I. FOXNEWS - Washington Gets the All Clear, Bin Laden Not in Town
Rest assured, Washingtonians. Usama bin Laden is not residing in the nation's capital. That's the word from the State Department following Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's attempt to toy with America's sense of security during an ABC interview that aired Wednesday morning. "I heard that Usama bin Laden is in Washington, D.C.," the head of the Islamic regime responded when asked repeatedly whether the Al Qaeda leader was roaming freely in Iran. But it's OK to exhale; State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says it's not true. "Over the past few hours, we've done an intensive search here at the Department of State -- every nook and cranny, every rock, and we can safely report that Usama bin Laden is not here," Crowley said at the end of his opening announcements in his daily briefing. Asked if a check had been done of the greater Washington area, Crowley, relieved by the laughter elicited from the comment, said no, but he's "pretty confident" Ahmadinejad is inaccurate. Pressed about reports that bin Laden is in Iran, Ahmadinejad told ABC, "Maybe you know, but I don't know." Then Ahmadinejad contended that bin Laden is in D.C., at the behest of a former U.S. president. "He's there because he was a previous partner of Mr. Bush. They were colleagues, in fact, in the old days. You know that? They worked together. Mr. Bin Laden never cooperated with Iran, but he cooperated with Mr. Bush," the Iranian president said.
What is Cinco de Mayo anyway? Contrary to popular belief, it's not Mexican Independence Day, which is commemorated Sept. 16. It actually celebrates the 1862 Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla and, according to many people, is more of a U.S. holiday than a Mexican one. For the average Mexican, today is just another Wednesday, wrote Oscar Casares, a professor at the University of Texas-Austin. "The holiday, which has never really been much of one in Mexico, crossed over to this side of the border in the 1950s and 1960s, as civil rights activists were attempting to build harmony between the two countries and cultures," Casares wrote. "The date gained more attention in the 1980s when marketers, particularly beer companies, saw this as a perfect opportunity to capitalize on the celebratory nature of the holiday." Eric Lurio wrote in the Huffington Post, "It's actually a Mexican-American holiday, which was for some reason very popular in California, and over the years has become the official Mexican ethnic day, as Columbus Day is for the Italians ... In other words, it's a harmless, if totally fake holiday."
III. B92- Ex-KLA leader arrested in Priština
According to media reports, EULEX police arrested Sabit Geci in Priština this Thursday. Geci, an ethnic Albanian, is described as one of the leaders of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and he is suspected of committing war crimes in 1999. The arrest was carried out this afternoon “with police out in force”, Tanjug reports. The crimes that Geci is suspected of were committed by the now disbanded KLA in the Klina-Mališevo-Glogovac triangle of the province, in the Drenica region. While a short EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX, police statement said that they “carried out a house search and arrested a male suspect in connection with war crimes allegedly committed between April and June 1999,” the Albanian language media in Priština identified the person as Sabit Geci.
The fortunes of a band of Somali pirates quickly changed Thursday when a Russian warship opened fire on a hijacked oil tanker, freeing the crew and arresting the bandits, who a day earlier had raced across the Indian Ocean to seize a cargo valued at more than $50 million. The high-seas battle unfolded after 23 crewmen on the tanker Moscow University sent a distress call and hid from the pirates in a sealed rudder compartment. A Russian destroyer closed in and special forces stormed the vessel at dawn, after marauders shot at a surveillance helicopter, according to the anti-piracy European Union Naval Force. "The Russian warship, knowing the crew was locked down and safe, returned fire on the pirates," said a statement released by the EU force. "Eventually the pirates surrendered and a boarding team from the Marshal Shaposhnikov [warship] arrived onboard the tanker, captured all the pirates and freed the crew. All the crew are safe and well." Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news services reported that one pirate was killed and 10 were arrested. The rescue operation was stunning, ending an ordeal less than 24 hours after pirates seized the 106,474-ton tanker about 350 miles off the Yemeni Island of Socotra. The vessel, owned by Novorossiysk Shipping Co. and carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil, had left Sudan and was bound for China, catching the attention of pirates who have expanded their hunting territory hundreds of miles from the Yemeni and Somali coasts. The Marshal Shaposhnikov, an anti-submarine destroyer, was part of a fleet of international warships to protect oil tankers and cargo ships in the vital shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. The anti-piracy effort has prevented a number of attacks. In February, Danish special forces foiled a hijacking of a merchant ship, and earlier this week a Greek warship fired at and arrested seven bandits in a speedboat off Yemen. Maritime authorities estimate that pirates have attacked hundreds of ships in recent years and have negotiated ransoms between $100 million and $200 million. Pirates are believed to be holding about 350 hostages and as many as 20 vessels.
