Turkey Calls on Israel to Sack Avigdor Lieberman
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Turkey has urged Israel to sack Avigdor Lieberman, its controversial foreign minister, escalating a protracted row that has badly damaged one of the Middle East's most important pro-western alliances.

Avigdor Lieberman suggested that Turkey was on the verge of succumbing to an Islamist-style revolution of the type that overthrew the Shah in Iran in 1979. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
In an interview on al-Jazeera television, Recept Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, sought to present Mr Lieberman as an out-of-control maverick who had damaged Israel's international standing.

Reflecting deep anger in Ankara over a series of attacks that Mr Lieberman has directed at Turkey in recent weeks, the prime minister suggested that there was little hope of ending the diplomatic crisis with Israel while the foreign minister remained in office.

"Lieberman is Israel's chief problem and the Israelis should get rid of them," the prime minister said. "This is their problem not ours. If Israel doesn't fire him, their problems will get worse." >>> Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, January 13, 2011

Third of Young Japanese Men Not Interested in Sex
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More than a third of Japanese males aged between 16 and 19 have no interest in or are actively averse to sex, according to a government survey.

Japan's birth rate stands at 1.21 per family, far below the rate of 2.08 babies that is required for a stable population.

As of March 2009, Japan's total population stood at just over 127 million, but that figure is projected to decline to 95 million by 2050. And if more drastic measures fail to encourage people to have sex - and hence children - then there will be a mere 47.7 million Japanese at the turn of the next century. >>> Julian Ryall in Tokyo | Thursday, January 13, 2011

Women 'Should Be Able' to Take Abortion Drugs at Home
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Women could be given the right to have abortions at home after campaigners mounted a legal challenge against 40-year-old laws.


Abortion provider, BPAS, is demanding that women be allowed to take the second of two drugs for an early medical abortion in the comfort of their own homes rather than in clinics.

The organisation, previously known as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said the Abortion Act does not take into account modern advances that mean terminations before nine weeks can be induced with drugs without having to resort to surgery.

Currently women have to attend the abortion clinic to be provided with the first drug, which stops the pregnancy progressing, and then she has to return 24 for 48-hours later for the second, which causes the miscarriage.

Doctors have said it is unnecessary for women to return to the clinic for the second drug and experience in other countries shows it is safe and acceptable to give them the medicine to take at home. >>> Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor | Thursday, January 13, 2011

Deutschland über alles!
WELT ONLINE: Deutschland soll Europas Vorbild sein. Die Kanzlerin fordert, dass sich schwächere Staaten an Deutschland orientieren – nicht am Mittelmaß.

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat vor einer wirtschaftlichen Mittelmäßigkeit der Europäischen Union (EU) gewarnt. „Die Frage ist nicht, wie wir einen Mittelwert zwischen verschiedenen Staaten bilden“, sagte sie gestern auf dem „Welt“-Wirtschaftsgipfel in Berlin. Wichtiger sei es, die schwächeren Staaten wettbewerbsfähig zu machen. „Unsere Aufgabe ist es, dafür zu sorgen, dass sich Europa an den Stärkeren orientiert.“ Deutschland habe großes Interesse daran, dass sich die überschuldeten Staaten in der Euro-Zone wirtschaftlich schnell erholten. „Über 60 Prozent unserer Exporte gehen nach Europa, deshalb haben wir eigenes Interesse an wirtschaftlicher Prosperität“, betonte sie vor rund 60 Topmanagern und Politikern im Berliner Axel-Springer-Haus. Angela Merkel will deutsche Führung in Europa >>> fab, ams, jos | Donnerstag, 13. Januar 2011

Brisbane Floods: Queensland Facing Reconstruction 'of Post-war Proportions'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's third largest city is facing a clean-up of "post-war" proportions as thousands of residents returned to assess the damage caused to their homes by the biggest flood to hit Brisbane in decades.


The death toll from the floods sweeping the state's south-east rose to 15 during the day after a 25-year-old man was sucked down a storm drain to his death in the city when he went to check on his father's flooded home.

The Brisbane River peaked at 14ft overnight but the drama continued during the day with several dramatic rescues carried out on the fast-flowing water.

A man in a dinghy rescued two people from a boat that was careening down the river without power, and another man was plucked out of the torrent after he fell in from one of the riverbanks.

The rescues came hours after a tugboat helped avert disaster by nudging a large piece of floating concrete away from the supports of a major city bridge.

