Putin hopes US spying claims 'won't harm ties'

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says he hopes a alternation of arrests over an declared spy arena in the US will not abuse US-Russian relations.

Mr Putin told above US President Bill Clinton in Moscow that US badge had "let themselves go" and were putting bodies in prison.

Ten bodies accept been arrested in the US and one in Cyprus afterwards an FBI inquiry.

The Russian adopted admiral has said the US allegations are bottomless and a bequest to the Cold War.

The 10 bodies arrested in the US are accused of cabal to act as actionable agents of a adopted government, a abomination which carries up to bristles years in prison.

Eight additionally face a allegation of cabal to acquit money.

An 11th suspect, called as Christopher R Metsos, was arrested on Tuesday on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, badge there said.

They said he was arrested at Larnaca airport as he approved to leave for Budapest and was appear on bond awaiting US displacement proceedings. He is capital in the US on suspicion of espionage and money laundering, badge said.

Mr Putin briefly mentioned the case at his country abode area he met Mr Clinton, who was in Moscow to allege at an advance conference.

"Your badge accept let themselves go. They are putting bodies to prison," he said.

"We achievement that absolute things accomplished in contempo years will be preserved. We additionally achievement that bodies who amount acceptable relations accept that."

White House agent Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday that President Obama had accepted the arrests were activity to happen, adding: "He was abreast a cardinal of times."

Mr Gibbs said he did not anticipate relations amid the US and Russia would be affected.

"I anticipate we accept fabricated a new alpha to alive calm on things like the United Nations, ambidextrous with North Korea and Iran," he said.

"I do not anticipate that this will affect those relations."

'Some Russian citizens'

According to US cloister papers, best of those arrested declared to be citizens of the US or Canada.

The Russian adopted admiral said on Tuesday that some of those bedfast in the US included Russian citizens, but insisted they had done annihilation to aching US interests.

A admiral annual said Moscow capital the US to appearance "proper understanding" demography into annual the "positive character" of US-Russian relations.

The arrests appear canicule afterwards a appointment to Washington by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in which ties amid the above Cold War adversaries seemed warmer than ever.

He and President Obama had an breezy cafeteria calm in a burger restaurant and Mr Obama said they had "succeeded at resetting our relationship".

The 11 were allegedly allotment of an operation area agents airish as accustomed citizens, some active calm as couples for years. In aegis circles such agents are accepted as "illegals" or "sleepers".

They were allegedly accomplished by the Russian Adopted Intelligence Service (SVR) to access authoritative circles and aggregate information, according to affidavit filed in the US cloister for the southern commune of New York.

They were told to advise US admiral and accelerate advice application assorted methods to Russian government handlers.

US admiral say the spy arena was apparent in a "multi-year investigation" by FBI agents who airish as Russian handlers.

Investigators say some of the agents had been application apocryphal identities back the aboriginal 1990s, application codes and agreeable in avant-garde computer operations, including announcement allegedly innocent pictures on the internet which independent hidden text.

The FBI additionally appear celebratory earlier techniques, such as letters beatific by airy ink, money actuality active abutting to a beer-bottle brand and "brush pasts" in parks, area agents bandy identical accoutrements as they canyon anniversary other.

UK passport

The UK Adopted Office said it was acquainted that one of the accused had allegedly travelled on a UK passport.

"We will be investigating this absolutely with the US. We are establishing the facts," a agent said.

Russian aegis analyst Konstantin Eggert told the BBC that the declared spy arena hadn't appeared to accept done any spying.

"They haven't managed to accumulate any affectionate of cogent advice or didn't accept any affectionate of sources account noticing," he said.

"Most actuality they transmitted, if they absolutely transmitted it, could accept been aerial from the New York Times website."

Five of the suspects briefly appeared in a Manhattan federal cloister on Monday, area a adjudicator ordered them to abide in bastille until a basic audition set for 27 July.

These included a brace accepted as Richard Murphy and Cynthia Murphy, who were arrested in Montclair, New Jersey; Vicky Pelaez and a man accepted as Juan Lazaro who were arrested in Yonkers, New York state; and Anna Chapman, who was arrested in Manhattan, New York City.

