MFS - The Other News

                        Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan today: 4.9 ! More info here.

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

• Breaking:Explosion rocks central Oslo, Norway PM's office.(JPost).OSLO - A huge explosion damaged government buildings in central Oslo on Friday including Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's office, injuring several people, a Reuters witness said.The blast blew out most windows on the 17-story building housing Stoltenberg's office, as well as nearby ministries including the oil ministry, which was on fire.Reuters correspondent Walter Gibbs said he counted at least eight injured people. The cause of the blast was unknown but the tangled wreckage of a car was outside one building. Police and fire officials declined comment on the cause.Read the full story here.Updated ....More here.

• Norway attacks - live coverage.(Guardian).

• Seven killed by bomb in Oslo

• "Several" killed by gunman at youth conference in Utoya

• Gunman arrested in Utoya

7.57pm: Former Guardian staffer Neil Perry, based in Oslo, is watching Norwegian television and tells me they are showing images taken from a helicopter showing people still swimming in the water off Utoya Island, presumably they threw themselves into the sea to get away from the gunman. An eyewitness has reported bodies of people who had been shot floating in the water.

7.44pm: An eyewitness has told Norway's NRK broadcaster he saw more than 20 bodies at camp shooting.

7.17pm: This is Hannah Godfrey taking over from Haroon Siddique

7.11pm: The New York Times has more on the claim of responsibility by an Islamist group (thanks to Marta Hernandez Salvan for passing this on):

A terror group, Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami (the Helpers of the Global Jihad), issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, according to Will McCants, a terrorism analyst at CNA, a research institute that studies terrorism. The message said the attack was a response to Norwegian forces' presence in Afghanistan and to unspecified insults to the Prophet Muhammad. "We have warned since the Stockholm raid of more operations," the group said, apparently referred to a bombing in Sweden in December 2010, according to Mr McCants' translation. "What you see is only the beginning, and there is more to come." The claim could not be confirmed. Read the full report here.

• A gunman dressed as a policeman opened fire at a Labor Party youth camp outside Oslo.(Ynet). Some three hours after the blast, a gunman dressed as a policeman opened fire at a Labor Party youth camp outside Oslo. According to both Sky News and NRK, over 30 were feared dead at the camp: Andre Scheie told NRK that he saw 20 to 25 bodies at the youth camp. "There (were) many dead by the shore ... there are about 20-25 dead." He also said he saw dead people in the water, reaffirming reports that the gunman had shot people who attempted to flee the murderous attack.A spokesman for Norway's Labor Party confirmed that its youth camp in Utoeya, an island south of Oslo where the party's youth section's yearly gathering was taking place, had come under attack.Oslo Police Chief Anstein Gjengdal confirmed that anti-terror units were dispatched to the area. Norway's NRK TV reported the police had apprehended the gunman. Authorities believe the man arrested at the camp site is linked to the bombing in Oslo.The EU condemned the "cowardly" attacks, which came as the Scandinavian country has grappled with a series of homegrown terror plots linked to al-Qaeda, and six years after an uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in neighboring Denmark.European Union President Herman Van Rompuy said he was "deeply shocked" by the attacks: "I condemn in the strongest terms these acts of cowardice for which there is no justification. Hmmmm.......Shows again 'feeding the crocodile won't save you from beeing eaten'?Read the full story here.

