Iran is to hold on December 2-7 a large-scale naval exercise involving over 60 warships in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian television reported on Monday, citing the navy commander.

"Over 60 combat vessels will take part in the exercise, codenamed Ettehad-87, in the Gulf of Oman," Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said.

The four-stage exercise will involve destroyers, missile boats, submarines, helicopters, fighters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

"The goal of the exercise is to improve the combat readiness of the Iranian navy to counter potential external threats and to test modern weaponry developed by the Iranian defense industry," the admiral said.

Sayyari confirmed last week the delivery of two new domestically-built missile boats, Kalat (Fortress) and Derafsh (Flag), as well as a Ghadir-class light submarine to the Iranian navy.

Iran has launched a domestic weapons procurement campaign aimed at improving its defense capabilities and has announced the development of 109 types of advanced military equipment over the past two years.

Authorities in the southern Iraqi city of Basra have admitted they are powerless to prevent 'honour killings' in the city following a 70 per cent increase in religious murders during the past year.

There has been no improvement in conviction rates for these killings. So far this year, 81 women in the city have been murdered for allegedly bringing shame on their families. Only five people have been convicted.

During 2007 the Basra security committee recorded 47 'honour killings' and three convictions. One lawyer in the city described how police were actively protecting perpetrators and said that a woman in Basra could now be murdered by hired hitmen for as little as $100 (£65).

Al-Khalil - Tens of Zionist settlers from Kiryat Arba settlement and Al-Rajabi building, which has been occupied by settlers for 20 months now, wreaked havoc in Palestinian citizens' homes and property in Al-Khalil on Saturday.

The Iraqi president appeals to Iran to help his country's reconstruction process, saying Tehran has supported Baghdad in 'tough situations.'

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has always stood by the Iraqi people and government in all tough, difficult situations; now we want Iran's participation in construction of our country, especially in reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructures," IRNA quoted Jalal Talabani as saying in a meeting with Iran's Ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, on Thursday.

During his visit to Baghdad in March, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered a $1 billion loan to Iraq to fund its reconstruction projects.

The Islamic-Christian front for the defense of Jerusalem warned that a group of Zionist settlement enterprises especially the Israeli municipality had earmarked more than $300,000,000 for the demolition of a whole neighborhood in the Silwan town called Al-Bustan located southeastern of Jerusalem's old city.

Dr. Hasan Khater, the secretary-general of the front, explained that the Israeli municipality of occupied Jerusalem and other settlement enterprises, namely, the east Jerusalem development company, the authority of archeology, the authority of nature and the Elad foundation allocated the money to destroy all houses, buildings and Arab remains in the neighborhood in order to judaize it.

Dr. Khater also said that the IOA will displace more than 1,500 Palestinian natives from the neighborhood in order to build a Jewish neighborhood in its place, pointing out that the IOA actually started to send large trucks laden with iron bars and building materials to the area.