Merkel Calls for Stronger U.S.-EU Ties Angela Merkel is at the top of her game. After a rocky start, the German Chancellor has achieved international respect on the back of a solid domestic economic rebound.

Livni and Abbas to meet at Davos Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet on Thursday.

Hamas survives one year of power A year after coming to power in the Palestinian territories, the Hamas government is claiming a grim kind of the victory.

Berlin lays down tight negotiation timetable for constitution Germany has laid out a detailed timetable for negotiations on the EU constitution.

Lebanon pleads for world support Lebanon has appealed to foreign donors for further financial aid towards its reconstruction following last year’s conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Worried about Iraq, Saudi official heads for Iran talks Saudi Arabia’s National Security Council (NSC) Secretary Bandar bin Sultan is due to visit Teheran.

Putin set for arms, energy talks Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in India for talks expected to focus on multi-billion dollar arms and energy contracts.

Bethlehem Christians fear neighbors A number of Christian families have finally decided to break their silence and talk openly about what they describe as Muslim persecution of the Christian minority.

Military Ray Gun Makes People Feel Like They’re on Fire The weapon is not expected to go into production until at least 2010, but all branches of the military have expressed interest in it.

China economy records huge growth China’s economy expanded by 10.7% in 2006, marking the fastest growth since 1995, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said.

Report: N. Korea helping Iran get nukes North Korea and Iran are cooperating on Iran’s nuclear program, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

Jewish Withdrawal from Judea and Samaria Back on the Table Egypt and the European Union (EU) have been mediating the negotiations, according to the World Net Daily (WND) news website.

Bush: Give new Iraq strategy a chance A politically weakened President George W. Bush implored a skeptical Congress to embrace his unpopular plan to send more US troops to Iraq.

Strike plunges Lebanon into chaos Thousands of protesters have paralysed Lebanon with a general strike that led to street clashes in which three people were killed.

Report: Saudi FM warns against partitioning Iraq The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, warned against partitioning Iraq along sectarian lines and told Iran not to “meddle” in Arab affairs.

Katsav called to resign over rape indictment Israeli President Moshe Katsav faced widespread calls to resign Wednesday after the attorney general announced that he would indict him for rape and other charges.

Ethiopia starts Somalia pull-out Some 200 Ethiopian troops have been seen leaving the Somali capital, four weeks after they crossed the border to help the government defeat Islamists.

Missile test gives new life to ‘China threat’ China’s furtive attitude regarding its growing military capability has rekindled an on-off international debate about whether its military is a paper tiger or a real power.

Taleban ‘to build Afghan schools’ The Taleban movement has earmarked $1m to set up schools for children in southern Afghanistan, a senior official of the militant group has said.

Luxembourg calls off EU constitution conference Luxembourg has called off a planned February meeting on the EU constitution.

By: Ezra Halevi – Arutz Sheva

Crackdown ‘nets 600 Sadr forces’ About 600 fighters and 16 leaders of the radical Shia militia, the Mehdi Army, have been captured by security forces in Iraq, the US military says.

Fatah and Hamas to open new round of unity talks Palestinian factions on Tuesday said they were starting a new round of talks to form a unity government.

Strike plunges Lebanon into chaos Thousands of Lebanese demonstrators have paralysed much of the country, barricading roads as part of a strike aimed at toppling the government.

Group Says al-Qaida No. 2 Mocks Bush Al-Qaida’s deputy leader mocked President Bush’s plan to send 21,000 more troops to Iraq, challenging him to send “the entire army”.

Strategist: Iran believes it could destroy Israel with a single nuke Iran’s nuclear program seeks first-strike capability against Israel, a leading strategist said.

China confirms satellite downed China has confirmed it carried out a test that destroyed a satellite, in a move that caused international alarm.

IDF builds fake Muslim city to prepare for war The IDF unveiled an Urban Warfare Training Center (UTC) on Monday in a mock city that simulates an Arab town.

Kosovans distanced from Serb poll In unseasonably warm sunshine on Pristina’s Mother Teresa Boulevard, a group of students staged a protest against delays to Kosovan independence.