• Islamic Supremacism Trumps Christianity At Ground Zero.(Aina).While New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg works in anxious haste to build the cultural obscenity that is the Ground Zero mosque, the iconic St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which was built in 1916 and destroyed in the attack on the World Trade Center towers by Muslim terrorists, remains vanquished, unable to rebuild.Bloomberg is lobbying for 9/11 taxpayer funds for the Islamic supremacist grifters behind the Ground Zero mosque, but St. Nicholas Church is in purgatory ten years after the worst day in modern American history.Perhaps St. Nicholas Church should claim that it is a mosque -- then Bloomberg and New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn would probably pour the cement for its foundation. Remember: the New York Daily News reported last December that "Mayor Bloomberg's top deputies went to great lengths to help those trying to build a mosque at Ground Zero -- even drafting a letter to the community board for them."After a Freedom of Information Act request from Judicial Watch, New York City officials released "a flurry of emails between its brass and Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam pushing to build a mosque near the sensitive site, and his supporters." It was worse than we imagined. The release of these documents, emails, and various exchanges between Mayor Bloomberg's office and the radical Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his motley crew of Islamic supremacists showed evidence of collusion, inappropriate political support for the Ground Zero mega-mosque, and favoritism given to the project.Rauf is an open proponent of Islamic law, Sharia, with its oppression of women, stonings, and amputations. He is a prominent member of the Perdana organization, a leading funder of the jihad flotilla launched against Israel last year by the genocidal Islamic terror group, IHH. And he's a slumlord and grifter: Rauf snagged more than $2 million in public financing to renovate low-income apartments. He took the money, never did the renovations, and forced good people to live with vermin and dilapidation.So why did the mayor apparently break ethical rules for a slumlord with radical ties, whose buildings were placed in receivership? And why isn't he working just as energetically for the rebuilding of St. Nicholas Church? Technically, he has no jurisdiction over the Port Authority, which is blocking the rebuilding of the church, but he could speak out more energetically for it -- and meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver could do a great deal to help the church's cause -- but in sharp contrast to Bloomberg's work for the mosque, they haven't done a thing for the church.Cuomo could order Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward to stop blocking the church's reconstruction. He hasn't. Silver hasn't done a thing, either. Yet if they support the Ground Zero mosque, they should at least extend the same level of support to this church that was on the site for 85 years.I spoke with Evan C. Lambrou, who is a former editor of the National Herald, the country's oldest and largest Greek-American newspaper, and a distinguished graduate of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston. He explained that it was "wrong for the Port Authority to take the church's original property for its purposes, in exchange for another parcel nearby; extract the church's good faith by promising to actually deliver the promised new parcel; and then not make good on that promise. In short, the Port Authority got the church to do something it didn't really want to do by promising the church something else instead, and then refused to give what was promised. That's just not right. It's morally reprehensible, in fact."Yes, it is, and it gets worse. Lambrou continued: "It's very disgraceful that the Port Authority has compelled the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese to file a federal lawsuit just to rebuild one of our churches. And it's simply astounding that people work themselves into such a frenzy about Park 51; that so many elected officials have rushed to defend development of an Islamic community center two blocks away from Ground Zero; and that virtually no one cares about the Port Authority's plans to exclude a Christian church from Ground Zero altogether."Lambrou skewered the double standard: "This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and principles, so if elected officials are going to support religious freedom for Muslims in America, they should do the same for one of this country's Christian minorities.""That's why I'm disappointed," Lambrou said, "in Governor Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver." He sent them both letters and emails, but their response "wasn't even lukewarm." He received "one feel-good call from a press officer at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation assuring me that the "Cuomo Administration cares." And as for Silver, one of his aides told Lambrou that he was "concerned" about the church. That was it. Lambrou sent them both information from the American Center for Law and Justice that pointed out that in refusing to rebuild the church, the Port Authority had violated three constitutional amendments. Nonetheless, Lammbrou said, "neither Mr. Cuomo nor Mr. Silver have voiced their support for the church publicly. I have urged them to do so several times, and they still haven't yet."Lambrou told me: "This is both a moral and a Constitutional matter. Is it really that difficult for them to release a substantive public statement of support for rebuilding this church? Is it really so hard for them to tell the Port Authority to do the right thing for the church?" When I asked him if the lawsuit that the church had filed against various New York officials might be causing the silence, he responded: "This is a no-brainer, and the lawsuit is no excuse. Anyway, the lack of response to my concerns has been deeply disheartening. Orthodox Christian rights are being violated by a powerful public entity under their watch, and the people who should be defending us are doing nothing about it."While those of us who oppose the Islamic supremacist mosquestrosity at Ground Zero are routinely called bigots, it is St. Nicholas Church that is encountering actual bigotry. Lambrou said, "I never thought I would find myself contending with this kind of bigotry in 21st Century America, and I feel completely betrayed that those who are in a position to reverse the problem have done nothing about it. That indicates they're actually willing to relegate this innocent and historic house of worship to oblivion and, in so doing, perpetuate the tragedy of 9/11."They are, but we aren't. Stop the Islamization of lower Manhattan. Stand with us against the Ground Zero Mosque and for St. Nicholas Church on September 11 at our Freedom Rally at Ground Zero.Hmmmm......How much would 'Thirty pieces of silver' be in today's money?Read the full story here.

