MFS - The Other News

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                       Morning  Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 20. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Syria Live Blog - April 20. Here (Al-Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world low seismic activity in Japan  today between 4.5 and 4.7! More info here.

• Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 92.Source : Here .

• Japan  : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog

• 'They lost in the Supreme Court, they lost in Congress, they lost at the FEC, so now the president is just going to do it by edict'(DougRoss).Is this, as tipster "D&S" calls it, "Obama's Rubicon"?An "impeccable source" alerts former Department of Justice Attorney Hans von Spakovsky to an imminent presidential executive order that would implement portions of the "DISCLOSE Act".You may recall the controversial bill that Democrats tried to ram through Congress last year. Its intent was to make it more difficult for private individuals to fund campaign commercials while simultaneously shielding unions from disclosure requirements. In other words, Democrats -- true to form -- intend to limit free speech unless it politically benefits them. Former FEC Chairman Brad Smith characterized the DISCLOSE Act as "Democrat Incumbents Seeking to Contain Losses by Outlawing Speech in Elections Now".Having failed to limit private speech in the Supreme Court (the Citizens United decision), having failed to pass the DISCLOSE Act itself, and having failed to railroad the Federal Election Commission, the president and his sycophants are using other means to achieve their extra-constitutional ends.An impeccable source has provided me with a copy of a draft Executive Order (PDF) that the White House is apparently circulating for comments from several government agencies. Titled “Disclosure of Political Spending By Government Contractors,” it appears to be an attempt by the Obama administration to implement — by executive fiat — portions of the DISCLOSE Act.When it comes to the radical leftists controlling the Democrat Party, there really appears to be no limit to their disregard for the law.The Democrats want 'transparency and accountability' requirements levied only upon their political enemies, presumably so that union thugs can harass private individuals. We saw them run this game-plan in Madison, where state officials were subjected to death threats and their homes picketed.We are seeing the disintegration of the civil society occur right before our eyes.Hmmmm.......Dictatorship or democracy?Read the full story here.

• Iranian lawmakers warn Ahmadinejad to accept intelligence chief as political feud deepens.(AP).TEHRAN, Iran — Political pressures mounted on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after more than 200 lawmakers warned Wednesday that he must obey an order from the country's supreme leader reinstating Iran's powerful intelligence minister.The showdown over Heidar Moslehi has brought fresh allegations that Ahmadinejad and his allies are trying to grab more power and challenge the all-encompassing authority of Iran's ruling clerics. It also pointed to a potential fissure in the heart of Ahmadinejad's government as its base of support shrinks among parliament members and others.Moslehi resigned Sunday following reported internal disputes with Ahmadinejad and the president publicly accepted it. But Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei quickly ordered that Moslehi remain on the job, which has a key role in Iran's relentless crackdown on dissident.A statement signed by 216 parliament members — more than two-thirds of the 290-seat chamber — warned Ahmadinejad that he cannot ignore Khamenei, who has the last word in all state affairs."The parliament expects nothing but total obedience to ... the order without any question. (Khamenei) is above the three branches of power and the executive branch is defined under the supreme leader," the semi-official Fars news agency quoted lawmaker Hossein Naqavi as saying.Hardline media claim that Moslehi had been forced to resign after he fired one of his deputies, Hossein Abdollahi, without consulting Ahmadinejad.But the core dispute appears to be over Ahmadinejad's close confidant, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, whose views have outraged hard-liners, including a claim that Iran's ideology should take precedent over promoting Islam on the world stage. Mashaei also has close ties to the dismissed deputy Abdollahi.Khamenei's intervention to reinstate Moslehi has put Ahmadinejad in an awkward position: either openly snub Iran's top leader and risk more fallout from Khamenei or submit to the order and lose a high-profile political fight.The parliament declaration claimed Ahmadinejad is challenging one of the bedrock tenets of Iran's theocracy by openly defying the supreme leader, who is considered by hard-liners as above the law and answerable only to God.Ahmadinejad, who in 2009 said Khamenei was like a father to him, has enjoyed strong support from the Iranian supreme leader but has defied the country's most powerful figure at times.After his disputed re-election, Ahmadinejad bowed to pressure from the supreme leader who ordered Ahmadinejad to dismiss Mashaei as his choice for the key post of first vice-president. Mashaei's daughter is married to the president's son.Hossein Shariatmadari, chief editor of the hard-line daily Kayhan, accused Mashaei of leading a "deviant current" within the government that seeks to challenge the authority of Khamenei and undermine the ruling system from within.Hmmmm.......My guess Ahmadinejad is learning from Obama and wants 'Change'?Read the full story here.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.Guess who's joining the 'Human Rights Council'.Fresh from leading the OIC effort to kill the UN's effort to enact a universal definition of terrorism, Syria is joining the UN 'Human Rights Council.' Syria is currently running for a seat on the U.N.’s flagship “human rights” body, the Human Rights Council. Seats are allocated to five regional groups, and just to make sure Syria’s ascendancy is unimpeded, the Asian group has only nominated the same number of states as they have seats. So barring any unexpected additions, Syria will join fellow U.N. human rights authorities like Saudi Arabia on the Council in May.And the Obama administration is helping the Syrian candidacy along. That might be another bad joke. Except that the Obama administration announced on March 30 that it was so “pleased to note the landmark achievements of the most recent session of the U.N. Human Rights Council” that it was going to seek a second term. That characterization of the Council’s main March session is somewhat dubious, at least if the administration cared at all about the concept of equality and the welfare of Israel. The last session was the worst on record for the demonization of the Jewish state, the Council adopting more anti-Israel resolutions in one sitting than ever before. The wildly premature announcement – the U.S. term will end in December 31, 2012 according to a new General Assembly deal – erases any possibility of using prospective U.S. membership or associated dollars as clout.Hmmmm.....Why not change the name in the Union of Islamic Nations?Read the full story here.

