* Khamenei for Lebanese unity vs. Israel Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called on the disparate Lebanese ethnic groups to unite against their common enemy - Israel.

* US Told Olmert Not to Attack Iran or Invade Gaza The Bush administration warned outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert not to stage an attack on Iran or stage an all-out assault on Hamas in Gaza.

* Russian Warships Dock in Venezuela Russian warships have sailed into port in Venezuela for a series of joint military exercises that mark Russia's first deployment in the Caribbean since the Cold War.

* Russian Analyst Predicts Decline and Breakup of USA A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.

* Jordan seals nuclear deal with China Jordan signed a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with China on Monday, as part of its efforts to develop its nuclear energy capabilities.

* Abbas aide: Palestinian elections will be in April whether Hamas agrees or not Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in April despite opposition from Hamas.

* Wikipedia's Arabic version skews ME Last June, I wrote about accusations that pro-Israel organizations were somehow trying to manipulate the on-line encyclopedia's entries to make Israel "look good"; the truth, it seemed to me, was that much of the information on Wikipedia regarding Israel is skewed.

* Brussels to recognise 'European aspirations' of post-Soviet states The European Commission is to propose pulling the EU's six post-Soviet neighbours closer to the West by recognising their "European aspirations".

* Hizbullah pays Palestinians to attack Fearing a harsh military response if it attacks Israel directly, Hizbullah has paid Palestinian terrorist cells to avenge the assassination of the group's military commander.