• Border Patrol Official: Drug Cartels 'Have Taken Control' of 'Several Areas Along Our Border'.Washington (CNSNews.com) -- Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar told CNSNews.com that Mexican drug cartels control “several areas along our border with Mexico.”In Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, CNSNews.com asked Aguilar, “Do you think Mexican drug cartels have taken control of the human trafficking that takes place from Mexico to the U.S.?”Aguilar said, “There are several areas along our border with Mexico where in fact we believe that the drug cartels not only have taken control, but control the areas by which the illegal crossings occur.”When CNSNews.com also asked if he thought Mexican drug cartels had made human trafficking from south of the border into the United States more violent, Aguilar said, “absolutely.”“All the violence that occurs, against illegal aliens that occur, occur at the hands of smugglers,” said Aguilar. “The smugglers are working in coordination with the drug cartels and the drug trafficking organizations.”Aguilar spoke with CNSNews.com at a press conference in the nation’s capital held to raise awareness about human trafficking.Regarding Mexican drug cartel involvement in human trafficking from Mexico to the United States, Aguilar said the drug cartels, much like the Mafia, are involved in multiple criminal enterprises that go beyond trafficking narcotics.“Drug trafficking organizations being involved in [human] smuggling has been historical. It has been a legacy. It has happened consistently in my 30 some years of service,” Aguilar said. “This is something that we have seen evolve into what we see happening today: that the cartels are turning into more of a Mafia-like organization that are specializing not just in any one crime, not in the singular fashion.”“Now they may have a focus of narcotics, but they will expand very Mafia-like into other criminal opportunities, one of them being the smuggling of people in the United States,” said Aguilar.“Therefore, being involved in what we are discussing today -- the exploitation of young men, young women, children for human trafficking, slavery, forced labor, and things of this nature -- they are looking to make that all-mighty dollar and that is what they focus their efforts on, any crime that will get them that profit,” he said.The CBP this year has already apprehended “over 257,000 people crossing illegally in between the ports of entry,” said Aguilar during the press conference. “That is a tremendous opportunity for those who would prey and exploit these people crossing into this country to where they will prey on them,” to exploit them either through forced labor or sexually, among other ways, he said.Read the full story here.

• Saving the Euro.Sarkozy Gets His European Monetary Fund.(Spiegel).In the end, there were important resolutions to announce after all. Euro-zone heads of state and government agreed on Thursday evening to a second emergency aid package for Greece "and some other things," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel following the special summit of the 17 euro-zone member states in Brussels. She exuded satisfaction and said it had been an "important day."In the weeks prior to the summit, Merkel had repeatedly insisted that there was no need for the special summit and she made it clear that she was not enthusiastic about participating . As recently as Tuesday, she warned that one should not expect any "spectacular" moves. And the Thursday agreement does indeed fall short of being spectacular , but it provides the clarity that was so badly needed.The new package provides for €109 billion worth of credit for Athens. The majority of the fund comes from the euro backstop fund known as the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Private creditors are to contribute an additional €50 billion by 2014 via a combination of debt buybacks and swaps. The level of private involvement in the plan is much higher than had been expected and reflects the position that Germany had been insisting on for months. It can be seen as a personal success for Merkel.At the same time, the EFSF is to be granted additional, pre-emptive competencies to prevent the euro crisis from spreading to additional countries. Among other measures, the EFSF will have the ability to buy state bonds on secondary markets -- from banks and insurance companies for example -- in order to support debt-ridden euro-zone countries. It is a further step in the direction of the kind of transfer union that Germany has long insisted must be avoided.

Euro-zone leaders were eager to avoid such bond purchases becoming business-as-usual. Prior to taking such a step, the European Central Bank must identify a country's debt predicament as being extreme and all euro-zone member states must grant their approval. Each national government would hold veto rights. But the new EFSF powers meant that French President Nicolas Sarkozy also had something to celebrate. "We have agreed to create the beginnings of a European Monetary Fund," Sarkozy crowed.The moves do indeed mean that the EFSF increasingly resembles the Washington-based IMF. It will now be allowed to grant pre-emptive lines of credit to countries under pressure on the financial markets. It will also be allowed to assist in the recapitalization of stricken banks. Even Merkel, who had long been opposed to the idea of a European Monetary Fund, allowed that "one could draw such a comparison" to the IMF.Reaction to the deal on the financial markets was one of relief that Europe, after months of disagreement, had finally thrown Greece a second lifeline. It became increasingly apparent throughout July that postponing the decision until after the summer holiday period -- as had initially been the plan -- was impossible. Risk premiums on Italian and Spanish state bonds have risen in recent weeks, raising the prospect that the crisis could infect those two major economies. The very public debate regarding potential state insolvencies and debt restructuring had made investors uneasy."For the first time since the beginning of this crisis, we can say that the politics and the markets are coming together," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Thursday evening.Owners of Greek bonds are to be given the opportunity this autumn to exchange those bonds for new paper guaranteed by the EFSF. The exchange is to take place within a predetermined window of time, likely to be just a few days. The new bonds are to have periods from between 15 and 30 years with an interest rate of 3.5 percent. That, euro-zone leaders hope, will give Greece enough time to get back on its feet. The plan will likely lead rating agencies to downgrade Greece to default status for several days this autumn. But government leaders consider the risk to be manageable. Once the new bonds, guaranteed by the EFSF, are issued, Greece will be upgraded again -- according to the plan, at least. How exactly the markets will react, however, remains to be seen.Read the full story here.