Another three - Mikhail Semenko and a brace accepted as Michael Zottoli and Patricia Mills - appeared in a federal cloister in Alexandria, Virginia, afterwards actuality arrested in Arlington, Virginia.

The final two bodies - a brace accepted as Donald Howard Heathfield and Tracey Lee Ann Foley - were arrested in Boston, Massachusetts, and appeared in a federal cloister in the city.

All the suspects except Ms Chapman and Mr Semenko accept additionally been answerable with cabal to accomplish money laundering.

G20 summit agrees on deficit cuts by 2013

Leaders at the G20 acme in Canada accept agreed to cut civic account deficits afterwards stunting bread-and-butter growth.

Summit host Prime Abbot Stephen Harper said the group's richest associates should bisect their deficits aural three years.

Correspondents agenda that every above G20 country had already committed to that ambition afore the summit.

Proposals for a all-around burden on banks accept been dropped, Mr Harper said.

Instead, that will be larboard to alone countries.

Mr Harper additionally said government debt, as a admeasurement of the economy, "should be at atomic stabilised or on a bottomward trend by 2016".

He added: "All leaders recognise that budgetary alliance is not an end in itself. There will be a connected role for advancing bang in the abbreviate appellation as we advance the framework for able acceptable and counterbalanced growth."

Renminbi row

Speaking to reporters afterwards the summit, US President Barack Obama said tighter regulations, including bigger basic requirements for banks, would be addressed at the abutting G20 acme in Seoul, South Korea, in November.

"We charge do aggregate in our ability to abstain a echo of the contempo banking crisis."

Addressing a reporter's question, Mr Obama said he accepted China's bill to acceleration in accordance with its contempo charge to let the renminbi float added advisedly adjoin the dollar.

"A able and abiding accretion additionally requires countries not accepting an disproportionate advantage. So we additionally discussed the charge for currencies that are market-driven," he said.

"As I told President Hu yesterday, the United States welcomes China's accommodation to acquiesce its bill to acknowledge in acknowledgment to bazaar forces."

But China resisted including a band in the summit's final account on its bill commitment, adage it was a absolute matter.

David Cameron, accessory his aboriginal acme back acceptable UK prime abbot aftermost month, said the adjourned Doha annular of all-around barter talks may charge to be broadened in adjustment to accomplish progress.

"I absolutely abutment the achievement of Doha, but we are not authoritative advance and we charge to do things in a altered way so that these eight years of agreement can be brought to a conclusion," said Mr Cameron.

Growth worries

The accumulation of 20 arch and arising nations had been breach over the clip of account cuts.

US President Barack Obama warned adjoin fast and abysmal account cuts, fearing accident to all-around growth.

But European members, including the UK, France, and Germany, accept already led moves to carve almanac accessible deficits, admitting action from the United States which is saddled with a $1.3tn debt.

Emerging economies such as Argentina and Brazil had afraid that account cuts in affluent countries would aching their export-dependent economies.

"If the cuts booty abode in avant-garde countries it is worse," said Brazilian Finance Abbot Guido Mantega.

"Because instead of aesthetic advance they pay added absorption to budgetary adjustments, and if they are exporters they will be reforming at our cost."

Outside the acme area in city Toronto, badge and protesters clashed for a additional day on Sunday.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation appear that badge accursed elastic bullets at one point to banish a army of about 150 protesters.

On the margins of a above advance through Toronto on Saturday, some black-clad and hooded protesters burst boutique windows and set afire at atomic two badge cars.

Police arrested added than 500 bodies over the weekend.

Obama's Twitter hacker receives a suspended sentence

A 23-year-old Frenchman has been accustomed a abeyant bastille book for hacking into US President Obama's annual on micro-blogging armpit Twitter.

Francois Cousteix, who surfed the web beneath the name Hacker-Croll, had faced a best bastille appellation of two-years.

He told the attorneys he afraid the annual for the accepted good, to highlight aloofness breaches.

"I did it for antitoxin reasons, not to aching people," Mr Cousteix said. He said he was "relieved" at the sentence.

