Category Archives: Uncategorized

03/10/10

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* US slams new J’lem homes approval The decision by an Interior Ministry committee to announce approval of plans for some 1,600 housing units in northeast Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood cast a pall Tuesday night over the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden.

* Israel calls off exercises near Lebanon, Syria after pressure from Obama Officials said the administration of President Barack Obama has warned Israel that its exercises along the borders with Lebanon and Syria were escalating regional tension.

* Delay on Arms Pact Slows Reset of U.S.- Russia Ties When President Obama got on the telephone with President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia last month, he was under the impression that they were finally close to wrapping up a long-delayed arms control treaty that he had originally expected to sign in December.

* Israel Partnering in Africa Against Terror Following February talks between Israel and the Kenyan government in which the African country requested Israeli assistance in fighting terror.

* EU crisis fund idea puts eurozone at ‘crossroads’ Controversy over the future of the eurozone after the Greek crisis is at a new pitch over ideas for a rescue fund.

* Christians flee after Nigeria’s massacre Fresh gunfire has sent Christian villagers in Nigeria fleeing as a senior official accused the country’s military chiefs of having ignored warnings about last weekend’s massacre.

* Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacks US for Afghan ‘double game’ Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused the US of playing a “double game” in Afghanistan after the US used the same term to condemn Iran’s role.

* EU’s Ashton sets out diplomatic vision The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, says Europe has a “once in a generation opportunity” to build a robust new diplomatic service.

* Gates in Saudi Arabia to Discuss Iran Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for talks with the Saudi royal family that senior defense officials said would be focused on Iran.

* After Delay, Partial Iraq Vote Results Expected Thursday Iraq’s electoral commission is expected to announce partial results of parliamentary elections by Thursday.

03/09/10

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* Biden: US ‘determined’ to prevent a nuclear Iran US Vice President Joe Biden expressed America’s “absolute, total, unvarnished commitment to Israel’ security” at a press conference in Jerusalem.

* Aviation Week: Hamas, Hizbullah May Push Israel to War Worrisome escalations in arms stockpiling by Hamas and Hizbullah have convinced defense analysts that another war with Israel is on the horizon this year or in 2011.

* Israel, Syria announce nuclear energy ambitions Mideast rivals Israel and Syria on Tuesday each announced ambitions to develop nuclear energy.

* Russia sees new nuclear arms treaty by April A new treaty limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals could be signed within two or three weeks.

* ‘Israel won’t initiate attack in North’ “We are not looking for confrontations. Israel will not initiate attacks in the northern arena but we are strong and deterring,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

* Iraq election turnout 62%, officials say The voter turnout in Iraq’s general elections was 62%, officials said, despite attacks that killed 38 people.

* EU visit to Gaza is ‘poke in the eye’ for Israel Israel has agreed for EU foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton to visit Gaza next week in a mission criticised by a former Israeli diplomat.

* Iran’s Ahmadinejad to visit Afghanistan Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to visit Afghanistan on Wednesday, a government spokesman said.

* UN’s Weak Response to Muslim Slaughter of Christians Hundreds of Christians were brutally slaughtered with axes and knives by a Muslim Nigerian mob on Sunday.

* Robert Gates warns of ‘hard Afghan fight ahead’ US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has warned that “hard fighting” lies ahead, in his first visit to Afghanistan since the launch of a major offensive there.

03/08/10

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* PA agrees to “proximity talks” Ahead of Biden visit to Israel, Netanyahu to meet with Mitchell again.

* Ashton throws down the gauntlet over Gaza trip EU foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton has said she plans to visit Gaza on her Middle East trip next week, putting Israeli authorities in an awkward position.

* Analysis: Not all VP visits are significant, but this one is Washington wants to ensure that Israel and the US remain on the same page regarding how to deal with Iran.

* Votes being counted in Iraq election Counting is under way in Iraq’s elections, with preliminary results expected in several days.

* “Rachel’s Tomb was never Jewish” Speaking to Saudi paper, Turkish PM criticizes Israel’s nat’l heritage list.