• Canada hunts 'war criminals' inside country.(Al-Jazeera).  Government asks residents to look for 30 suspects it says are hiding after arriving illegally from various nations. Canada has released the names of 30 suspected war criminals that the government says entered the country without proper migration documents and are staying there illegally.A statement on the Canada Border Services Agency's (CBSA) website, released on Thursday, says that the people come from countries as far ranging as Ghana to Guatemala and Peru to Pakistan.The statement said the suspects had "violated human or international rights under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act or under international law" and asked the public to report any information that could lead to the alleged criminals whereabouts.The website did not mention any specific charges against the individuals who are named and pictured."We hope that reaching out to the public today will enhance the ability of the CBSA and its partner organisations to effectively deal with persons complicit in these acts," said Luc Portelance, president of the CBSA."I'm here with the minister of public safety and the minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, to encourage the public to provide any information to the CBSA about violations of our immigration law or suspicious cross-border activity."Jason Kenney, Canada's immigration minister, said anyone who has committed or been an accomplice to war crimes should be deported."Should they arrive here by fraud, they will be identified, they will be located, and they will face the consequences," he said.Kenney said he was concerned some war criminals may be setting their sights on Canada because of what he called the country's reputation of a lax asylum system.The announcement comes a day after Kenney said the government would revoke the citizenship of at least 1,800 people who allegedly used fraudulent means to obtain citizenship status.Read and see the full story here.

• "The Art of War"- Beijing develops pulse weapons.(WashingtonTimes).China's military is developing electromagnetic pulse weapons that Beijing plans to use against U.S. aircraft carriers in any future conflict over Taiwan, according to an intelligence report made public on Thursday.Portions of a National Ground Intelligence Center study on the lethal effects of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and high-powered microwave (HPM) weapons revealed that the arms are part of China’s so-called “assassin’s mace” arsenal - weapons that allow a technologically inferior China to defeat U.S. military forces.EMP weapons mimic the gamma-ray pulse caused by a nuclear blast that knocks out all electronics, including computers and automobiles, over wide areas. The phenomenon was discovered in 1962 after an aboveground nuclear test in the Pacific disabled electronics in Hawaii.The declassified intelligence report, obtained by the private National Security Archive, provides details on China’s EMP weapons and plans for their use. Annual Pentagon reports on China's military in the past made only passing references to the arms.“For use against Taiwan, China could detonate at a much lower altitude (30 to 40 kilometers) … to confine the EMP effects to Taiwan and its immediate vicinity and minimize damage to electronics on the mainland,” the report said.The report, produced in 2005 and once labeled “secret,” stated that Chinese military writings have discussed building low-yield EMP warheads, but “it is not known whether [the Chinese] have actually done so.”The report said that in addition to EMP weapons, “any low-yield strategic nuclear warhead (or tactical nuclear warheads) could be used with similar effects.”“The DF-21 medium-range ballistic missile has been mentioned as a platform for the EMP attack against Taiwan,” the report said.According to the report, China’s electronic weapons are part of what are called “trump card” or “assassin’s mace” weapons that “are based on new technology that has been developed in high secrecy.”“China’s [high-altitude] EMP capability could be used in two different ways: as a surprise measure after China’s initial strike against Taiwan and other U.S. [aircraft carrier strike group] assets have moved into a vulnerable position, and as a bluff intended to dissuade the United States from defending Taiwan with a CVBG,” the Pentagon acronym for carrier strike groups.Hmmmm.......Message to America "Yu So Phukt"?Read the full story here.

