I. GUARDIAN - Jennifer Lopez criticised over Cyprus gig
Singer Jennifer Lopez may have given it little thought when she accepted a seemingly innocuous invitation to celebrate her 41st birthday in northern Cyprus. The deal: a sun-soaked stay en famille at a $220m destination described as the "single biggest hotel project both sides of the island" in exchange for a one-off performance to celebrate its opening. But on the Island of Love, where memories of war are never far removed, the star appears to have walked into a political minefield. Instead of eliciting hot anticipation, the visit has ignited the sort of controversy that no celebrity needs. Cyprus was invaded in 1974 by Turkish troops and has been divided between Greeks in the south and Turks in the north ever since. It remains one of the world's most intractable disputes, where almost every action is seen through a political lens. A web campaign led by indignant Greek Cypriots to convince Lopez to change her mind has attracted thousands of signatories angry that she should even consider performing in territory that is not officially recognised by the United Nations. "It is with dismay and shock that the people of Cyprus and especially the Greek Cypriot women in the Republic of Cyprus and elsewhere in the world heard the news that you intend to attend the inauguration of a hotel in the occupied by Turkey [sic] part of our native country," says a letter that forms the basis of the campaign. The missive, carried on the Cyprus Action Network of America, argues that nearly four decades after the island was "barbarically invaded" it would be morally unconscionable for the artist to visit. To add insult to injury, campaigners say the hotel in Kyrenia will open on 20 July, exactly 36 years since Turkish paratroopers were dropped onto the island's central plain. "The Turks go to a great length to secure support from people like you in order to promote their political ambitions and objectives. Does your charitable work and status permit you to give credibility to Turkish rapists, thieves, invaders, occupiers of our stolen properties," the letter asks. Despite the furore, the five-star Cratos Premium insists the event will go ahead, promising a "very special birthday party … full of surprises for Jennifer Lopez". But opposition is mounting. An estimated 7,000 people have signed up to a Facebook campaign – and it shows no sign of letting up. To read more about this campaign in English, Greek and Spanish, click here.
II. PROPERTYCOMMUNITY - Group calls for illegal property in Cyprus to be demolished
Technical advisors are calling for the Cyprus government to demolish illegally built properties that are unlikely to be approved under the new planning amnesty. As part of its plan to sort out the decades long title deed and illegal building situation the government has set up a process where illegal developments can be regularised. But the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK), the statutory technical advisor to the state, wants a clear sign that illegal building will not be tolerated. It believes that demolition will not just be a penalty for those who have broken the law but also serve as a warning to those who may consider breaking the law in the future. ETEK also wants a black list of property developers who sell apartments off-plan without first having secured the necessary permissions and who then make false claims regarding completion and withhold Title Deeds, and those who, having been refused a loan, remortgage property for which no Title Deed has been issued in order to fund the development of their next illegal project. There is still considerable doubt in Cyprus that the measures currently being adopted with solve the problems faces by tens of thousands of property buyers who don't have title deeds and who may face having their properties demolished. There is also concern about how long it is taking to put the new bill into action.
III. JPOST - Israel: No apology to Turkey
Israel has "no intention of apologizing to Turkey "over the IDF's interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla last month, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday. Speaking during a visit to Lithuania, Lieberman said that, "The opposite was true." Lieberman's remarks came after a warning from Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that Turkey would cut ties with Israel unless a formal apology was issued for the deaths of nine Turkish citizens aboard the Mavi Marmara during Israel's raid of the ship. The Turkish foreign minister reportedly said “relations will be broken” if Jerusalem does not issue an apology or agree to the establishment of an international commission of inquiry into the deadly clash between its navy commandos and the activists on board the aid ship aiming to break the blockade on the Strip. Davutoglu was quoted as saying that Turkey would not permit Israeli military flights in its airspace. He conceded that in the event that an Israeli committee investigated the incident rather than an international one, as Jerusalem demands, