The law establishing an annual National Day of Prayer has been declared unconstitutional by a federal judge. Judge Barbara Crabb issued the ruling Thursday in a lawsuit filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation against President Barack Obama and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Congress established the National Day of Prayer in 1952 and in 1988 set the first Thursday in May as the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray. Crabb's injunction barring such proclamations won't take effect until appeals are exhausted, so an Obama spokesman says the president will still proclaim this year's observance on May 6. Obama issued a proclamation last year but didn't hold a public event with religious leaders.
The investments of large insurers of health, disability and long term care in fast food chains like McDonald's and Pizza Hut have raised the interest of a study in the American Journal of Public Health. The Harvard Medical School's Dr. Wesley Boyd, an author of the study, finds it ironic that these firms would invest nearly $2 billion in companies that sell food often linked to obesity and cardiovascular disease. Among big investors in fast food companies are life and disability insurers, like Prudential Financial, Northwestern Mutual and Massachusetts Mutual. According to the study, Northwestern Mutual owns $422.2 million in fast-food stock, with $318.1 million invested in McDonald's. Massachusetts Mutual owns $366.5 million of fast-food stock, including $267.2 in McDonald's. Holland-based ING, an investment firm that also offers life and disability insurance, has total fast-food holdings of $406.1 million, including $12.3 million in Jack in the Box, $311 million in McDonald's, and $82.1 million in Yum! Brands, which owns Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell. New Jersey-based Prudential Financial Inc. sells life insurance and long-term disability coverage. With total fast-food holdings of $355.5 million, Prudential Financial owns $197.2 of stock in McDonald's and also has significant stakes in Burger King, Jack-in-the-Box and Yum! Brands.
III. KATHIMERINI - EU under fire over trade move, Cyprus
Greece yesterday criticized the European Commission for allegedly failing to consult Cyprus before seeking to unblock trade relations with the island’s breakaway Turkish-Cypriot north. Athens said the Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, had “given an impression of poor faith” in seeking to lift an embargo on the breakaway state that was illegally set up after a Turkish invasion in 1974. “There is an impression of poor faith on behalf of the Commission,” Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras told reporters, adding that Athens would support Cyprus in contesting the initiative. “Greece will stand by [Cyprus’s] side every step of the way with every means at its disposal both at the European Parliament and Council level,” the spokesman said. The European Union in June approved steps to facilitate trade relations between the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island and the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus to support ongoing reunification talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Turkey refuses to open its ports and airports to Cypriot ships and planes until negotiations on the status of the divided island are concluded. “The Commission must do what is self-evident, to cooperate with member states. It cannot treat this as a procedural matter when it knows that it concerns vital interests of a member state and could affect the [reunification] talks,” Delavekouras said. Turkey hopes reunification talks between the halves of the island divided since 1974 will clear the way for negotiations with the European Union on several policy issues stalling Turkey’s EU membership bid.
European air traffic remains crippled for a second day as the colossal cloud of Icelandic volcanic ash continues to blow slowly across Northern Europe. Tens of thousands of passengers are stranded as airspace from Britain to Poland stays closed. It could affect Sunday's state burial of the late Polish president and his wife if heads of state cannot get to the funeral. The ash is now approaching the skies above Moscow, and many flights to Europe’s main airports are being cancelled. Paul Martin Holm, an associate professor in the University of Copenhagen's Department of Geography and Geology says that what makes this eruption particularly “violent” is the fact that it is taking place under ice. While anxious passengers wait in overcrowded terminals, specialists say the worst might not be over. “The eruption is not over yet, and we do not know when it is going to end. The eruptions are happening in series, and every one is bigger than the previous one. For example, this eruption is 15 times bigger than the first one which happened on March 21,”said Pavel Plechov from the Geology Department of Moscow State University. “So when it stops, we will be able to predict when the ash cloud will settle. But it won't happen soon. Although the ashes that prevent flights will settle in a few days, tiny particles might stay in the atmosphere for a few years and affect the climate.” “Icelandic scientists are now closely watching the neighbouring volcano, which is much bigger and much more dangerous. If that wakes up, it might destroy much of Iceland,” concluded Plechov.
