ISRAEL

A report by the U.N. nuclear agency Friday revealed that Iran has sharply improved its controversial uranium enrichment drive, increasing Israel's fear that the Islamic Republic is pushing ahead with the atomic bomb plans.

Hinting at the possibility of a military strike, the Pentagon is bolstering the U.S. defenses in the Persian Gulf as a preemptive measure to counter any attempt by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.

This comes as something of a breakthrough since Assad had long provided a sanctuary for Hamas exiles.

Leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas turned publicly against their long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad of Syria on Friday, endorsing the revolt aimed at overthrowing his dynastic rule.

Russian Scientists have successfully grown fruit from 30,000 year old frozen Siberian seeds found buried along the banks of the Kolyma river, a study published in a new issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America reported.

TORONTO, Feb. 23 -- Muslim countries are overthrowing fundamentalist rulers and the United States could have a Mormon presidential candidate as religion keeps a firm, inevitable foot in politics.

There appears to be disagreement within the Israeli government itself over what to do with Iran, with defense minister Ehud Barak and President Shimon Peres clashing on the topic. Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu has forbidden his cabinet ministers from publicly discussing options on Iran.

Regardless of how Capriles identifies himself, his candidacy has unleashed a wave of anti-Jewish sentiments in Venezuela, a country with a long history of anti-Semitism.

David Lazar, the current rabbi of Stockholm's Jewish community and a U.S. immigrant, has won the Straight Person of the Year award instituted by a Swedish gay magazine.

Israel may have to consider ending the internal war within its government before launching an attack on Iran in the name of its alleged nuclear weapons program. Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak, who is believed to be pushing for military action against Iran, slammed President Shimon Peres, following newspaper reports which said that Peres is expected to tell U.S. President Barack Obama that he doesn't believe Israel should attack Iran soon.

On Thursday Al Jazeera was named as News Channel of the Year at the Royal Television Society Awards. But despite its numerous plaudits and fans the Qatar-based network has virtually no presence in the U.S.

Crude prices are likely to hit $125 a barrel as global tensions, demand and cyclical market factors combine to hike the price ever upward.

This year, the 2012 Oscars offer films from Iran, Belgium, Israel, Poland and Canada, all of them stunning portraits of what a movie can convey of human brutality, beauty, dignity, fragility and suffering. From a tale of backbiting and redemption between a father and son in Israel, to a gritty domestic drama of two families unraveling in Iranian film A Separation, here are brief introductions to the five nominations for Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars 2012, and five reasons (to star...

There is an old adage: Even in the warmest of hearts, there’s a cold spot for the Jews.

If Teheran wants to improve its image on the global stage, they really need to get rid of this Ahmadinejad character

The sights, the sounds, the food. Ready to host your own Oscar party?

Ron Paul is used to receiving passionate reactions from the audience when he talks about Iran and foreign policy at Republican debates, and it was no different in Arizona Wednesday night.

President Barack Obama has scheduled a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres for early March, in which the main topic of conversation will surely be Iran. Will it be practice for Obama's meeting with Netanyahu the next day?

The United States at present has plenty of supply and only light demand, yet gas prices are steadily rising. Americans, while still addicted to oil, are driving more fuel-efficient cars, so why are there predictions of $5-a-gallon gas by year's end? The answer is fear -- mainly of war with Iran, a major oil producer.

Contrary to the warmongering claims recently made by the Israeli and U.S. government officials, President Shimon Peres believes Israel should not attack Iran in near future, officials close to Peres said.

A large pocket of offshore natural gas could shift Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics on its head. As the threat of war looms between Israel and Iran, the newly found gas could add extra friction between the two countries.