• The Marxist Plan to Destroys Israel’s Economy: MUST VIEW for All Friends of Freedom.(NewZeal).Video - Omar Barghouti is a Columbia University educated Palestinian commentator and “human rights activist”.He is a founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.The talk (below ) was presented on July 1, 2011, at the United States International Socialist Organization‘s Socialism 2011 conference, which was held in Chicago, July 1-4, 2011.This is the most comprehensive overview of the Marxist strategy to wreck Israel’s economy, and bring the country its knees you are ever likely to see.Barghouti outlines to the assembled comrades the history of his movement, its tactics, strategies and its growing successes.It is made very clear, that while liberal help is welcomed, this is basically a long term Marxist program to annihilate the state of Israel. The same tactics which delivered Apartheid South Africa to the South African Communist Party/African National Congress, will be used to turn Israel over to their Islamist and Marxist-Leninist enemies. Only this time it will be faster – note Barghouti’s reference to South African communist, KGB asset and terror master Ronnie Kasrils.Omar Barghouti is very calm, very well reasoned, very “reasonable”, very,very Anti - Israel.Read and see the full story here.

• PA summer camp sponsored by Fayyad names children's groups after terrorists.(PalWatch).A Palestinian Authority summer camp for children divided its campers into three groups named after the terrorists Dalal Mughrabi, Salah Khalaf and Abu Ali Mustafa.Dalal Mughrabi in 1978 led the most lethal terror attack in Israel's history, in which 37 civilians were killed, 12 of them children.Salah Khalaf (Abu Iyad) was the head of the Black September terror group. He planned many terror attacks including the murder of two American diplomats, as well as the murder of 11 Israeli athletes in the Munich Olympics in 1972.Abu Ali Mustafa, General Secretary of the terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He planned numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians during the Palestinian terror campaign ("the Intifada").A fourth group was named after Yasser Arafat.The summer camp was held under the auspices of PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who visited the camp to participate in the closing ceremonies, which he also sponsored.Hmmmm.......Obama's 'peacepartners'.Read the full story here.

• The US bankrolling Afghan terrorists?Are Afghan terrorists getting US aid dollars?(AlArabiya).A new audit by the US special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction says as much as $10 million a day in US aid to Afghanistan cannot be accounted for and could be making its way into terrorist hands.The audit renewed questions about the accountability of hundreds of millions of dollars in US aid that seem to vanish on arrival in Afghanistan. The US has spent $70 billion since 2002 to improve security and promote development in Afghanistan but tracking use of the money has been hampered by the government, the audit said.Millions of dollars in cash payments that regularly flow through the international airport in Kabul go unmonitored by cash counting machines there, and the serial numbers on cash disbursed to Afghan contractors and recipients of US aid payments are not being recorded, according to the report. Moreover, Afghan officials continue to allow VIPs to bypass the main security and customs screenings without verifying their declared cash with the currency counting machines. It is believed that some of these VIPs may be using their immunity from inspection at the airports to smuggle aid money out of the country, for personal benefit or the benefit of others, including insurgents.Efforts to trace the money were made more difficult in May, the report said, when President Hamid Karzai banned US Treasury auditors from the country’s Central Bank where they had been monitoring the flow of aid dollars. The report said working conditions for the Treasury advisers at the bank had become so “hostile” that the Treasury Department would make no effort to reinstate them.The country’s central bank has been at the focus of attention since its former director, Abdul Qadir Fitrat, abruptly resigned in June and fled to the US, where he told authorities he feared he would be targeted for death by suspects he tried to prosecute for “stealing millions of dollars” from Kabul Bank, the country’s largest private lender. The bank nearly collapsed last year after it lost close to a billion dollars due to fraud, questionable lending practices, cronyism and overall mismanagement. The billions in US aid to Afghanistan has been in return for its role as a partner in the 10-year-old US War on Terror, declared after the deadly 2001 attack on the US by Al Qaeda terrorists believed hiding in that South Asia nation. The use of those funds for the intended military and development purposes repeatedly has been questioned.Herbert Richardson, Acting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, described Afghanistan as a country “plagued by corruption, insurgency, and the narcotics trade. It is essential that we use all available tools to ensure that US dollars are protected from fraud and diversion to the insurgency,” he said.The matter of accountability for US and other foreign aid dollars to Afghanistan came up last November when the Inspector General reported that US agencies working in Afghanistan “were providing more than $1 million in monthly salary payments to 900 Afghan government employees and technical advisers in 16 ministries and government offices.” The two largest recipients of those US funds were the Afghan Ministry of Education and President Karzai’s office.In Washington, Congressman Bruce Braley of Iowa said: “This report is very troubling and it underscores the need for us to get out of Afghanistan now. We’re blindly spending billions in Afghanistan while our own economy is teetering between an anemic recovery and the brink of a default. I’ve called for a true accounting of the cost of the war in Afghanistan since I came to Congress. Now, after almost a decade in Afghanistan, thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars misspent, it’s clear that the cost is too high. We need to end this quagmire immediately.”Hmmmm........Another Obamination.Read the full story here.

