In statements endorsed by the ruling Christian Democratic Union party and harshly criticized by MPs, Germany’s top cardinal has warned against “uncritical tolerance” which could lead to Islam enjoying equal standing with Christianity in the country, Deutsche Welle reported on Friday, June 22.

Beirut has declared that military action going on in Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp has ended. Minister of Defence of Lebanon Elias Murr said that the Lebanese army had destroyed all positions of Fatah Al Islam in the camp.

The White House has refused to confirm a report that it is close to a decision to shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay. The Associated Press had reported that the Bush administration was close to a decision to shut down the prison and move detainees to military prisons on …

Lebanese troops said they had largely defeated Islamist rebels in a northern refugee camp, but continued their siege amid sporadic shelling and gunfire.

BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) – Thousands of U.S. soldiers on the offensive north of Baghdad are facing fierce resistance from hundreds of al Qaeda militants who are ready to fight to the death, an American general said on Friday.

The US House of Representatives approved a foreign aid bill late Thursday with $2.4 billion in military aid to Israel but withholding $200 million in military funds for Egypt until the US Secretary of State certifies that Cairo is working to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.

There have been promising developments in the case against judge Abdel Fatah Murad, who has filed multiple fabricated charges against the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and HRinfo, as well as bloggers and human rights and news websites, report the law center and HRinfo.

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Egypt’s president has invited the Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders to a peace summit, officials said Thursday, the biggest show of support yet by moderate Arab states for beleaguered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will meet next week in Egypt in the first direct talks since Abbas dissolved a coalition government with Islamist Hamas, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Thursday.

Preşedintele Traian Băsescu şi premierul Călin Popescu Tăriceanu participă la Consiliul European de Vară de la Bruxelles.