Israel is 60 years and we wish happy birthday to all Israelis and hope that a peace settlement will be found.
NBC journalist Martin Fletcher said:
"For most people Independence Day on Thursday will proceed as usual – children spraying each other with string foam and hitting each other on the head with squeaky plastic hammers, a violent custom that apparently goes back to the days of pre-plastic Persia; barbeques on every square foot of public space; and car drivers flying the Israeli flag. It's a raucous annual celebration of what Israelis see as one of the great achievements of the twentieth century: After 2,000 years, the return of the Jews to the land of Zion."
Thousands protest Greek austerity planThousands of people marched through Athens Thursday as part of a 24-hour nationwide strike to protest further austerity measures by the embattled government.
