By: Ed Crooks in London – The Financial Times Limited

Iraq could hold almost twice as much oil in its reserves as had been thought, according to the most comprehensive independent study of its resources since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The potential presence of a further 100bn barrels in the western desert highlights the opportunity for Iraq to be one of the world’s biggest oil suppliers, and its attractions for international oil companies – if the conflict in the country can be resolved.

If confirmed, it would raise Iraq from the world’s third largest source of oil reserves with 116bn barrels to second place, behind Saudi Arabia and overtaking Iran.

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* Egypt, Jordan to push Saudi peace plan Israel is still waiting for a formal approach from the Arab League after a meeting of 12 Arab foreign ministers in Cairo.

* Nationalism suspected in 3 deaths in Turkey Three people were found with their throats slit in a publishing house in eastern Turkey that had printed Bibles and other Christian literature.

* Former Mossad chief: Kill Ahmadinejad Western countries must unite in an effort to assassinate Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former head of the Mossad Meir Amit said.

* Serbia warns Europe over Kosovo independence Serbian President Boris Tadic said on Wednesday granting independence to Kosovo against Belgrade’s wishes would bring instability to the Balkan region and the European continent.

* Iran warns would-be attackers Iran’s army will “cut off the hand” of any attacker and is at the ready to fulfil its defensive duties, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.

* EU aims to criminalise Holocaust denial Laws that make denying or trivialising the Holocaust a criminal offence punishable by jail sentences will be introduced across the European Union.

* Netanyahu Going Into Action to Topple Olmert Likud Chairman and head of the Opposition Binyamin Netanyahu has decided to abandon his wait-and-see strategy and to launch a public campaign for toppling Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government.

* Gates calms Israel on US’s planned arms sale to Saudis US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday tried to ease Israeli concerns about a planned American weapons sale to Arab allies in the Gulf.

* Microsoft aims to double PC base Microsoft software will sell for just $3 (£1.50) in some parts of the world in an attempt to double the number of global PC users.

* Iraq may hold twice as much oil Iraq could hold almost twice as much oil in its reserves as had been thought.

* Abdullah urges Gates to back Arab plan Jordan’s King Abdullah II sought to rally support for the Arab peace plan in talks Tuesday.

* Iraq’s Shiite political fissures widen Monday’s departure of six government cabinet ministers from the Iraqi government will indeed erode support for American-backed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

* Olmert says Israel has no intention of attacking Syria Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that Israel had no intention of attacking Syria, and that he did not believe Syria was preparing to wage war on Israel.

* Gathafi belittles Saudi Mideast plan Libyan leader Muammar Gathafi said a Saudi proposal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was doomed to failure because the Arab leaders behind it were “half-wits”.

* Rice, PA finance minister meet in D.C. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Tuesday with Palestinian Authority Finance Minister Salam Fayyad on economic distress in the West Bank and Gaza.

* At least 160 killed in Baghdad blasts Four large bombs exploded in mostly Shiite areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 160 people.

* Sudan: UN stalling on Darfur mission funding Sudan on Wednesday called on the UN to hasten financing for the latest phase of a Darfur peacekeeping mission.

* 22 Jewish Leaders Arrested Calling for Removal of Iran at UN Twenty-one rabbis, and a Jewish community layperson were arrested at the United Nations Tuesday, demanding that Iran be removed from the international body.

* Hamas MPs to Parliament: Adopt Decision to Kidnap Soldiers Hamas MPs called on the Palestinian parliament to adopt a formal decision, which would encourage Palestinian groups to kidnap more “Zionist soldiers”.

* Syria Threatens War, Olmert Dismissive Syrian President Bashar Assad said Wednesday that Syria is ready for a war with Israel.

* Shin Bet reports Iran trying to recruit Israelis as spies Iran has been making concerted efforts to recruit Jewish and Arab Israelis as spies against Israel.

* UN urges help for Iraqi refugees The UN head has urged Iraq’s neighbours not to close their borders to refugees, and states further afield to do more to help tackle the humanitarian crisis.