• Lying, Hitting Your Wife and Jihad: Just Another Day in a Moderate Mosque.(Aina).In the small city of Sammamish, WA is an Islamic worship center that most people wouldn’t even recognize as a mosque or anything other than a residential house in just another normal neighborhood. But what is being taught about Islam at the Sammamish Mosque should be brought to attention, not just in this small community, but on the national stage.When I decided to research this mosque I was ready to find the ordinary and mundane, although as a self-taught student of Islam, I was prepared to find some things of concern and perhaps the truly hair-curling. What I discovered was a bit of both: a very ordinary and normal life of faith surrounding the dusty core of a 7th century barbarism, dusted off and polished up for a new life in the Pacific Northwest. This strange mix was all captured on camera and helpfully uploaded to the internet by Imam Wassim Fayed, a Sammamish Mosque trustee who holds regular workshops at the center. He is also one of the founding members of the Sammamish Muslim Association. The two-hour video is a “Daawah Workshop” given by Imam Fayed on proselytizing to non-Muslims including instructions on the best ways to explain the “misconceptions in Islam.” In this video clip, which comes about 15 minutes into the workshop, we are instructed when giving da’wah to tell the truth to non-Muslims. That sounds good, right?Transcript:

Don’t say anything that in front of Allah on the (day of judgement) you’re gonna regret. If you can’t say the truth because it’s gonna incriminate you or put you in a bad spot, better not to say anything. But if you’re able to say it, then say it, inshallah.

So the Imam wants his followers to tell the truth, but he makes it absolutely clear to only tell the truth if it won’t “incriminate you or put you in a bad spot.” It is a little unnerving when this very unassuming and seemingly nice man starts talking about concealing “incriminating” aspects of his religion from non-believers. Maybe this imam needs a lesson on Islam himself since every time we hear about anything negative regarding Islam the media and intelligentsia come out to assure us that Islam has been “hijacked.”