An estimated 50 suburbs across Brisbane have been swamped with dirty, muddy water and 11,900 homes have been hit by serious flood damage.

Another 14,000 properties and 6,000 businesses are partially flooded.

In some of the worst hit areas, residents who had fled to high ground with as many possessions as they could fit into their cars returned to survey the damage. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Thursday, January 13, 2011

Related >>>

Turkey Alcohol Curbs Raise Secular Fears
BBC: New rules on the sale of alcohol in Turkey have raised fears its food and entertainment industries may be harmed.

The curbs ban alcohol from sports advertising and events for young people, and sales are limited to licensed shops and restaurants.

Critics say it will become harder for catering companies to organise wedding parties and similar gatherings.

A ruling party official said the rules were put in place to protect young adults from alcoholism.

An opposition spokesman said that an "oppressive mentality" was seeking to control Turkey, suggesting that the ruling AKP party was targeting secular lifestyles.

But Mehmet Kucuk, whose Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Board implemented the changes, insisted there was "no ideological dimension to the issue".

One small wine-maker told the BBC that, under the new regulations, he could no longer promote his wines via the internet, could not recommend wines to go with certain food, nor hold wine-tasting events. >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Bank of London and the Middle East Launches [sic] Sharia'a [sic] Compliant Premier Deposit Account in Sterling, US Dollars and Euros for Investors
iSTOCKANALYST: Bank of London and The Middle East plc (BLME), London's leading wholesale Sharia'a compliant bank whose main shareholders are Boubyan Bank, National Bank of Kuwait, the Securities House and the Public Institution for Social Security, announced today the launch of its Premier Deposit Account (PDA) in Pound Sterling, US Dollars and Euro for Kuwait investors. >>> Source: Middle East Company News | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Greek Church Raps Bishop Over Muslim, Jew Remarks
THE WASHINGTON POST: ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's Orthodox church has rejected disparaging comments about Muslims and Jews by a senior cleric that sparked protests from representatives of both faiths.

A statement by the church governing body, the Holy Synod, condemned "any form of racial and religious discrimination." >>> The Associated Press | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Assange 'Faces Death Penalty' in US
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Lawyers for WikiLeaks' founder say he could face death penalty or torture if he is extradited to the US via Sweden.

Assange's lawyers said his human rights could be violated if he is extradited [AFP]. Photograph: Al Jazeera English
Defence attorneys for Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has said he could end up facing the death penalty in the US if the UK extradites him to Sweden, where he is accused of sex crimes.

The lawyers fear that Sweden will in turn hand him over to the US.

Following Assange's appearance in a London court on Tuesday, his attorneys published an outline of the defence he will use at a full extradition hearing scheduled for February 7.

"There is a real risk that, if extradited to Sweden, the US will seek his extradition and/or illegal rendition to the USA, where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere" according to a legal memo on the website of the law firm Finers Stephens Innocent.

"Indeed, if Mr Assange were rendered to the USA, without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty."

The Australian citizen, who has angered the US and other states by releasing embarrassing classified US diplomatic cables, is wanted by Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual offences against two women in Sweden last summer.

According to his lawyer, the allegations stem from a dispute over "consensual but unprotected sex". >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Brisbane Battens Down the Hatches as River Peak Looms
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of residents of Brisbane are rushing to evacuate homes and move to higher ground as the region's worst flood in decades bore down on the city.


Anna Bligh, the state's premier who has spearheaded the official response to the unfolding disaster, warned the country's third largest city would wake up to unprecedented damage.

"Brisbane will go to sleep tonight and wake up to scenes many will never have seen before in their lives," she warned.

The death toll from devastating floods swamping south-east Queensland climbed to 12, with another 43 people missing, the state capital Brisbane braced for more than 50 suburbs to be inundated with rapidly rising water.

The most recent estimates suggest that 20,000 homes, 3,500 businesses and 2,100 roads will be hit by the massive flood as the swollen Brisbane River peaks at 17ft early on Thursday morning.

In preparation, residents in affluent riverside suburbs rushed to save their most precious belongings as the water steadily inched higher throughout the day. >>> Bonnie Malkin, in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Australia floods: Brisbane waters peak lower than feared: Torrents inundate Australian city but flood waters peak at 4.46m, considerably lower than expected >>> Owen Bowcott | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Related >>>

Bonnie Malkin >>>

Lebanon Government Collapses After Hizbollah Walks Out
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Lebanese government has collapsed after Hizbollah and its allies walked out of a coalition that had ensured an uneasy peace in one of the Middle East's most unstable countries.


