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Netanyahu: Iran nuclear plans won’t change
Yesterday
Following the victory of relative ‘moderate’ Hasan Rowhani in the Iranian presidential election , the former nuclear negotiator has promised ‘greater transparency’ from the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear programme.
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Morsi in support of jihad aid to Syrian rebels
Yesterday
Under the ruling of Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian authorities had taken a tough stance towards Egyptians returning home after conducting jihad in various countries, with the fear that they may bring back extremist mentality.
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Rouhani’s educational background is under fire
Yesterday
Questions over the academic background of Iran’s incoming president have come to light with reports coming in that Hasan Rouhani’s record in the UK is under investigation.
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Afghanistan forces prepare to take control
Yesterday
Afghanistan forces are set to take over the security of their country in what will be a major turning point in America’s lengthy and expensive war.
Hitler probe: Police launch probe into photo of Lapid as Hitler; Caption under picture of finance minister reads 'Enemy of the Israeli Economy'
Grave error: Wrong year etched on Ed Koch’s grave though engraver promises to speedily fix New York mayor birthdate error
Security farm: IDF controversially restricts access to agricultural fields belonging to Palestinian villagers in the West Bank for security reasons
Lebanon clashes: Fighting erupts in south Lebanon amid Syria tensions between unidentified gunmen and followers of anti-Hezbollah cleric
Tax haven: Israel’s tax chief warns on unreported capital abroad following revelations about Israeli assets in tax havens
Grave error: Wrong year etched on Ed Koch’s grave though engraver promises to speedily fix New York mayor birthdate error
Security farm: IDF controversially restricts access to agricultural fields belonging to Palestinian villagers in the West Bank for security reasons
Lebanon clashes: Fighting erupts in south Lebanon amid Syria tensions between unidentified gunmen and followers of anti-Hezbollah cleric
Tax haven: Israel’s tax chief warns on unreported capital abroad following revelations about Israeli assets in tax havens
New eyeglasses aim to block out immodest women
What’s wrong with this picture?
If you are an ultra-Orthodox Israeli man, a member of the Haredim, the answer is nothing. For the rest of us – the blurred out women may be something of an eyesore.
But that’s precisely what one Israeli company is hoping to achieve with their new eyeglasses. Currently on sale in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods, the new specs blur the wearer’s vision beyond a few metres in front of them, aiming to block out any unpleasantness; and if you’re an ultra-Orthodox Jew that includes immodestly dressed females.
The new glasses are another tool in the ultra-Orthodox community’s struggle to insulate itself from secular Israeli society. Haredi men have long called for the segregation of men and women on public buses and in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods street signs remind women to wear long-sleeved blouses and long skirts.
But until wearing skimpy outfits goes out of fashion among non-Orthodox women, it would seem that “modesty spectacles” are the Haredim’s best line of defence.
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President Shimon Peres celebrates 90th birthday
Although it isn’t until August 2 nd , Israeli President Shimon Peres is celebrating his 90 th birthday a bit early this year. Many high profile guests are invited, including Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Born on August 2 nd , 1923 in Poland, Peres is widely respected for his Middle East peace efforts.
He has been a Labour Party prime minister two times, but Peres never won a general election outright over five tries from 1977 to 1996. He was elected Israel’s president by parliament in 2007.
Peres was popular during his first term as prime minister in 1985 – 1986 where he improved relations with Egypt and cut inflation down from 445 percent a year to under 20 percent.
In 1994 he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Peres took over after Rabin was shot dead in 1995, but 1996 saw an election loss to Benjamin Netanyahu.
In 2005 Peres surprised his supporters by leaving the Labour party to join the newly formed Kadima party that was established to end the conflict with the Palestinians.
As Israel’s president, Peres has promoted making peace with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas along with the isolation of Hamas.
Peres has written several books. He is married, with three children.
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Turkey media blackout raises democracy fears
British state media group the BBC has suspended its partnership with Turkish broadcaster NTV following their decision not to transmit the BBC programme World Agenda, which had been broadcast for five days a week since 2010, due to its reporting of the turmoil within Turkey.
The politicised move by NTV to participate in a media blackout of the ongoing protests and violence was condemned by BBC World Service director Peter Horrocks who said that “any interference in BBC broadcasting is totally unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, protesters gathered in Istanbul’s Gezi Park in support of opposition channel Hayat TV which has been threatened with closure by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist administration. News channel CNN-Turk recently chose to show a three-part documentary on penguins rather than battles between protesters and the police on the streets of Istanbul.
The censorship of traditional media has led to many protesters utilising social media as a tool against the government. In turn, this resulted in Erdogan slamming the digital medium as “a menace to society" . Twitter has since been targeted by the Transport Ministry on the grounds of tax evasion.
The media crackdown raises further concerns over human rights and democracy in a country which many believe is moving away from its secular traditions due to the growing influence of Islam.
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4000 Iran troops to aid Assad forces in Syria
Iran is reportedly preparing to send 4,000 Revolutionary Guard troops to Syria to aid the regime of Bashar Assad . Syrian government forces have already been bolstered by Lebanese fighters from militant group Hezbollah. Shiite Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have vowed to help the Assad regime to crush the largely Sunni rebellion supported by the West and Sunni Arab states.
Iran’s dramatic intervention comes hot on the heels of a US announcement last week that it is mulling imposing a non-fly-zone over Syria and would arm ‘vetted’ Syrian rebels, because of Washington’s belief that Assad’s government has crossed Washington’s ‘red line’ by using chemical weapons in the conflict. However, the Obama administration’s decision to align with the Sunni rebels has been described as a risky move.
The US says it will only arm secular Sunni rebels belonging to the officially recognized Free Syria Army, but there are real fears that many of the sophisticated weapons, including much-prized anti-aircraft missiles, could then fall into the hands of Hezbollah and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusrah Front – by far the most potent and influential rebel group active in Syria.
However, extremist rebels may have already obtained such weapons. On Sunday, a rebel video posted to YouTube showed what appeared to be a large supply of the type of anti-aircraft missiles that the Obama administration has urgently tried to keep away from al-Nusrah and other extremist Sunni rebel groups; including a powerful new brigade from Chechnya.
The missiles, believed to be shoulder- launched SA-16s, are displayed in a video allegedly made by a Chechen-dominated jihadist group of foreign fighters. The weapons could hit most types of aircraft and may be a potent means of breaking the dominance over Syrian skies enjoyed by President Bashar al-Assad's air force.
There is increasing concern that the bloody re-opening of Islam’s ancient schism by the Syrian conflict will lead to a broader regional war , dragging in Syria’s neigbours, allies and foes. Lebanon is already suffering the deadly spillover effects and Israel, fearful of a new front on the Golan Heights, is keeping a watchful eye on developments.
The Netanyahu government has struck inside Syria at least three times in recent months to stop Syrian weaponry being shipped to Hezbollah in Lebanon, but Israel unlike its Western allies, may have more to fear from a new an Islamist caliphate than a continuation of Assad’s rule.