Could it be that this imam knows something about his religion that the MSM doesn’t know or just isn’t willing to say?We are told in the video that Muslim women wear the hijab because they want to and not because they’re “oppressed.” What Imam Fayed doesn’t seem to find ironic is that five minutes later he gives us examples of when you should “punish” your wife, which includes if she “wants to take off her hijab.”Another thing to note in this video is when the imam speaks about the distinct good deeds that Muslim women and Muslim men can do for Allah. He quite clearly says that the best act a man can perform for Allah is to give up his life in jihad, and that women having children is an equally great deed for Allah. He isn’t advocating for suicide bombing, but he is confirming that in the Qur’an Allah considers it the best thing a person can do. If you missed it I would suggest watching the video again so you can get the full context to go with his remarks.This video completely belies the narrative that the politically correct elite have been pushing: that “jihad” just means a “personal struggle.” This imam is not someone that people would normally consider “militant” or “radical” but rather a “moderate.” Yet he confirms what the anti-Shariah, anti-Islamofascism crowd has been saying for years. The radicals and the supposed “moderates” are all following the same playbook; the majority of Muslims want the same ends, they just don’t take the same road to get there.I’m not going to give you the much overused line that “not every Muslim lies about their religion and not every Muslim man hits his wife” because I think it would be a little insulting to assume you don’t already know that or can’t think for yourself. What I will say, is that when Imam Fayed said to lie about Islam and that it is permitted to hit your wife, no one objected. Not one man in that room full of Western educated men, many of whom (we learn from the video) are employed at one of the biggest computer software companies in the world, ever protested or objected to this kind of behavior being condoned in the United States in the 21st century.Not. One.By Kim Edwards.Read the full story here.

• Turkey ignores Israel in '2023 manifest'.(Ynet)Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan neglects to address ties with Israel in new political platform ahead of June elections.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented an updated political platform Tuesday in preparation for June's parliamentary elections, however he ignored the country's shaky relationship with Israel.Erdogan has issued his "Manifest for 2023", a document discussing political strategies in connection to countries in the Mideast and around the world. However, the Turkish leader neglected to mention Israel in any way. The document does not mention any possibility of improving ties with Jerusalem, which were considered close before Operation Cast Lead and reached a new low following the Gaza flotilla in May 2010, when nine Turkish activists where killed during a Navy raid on the Mavi Marmara ship.Unsuccessful reconciliation attempts have been made in recent months, with Turkey demanding an official apology from Israel and compensation for the victims' families. Erdogan, leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), is expected to be reelected for a third term this summer. According to the manifest, the AK Party stresses the importance of ties with Middle Eastern countries and with the United States. Israel is not the only country receiving the cold shoulder from Turkey: In the document Erdogan claimed Armenia's unproductive approach prevents Turkey from normalizing the relationship between the two countries. On the other hand, it is possible that ignoring Israel is a sign of progress after the Turkish National Security Council defined Israel as a 'central threat' in October 2010.Hmmmmm......Perhaps Obama's buddy Erdogan knows something the Jews don't know........Yet?Read the full story here.

• Obama's faith adviser helped craft 'perfect Islamic state'.Shariah project scrubbed from Internet, sought to 'implement' Muslim caliphate.(WND).JERUSALEM – Dalia Mogahed, appointed to President Obama's faith advisory council, was a partner in an Islamic project whose stated goal was to "define, interpret and implement the concept of the Islamic State in modern times," WND has learned. The project was founded and directed by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the controversial Muslim cleric behind the proposed 13-story, $100 million Islamic cultural center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero in New York City. Besides her role on the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Mogahed is also on the advisory council of the Department of Homeland Security. She testified before the Senate on engagement with the Muslim community.Together with Rauf, Mogahed was a leading voice in the Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement, which issued a 153-page recommendation paper, obtained and reviewed by WND, that calls for dialogue with Hamas. The consensus focused on improving America's relationship with Muslims globally, with many of the recommendations later reportedly being adopted by the Obama administration. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Dennis Ross, Obama's Mideast envoy, also served on the Leadership Group that released the recommendation paper.The paper specifically called on the U.S. to engage opposition parties in Egypt, including the Muslim Brotherhood. It set the boundaries for dialogue with Hamas if the Islamist terror group renounced violence. Also, the paper called on the U.S. to immediately engage Hamas using intermediaries in hopes of moderating the group. Mogahed, meanwhile, is a senior analyst and executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, where she led what has been described an unprecedented survey of Muslims worldwide, including in the U.S. and Europe.WND has learned that Mogahed and the Gallup survey provided key data for Rauf's "Shariah Index Project ," which sought, according to its own mission, to "define, interpret and implement the concept of the Islamic State in modern times." The project at one time was featured on the website of Rauf's Cordoba Initiative, which is the group behind the so-called Ground Zero mosque. However, after the mosque issue was highlighted in the news media, the Shariah Index Project, a sister project of Cordoba, was scrubbed from Rauf's website.Further, Jasser Auda, a Qatari professor who is one of the personalities behind the Shariah Index Project with Rauf, described Mogahed's involvement in providing key data that helped formulate the Shariah Index plan to map out an Islamic state, even referring to Obama's faith adviser as "sister Mogahed." In an interview about the Shariah Index Project with OnIslam.com, an Islamic news portal associated with Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi, Auda stated, "Our sister Dalia Mugahed – at that time she was the head of the Muslim societies branch, now she is in Abu Dhabi leading the same project on Muslim societies in a different project." Continued Auda, "At that time in Washington she was leading the Muslim societies index, and she gave us according to an agreement between Gallup, Cordoba and the Prime Minister of Malaysia office, gave us (Shariah Index Project) the data for three years, through which we came up with some conclusions based on asking people." In her role on Obama's faith council, Mogahed reportedly offers recommendations to the U.S. president on how faith-based organizations can best work with government to solve society's toughest challenges.Hmmmmm....."I will stand with my Muslim bothers"?Read the full story here.

