ISRAEL - A nationwide SMS system for warning the public of an imminent missile attack was being tested in Israel on Sunday as new intelligence on a possible strike on Iran was leaked. With front page stories in two papers suggesting Tehran had made progress towards the manufacture and assembly of a nuclear warhead, Israel's Home Front Command began final tests of a public warning system which is expected to be operational by September. In recent days, talk of a possible strike on Iran has dominated the headlines, largely coming from unsourced officials quoting intelligence reports, none of which it was possible to verify.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - Israel's prime minister and defence minister would like to attack Iran's nuclear sites before the US election in November but lack crucial support within their cabinet and military, an Israeli newspaper said on Friday. The front-page report in the biggest-selling daily 'Yedioth Ahronoth' came amid mounting speculation - fuelled by media leaks from both the government and its detractors at home and abroad - that war with Iran could be imminent even though it might rupture the bedrock ties between Israel and the United States.

IRAN - Iran has stepped up work to develop a nuclear warhead, Israeli newspapers said on Sunday, citing officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and leaked US intelligence. The front-page reports in the liberal 'Haaretz', a frequent Netanyahu critic, and in the conservative, pro-government 'Israel Hayom' could intensify Israeli debate about whether to go to war against Iran - and soon - over its disputed atomic projects.

MIDDLE EAST - Foreign ministers from the Arab League are due to meet in the Saudi city of Jeddah to debate the crisis in Syria. The ministers are expected to discuss a new envoy to Syria to replace Kofi Annan, who resigned earlier this month. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the US and Turkey are working together on detailed plans to support the Syrian opposition.

GERMANY - The German military is considering the purchase of combat drones. But we should not allow ourselves to be seduced by the idea that an unmanned aircraft is a humane weapon. On the contrary, they expose the true nature of war in all its brutality.

EUROPE - People vs banks, north vs south, and rich vs poor? While all of these conflicts may be real, one of the biggest issues of the euro crisis is rarely discussed: Older people are living at the expense of the young, and it's high time the next generation took to the streets to confront their parents.

MIDDLE EAST - Hezbollah MP Walid Sakariya told Lebanese television this week that the nuclear weapon Iran is allegedly developing is intended to annihilate Israel.

EUROPE - As the euro zone debt crisis deepens and austerity measures take their toll across Europe, the number of young children and babies abandoned across the region has increased, according to local charities.

USA - Global alarm over a potential repeat of the 2008 food crisis escalated after data showed food prices had jumped 6 percent last month and importers were snapping up a shriveled US grain crop, helping drive corn prices to a new record.

UK - The deepening crisis in the eurozone could see Britain quit the European Union for good, according to one of the world’s leading investment banks. Japanese giant Nomura said the UK government could be forced to set a date for an in-out referendum as soon as the autumn as the single currency bloc lurches closer to disaster. In a report for clients around the world, the bank said the European issue ‘could split the ruling coalition’ and cause alarm on the financial markets.

USA - President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both called for homosexuals to be allowed to join the Boy Scouts of America as members and leaders. The organisation last month affirmed its ban on openly homosexual scouts and leaders, following a two-year review of the long-standing policy. Its decision prompted equality activists to urge Mr Obama to "reconsider" his position as honorary president of the organisation – a post held by every US president since 1910. Mr Obama "opposes this policy that discriminates on basis of sexual orientation", a White House spokesman said.

NEW YORK, USA - The NYPD [New York Police Department] is starting to look like a flashy, forensic crime TV show thanks to a new super computer system unveiled Wednesday near Wall Street. The Domain Awareness System designed by the NYPD and Microsoft Corp uses data from a network of cameras, radiation detectors, license plate readers and crime reports, officials said. “We’re not your ‘mom and pop’ police department anymore,” Mayor Bloomberg crowed. “We are in the next century. We are leading the pack.” The joint venture began when the NYPD approached Microsoft about the effort, officials said.

ATHENS, GREECE - Greece’s jobless rate climbed to a new record in May, underlining how austerity prescribed to slash deficits and keep bailout funds flowing is hitting the economy on which recovery depends. Latest data on Thursday showed the jobless rate climbed to 23.1 per cent, with nearly 55 per cent of those aged 15-24 out of work, a desperate situation that fed into the popularity of anti-bailout parties in Greek elections this year.

USA - US weather officials have slightly increased their predictions for the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season to as many as 17 storms. Forecasters estimate 12 to 17 tropical storms, with five to eight reaching hurricane strength. The Atlantic basin has seen six named storms so far this year. Thursday's revised forecast is in part because of "storm-conducive wind patterns" and "warmer-than-normal" water temperatures, a Noaa spokesman said.

JAPAN - Stock markets from New York to Tokyo have seen some stellar gains this week amid hopes of further monetary easing globally, but analysts say there’s one thing that investors appear to be forgetting: economic growth remains weak and is likely to remain so for some time. “I think we will have a reality check in the next couple of weeks,” said Sean Darby, Chief Global Equity Strategist at Jefferies in Hong Kong, referring to the rally in equity markets. “The investment community may be underestimating the extent of the slowdown in the global economy.”