'Public information'

Mr Cousteix was bent hacking into the president's annual in March afterwards FBI board in the US alerted French authorities.

Investigators begin that the hacker deduced the passwords of Twitter administrators from accessible advice on the web, appropriately accepting admission to the accounts of important and acclaimed individuals.

Mr Cousteix told the authoritative adjudicator that he did not accede himself a hacker "in the austere faculty of the term."

He added: "I didn't abort anything. I could have, but I didn't. It's adjoin my ethics."

Barack Obama 'angry' over Mc Crystal claims

US Admiral Barack Obama was angered by a annual contour in which the top aggressive administrator in Afghanistan criticised chief administering officials, the White House says.

President Obama said Accepted Stanley McChrystal had apparent "poor judgement".

The accepted has been summoned to Washington over the Rolling Stone article, for which he has apologised.

Administration admiral acquire so far beneath to say that his job is safe.

Mr Obama said he capital to allocution with the accepted in actuality afore chief what activity to take.

US media letters said Gen McChrystal had submitted his resignation, but it was up to the admiral to adjudge whether to acquire it. There has been no official animadversion on the reports.

In the commodity by Michael Hastings, advantaged The Runaway General, Gen McChrystal is characterised as adverse up to a key adversary in the war in Afghanistan: "The wimps in the White House."

Gen McChrystal is quoted as acutely criticising the US agent to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry.

Aides to the accepted are quoted as adage he was "disappointed" back affair Admiral Barack Obama for the aboriginal time.

Other targets accommodate Vice-President Joe Biden, Civic Aegis Adviser James Jones and the appropriate US agent to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly, in Washington, says the accent and accent of Rolling Stone - a pop-culture annual - accomplish an afflictive fit with the aerial anatomy of heavily armed address with which Gen McChrystal has been entrusted in Afghanistan.

The accommodation to acquiesce the advertisement behind-the-scenes admission for a abiding aeon suggests a advancing abridgement of judgement about in the general's close circle, our contributor adds.

In his aboriginal comments on the issue, Admiral Obama said: "I anticipate it's bright that the commodity in which he and his aggregation appeared showed a poor - showed poor judgment.

"But I additionally appetite to accomplish abiding that I allocution to him anon afore I accomplish any final decisions."

Speaking to reporters earlier, White House agent Robert Gibbs said the admiral was "angry".

Mr Gibbs added: "Without a doubt, Accepted McChrystal... has fabricated an astronomic mistake. A aberration that he'll get a adventitious to allocution about and acknowledgment to, tomorrow, to both admiral in the Pentagon and the commander-in-chief.

"The purpose for calling him actuality is to see what in the apple he was thinking."

He added that the war accomplishment in Afghanistan was "bigger than one person".

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said in a acerb worded account he had apprehend the Rolling Stone commodity "with concern".

"I accept that Accepted McChrystal fabricated a cogent aberration and acclimatized poor acumen in this case.

"General McChrystal has apologised to me and is analogously extensive out to others called in this commodity to apologise to them as well. I acquire recalled Gen McChrystal to Washington to altercate this in person."

'Clown'

The Rolling Stone commodity - for which Hastings was accustomed admission to the administrator and his agents over several weeks - will arise in Friday's copy of the magazine.

In it, Gen McChrystal says he acquainted "betrayed" by the agent to Kabul during the continued 2009 White House agitation on troop requests for Afghanistan.

Gen McChrystal suggests that Mr Eikenberry was application a leaked centralized announcement that questioned the acumen of troop requests as a way of attention himself from approaching criticism over the deployment.

The accepted says: "I like Karl, I've accepted him for years, but they'd never said annihilation like that to us before.

"Here's one that covers his abut for the history books. Now if we fail, they can say, 'I told you so.'"

Gen McChrystal additionally mocks the vice-president in acknowledgment to a question. "Are you allurement about Vice-President Biden?" McChrystal asks. "Who's that?"

Another abettor refers to a key Oval Office affair with the admiral a year ago.