Russia completes Iran missile contract Russia has fulfilled a contract to sell air defense missiles to Iran.

China battles gender based abortion Gender imbalances have led China to step up efforts to curb sex-selective abortions.

Bibi optimistic about stopping Iran Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu opened the Herzliya Conference on the Balance of National Security with an optimistic prognosis about the nation’s future.

Chief Rabbi of Tzfat: Prepare to Return to Gaza “We need to take the initiative, we need to return to Gush Katif,” Rabbi Eliyahu wrote in the Maayanei HaYeshuah weekly Torah sheet.

Missile shield ‘threatens Russia’ US plans to expand its embryonic missile defence shield to the Czech Republic and Poland are an “an obvious threat”, Russia military officials say.

Experts Warn of Global Jihad at Herzliya Conference Islamic expert and historian Bernard Lewis spoke back-to-back with former CIA director James Woolsey at the Herzliya Conference Monday.

China welcomes Vatican initiative China has welcomed the Vatican’s new move to resolve their differences, calling it “a step forward”.

EU leaders meet to seek ways to bolster Mideast negotiations European Union foreign ministers sought ways to bolster the Middle East peace process Monday.

EU laws ‘will hit online trade’ uropean Union laws on cross-border trade will hurt online sales and may cause legal chaos, UK business leaders have warned.

Iran’s guards start wargame to test missiles Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched war-games in central Iran on Monday.

Egypt on high alert as bird flu virus becomes more resistant Egypt is on high alert after the H5N1 strain of the avian flu became more resistant to the Tamiflu antiviral drug predominantly used to combat the disease.

Scores die in Iraq bomb attacks Eighty-eight people have been killed and 160 injured in a double car bombing in Baghdad, Iraqi police say.

Labor Party Appoints Israel’s First Muslim Cabinet Minister By a vote of 253 to 225 in the Labor Party Central Committee, Arab Knesset Member Raleb Majadle has defeated Druze community representative Shakib Shanan.

Gates Visits Iraq as U.S. Holds Aide to Shiite Cleric Gen. George Casey, the top American commander in Iraq, said today that the additional troops being sent to Iraq could begin to be withdrawn again by late summer.

Alon Liel: Prime Minister’s Office was updated about Syria talks Senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office were updated on the meetings with Syrian government representatives on a peace agreement with Israel and a settlement in the Golan.

400 Mehdi Army militants arrested, al-Maliki says Iraqi authorities say they have been quietly taking a bolder stance against Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia.

Abdullah to Haaretz: Jordan will develop nuclear power Jordan aspires to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

Concern over China’s missile test China is facing international criticism over a weapons test it reportedly carried out in space last week.

US says ‘no rift’ with al-Maliki George Bush, the US president, has insisted that his new Iraq plan will work as Washington dismissed suggestions of a rift with Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister.

Radicals vs. moderates: British Muslims at crossroads At a recent debate over the battle for Islamic ideals in England, a British-born Muslim stood before the crowd and said Prophet Mohammed’s message to nonbelievers is: “I come to slaughter all of you.”

EU ready for more military operations, Solana says Europe says it is ready for more military action under the EU flag in 2007.

Olmert rejects calls to step down over Lebanon war Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his defense minister Thursday refused growing pressure to follow the military chief of staff and resign over failures of the war on Hezbollah.

Rice: Quartet to discuss ME peace US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday she expected the “Quartet” of the EU, Russia, the UN and the US to meet the week of January 29 in Washington.

Netanyahu to Olmert: We need chief of staff who can face Iran Opposition Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu met Thursday afternoon with the prime minister and discussed the appointment of a new chief of staff with him.

Ahmadinejad: Iran ‘ready for anything’ in nuclear standoff Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that Iran was prepared for any possibility in the standoff with the West.

Livni, in Japan, says Iran poses a threat to the entire Middle East Iran poses a threat to all countries in the Middle East, not just Israel.

Iraqi PM seeks US weapons boost Iraq’s need for US troops could fall in three to six months if the US supplied more weapons to the Iraqi security forces, PM Nouri Maliki has said.

