The Latest from Turkey (12 October): Ankara's Dangerous Game with Moscow

See also The Latest from Israel-Palestine (12 October): What Will Israeli Elections Bring?
Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Feuding About a Plane --- Meanwhile, 200+ Die

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1600 GMT: Turkey halts civilian flights over Syria.

1430 GMT: A motion submitted by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) to censure Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu over accusations that he conducts a dangerous and risky foreign policy was rejected by the Parliament.

1235 GMT: Following the bombardment of the Syrian border town of Azmarin by Syrian helicopters, two Turkish jets departed to the border.

Dozens of Turkish tanks located at various districts of the south-eastern province of Sanliurfa have targeted the Syrian border.

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The Latest from Israel-Palestine (12 October): What Will Israeli Elections Bring?

See also The Latest from Turkey (12 October): Ankara's Dangerous Game with Moscow
Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Feuding About a Plane --- Meanwhile, 200+ Die

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1645 GMT: After Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah' acknowledged that the group sent the downed drone into Israeli airspace, the Gaza-based Palestinian groups praised Hezbollah.

Al-Mujahideen Brigades described Hezbollah's operation as "unprecedented", whilst Salah al-din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, said Hezbollah's improved capabilities would strengthen the resolve of the Palestinian people and deter Israel from attacking them and their holy places.

1430 GMT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies that he agreed on Israel giving up the Golan Heights in return of a peace deal in the US-mediated secret talks with the Assad regime.

1045 GMT: Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Ehud Barak had secret talks with the Assad Bashar government in the late 2010. It is claimed that Israeli leaders agreed to a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace agreement.

In September 2010, it was Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who publicly asked the Netanyahu government to restart indirect talks between Israel and Syria, through the Turkish mediation. However, the Israeli government denied such reports.

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Bahrain Opinion: "How The Police Recruit Radicals" (The Economist)

Claimed footage of police beating protester after funeral of a political prisoner, 3 October 2012

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Bahrain’s Western-backed government has been trumpeting its reforms. British barristers have helped advise on new legal codes, while former police chiefs from London and Miami have been advising Bahrain’s growing police force, whose bosses prefer to bring Sunnis from overseas (including Pakistan) into its ranks rather than recruit from among local Shias.

The punishment of peaceful activists is making Bahrain’s opposition more radical.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Feuding About a Plane --- Meanwhile, 200+ Die

2102 GMT: Syria. A multi-story building collapsed after government forces shelled the Palestinian refugee camp in the Yarmouk district of Damascus. Videos show ambulances evacuating the wounded and survivors trying to rescue the wounded from the rubble.

Protests have reportedly been held to demonstrate against the shelling.

2047 GMT: Egypt. While things have calmed considerably, Tahrir Square was an eventful place, as supporters and detractors of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi clashed for several hours in Tahrir Square.

#Tahrir square is full of revolutionaries arguinh and debating...beautiful. twitter.com/tarekshalaby/s…

— Tarek Shalaby (@tarekshalaby) October 12, 2012

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Syria Feature: A Beginner's Guide --- Who is Arming Whom? (Chulov)

Russia has retained its historical role as the key weapons supplier to Bashar al-Assad's regime over the past 18 months. It is believed to have sent at least three shipments of heavy ammunition to the jointly run port of Tartous in northern Syria. Other Russian supplies are thought to have been flown in.

In late September, Russian envoys around the world were summoned to Moscow for an annual gathering. One ambassador present said the unexpected presence of Soviet hardliners, including Yevgeny Primakov, meant no imminent change in Russia's support, or let-up in weapons supplies.

Moscow has refurbished Syrian attack helicopters, but has been unable to deliver some of them after interference from western Europe.

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Egypt Feature: The Life of Death of Activist Mina Danial (Fathi)

Mina Danial at a sit-in in Cairo's Tahrir Square (Photo: Eduardo Castaldo)

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Tarek El-Tayeb, 25, had always hated Christians. He was known among his friends as Tarek “El-Salafi” as he followed the ultraorthodox school of Islam. 

"I joined the Salafist school of Islam when I was 13 years old," remembers El-Tayeb. "According to my ideology, Christians were heretics and being a friend with any of them was a grave sin."

All of this changed when he met Coptic Christian activist Mina Danial.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Insurgents Establish a "Buffer Zone"

Insurgents celebrate the seizure of a regime checkpoint near Ma'arat al-Numan in Idlib Province in Syria

See also Syria Analysis: Have Insurgent Victories Broken The Stalemate?
Wednesday's Syria (and Beyond) Live: Regime Advances in Homs, But Insurgents Take Key Town

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2003 GMT: Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has acknowledged responsibility for a drone aircraft shot down last weekend after flying about 55 kilometres into Israel.

Nasrallah said in a televised speech that the drone was Iranian-made and was shot down near the Dimona nuclear reactor.

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The Latest from Iran (11 October): A President Under Fire

See also Iran Analysis: As Ahmadinejad Is Challenged, The Supreme Leader Tries to Protect Himself
The Latest from Iran (10 October): Economic Fantasy and Reality

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1615 GMT: Currency Watch. Reports earlier this week that the Central Bank was not selling US dollars in its "trade room" for importers raised our suspicions about shortages of foreign reserves to inject into the market.

The assistant director of the Trade Development Organization has a different explanation: the Bank is offering a mix of currencies each day --- why is not detailed --- so there may be a lack of certain currencies at times.

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Syria Analysis: Have Insurgent Victories Broken The Stalemate?

Free Syrian Army soldiers inspect a destroyed tank in Jisr al Shughour in Idlib Province

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In the last week, the Free Syrian Army has won a series of victories in Idlib Province in the northwest and just outside Damascus, eroding the position of the Assad regime.

Is this the end of the story of "stalemate"?

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Iran Analysis: As Ahmadinejad Is Challenged, The Supreme Leader Tries to Protect Himself

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So the paradox: even as he maintains that his Islamic Republic will triumph, the Supreme Leader has finally acknowledged specific, ongoing problems. If Ahmadinejad can no longer be the lightning rod for anger and frustrations, for how long can Ayatollah Khamenei substitute the "enemy" as the target of a blame that could reach up to the highest levels of the regime?

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