told a Los Angeles radio show.

* All quiet on the northern front… for the moment One of the ways former IDF chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi used to evaluate the success of the Second Lebanon War in 2006 was by talking to schoolchildren.

* Panetta: U.S. ‘can’t allow’ Iran-backed attacks against American troops in Iraq The U.S. military, frustrated with Iraq’s failure to stop Shi’ite attacks, plans to raise its profile in the Arab state.

* U.S. Recognizes Libyan Rebel Group The U.S. and some 30 other countries officially recognized Libya’s opposition National Transitional Council as the nation’s “legitimate governing authority”.

* ‘Syria increasing arms shipments to Hezbollah’ Damascus is increasing shipments of advanced missiles and other weapons to Hezbollah amid continuing unrest in Syria.

* This Week in History: Satellites connect the world On July 10, 1962, a new era of global communications was ushered in with the launch of the Telstar I satellite.

* Syrian activists discuss ways to oust Assad Syrian opposition figures are holding simultaneous meetings in Damascus and Turkey to discuss ways of ousting President Bashar Assad.

* Egypt protesters heckle general as tensions mount Egyptians staging a sit-in in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Saturday heckled a general who tried to address them, forcing him to cut short his visit.

* Clinton seeks closer Turkey ties after strains U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday that Turkey could serve as a democratic model for the Middle East.

07/15/11

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* 6 in 10 Palestinians reject 2-state solution, survey finds Only one in three Palestinians (34 percent) accepts two states for two peoples as the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

* United States recognizes Libya rebels Rebel leaders won recognition as the legitimate government of Libya from the United States and other world powers on Friday.

* Iran developing centrifuge to speed uranium enrichment Iran is stepping up centrifuge development work aimed at making its nuclear enrichment more efficient.

* Protest: Stop Temple Mount Discrimination, Desecration Jewish activists held a demonstration Thursday to protest anti-Jewish discrimination on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

* Iran more damaging with suicide bombers than missiles, says expert Iran’s current capabilities do not justify the development of an extensive missile shield covering all Europe and the US.

* Syria Revolt Fueled by Roof Fires and Tweets Six days before protests exploded across Syria in March, a nervous activist in the capital of Damascus lit a small fire on his rooftop.

* Return of the Gold Standard as world order unravels On one side of the Atlantic, the eurozone debt crisis has spread to the countries that may be too big to save.

* J’lem: 4,500 march in support of Palestinian statehood Thousands of left-wing activists marched in Jerusalem on Friday afternoon in the largest demonstration of support for an independent Palestinian state in the nation’s capital in over a year.

* Planned Monument for Mecca Goers Leaves Eilat Residents Shocked The residents of the southern Israeli city of Eilat are shocked at a plan by the municipality to establish a monument.

* Syrian forces fire on massive rallies; 17 killed Syrian security forces killed at least 17 protesters Friday as hundreds of thousands flooded the streets nationwide.

07/14/11

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* Arab League to seek full UN membership for Palestinians The Arab League will ask the United Nations to upgrade the Palestinians to full member status.

* In Shadow of Death, Iraq and U.S. Tiptoe Around a Deadline The government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is privately telling American officials that it wants their army to stay here after this year.

* South Sudan becomes the 193rd UN member state The General Assembly admitted South Sudan on Thursday as the 193rd member of the United Nations.

* Libya: Col Gaddafi has ‘suicide plan’ to blow up Tripoli Col Muammar Gaddafi has a “suicidal plan” to blow up the capital Tripoli if it is taken by rebels.

* 52% think Intifada will follow statehood declaration More than half of the Israeli public believes a third Intifada will break out if the Palestinians follow through with plans to make a unilateral declaration of statehood in September.

* Hezbollah warns Israel against maritime border ‘threats’ Hezbollah on Wednesday issued a stark warning to Jerusalem, vowing to protect its maritime rights against “Israeli threats.”

* Sudan’s South Kordofan fighting: ‘Mass graves found’ Eyewitnesses who spoke to the group said soldiers had systematically massacred civilians in South Kordofan.

* Iran moves nuclear enrichment programme to underground bunker Iran has begun efforts to shift its nuclear enrichment program to an underground bunker where experts warn it could stage a last dash for a nuclear weapon.

* Israel Air Force pilots head to U.S. to test-fly new military aircraft An Israel Air Force delegation recently visited a United States Marine Corps base in North Carolina in order to test out the new V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.

* Palestinian Reconciliation? Don’t Hold Your Breath The PA and Hamas leadership are as far from unity as they were before the much touted unity agreement they signed.

07/13/11

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* U.S. Set to Sell Fighters to Iraq Iraq has quietly started negotiations to buy U.S. fighter jets and air-defense systems worth billions of dollars.

* Jordan, Too, Feels Heat of Arab Spring Protests Protests that washed across neighboring Syria and Egypt have been more of a ripple in this poor kingdom of six million.

* Saudi royals back certain Arab Spring revolts Saudi Arabia has helped damp down democracy movements sweeping the Arab world.

* Syrian exiles call for army to side with people A meeting of Syrian opposition in Istanbul ended on Wednesday with a call for the army to protect its people.

* US Jews Fear Muslim Terror A new poll reveals that US Jews fear terrorism by American Muslims.

* The churches against Israel A few days ago UK researchers announced that 17 skeletons belonged to Jews were found at the bottom of a medieval well in Norwich, England.

* Officials: Mideast Quartet talks failed due to disagreement over Israel as Jewish state The foreign ministers of the Middle East Quartet failed to reach an agreement on Monday surrounding the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

* Palestine: EU bid to avoid UN vote on independence has failed Palestinian leaders have declared that an EU-led attempt to revive Arab-Israeli peace talks has failed.

* Rebuilt Iraq hospital plans surgery on infants It will be three years before doctors in Iraq can perform heart surgery on infants.

* Iraq’s Indecision Fuels Panetta’s Frustration U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta voiced frustration with the Iraqi government’s delay in deciding whether to ask the U.S. to keep troops in the country beyond the current Dec. 31 withdrawal deadline.