I. RIANOVOSTI - U.S. to cooperate with Russia on global missile defense system
The United States is ready to cooperate with Russia toward the creation of a global missile defense system, the U.S. Ambassador to Russia said on Monday. "We will continue this dialogue so that Russia and we can work together on the creation of a global missile defense system," John Beyrle said in Russian while speaking to students and staff at a Moscow university. U.S.-Russia relations have seen a dramatic increase since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama announced last year a new policy of resetting bilateral ties and overcoming Cold-War era set-backs. Although Obama scrapped last September earlier plans to deploy missile defense elements in the Czech Republic and Poland, Washington has not given up on its European missile shield initiative. In May, the United States opened a temporary military base in northern Poland, just 80 km (50 miles) from the border of Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, in accordance with an agreement negotiated under former President George Bush in 2008 - a move which drew much criticism from Russia. The United States is also in talks with Bulgaria and Romania on deploying elements of the U.S. missile shield on their territories from 2015.
Iran's president says Tehran will not hold talks with the West over its disputed nuclear program until late August to "punish" world powers for imposing tougher economic sanctions. The U.N. Security Council approved new sanctions against Iran earlier this month over Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters Monday in Tehran that the decision is aimed at "punishing them (the West) to teach them the custom of talking to our nation." The U.S. and some of its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge.
III. WSJ - Somali Pirates Hijack Singapore Ship
Somali pirates on Monday hijacked a Singaporean-flagged ship carrying a poisonous chemical, officials said. The Golden Blessing was seized approximately 60 miles off the northern tip of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden, said Lt. Col. Per Klingvall, a spokesman for the European Union's antipiracy force. All 19 Chinese crew members are reported to be safe, he said. The ship was reported to be on its way from Saudi Arabia to India. Col. Klingvall said the 14,445-ton chemical tanker was carrying a cargo of glycol ethylene, which is used in antifreeze, when it was captured. The vessel, owned by Golden Pacific International Holdings Ltd. and chartered out to Shanghai Dingheng Shipping Co. Ltd., was moving toward the Somali coast after the hijacking. In a statement, the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority said it "is working with relevant government agencies and the ship owner, and is monitoring the situation closely." Somali pirates hold more than a dozen ships and several hundred crew members. The waters surrounding Somalia, including the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, are known to be among the world's most dangerous. An international flotilla, including warships from the U.S., European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Japan and China, has been patrolling the area to protect a sea lane that links Asia to Europe.
Spontaneous combustion of a dead plant in a hanging planter is being blamed for a Sunday afternoon fire that caused damage estimated at $3,000 to a townhouse on Chase Court. Frederick County Fire Marshal Marc McNeal said excessive heat caused the dead plant to catch fire at 2:07 p.m. The hanging basket attached to a rear deck rail fell to the deck, causing it to burn and damaging vinyl siding. About 20 firefighters spent about 10 minutes extinguishing the blaze in the 5700 block of Chase Court. No one was injured, according to the fire marshal.
UN Special Representative for the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece, Matthew Nimetz, intensified actions and contacts with the two countries, which raises hopes that the issue might be solved, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said, as cited by Macedonian Vecer daily. Gruevski’s statement comes as a respond to the thesis of Belgian Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere, who believes that the name row will be solved in several weeks. “We keep regular contact with Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou so as to improve the situation and the relations between the two countries and to create favorable grounds for UN mediator Matthew Nimetz to make a proposal that is acceptable for both parties,” Gruevski remarked.
VI. B92 - Rights in Kosovo-Metohija
Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanović opened late Sunday this year's Vidovdan (St. Vitus Day) poetry reading at the SPC monastery of Gračanica. Speaking at the Serbian Orthodox monastery located near the Serb enclave, Bogdanović and said that official Belgrade does not want to infringe on the rights on any resident of Kosovo and wishes to find a way for everyone to live together. "It is not our intention to humiliate anyone because we know what that means. We do not intend to make anybody feel like the loser. We want to look for solutions, defend what is ours, and make the survival of our institutions, people and church possible," Bogdanović said. He added that Serbs need to be patient and persevere through these difficult times by drawing strength from their roots. On Monday, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and the Serb people are marking the religious and national holiday Vidovdan and 621 years since the 1389 Battle of Kosovo when Serbs fought to defend their lands and Christianity from the Ottoman Empire.
VII. VATICANRADIO - Pope Benedict Welcomes Orthodox Cooperation in Middle East Synod, Sts. Peter and Paul Feast
A delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has arrived in Rome to take part in celebrations marking the Feast of of Sts. Peter and Paul. Their visit reciprocates one made by a delegation of the Holy See to Istanbul, for the feast of St. Andrew, earlier this year. The delegation is led by His Eminence Gennadios (Limouris), Metropolitan of Sassia, His Excellency Bartholomais (Ioannis Kessidis), Bishop of Arianzós, Assistant Metropolitan of Germany and the reverend deacon Thedoros Meimaris. On Monday morning the Holy Father greeted them in private audience. Speaking to them in English, he praised progress in Catholic Orthodox dialogue and asked for their close cooperation in the October Synod of Bishops for the Churches in the Middle East: The Pope welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch’s decision to send a delegation to “participate in the work of the Synodal Assembly. He said : “I am certain that the theme of ecumenical cooperation between the Christians of that region will receive great attention”. “The difficulties that the Christians of the Middle East are experiencing are in large measure common to all: living as a minority, and yearning for authentic religious freedom and for peace”. Pope Benedict also stated that “dialogue is needed with the Islamic and Jewish communities”. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches celebrate the feast of the martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul on the same day. It is one of the most ancient of the liturgical year, and in the words of the Pope, “it testifies to a time when our communities were living in full communion with one another”. To read the Pope's entire text, please click here.