Australian cleric urges martyrdom A radical Australian cleric drew widespread condemnation Thursday over videos in which he encourages children to become martyrs for Islam and ridicules Jews as pigs.

Climate resets ‘Doomsday Clock’ Experts assessing the dangers posed to civilization have added climate change to the prospect of nuclear annihilation as the greatest threats to humankind.

Analysis: Bush’s ‘surge’ on Iraq’s oil It is unknown if US President George W. Bush’s last-ditch effort to turn around the downward spiral that is today’s Iraq will have any affect on its struggling oil sector.

No big debates or referendums on EU constitution, says Merkel erman chancellor Angela Merkel has told MEPs she does not intend to re-launch a broad debate on the revised EU constitution.

Why the orchestrated fuss? The Arabic word for whore – sharmuta – has gained international notoriety. CNN, ABC and the BBC, among many others, have featured Hebron resident Yifat Alkobi yelling it at her Arab neighbor.

Olmert: Halutz one of Israel’s ‘greatest soldiers’ Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated on Wednesday afternoon his “deep sorrow” over the resignation of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz.

Constitution ‘key for EU success’ German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned Europe it faces an “historic failure” if it does not revive the deadlocked European constitution.

Hizbullah: Resignation is proof we won Hizbullah declared on Wednesday that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz’s resignation was further proof the guerilla organization defeated the Israeli army.

Top Iraqi condemns US over Iran One of Iraq’s most powerful Shia politicians has condemned the arrest of Iranians by US forces in Iraq as an attack on the country’s sovereignty.

Israel warns Russia on Iran arms sale Voicing extreme concern over Russia’s recent sale of advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Iran, senior diplomatic and defense officials warned Moscow Tuesday that the deal could have serious security implications.

Rice wraps up Middle East mission US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has wrapped up a Mid-East tour aimed at winning support for US President George Bush’s new Iraq strategy.

Russia on Terror Alert After Warning From Abroad Russia deployed police with bomb- sniffing dogs on Moscow’s subways and tightened security at international airports after receiving warnings of a possible terrorist attack.

Pressure Mounts on Olmert to Resign Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz came under renewed pressure to resign Wednesday.

Ahmadinejad: Israel won’t dare attack us Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is visiting South America, said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that Israel and its allies would not dare attack his country.

EU partner Russia is ‘crushing democracy’, NGO says EU “strategic partner” Russia is “crushing” democracy NGO Freedom House has warned in its 2006 survey.

Israeli, Syrian representatives reach secret understandings In a series of secret meetings in Europe between September 2004 and July 2006, Syrians and Israelis formulated understandings for a peace agreement.

‘There was no breakthrough with Syria’ Israel and Syria both issued vehement denials on Tuesday to a report that there had been secret agreements between the two countries.

UN marks soaring Iraq death toll More than 34,000 civilians were killed in violence in Iraq during 2006, a UN human rights official has said.

Russia confirms Tor-1 sale to Iran Russia’s defense minister said Tuesday that Russia has sold Tor-M1 air defense missile systems to Iran.

Rice gets backing for Iraq plan Saudi Arabian leaders have told Condoleeza Rice, the US secretary of state, that Arab countries are ready to back the new US strategy to stabilise Iraq.

Kosovo decision must satisfy both Pristina and Belgrade – Lavrov A decision on the sovereignty of Kosovo, which is being demanded by the predominantly Albanian population in the historically Serbian region, must satisfy both Kosovo and Serbian authorities.

Iran says Sunni-Shiite ties discussed in Saudi Iran’s top national security official today said talks he held in Saudi Arabia were aimed at improving understanding between Shiites and Sunnis.

Estimates of US Jewry Differ, but It’s Less Than in Israel The latest estimate, provided in the American Jewish Year Book, says there are 6.4 million American Jews.

AP: Iran gets army gear in Pentagon sale The US military has sold forbidden equipment at least a half-dozen times to middlemen for countries – including Iran and China.

New EU parliament boss pledges to be tough with Merkel German Christian democrat Hans-Gert Poettering, elected as the new European Parliament president today, has pledged to stand up to pressure by big member states.