An Israeli child plays with Christmas decorations at a market stall in Nazareth in 2009. The mayor of a Jewish suburb of Nazareth sparked outrage on Wednesday after refusing to allow Christmas trees to be placed in town squares, calling them provocative. The mayor of a Jewish suburb of Nazareth sparked outrage on Wednesday after refusing to allow Christmas trees to be placed in town squares, calling... 

A peculiar report prepared for Prime Minister Putin by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) circulating in the Kremlin today states that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has become the latest in a growing line of Western leaders to make a ‘surprise’ visit to Afghanistan this month and follows visits by United States President Obama (December 3rd), British Prime Minister David Cameron (December... 

One of the cases involved an alleged spy ring in the Sinai peninsula. Egyptian officials have charged a local businessman and two Israelis with recruiting agents to spy for Israel. State prosecutor Hisham Badawi said Tareq Hassan was charged with harming Egypt’s national interests. The two Israelis were charged in absentia. It comes a day after Egyptian sources said an alleged spy cell, with... 

An unidentified flying object was shot down in the skies above Israel's Dimona nuclear plant, pictured here in 2004. The Israeli Air Force shot down an unidentified flying object (UFO) over the Dimona nuclear plant in the Negev Desert Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces said. The object appeared in a designated no-fly zone, the air force was scrambled and the object was shot down, the IDF said. The... 

Sweden withholding documentation on Assange probe: lawyer One of the two Swedish women who have filed sex complaints against the founder of WikiLeaks has reportedly left Sweden and may no longer be cooperating with the criminal investigation. According to a report at Australian news site Crikey.com, Anna Ardin has moved to the Palestinian territories to volunteer with a Christian group working to... 

Rabbi Mordechai Nagari, who signed the controversial ruling. Over 40 prominent Israeli rabbis – some of them public servants – yesterday targeted the country’s million-plus Arab minority with a religious edict warning their congregations not to rent property to non-Jews. The letter, which provoked immediate protests from civil rights activists, left-wingers and Arab politicians, is the latest... 

A study of the U.S. State Department cables so far released by the WikiLeaks showed that there are merely 77 documents which mention Israel and only a handful have material pertaining to Tel Aviv. On its website WikiLeaks says it has so far released “almost 20,000” of the “251,287 leaked United States embassy cables.” The release, however, raised questions as it doe not contain... 

Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a building near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, targeting suspected militants, the military said. Witnesses said the strikes hit a multi-storey building and that tanks also opened fire shortly afterwards. Palestinian medical sources said there were no casualties and that a group of people inside the building was able to escape. Israeli... 

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi Iranian defense minister has played down Russia’s refusal to deliver S-300 defense systems to the country, adding that production of long-range anti-air missile systems is in progress. Speaking on the sidelines of Iran’s fifth International Air Show at Persian Gulf island of Kish, Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi blasted Russia for running afoul of the... 

The website of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has announced that authorities have blocked it without explanation. A statement on Khatami.ir said a government committee had decided to filter the website, which on Thursday could only be reached from inside Iran through proxy servers. While the site was not known to be controversial, Khatami, president from 1997 to 2005, supported opposition... 

The Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah has state-of-the-art security and pricey international cuisine. With plush suites and an Italian chef, Ramallah’s first luxury hotel opened yesterday, bolstered by a Palestinian economy prospering despite a seemingly intractable conflict with Israel that threatens to undermine it. The five-star, US$42.6 million (Dh155.89m) Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah towers over this... 

Human rights groups fear that the number of people executed in Iran could double this year after reports of a spike in secret hangings at a large prison in the city of Mashad. Iran already executes more people per capita than any country in the world. Credible information from former inmates indicates that “numerous” undeclared executions have taken place in Vakilabad Prison over the past... 

President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai The U.S. said Iran shouldn’t interfere with Afghanistan’s internal affairs following a report that an Iranian official gave an aide of President Hamid Karzai a bag filled with packets of euro bills. “We understand that Iran and Afghanistan are neighbors and will have a relationship,” Philip J. Crowley, a State Department spokesman, said in an e-mailed... 

There’s a half-off sale in the world’s tallest building. Even with an address at the iconic Burj Khalifa, rents for residences in the tower are not immune from Dubai’s real estate crash. Indeed, nearly a year after it was inaugurated with a massive water-and-fireworks display, about 825 of the tower’s 900 ultra-luxury apartments remain unoccupied, according to Better Homes,... 

Egypt announces it will allow aid convoy to dock at Al-Arish seaport on route to Gaza, will deny George Galloway entry into country. A flotilla of ships titled the “Viva Palestina” convoy, hailed by organizers as the largest convoy to break the Gaza embargo, is set to depart this weekend, organizers announced Thursday. The flotilla has been cleared to sail from Syria to the Egyptian port...