“L’Aquila can’t collapse: it’s a city that knows how to fly”. This new message of hope is now written on a t-shirt  which thousands of L’Aquila wore in Rome on Wednesday as they protested against the Berlusconi government’s handling of the earthquake-shattered city. There were moments of tension: two young men were injured, and even L’Aquila’s mayor, Massimo Cialente, was struck by police batons.

Their slogan was: “It’s a shame, you’ve got golden salaries, we’ve got rubble”. Demonstrators requested that the government halt all taxation of L’Aquila residents. They also demanded a series of measures to boost employment and the economy by establishing effective procedures for reconstruction and funding. “These aren’t privileges, but fairness and rights!” shouted the demonstrators. “We’re here to defend our survival. If we return to pay taxes today, with a salary of €2000  we can put only €600 in our pockets.”

The mayor of L’Aquila, who lead the demonstrators, was received by President of the Senate, Renato Schifani. Though initially Mayor Cialente aimed to lead the protest outside the Parliament, “there was an unexpected blockade by the police,” Cialente said. “When I went to the Senate, we were in agreement that they would open a gap. It’s a shame that people are still away from home: the earthquake wasn’t enough, now the beatings.”

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An anonymous “how to” of terrorism techniques is circulating in Germany’s far-left scene, much to the consternation of authorities. As well as tips on making bombs, the “Anarchist Cookbook”-knockoff reveals how to outfox the police, saw down power poles and stop trains.

Back in the 1970s, no self-respecting left-wing militant was without a copy of “The Anarchist Cookbook,” a compendium of recipes for concocting home-made explosives and other strategies for taking on The Man. Now a newly penned manual of urban guerrilla warfare is causing concern among Germany’s security authorities.

According to sources in security circles, an 80-page pamphlet entitled “Prisma” (”prism”) has recently been circulating in the far-left scene. The anonymous publication includes tips for carrying out terrorist attacks and acts of sabotage, and includes instructions for constructing various kinds of bombs with time fuses and special grappling hooks which can be used to stop trains. The book also describes techniques for sawing down power poles and has several chapters devoted to investigative methods used by the police, describing in detail how urban guerrillas can cover their tracks and shake off tails.

Berlin public prosecutors have already launched an investigation into the pamphlet, which is circulating mainly in the far-left scene in Hamburg, Berlin and the state of Lower Saxony. German security agencies are concerned that the manual could further increase the — already high — propensity of young radicals to carry out violent attacks. The document encourages extremists to commit crimes “with a hitherto unknown level of meticulousness and professionalism,” says Hans-Werner Wargel, head of the Lower Saxony branch of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic intelligence service.

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Turkey’s reaction to Israel for its attack on a Gaza aid flotilla that killed nine Turks on Monday is not strong enough according to a majority of Turkish citizens, according to a survey released Friday.

According to research by the MetroPOLL Research Company among 1,000 people, 60 percent of respondents said Turkey should have shown a stronger reaction to Israel, whereas 33 percent said the reaction was right on point.

Around 45 percent of respondents said the real reason behind the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound flotilla was to put Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a hard situation in the domestic and global arena. However, 33 percent of respondents said Israel’s aim was to prevent the breaking of the blockade on Gaza.

The survey was conducted in 31 different provinces around Turkey on Thursday.

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Turkey’s prime minister on Tuesday said Israel’s raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid vessel that killed several people was a “bloody massacre.”

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in Parliament that “no one should test Turkey’s patience.”

Israeli commandos on Monday killed several pro-Palestinian activists after raiding humanitarian aid ships that were en route to the Gaza Strip. The largest ship in the flotilla was the Turkish Mavi Marmara, with around 600 people on board.

Erdoğan on Tuesday also recalled his confrontation with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Davos summit in January 2009. In a memorable outburst, Erdoğan stormed out of the debate after telling Peres: “You know well how to kill people.”

“Before this, I told them face-to-face, ‘You know how to murder,’” Erdoğan said Tuesday, “and the recent attack proves it true.”