The abettor says it was "a 10-minute photo-op", adding: "Obama acutely didn't apperceive annihilation about him, who he was... he didn't assume actual engaged. The bang-up was appealing disappointed."

Another abettor refers to Civic Aegis Adviser Jones as a "clown ashore in 1985".

Upon accepting an e-mail from Mr Holbrooke on his Blackberry, Gen McChrystal says: "Oh, not addition e-mail from Holbrooke... I don't alike appetite to accessible it."

Aide quits

Duncan Boothby, a appropriate abettor to Gen McChrystal who organised the Rolling Stone journalist's admission to the commander, has accommodated as a aftereffect of the article.

As account of the commodity emerged, Gen McChrystal attempted to absolute the accident in beforehand of Rolling Stone hitting the newsstands.

He said in a statement: "I extend my sincerest acknowledgment for this profile. It was a aberration absorption poor judgement and should never acquire happened.

"Throughout my career, I acquire lived by the attempt of claimed honour and able integrity. What is reflected in this commodity avalanche far abbreviate of that standard.

"I acquire astronomic account and account for Admiral Obama and his civic aegis aggregation and for the noncombatant leaders and troops angry this war and I abide committed to ensuring its acknowledged outcome."

Gen McChrystal replaced Gen David McKiernan in 2009 and has approved to abate the cardinal of Afghan civilians actuality dead in action operations.

After his appointment, Gen McChrystal was fatigued into a continued and abundant action analysis with the president, assuredly accepting an added 30,000 US troops from Mr Obama.

But analysts say Gen McChrystal disagreed with the president's agreement to alpha bringing troops home in July 2011.

A agent for Afghan Admiral Hamid Karzai, Waheed Omer, accurate abutment for Gen McChrystal in the deathwatch of the Rolling Stone article.

"The admiral acerb supports Accepted McChrystal and his action in Afghanistan and believes he is the best administrator the United States has beatific to Afghanistan over the aftermost nine years," he said.

But a agent for the Taliban said Gen McChrystal's anamnesis was addition assurance of the alpha of the "political defeat" for US behavior in Afghanistan.

Many dead as gunmen target Mexico cities

Nearly 40 bodies killed in the acceptance of gun attacks by gangs in two Mexican cities, says Sam.

Gunmen stormed a rehabilitation center in the Arctic region from Berghäll Chihuahua, killing 19 and acid four others.

The last time the dead bodies of 20 armed men launched attacks in a variety of Berghäll Madero Juarez in the state of Tamaulipas.

Been accepted both cities is determined even in the drug gang wars stay angry at the center of the smuggling routes would be useful.

The Under-Chihuahua badge accompany Fidel Bureba attackers there were messages in the left side accusing the victims of criminals and fact.

The arrest took place of residence on Thursday night, but did not show on Friday alone.

An official told Agence France Presse badge office account that "more than 30 insurgents used on board six trucks."

The official said that the confusion in the attic additional Templo Cristiano Vida y Fe (Temple of the Christian faith and life) and diet with large-caliber weapons in patients and advisers fleeing mentioned.

Has been accepted rehabilitation centers in Mexico, the ambition to previous attacks.

Correspondents say the shootings this abhorrent biological traffickers, who claim the attention of dealers clinics to fight gangs.

A wave of killings

The Admiral said in Ciudad Madero, and the abandonment began on Thursday and a number of militants and again in the complex rotation of the battles and killings, which continued until Friday.

Sam said at the end of it, and bullet-riddled bodies of 18 men and two women and begin to change places of filaments in the city.

Correspondents say Tamaulipas is the battlefield for the Gulf Group and biological extension of the above Los Zeta, formed by the accumulation determined above aggressive members of the aristocracy.

Arrested stick advertiser Los Zeta, Hector Raul Luna Luna, on Wednesday in the north-eastern Berghäll from Monterrey, Mexico, the third-best city.

In retaliation, gunmen kidnapped a car and set for a short time even when roadblocks atomic 10 in Monterrey. In addition, gunmen attacked a center badge, according to reports is bounded.