• Vice PM Yaalon presented a pessimistic outlook: "Over the last few days there is a sense of psychological warfare coming from both Ankara and Jerusalem".(Ynet).Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon poured cold water on any hopes of launching a new chapter in Jerusalem's relations with Ankara, saying that he did not see any possibility for reconciliation with Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. "I cannot bring about an agreement when the Turkish stubborn stance is as it is," Yaalon stated in a press briefing held Thursday.The vice premier is the government-appointed envoy in discussions with Turkish over the Palmer report, which aims to probe the events of the first Gaza flotilla.  He added that following the UN's Palmer report, which determined that Israel's blockade on Gaza and its military involvement in the prevention of the flotilla were legitimate, he believed that Ankara would reconsider its stance, but that was not the case. "There is no change in the Turkish stance towards Israel and that did not start with the flotilla, but before hand."   Though the Palmer committee will only be presenting its findings to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon next week, reports from earlier this month claimed that its members, international experts and representatives from turkey and Israel, determined that though the IDF used excessive force, the operation itself was legitimate. The report's release was postponed by three weeks due to Turkey's refusal to accept its findings. An attempt to bridge the gaps between Jerusalem and Ankara in order to lessen the emphasis on support for Israel and criticism of Turkey – proved futile.Yaalon addressed Turkey's demand for an apology from Israel over the killing of nine Turkish activists who were on board the Marmara, saying that Israel was willing to offer financial compensation to their families. "We were willing to reach an agreement with Turkey from the start ,but my position is that while we are willing to express our condolences over the losses and participate in a humanitarian foundation – we are not willing to apologize. An apology means that we are taking responsibility for the events."The vice premier noted that IDF soldiers who boarded the Marmara were the ones who were attacked first by the activists, who had equipped themselves with weapons in advance.   "Our soldiers were defending themselves on board the Marmara, it was self defense. The fact that they didn't have to defend themselves on the other vessels – was because they weren't attacked. So there is no room for an apology. "Compensatory payments would be de facto acceptance of responsibility and that's without even addressing the Turkish demand to remove the blockade. The blockade is legal according to all international agreements and the Palmer report." "My stance is very clear: I am not willing to use the word apology, while the Turkish prime minister insists on it…. If there is an agreement with Turkey they will suddenly change their position and say the blockade is legal? I don't see that possibility," he said.Yaalon made it clear that an agreement with Turkey would not lead to the removal of lawsuits against Israel in Spain, Britain or anywhere else and that if Israel were to use the word "apology" it would be an admission of responsibility – which could be used in criminal and civilian suits against Israelis in international courts.Hmmmmm........To use General Anthony Clement McAuliffe words:"NUTS".Read the full story here.

• Turkey - 6 family members arrested for another DIShonor killing.(TodaysZaman).Ceylan Sosyal, a 19-year-old woman from the Dörtyol district of the southern province of Hatay was killed on Tuesday following a decision by her family after she returned to her father’s house when her husband abandoned her and her child.According to information obtained by the Anatolia news agency, the young woman had been expected to go through with an arranged marriage to a relative selected by her family, but had run away to marry another man three years ago. However, she returned to her family home this week when her husband abandoned her.Sosyal’s father, Mehmet Hicri, called the police after her death and told them his son had killed her. However, when police took six people into custody the victim’s uncle, Ramazan Hicri, admitted to killing her for the honor of the family. Father Mehmet Hicri, brother Emrah Hicri, uncles Halil Hicri, Ahmet Hicri and Ramazan Hicri and another relative, Ali Güneş, were arrested and sent to prison.The victim’s mother, Sebiha Hicri, was released after questioning. Dörtyol police collected evidence and fingerprints from all six suspects during the criminal investigation.President Abdullah Gül has ordered the State Audit Institution (DDK) to investigate the causes of violence against women and report on possible solutions for prevention at a time when statistics are indicating an increase in incidences of men’s violence against their partners.A statement released by the Press Office of the Presidency on Tuesday said the DDK has been ordered to investigate and examine recent acts of violence against women and children and submit its findings on how well equipped civil society organizations and public agencies are in combating domestic violence. The statement said the president wanted a comprehensive report on perceptions regarding violence against women, its scope and extent, and policy suggestions for combating violence against women and children and improving protection for women and children at risk. The DDK will also examine whether judicial, administrative and policing services are being properly implemented.Experts confirm that Turkey is seeing a rise in the number of violent attacks against women. Women’s rights groups suggest that one measure to prevent such violence could be the electronic monitoring of known abusers. Almost half of all Turkish women say they have endured physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands or partners. An estimated five women each day become victims of violence.Women’s rights activists stress that restraining orders are universally seen as a key element in the fight against domestic violence; however, Turkey has failed to put good protection mechanisms to work. Many women who were denied protection by police or restraining orders by courts have been killed in the past few years.Hmmmm......Instead of accusing Israel wouldn't it be better for Turkey to clean up it's own mess?Read the full story here.

