Israel PM Netanyahu threatens ‘unilateral moves’ against Palestinians

Israel will retaliate if the Palestinians move forward with applications to adhere to 15 international treaties, Netanyahu said on Sunday.

'These will only make a peace agreement more distant,' he told a weekly cabinet meeting. 'Any unilateral moves they take will be answered by unilateral moves at our end.'

The prime minister did not specify what action he might take against the Palestinians, who last Tuesday submitted the 15 applications. Israel fears the action could give the Palestinians better leverage against them.

Stumbling talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East envoy, Martin Indyk, on Sunday made a last-ditch attempt .

Israeli and Palestinian chief negotiations Tzipi Livni and Saeb Erekat were set to meet again late on Sunday with Indyk in Jerusalem. A similar meeting ended after nine hours last week with the two sides trading accusations.

The negotiations were resumed last July, with a deadline of April 29 this year.

The talks were plunged into crisis last week when Israel refused to release the fourth and final group of Palestinian prisoners, as part of an agreement with the US and the Palestinians.

In response, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed the applications for membership in United Nations agencies.

Speaking from Morocco on Friday, Kerry said there were 'limits' to how much the US could invest in the stumbling peace negotiations.

The White House said last week it was 'disappointed' by the actions from both sides, including the Palestinians' treaty applications and Israel's approval of further settlement construction in the West Bank, which is considered illegal by the international community.

Turkey losing faith in the European dream

For the last year, Turkey has been dogged by one of the worst domestic political crises in its history. It started with the countrywide protests sparked by the Gezi Park sit-in and continued with the Turkish government corruption scandal. It was then further exacerbated by the government's ban on YouTube and Twitter, which also greatly damaged Turkey's international reputation, especially in the European Union.

In light of these events, the results of the recent local elections in capital Ankara were surprising to many. Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) received 46 percent of the vote. This prompted the EU to issue a statement in which it urged Turkey to concentrate on reforms in order to meet EU standards.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's reaction to such criticism has been increasingly bolder and more dismissive. 'The financial crisis, the global crisis, the Arab Spring and the events in Syria and Egypt show that the EU needs Turkey more than Turkey does the EU,' he told reporters in Berlin in February.

Later, in response to the Twitter ban scandal, he said that he was indifferent to the international community's opinion - and that everyone would realize the power of the Republic of Turkey one day.

Falling interest in the EU

Turkey has been a candidate for EU accession since 2005. However, the country's interest in Europe appears to be waning. This was clear in the recent Transatlantic Trend survey, in which only 44 percent of Turks claimed to be in favor of EU membership. This represents a large drop from the 73-percent in-favor response in 2004. Today, every third Turk is against EU accession, while 10 years ago this figure was just 9 percent.

Many see the reason for this in the drawn-out accession process. 'No European country has ever needed this much time to become a member,' commented a law student at Istanbul Bilgi University in an interview with DW. 'Even after all these years, our chances are no better. On the contrary: the situation is increasingly worse.'

The 24-year-old said she was completely pro-European in the past, but now she has her doubts. 'The EU doesn't want us anyway - many of my fellow students share this view.'

Following all the domestic political scandals, Turkey's citizens seem to be losing hope. One recently twittered, 'Does the EU still consider the prospect of EU accession?' And another posted, 'I hope Turkey will join the EU in the coming years. This would make living here easier.'

According to businessman Güclü Gencer, Turkey's current economic situation is the main reason why 'successful businessmen' are losing interest in the EU. Gencer himself is one of Turkey's top entrepreneurs.

'The Turkish economy has grown significantly in the last 10 years,' Gencer told DW. 'The EU, on the other hand, has been grappling with the financial crisis.'

He added that he felt the EU had no plans to accept or reject Turkey, but rather simply wanted to maintain good relations.

'We already have trade agreements between the EU and Turkey anyway,' said Gencer. 'Apart from that, I think that the EU benefits more from Turkey than the other way around. Turkey is in a very strategically important position - this will always be of help to the EU.'

Domestic matters take priority

According to Senem Aydin, a political scientist at Istanbul Bilgi University, the EU currently doesn't enjoy great popularity in Turkey.

