I. RADIOSRBIJA - Balkans on the crossroads between the past and the present
All the Balkan countries should become full-fledged members of the EU and it is necessary to eliminate current obstacles in that process, the Serbian, Spanish and Turkish foreign ministers, Vuk Jeremić, Miguel Angel Moratinos and Ahmet Davutoglu said after a trilateral meeting in Belgrade. Serbia has initiative in that respect and is trying to boost the development of relations between countries in the region. The relations of West Balkan states are burdened with numerous open-ended issues from the recent past. Brussels welcomes the frequent exchange of visits among Serbian, Croatian and BIH officials, assessing them as a major requirement for reconciliation, security, stability and prosperity in the region. The EU message is clear – Balkan countries must realize that mutual cooperation is beneficial. The unresolved Kosovo issue is a problem burdening regional relations. Some of the countries have recognized its unilaterally proclaimed independence, which Serbia will not accept. As for the participation of Kosovo in regional conferences, Serbia calls for full respect of the international law and UN SC Resolution 1244. The meeting of , the Serbian, Spanish and Turkish foreign ministers resulted only in a promise that efforts will be made for the purpose of establishment of good cooperation in the region. Simic expressed concern that, if the issue is not adequately resolved, future regional cooperation will face a big challenge. However, at this moment the countries of the region are interested in having the Eurointegration process accelerated, merely because of the fact that all the countries have been struck by the global economic crisis and that foreign investments are not arriving as before. The Balkan region is a small fragmented market lacking the economic scope that enables more investments and major projects.
II. BUSINESSWEEK - Qatar to pour millions in Cyprus property
Qatar and Cyprus signed an agreement on Wednesday to build a multimillion dollar luxury hotel, office and residential complex in the commercial center of the island's capital. Qatar's Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias signed the deal to establish a joint venture in which the two countries will hold an equal stake in the 55,000 square-meter (592,020 square foot) complex that will also include retail shopping and residential quarters. Construction crews are expected to break ground for the first phase of the complex -- a 5-star hotel -- by the end of the year. The Qatari official put the hotel's estimated cost at over $150 million (euro111.7 million) and it will be completed within 30 months once construction begins. Officials did not disclose the overall cost of the complex. Al Hedfa said oil-rich Qatar opted to invest in Cyprus because the island was left relatively unscathed from the global economic crisis. "We believe in the economy of Cyprus," he said. Cyprus Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis said the government will contribute the land on which the complex will be built. The land's value will be calculated by an international real estate appraiser. The two countries also signed an agreement on forging closer air transport links.
III. SMH - France to ban Islamic veil in public
The French government is drawing up a law to ban the full-face Islamic veil from all public spaces, despite a warning from experts that it could face a legal challenge, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The spokesman for President Nicolas Sarkozy's government said the bill would be presented to ministers in May and would go beyond a mere ban on women wearing the niqab and the burqa while dealing with French officials. "We're legislating for the future. Wearing a full veil is a sign of a community closing in on itself and a rejection of our values." Last month, the State Council - France's top administrative authority - warned Sarkozy against a full ban on the veil, suggesting instead an order that women uncover their faces for identity checks or for state business. But there remains broad support in parliament for a full ban and the government is determined to press on with legislation, which it says would affect only around 2,000 Muslim French women who currently cover their faces.
The U.S. has ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program any time soon, hoping instead negotiations and United Nations sanctions will prevent the Middle East nation from developing nuclear weapons, a top U.S. defense department official said Wednesday. The U.S. and its allies fear Tehran is using its nuclear program to build arms. Iran denies the charges, and says its program only aims to generate electricity. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted Wednesday by Iran's state media saying the country won't give in to U.S. pressure. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard is preparing to hold large-scale military maneuvers in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iran has rejected a 2009 U.N.-backed plan that offered nuclear fuel rods to Tehran in exchange for Iran's stock of lower-level enriched uranium. The swap would curb Tehran's capacity to make a nuclear bomb. The U.S. is lobbying heavily in the Security Council for sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
V. FOXNEWS - Poll: Americans Say U.S. Cars Top Asian Autos
Could the U.S. love affair with foreign autos be cooling? An Associated Press-GfK Poll shows that more Americans now say U.S.-made automobiles are better than cars made by Asian countries. People give American autos an edge over their Asian competitors 38 percent to 33 percent. That's a modest advantage, but a big turnabout from a 2006 AP-AOL poll in which Americans picked Asian-made autos over U.S. autos for quality, 46 percent to 29 percent. The change reflects Toyota's fading reputation as well as growing respect for Ford. Fifteen percent of those polled in March said Toyota makes the best cars, down from 25 percent in 2006.
