Al-Qaeda video takes credit for 9/11 A new videotape aired on Aljazeera television has shown Osama bin Laden and senior al-Qaeda members meeting some of the men who carried out the attacks against the US on September 11, 2001.

Report: Sea blockade on Lebanon lifted UN commander of peacekeeping forces says Israel has ended naval blockade of Lebanese shores.

Russia to probe Hizbullah weapons Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, at her meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday, reiterated Israel’s concerns that Russian-produced weapons sold to Syria reached Hizbullah.

France rejects “war on terror” France issued an implicit criticism of U.S. foreign policy on Thursday, rejecting talk of a “war on terror.”

Al-Qaeda seeks Iraq uprising support Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s new leader has called on Muslims to support the Iraqi uprising.

Conference to debate ‘axis of truth’ Strategies for dealing with the growing threat of global terrorism will be the focus of the sixth annual international conference at the Institute for Counterterrorism.

UN warns of Gaza ‘breaking point’ Living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza have reached breaking point, a senior UN official has said.

Moscow will benefit from nuclear crisis Russia’s position in the stand-off with Iran will continue to gain importance as the possibility increases that sanctions will be imposed on Tehran.

Ethiopian Immigrants Protest Olmert Government The United Jewish Communities of North America slammed the Olmert government for going back on promises regarding Ethiopian immigration to Israel.

Scientist: Planet going back to dinosaur era Global warming over the coming century could mean a return of temperatures last seen in the age of the dinosaur and lead to the extinction of up to half of all species, a scientist said on Thursday. “We don’t agree with the theme of this story, evolution. We report it FYI.”

US hands over control of Iraq military Iraq’s government has taken control of its armed forces in a step hailed by US officials as a crucial milestone on the country’s difficult road to independence.

French agree to monitor Lebanese coast France’s foreign minister said Thursday that France had agreed to a request from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to monitor sea lanes off Lebanon.

Iran test-fires 2,000-pound guided bomb Iran on Thursday ended its large-scale military exercises by test-firing a 2,000-pound guided bomb.

Popular opinion backs EU foreign minister post A majority of EU citizens are in favour of having a single EU foreign minister for the bloc.

Terror leader: Gaza preparing for war Local terror groups are working with Hizbullah to turn the Gaza Strip into the Palestinian version of southern Lebanon.

Call to World Jewry: Have You Heard of the Iranian Threat? Sha’ul Schiff, veteran columnist for Israel’s daily HaTzofeh newspaper, makes an impassioned plea to world Jewry to wake up to.

Key Iran talks ‘set for Saturday’ EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana says his key nuclear talks with Iranian envoy Ali Larijani will now take place on Saturday.

Culture clashes expanding in Australia Question: How tolerant is Australia? Answer: Its tolerance is wearing thin. That’s according to Sydney’s highest rating breakfast show on 2GB radio.

The Evil You Know It’s not hard to guess what CIS country the latest event in Georgia will have the greatest resonance in.

Iran’s Leader Declares Intent To Speak at U.N. Diplomats at the United Nations were sent into disarray yesterday when President Ahmadinejad of Iran declared that he intended to attend the General Assembly of the world body on September 19.

Arab states to push Mideast peace plan Arab foreign ministers met Wednesday to promote a plan to revive the deadlocked Middle East peace process.

Iran-EU nuclear talks postponed Talks between Iran and the EU over Tehran’s nuclear program have been postponed for several days.

Russia: No military force against Iran Russia’s foreign minister said that any economic sanctions imposed by the international community on Iran for its nuclear programs would preclude the use of military force.

Bush warns of Iraqi caliphate President Bush vowed on Tuesday to prevent al Qaeda from setting up a violent, radical Islamic empire based in Iraq.

Anti-Semitic Hate Wave Rolls Across Britain and Australia TheAge.com in Australia reports that anti-Semitism is on the rise across university campuses in the country.