'This is partly due to the vague promises made by the EU and the unusually long accession process,' said Aydin. 'The people no longer believe that the EU is seriously considering Turkey's membership, especially because Turkey is a mostly Muslim country. They believe that Turkey can fulfill all the criteria but still won't become a member.'

Aydin added that even the Turkish elite, which has always been in favor of EU accession, is losing its enthusiasm. 'This is mostly due to the domestic political situation,' she explained. 'Turkey's secular elite is fighting for political survival, for maintaining what power it still has. The EU is out of the focus for both the general public and the elite.'

Aydin described Erdogan's politics as 'anti-European,' claiming that Erdogan stopped thinking about the EU as soon as he realized that EU accession is not conducive to sharpening his political profile at home.

Nevertheless, it is still too early to talk about an end to Turkey's European dream, said Aydin. 'Turkey is currently going through a period of great uncertainty due to its political problems,' she explained. 'The attention being given to foreign policy is very low. This means relations with the EU partly depend on domestic political developments in Turkey.'

As long as the official negotiations continue, 'the view to EU membership remains,' she concluded.

Turkey’s main opposition party CHP lose ruling on Ankara recount

The Ankara Electoral Board on Friday rejected an appeal by Turkey's secular opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) for a vote recount in contested local elections in the capital.

The CHP claimed Sunday's vote was rigged, with widespread allegations of voting irregularities spreading on social media. A party source said the CHP would appeal Friday's court decision.

Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan's AKP (Justice and Development Party) increased its share on the national vote during the March 31 elections, retaining control of the financial hub, Istanbul, and the capital, Ankara.

Erdogan's party gained the support despite battling allegations of corruption and accusations of an increasingly authoritarian ruling style.

With no official results yet released, informal tallies show the AKP at 45 percent nationwide, compared to 28 percent for the CHP.

In Ankara, the AKP candidate and incumbent Mayor Melih Gokcek narrowly beat CHP nominee Mansur Yavas with less than a one percent margin, according to provisional electoral board results.

Social media bans lifted

A lower court in Ankara on Friday ruled that a blanket ban on the video-sharing site YouTube violated human rights and ordered the restrictions be lifted.

It followed a similar ruling Wednesday that said a ban on the micro-blogging site, Twitter, violated freedom of expression and individual rights. On Thursday, the country's TIB telecommunications authority removed the block.

The government sought the Twitter and YouTube bans ahead of the key local elections, as both sites were used to leak wiretapped recordings of senior officials. One of the recordings leaked on Twitter appeared to implicate Erdogan and his son in a corruption scandal. He maintains the recordings were fabricated.

On Friday shortly before the YouTube ban verdict was announced, Erdogan said of the court\'s decision on the Twitter ban, 'We are of course bound by the Constitutional Court verdict, but I don't have to respect it,' he told reporters before departing on a trip to Azerbaijan. 'I don't respect this ruling

Toyota to settle with US Justice Department over car safety problems

Toyota Motor Company and the US Justice Department had reached a settlement worth $1 billion (720 million euros) over the Japanese company's handling of consumer complaints about the safety of its cars, US television news channel CNN reported Wednesday.

In a similar report on Wednesday, the US business daily Wall Street Journal also said a settlement to this amount was discussed, but according to unnamed sources was still likely to fall apart.

A spokeswoman for Toyota told CNN that the Japanese carmaker had cooperated with the US Attorney's Office in this matter for four years.

'During that time, we have made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization, and we are committed to continued improvements,' the spokeswoman said. Both CNN and Wall Street Journal said the US Justice Department was not available for comment.

In 2009, Toyota started a series of massive recalls involving more than 10 million cars, mostly in the United States. The problems involved faulty brakes, gas pedals and floor mats that had led to unintended acceleration of its cars.

The US Attorney's Office has been investigating allegations Toyota had misled US authorities after the complaints. Between 2010 and 2012, the company already paid $66 million in fines for delays in reporting its safety problems.

Just recently, the Justice Department has started a probe into whether US automaker General Motors was slow in recalling cars with a defect linked to 13 deaths

Masked gunman slays Dutch priest in Homs

Father Frans van der Lugt (pictured) was slain on Monday, the Dutch Jesuit order to which he belonged confirmed. A masked gunman reportedly took the 75-year-old priest from his monastery and shot him twice in the head. The motive behind the fatal attack has not been identified.

