Isa Town, Bahrain - An international left-wing youth seminar that opened on the outskirts of the Bahrain capital of Manama on Friday blamed US policies in the Middle East for escalating tensions.

The two-day meeting held under the motto Youth of the Gulf and the Path to Democracy re-affirmed support for armed resistance groups fighting occupation and accused Washington of spreading sectarian tension.

The vice president of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), Omar al-Deeb, accused the US of carrying out major wars beyond its borders.

Istanbul - European countries like to view Turkey as a bridge between the West and the Orient.

But as the Islamic-conservative AKP government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan grows in self-confidence, it is looking beyond this, anxious to build its regional muscle alongside Iran to form a presence that the Arab and southern Caucasian states cannot ignore.

"Turkey is in the front row when it comes to Middle East issues," Foreign Minister Ali Babacan stressed at the World Economic Forum (WEF) regional meeting his country has been hosting.

Tel Aviv - Legislators of the opposition Likud party asked Israel's attorney-general Friday to examine whether interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as the head of a transitional government has the authority to continue peace negotiations with Syria.

Likud legislator Yuval Steinitz said Olmert, by conducting talks with Syria as an outgoing premier, was "trampling the principles of democracy" and endangering "Israel's most vital interests" for the sake of his own personal record.

Brussels - The European Union on Friday urged Israel to put an end to "brutal" attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

"The European Union once again condemns in the strongest possible terms the acts of violence and brutality committed against Palestinian civilians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank," said a statement issued by the French presidency of the EU on behalf of the bloc's 27 member states.

"The European Union would point out that it is up to the Israeli government, which has itself condemned these acts, to take the necessary measures to stop them immediately, in accordance with its international obligations," the EU said.

London - Britain's Barclays bank said in London Friday it plans to raise some 7.3 billion pounds (11.8 billion dollars) in fresh capital from investors, mostly from the Middle East, thereby avoiding a cash hand-out from the British government.

The investments would mostly come from state funds in the Gulf state of Qatar and the royal family of Abu Dhabi, but also from existing shareholders and institutional investors.

The investors would own 32 per cent of the bank after the capital injection.

Barclays said the move fulfilled the British government's strict regulations for raising capital.

Gaza City - A Palestinian policeman was killed early Friday in an explosion in the police headquarters in Gaza City, according to an official in the de-facto Hamas government.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Ihab Ghussein said the powerful explosion killed Ala Ijleh, 20, from Gaza City.

He said Ijleh, who belongs to the bomb squad in the police force, was killed while attempting to detonate an explosive device discovered in the bomb squad section of the Arafat Police City.

No one else was hurt in the explosion, which sparked a fire in the building, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian fighters engaged an Israeli force which crossed the southern Gaza border with Israel near the town of Khuza'a, east of Khan Younis.