By: Ashley Seager – Guardian News and Media Limited
World oil production has already peaked and will fall by half as soon as 2030, according to a report which also warns that extreme shortages of fossil fuels will lead to wars and social breakdown.
* Meridor: We must be ready to preempt threats Israeli Ambassador to the US Sallai Meridor declared Monday that Israel should always be prepared “to preempt, to deter and to defeat if we can”.
* Dr. Mazar: PM’s Office Complicit in Temple Mount Destruction Well-known archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar of Hebrew University told Arutz Sheva Radio that she sees the recent revelation of First Temple artifacts on the Temple Mount as further proof of what she called the Antiquities Authority’s “criminal behavior.”
* Brown says he backs further sanctions against Iran British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday that his government would seek further sanctions against Iran through the United Nations and the European Union.
* Turkey wins Iraq backing on PKK Turkey and Iraq have agreed to work together to deal with the problem of Kurdish PKK rebels in northern Iraq.
* ‘Be prepared to fight any aggression’ Syrian Chief of General Staff Ali Habib on Monday called on his country’s pilots to be prepared to fight against any possible attack.
* First names floated for top new EU jobs Although the ink on the new EU treaty deal is barely dry, several names are already being floated as possible candidates for the European Union’s first-ever president.
* “Save Jerusalem” Emergency Coalition Forms An unprecedented coalition of American Jewish groups has formed on short notice to ensure that united Jerusalem remains Jewish.
* Bin Laden issues Iraq message Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, has released a new audiotape calling on fighters in Iraq to unite.
* China to test space weapon in launching moon satellite: rights group+ Chinese submarine will send test signals that could change the course of a satellite when China launches its first moon orbiter.
* International troika ups efforts to break Kosovo deadlock With a December deadline looming, diplomats from the EU, Russia and the US presented both Serbian and Kosovar leaders with proposals for a compromise solution.
* ‘Annapolis is a trap set by Zionists’ The upcoming US-sponsored conference on ‘Peace in the Middle East’ is “a trap set by the Zionists” for regional states, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday evening.
* Israel reveals ‘plot to kill PM’ Palestinian militants planned to kill Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as he travelled through the West Bank, a top Israeli security official has said.
* Priestly Blessing on Temple Mount A historic first: Last week, during a special visit to the Temple Mount, the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) was recited there, for arguably the first time since the 1st-century destruction of the Second Temple.
* Finds on Temple Mount from First Temple The unauthorized dig of a trench this past summer by the Moslem Waqf on the Temple Mount had a thin silver lining: Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) personnel monitoring the trench-digging have, for the first time, found traces of the First Temple.
* ‘We won’t let Iran have nuclear weapon’ US Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday reiterated the Bush administration’s insistence that Iran would not be able to acquire nuclear bombs.
* Pope decries ‘religious’ violence Pope Benedict XVI has urged world religious leaders not to allow God’s name to be used to justify violence.
* Steep decline in oil production brings risk of war and unrest, says new study World oil production has already peaked and will fall by half as soon as 2030, according to a report which also warns that extreme shortages of fossil fuels will lead to wars and social breakdown.
* Chinese party unveils new leaders China’s Communist Party has unveiled the leadership line-up that will steer the country for the next five years.
* Turkish army ambush: Eight missing Turkey’s military confirmed Monday that eight of its soldiers were still missing following a weekend ambush that killed at least 12 Turkish troops, raising the prospect of a major Turkish military incursion into northern Iraq targeting the Kurdish separatists blamed for the attack.
* Christian-Jewish group bringing dozens of Iranian Jews to Israel Evangelical Christians in the U.S. have brought dozens of Iranian Jews to Israel in recent months, offering cash incentives and claiming that Iran’s tiny Jewish community is in grave danger.
* ‘Iran capable of firing 11,000 rockets into bases if attacked’ Iran is capable of firing 11,000 rockets into enemy bases within the first minute after any possible attack.
* Pakistan rejects Bhutto accusations Pakistan’s deputy information minister has dismissed accusations that officials may have been complicit in an attempt to kill Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister.
* ‘Syria dismantling nuclear facility’ Syria has begun dismantling the remains of a what American and foreign officials suspect was a nuclear facility targeted by Israel in an air strike in September.
* Talabani chides Syria over Kurds Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has criticised Syria for its support for a possible Turkish intervention against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.
* ‘Israel had mole inside Syrian facility’ Israel obtained detailed photographs from inside an alleged Syrian nuclear facility prior to carrying out an air strike on September 6.
* Blair gets early backing in race to be EU’s first president Tony Blair, the Mideast envoy for the Quartet, got early backing from the British and French leaders at the end of an EU summit on Friday to become the European Union’s first-ever full-time president.
* Ahmadinejad accepts Larijani resignation The top negotiator of Iran’s controversial nuclear program, Ali Larijani, has resigned, the country’s government spokesman said.
* G7 concerned over global growth Finance officials from the rich nations have warned that recent financial market upheaval, high energy costs and weaknesses in the US housing sector will slow global growth.
* EU agrees new ‘Lisbon Treaty’ The European Union has overnight agreed the precise text of its new ‘Lisbon Treaty’ to be formally signed off on 13 December in the Portuguese capital.
