A 24-year-old street seller assaulted a man on grounds he was proselytizing Christianity, holding a knife to his throat in downtown Istanbul before surrendering to police, newspapers reported Tuesday. The incident, the latest in a string of religiously-motivated attacks in Turkey in recent years, happened Monday on a busy avenue in Istanbul's Kadikoy district, before the eyes of dozens of passers-by. The assailant -- identified as 24-year-old pirate CD vendor Yasin Karasu -- wrapped a Turkish flag around the head of Ismail Aydin, 35, put a knife to his throat and shouted "This is Turkey, you cannot distribute Bibles here," the Haberturk newspaper said. The stand-off lasted for 20 minutes before the police persuaded the assailant to surrender, according to the Sabah daily. Karasu later told the police he was angry with Aydin for converting to Christianity and engaging in missionary activities, Sabah said, while the Vatan daily suggested the assailant was mentally disturbed. Proselytizing is generally viewed with suspicion in Turkey, whose population is predominantly Muslim, with tiny Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian and Jewish communities, concentrated in Istanbul. An Italian Roman Catholic priest was shot dead in 2006 and three Protestants -- a German missionary and two Turkish converts -- had their throats slit in 2007. Two Catholic priests have been stabbed and several churches have reported harassment and threats. The incidents have fuelled fears of rising nationalism and hostility against non-Muslims in Turkey, which is seeking to join the European Union.
Rival leaders in Cyprus have made "significant" progress in talks to reunite the island but pressure to reach a deal quickly could unravel what yearlong talks have achieved, a United Nations envoy said Wednesday. "We haven't set a timeline," Alexander Downer, the top U.N. official on the war-divided island, said in an interview with the AP. "If you become a slave to a date, you may find that you don't have a high quality agreement and then you'll just have to start all over again sometime in the future." The island's Greek Cypriot president, Dimitris Christofias, and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, began talks last fall and have since held nearly 40 meetings at the disused airport inside the 180 kilometer (112 mile) U.N.-controlled buffer zone. The protracted negotiations have cooled initial hopes of a quick breakthrough on the island, divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded. Downer cautioned that despite "significant" progress, tough negotiations still lie ahead on more complex issues including arrangements on property lost during the invasion and disputed intervention rights ceded to Greece, Turkey and Britain under the former British colony's 1960 constitution.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will attend a summit in Belgrade in October to flesh out a "strategic partnership" with Serbia, the Kremlin announced Wednesday. Medvedev was invited by his counterpart Boris Tadic and they spoke on the telephone about the proposed "concrete talks on bilateral cooperation," it said. The two countries signed energy accords in December, including a proposal for Russian energy giant OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) to acquire 51% of Serbian oil monopoly or Naftna Industrija Srbije. Another pact allows for the passage of a Russo-Italian gas pipeline through Serbia. The Russian president will also attend ceremonies marking the liberation of Belgrade in World War II.
Russia’s military has warned Georgia against trying to repeat last year’s assault on South Ossetia, saying such actions will be met with an adequate response. General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces, says that, at the moment, Georgia is not capable of launching a successful offensive against the republic. According to him, Moscow does not currently see any other threats from Tbilisi “other than provocations”. However, Nogovitsyn said he does not exclude the possibility of a full-scale attack in the future. “Georgia is rearming itself at an alarming pace. If Tbilisi continues to increase its military potential, the balance of forces in the region may change.” He stressed that Moscow is not planning to deploy additional troops to the region any time soon. “There was a conflict and we have done what we had to do, but now we have other goals, such as avoiding the repetition of last year’s events.” Russia has allocated around $300 million in financial aid to help South Ossetia recover from Georgian aggression. Officials promise that, by next winter, Tskhinval will have a whole new look. Many refugees from previous conflicts are now returning to the republic following Russia’s recognition of its independence from Georgia.
The South Ossetian Parliament Wednesday confirmed former construction company president Vadim Brovtsev as the country's prime minister. The former Georgian republic's Communications Ministry said Brovtsev, head of a construction company based in Chelyabinsk, was approved by a 24-3 vote, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. The ministry also reported that Kokoity Tuesday dissolved the government as part of relieving former Prime Minister Aslanbek Bulatsev of his duties, the Russian news agency reported. The South Ossetian ministry gave poor health as the reason for Bulatsev's dismissal. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of last August's five-day war between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Alexi Giannoulias is the youngest elected official in the U.S. of a state wide election.The son of Greek immigrants who spent time attending law school here in New Orleans is girding up his loins and preparing to go to battle for Democrats and others in the Greek community. He is an Obama protege that has been a close ally of the president ever since Barrack ran for the U.S. Senate in Chicago. Alexi looks a little soft but he has time to shake off the baby fat and grow into the position,he has money and he was a spectacular athlete going all the way to the pro ranks in basketball.Conservative politicians have begin to zero in on Giannoulias because of his out spoken ways that tend to get him into trouble. As a Greek American he will probably have the full backing of the Greek community. In a recent interview he said: "I owe my public career to my parents, and I shall always have the opportunity to help my parents' land. In my heart, I hold dearly my parents, Greece, Cyprus and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and as another Alexander, I love Macedonia, motherland of Alexander the Great."
Twenty-one Texas public school teachers are participating in the "Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools" Summer Institute to learn strategies for teaching academic studies of the Bible. Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation in June 2007 that added Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament to the enrichment curriculum for Texas high schools. To help teachers and districts fulfill these requirements, the university has created this teacher-training institute. Scholars in Hebrew Bible and in New Testament will lead sessions designed to prepare teachers for the special content and challenges of these topics. Sessions will include courses on Bible studies and the First Amendment, as well the historical contexts and literary character of the Bible. The courses will also examine successful strategies for lesson planning, preparation and discussion of religious matters in the public arena. Participants will make field trips to a church, Saint Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church, and a synagogue, Congregation Agudas Achim, to learn how two different congregations study the Bible. They will also visit the university's Harry Ransom Center, where they will explore a collection of biblical manuscripts, including the Gutenberg Bible. Teachers from 13 urban, suburban and rural school districts from across the state will be attending. They come from areas as diverse as the Rio Grande Valley, West Texas and the San Antonio, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas. Participants will earn 26 Continuing Professional Education credit hours upon completion.