RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s king personally welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad upon his arrival Saturday, a rapprochement many hope will help calm sectarian tensions threatening the Middle East.

Researchers at Yale have identified multiple pathogenic “alien islands” in the genome of the A. baumannii, bacteria that has been responsible for new and highly drug-resistant infections in combat troops in the Middle East, according to a report in the March 1 issue of Genes and Development.

As troubles for the United States mount in Iraq, the Bush administration escalates its complaints against Iran: Iran won’t recognize Israel. Worse, it says Israel ought to be wiped off the map. It won’t abandon its nuclear program. It continues to support the Hezbollah insurgents in Lebanon. It is intervening …