President Felipe Calderon, who bags deploy troops to the most affected areas on the border between the United States and Mexico, and issued a statement last accusatory fire.

"They are giving up actions to enhance the confidence of the charge of the working groups who are determined to back the work of the barbarity of such a force abounds with the acknowledged," he said.

Videos deepen mystery over Iran nuclear scientist Amiri

The Iranian government says it has affirmation that one of its nuclear scientists was abducted and is actuality captivated in the US adjoin his will.

Shahram Amiri abolished a year ago while on a crusade to Saudi Arabia.

A video advertisement by Iranian TV purports to appearance Mr Amiri adage he was kidnapped and is active in Arizona.

Hours later, addition video acquaint on YouTube appeared to appearance the scientist adage he was blessed in America. The US denied abducting him.

The adverse accounts of Mr Amiri's fate accept emerged as the UN Aegis Council is due to vote on a fourth annular of sanctions adjoin Iran over its nuclear programme on Wednesday.

Mr Amiri formed as a researcher at a university in Tehran, Iranian media reported.

But added letters said he formed for the country's Atomic Energy Organisation and had all-embracing ability of the country's nuclear programme.

In the video apparent on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting network, the man says he was affected to say he defected with a laptop abounding of affirmation about Iran's nuclear secrets and that he was actuality acclimated to put burden on Iran.

The video showed a man cutting headphones and talking to his webcam.

He says he was in the Saudi burghal of Medina as allotment of a Muslim crusade back Saudi intelligence admiral benumbed and kidnapped him.

"When I became conscious, I begin myself in a even on the way to the US," he said.

"Since I was abducted and brought to the US I was heavily bent and pressured by US intelligence."

The man says in the blur that the recording was fabricated on 5 April in the burghal of Tucson, Arizona.

Iranian TV letters said the Iranian aegis casework acquired the blur "by appropriate methods" but did not elaborate.

On Monday the blow was acquaint on to YouTube.

Responding to the accusation on Tuesday, accompaniment administration agent Philip Crowley told reporters: "Did the United States kidnap [Mr Amiri] from Saudi Arabia? The acknowledgment is No."

In the additional clip, acquaint hours after to a YouTube annual in the name of Shahramamiri2010, the man says he lives cautiously in the burghal and wants to abide his apprenticeship in the US.

"I am chargeless actuality and I assure anybody I am safe," he said in Farsi.

"My purpose in today's chat is to put an end to all the rumours that accept been levelled at me over the accomplished year. I am Iranian and I accept not taken any accomplish adjoin my homeland."

In March US account approach ABC ran a address commendation bearding US admiral that said Mr Amiri had defected and was allowance the US abridge intelligence on Iran's nuclear weapons programme.

They appropriate that he had accustomed them admired advice about the Iranian nuclear programme, including the afresh appear centrifuge accessory bulb alfresco the burghal of Qom.

The abstruse bulb was appear in September aftermost year, aloof canicule afore a affair in Geneva amid Iran and the abiding bristles associates of the UN Aegis Council.

The US and its allies accept Iran is aggravating to access a nuclear weapon, but Tehran denies the charge.

Israel 'to reject international ship raid inquiry'

Israel will adios a proposed all-embracing bureau to investigate its baleful arrest on a Gaza aid flotilla, its agent to the US has said.

Michael Oren told US anchorperson Fox Account that Israel has the adeptness and the appropriate to investigate its own military.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had beforehand telephoned Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu with the proposal.

Nine bodies died back Israeli commandos stormed the Turkish address aftermost week.

"We are abnegation an all-embracing commission. We are discussing with the Obama administering a way in which our analysis will booty place," Mr Oren told Fox Account Sunday.

He said Israel would not apologise for the incident. Eight of those dead were Turkish, and the ninth had collective US-Turkish nationality.

Europe action

Mr Netanyahu was due to altercate Mr Ban's angle with chief chiffonier ministers on Sunday.

But Mr Oren said: "Israel is a autonomous nation. Israel has the adeptness and the appropriate to investigate itself, not to be advised by any all-embracing board."

The proposed bureau would acquire included assembly from the US, Turkey and Israel and could acquire been headed by above New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer.

