December emerged as possibly the safest month for U.S. forces in Iraq since the 2003 invasion and the least deadly for Iraqi civilians in the past 12 months, according to figures released Monday. via Arizona Republic

The Israeli army played into the hands of Hezbollah militants during the 2006's Lebanon war, a Knesset report concluded Monday. via UPI

The U.S. military death toll in Iraq for December is the second-lowest monthly death toll of the war, although 2007 has been the deadliest year for U.S. troops. via CNN

On New Year's Eve Ridaa al-Azzawi squeezed into his pointy snakeskin boots, his tight black sweater and his snazzy corduroy flared jeans, hustled down to a Baghdad hotel ballroom and partied for peace. via Boston.com

Iraqis were out all day on New Year's Eve buying cakes, balloons, party decorations and new clothes to celebrate the holiday in the hope of a more peaceful 2008. via Dose

A suicide bomber drove a truck rigged with explosives into a checkpoint manned by members of a U.S.-backed security volunteer group in a town north of Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 12 people, police and a member of the volunteer group said.

Another three people were missing following the explosion in the town of Mishada, 20 miles north of the capital, on part of the main highway linking Baghdad to northern Iraq, according to a police officer and Adil al-Mishhadani, a member of the volunteer group. Read more

Israeli forces killed 373 Palestinians during 2007, a 45 percent drop from the previous year, said the report from the group, B'Tselem. Palestinians killed 13 Israelis in the same period, the lowest number of Israeli fatalities since the renewed outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting seven years ago, the report said.

The violence, which has ebbed in recent years, has claimed the lives of more than 4,500 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis since September 2000. Read more

Iran and Malaysia signed a $16 billion agreement to develop two Iranian gas fields, state-run television reported Wednesday, describing the deal as the largest energy contract in Iran.

Iran's Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) and Malaysia's SKS Ventures signed the multibillion dollar contract to develop Golshan and Ferdows gas fields in southern Iran.

The contract was formally signed by Ali Vakili, director of POGC, and Mokhtar Al-Bokhari, director of SKS Ventures, in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, according to the report. Read more

U.S. officials on Wednesday forecast less violence in Iraq in 2008, despite a planned reduction of American troops.

The combination of more Sunni fighters in the Iraqi army and a recent backlash against militants will allow U.S.-led troops to leverage their ability to subdue violent areas, according to U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner.

'Those forces will help coalition forces fight above their weight. They will help offset the reduction in coalition numbers,' he told reporters. Read more

Russia's delivery of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr power station makes it unnecessary for Iran to pursue its enrichment programme, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Wednesday. via Reuters UK

Greeted by joyous relatives and a crowd of reporters, about 40 Iranian Jews landed in Israel on Tuesday, leaving behind their lives in the Islamic Republic for new homes in the Jewish state.

Family members screamed in delight and threw candy at the newcomers as they emerged into the airport reception hall after a long bureaucratic procedure. No details about their route of exit from Iran were given.

'I feel so good,' said Yosef, 16. He and his brother Michael arrived with their parents and a sister and were greeted by their grandparents, who went to Israel six years ago. Read more

As the faithful marked Christmas Day, political and religious leaders called for peace and reconciliation amid flickers of hope in places long plagued by conflict. via Oregonlive.com

Hundreds of Christian pilgrims celebrated Jesus' birth on Tuesday in the West Bank town where he was born, in an atmosphere made markedly cheerier by the renewal of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after years of bloody conflict.

By midday, the ancient Church of the Nativity was packed with tourists waiting in line to see the grotto that marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

The visit to Bethlehem was a first for Kiel Tilley, 23, a science teacher from Charlevoix, Mich.

'It's very powerful and meaningful to me,' Tilley said. 'It's very moving to visit a place which I always read about in the Bible.' Read more

Israelis were more pessimistic, with 74 percent saying the peace summit last month in Annapolis, Md., was a failure compared with 59 percent of Palestinians, according to the poll.

The Annapolis conference officially relaunched Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after a violent seven-year freeze. At the summit, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to try to reach a Mideast peace settlement by the end of 2008. Read more

Two Turkish airstrikes this month destroyed more than 200 Kurdish rebel targets in the mountains of northern Iraq, killing hundreds of insurgents, the military said Tuesday.

Up to 175 rebels were killed on Dec. 16 alone, the military said in a statement posted on its Web site. The military said other hideouts were hit in a cross-border airstrike on Saturday, followed by artillery fire.

In Iraq, a Kurdish official said information from the rebels cast doubt on Turkey's claims.

'These are exaggerated figures,' said Mahmoud Uthman, a Kurdish leader and member of parliament. 'Most of the villages (that were attacked) were abandoned.' Read more

In a war zone, Christmas sometimes is as much about compromise as it is about celebration. via Deseret Morning News

The spiritual leader of Iraq's Catholics made a Christmas appeal Monday for all those who have fled Iraq to return and help rebuild their shattered homeland, acknowledging that fear still persists even as the country enjoys one of its most peaceful holiday seasons in years.

Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Church, told The Associated Press at his guarded compound in west Baghdad that his message was one of love and charity for everyone.

'And for the emigrants to return home, to work for the good of their country and their homeland despite the situation which their country is in _ that is my hope.' Read more

Israeli military prosecutors have decided not to take any legal action over Israel's use of cluster bombs during last year's war in Lebanon, the army said Monday, closing an investigation into a practice that has drawn heavy criticism from the U.N. and international human rights groups.

The investigation determined that Israel's use of the weapons, which open in flight and scatter dozens of bomblets, was a 'concrete military necessity' and did not violate international humanitarian law.

The United Nations and human rights groups have accused Israel of dropping about 4 million cluster bomblets during its 34-day war against the Hezbollah guerrilla group. Read more