* Internet access is “a fundamental right” Almost four in five people around the world believe that access to the internet is a fundamental right, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests.

* SuperPower: Visualizing the internet SuperPower: a season of programs exploring the power of the internet.

* Cyberwar declared as China hunts for the West’s intelligence secrets Urgent warnings have been circulated throughout Nato and the European Union for secret intelligence material to be protected from a recent surge in cyberwar attacks originating in China.

* Geert Wilders to the House of Lords: “The Left is facilitating Islamization” It is great to be back in London. And it is great that this time, I got to see more of this wonderful city than just the detention centre at Heathrow Airport.

* Plans emerge for European Monetary Fund Plans for a European Monetary Fund emerged over the weekend as the ongoing debt crisis in Greece forces European politicians to rethink the euro area’s institutional architecture.

03/06/10

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* ‘Iran developing massive launch site’ Iran is building a new rocket launch site with North Korean assistance.

* Ex-Leader Is Top Rival to Premier in Iraq Vote The serpentine career of Ayad Allawi, who served briefly as Iraq’s interim prime minister five years ago, has taken another unlikely turn.

* UN worried by Temple Mount clashes The United Nations Security Council expressed concern overnight Friday after Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian rioters.

* West drafts weakened Iran sanctions Western countries, under pressure from Russia and China, drafted a blueprint for a fourth round of sanctions against Iran.

* Ukraine’s Yanukovych signals shift over Russia fleet The newly elected president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych has suggested he would allow Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to remain in his country beyond 2017.

* Lost Jewish tribe ‘found in Zimbabwe’ In many ways, the Lemba tribe of Zimbabwe and South Africa are just like their neighbours.

* Obama vows to reduce nuclear weapons US President Barack Obama has pledged to cut the number and role of nuclear weapons in America’s national security strategy.

* Liberals rap Kremlin as Stalin is worshipped Communist Party chiefs led a procession of largely elderly people across Red Square on the 57th anniversary of Stalin’s death.

* Egypt’s president undergoes surgery Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has handed over the reins of government to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif while he undergoes surgery for gall bladder removal in Germany.

* ‘Hamas losing control over Strip’ Ahmed Ja’abri, commander of Hamas’ armed wing, Izaddin al-Kassam, recently sent an urgent letter to Hamas leader in Damascus Khaled Masha’al, warning that the situation in the Gaza Strip was “deteriorating.”

03/05/10

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* Iraqi Shiites Turn Prayer Meetings Into Election Rallies On the last official day of campaigning before Sunday’s parliamentary election in Iraq, the supporters of Shiite religious parties came out in force.

* Biden to open indirect talks Days before a visit by US Vice President Joe Biden, Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer expressed optimism about the situation in the Middle East.

* ‘Soon 2-states won’t be possible’ In the near future, a two-state solution may no longer be viable.

* Polling stations bombed as Iraq election begins At least 14 people have been killed in Baghdad on the first day of voting in Iraq’s parliamentary elections.

* Officials bypass Netanyahu to plan Peres-Abbas meeting Talks have recently been underway to arrange a summit meeting in Rome this April between President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

* Aharonovitch: Hamas ignited Temple Mount riots Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch arrived at the Temple Mount on Friday afternoon and accused Hamas and the Islamic Movement’s northern branch of igniting riots in Jerusalem’s Old City.

* Jews with guns – not only in the Israel Defense Forces In the year after the election of Barack Obama as president, more than 14 million weapons were sold in the United States compared with 12.7 million the year before.

* U.S. vows to assign blame if Israel-PA talks fail The United States government has committed to playing a role in indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

* US vote on Armenian genocide angers Turkey Ankara on Thursday (4 march) recalled its ambassador from Washington in protest over a resolution passed by US lawmakers recognising the Armenian genocide in 1915.

* China rhetoric raises threat concerns Recent statements by Chinese military officials are raising concerns among U.S. analysts that the communist government in Beijing is shifting its oft-stated “peaceful rise” policy toward an aggressive, anti-U.S. posture.

03/04/10

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* Mideast peace talks could begin as early as Sunday Indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority may begin as early as Sunday.

