Translated from daily De Standaard in Belgium:
Israeli minister refuses to shake hands with Onkelinx
Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 7:38 p.m.
[Belgian] Health Minister Laurette Onkelinx dislikes the fact that an Israeli minister this Tuesday refused to shake her hand at a conference in Geneva. She expressed her displeasure on the social networking site Facebook. …
“I have clean hands! For the second time in my life a minister has refused to shake my hand because I am a woman. The first time it was an Iranian minister; and yesterday it was the Israeli Minister of Health in Geneva. This fundamentalist attitude, linked to a certain conception of religion and women bothers me really much,” one may read on the Facebook profile of Onkelinx.
This Israeli minister is Ya’acov Litzman, of the United Torah Judaism party, a coalition party in the present Rightist Israeli government.
One may ask: as these fanatically religious misogynist politicians in both Iran and Israel have apparently so much in common: why don’t they propose to merge the states of Iran and Israel; instead of threatening each other with war as happens now? [sarcasm off]
One may hope that the nuclear agreement, discussed in the media today, will put an end to the perspective of a horrible war, costing the lives of many civilians in Israel, Iran, and probably elsewhere.
Talks on Iranian nuclear industry: here. And here. And here. And here.
Britain: Labour MP Paul Flynn issued a grim warning about the lurch towards a bloody and costly war with Iran on Thursday, writes Roger Bagley: here.
As Obama preaches patience, [General] Mattis prepares for war with Iran: here.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 
‘Progress made’ in Iran nuclear talks
Iraq: China’s assistant foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu said seven-party talks in Baghdad over Iran’s nuclear programme had led to “new achievements.”
But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said sanctions would stay in place and that it’s up to Iran “to close the gaps” at next month’s talks in Moscow.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/119442
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Iranian sailors go to US ship’s aid
Middle East: An Iranian warship rescued a US-flagged cargo ship from pirates in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday.
Sailors helped the Maersk Texas fend off several pirate boats north-east of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
The Iranians have run anti-piracy patrols in the area since Somali raiders hijacked an Iranian-charted ship in 2008.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/119442
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