US attacks East Jerusalem plans
US Vice-President Joe Biden condemns Israel's approval of 1,600 new homes for ultra-Orthodox Jews in East Jerusalem.more

US apology for Gaddafi comments
The US State Department apologises for comments by a spokesman on a call by Libya for holy war against Switzerland.more

Israeli 'spymaster' dies aged 82
A former Israeli spy who played a key role in Africa, the Middle East and the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal has died. more

Israel and Syria in nuclear bids
Israel and Syria both tell a conference in Paris they want to use nuclear power to generate electricity.more

Iraq election voter turnout '62%'
The voter turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election was 62%, officials say, despite attacks that killed 38 people.more

DRCongo crisis summit agreed as fears grow for civilians
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (AFP) - Support for an international summit on the crisis in eastern DRCongo gathered pace Friday, as UN officials reported rebel attacks on camps for displaced people there.more

At least 32 militants killed in Pakistan missile strikes: officials
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Suspected US missiles struck two deadly blows Friday killing 32 mainly Al-Qaeda operatives and injuring a key Taliban commander in a Pakistani tribal area near the Afghan border, officials said.more

McCain, Obama step up battleground blitz
DES MOINES, Iowa (AFP) - Democrat Barack Obama Friday vowed a new dawn for crisis-wracked America but John McCain's Republican camp said it was "jazzed up" about a shock comeback in next week's presidential election.more

UN panel backs call for standards in arms trade
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - A UN General Assembly panel on Friday overwhelmingly backed steps to draft a treaty establishing international standards for the arms trade.more

Big sky
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (AFP) - Men sit and stand on top of a wall at a USAID help center next to a refugee camp on the outskirts of Goma, in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.more

US ? China: Provoking the Creditor, Hugging the Holy man
The Obama regime's escalating provocations against China may come at a very high price. It would be unrealistic to assume that China will continue to remain impassive before the territorial threats, economic pressures and diplomatic insults without retaliating. China may decide to dump a large share of its US securities holdings, prompting other foreign investors to follow suit. Those who claim Chinese economic interests would suffer from such a sell off overlook the fact that China is in a comparatively better position to absorb the ?shock' of a deterioration in US economic relations and still land on her feet.more

Difficult adjustment between Beijing and Washington
Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Senior White House Asia adviser Jeffrey Bader returned from their Beijing visit empty-handed. Notwithstanding the checklist of issues they hoped would be examined - in particular the new U.N. Security Council sanctions against Tehran and the sale of US treasury bonds - their Chinese counterparts imposed a precondition that stymied all discussions and - in an unorthodox move - made public the breakdown of negotiations. Much to the astonishment of the U.S. envoys, before embarking on any other matter their Chinese hosts demanded that the U.S. cancel its arms sale to Taiwan. This sensitive issue is not new. In the past, Beijing never missed an opportunity to voice its disapproval whenever Washington made a gesture towards the separatists, be it Taiwan, Tibet or , more recently, Xinkiang. After the formal protests, discussions on the other subjects could normally proceed. According to Washington, the current stiffening on the (...)more

Netanyahu: My father foresaw 9/11 attacks in 1990s
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his father predicted the 9/11 attacks on New York's twin towers back in the '90s. Haaretz reported that the remark was made during the 100th birthday celebration of the premier's father, Benzion Netanyahu, a historian and Zionist activist. The Israeli prime minister added that those who do not know their past will not understand their presence and will not be able to predict their future. The Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv on 17 April 2008 had reported that Benjamin Netanyahu, then Likud leader, told an audience at Bar Ilan University that the September 11, 2001 terror attacks had been beneficial for Israel. \"We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq,\" Ma'ariv quoted the former prime minister as saying. He reportedly added that these events \"swung American public opinion in our favor.\" Professor Ben-Tzion Netanyahu was the personal secretary of (...)more

Food Aid Bypasses Somalia?s Needy, U.N. Study Finds
As much as half the food aid sent to Somalia is diverted from needy people to a web of corrupt contractors, Islamist militants and local U.N. staff, according to a new report. more

As Biden Visits, Israel Unveils Plan for New Settlements
The plan to build 1,600 new homes in Jerusalem is likely to complicate relations with the U.S. as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. tours the region. more

Jerusalem Journal: Palestinian Family?s Eviction Stirs Old Ghosts in a Contested City
The removal of a Palestinian family has touched two nerves: the fate of East Jerusalem and the grievances of refugees from the 1948 war. more

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Trainee pilot, instructor hurt in crash
BACHOK: A trainee pilot and his instructor from Asia Pacific Flight Training were injured when a Eagle 150B two-seater aircraft crashed into a padi field at Kampung Tualang Salak in Jelawat here yesterday.more

Academic path to lecturers' pay rise
PUTRAJAYA: Lecturers at public higher learning institutions and teaching institutions can look forward to reaching the highest salary grade without having to hold administrative posts following a government study on their service scheme. more

'No need for local council elections'
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has rejected the call to restore local council elections, saying that such a move would not necessarily enhance their services to the people.more

End to 'punishment' pool
PUTRAJAYA: A comprehensive study will be undertaken to overhaul the "pool" system in the civil service. more

'She was my mentor'
KUALA LUMPUR: For a whole minute, they hugged tightly. The deep respect and af fection they had for each was clear.more

WHO releases new malaria treatment guidelines
The World Health Organisation released new malaria treatment and procurement guidelines recommending the use of diagnostic tests and a new artemisinin-based combination therapy as new treatments, reports China's Xinhua news agency. more

Teoh Beng Hock inquest continues
Teoh Beng Hock, 30, the political secretary to Selangor executive council member Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead the morning after he was taken to the state Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Plaza Masalam here for questioning on July 15 last year over alleged irregularity in disbursement of funds. His inquest continues more

4 Indian nationals burnt to death in saree shop
Four Indian nationals working in a saree shop in Masai, Johor, were burnt to death in an early morning fire.