Annan lauds Turkey for joining UN force UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday praised Turkey’s decision to join the expanded UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

Judea and Samaria: Where do we go from here? The settlers in Judea and Samaria are beginning to plan a major offensive.

China asks EU to lift arms embargo China has called on the EU to lift its 17-year-old ban on arms sales to Beijing to improve the relations between the two.

Palestinians train to kidnap more Israelis A terror leader whose group in June abducted Israeli Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit said Palestinian terror organizations are currently training in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to carry out operations aimed at kidnapping Israeli soldiers.

Brussels seeks ways to keep EU-Turkey talks afloat In a bid to keep EU-Turkey talks from derailing completely, Brussels is considering ways of putting off dealing with the thorny Cyprus question until after Turkish elections next year.

Sudan wants peacekeepers to leave Sudan says the African Union (AU) force that is trying to keep the peace in Darfur must leave the country when its mandate ends later this month.

Iran calls Holocaust ‘exaggerated’ Iran said Sunday it would go ahead and sponsor a conference to examine the scientific evidence supporting the Holocaust in the autumn, dismissing it as exaggerated.

Israel begins new settlement push The Israeli government says it plans to build 700 new homes in two settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank.

‘Arab vision’ to advance peace process The Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Arab League are holding intensive talks in recent days in an attempt to formulate an “Arab vision” for advancing the peace process.

No UN advance on Iran nuclear row UN chief Kofi Annan has ended a trip to Iran with little apparent progress over its controversial nuclear program.

Race is on to save the Dead Sea Lord Foster, the British architect, has been enlisted by the King of Jordan for his most grandiose project yet.

Al-Qaeda urges non-Muslims to convert to Islam Al-Qaeda called on non-Muslims especially in the United States to convert to Islam and abandon their ‘misguided’ ways or else suffer.

Lebanon says no to peace Lebanese officials have rejected a number of overtures from Israel to “sit, shake hands and make peace.”

Israel plans for war with Iran and Syria Threatened by a potentially nuclear-armed Tehran, Israel is preparing for a possible war with both Iran and Syria.

PM says unilateral West Bank pullout now off the agenda Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that the realignment plan agenda “is no longer relevant.”

EU talks on Mid-East peace plan Finland, current holder of the EU presidency, is to propose talks on a renewed peace plan in the Middle East.

Iran will not cede on nuclear issue Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has repeated his stance that Iran will not give up “one iota of its nuclear rights.”

The World’s Most Powerful Women Angela Merkel, the first woman to become chancellor of Germany, has displaced Condoleezza Rice as No. 1 on our list of the 100 Most Powerful Women.

Annan upbeat over Syria talks Aides to the UN secretary-general have reported a positive meeting between Kofi Annan and the Syrian president.

China Trying to Tighten Media Control China’s jailing of a Hong Kong reporter as a spy reflects a deepening dilemma for the communist government.

Khartoum rejects UN troops in Darfur The UN security council has approved a resolution authorising the deployment of up to 17,000 peacekeepers to Darfur.

Disney’s Finger Scan Upgrade Raises Privacy Concerns An upgrade on Disney’s finger scanning technology implemented to prevent ticket fraud or resale is raising concerns from privacy advocates.

Germany wants to bind Russia to EU Germany is considering a revamp of the bloc’s policy towards the east with Berlin looking at how Russia can be “irreversibly” bound to the EU.

Mitt Romney Warns of ‘Orwellian’ Stem Cell Research Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a 2008 Republican presidential hopeful, said Thursday his administration’s new restrictions on stem cell research are aimed at heading off an “Orwellian” future.

Israel thinks PA unity gov’t unlikely The defense establishment is of the growing opinion that Hamas and Fatah will not succeed in joining forces.

Iran defiant on nuclear deadline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Tehran will not yield to international pressure to stop its sensitive nuclear work.

Israeli troops begin Gaza pullout Israeli soldiers have begun withdrawing from the outskirts of Gaza City.

Saniora says prisoner swap with Israel being considered Lebanon’s Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said Thursday that a prisoner swap with Israel was being considered by his government but “nothing has materialized.”

