Libya’s new leaders will declare liberation today, officials said, a move that will start the clock for elections after months of bloodshed that culminated in the death of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Jordan’s king has urged Israel and the Palestinians to look to the Arab Spring uprisings for inspiration and to restart their stalled peace talks.

The Israeli air force has shot down a suspicious object hovering in the desert region where the country’s main nuclear reactor is located.

Internet giant Google is to put the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls online.

THE column by Steven King (March 3) was a master class in the art of airbrushing Israel’s role in the Middle East conflict. His one-eyed analysis omitted several important points.

Lady GaGa is toning down her image for her trip to Israel.

The Cliffs of Moher have gotten through to the shortlist for the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Two British tourists were raped while on a day trip sightseeing in Jordan, police revealed today.

Hidden secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls could be unlocked by British scientists using super-powerful X-rays.

Israeli archaeologists today said they’ve stumbled upon the site of one of the great dramatic scenes of the Roman sacking of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago – the subterranean drainage channel Jews used to escape from the city’s Roman conquerors.

An eight-year-old Israeli boy spent six hours floating in the Dead Sea alone at night after his father left him there by accident during a family trip, police said.

An eight-year-old Israeli boy was found alive after spending six hours floating at night in the Dead Sea, rescue workers said today.

Pop superstar Madonna has become addicted to using Israeli creams made from Dead Sea minerals, to combat signs of ageing.

FORTY years after the Six Day War, peace between Israelis and Palestinians seems as distant as ever.

The ruler of the Mideast’s booming economic capital, Dubai, launched a £5bn foundation today at the Dead Sea resort of Southern Shuneh, to fund education and human development in region.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II today pressed the need to resolve the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict amid renewed calls for peace during a crucial two-day visit by US President George Bush that also was set to include talks with Iraq’s prime minister.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said today that a peace initiative proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was a “positive” step toward peacemaking.

THE name Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have chosen for their daughter — Shiloh Nouvel — makes those of the actress’ two adopted children, Zahara and Maddox, seem run-of-the-mill.

The name Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have chosen for their daughter – Shiloh Nouvel – makes those of the actress’ two adopted children, Zahara and Maddox, seem almost run-of-the-mill.

The Dead Sea is drying up at an average rate of 1.2 metres per year and ecologists warn that it may disappear, writes Rob Ludgate in Israel.

Arab and Islamic governments should pressure the United Nations to ban the slandering of religions, said more than 200 Arab politicians who renewed their criticism today of the contentious Prophet Muhammad cartoons.

Israel today closed the vital Gaza-Egypt border crossing just days before completing its military pullout from the coastal strip.

Nine Britons on a pilgrimage tour in Jordan were killed in a bus crash today.

US SECRETARY of State Colin Powell yesterday blamed Yasser Arafat for blocking US efforts to make Palestinian security forces strong enough to end terror attacks on Israel.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell today blamed Yasser Arafat for blocking US efforts to make Palestinian security forces strong enough to end terror attacks on Israel.

United States Secretary of State Colin Powell today urged Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia to “seize the opportunity” of a proposed Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as a first step toward statehood next year.

A small earthquake rattled parts of Israel early today, shaking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for several seconds.

An Israeli archaeologist has discovered what he says is a unique Roman-era wooden anchor on the shores of the Dead Sea, preserved by the water’s high salt and mineral content.

IT WAS with a certain sardonic smile that I scanned the headline in one of the Sunday papers last weekend: “Bush to tell IRA it must renounce violence.”

HOUNDED by weight problems, pampered pooches can now shed some weight at a special doggie spa.

Negotiators were upbeat today about the prospect of achieving further deals on tackling world poverty and the environment as heads of state prepared to join the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

Two Israeli soldiers and a Palestinian security official have died in the latest round of violence in Israel.