He said Turkey’s hostility was as “strong as its friendship is valuable,” The Associated Press reported.

Erdoğan said the Israeli action was an attack “on international law, the conscience of humanity and world peace.”

He called on Israel to immediately end the “inhumane” blockade on Gaza.

“Israel in no way can legitimize this murder, it cannot wash its hand of this blood,” Erdoğan said, adding that Turkey would continue to support the Palestinian people.

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Foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman called the 8-ship Freedom Flotilla scheduled to arrive in Gaza on Friday night violent propaganda against Israel’s sovereignty, Israel Radio reported on Friday.

“The aid convoy is violent propaganda against Israel, and Israel will not allow its sovereignty to be threatened in any way, in any place, land, air or sea,” Lieberman said during a foreign ministry briefing on the aid convoy’s progress towards the shores of Gaza.

“There is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” Liebeman added. “Despite Hamas’ war crimes against Israeli citizens and the thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns, Israel continues to respond in the most humane ways possible.”

Lieberman stressed that Israel permitted thousands of tons of products to enter the Gaza Strip on a daily basis.

Organizers of an eight-ship flotilla said Friday they continued to head for Gaza despite Israel’s warnings to intercept them as soon as they enter Israeli-controlled waters off the coast.

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An unidentified explosive device has detonated in the city of Stavropol in the south of Russia, killing five and injuring at least 40 more people, reports RT.

The blast rocked the center of the city, not far from the Culture and Sport Palace.

Police say the bomb was attached to the wall of a cafe, which was closed at the time. There are conflicting reports as to whether one or two explosive devices went off.

“At 18:45 Moscow time (14:45 GMT) a bomb exploded on Lenin Street, near the city’s community center,” said Interior Ministry deputy spokesperson Pavel Klimovsky. “Investigators and the emergency services are working at the scene. A number of people have been killed and injured. They have been taken to hospital. At the moment everything is being done to establish what kind of explosive was used and its exact position. It’s believed to have been placed in a kiosk between a café and the city community center. Experts are collecting evidence for a criminal case.”

Rescuers, police and federal security service officers are on the site. Officials say a terrorist attack is not being ruled out.

The attack follows a recent spate of bombings throughout Russia’s south and in Moscow. On March 29th,  38 people were killed and more than 60 injured as suicide bombers detonated themselves at the Lubyanka and Park Kultury metro stops.

Seven soldiers and at least sixteen were injured as militants ambushed an army convoy in North Waziristan on Friday.

Two officers were among the dead in the ambush in Dattakhel, a Taliban stronghold and recent target of US drone missile strikes, about 20 kilometres (10 miles) from North Waziristan’s main town Miramshah.

“It was a pre-planned attack. Dozens of militants first fired several rockets and then used other weapons and guns,” an intelligence official based in Miranshah said, adding that four military vehicles were destroyed.

A military statement said the convoy was on a routine mission from Miramshah to Dattakhel.

“In the ambush, seven soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom), including an officer and a junior commissioned officer, while 16 soldiers were injured,” the statement said. Two of the wounded are in a critical condition.

This is the first major attack against the military in North Waziristan this year, as so far the major attacks and fighting has taken place in South waziristan which was the focus of Operation Rah-e-Nijat, which was aimed at breaking the hold of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

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Amid calls for tougher punitive measures against Tehran, an Iranian diplomat calls on Japan to listen to countries that do not favor fresh sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iranian Ambassador to Tokyo Abbas Araqchi said that Japan, which holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, should listen to countries that do not support sanctions instead of leaving the matter to a handful of Western countries.

“It is not logical at all. It is not fair at all that we put everything in the hands of P5+1 and they decide for the world without taking into consideration the concerns of other nations,” Araqchi told national broadcaster NHK on Monday.

For years, the United States and European countries have sought to impose new UN sanctions against Iran, accusing it of planning to construct secret nuclear weapons.

Iran has rejected the accusations, saying that its nuclear program is intended for energy production, not weapons development.

