Hundreds of Israeli settlers have demonstrated outside the office in Jerusalem of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They are opposed to a temporary and limited freeze on building in West Bank settlements. One of the leaders of the protest, which was made up of civil servants working in West Bank settlements, said they’re to continue building with or without government help. Settlers have said they'll defy the Israeli government's decision.
A senior official at the Iranian Football Federation has offered his resignation after the organization sent a New Year’s greeting to its Israeli counterpart. The official said the email was sent accidentally. Here is a report from Sebastian Usher of our Middle East desk.
The antagonism between Iran and Israel extends to the sporting arena. Iranian teams won’t play in tournaments where Israelis are also competing. So this is a big embarrassment for the Iranian Football Federation. For Israel, though, it's been a little like relief. Israeli football officials say they couldn't quite believe their eyes when they saw the greeting, but they then decided to make the most of it, sending back Happy New Year wishes to, in their words, all the good people of Iran, and ending the message with a wink.
The Hollywood film Avatar about a disabled marine who infiltrates a race of big blue aliens has become one of the most lucrative movies ever. Box office figures suggest it's earned more than a billion dollars worldwide since opening 17 days ago. Avatar was directed by James Cameron and combines live action with computer-generated effects.