The lease of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet base in Ukraine’s Crimea will be extended for 25 more years beyond 2017. President Dmitry Medvedev and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovich signed the agreement after the talks in Kharkov, eastern Ukraine, on Wednesday. The document stipulates a five-year extension after the term expires. The previous agreement on the lease was signed in 1997 for 20 years. Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko described the possible prolongation of the document a factor “destabilizing” the situation in his country. Yanukovich, elected president in February, has pledged to improve ties with Russia. The heads of state also signed a gas deal which stipulates a discount of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters at the natural gas price of $330 and a 30 per cent discount on other prices, RIA Novosti news agency said. Discounts will come into effect from April this year. Russia’s Gazprom plans to supply 36.5 billion cubic meters to Ukraine this year. Moscow will also invest $40 billion over the next 10 years in Ukrainian gas sphere. Ukraine transits about 80 per cent of Russian natural gas exports to Europe. In exchange, Moscow may be offered participation in Ukrainian energy projects and a stake in the country’s gas transportation system. The gas price issue has been remaining one of the most important topics in the bilateral relations. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with his Ukrainian counterpart Nikolay Azarov a day before Medvedev’s trip to Kharkov. According to Azarov, the two governments have come to a “common position.” But the details of the agreement had to be discussed by the presidents. Medvedev said he wanted his first visit to Ukraine as president to become one of the steps that should “turn ordinary relations into a partnership, returning to them the quality of strategic relations between two very close countries.” As the relations were chilly under former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Medvedev believes the main task now is to fill all the gaps in relations on all levels. The meetings between the countries’ leaders are necessary to gain results, he noted, promising to pay a full-format official visit later.
VII. PRAVMIR - The Lord is my Shepherd
Written for the April 2009 issue of ‘Common Ground’ – a magazine dedicated to Jewish-Christian dialogue
The psalms are a fundamental part not only of the Jewish but also of the Christian Orthodox Tradition. The Psalter is the cornerstone of every Orthodox service. From the psalms Orthodox Christians have drawn inspiration, spiritual comfort and peace for centuries. In all Orthodox churches, the authoritative text of the Old Testament is the ancient Greek translation known as the Septuagint. The Hebrew version of the Old Testament contains thirty-nine books. The Septuagint contains in addition ten further books, not present in the Hebrew, which are known in the Orthodox Church as the ‘Deutero-Canonical Books’, more commonly known in the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches as the ‘Apocrypha’ (3 Esdras; Tobit; Judith; 1, 2, and 3 Maccabees; Wisdom of Solomon; Ecclesiasticus; Baruch; Letter of Jeremiah). Of all books of the Old Testament, the book of the psalms is without doubt that which has greater universal appeal throughout Christendom and, of course, amongst all Abrahamic Faiths. In Orthodox monasteries and convents, the reading and reciting of the psalms constitutes a daily service and is a part of the monastic discipline. Psalm 23 (Psalm 22 in the Septuagint) is particularly dear to my heart, as it is sure to be to millions of people of faith. This psalm has a very human character and it applies to our own existential relationship with God the Creator Who brought us into being and makes provision for our everyday sustenance and spiritual wellbeing. Its teaching reminds us of that which is most essential in our lives, that we are God’s children and so we must love and trust in Him for all things both in the present and in the future. The psalm is reminiscent of Christ’s teaching about the good shepherd. As a clergyman and in particular as an Archbishop, a shepherd of the spiritual flock that is my Archdiocese, the image and teaching of the shepherd is a constant reminder to imitate Christ in my own ministry. It helps me also to better understand my responsibilities toward my spiritual children for whom Christ gave His life in order to make them and us all members of His heavenly Kingdom. This psalm is also frequently used by Orthodox Christians in their prayers of preparation for Holy Communion, most certainly because of the phrase: “You prepare a table before me… your cup inebriates me…” Needless-to-day, it is the bishop’s primary task and privilege to celebrate the Eucharist. And so Psalm 23 for me reiterates the Eucharistic and hierarchical character of the Orthodox Church, and on a more personal level, it reminds me, a Shepherd of the Greek Orthodox Christian Flock in the United Kingdom, to always deepen my commitment to pastoral care and to my liturgical and educational responsibilities with fear of God and with awe and adoration of our only High Priest, the only Good Shepherd, Who gave Himself up for the life and salvation of the world. Psalm 23 reads: The Lord is my shepher; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You annoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. Side story about Shirley and Marcy... A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn‟t want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know that he was safe. So she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn‟t notice her. She said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well. So the neighbor agreed. The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. She did this for a whole week. As the two walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy‟s little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally she said to Timmy, “Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?” Timmy nonchalantly replied, “Yeah, I know who she is”. The little girl said, “Well, who is she”. “That‟s just Shirley Goodnest”, Timmy replied, “and her daughter Marcy”. “Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us?” “Well”, Timmy explained, “every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, „cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, „Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life‟, so I guess I‟ll just have to get used to it!”
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace”. “May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy be with you today and always”