Tuesday, June 15, 2010

06/15/10

* Shin Bet Chief: Hamas buying land within Jerusalem Shin Bet security service director Yuval Diskin said on Tuesday that the Islamist group Hamas was busy buying up land within the municipal territory of Jerusalem.

* EU ministers: 'End Gaza blockade' The European Union's council of foreign ministers issued a statement on Gaza on Monday, demanding an impartial inquiry into the flotilla with international representation.

* Navy braces for next flotillas The navy will operate under the assumption that groups of provocateurs are aboard any future ships that try to break the Israel-imposed sea blockade on the Gaza Strip.

* 'Jordan seeks to be nuclear power' Jordan is set on becoming the Middle East's newest nuclear power, Jordanian King Abdullah told the Wall Street Journal in an interview over the weekend.

* Nightmare vision for Europe as EU chief warns 'democracy could disappear' in Greece, Spain and Portugal Democracy could 'collapse' in Greece, Spain and Portugal unless urgent action is taken to tackle the debt crisis, the head of the European Commission has warned.

* EU stays quiet on Gaza flotilla enquiry Diplomatic sources have said the EU plans to wait and see how Israel's enquiry into the Gaza flotilla killings is conducted before taking a firm stand on its legitimacy.

* Abbas calls for Hamas reconciliation Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has urged Hamas to endorse a reconciliation pact drawn up with Egyptian mediation.

* Red Cross: 'several hundred' dead in Kyrgyz unrest Several hundred people have been killed in the riots in Kyrgyzstan, the Red Cross said.

* 'EU's carrot-stick policy is wrong' Iran warns sanctions make it more determined to continue nuke program.

* UN insists on int'l flotilla probe The UN called on Israel to accede to demands for an international inquiry of the event surrounding the IDF raid of the Gaza flotilla Monday night.