I. Medvedev Hints of New Georgia War
Moscow has put the full blame for the war on Tbilisi, which had tried to retake the separatist region of South Ossetia, and Medvedev appeared to accuse Georgia of brinkmanship, saying: "Victory over fascism is a stark lesson to all peoples. It remains acute today, when again there are those who engage in military adventurism." Medvedev also sent congratulatory messages to the leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Russia has recognized as independent, and to all the heads of former Soviet states except the Baltics and Georgia, the Kremlin said.
II. King Abdullah of Jordan's ultimatum: peace now or it’s war next year
America is putting the final touches to a hugely ambitious peace plan for the Middle East, aimed at ending more than 60 years of conflict between Israel and the Arabs, according to Jordan’s King Abdullah, who is helping to bring the parties together. The Obama Administration is pushing for a comprehensive peace agreement that would include settling Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and its territorial disputes with Syria and Lebanon, King Abdullah II told The Times. Failure to reach agreement at this critical juncture would draw the world into a new Middle East war next year. “If we delay our peace negotiations, then there is going to be another conflict between Arabs or Muslims and Israel in the next 12-18 months.”
III. Race to preserve the world's oldest submerged town
The ancient town of Pavlopetri lies in three to four metres of water just off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. The ruins date from at least 2800 BC through to intact buildings, courtyards, streets, chamber tombs and some thirty-seven cist graves which are thought to belong to the Mycenaean period (c.1680-1180 BC). This Bronze Age phase of Greece provides the historical setting for much Ancient Greek literature and myth, including Homer's Age of Heroes.
IV. The E.U. Backtracks on its Eastern European Partners
Initially conceived to forge a new relationship between the European Union and six former Soviet republics, the May 7 summit launching the E.U.'s Eastern Partnerships accord wound up more like the first date from hell. Just hours before the gathering, for example, German and Dutch officials pushed to change wording in the official document to refer to the six EaP postulates as "partner countries" rather than "European countries". They similarly struck any language that even remotely hinted at possible E.U. membership for any time in the future, and revised a "long-term goal" previously described as "visa-free travel" by EaP citizens to the E.U. down to more modest "visa liberalization" for certain business people.
V. Georgian opposition pledges broader protests
Georgia's opposition vowed Monday to take protests nationwide after refusing a power-sharing offer from the president, who they say must resign. Critics say the U.S.-backed Saakashvili led Georgia into the disastrous war with Russia last summer and allege he is backtracking on democratic progress made since he overthrew Eduard Shevardnadze in a 2003 peaceful revolution. "We will keep on fighting for Saakashvili to resign, for the freedom of the press, and for the protection of all our citizens."
VI. Iranian mortar shells land in Turkey: security
Five Kurdish rebels died after Iranian soldiers bombed northern Iraq, Turkish authorities said Monday, adding that nine shells also landed in Turkey's southeast corner. The shells landed "in error" in a remote rural area near the town of Yuksekova in Hakkari province which borders Iran and Iraq. There were no injuries, the statement said.
VII. Why Mideast Christians Are Wary of Pope Benedict's Visit
Ever since the year 1204 A.D., when the soldiers of the Fourth Crusade sacked the Christian city of Constantinople instead of "liberating" Jerusalem from Muslim rule, Christians in the Middle East have been understandably wary of emissaries of Rome. Middle Eastern societies have also done much on their own to implode and create fertile grounds for extremism to flourish. But that doesn't mean that a speech from a foreign religious leader is going to heal mistrust and stop the cycle of violence that started 60 years ago with the creation of Israel.