* US attends historic Iran meeting A senior United States official is taking part for the first time in international talks with Iran over its controversial nuclear program.

* Iranian, EU negotiators to resume talks in two weeks Iran and the European Union’s chief negotiators have agreed to resume talks on suspending uranium enrichment in two weeks.

* Sunni bloc rejoins Iraqi cabinet The main Sunni Muslim bloc in Iraq has rejoined the Shia-led government, in what correspondents called an important step for national reconciliation.

* Hizbullah won’t rule out more abductions Hizbullah’s deputy secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Kassem, would not rule out on Saturday the abduction of more Israeli soldiers.

* Spat between Jews and Muslims sours Saudi interfaith summit A groundbreaking interfaith conference this week ended on a sour note, with a political spat between Muslims and Jews that Saudi organizers wanted to avoid.

* Blair: Two states are only way to peace A two-state solution is the only way to solve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair said.

* Barroso admits he wants to be EU commission president for a second time European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has for the first time publicly admitted he wants a second term as head of the EU executive.

* Obama opens foreign tour in Kabul US Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama has arrived in Afghanistan, at the start of a high-profile international tour.

* Arabs seek exit strategy from Sudan war crimes crisis Arab foreign ministers held crisis talks on Saturday on how to deal with the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s bid to arrest Sudan President Omar al-Beshir.

* Brown Says No `Artificial Timetable’ for Iraq Troop Withdrawal U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would not set “an artificial timetable” for withdrawing British troops from Iraq, though progress toward a reduction is being made.

* Moallem: Syria-Iran strategic alliance strong The “strategic alliance” between Syria and Iran is strong and will not be shaken by the possibility of a peace treaty with Israel.

* Government funds Muslim thinkers The British government is to fund a board of Islamic theologians in an attempt to sideline violent extremists.

* Hizbullah moves into ‘every town’ Hizbullah is bolstering its presence in south Lebanon villages with non-Shi’ite majorities by buying land and using it to build military positions.

* Ignoring a war in northern Iraq? Iraqi MPs and politicians have accused the Baghdad government of tolerating an Iranian military campaign on Iraq’s northern territories.

* Mofaz repeats his talk of attacking Iran Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who stands a good chance of becoming prime minister shortly after September’s Kadima primary, defended his hawkish statements about a prospective attack on Iran.

* Samir Kuntar: I’m yearning more than ever to confront Israel Five militants who were freed Wednesday as part of a prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah.

* Israeli Arab indicted on suspicion of planning Bush assassination Four Israeli Arabs from east Jerusalem and two from Nazareth have been indicted for allegedly setting up an Al-Qaida cell.

* Iran: US presence at nuclear talks ‘positive’ Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that forthcoming nuclear talks in Geneva and the participation of a US diplomat for the first time look positive and he expects progress.

* Pope: All faiths should unite against violence Pope Benedict XVI on Friday urged religious leaders of all kinds to unite against those who use faith to divide communities.

* ICC probes Darfur rebel leaders Rebel leaders from Sudan’s Darfur region are being investigated for war crimes, says International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.

* Nasrallah ‘most admired’ Arab leader Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah is the most admired leader among the Arab public.

* Israeli critics question lopsided prisoner swap Critics of Israel’s lopsided prisoner exchange with Lebanese guerrillas said Wednesday that such deals only encourage more hostage-taking.

* Prisoners’ homecoming a triumph for Hezbollah Tens of thousands of people waving flags, lighting fireworks, smiling, laughing, and jostling for a view of Hezbollah’s leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, packed into an open square in this city’s southern suburb.

* Iran threatens President Bush Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a personal threat against American President George W. Bush.

* Roots of Inter-faith Animosity Run Deep An inter-faith conference opened in Madrid Wednesday hoping to find a solution that would end disputes between the world’s major religions.

* Russians remember murdered tsar Thousands of Russians have been taking part in events to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the assassination of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.

* Turkey urges dialogue on Iran standoff Turkey’s foreign minister encouraged dialogue to resolve the standoff over Teheran’s disputed nuclear program.

* UK ratifies the EU Lisbon Treaty The UK has officially ratified the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty.

* Pope Assails Moral Relativism Pope Benedict XVI laid out a modern agenda Thursday for the event that the Catholic Church is describing as the largest gathering of young people on the planet.

* US ‘to open Iran base in weeks’ The US has refused to deny reports that it will establish a US diplomatic presence in Iran in the next month.

* Turkish FM: Israel, Syria want peace Israel and Syria both have “the political will” to end tensions between them and will hold a fourth round of indirect talks soon.

* Israel swaps prisoners for bodies Israel has confirmed that human remains handed over by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as part of a prisoner swap are those of two of its soldiers.

* Arab Leaders Celebrate Victory: ‘Swap Teaches us to Kidnap More’ Arab leaders and terrorist groups around the Middle East are expressing their joy over what to them is a resounding victory over Israel.

* US official to attend Iran talks A top US official is to attend talks aimed at persuading Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment program.