Eleven ministers resigned in a well-timed move to undermine the pro-western prime minister, Saad Hariri. Mr Hariri was posing for photographs in the White House with President Barack Obama when the decision was announced.

The Hizbollah-led alliance acted after Mr Hariri refused to bow to demands to disavow an international tribunal into the murder of his father, Rafiq Hariri, a former prime minister, which is expected to blame the militant group.

Its move could reignite the three-way confrontation between pro-western parties, Shia factions tied to Iran and Syria, and Israel which has caused decades of political and military conflict in the country. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Erdogan Is Voted “Man of the Year”
The anti-Israeli rhetoric of Ankara, as well as the support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is certainly not aimed against Israel, but is directed towards the Arabs to enlist their support in the establishment of a Middle Eastern analogue of the EU
No matter how much the orthodox Islam resists the “pernicious Western influence”, the fashion for “Man of the Year” reached the Muslim world too. Naturally, the favourite was Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was voted “Man of the Year” for 2010 by readers of CNN Arabic. As reported by Today’s Zaman, Erdogan won 74% of the votes
PanARMENIAN.Net: The choice of Erdogan in this category was not arbitrary: Turkish foreign policy of the past several years has been focused specifically on becoming a mediator between the Arab and Turkic worlds. And it must be admitted that to some extent Turkey has succeeded. In this respect, the big time for Erdogan came in Davos in 2009, when he left the forum after quarreling with Israeli President Shimon Peres for the operation “Cast Lead”. As you remember, Erdogan was met in Turkey as a national hero, and there immediately began an anti-Semitic campaign. With his demarche Erdogan killed two birds with one stone: he showed the Arabs that Turkey does not sympathize with her long-standing ally Israel and supports the Palestinian side; besides Turkey defends Islam, or rather Pan-Turanism, or to be more precise - Ottomanism, without any prefixes like “neo-”. The anti-Israeli rhetoric of Ankara, as well as the support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is certainly not aimed against Israel, but is directed towards the Arabs to enlist their support in the establishment of a Middle Eastern analogue of the EU. By the way, there are rumours that the Greater Middle East, being the brainchild of the United States, may still be fulfilled by Erdogan. Perhaps that is why Washington turns a blind eye to the anti-Israeli and sometimes anti-American demarches of Ankara.

One may say that Erdogan follows two goals: membership in the EU and establishment of a similar structure in the Middle East with the involvement of some former Soviet republics. It may well be that both of these goals are achieved in the years to come if the Justice and Development Party (AKP) remains in power after the elections of 2011. And only a few doubt that it will be so. Naturally Ataturk’s legacy must be preserved, but Turkey, with the exception of Istanbul and Ankara, is still an Islamic country as a whole. In the central part of the country people still live under Sharia Law and the current situation is unlikely to change in the near future. The immortal phrase of Rudyard Kipling “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” is relevant today too. And no matter how often Turkey repeats to the world that she is the crossroads of civilizations and the bridge between East and West, yet an Islamic country is an Islamic country. >>> Karine Ter-Sahakyan / PanARMENIAN News | Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Verbunden >>>

New Move to Make Yuan a Global Currency
A Chinese clerk counts yuan next to U.S. dollars. Photograph: The Wall Street Journal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: China has launched trading in its currency in the U.S. for the first time, an explicit endorsement by Beijing of the fast-growing market in the yuan and a significant step in the country's plan to foster global trading in its currency.

The state-controlled Bank of China Ltd. is allowing customers to trade the yuan, also known as the renminbi, in the U.S., expanding the nascent offshore market for the currency which began last year in Hong Kong.

The decision is the latest move by China to allow the yuan, whose value is still tightly controlled by the government, to become an international currency that can be used for trade and investment.

"We're preparing for the day when renminbi becomes fully convertible," Li Xiaojing, general manager of Bank of China's New York branch, told The Wall Street Journal. He said the bank's goal is to become "the renminbi clearing center in America." >>> Lingling Wei | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Pope Targets Pakistan Blasphemy Law
Pope Benedict XVI calls on Pakistan to repeal the law that calls for stoning to death those who criticize Islam. Video courtesy of Reuters

Headscarf Ban Relaxed in Turkey, But Row Rages On
The relaxing of a ban on Turkish students wearing Islamic headscarves to college has done little to silence a debate about limiting enforced secularism on campus. Video courtesy of AFP

L'agitation gagne la capitale tunisienne
LE FIGARO: Manifestants et forces de l'ordre se sont affrontés dans le centre de Tunis et la police a eu recours aux gaz lacrymogènes pour disperser la foule. Les nombreux blessés sont amenés dans les hopitaux où l'on assiste à des scènes de panique.