* China’s Hu in control of rapidly modernising military After five years in power, President Hu Jintao has finally gained unquestioned control of China’s massive military.
* Knesset Majority: ‘Don’t Divide Jerusalem!’ More than half of Knesset Members from both the opposition and the coalition factions have signed a petition against plans to hand over parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority.
* Scores dead in Pakistan bomb blasts More than 130 people have been killed in a twin-bombing attack in Karachi near the convoy of Benazir Bhutto.
* EU leaders agree new treaty deal European Union leaders have reached a deal on a landmark treaty to reform the 27-member bloc, officials say.
* On PA TV, All of Israel to be Replaced by ‘Palestine’ Even as Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas declares his demand for “only” all 6,205 kilometers of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, his official TV station shows a PA flag covering all of Israel.
* Olmert meets Putin over Iran The Russian president, just back from a visit to Iran, has spoken to the Israeli prime minister on Tehran’s nuclear program.
* Iran backing terror, says Blair UK ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair has accused Iran of backing terrorism and warned the world faces a situation akin to “rising fascism in the 1920s”.
* Evangelicals raise $8.5 m. for Jewish state The curtain rose to a hundred performers singing “Hinei Ma Tov” as the audience swayed back and forth and clapping their hands. They remained standing through “Hatikva,” declarations of support for Israel.
* Peres on Iran: Similar thing happened with Hitler “The world must open its eyes before it is too late,” President Shimon Peres said Thursday in reference to the Iranian nuclear threat.
* MKs call for undivided Jerusalem A majority of Knesset members signed a petition this week calling for Jerusalem to remain undivided.
* Oil prices set fresh record highs Oil prices have set further record highs, lifted by the low dollar and continuing tensions in eastern Turkey.
* Iraq partition will ‘blow up’ Mideast says Assad Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has warned that a failure to preserve Iraq’s unity will trigger new bloodshed in the Middle East, a Turkish newspaper reported.
* Israel Warns World War III May be Biblical War of Gog and Magog US President George W. Bush said a nuclear Iran would mean World War III. Israeli newscasts featured Gog & Magog maps of the likely alignment of nations in that potential conflict.
* Nuclear Iran could cause ‘World War III’ US President George W. Bush warned Wednesday of a possible “World War III” should Iran gain the know-how to build a nuclear bomb.
* Mideast Summit Likely to be Postponed Four days of shuttle diplomacy between Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo has apparently convinced U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that it would be wise to postpone the much publicized upcoming Mideast summit.
* Putin calls for negotiations with Iran “Russia is taking steps together with other members of the international negotiations to solve the [Iran nuclear] problem through peaceful means.
* EU leaders hold key treaty talks EU leaders are gathering in Lisbon in an attempt to agree on a landmark treaty to reform the 27-member bloc.
* Israel cannot be destroyed, says former Mossad chief Israel cannot be destroyed, former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy said.
* Libya’s UNSC membership ‘problematic’ Placing Libya on the United Nations Security Council is like “putting the cat in charge of the cream,” charged Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman.
* Turkey approves Iraq incursion Turkey’s parliament has approved by a large majority a government request to allow troops to cross into northern Iraq to take military action against Kurdish fighters.
* Iraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S. Iraq has agreed to award $1.1 billion in contracts to Iranian and Chinese companies to build a pair of enormous power plants.
* Rabbis ‘Stunned’ Over Concessions in Jerusalem Rabbis unite in call to strengthen Israel’s hold on Jerusalem – but one says the Israeli-Arab city Um el-Fahm and environs can be traded.
* Turkey seeks green light on Iraq MPs in Turkey are due to debate a motion authorising cross-border military operations into northern Iraq to target Kurdish rebel bases there.
* Putin bolsters Iran ties in historic visit Iran Wednesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward a proposal to break the deadlock over its nuclear program during his landmark visit to the Islamic republic.
* ‘Likud could let Muslim country run Temple Mount mosques’ The head of the Likud’s foreign relations department, former ambassador to the US Zalman Shoval, joined calls Tuesday for compromises on Jerusalem.
* Iraq fears action ‘may escalate’ Unilateral action by Turkey in Iraq could have “very grave consequences” and set a worrying precedent, Iraq’s deputy prime minister has warned.
* Libya wins UN Security Council seat Libya has been elected to the UN Security Council, taking a step back towards global respectability.
* Syria denies admission of nuke program Syria denied on Wednesday reports that its representatives to the United Nations said that a nuclear facility was hit last month by Israeli warplanes.
* Bob Jones III endorses Romney for president Dr. Bob Jones III, chancellor of the fundamentalist Christian university that bears his name, is looking past his religious differences with Gov. Mitt Romney and endorsing the Mormon for the Republican nomination for president.
* Abbas: Israeli aggression continues Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday accused Israel of hampering progress toward a joint declaration of principles that would guide future peace talks.
* UK looks to make Antarctica claim The UK is looking to claim sovereignty over a large area of the remote seabed off Antarctica.
* Lieberman: Silwan is Israel’s forever The Arab neighborhood of Silwan will remain part of Israel forever, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said.