* Gates to visit Israel, calm Iran fears US Defense Secretary Robert Gates will attempt to allay Israeli fears during his short trip to Israel on Wednesday.

* EU ‘does not need constitution’ The British and Dutch prime ministers have said the European Union does not need a “whole new constitution”, just limited changes to existing treaties.

* U.N. Moves on Sudan Peacekeeping Force The U.N. Security Council moved swiftly to start what will likely be a months-long process to deploy the first significant U.N. peacekeeping force in conflict-wracked Darfur.

* Commentary: Turkey could create new Iraqi front Turkey’s military, long regarded as the protector and guarantor of the Kemalist ideal of a state based on “laïcité” asked the Ankara administration last week to approve attacks on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

* Olmert welcomes Saudi peace plan Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program that he welcomes the Middle East peace plan being promoted by Saudi Arabia.

* Dollar Trades Near Record Low Vs. Euro The dollar hovered near a record low Monday against the euro after the 13-nation currency climbed to within 1 cent of its all-time high.

* JNF Not Denying It Forfeited Land to Arabs The Jewish National Fund is outraged at – but not denying – allegations that it has effectively forfeited land worth $38 million to Arab squatters.

* White House Blasts Russian Authorities for Demonstrations Breakdown The White House Monday sharply criticized Russian officials for their handling of weekend protests.

* Syria: Accept Arab initiative or we’ll resort to violence Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal threatened on Monday evening to return the Golan Heights to Syrian hands “by way of resistance If Israel [rejected] the Arab peace initiative.”

* Sadr ministers quit Iraqi cabinet The head of Moqtada Sadr’s Iraqi parliament bloc says the radical cleric has ordered his ministers to withdraw from the cabinet.

* Muslim Anti-Jewish Crusade Also Pursues Christians Muslim fundamentalists, aligned with Al Qaeda, bombed a Christian bookstore and two Internet cafes in Gaza on Saturday.

* ‘China will deal with PA unity gov’t’ China and Switzerland have informed Palestinian officials they will deal with the new Palestinian Authority unity government, the Palestinian information minister said Monday.

* Olmert Backs Arms for PA Hamas-Fatah Militia Merger Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s agreement on Sunday to an American plan to provide weapons and training to expanded numbers of Fatah militia members in the Palestinian Authority (PA) comes at the same time the PA is uniting Hamas and Fatah militia forces.

* Israel marks Holocaust Memorial Day A two-minute siren brought life to a standstill in Israel on Monday at 10 am as Israelis observed an annual moment of silence in honor of the victims of the Nazis and their collaborators.

* Turkish PM silent as presidential race kicks off Turkey’s presidential race formally kicked off Monday, but Islamist-rooted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan remained tight-lipped on his intentions amid protests by secular forces.

* EU to quiz Russia foreign minister on violence The European Commission plans to quiz Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on why police beat up peaceful protesters in Moscow and St Petersburg over the weekend.

* Iran: UN action will spur nuke progress Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday said additional UN sanctions would cause Iran to step up its nuclear development even further.

* Deadly shooting at US university At least 31 people have been killed and 10 injured after a gunman went on the rampage at the campus of Virginia Tech university in Virginia, US.

* Aides: PM mulling talks with Arab League working group on Saudi peace plan Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is considering entering U.S.-backed talks with an Arab League working group that could try to negotiate a sweeping land-for-peace accord, officials said Friday.

* “We’re the original owners of this land” Balad chairman Azmi Bishara attacked the state of Israel, saying that “it was unable to rise to the challenge he posed to its Jewish nature and to Zionism.”

* Putin opponents step up pressure Opponents of the Russian president are to take to the streets of Moscow to protest against what they say is the trampling of democratic freedoms.

* Hebron settlers try to buy more homes Settlers have plans to purchase additional homes in Hebron to expand the size and property holdings of the Jewish community in the city.

* Net reaches out to final frontier A programme to kick-start the use of internet communications in space has been announced by the US government.