Police in the Russian republic of Chuvashia held a 22-year-old man in connection with the killing of a priest, an investigation spokesman said Thursday. The unidentified suspect is a resident of Novocheboksarsk, a city on the southern bank of the Volga River about 2 miles from the Chuvashian capital Cheboksary, police quoted by the Russian Information Agency Novosti said. The unidentified priest who was also a monk from the Russian Orthodox St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cheboksary was found dead in his home Wednesday with multiple knife wounds, police said. He was the second priest killed in Chuvashia in two weeks. On April 24, a priest identified as Father Anatoly, 46, was discovered dead with a gunshot wound at his church in the village of Yantikovo, in the eastern part of Chuvashia. Police later detained a 47-year-old man with a history of mental illness in the killing. Investigators said they had no links between the two cases, Novosti reported. Chuvashia, located in the center of the European part of Russia, in the heart of the Volga-Vyatka region, is the homeland of the Chuvash people, a Turkic-speaking ethnic group whose members mostly belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. In November 2009 the Rev. Daniil Sysoyev of St. Thomas's Church in southern Moscow was shot dead by a masked gunman. Sysoyev was known for his active missionary work in converting Muslims and members of religious sects to Christianity. His assistant was badly wounded in the attack. The killing stirred a wave of condemnation from religious groups in Russia and demands for better security for the clergy.
VI. KATHIMERINI - Cyprus peace talks to resume, May 26
A United Nations spokesman yesterday announced that stalled Cyprus reunification talks are scheduled to resume on May 26. UN spokesman Rolando Gomez said in a statement that following consultations between Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's special adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer and the leaders of the two rival communities of the divided island, "Cyprus talks will resume on Wednesday, May 26, at 10 a.m. at the United Nations Protected Area in Nicosia." The UN-backed reunification talks were suspended in late March, ahead of April 18 elections in the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus, which saw pro-solution leftist Mehmet Ali Talat replaced by nationalist hardliner Dervis Eroglou. As part of his election campaign, Eroglou advocated greater independence for his community, a breakaway region recognized only by Ankara. Eroglou's election had raised concerns among Greek Cypriots that any progress made between Talat and Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias during intensive talks that began in September 2008 would be put into jeopardy by Eroglou's separatist stance. But Downer said in a separate statement on Tuesday that the new Turkish-Cypriot leader had agreed to pick up where the talks left off. "It's a good outcome and I think we will just have to wait and see how the talks go once they resume, but it's good we are getting the process going again," said Downer. "This is an agreement which is within the reach of the leaders," he added. "What is needed is the political will to grasp it." Major issues that remain pending on the negotiation table are property rights and security. Chapters such as governance, power sharing, EU affairs and the economy, on which significant progress has already been made, will not be reopened by Eroglou, said Downer. "Both leaders have made it clear to me that they are very committed to a solution. Time will tell," added Downer.
May 16, 2010. AHEPA Sunday. To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America. Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On this day we as the Holy Archdiocese of America recognize the members and service of the American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association. The AHEPA family has a long history of promoting Hellenism, education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence in a spirit of true diakonia and community. Through national and international programs, initiatives, and annual meetings, the members of AHEPA continue to enhance the well-being of so many. They are also members of the parishes and organizations of our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, worshipping and serving in our sacred mission to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in this way that the goals of AHEPA represent the nature of the relationship of our Orthodox faith and Hellenic heritage. With a tradition of compassion for those in need, a dedication to the highest ideals, and a commitment to offering so that others might succeed in life, the members of AHEPA are able to provide a witness of the attributes of our faith and heritage that nurture our potential and affirm our need for God and one another. This is a witness that we can all offer as Greek Americans, Philhellenes, and Orthodox Christians, sharing with everyone the great inheritance we have received. On this Sunday, we thank the AHEPA family for their significant contribution in our communities, this country, and around the world. I ask all of our parishes to recognize the members of AHEPA and promote the work of this esteemed organization. As brothers and sisters in Christ and as beneficiaries of a great and beautiful tradition of faith, truth, knowledge and life, let us pray to God for the vital work of AHEPA, and may we labor together for His honor and glory. [To read more about AHEPA, click here.]