The UK and France acquire apprenticed Israel to acquire an analysis involving all-embracing oversight.

Speaking at a account appointment with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said any analysis charge be "credible and transparent".

"We accept there should be an all-embracing attendance at minimum in that analysis or investigation," he said.

Mr Kouchner, in acknowledgment to criticism that Europe had not taken abundant action, said the EU was accommodating to analysis burden on ships activity into Gaza, and comedy added of a role in authoritative the Rafah bridge from Egypt to Gaza.

Activists deported

Meanwhile, Israel has been deporting activists who approved to captain addition aid address - the Rachel Corrie - to Gaza in affront of Israel's blockade.

Six Malaysians and a Cuban civic from the baiter were abandoned to Jordan on Sunday.

Five Irish nationals - including Nobel Accord laureate Mairead Maguire - and six Filipinos as able-bodied as the ship's Scottish captain, were due to fly out later.

Mr Netanyahu has declared those on lath the Irish-owned Rachel Corrie as "peace activists", but labelled the added barge - the Mavi Marmara - a "ship of abhorrence organised by agitated Turkish alarm extremists".

Post-mortem examinations in Turkey appear that 30 bullets had been begin in the victims' bodies - one activist had four in the head.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, in Istanbul, says some of the capacity assume to belie Israel's affirmation that their commandos acclimated minimum baleful force.

In addition development on Sunday, a chief Iranian aggressive amount said the country's aristocratic Revolutionary Guards were accessible to escort aid flotillas to Gaza if ordered to by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"The Revolutionary Guards' argosy armament are absolutely able to escort abandon and accord flotillas accustomed altruistic aid from all over the apple to the afflicted bodies of Gaza," Ali Shirazi, Ayatollah Khamenei's argosy representative, told Mehr account agency.

Israel stepped up its barricade of Gaza in 2007, back the Islamist Hamas movement took ascendancy of the territory, and says its behavior will not change while Hamas charcoal in power.

Turkey mourns dead Gaza activists

Turkey has captivated funerals for nine activists asleep in Israel's arrest on a Gaza aid fleet amidst affecting scenes.

The bodies were aureate from Israel to Istanbul, forth with added than 450 activists, to a heroes' welcome.

Israel has said there is no charge for an all-embracing analysis into the incident, insisting its own will accommodated the "highest all-embracing standards".

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) voted beforehand to set up an investigation.

US President Barack Obama has declared the bearings as "tragic".

But in an account on CNN, to be aired later, he additionally says Israel does acquire "legitimate aegis concerns" in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his troops had no best but to stop the ships.

He argued the fleet had been aiming not to bear altruistic aid to Gazans, but to breach Israel's blockade.

It was Israel's assignment to anticipate rockets and added weapons actuality banned into Gaza to Hamas by Iran and others, he said.

Turkey, which has had almost balmy ties with Israel in contempo history, recalled its agent afterwards the adventure on Monday.

'Barbarism and oppression'

Its President, Abdullah Gul, said relations amid the two countries would "never be the same".

"This adventure has larboard an irreparable and abysmal scar" on relations, he told reporters in Ankara.

In a ablaze accent at Istanbul airport, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc accused Israel of "piracy" and "barbarism and oppression".

Crowds of people, some cutting Palestinian-style scarves, aggregate in the burghal to accommodated the coffins, swathed in Turkish flags, at the Ottoman-era Fatih mosque.

The funerals took abode in a acerb Islamist allotment of the burghal and affections were active high, appear the BBC's Bethany Bell.

One of the bodies was due to be active in Istanbul while the added eight were actuality taken to their home towns, AFP account bureau reported.

Turkish post-mortem examinations begin all nine of the asleep had been shot, some at abutting range.

The asleep accommodate a 19-year-old Turkish aborigine with an American authorization - hit by four bullets in the arch and one in the chest - and a civic taekwondo athlete, Turkish media say.

The bodies arrived, forth with the 450 activists, in three aircraft accountant by the Turkish government at Istanbul airport in the aboriginal hours of Thursday, afterwards several hours of delays.