• Israeli Vice PM: Libya is new source for smuggled arms to Gaza.(JPost).JERUSALEM - Libya has become a new source of smuggled weaponry for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Thursday."Weapons are available in Libya as a result of the unstable situation there, and Hamas has exploited it to buy weapons from Libyan smugglers," the former IDF chief of staff told foreign journalists in a briefing, without elaborating on the kind of munitions involved.With eastern Libya largely held by rebels who rose up against Muammar Gaddafi in February, arms were being brought across the border, through neighboring Egypt, to the Hamas-ruled territory, Yaalon added.Hamas officials had no immediate comment on Ya'alon's charge.In May, a Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) report said smugglers of arms into Gaza are operating almost freely after a change of leadership in Egypt.The Shin Bet said with Egypt's new leaders preoccupied with stabilizing their country, "governance in Sinai is not high and this allows smugglers to operate almost without hindrance."Today the Egyptian regime's attention is focused on stabilizing the new government and this eases the Sinai smugglers' task," the report explained.The Beduin people of the Sinai, for whom smuggling is a major source of income, were mostly involved in getting weapons into Gaza to supply Hamas, it continued.The Shin Bet also reaffirmed the belief that Iran, in seeking to strengthen its influence in the region, was supplying Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist with "choice military-grade weaponry."Hundreds of rockets with a range of 20-40 kilometers (12-25 miles), at least 1,000 mortar bombs, some anti-tank missiles and tons of high explosives and raw material to make high explosives had entered Gaza since the start of 2010, according to the domestic intelligence agency.Read the full story here.

• Ottomans Vs. Mamluks.(AlexanderMunch).By nervana111.On 23rd of January 1517, the Ottomans defeated the Mamluks army, entered the city of Cairo and hanged their leader Tuman bey from its southern gate “ bab Zuwaila”. This victory had a profound impact on the entire Middle East for decades that still resonates today.

500 years later it seems we are witnessing a new version of the Mamluks/ Ottomans confrontation with a modern twist. This time the Mamluks are a mediocre version of their predecessors with no charisma or insight and with sheer incompetency. Despite the fact that they are the native sons of the land; they certainly never cared about it or worked towards its development, but only cared about their own survival, Arabic countries descend to a new low with corruption, dictatorship and poverty. This decline affects every aspect of life from science to medicine and art. The new Mamluks are simply pathetic and slaves to their own greed.

Weak leadership created a power vacuum, which attracted the attention of many regional and world players, including the new charismatic Turkish leader “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan”. With his vast economic achievements, the ambitious Turk has just managed to secure a third term in office, after turning his country to the Chine of Europe. Now the new Ottoman started to focus his attention to his Arabs neighbours with a different grand strategy.

So far Erdogan has managed to win the hearts and minds of many Arabs. A magic formula of anti-Israeli rhetoric, flourishing economy and increased trade links seems to be working wonders, not to mention the popularity of the Turkish soap operas among Arabs audiences. He presented them with a magical formula, where Islam, democracy and secularism can coexist together. The devout Muslim who used to sell lemonade and sesame buns (simit) on the streets of Istanbul’s rougher districts has inspired many who share his humble background and indeed his ambitions, he has become the model they can follow and want to emulate.

The Arab world has had enough from their Mamluks and has started to embark on a long journey for self-salvation from dictatorship. Uprising has started to shake the palaces of dictators everywhere in the Middle East. Many believe that Turkey could be an inspiration in their struggle for freedom and democracy.Is Turkey’s Erdogan the right example for the Arabs to follow? Can he be the father of the Arab spring? I do not think so; there are several problems with the Erdogan model.

1- What kind of Islam?