V. RIANOVOSTI - Medvedev threatens Russian withdrawal from Kyoto agreement
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday the country will pull out of the Kyoto environmental agreement if a compromise cannot be found concerning the reduction of carbon emissions. "All countries, including developed and developing economies, should reach an agreement, or, if we do not agree on this [the common terms of carbon emissions reduction], Russia will not prolong its participation in the Kyoto agreement - you cannot have it both ways," the president said. The statement came after the BRIC summit in Brazil's capital, Brasilia. The top-level talks, bringing together the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, were aimed at improving the current global economic situation and strengthen cooperation between the four countries. The Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding agreement restricting carbon emissions, some points of which expire in 2012. A new global climate deal is needed to continue efforts beyond 2012. The controversial UN climate summit, which took place in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, in December 2009, was originally expected to see the signing of a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol, but countries only agreed to try to keep average increases in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius. India, China and other emerging economies have not undertaken any obligations concerning the reduction of carbon emissions. The United States said it would not participate in the agreement until at least 2013. The county considers that climate change should be tackled by modern technologies, not cuts in carbon emissions stipulated by the Kyoto Protocol. Medvedev earlier said that while the 2009 Copenhagen Summit was a disappointment, Russia was determined to push forward strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, saying the country could then meet its target of a 25% cut by 2020. Medvedev signed Russia's climate doctrine in the midst of the summit. The document requires the government to integrate various programs aimed at tackling climate changes caused by man into the doctrine implementation. Medvedev also spoke of the need for a global climate agreement, but one that would "answer the interests of Russia's sustainable development." This, he said, would need a strong coordinated effort from all branches of Russia's government.
VI. B92 - Kosovo should not be defended with arms
Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Irinej said that it is better to defend Kosovo with history, culture, holy sites and love for them, than with weapons. He told Odbrana (Defense) magazine that he hopes that the world would not make a great mistake and allow this holiest of Serbian land to belong to someone else, because such a solution would create a flashpoint between Serbia and its neighbors, since such a Kosovo would always be a danger to peace—“both our peace and world peace”. “For us, even possibility that Kosovo would not within Serbia is an unimaginable history. Serbia is Kosovo and Metohija. That is where our history and culture begins. The center of our church is there, the Peć Patriarchy,” Irinej said. According to the spiritual leader of Orthodox Serb Christians, the main weapon in the fight for preserving the province should be love for Kosovo, because “as long as Kosovo is in our thoughts, in our hearts, in our songs... it can only be Serbian.” Irinej said that the decision of KFOR to pull its unit that protects SPC churches and monasteries in Kosovo and give them over to the Kosovo police could be a tragic one, “given the current disposition of our neighbors the Albanians.”
IOCC's ongoing relief efforts in Haiti received a boost from the faithful of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP (Saliba) presented a check for $150,000 to IOCC Executive Director and CEO Constantine M. Triantafilou, in the presence of His Grace Bishop Antoun, Order of St Ignatius of Antioch chair Dan Abraham, and IOCC board members the Very Rev. Michael Ellias and Anne Glynn Mackoul on April 14 at Antiochian headquarters in Englewood, N.J. The gift brought the total raised by IOCC in response to the earthquake in Haiti to over one million dollars. When the earth shook in Haiti, it also shook our hearts and our souls. The faithful of the Antiochian Archdiocese responded generously to my appeal and I am pleased to present this check to IOCC," said His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP. "We are blessed to have IOCC as the humanitarian arm of the Orthodox Church in North America, representing us for such emergencies throughout the world," his Eminence continued. "We are grateful to His Eminence and the Antiochian faithful who generously provided this support from churches throughout the U.S.," said IOCC Board Chairman Alex Machaskee. "The generosity of Orthodox Christians has been tremendous in supporting our efforts to assist those who have been affected by this tragedy," he continued. From the first days of this tragedy IOCC has worked on behalf of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) with its Orthodox Christian and ecumenical partners to provide immediate food, shelter and other basic needs to the suffering people of Haiti. IOCC has delivered more than $2.7 million in immediate relief to Haitians since the middle of January. Medicines, medical equipment, water purification and sanitation equipment, tents, hygiene kits, shelter materials, fuel, food, blankets, jerry cans for water and mattresses have been shipped and distributed throughout Haiti in cooperation with Orthodox Christian partners, ACT Alliance members and other partners. IOCC has received support for Haiti from Orthodox churches throughout the U.S. including thousands of hygiene kits that were assembled or collected by Orthodox Christians. IOCC made an appeal for the kits following the January 12 earthquake. The kits were used to assist Haiti's survivors and will also be available for use in response to disasters and situations of need throughout the world. IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) and a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy. You can help the victims of disasters around the world, like the Haiti Earthquake, by making a financial gift to the IOCC International Emergency Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a gift, please visit www.iocc.org.