Headlines for 01-10-08

U.S.: Voices on Recording May Not Have Been From Iranian Speedboats We're saying that we cannot make a direct connection to the boats there," said the spokesperson. "It could have come from the shore, from another ship passing by. However, it happened in the middle of all the very unusual activity, so as we assess the information and situation, we still put it in the total aggregate of what happened Sunday morning. I guess we're not saying that it absolutely came from the boats, but we're not saying it absolutely didn't."




Iran airs own video of US ship incident Iran's English-language Press-TV broadcast a video showing an Iranian commander in a speedboat contacting an American sailor via radio, asking him to identify the US vessels and state their purpose......For Iran, the release of the footage was seen as buttressing its claims that the incident was purely a routine matter of identification that ended without any disturbance.



Iran naval clash may give Bush new ammo The Persian Gulf confrontation between U.S. and Iranian forces ended without a shot being fired. But it handed the Bush administration new ammunition in its battle to convince allies that the Tehran government is a threat even without nuclear weapons. Which is why our ships were in that region - to provoke. See paragraph 5.


IAEA chief ElBaradei in Iran to seek nuclear answers


Bush meets Israeli minister banned from US over spy case Eitan, a member of Israel's security cabinet, was the old Mossad handler for Jonathan Pollard, an American Jew sentenced to life in prison for spying on Israel.


Differing opinions fail to dent Israel's love affair with Bush While saying that he believed that diplomatic means ? including tightening economic sanctions ? would bring a solution, Mr Bush reassured Mr Olmert last night that the US regarded Iran as a threat, and that it would continue to be a threat if the international community did not come together to prevent it from developing the know-how to build a nuclear weapon


'All options on table' to stop nuclear Iran: Israel "In assessing the threat from Iran we see in sync and think similarly. Both America and Israel understand the severity of the threat, the implication of the threat if it grows," Israel's US Ambassador Sallai Meridor said.


MIDDLE EAST DIARY: Sudan to take in stranded Palestinians "We die a thousand times a day," Wafaa Mazhar, 37, a mother of five, told Miret by phone. "We Palestinians are leading miserable lives. We're helpless, and no one feels our pain."


Lebanon arrests top member of Qaeda-inspired group A top member of an extremist Islamist group that waged a 15-week battle against the Lebanese army last year was arrested on Thursday in the northern city of Tripoli, a military official said.


Chief rabbi thanks Bush for 'war against Iraq' "I want to thank you for your support of Israel and in particular for waging a war against Iraq," Metzger told Bush, according to the chief rabbi's spokesman.


Beirut to complain to UN after Israel 'kidnaps' shepherd Lebanon is to complain to the UN Security Council, accusing Israel of kidnapping a shepherd from inside Lebanese territory, the prime minister's office said on Tuesday.