Another Day of Life

The Middle East news, as googled in Cairo at 22h46:

--Iran: The U.S. and its allies meet to discuss tightening United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

--Palestinian Territories: Israeli troops raid the city of Nablus and impose a curfew on 50,000 residents as they search for Palestinian militants.

--Iraq: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is airlifted to Jordan and hospitalized for exhaustion. An explosion inside the Public Works ministry in Baghdad injures Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and kills at least five people.

--Saudi Arabia: an Al Qaeda-style attack kills at least three French expat workers on a desert excursion in the first major terrorist attack in the Kingdom since 2004.

--Lebanon: Hizballah is building a new stronghold north of the U.N.-patrolled zone in southern Lebanon ahead of a possible resumption of war with Israel.

--By Scott MacLeod/Cairo