“You cannot punish somebody now for a crime that he or she may commit in the future. You should punish those who have nuclear weapons and threaten to use them,” Araqchi added.

The Iranian envoy reiterated that Iran’s nuclear activities pursue civilian applications and dismissed sanctions as “unjust and unfair”.

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Last week, 50 retired U.S. generals and admirals signed a statement of support for Israel. As defense professionals, and after many visits with officials from the Israel Defense Forces, they say they “came away with the unswerving belief that the security of the State of Israel is a matter of great importance to the United States and its policy in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. A strong, secure Israel is an asset upon which American military planners and political leaders can rely. Israel is a democracy – a rare and precious commodity in the region and Israel shares our commitment to freedom, personal liberty and rule of law.”

The retired senior officers mention “shared values and shared threats” such as terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, but stay away from the essence of the dispute between Washington and Jerusalem. The organization that initiated and published the statement, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, is well aware of the precedent: its letter of October 2000, also signed by 50 retired generals and admirals. The gist a decade ago was defending the IDF’s efforts to suppress Palestinian terror attacks.

The signatories this time are not supporters of the policies of the Netanyahu government, they’re only reporting that they were impressed by their Israeli interlocutors’ “determination to protect their country and to pursue a fair and workable peace with their neighbors.” Their main issue is to prevent the impression that Israel is a burden and not an asset; this is also the case after the recent statements attributed to Gen. David Petraeus (which have been denied).

Since the end of the Cold War, Israel’s position has become ever more delicate. The Middle East has become a major arena with complex interrelationships between regions and issues. Various and conflicting strata can exist simultaneously: Israel can both contribute on the operational level and be a strategic hindrance.

It is best to stop presenting Israel as a landlubbing aircraft carrier: When an aircraft carrier becomes obsolete and worn out, and maintaining it becomes too expensive, it’s junked or turned into a floating museum. The IDF also does this; for example, with its Phantom jets, the pride of the Israel Air Force in their day. When they got old, they were no longer suitable for combat and training pilots and navigators. Another example is the South Lebanese Army. What was useful under certain circumstances is unnecessary and even harmful under others. The weight of the armor that protects the foot soldier could drown a swimmer.

Nostalgia and heritage are not enough. Israel cannot act like Uncle Sam’s reckless niece and expect to be indulged; her uncle would have to send her to rehab, limit her allowance and eventually appoint her a guardian.

Israel is in charge of its own security, but it cannot determine how much of an asset it is to the United States. The hint in the JINSA letter is clear: Israel must prove it is a partner in values, not only in threats and military responses, because the discussion about peace, liberty and human rights is on a different level than security. The policy of the Netanyahu government, which insists on sabotaging the chance for an agreement and to ease the conflict, is eroding Israel’s strength.

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Taner Baytok, retired ambassador and former Defense Ministry consultant, claimed that the U.S. has tactical nuclear weapons in Istanbul, reports Turkish daily Hürriyet.

According to Baytok, the approximately 100 tactical nuclear weapons are not at the U.S.’s İncirlik Base in Adana as believed but in Istanbul, the most populated city of Turkey.

Baytok explained the difference between strategic and tactical weapons: Strategic ones are continent-to-continent class and they are mostly stored on American soil. The tactical ones were placed during the Cold War, which would be fired to the Iron Curtain countries first as they are attached to faster missiles with shorter ranges. Baytok said some of these weapons are in Istanbul and in some other cities near the Black Sea.

The weapons are fired with a double-key system, said Baytok. “One of the keys is in the U.S. and the other in the host country, in this case Turkey. During war time these weapons are fired with this double-key system.”

Baytok also said the SALT and START pacts signed between the former Soviet Union and the U.S. have resulted in the modification of the nuclear weapons of the latter in Europe. Many of the tactical warheads in Europe were modified to be installed on planes but those in Turkey remain the same.

“The only governmental decision dates back to 1972. That decision is interesting. It says no changes will be made on the nuclear weapons in Turkey unless necessary. This means we haven’t received new nuclear weapons nor we have returned the old ones,” he said.