Sudan under pressure on UN force The United States and Britain plan to push for a UN vote on sending peacekeeping troops to Darfur despite opposition from Sudan.

‘Arab propaganda outdoes Nazis’ “The Arab press has outdone Hitler’s propaganda.”

Commander Optimistic About Iraqi Forces The top U.S. commander in Iraq expressed optimism Wednesday that Iraqi forces are making enough progress to provide their own security within 18 months.

Another Anti-Israel Media Hoax Revealed The round-the-world reports that Israel had bombed two Lebanese ambulances last month were apparently totally faked.

Global jihad group debuts in Gaza A new Palestinian terror group aligned with the ideology of al-Qaeda has been formed in the Gaza Strip.

US moots Cyprus plan to avert EU-Turkey clash The US is engaged in diplomatic efforts to avert a major crisis in Turkey’s EU accession talks over the Cyprus issue.

Annan calls for regional cooperation UN Secretary General Kofi Annan arrived in Syria on Thursday to press its government to join international efforts to stop the flow of arms to Hizbullah.

Diskin: Sinai has become terror hub The Sinai Peninsula has become a “Garden of Eden” for terrorists smuggling arms into the Gaza Strip.

Olmert firm on Lebanon blockade Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has rebuffed calls for a swift end to Israel’s seven-week blockade of Lebanon.

Lebanese PM Saniora snubs Olmert’s call for talks Lebanon will not have direct contact with Israel.

Dozens killed in new Iraq attacks At least 50 people have died in a wave of attacks in Iraq.

Chavez visits Syria, pledges solidarity against US Thousands of Syrians lined the streets of their capital Wednesday waving banners welcoming Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the Devil, says Vatican exorcist Adolf Hitler and Russian leader Stalin were possessed by the Devil.

Militants warn of Turkey ‘hell’ A Kurdish militant group today warned tourists to stay away from Turkey which it vowed to turn into “hell”.

China Ups ’05 GDP Growth to 10.2 Percent China’s booming economy grew even faster last year than originally thought.

Six brains to find EU solution to immigration ‘tragedy’ Brussels is setting up a six-strong top-level working group to help come up with a “European model” on illegal immigration.

Syrian group threatens to kidnap troops A previously unknown group threatened Wednesday to abduct Israeli soldiers to swap them for Syrian prisoners in Israel.

Diskin: Weapons smuggling into Gaza has skyrocketed Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin reiterated on Tuesday at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Palestinian terrorist organizations were studying the Lebanese-Israeli war to learn how to play on Israel’s weaker points.

Annan views Lebanon devastation UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has seen first-hand the destruction wrought in southern Lebanon during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Iraqi army and militia agree to truce Iraqi authorities have agreed to a truce with a Shia militia.

Pope prepares to embrace theory of intelligent design Philosophers, scientists and other intellectuals close to Pope Benedict will gather at his summer palace outside Rome this week for intensive discussions that could herald a fundamental shift in the Vatican’s view of evolution.

Prince Hassan: Arab leaders stole billions from their people Jordanian Prince Hassan Bin Talal levels scathing criticism at Arab leaders during speech delivered in Kyoto conference.

Treasury Official: Iran ‘Central Bank of Terror’ Iran, a primary source of funding for militant group Hezbollah, is a “central banker of terror.”

Brussels moots financing Euronews in Arabic In a bid to improve ties with the Muslim world, the European Commission is considering granting up to €5 million a year to news channel Euronews to broadcast in Arabic.

Deadly Dealings: Missiles From China to Hezbollah The Israeli war against Hezbollah (round one) brought with it the realization at the highest levels that dangerous weapons were floating around in dangerous hands.

EU needs constitution with Christian reference, Merkel says German chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested Europe needs a constitution that makes reference to Christianity and God.

Iran’s leader calls for TV debate with Bush Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called on U.S. President George W. Bush to participate in a “direct television debate with us.”