• Poll: Record High 61% Oppose Birthright Citizenship For Children Born to Illegal Immigrants.(Rasmussen)Several Republican senators are seeking to amend the law that grants full U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants in this country, and voters strongly support such an effort.A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 61% of Likely U.S. Voters believe that a child born in the United States to a woman who is here illegally should not automatically become a U.S. citizen. That’s up slightly from last August but is the highest level of support for a change in the existing law found in five years of Rasmussen Reports surveying.Twenty-eight percent (28%) disagree and feel that children born to illegal immigrants in this country should automatically become American citizens as is currently the practice. That’s down six points from August. Another 11% are undecided.Eighty-four percent (84%) of voters believe that before anyone receives local, state or federal government services, they should be required to prove they are legally allowed to be in the United States. Only nine percent (9%) oppose such a requirement.Read the full story here.

• Muslim Mobs Kill At Least 100 Christians, Burn Over 40 Churches in Northern Nigeria.(Aina).Washington -- International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Muslim rioters have killed more than 100 Christians and burned down more than 40 churches in an attack that began yesterday in response to the election of Jonathan Goodluck, a Christian, as president of Nigeria. The rioters even destroyed the homes of many Muslims who supported President Jonathan Goodluck.The Muslim attackers allege that the election was rigged and General Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim presidential candidate, is the rightful winner. Yet, impartial observers have called this election the fairest in decades. According to the Commonwealth observers' report, "The elections for the National Assembly and the Presidency were both credible and creditable and reflected the will of the Nigerian people."According to ICC sources, it is difficult to know the full extent of the damage. The casualties could be much higher as the attacks took place over many of the 12 Muslim majority states in northern Nigeria. The situation is beginning to calm since security forces were deployed and enforced a 24 hour curfew. Christian minorities living in northern Nigeria have faced repeated bouts of violence and discrimination at the hands of the Muslim majority. Since the introduction of Sharia law in northern Nigeria in 2001, tens and thousands of Christians have been killed."Christians in northern Nigeria are being killed and their churches and property destroyed for voting for the candidate of their choice. Why should churches be burned when just it's an issue of politics? Why should Christians be killed just because someone won an election? Goodluck is not the president just for Christians; he is the president for every Nigerian. Why should Christians suffer because Jonathan won the election?" said a Christian leader in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna.Jonathan Racho, ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, said, "We are very saddened by the violence against Christians and their property in northern Nigeria. Disputes over elections shouldn't have been allowed to lead to religious violence against Christians. We have repeatedly seen Muslims attack and kill those of other faiths at the slightest provocation. We urge Nigeria to fully investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice. As long as these attackers operate with impunity, the attacks will continue."Hmmmm....."The religion of peace".Read the full story here.

