I. Bosnia arrests Croat MP convicted of war crimes
Police in Bosnia on Wednesday arrested a Croatian member of parliament who fled there shortly before being sentenced to jail for war crimes against Serb civilians, and handed him over to the Bosnian state prosecutor. A Croatian court sentenced Glavas last Friday to 10 years in prison for the torture and killing of Serb civilians during Croatia 's 1991-95 war of independence.
II. Divided Cyprus - A hawkish problem
The prospects of a united Cyprus receded when a nationalist party won the parliamentary election in the north on April 19th. The National Unity Party, led by the hawkish Dervish Eroglu, took 44% of the vote, giving it 26 of the 50 seats. The vote for the ruling Republican Turkish Party, which backs reunification, fell to 29%. This reflects voters’ disillusion over the UN-sponsored peace talks that have dragged on since Turkish troops seized the northern third of the island in 1974. The result will also damage Turkey ’s faltering membership talks with the European Union. Turkey faces a December deadline to open air- and seaports to Greek-Cypriots. It refuses to do so until the EU eases trade restrictions on northern Cyprus .
III. Greece says Russia to sign South Stream gas deals
Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research) will sign on Friday agreements to build the South Stream pipeline with all countries involved, Greece's development minister said on Wednesday. The Gazprom-led 10 billion euros ($13.65 billion) project aims to bring Russian, Caspian and Central Asian gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine, with which Russia has had pricing disputes. Russia , Bulgaria , Greece , Serbia , Hungary and Italy are involved in the South Stream project.
IV. UK politicians running for cover as scandal rages
Political leaders have been writing checks, making apologies, calling for inquiries and even threatening action against their own lieutenants in an effort to survive the publication of their expense claims in Britain 's Daily Telegraph newspaper over the past few days. Britain 's prime minister called for drastic steps to restore trust in the country's scandal-tainted political class, as lawmakers across the political spectrum sought to take cover from public anger over their lavish expense claims.
V. Italy: Turkish gunman wants to be baptised at the Vatican
The Turkish gunman, who tried to kill the late Pope John Paul II in 1981, has told an Italian newspaper he wants to convert to Catholicism. In an interview with the Italian daily, La Repubblica, Mehmet Ali Agca said he wants to be baptised in St. Peter's square, where he shot and wounded the Polish pope. "Once freed, I would like to be baptised. I would like to do it in front of media from all over the world, in the Vatican , exactly in front of St. Peter's Square, the place where I struck Pope Wojtyla (John Paul II)."
VI. Vatican defends Pope Benedict as ardent anti-Nazi
The Vatican has defended Pope Benedict XVI as a man of strong anti-Nazi credentials and a peacemaker in the face of mounting Israeli criticism and Arab anger over the Israeli occupation. The Holocaust is just one of the many minefields Benedict is navigating as he makes his way through the Middle East . He has also moved to calm Muslim anger over his past comments, and has faced Palestinian demands that he do more to advance their cause against Israel .
VII. Mideast’s Christians Declining in Influence
Christians used to be a vital force in the Middle East . They dominated Lebanon and filled top jobs in the Palestinian movement. In Egypt , they were wealthy beyond their number. In Iraq , they packed the universities and professions. Across the region, their orientation was a vital link to the West, a counterpoint to prevailing trends. With Islam pushing aside nationalism as the central force behind the politics of identity, Christians who played important roles in various national struggles find themselves left out. And since Islamic culture, especially in its more fundamental stripes, often defines itself in contrast to the West, Christianity has in some places been relegated to an enemy — or least foreign — culture.