* Oil price slides as sell-off continues Oil prices tumbled Wednesday, extending a massive sell-off the previous day.

* Russia Denies Saudis Offered Billions for Cut in Aid to Iran Diplomatic sources told a Russian newspaper that Saudi Arabia has offered Moscow more than $2 billion in business in return for its scaling back help in building Iran’s nuclear reactor.

* Saudi-sponsored interfaith meet kicks off in Spain King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was kicking off an interfaith conference in Madrid on Wednesday – an effort to bring Muslims, Christians and Jews closer together.

* Incredible pictures of Mars – and they look surprisingly like some parts of Earth Ever since Victorian astronomers pointed their telescopes towards Mars and wrongly believed they had discovered canals, mankind has been obsessed by the red planet.

* Sarkozy says Ireland will have to vote again French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that Ireland will have to vote once more on the EU treaty.

* Olmert Scandal Deepens as Investigators Find New Evidence Following a third round of questioning of Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, amid fresh allegations that he supposedly defrauded several charities.

* Blair cancels Gaza visit, citing threats Mideast envoy Tony Blair on Tuesday called off what would have been the first visit of a top Western diplomat to Hamas-ruled Gaza.

* Rights group fears Sudanese backlash Human rights activists said Tuesday they feared a move by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to file genocide charges against Sudan’s president could provoke a violent backlash.

* Ahmadinejad: We won’t accept any conditions Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told state TV on Monday that he won’t accept any conditions on his country’s disputed nuclear program.

* Hizbullah Gears Up For War, Olmert Asks for UN Help Arab reports indicate that Hizbullah is preparing to arm its rockets with chemical warheads and to build extensive fortifications.

* Hamas using Gush Katif synagogues to train gunmen One of the most visible conflicts in public opinion prior to the Gaza Strip pullout in August 2005 dealt with the issue of public structures following the evacuation of settlers.

* Polish leader pledges not to block EU treaty Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he will not create “obstacles” to the ratification of the EU’s new Lisbon treaty.

* World’s biggest Christian festival launched with Sydney mass The world’s biggest Christian festival opened Tuesday with a spectacular harbourside mass for up to 150,000 pilgrims.

* Sexuality stance ’embarrasses’ Anglicans The head of the Anglican church in the US has said that her church has embarrassed other parts of the Anglican Communion with its approach to sexuality.

* Earthquake near Rhodes felt in Israel Tremors of a powerful earthquake with an epicenter near the Greek island of Rhodes were felt throughout Israel on Tuesday morning.

* Dollar Falls to Record Versus Euro; Credit Woes May Damp Growth The dollar declined to a record low against the euro.

* Hamas spokesman says Tony Blair to visit Gaza Mideast envoy Tony Blair will visit the Gaza Strip this week.

* “World will pay price for Iran attack” Syrian President Bashar Assad warned that Israel, the US, and the entire world would pay a heavy price if Iran is attacked.

* President George W Bush backs Israeli plan for strike on Iran As Tehran tests new missiles, America believes only a show of force can deter Ahmadinejad.

* Iran and Russia sign major oil deal Russia’s Gazprom is purposing a multi-billion-dollar gasoline development deal with Iran

* Sudan head accused of war crimes Sudan’s president has been accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

* Dispute on Paris summit wording Israel and the Palestinians have disagreed over the final declaration of the Mediterranean summit held in Paris.

* Turkey charges 86 for coup plot A top Turkish prosecutor has brought charges against 86 people allegedly involved in a coup plot.

* Ahead of Mideast trip, Obama backtracks on ‘undivided’ Jerusalem Barack Obama will visit Israel and the West Bank next week, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

* Sarkozy beaming at birth of Mediterranean Union France officially announced the launch of the Union for the Mediterranean.

* Gay bishop calls for firmer leadership The gay bishop who sparked Anglican divisions said on Monday the head of the church must show firmer leadership and get conservative foes to tone down homophobic taunts.

* ‘Iran would destroy Israel, US bases’ Iran would “destroy” Israel as well as 32 US army bases in the region if the Islamic Republic is attacked, an aide to Iran’s SupremeLeader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday.

* Hizbullah gets veto power in Lebanon Lebanon’s prime minister formed a national unity Cabinet on Friday after six weeks of wrangling over how to distribute posts among members of the country’s Western-backed parliamentary majority and the Hizbullah-led opposition.

* ‘Iran test showed no new capabilities’ Iran’s missile test this week demonstrated no new capabilities, according to a US official familiar with the intelligence, and the test may not have included one of the longer-range missiles that Iran said was among those launched.

* Sarkozy welcomes Assad in Paris French President Nicolas Sarkozy has welcomed his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, to the Elysee Palace.

* Mediterranean Union to be launched France will on Sunday (13 July) launch the Union for the Mediterranean – the brainchild of President Nicolas Sarkozy, which will bring together EU member states and a number of North African and Middle East countries.

* Dichter: Jerusalem attacks not an intifada One of two officers shot in Friday night terror attack in capital currently fighting for his life; interior security minister visits him in hospital. ‘I am confident police, Shin Bet will put their hands on terrorist,’ he says.