• A legal conspiracy against the Turkish Kurds?(HurryetDailyNews)The breaking news of Monday night was truly breaking: Turkey’s Supreme Election Board, or YSK, a board of judges whose job is to oversee the electoral process, had vetoed the candidacy of 12 “independents.” Seven of them were supported by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP. One of them was the famous Leyla Zana, a Kurdish activist who had spent a decade in prison after being convicted of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.This news created a great reaction and uproar, for the vetoing of these candidates is a clear interference in the upcoming elections on June 12. The “independents” already represent a political line that is disadvantaged because of the 10 percent national election threshold. Now the fact that a dozen of them are taken out of the game by a court decision adds much more to the feelings of discrimination. Not just the Kurds but also all democrats are very, very angry.The YSK decision will only help infuriate the base of the BDP, which is already agitated with a passionate Kurdish nationalism. What is worse is that this move might lead the BDP to boycott the upcoming elections. This would not only be a major flaw in the Turkish democracy, but also a sabotage for the already shy and fragile “peace process” between the state and the PKK forces that the BDP is assumed to represent. The words of Bengi Yıldız, a politician within the BDP ranks, are worrying enough: “This decision is clearly a decision of war on the Kurds. It is a decision to send the Kurds to the mountains [to become guerillas]. If the rulers of this country have decided for war, then that is just fine. Then the Kurds will fight the war.”This is a very dangerous psychology. And this is a dangerous moment for Turkish democracy. Politicians might not be responsible for the YSK decision, but they are certainly responsible for doing something about it. First, every legal way should be considered to force the YSK to revise its decision. Secondly, Parliament should consider ways to amend the Law for Deputy Elections, and make those changes applicable to the upcoming elections. Postponing the elections can also be an option.We just should not allow the draconian laws of “Old Turkey” to put a stain on the new one. If we go to elections under the shadow of this veto, that is what will exactly happen.Hmmmm.....Erdogan and Ahmadinejad.....the war against the Kurds,somehow i think they might end up like the Armanians in the past.Read the full story here.

• ‘Turkey should list number of jailed journalists’.(TodaysZaman).Representatives from a France-based reporters’ organization yesterday in İstanbul voiced their concerns that, while there are too many journalists in prison in Turkey, the government does not provide a comprehensive list regarding the number of jailed journalists. “Too many journalists have been arrested in Turkey and Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener are the most recent ones. It is hard to collect data. Local organizations say that 68 journalists have been arrested but only five show up in our data,” said Johann Bihr, head of the Europe and Central Asia desk of the Reporters Without Borders organization, at a press conference.Bihr pointed out that Turkey ranks 138th in the press freedom index this year, as there are about 2000 cases against journalists, including Büşra Erdal and İsmail Saymaz, who face a record number of cases, mostly due to their disclosure of information regarding ongoing cases.“There is violence against journalists, a lack of respect,” he said, noting, “Freedom of the press and respect for journalists are not priority for the Turkish government.” Recommendations from Reporters Without Borders included making amendments to anti-terror laws and the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK) that allow for the arrest of journalists, listing the number of journalists in prison and paying attention to what local and international organizations say on the issue. They will be in Turkey on May 3, World Press Freedom Day for solidarity with journalists, Bihr said and added that they will also try to visit Şık and Şener in prison.Hmmmm.....Turkey the worst human rights violator and Obama's best friend&Ally.Read the full story here.

