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Germany's Merkel arrives in Russia for talks with Putin
SOCHI, Russia (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Russia on Sunday for talks with President Vladimir Putin amid a push to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process and questions of Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas and oil.
Use of force for conflict settlement in Middle East is unacceptable -Putin
SOCHI. Jan 21 (Interfax) - President Vladimir Putin has called unacceptable the use of force for the settlement of conflicts in the Middle East.
Abbas, Hamas chief can't agree on gov't
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the exiled chief of the rival Hamas faction failed Sunday night to resolve their differences over forming a unity government, dashing hopes for a quick end to deadly clashes between their supporters.But Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said in a statement that they "achieved major progress" during the meeting — their first since July 2005 — and hoped to resume talks within two weeks.
Solana shocked at growth of Israeli settlements in West Bank
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged Israel to freeze West Bank settlements and stop constructing the security fence. He hoped "the realities on the ground" brought about by Jewish settlement building would not "prevent a two-state solution from happening."
Rare Snowstorm Surprises Arizona
PHOENIX (Jan. 22) - More than a foot of snow fell on parts of northern Arizona, and several more inches were possible Monday, while children as far south as Tucson got a rare chance to play in the snow as one of the strongest storms of the winter moved through the state.
Yemenite Jews flee their homes following threats by extremists
Some 45 Jews of Sa'ada county in Yemen left their homes after being threatened by radical Muslims, the Saudi daily Al Wattan reported on Monday. According to the report, the extremists told the Jews to leave their homes within ten days, after which time they will be exposed to abductions and looting.
250,000 Palestinians fenced in, says report
Some 250,000 Palestinians have been closed off from the rest of the West Bank by the separation fence, according to a report released by "Bimkom - Planners for Planning Rights" human rights organization.
The report said there were 21 such enclaves and that 8,000 Palestinians lived in "seam enclaves" stuck between the Green Line and the separation fence.
New rules for the Middle East game
The current discussions about the future of American foreign policy in the Middle East touch directly upon Israel-U.S. relations. U.S. policymakers, however, have not yet given enough consideration to the unprecedented weight that the European Union increasingly exerts in the region. In the case of Israel as well as on other U.S. fronts, no durable progress is reachable without the agreement, not to say the active involvement, of the slowly uniting Europe.
Iran's guards start wargame to test missiles
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched war-games in central Iran on Monday and said they would test two models of home-made missiles, state radio reported.
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, the health minister has been quoted as saying. "The health ministry remains in a state of maximum alert and is reviewing its strategy in combating avian flu following the mutation of the H5N1 virus," Hatem al-Gabali told the top-selling state-owned Al-Ahram daily Monday.
Russian academic says CO2 not to blame for global warming
ST. PETERSBURG, January 15 (RIA Novosti) - Rising levels of carbon dioxide and other gases emitted through human activities, believed by scientists to trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, are an effect rather than the cause of global warming, a prominent Russian scientist said Monday. Habibullo Abdusamatov, head of the space research laboratory at the St. Petersburg-based Pulkovo Observatory, said global warming stems from an increase in the sun's activity. His view contradicts the international scientific consensus that climate change is attributable to the emission of greenhouse gases generated by industrial activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Thousands stranded by Australia fires
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Thousands of Sydney commuters were stranded for hours Monday as firefighters battled a large wildfire on the outskirts that closed two major highways and a train line.
Israelis prepare public for conflict with 'genocidal' Iranian regime
Senior Israeli politicians and analysts appear to be preparing the public for military conflict with Iran as the Iranian President again refused to bow to international demands to curb its nuclear ambitions, and Tehran announced fresh military manoeuvres.
Report: Mubarak to participate in Libya's Arab summit
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will take part in Tuesday's summit of five Arab leaders, which was initiated by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, reported Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram.
'Israel is a nuclear threshold state'
Dr. Ariel Levite, the deputy director-general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, admitted for the first time at the Herzliya Conference on Sunday that Israel is a nuclear "threshold state." A threshold state is defined as one with the potential for developing nuclear weapons, but which has not officially announced this.
DEBKAfile Exclusive:
Tens of thousands of Hizballah and pro-Syrian supporters flock to Beirut for fresh assault on Siniora government Tuesday. Pro-Syrian factions and militias are streaming to Beirut to stage a one million-strong rally Tues. Jan 23. Anti-government organizers plan to strangle the capital by blocking its entrances and exits to keep people from work and shut down the international airport.
head:
Russian Hackers Steal Record $1.1. Million From Swedish Bank
Russian hackers managed to deprive Swedish bank Nordea of $1.1 million in what security company McAfee is describing as the “biggest ever” online bank heist, the ZDNet web-site reported on Monday.
Ducks in Vietnamese province infected with bird flu
HANOI, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Specimens from healthy ducks in Vietnam's southern Dong Thap province have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5, according to local newspaper Youth on Monday.
Ya’alon: framework of two-state solution irrelevant
Former Chief of Staff Major General Moshe Ya’alon said there is no escaping the confrontation with Iran and thwarting the Ayatollah regime as a part of the struggle against world jihad. “Radical Islamic jihad is waging the third world war,” Ya’alon said.
