Israel: Temple Mount closed to Jews on Tisha b'Av. 'Police closed the Temple Mount to visits by Jews on Sunday, the day when worldwide Jewry marked the fast of Tisha B'Av. The fast was postponed a day because the date fell on the Sabbath, when it is forbidden to fast, except on Yom Kippur. Tisha B'Av, the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av, the date of the destruction of both the First and Second Holy Temples. Jews are commanded to await the rebuilding of the Third Holy Temple, when the Messiah will come and bring world peace. The Temple Mount is the site of both of the Temples and is to be the site of the Third, making it the most sacred place in Judaism. ...' Meanwhile, thousands marched around the walls of Jerusalem.
Syria / Turkey: F-4 not shot down. Strategy Page: 'Did Syria make it all up? One June 22nd Syria announced that it had shot down a low flying Turkish F-4 reconnaissance aircraft while (according to Syria) it was flying 13 kilometers off the Syrian coast. Now that the Turks have recovered the bodies of the pilots and some pieces of the aircraft, there is growing evidence that the aircraft was not hit by gunfire or missiles. The Turks suspect that the F-4 was lost due to pilot error or mechanical failure. ...'
Romania: President facing impeachment, urges boycott. Reuters: 'Romanians voted on Sunday on whether to impeach their unpopular president, Traian Basescu, after a government campaign to remove him that has drawn international criticism of its methods and raised doubts about the country's IMF aid deal. ...'