* Jerusalem’s Master Plan May Endanger United Capital Jerusalem’s revised master plan favors Arab housing, may lead to eliminating a Jewish majority in the capital.

* U.S. Fears Election Strife in Iraq Could Affect Pullout The deadly suicide bombings in Iraq on Wednesday highlight the central quandary facing President Obama as he tries to fulfill his campaign pledge to end the war there.

* China slows rise in military spending China has said its military spending will increase by 7.5% in 2010, ending a long run of double-digit growth.

* ‘Heritage decision not political’ During an address to the Knesset on Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu attempted to alleviate tensions between the opposition and the coalition and stop the fragile calm in Jerusalem and the West Bank from shattering completely.

* Brussels sets out new economic strategy for EU The European Commission set out its long-awaited proposals for a new European economic strategy on Wednesday.

* Dutch anti-Islamists makes key gains in local elections Preliminary results in Dutch local polls suggest an anti-Islam party has made major gains and may pose a serious challenge in June parliamentary polls.

* Saudi FM: Israel a religiously oriented culture Prince Saud al-Faisal tells New York Times about enlightened ‘liberal’ trends in his country, compared to ‘extreme’ conservative religious movement in Jewish state.

* U.S., EU urge Syria to drop nuclear secrecy The U.S. and the European Union are urging Syria to stop stonewalling attempts by the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate its nuclear activities.

* Golan Residents on the Alert Though Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that he “knows nothing” about reports of Syria’s “willingness” to accept the Golan in stages.

03/03/10

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* Arab ministers back new Israel-Palestinian peace talks Arab foreign ministers have agreed to back the resumption of indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks, which could see fresh negotiations soon.

* U.N. council ready to tackle Iran nuclear issue Gabon’s U.N. Ambassador Emanuel Issoze-Ngondet, president of the Security Council for March, said the Iranian nuclear issue was not on the agenda of the 15-nation panel this month, but council members might still hold a meeting on it.

* Mubarak: Heritage sites decision dangerous Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday telephoned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who told him that his latest moves may have “dangerous implications”.

* Economists: Another Financial Crisis on the Way Even as many Americans still struggle to recover from the country’s worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, another crisis – one that will be even worse than the current one – is looming.

* UN warns HIV/Aids leading cause of death in women HIV has become the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age worldwide, the UN program on HIV/Aids says.

* Iraqi elections have high stakes, but low bar The candidates include sitting judges and journalists who are covering the elections, but in Iraq, no one’s complaining about conflicts of interest. Handing out guns, cash and appliances to woo voters? No big deal.

* Hamas moderates can’t halt the slide toward Tehran Hamas has suffered more than a little embarrassment in the past few weeks. It began with the assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

* Erdogan Goes on Defensive Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey on Tuesday fought back against efforts to portray the recent arrests of dozens of senior military officers as part of a struggle between his Islamic leaning government and the country’s secular establishment.

* Iraq’s Top Cleric Refuses to Influence Elections No one man in Iraq has more power to change the outcome of the country’s elections on Sunday than a frail cleric who lives in an ascetic house.

* Greece’s New Plan Brings Some Calm to Markets Wall Street opened quietly Wednesday as Greece announced more tax increases and pay cuts in its effort to control its deficit and bring down its borrowing costs.

03/02/10

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* Netanyahu: No plans against Syria Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday tried to tone down rhetoric against Iran and Syria.

* PM: Iran arms race is runaway train Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday addressed the state of affairs on Iranian sanctions, or lack thereof.

* Nasrallah slams Arabs’ ‘silence’ Hizbullah Secretary-General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Monday night reprimanded Arab states for their “silence” in the face of Israel’s national heritage plan.

* ‘Keep Cave of Patriarchs off list’ The Palestinian Authority on Monday called on the international community to stop Israel from placing the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem on its list of national heritage sties.

* New East Jerusalem plan unveiled, and then delayed The Mayor of Jerusalem has announced a plan to demolish an area of Arab East Jerusalem to make way for an upmarket district of luxury hotels and gardens.

