Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that Israel is a threat to the region, citing its nuclear weapons, its “occupation” of “Palestine”, and its use of “state terrorism”.

In other news, an eight-year-old girl in Afghanistan was sold to a police officer as a bride. This occurred despite a law introduced two years ago that specifically prohibits such practices.

In economic news, Greek public-sector employees went on strike, shutting down Athens airport and other public services. 20,000 of the strikers marched on parliament, protesting the government’s stringent austerity plan, which is intended to reduce the public debt.

Meanwhile, investors in the United Arab Emirates have pumped 12 billion Ugandan shillings (about $3.6 million) into a bank in Uganda, on the condition that the it institute sharia finance. The bank has agreed to the investors’ conditions, contingent upon the passage of a law by parliament that would allow the practice.

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Thanks to C. Cantoni, Diana West, Insubria, JP, KGS, Kitman, Rembrandt, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

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