• A Former Judge Takes on Erdogan's Heavy Hand.(DerSpiegel).Until recently, Emine Ülker Tarhan was a Supreme Court justice in Ankara. But now she has discarded her robes and is challenging Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the Turkish leadership. The prime minister, she alleges, is establishing a surveillance state and is "becoming more dictatorial every day."There are days on which Emine Ülker Tarhan isn't constantly worried about bugs and wire taps. They are days when Tarhan, tall and blonde with metal-rimmed glasses, gets her 1964 VW Beetle out of the garage and puts on a CD by Zülfü Livaneli, the Turkish balladeer whose voice reminds her of "clear air."And then are days, she says, when she feels like a character in George Orwell's tale of a surveillance state, "1984." That's when she sees the thought police on patrol, and when she is afraid to say the wrong word in her own home.Today is one of those days. It's a Monday morning in the embassy district of the Turkish capital Ankara, and Tarhan, wearing a black blazer over a blue blouse, is sitting in a friend's law office, where the two are exchanging knowing glances. Could this office be bugged, too, they wonder? "Our country's government is becoming more and more dictatorial every day," says Tarhan. "This isn't paranoia."It seems odd to hear this 48-year-old woman speaking as if she were at the mercy of a despotic government. Five weeks ago Tarhan, a career jurist, was herself a member of the country's power elite. She was a judge on the Supreme Court in Ankara and, since 2006, the president of "Yarsav," a decidedly secular professional association of judges and prosecutors. But then, in early March, she stepped down from both posts and decided to go into politics.The reason for her decision, she say, is the increasingly open attempt by the Islamic conservative administration of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to destroy the independence of the Turkish judiciary. A closer look, says Tarhan, is enough to see that Erdogan is currently in the process of eliminating the separation of powers in Turkey. "If he gets his way, judges and public prosecutors will no longer serve as a check on the executive branch, but instead will become his agents. I refuse to play along with this."The election campaign began in Turkey last week. And after decades of decline, a party that was considered hopelessly outdated is suddenly in the ascendant: the Republican People's Party (CHP), founded by Atatürk himself, a melting pot of the old secular government elite that has been overrun by the dynamic Erdogan.The CHP has its headquarters on the outskirts of Ankara, in a postmodern building with something that resembles a space capsule on the roof, meant to convey the image of modernity. The mood is buoyant inside the building, now that the CHP has gained a prominent and media-friendly candidate in Emine Tarhan. Party Chairman Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, nicknamed "Kemal Gandhi" because of his mild character, has just greeted her with great enthusiasm.The now former Judge Tarhan, brushing a lock of hair out of her face, insists that she never wanted to become a politician. The many photographers embarrass her, and she is appalled by the posturing of many Turkish politicians.But in light of an impending "dictatorship of the Erdogan clique," says Tarhan, she wants to campaign for a different and more modern Turkey. "In this country, religious leaders are now declaring women who have been raped to be partially culpable, because they showed too much cleavage. They see women as nothing but baby-making machines. Do you really think that I can just sit there and do nothing?"Hmmmm.......Get Turkey out of NATO NOW!Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Video - Saudi Cleric Mohsen Al-Awaji Strongly Criticizes Iran and Says: I Don't Want It to Stab Us in the Back with Its Irrational Behavior.Read and see the full story here.

• US Armenians gear up 'genocide' campaign.(HurryetDailyNews).US Armenians gear up ‘genocide’ campaign.US Armenians are preparing to hold a protest against President Barack Obama in Los Angeles to accuse him of breaking his pre-election pledges to Armenians and rally their groups and congressional supporters, once again, to back a campaign to have the deaths of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 labeled a ‘genocide’ in the US.U.S. Armenians have sped up a campaign to convince the country’s president to declare the events of 1915 as “genocide” in the run-up to April 24, "Armenian Remembrance Day" in the United States.Members of the community are preparing to hold a protest against President Barack Obama in Los Angeles on Thursday for allegedly breaking pre-election pledges in 2008 to Armenians and Armenian groups to recognize their genocide claims. The group’s congressional supporters are hoping that the president finally recognizes the "Armenian genocide" this time around.Pro-Armenian legislators came close to winning a congressional endorsement of the genocide claims last December, shortly before the previous Congress expired, when they intensified their efforts for a floor vote in the House of Representatives on a "genocide" bill, which passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee last March.But under strong behind-the-scene pressure by the Obama administration, the bill did not come to a floor vote.Hmmmm.....Erdogan "Muslims don't commit geocide".Read the full story here.

• Russia: Borei submarine to test new missile this year.(TodaysZaman)A new Russian nuclear submarine will be ready to test the next generation of intercontinental missiles this year, a military shipbuilding spokesman said on Tuesday. The Yuri Dolgoruky, the first of Russia’s new Borei class of submarines, has yet to fire the Bulava missile it was made to carry because of numerous failures during testing.“By the beginning of the navigation season all ships will be ready to carry out tests of the Bulava,” said Alexander Kholodov, a representative of submarine-building shipyard Sevmash. “This refers above all to the submarines Dmitry Donskoy and Yuri Dolgoruky,” he said. The Dmitry Donskoy is an older Akula-class vessel used for previous Bulava tests while Borei-class submarines were undergoing testing. The Bulava was designed to be carried on submarines like the Yuri Dolgoruky, but repeated failures of the missile during tests have called the costly project into question.The submarine’s entry into service, carrying the Bulava, will be a major step forward for Russia’s military, which hopes to use rising oil revenues to increase its clout.Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has promised to spend nearly 20 trillion roubles ($705.7 billion) to upgrade Russia’s crumbling defense forces over the next 10 years.The Bulava has failed half of its 14 tests. A 15th test was scheduled last year but harsh winter weather conditions forced Moscow to delay it until this year.Read the full story here.