* Chilean Quake Likely Shifted Earth’s Axis, NASA Scientist Says The earthquake that killed more than 700 people in Chile on Feb. 27 probably shifted the Earth’s axis and shortened the day.

* Gasoline embargo seen toppling mullah regime Harsh sanctions, particularly a gasoline embargo, could endanger the mullah regime in Iran.

* Abbas urges Arab action on Jerusalem After meeting with the Jordanian king earlier this week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday in Sharm el-Sheik.

* Member states and EU commission clash over diplomatic service The European Commission and EU member states are in the middle of a nasty scrap over who is to have the most influence on Europe’s new diplomatic corps.

* Bachelet urges Chile earthquake survivors to stay calm Chile’s president has appealed for calm in the earthquake-ravaged city of Concepcion, vowing a stern response to any renewal of looting and violence.

03/01/10

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* Iran: Arab Resistance Key to Demise of World Powers Iran’s senior nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalil, says that Palestinian Authority resistance is the key to freedom for Muslims and the demise of western dominance.

* IAF expands training for rapid refueling Exclusive: Long-range destinations like Iran would necessitate risky practice.

* Abdullah: Protect J’lem holy sites Jordan’s king slams Israeli “provocation” after police storm Temple Mt.

* “Zionist regime seeks world control” Ahmadinejad says Israel’s existence is “an insult to all of humanity.”

* Israel: Syria won’t detach from Iran Ya’alon holds “useful” talks with China, discusses sanctions on Teheran.

* Israel simulation prepares for two-front war with Hamas and Hizbullah Israel’s military has been exercising for the prospect of a multi-front war.

* Israel shows China evidence of Iran bomb program Delegation to Beijing offers Chinese ‘the full intelligence picture available to Israel’.

* Iraqi PM calls pre-vote candidate ban legitimate Iraq’s prime minister Sunday defended a ban of candidates with alleged ties to Saddam Hussein’s former regime, calling it a legitimate decision that would not affect Sunni turnout at the polls.

* Palestinian Cabinet meeting in Hebron Move aimed at protesting Israel’s addition of shrine to list of heritage sites.

* Attempted Army Coup Throws Turkey into Crisis Turkey faces a deep crisis following the arrests by the Erdogan administration of top army commanders who allegedly plotted to bomb mosques and overthrow the increasingly Islamic-oriented government.

2/27/10

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* ‘Iran moves uranium above ground’ Iran recently moved almost its entire stockpile of low-enriched uranium to an above-ground facility, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

* Nasrallah: Israel incapable of starting war Hezbollah chief tells Syrian, Iranian presidents ‘Zionist regime engaging in psychological warfare’.

* Massive earthquake strikes Chile A massive earthquake has hit central Chile, killing at least 122 people, the country’s president-elect says.

* Head of IMF proposes new reserve currency Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund, suggested Friday the organization might one day be called on to provide countries with a global reserve currency that would serve as an alternative to the U.S. dollar.

* Turkey ex-generals charged over ‘plot’ Two retired Turkish generals have been charged over an alleged plot in 2003 to overthrow the government, reports say.

* UN deplores Gaddafi call for anti-Swiss ‘jihad’ A top UN official has condemned as “inadmissible” Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s call for a jihad, or holy war, against Switzerland.

* ‘Israel pressing U.S. not to send new envoy to Syria’ Israel is urging the United States to freeze its decision to send a new envoy to Syria, in the wake of this week’s tripartite meeting between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to a report Saturday in London-based Arabic daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat.

* Jordan activists stage sit in to protest Israel heritage listings Scores of Jordanian politicians and trade union members staged a sit-in at the Trade Unions Complex in Amman on Saturday to denounce Israel’s addition of two West Bank holy sites to a list of Jewish heritage centers.

* Building the first ‘Palestinian settlement’ Standing on the hills of Rawabi just north of Ramallah on the West Bank, at the moment there’s little more than a stunning view. On a clear day you can see as far as Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean.

* Opposition leader: Dictatorial “cult” rules Iran Iran’s opposition leader said Saturday that a dictatorial “cult” was ruling Iran in the name of Islam – his strongest attack to date on the country’s clerical leadership.