• Rocket-fire from Gaza is on the upswing as direct peace talks commence in Jerusalem. [Haaretz]
• Some are worried that Iran’s soon-to-be-operational Bushehr nucler reactor could become, due to the opacity and haste with which it was built, a second Chernobyl. [LAT]
• The Bronx synagogue bomb plot trial was delayed as the judge considers how to deal with one defendant whose apparent mental illness has caused him to be unresponsive. [NYT]
• Jorge Puello, the maybe-leader of the Dominican Republic’s Jewish community, was extradited to the United States to face child-trafficking charges. [AP/Failed Messiah]
• A Saudi diplomat requested asylum in the U.S. (he works at the L.A. consulate) since he received death threats after revealing that he is gay and good friends with a Jewish Israeli woman. [NYT]
• Start drinking less coffee today! (Yeah, right.) [JPost]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.