* Putin in Iran for landmark visit Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Iran for a historic visit, the first by a Kremlin leader since Stalin joined a summit there in World War II.
* PM raises questions about east J’lem Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted he would agree to relinquish control of some east Jerusalem neighborhoods.
* Iraq seeks talks on Turkey threat Baghdad has called for “urgent negotiations” over Turkey’s threat to carry out cross-border raids against Kurdish rebels.
* Turkey’s Erdogan Says Parliament to Approve Iraq Raid Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the parliament will approve plans for an incursion into northern Iraq to attack Kurdish militants.
* ‘Only united int’l effort can stop Iran’ The United States alone cannot force Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.
* Oil prices rise to intraday record Oil prices rose to new intraday highs in Asia Tuesday on fears Turkey will pursue Kurdish rebels into Iraq and disrupt oil supplies in the region.
* Rice in Egypt seeks support for ME talks US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought support from Egypt on Tuesday in her quest to nudge Israelis and Palestinians closer together before November’s Middle East peace conference.
* Problems remain ahead of EU treaty summit With only three days until EU leaders meet in Lisbon to adopt a new EU treaty, a number of issues are continuing to cloud the horizon.
* War is inevitable, Lieberman tells Rice An IDF operation to destroy the terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip is inevitable.
* HIV treatment ‘failing’ in Africa More than a third of patients on HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa die or discontinue their treatment within two years of starting it, a survey shows.
* Iran poses a danger to Israel’s security German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed the possibility of stronger sanctions against Iran before she met Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who planned to travel on to Teheran from Germany.
* US Official Hints at Delay in Middle East Summit Associated Press reports that a U.S. State Department official says that the Middle East conference, scheduled by U.S. President George W. Bush for late November in Annapolis, Md., might be delayed.
* Turkish govt to seek go-ahead for Iraq incursion The Turkish government met Monday to prepare a motion seeking parliamentary approval for a military incursion into neighboring Iraq to crack down on Kurdish rebel bases there.
* Mini-Earthquake Sets Off Predictions of a Larger One The Patzael region in the central Jordan Valley, just 20 kilometers north of Jericho, was touched by a small earthquake on Saturday night, registering 3.0 on the Richter scale.
* Putin to visit Iran amid nuclear tension Russian President Vladimir Putin has been told of a plot to assassinate him during a visit to Iran this week, a Kremlin spokeswoman said Sunday.
* Majadle slams renewal of Mughrabi dig A decision by the governmental committee on Jerusalem affairs to renew digging at the Mughrabi Gate to the Temple Mount may spark riots ahead of the Annapolis peace conference, Science, Culture and Sport Minister Ghaleb Majadle wrote Sunday in a letter to Cabinet Secretary Ovad Yehezkel.
* Turkish general warns of ‘irreversible’ damage if genocide resolution passes Turkey’s top general has warned that military ties with the US will be irreversibly damaged if Congress passes a resolution that labels the World War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide, a report said Sunday.
* China rules out West’s democracy China will never have Western-style democracy, a senior official said as the country began its most important political meeting in five years.
* Al-Sadr bloc rejects federalism The Muqtada al-Sadr bloc has rejected a suggestion made by another Iraqi Shia politician that the country should be split into regions based on sect and ethnicity.
* Rice says Kremlin’s consolidated power endangers democracy The Russian government under Vladimir Putin has amassed so much central authority that the power-grab may undermine Moscow’s commitment to democracy, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday.
* Abbas denies report of planned talks between Hamas and Fatah Palestinian Authority President denied reports on Saturday that he had agreed to begin talks with Hamas.
* Rice encourages Russian activists US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has pledged support for human rights activists in Moscow, during a Russian visit that has been coolly received.
* Ayatollah to Muslims: Boycott Annapolis Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, called on all Arab countries planning to attend a US-sponsored Middle East peace conference to cancel their participation.
* US general damns Iraq ‘nightmare’ A former US military chief in Iraq has condemned the current strategy in the conflict, which he warned was “a nightmare with no end in sight”.
* U.S. military looking at alternatives in case Turkey cuts access U.S. military planners quietly have stepped up a review of alternatives in case the Turkish government restricts U.S. access to Turkish airspace.
* PA Demands Kotel as Failed Taba Accords Revived Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed to take a second look at the principles discussed during the January 2001 Taba Summit.
* Putin warns U.S. to back off on missile talks President Bush’s top two Cabinet officials, expecting a polite photo op, were ambushed by a Russian leader who fears Eastern Europe may be turned into a U.S. staging point for a new Cold War.
* Darfur refugees to settle in Negev Yaacov Ganot, who was appointed by the government to oversee the care of the Darfur refugees who fled to Israel, called on the head of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council, Shmulik Rifman, to help find employment for some 200 refugees.
* Brown threatens ‘red line’ veto over EU treaty Just one week before EU leaders meet in Lisbon to adopt a new EU treaty, the UK prime minister has pulled the veto card.
* Vatican bars prelate in gay row The Vatican has confirmed local newspaper reports that a high-ranking Catholic priest has been suspended.