* Islamic State of Iraq claims parliament suicide bombing The Islamic State of Iraq, an insurgent umbrella group which includes al-Qaida in Iraq, claimed Friday one of its “knights” carried out the parliament suicide bombing in Baghdad’s Green Zone, and the US military revised the death toll sharply downward to one dead.

* Euro hits new two-year high against dollar The euro rose to 1.3534 dollars on Friday in early European trading, reaching the highest level since January 3, 2005 on expectations of rising eurozone interest rates.

* PA official calls Israeli gov’t ‘weak’ Israel’s refusal to discuss a final status agreement with the Palestinian Authority proves the Palestinians have no partner for negotiations, PA Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti said.

* Ethiopia in Somali “genocide” row A member of Somalia’s transitional government has accused Ethiopian troops in the capital Mogadishu of committing genocide since arriving in December.

* EU official sees hope for ME peace There is “new momentum” in the Middle East peace process, a high-ranking European Union official said after meeting the UN secretary-general.

By: Yaakov Katz – The Jerusalem Post

While the Knesset heard about potential scenarios for reaching peace with Damascus on Thursday, senior defense officials warned of an unprecedented military buildup in Syria and said that prevailing in a war with Israel’s northeastern neighbor would not be as simple as some might have been led to believe.

Following the Second Lebanon War, IDF Military Intelligence noticed a change within the Syrian military. Syria feels empowered by Hizbullah’s surprising success last summer and Damascus now believes it can use Hizbullah-like tactics in a future confrontation with Israel and possibly even defeat the once-thought-to-be invincible IDF.

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* Iraq MPs condemn parliament blast Iraq’s parliament is holding a special session in a defiant response to a suicide bombing inside its building.

* Analysis: Don’t underestimate Syria’s military While the Knesset heard about potential scenarios for reaching peace with Damascus on Thursday, senior defense officials warned of an unprecedented military buildup in Syria.

* Hamas Issues Islamic Call For Genocide on PA Television While Hamas has sought, since its Mecca Agreement with Fatah, to strike a moderate tone in order to renew international funding, it continues the calls for genocide of Jews.

* Moscow greets banned Iranian general A Revolutionary Guards general, No. 7 on the blacklist of 15 Iranians who are banned from traveling abroad by UN Security Council Resolution 1747, was welcomed by Russian authorities last week.

* Turkish army calls for Iraq raid The head of Turkey’s army has called for a military operation in northern Iraq to target its Kurdish rebels hiding there.

* Hebron settlers are trying to buy more homes Settlers have plans to purchase additional homes in Hebron with the monetary backing of right-wing Jewish Americans, to expand the size and property holdings of the Jewish community in the city.

* ‘I am plotting a new Russian revolution’ The Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has told the Guardian he is plotting the violent overthrow of President Putin from his base in Britain.

* Olmert, Abbas to meet Sunday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas next Sunday.

* Security sources: Hamas is arming Islamic Jihad with Qassams Security sources on Thursday said Hamas is supporting Islamic Jihad’s rocket attacks against Israel.

By: Etgar Lefkovits – The Jerusalem Post

Several prominent scholars who were interviewed in a bitterly contested documentary that suggests that Jesus and his family members were buried in a nondescript ancient Jerusalem burial cave have now revised their conclusions, including the statistician who claimed that the odds were 600:1 in favor of the tomb being the family burial cave of Jesus of Nazareth, a new study on the fallout from the popular documentary shows.

The dramatic clarifications, compiled by epigrapher Stephen Pfann of the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem in a paper titled “Cracks in the Foundation: How the Lost Tomb of Jesus story is losing its scholarly support,” come two months after the screening of The Lost Tomb of Christ that attracted widespread public interest, despite the concomitant scholarly ridicule.

The film, made by Oscar-winning director James Cameron and Emmy-winning Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, prompted major criticism from both a leading Israeli archeologist involved in the original dig at the site as well as Christian leaders, who were angered over the documentary’s contradictions of main tenets of Christianity.

But now, even some of the scholars who were interviewed for and appeared in the film are questioning some of its basic claims.

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