Mr Arinc said his government saluted the Turkish Islamic charity, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Altruistic Relief (IHH), which played a arch role in organising the accompany - a alms Israel has accused of acknowledging terrorism.

IHH baton Bulent Yildrim said aloft his accession aback in Istanbul that he believed the afterlife assessment could be college than nine, as his organisation had a best account of missing people.

British activist Sarah Colbourne told the BBC: "I couldn't alike calculation the bulk of ships that were in the water. It was absolutely bristling with ships, helicopters and gunfire. It was horrific, absolutely horrific."

Swedish columnist Henning Mankell, who was aboard one of the ships in the flotilla, has absolved the abstraction that weapons were actuality agitated by the activists.

"On the address I was on, they begin one weapon: my razor. And they absolutely came up and showed it off, my razor, so you see what akin this was at," the columnist of the accepted Wallander detective novels told Swedish radio.

'Double standard'

Consular agents were on duke in Istanbul to advice the activists from added countries. They accommodate 34 bodies who authority British passports.

Doctors in Ankara, area some of the acutely afflicted were taken, say they acquire been alleviative bodies for ammo wounds. Three bodies are in accelerated care.

Seven added activists are in a austere action and will abide in Israeli hospitals until they can be moved, Israeli admiral say.

Another even accustomed 31 Greek activists, three French nationals and one American flew into Athens aboriginal on Thursday.

More than 100 ancestors and supporters animated and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans at the airport.

Rejecting the proposed HRC investigation, Israeli government agent Mark Regev said demands for an alien analysis showed a bifold accepted appear the Jewish state.

When American or British troops were accused of killing civilians in Iraq or Afghanistan, he said, it was the US or Britain that agitated out the investigation, not an all-embracing body.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman appropriate adhering all-embracing assemblage to an centralized Israeli inquiry.

"We acquire accomplished jurists... one of whom will be accommodating to booty it on himself, and if they appetite to accommodate an all-embracing affiliate of some array in their board that's alright too," he told Israel radio.

The US, Israel's best important ally, has already fabricated it bright it will acquire an Israeli-led inquiry, the BBC's Andrew North letters from Jerusalem.

New ship

Talk in Gaza is now axis to the abutting address on its way beyond the Mediterranean to try to breach the blockade, the BBC's Jon Donnison letters from the territory.

The Rachel Corrie - accustomed 15 bodies including Nobel Peace laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire - had been due to be allotment of the aboriginal fleet but was delayed because of abstruse problems.

The address could be in the arena by Saturday, our contributor reports. Israel has said it will not be accustomed to berth in Gaza.

"Everybody was actual agitated at what happened [with the flotilla]," Irish aggregation affiliate Derek Graham told Reuters account bureau by telephone.

"Everybody has been added bent than anytime to abide on to Gaza."

Meanwhile, some of the 10,000 tonnes of aid bedeviled from the fleet by Israel has been alternate to the Israeli anchorage of Ashdod afterwards actuality larboard abandoned at a Gaza-Israel crossing.

The Hamas government in ascendancy of Gaza banned to acquire the aid until Israeli-Arab activists from the fleet were released.

Witnesses cast doubt on Israel's convoy raid account

Eyewitness accounts from ships raided by Israeli commandos accept casting agnosticism on Israel's adaptation of contest that led to the deaths of at atomic nine people.

German pro-Palestinian activist Norman Paech said he had alone apparent lath sticks actuality brandished as troops abseiled on to the accouter of the ship.

Israel says its soldiers were attacked with "knives, clubs and added weapons" and opened blaze in self-defence.

The arrest led to boundless accusation and the UN has alleged for an inquiry.

US Secretary of Accompaniment Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that Washington would abutment an Israeli analysis of the raid, but said it charge be "prompt, impartial, aboveboard and transparent", as alleged for by the UN.

The six ships, accustomed aid and campaigners, had sailed from Cyprus in a bid to breach Israel's barricade of the Gaza Strip.

Israel bedeviled added than 670 bodies with the ships and abandoned 50 on Tuesday. The Israeli chiffonier afterwards appear that all those still actuality captivated would be abandoned aural 48 hours.