Des centaines de jeunes criant des slogans contre le régime sur la place de la porte de France, à Tunis, ont essayé d'avancer vers l'avenue Habib Bourguiba, et les forces de sécurité leur ont barré la route en tirant des grenades lacrymogènes. >>> Par Olivier Couvreur | Mercredi 12 Janvier 2011

FINANCIAL TIMES DEUTSCHLAND: Tunesien versinkt im Chaos – Bilderserie >>>

ISLAMISCHE UNION: Erdogan träumt von arabisch-türkischer Weltmacht
WELT ONLINE: Der türkische Premier Erdogan fordert Türken und Araber auf, Streitigkeiten zu vergessen und sich zu einer Union zusammenzutun.

Logo: Die islamische Union gibt es noch nicht, aber wir haben uns schon mal die passende Flagge ausgedacht. Bild: Welt Online
Der türkische Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan reist derzeit mit einer hochrangigen Regierungsdelegation durch die arabischen Golfstaaten. In einer Rede in Kuwait skizzierte er dabei, welche Mächte seiner Meinung nach in der Zukunft „die ganze Welt gestalten” könnten: Die Türkei und die arabischen Länder, wenn sie die Kraft zu einer „Union” finden als Zentrum der muslimischen Welt.

Erdogan sprach auf einer Konferenz zu den türkisch-arabischen Beziehungen. In dem von der „halbamtlichen” türkischen Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu verbreiteten Text forderte er, die Sreitigkeiten und Differenzen des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts zu vergessen – als die arabischen Völker sich gegen die osmanische Herrschaft erhoben – und sich auf die historischen Gemeinsamkeiten zu besinnen, die Araber und Türken verbinden.

Diese Gemeinsamkeiten sind laut Erdogan vor allem der Islam und das gemeinsame Ringen gegen christliche Aggressoren. „Türken und Araber haben diese Gegenden gemeinsam in der Zeit der Kreuzzüge verteidigt”, meinte er. Auch in späteren Epochen „haben wir gemeinsam gegen die Invasoren gekämpft”, behauptete er unter Verweis auf die „Invasion von Erzurum”. Damit meinte er wahrscheinlich den russisch-armenischen Einmarsch im ersten Weltkrieg in der nordöstlichen Türkei – allerdings hatte das osmanische Reich die Kämpfe mit einem Angriffskrieg gegen Russland provoziert.

Heute, so Erdogan, gelte es, die alte „1000-jährige Brüderlichkeit” zu neuem Leben zu erwecken, eine „politische, wirtschaftliche und kulturelle Union” zu werden. „Wir sind Angehörige der selben Zivilisation. Wir haben eine gemeinsame Geschichte.” Durch Solidarität das Palästina-Problem überwinden >>> Autor: Boris Kalnoky | Mittwoch, 12. Januar 2011

Hillary Clinton Falls While Boarding Plane


MAIL ONLINE: Mrs Clinton takes a tumble as she boards plane >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Mother Nature in Full Rage: Heavy Snow in Much of US; Blizzards in New England

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MAIL ONLINE: Snow on the ground on 49 of the 50 states as New York shivers through its THIRD storm of the winter >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Iran Broadcasts 'Confession' of Man It Says Was Part of Assassination Plot
THE GUARDIAN: Majid Jamali-Fash says he was hired by Israel as part of network ordered to kill Iranian scientist Masoud Ali-Mohammadi

Iranian intelligence minister Heidar Moslehi reveals details of the alleged plot at a press conference in Tehran. Photograph: The Guardian
Iran's state TV has broadcast the apparent confession of a man it describes as "the main element" of an Israeli-trained network involved in the assassination of an Iranian scientist last year.

The young man, identified as Majid Jamali-Fash, said last night that he was hired by Israel and trained at a military base outside Tel Aviv before being dispatched to Iran as a part of network ordered to kill Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, a Tehran University particle physicist. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Tuesday, January 11, 2011