Ahmadinejad questions 'fairy tale' Holocaust, denies being anti-Semite
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioned the historic dimensions of the Holocaust but rejected the label of an anti-Semite, "The West made a claim - about the Holocaust - and urges all the people in the world to accept it or otherwise go to prison," Ahmadinejad told a group of Islamic scholars Thursday in Nigeria, where he attended a summit of the Developing Eight, a group of countries with large Muslim populations.

Russia To Upgrade 200 Soviet-Era Tanks For Libya | Army News at DefenseTalk
"A 1.3-bln euro [military-technical cooperation] deal signed between Russia and Libya this year includes the modernization of about 200 T-72 tanks which have been in service with the Libyan Army since the Soviet era," the source close to negotiations told RIA Novosti. Moscow and Tripoli have been involved in talks on the modernization of the T-72 tanks since 2006 as part of renewed efforts to revive bilateral military-technical cooperation.

Abbas to Arabs: We'd Support a War Against Israel
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told Arab leaders that the PA is ready to wage war on Israel if the rest of the Arab world does, according to the PA daily Al-Hayat al-Jadida as translated by Palestinian Media Watch. “If you want war, and if all of you will fight Israel, we are in favor. But the Palestinians will not fight alone because they don't have the ability to do it,” Abbas quoted himself as having said at the March Arab League Summit in Libya.

UN: West Bank wall a health hazard
Israel's separation barrier makes it difficult for Palestinians living in the West Bank to obtain proper health care, according to a new report from the United Nations.-Roughly 9 per cent of the West Bank's territory will sit on the "Israeli" side of the finished barrier. A number of villages are completely or partially surrounded by the wall.

Is Temple Mount in our hands?
Renouncing Jewish right for Mount paves way to losing right for entire land.

DOJ in bed with New Black Panther Party
Adams told a Senate panel that the DOJ instructed attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims. "I just hope white Americans really wake up and realize that they are under attack because of their color."

Obama praises Berlusconi as 'great friend'
Obama called Berlusconi "a great friend of the United States, and of mine." Obama said that the two leaders always joke when they get together but also get serious work done. He also called Italian President Giorgio Napolitano a "very gracious person" whose view of Europe coincides with Obama's.

Israeli premier willing to take risk for 'real peace'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he would prefer to begin direct talks with the Palestinians in order to achieve a 'real peace' agreement for Israel. 'I came back to do something and I am willing to take risks,'

EU parliament approves SWIFT deal with US
Strasbourg, France - The European Parliament on Thursday allowed the United States to resume searches through European Union citizens' bank data in the hunt for terrorist financing, as it approved the so-called SWIFT deal.

Belgian EU presidency to focus on economic reforms, premier says
The Belgian presidency of the European Union will focus on economic reforms over the next six months in order to get the debt-stricken bloc back in shape, acting prime minister Yves Leterme said on Wednesday.

Judge declares US gay-marriage ban is unconstitutional
A federal district court judge in Boston today struck down the 1996 federal law that defines marriage as a union exclusively between a man and a woman. Judge Joseph L. Tauro ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage law violates the Constitutional right of married same-sex couples to equal protection under the law and upends the federal government’s long history of allowing states to set their own marriage laws.

IMF presses US to cut debt
The International Monetary Fund on Thursday urged the United States to rein in its ballooning budget deficit without putting the "modest" economic recovery at risk. Amid jitters that high levels of unemployment may force a double dip recession, the IMF warned the slow US recovery would continue and that debt problems loomed.

Advance in Quest for HIV Vaccine
HIV research is undergoing a renaissance that could lead to new ways to develop vaccines against the AIDS virus and other viral diseases. In the latest development, U.S. government scientists say they have discovered three powerful antibodies, the strongest of which neutralizes 91% of HIV strains, more than any AIDS antibody yet discovered. They are now deploying the technique used to find those antibodies to identify antibodies to influenza viruses.

UK envoy's praise for Lebanon cleric draws Israel anger
Israel has criticised Britain's ambassador to Lebanon for eulogising a recently deceased Lebanese cleric said to have inspired Hezbollah. Frances Guy wrote on her personal blog that Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah was a "decent man" who rated among the people she most admired. An Israeli spokesman said Ayatollah Fadlallah was "unworthy of praise".

US and Russian 'spy-swap planes' land in Vienna
Two planes said to be taking part in an exchange of spies between Russia and the US have landed in Austria's capital, Vienna. Ten Russian agents were earlier deported from the US after a court hearing at which they admitted spying for a foreign country. Four people convicted of spying in Russia were given a presidential pardon after they signed to admit their guilt.

'Swift' used in Norway's al Qaeda sting, US says
Three al Qaeda suspects arrested in a Norway bomb plot were tracked down via the US anti-terrorism program searching through international bank transactions recorded by the Belgium-based company Swift, an American official said. ..."I can tell you the 'Terrorism Finance Tracking Program' (TFTP) provided support to the Norwegian investigation of that al Qaeda threat," under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Stuart Levey told Brussels journalists in a conference call on Thursday (8 July).

High threat-level for Israelis abroad
The National Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a general advisory Thursday calling on all Israelis traveling abroad to increase alertness, citing a “concrete, high risk” of terrorist attacks. While the warning was aimed at all Israelis traveling overseas, the bureau mentioned in particular businessmen and former public officials as possible targets.

‘Cairo, Amman worried about Iran nukes’
Egypt and Jordan are growingly concerned with Teheran’s nuclear program, a senior defense official said this week, noting an increase in anti-Iranian rhetoric in both Arab countries. Top Israeli delegations recently traveled to Jordan and Egypt for high-level talks with the political and security echelons on a widerange of issues including the Iranian nuclear threat.

Lybian ship to sail for Gaza
The Lybian Embassy in Greece announced that a ship carrying humanitarian aid from Lybia to Gaza is scheduled to set sail from Greece on Friday, AFP reported. The ship, which will carry large amounts of food and medicine, is being funded by an organiztion headed by the son of Lybian leader Muammar Gaddafi.