SOCHI, Russia (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Russia on Sunday for talks with President Vladimir Putin amid a push to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process and questions of Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas and oil.
Use of force for conflict settlement in Middle East is unacceptable -Putin
SOCHI. Jan 21 (Interfax) - President Vladimir Putin has called unacceptable the use of force for the settlement of conflicts in the Middle East.
Abbas, Hamas chief can't agree on gov't
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the exiled chief of the rival Hamas faction failed Sunday night to resolve their differences over forming a unity government, dashing hopes for a quick end to deadly clashes between their supporters.But Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said in a statement that they "achieved major progress" during the meeting — their first since July 2005 — and hoped to resume talks within two weeks.
Solana shocked at growth of Israeli settlements in West Bank
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged Israel to freeze West Bank settlements and stop constructing the security fence. He hoped "the realities on the ground" brought about by Jewish settlement building would not "prevent a two-state solution from happening."
Rare Snowstorm Surprises Arizona
PHOENIX (Jan. 22) - More than a foot of snow fell on parts of northern Arizona, and several more inches were possible Monday, while children as far south as Tucson got a rare chance to play in the snow as one of the strongest storms of the winter moved through the state.
Yemenite Jews flee their homes following threats by extremists
Some 45 Jews of Sa'ada county in Yemen left their homes after being threatened by radical Muslims, the Saudi daily Al Wattan reported on Monday. According to the report, the extremists told the Jews to leave their homes within ten days, after which time they will be exposed to abductions and looting.
250,000 Palestinians fenced in, says report
Some 250,000 Palestinians have been closed off from the rest of the West Bank by the separation fence, according to a report released by "Bimkom - Planners for Planning Rights" human rights organization.
The report said there were 21 such enclaves and that 8,000 Palestinians lived in "seam enclaves" stuck between the Green Line and the separation fence.
New rules for the Middle East game
The current discussions about the future of American foreign policy in the Middle East touch directly upon Israel-U.S. relations. U.S. policymakers, however, have not yet given enough consideration to the unprecedented weight that the European Union increasingly exerts in the region. In the case of Israel as well as on other U.S. fronts, no durable progress is reachable without the agreement, not to say the active involvement, of the slowly uniting Europe.
Iran's guards start wargame to test missiles
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched war-games in central Iran on Monday and said they would test two models of home-made missiles, state radio reported.
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, the health minister has been quoted as saying. "The health ministry remains in a state of maximum alert and is reviewing its strategy in combating avian flu following the mutation of the H5N1 virus," Hatem al-Gabali told the top-selling state-owned Al-Ahram daily Monday.
Russian academic says CO2 not to blame for global warming
ST. PETERSBURG, January 15 (RIA Novosti) - Rising levels of carbon dioxide and other gases emitted through human activities, believed by scientists to trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, are an effect rather than the cause of global warming, a prominent Russian scientist said Monday. Habibullo Abdusamatov, head of the space research laboratory at the St. Petersburg-based Pulkovo Observatory, said global warming stems from an increase in the sun's activity. His view contradicts the international scientific consensus that climate change is attributable to the emission of greenhouse gases generated by industrial activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Thousands stranded by Australia fires
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Thousands of Sydney commuters were stranded for hours Monday as firefighters battled a large wildfire on the outskirts that closed two major highways and a train line.
Israelis prepare public for conflict with 'genocidal' Iranian regime
Senior Israeli politicians and analysts appear to be preparing the public for military conflict with Iran as the Iranian President again refused to bow to international demands to curb its nuclear ambitions, and Tehran announced fresh military manoeuvres.
Report: Mubarak to participate in Libya's Arab summit
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will take part in Tuesday's summit of five Arab leaders, which was initiated by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, reported Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram.
'Israel is a nuclear threshold state'
Dr. Ariel Levite, the deputy director-general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, admitted for the first time at the Herzliya Conference on Sunday that Israel is a nuclear "threshold state." A threshold state is defined as one with the potential for developing nuclear weapons, but which has not officially announced this.
DEBKAfile Exclusive:
Tens of thousands of Hizballah and pro-Syrian supporters flock to Beirut for fresh assault on Siniora government Tuesday. Pro-Syrian factions and militias are streaming to Beirut to stage a one million-strong rally Tues. Jan 23. Anti-government organizers plan to strangle the capital by blocking its entrances and exits to keep people from work and shut down the international airport.
head: Russian Hackers Steal Record $1.1. Million From Swedish Bank
Russian hackers managed to deprive Swedish bank Nordea of $1.1 million in what security company McAfee is describing as the “biggest ever” online bank heist, the ZDNet web-site reported on Monday.
Ducks in Vietnamese province infected with bird flu
HANOI, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Specimens from healthy ducks in Vietnam's southern Dong Thap province have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5, according to local newspaper Youth on Monday.
Ya’alon: framework of two-state solution irrelevant
Former Chief of Staff Major General Moshe Ya’alon said there is no escaping the confrontation with Iran and thwarting the Ayatollah regime as a part of the struggle against world jihad. “Radical Islamic jihad is waging the third world war,” Ya’alon said.
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