* Syria asks France to help direct talks with Israel Syrian president says Washington, Paris should contribute to future security arrangements in region.

* Pope to apologise for sex scandal Pope Benedict XVI has said he will apologise for decades of sexual abuse of children by Australian priests.

* Bashir seeks Arab League support Khartoum has asked the Arab League to hold a meeting of foreign ministers after a move by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek the arrest of Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, for alleged crimes in the Darfur region.

* Russia blasts U.S., UK over Zimbabwe vote Russia has reacted angrily to comments made by U.S. and British officials who criticized Moscow’s veto of U.N. sanctions against Zimbabwe.

* Iraq denies IAF using its airspace Iraq denied on Friday reports claiming the Israeli Air Force has been practicing for a possible attack against Iran in its airspace.

* Hizbullah gets veto power in Lebanon Lebanon’s prime minister formed a national unity Cabinet on Friday after six weeks of wrangling over how to distribute posts among members of the country’s Western-backed parliamentary majority and the Hizbullah-led opposition.

* Barak to US: Time running out on Iran Israel is urgently trying to convince the US that Iran is closer to passing the nuclear threshold than Washington believes.

* Arab state tells Israel it won’t oppose Iran strike Official representatives of an Arab country have hinted in meetings with Israeli officials that they would not oppose an Israeli military operation against Iran.

* Iraqis Want U.S. Troops to Leave Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has made a substantial policy shift by insisting on a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

* Ambassador: Sudanese president may be charged with genocide Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir may be charged with genocide, the Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations told reporters.

* Oil sets new record above $147 a barrel Crude jumps above $147 as concerns persist about Middle East conflict; heating oil hits record.

* France to deliver solution to Lisbon ‘psycho-drama’ by end of 2008 French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned Europe against falling into institutional paralysis in the wake of Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon treaty.

* A French plan for Mediterranean unity President Sarkozy’s launches his project Sunday of building a 44-state union in the region.

* Olmert corruption probe widened Police have widened an investigation into allegations of corruption against Israeli PM Ehud Olmert to also look at whether he may have committed fraud.

* US warns Iran on missile threat The US has said it will not hesitate to defend its interests and those of its allies as Iran continues missile tests.

* Sarkozy warns EU on treaty debate French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned the European Parliament that the EU must not waste time on more negotiations over the Lisbon Treaty.

* China foils planned Islamic ‘Holy War’ Chinese police shot dead five members of a radical Islamic separatist group intent on waging “holy war”.

* US recently held missile defense test With the possibility of an Iranian missile onslaught on Israel looming, the US Navy recently held an unprecedented exercise in the Middle East.

* Hezbollah is rearming at a dizzying pace There are some 2,500 non-uniformed Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, and the organization has trebled its pre-war missile arsenal.

* Jordan Goes Nuclear Unhindered In stark contrast to regional player Iran, there was no international outcry when Jordan announced, then started the first stage of its nuclear plans.

* Pre-quake changes seen in rocks Scientists have made an important advance in their efforts to predict earthquakes.

* Turkish PM boosts ties with Iraq Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has support from Iraq’s government and Iraqi Kurdish leaders to fight the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK.

* Barak warns Iran “we won’t hesitate to act” Defense Minister “Israel is the strongest country in the region, and it has proven in the past that it is not afraid to act when there its vital interests are threatened.”

* EU military capabilities still depend on UK, French co-operation Any moves to enhance European military capacity requires co-operation between France and the UK.

* Iran sends missile test warning Iran has test-fired nine missiles, including a new version of the Shahab-3, which is capable of reaching its main regional enemy Israel.

* European Military Capabilities With the end of the Cold War, Western European countries reduced the size of their military – then came September 11, 2001…

* National Security Cabinet to discuss Hizbullah armament Barak speaks to French FM, says ‘Israel cannot accept continuing transfer of weaponry damaging delicate balance at northern border’; cabinet to meet Wednesday to discuss State’s attempts to expand UN’s decision 1701

* Turkey consulate attack “Terrorism,” says U.S. envoy The shootout outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul which left six people dead was an “obvious act of terrorism.”

* Russia ‘upset’ by US shield plans President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia is extremely upset after the Czech Republic agreed to host part of a US missile shield.

* Large meteor crosses Israeli skies A large meteor crossed Israel’s skies on Tuesday evening, and was seen by many residents, mainly in the center of the country.

* Emerging nations join G-8 in climate declaration The world’s richest nations and emerging powers joined together to commit themselves to long-range cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions.

* Construction Plans for Jerusalem Approved The Regional Construction and Planning Board for Jerusalem has approved 910 housing units in Har Homa, and 900 in western Pisgat Ze’ev.

* Olmert, Assad to sit together at Med summit, handshake or not. Leaders from 40 countries are expected to attend the conference, an initiative of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, among them 10 from Arab countries, including Syria.

* Slovakia to extend euro area to central Europe Slovakia is the first central European country to have successfully finalised the evaluation procedures for joining the euro area in 2009.