Perhaps, the biggest failure of Erdogan is his inability to promote progressive Islamic thinking. Rather than addressing extreme religious school of thoughts particularly, in contentious topics such as woman rights, conversion out of Islam, freedom of speech, the AKP sticks to the old religious formula as a safe way to attract the heart and mind of devoted Turks. The recent protest ban in memory of the Sivas massacre is a classic example that freedom of speech is not Erdogan’s highest priority. The murder of Intellectuals for reading extract from Salman Rushdie’s Books can be conveniently ignored as a minor event. Turkish newspapers are full of horror reports: for example, religious fanatics who sprayed acid on the exposed legs of schoolgirls in Mersin and the increase in the number of honor killings.It is a myth that Turkey succeeds in marrying Islam with democracy; AKP used them separately in a mere cohabitation rather than a firm marriage.

2- Parallel life may end up in tears

On the surface, the combination between secularism and Islamic foundation seems to be working perfectly. In reality, Islamists and liberals live a complete parallel life; they do not mix or interact. Devout, pious, Muslims are highly unlikely to mix with those who drink alcohol and wear bikini. However, the rising economic standard will allow many conservative Muslims to move to fancy neighborhood and joins luxurious golf courses. Tension and clashes will be inevitable, not just with liberal locals, but also with western homeowners who took advantage of low-house prices in Turkey to buy a second home in the sun with potentially disastrous consequences. There are already several disturbing reports of bullying of artists and celebrities who do not share the Islamists worldviews.

3- Relations with Israel

There is no doubt that Erdogan ant-Israeli rhetoric is his biggest asset in the Arab world. However, this winning card may not be sustainable in the long term. He can have a public, heated debate with the Israeli President, support the Gaza flotilla, or even try his luck mediating between Fatah and Hamas, but the more he shifts away from Israel, the more he will lose his ability to play as a mediator who can be trusted by both sides. Needless to mention Turkish membership of NATO, which is extremely valuable for him, and it will indeed soften his anti-Israeli stance. Even if he ignores, NATO, the maximum he can do is to cut his diplomatic ties with Israel, but he will never send his army to liberate Al_ Quds. Erdogan will soon learn the hard lesson many learned before him, “ it is too complicated”.

4- Arab uprisings may not be good news:

Regardless of its future, Arab uprising may have a negative impact on Turkey. Though Turkey has shown a strong support to the Syrian and Libyan revolts (after early hiccups about Gaddafi) and shows considerable hospitality towards Syrians refugees, which help to cement its positive image among millions of Arabs, the actual events within the Arab world will cast its shadow over Turkey.

a- If the Arab uprising succeed:

Egypt and Tunisia are the leading force behind the Arab uprising; their young, passionate youth are fighting to fulfill their dream of a vibrant, democratic, free society. If they succeed, the Arab world will eventually have a newly emerging power that will have its own plans and agenda, which may not fit in with the Turkish one. No wonder Turkey is trying desperately to influence the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, but Egypt is not Turkey, Muslim Brotherhood blind copycat policy could be disastrous.

b- If the Arab uprising results in stalemate or failed states

Chaos, anarchy is Turkey’s worst nightmare as instability, is bad for the economy. Turkish towns and cities near the Syrian border are already feeling the heat due to the halt of trade with the Assad regime, not to mention the flux of refugees. The deterioration of the situation particularly in Syria may force Turkey to interfere militarily, which again could be counterproductive. Turkey is not immune from the increasing regional, sectarian tensions; there is already tension within the local Kurdish areas, which can escalate if Kurdish refugees from Syria start to head toward the Turkish border.

c- Pro status quo

There are still several forces in the regions that are desperate to maintain the status quo, the modern Mamluks and their allies will not go without a fight and they are not happy with Turkish meddling. They will do whatever they can in order to undermine the Turkish efforts.The Ottoman Empire was a colonial power and never a union of nations or a common wealth; any claim to the contrary is simply a twist of history for the sake of political gains. Modern Turkey can be a close friend and ally to its Arab neighbours; however, they have to address their own problems first. Erdogan need to reconcile with the 50% of Turks who did not vote for him before he builds bridges with others. As for the Arabs, they do not need a father-in-law; they will get rid of their Mamluks by their own efforts and should not allow their countries to be a mere playground for any outsider.About nervana111:Doctor Liberal Secular passionate about world affairs and politics particularly the Middle East including Turkey and Iran.Hmmmm........And what is Iran it's role in all this,will they allow Turkey to grow that large?Read the full post here.