Ankara must recognise that the influx of illegal settlers from Turkey to Cyprus’ northern occupied areas is a war crime, House President and Acting President of the Republic Marios Garoyian has stressed, pointing out that once this is acknowledged, Cyprus would be ready to discuss the possibility of Turkish settlers remaining in Cyprus, on humanitarian grounds. Garoyian said the objective is not to have settlers after the solution of the Cyprus problem. “Turkey must, first of all, accept that illegal colonisation is a war crime and once this is done, we are ready to discuss – not accept – the stay of settlers on humanitarian grounds,” he stressed. He said that this message has to be communicated abroad and the matter has to be pointed out at the current UN-led negotiations.
Archaeologists in the ancient city of Troy in Turkey have found the remains of a man and a woman believed to have died in 1,200 B.C., the time of the legendary war chronicled by Homer, a leading German professor said on Tuesday. The discovery could add to evidence that Troy's lower area was bigger in the late Bronze Age than previously thought, changing scholars' perceptions about the city of the "Iliad." "If the remains are confirmed to be from 1,200 B.C. it would coincide with the Trojan war period. These people were buried near a mote. We are conducting radiocarbon testing, but the finding is electrifying," Pernicka told Reuters in a telephone interview. Ancient Troy is located in the northwest of modern-day Turkey at the mouth of the Dardanelles not far south of Istanbul.
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis says that Europe must not forget about Serbia and the Western Balkans. “Greece is a strong and committed partner to Serbia on her path to EU membership and an advocate of her interests in overall international relations,” the minister said. “Greece's position is very well-known. As far as we are concerned, everything is clear. When it comes to Holland, we cannot exert pressure. But every chance we get, we try to explain to our Dutch colleagues that it is very important for Serbia to be closer to the EU and that the Interim Trade Agreement and the SAA should be unblocked, “ she explained. “The region needs help. A very clear message needs to be sent that the EU hasn’t forgotten the Balkans. It’s very important for this to be the EU’s united message, and to the whole of the Balkans,” she stressed.
European Union nations have failed to agree on a ban on fishing bluefin tuna despite an appeal to do so from the EU head office. Stocks of the iconic threatened bluefin have dwindled for years. It has been ferociously hunted in the Mediterranean as a key ingredient in the world's finest sushi dishes. The European Commission said Tuesday that EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas "regrets" the failure of the 27 EU governments to support the ban. The tuna's precarious status has driven up prices and prompted fishermen to sidestep stringent quotas to fish illegally. The European Commission wants to impose a temporary ban until the stocks have recovered. Conservation groups condemned the EU failure.
Leader of the oppositional party PASOK George Papandreou said his party wants different proposals on Macedonia’s name in reference to the name dispute to become clear the matter in point is about two countries and to guarantee sovereignty of territorial boundaries has been kept, A1 television informed. Speaking with BBC why this is necessary after it has become clear the matter in point is about two countries Papandreou pointed it has not been clear how (in Macedonia) have to use the name. He .noted Macedonia is geographically located in three different countries-Greece, Bulgaria and FYROM and this is the reason Greece to insist on complicated name for the neighbor country. “There has been a proposal the country to be called “North Macedonia”, which to be used by everybody to avoid complications in diplomatic talks all over the world,” Greek politician said.
Chess legends Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov reignite one of the greatest rivalries in the history of chess this week with a re-match of their classic 1984 world championship contest. The two Russian grand masters, who are widely considered the greatest chess players ever, will play the first of a 12-game re-match in Valencia, Spain, starting on Tuesday, 25 years after the pair first competed for the world title. The event will be broadcast live on Valencia's regional government website (www.gva.es) with organizers expecting up to 10 million chess fans to follow the matches. The epic 1984 duel ended in controversy and without a clear winner when the World Chess Federation unexpectedly called off the match after five months of play, citing health concerns for the players who were both representing the Soviet Union. Then reigning champion Karpov, now 58, had won five matches while Kasparov, now 46, had won three with 40 other games ending as draws. Both players said they wanted to play on.
Resolutions for religious freedom for the Ecumenical Patriarchate continue to become introduced to state lawmakers around the country. Two new resolutions have been introduced to the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives: SCR 14 was introduced by Senator Joe Schiavoni and HCR 29 was introduced by Rep. Tom Letson. In Ohio, Fr. Thomas M. Constantine of St. John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Church has been a main advocate for the Mother Church of Constantinople, testifying in Columbus, Ohio before the Senate's state and local government affairs committee in support of a religious freedom resolution. To learn more about the Archons' Religious Freedom Resolutions Project, please click here.