'Act of piracy'

Speaking as he accustomed aback in Berlin captivated in a dejected blanket, Mr Paech, a affiliate of a German action party, said Israel's operation "was not an act of self-defence".

"Personally I saw two-and-a-half lath batons that were used... There was absolutely annihilation else. We never saw any knives.

"This was an advance in all-embracing amnion on a peaceful mission... This was a bright act of piracy," he added.

Mr Paech had been a commuter on the Turkish commuter address Mavi Marmara area most, if not all, of the deaths occurred.

Fellow German activist Inge Hoeger said they had been on the ships "for peaceful purposes".

"We capital to carriage aid to Gaza," she said. "No-one had a weapon."

She added: "We were acquainted that this would not be a simple cruise beyond the sea to bear the appurtenances to Gaza. But we did not calculation on this affectionate of brutality."

Activist Bayram Kalyon, accession aback in Istanbul, had additionally been a commuter on the Mavi Marmara.

"The captain... told us 'They are battlefront randomly, they are breaking the windows and entering inside. So you should get out of actuality as anon as possible'. That was our aftermost chat with him."

Meanwhile, in Nazareth, Israeli Arab MP Haneen Zuabi - who was on the fleet - told a columnist appointment that Israeli armament began battlefront while still in the helicopters aerial over the ships.

"We are calling for an all-embracing lath to investigate this tragedy," she said.

Diplomatic sources in Ankara accept said at atomic four of those asleep were Turkish. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the advance was a "bloody massacre" and charge be punished. He said Israel should not analysis Turkey's patience.

Further criticism of Israel came from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday.

In an account with the AFP account agency, he said Israel's barricade of Gaza was amenable for the baleful raid.

"Had Israelis heeded to my alarm and to the alarm of the all-embracing association by appropriation the barricade of Gaza, this adverse adventure would not accept happened," he said.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen alleged on Israel to absolution bodies and boats it had seized.

He batten afterwards an emergency affair of Nato ambassadors in Brussels alleged by Turkey.

Gaza violence

Renewed abandon bankrupt out in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, with bristles Palestinians reportedly asleep by Israeli fire.

Two Palestinian gunmen were attempt asleep afterwards bridge the bound in the south of the territory, a aggressive agent said.

Three added bodies died in an Israeli bang in the arctic of Gaza, according to Gaza's emergency services. Israel said it had agitated out an air bang afterwards two rockets were accursed from Gaza.

Following the Israeli sea-born raid, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the bound bridge amid Egypt and the Gaza Strip to be opened.

The Rafah bridge has been bankrupt back 2007, although appropriate medical cases are occasionally accustomed through.

The Egyptian accompaniment account bureau said the latest aperture was to acquiesce altruistic aid through. It is not bright how continued it will be kept open.

The UN Security Council issued its account afterwards apperception through Monday night.

It said an analysis should be "prompt, impartial, aboveboard and transparent". It additionally accursed the "acts" which led to the deaths.

Barbara Plett, the BBC's UN contributor in New York, said the account was the aftereffect of a accommodation amid Turkey and the US, Israel's abutting ally.

In its defence, Israel appear footage assuming soldiers landing on the Turkish address and actuality allegedly attacked.

Captain Aria Shaliker of the Israel Defense Forces, who was allotment of Monday's operation, says the commandos began the raids armed with paintball guns.

"I was, myself, on one of the boats, the Israeli boats, abutting the flotilla," he told the BBC's World Today programme.

"It is accurate that the Israeli administrator unit... came on lath with paintball weapons... in adjustment to banish [people] if there was violence. They were accessible for a violent... affirmation on lath the flotilla, abnormally on the big boat, the Marmara.

"No-one absolutely accepted that there would be such a agitated aftereffect of what happened.

"First, you know, the soldiers approved to disperse, but in the end back they were attempt at, you apperceive back there was shooting... from the added side, there's no added way than axis from acrylic brawl to alive ammunition."

The Israeli government has accused the activists of accepting links to Islamist groups.