News of the Jesuit clergyman's sudden death prompted an outpouring of grief from those who knew of his work in embattled Syria.

'This is the death of a man of peace, who showed great courage in remaining loyal to the Syrian people despite an extremely risky and difficult situation,' Vatican spokesperson Federico Lombardi said.

'In this moment of great pain, we also express our great pride and gratitude at having had a brother who was so close to the suffering,' the Vatican spokesperson added.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmersmans praised his countryman's contributions to the people of Homs.

'[Father Frans] only brought good to Homs, was a Syrian among Syrian, [who] refused to abandon them even when it meant risking his own life,' Timmermans wrote on van der Lugt's Facebook page.

In February, a United Nations-supervised evacuation led to the safe removal of nearly 1,500 Syrians trapped in Homs\' Old City, which has been under siege for roughly two years. The Dutch priest qualified for evacuation; however he opted to stay behind.

Van der Lugt described the immense suffering in Homs when he spoke to news agency AFP earlier this year. In an interview given at the time of the evacuation, he explained he would not abandon the people of Homs, haggard from war and in dire need of provisions.

'The Syrian people have given me so much, so much kindness, inspiration and everything they have. If the Syrian people are suffering now, I want to share their pain and their difficulties,' he told AFP in February. 'I don't see people as Muslims or Christian, I see a human being first and foremost.'

Christians compromise roughly 10 percent of Syria's population. In the mid-1960s, Father Frans moved to Syria, where he earned a reputation for ministering to both religious groups.

Turkey arrests police over YouTube postings

Turkish authorities arrested eight police officers and searched their homes in the southeastern province of Adana on Tuesday as Erdogan's government continued its pursuit of persons who allegedly posted leaked recordings online.

The arrests reported by the Dogan news agency and the television chancel CNN Turk followed Erdogan's warning during a municipal election victory speech last week that he would hunt down his opponents 'in their lair' and make them 'pay the price.'

The phone leaks - although not independently verified - painted an image of corruption and power abuses within the government of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Erdogan's party in turn accused a one-time ally, US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, of trying to install a 'parallel state' in Turkey.

Ban lifting 'wrong'

Reuters on Tuesday quoted Erdogan as telling his AKP that a recent Turkish constitutional court ruling that lifted a ban on the social network Twitter was wrong.

The court decision should be 'corrected,' said Erdogan who has been sharply critical of the constitutional court's ruling on Twitter.

YouTube, which remains blocked by telecommunications authorities who cited a court order, on Monday filed an appeal to the constitutional court.

The global provider Google, which owns YouTube, said it was 'actively challenging' the ban.

YouTube was blocked by Turkey after the posting of a leaked recording in which top officials appeared to discuss a possible military intervention in northern Syria.

The EU last week warned Turkey that its media crackdown put on hold long-running plans for EU accession

German cabinet adopts reform of renewable energy law

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet on Tuesday adopted a reform of the country's renewable energy law with a view to slowing down the rise in electricity costs for both corporate players and households in the years ahead.

Germany's shift to renewable energy and away from nuclear power and fossil fuels had been a cornerstone of the government's policies, but ballooning subsidy-related costs had threatened to undermine the large-scale energy transition scheme.

Cabinet ministers backed amendments envisaging cuts in green subsidies and whittling down support for industries struggling with rising electricity bills. However, a decent share of the perks for energy-intensive industries was set to stay in place after Berlin reached a deal during negotiations with the European Commission.

Impossible to please all

Under the adopted reform - which will become law in August - new upper limits would be placed on onshore wind power expansion (at 2.5 gigawatts in annual capacity), photovoltaic energy generation (at 2.5 gigawatts per year) and offshore wind farms (at 6.5 gigawatts to 2020), the government said.

It confirmed it planned to increase the share of renewable sources to 40-45 percent of total electricity production by 2025 and to 55-60 percent by 2035, with a view to offsetting the elimination of nuclear power by 2022.

The draft reform was widely seen as a victory for Social Democrat Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel who had intended to balance further growth in renewables with the requirement to keep heavy industry happy with affordable electricity costs.

But the deal comes at the cost of private households who will have to pay for the subsidies still in place.

'Merkel and Gabriel are handing out gifts to companies at the cost of ordinary citizens', environmental activist group BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) commented on the reform.