[Translate] Wyre Davies says Moshe Katsav, who hugged his son at the gates as he entered the prison, is understood to be on suicide watchThe disgraced former Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, has arrived at Maasiyahu prison near Tel Aviv to begin a seven-year sentence for rape. Leaving his home in the town of Kiryat Malachi, he insisted he was innocent and accused the state of “executing”... 

[Translate] Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made a bid for the U.N. to recognize a Palestinian state last month.UNESCO voted Monday to accept a Palestinian bid for full membership, in the first vote on the matter by a U.N. agency. The vote, which required two-thirds approval, passed with 107 votes in favor, 14 against, and 52 abstentions. The vote is separate from the Palestinian... 

[Translate] Syrian President Bashar al-AssadSyrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned of an “earthquake” if the West intervenes in his country. In an interview with the UK’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Mr Assad said involvement risked transforming Syria into “another Afghanistan”. His comments came after the UN secretary-general made a new call for the... 

[Translate] Syrians have been staging mass protests for more than six monthsWestern nations have lamented China and Russia’s vetoes of a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria’s crackdown on anti-government protests. France said it was a “sad day” for Syria, while the US ambassador to the UN expressed “outrage”. The resolution had been watered down to... 

[Translate] Mahmoud Abbas holds a copy of the letter requesting Palestinian statehood as he speaks at the U.N. on September 23, 2011The historic Palestinian bid for statehood goes before the United Nations Security Council Monday, where it looks set for a largely symbolic debate in the face of a promised American veto. Lebanon’s Nawaf Salam, the Security Council president for this month,... 

[Translate] The scene of the demonstration in CairoEgyptian state TV has said the country is recalling its ambassador to Israel until Israel explains why it reportedly shot dead five Egyptian policemen. Demanding an apology, Egypt’s cabinet was quoted as saying Cairo held Israel politically and legally responsible and was summoning the Israeli ambassador. Israel says it will investigate the... 

[Translate] Turkish border guards have been ordered to allow Syrians in Growing numbers of Syrians are escaping over the border into Turkey ahead of a feared government assault on the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour. About 1,000 Syrians crossed the border overnight, a Turkish official said, bringing the total number of refugees in Turkey to about 1,600. Pope Benedict XVI and the UN have urged... 

[Translate] Interpol has issued international alerts for 47 Saudi men, some accused by Saudi Arabia of links with al-Qaeda. The international police agency quoted the Saudi authorities as saying the suspects were “a potentially serious public threat at home and abroad”. The “red notices” are not arrest warrants but give member countries details to help identify the suspects. The... 

[Translate] Mr Katsav, president for seven years until 2007, had rejected a plea bargainFormer President of Israel Moshe Katsav has been found guilty of rape by a court in Tel Aviv. He had faced two allegations of rape by an employee when he was tourism minister in the 1990s. He was also convicted of later sexual offences. The judges said they believed the evidence of Woman A, whose testimony had... 

[Translate] A senior Iraqi Christian is to call on believers to quit the country, after gunmen targeted a church in Baghdad. Archbishop Athanasios Dawood, who is based in the UK, will make his appeal during a service at the Syrian Orthodox Church in London. The archbishop has previously criticised the lack of protection for Iraqi Christians. At least 52 people died as security forces stormed a...