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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

ran Nuclear: Iranian leaders have condemned the U.N. Security Council for imposing sanctions on its controversial nuclear program, vowing to speed up the development of it nuclear capabilities.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today (Sunday) compared the sanctions to a "torn piece of paper," and said the Security Council will regret its move.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said the sanctions will have no effect on Iran's will to pursue what he called the country's peaceful nuclear program.
In response to the U.N. resolution, he says Tehran will begin today (Sunday) installing three-thousand uranium-enriching centrifuges at Natanz, the site of a uranium enrichment plant.
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology, in an effort to stop uranium enrichment work that could be used in bombs.

Israel – Palestinians:

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, right, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, at Olmert's official residence in Jerusalem, 23 Dec 2006

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to cooperate as true partners in hopes of advancing the peace process.
Mr. Olmert's office issued a statement after the prime minister and Mr. Abbas held their first official meeting Saturday in Jerusalem.
An aide to President Abbas (Saeb Erekat) says Mr. Olmert agreed to release 100-million dollars in frozen funds to the Palestinians for humanitarian purposes. Israel froze the money after Hamas took control of the Palestinian government earlier this year.
The aide says Mr. Olmert also agreed to remove some checkpoints in the West Bank.
But Israeli officials say there was no deal on the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian gunmen in a cross-border raid last June.

Somalia: Ethiopia's government says its troops have launched a counter-attack against Islamist forces in neighboring Somalia.
Addis Ababa has warned in recent weeks that it would take action against the Islamic Courts that now control much of central and southern Somalia.

Somali government soldiers patrol the streets of Baidoa, Somalia, 16 Dec. 2006

Witnesses say warplanes, appearing to be Ethiopian jets, bombarded Islamist positions in central Somalia today (Sunday). The jets attacked several targets in and around the Somali town of Belet Weyne, near the Ethiopian border.
The air attacks mark an escalation in a week-long battle between the Islamists and Somali government troops backed by Ethiopia.
Witnesses say Ethiopian ground troops also exchanged artillery and mortar fire with Islamist forces based in Belet Weyne and the central region of Bandiradley.
Elsewhere, heavy fighting was reported near the transitional government headquarters in Baidoa. Islamist militiamen have come as close as 30 kilometers to the town.

Iraq: Iraqi police say at least seven police officers have been killed and 30 others wounded in a suicide bombing attack at a police station northeast of Baghdad.

Iraqi doctors treat a child for burns at Baghdad's Kindi hospital, Iraq, 20 Dec 2006

Security officials say the attack occurred today (Sunday) in Muqdadiyah, 90 kilometers from the capital. They say the police station also came under what appeared to be mortar attacks.
Iraqi officials say fighting between security forces and militias loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr killed at least four police officers Saturday in the mainly Shi'ite southern city of Samawa. They say the clashes continued Sunday, and a curfew was in place in the city.
Iraqi police and army are frequently targeted by insurgents.

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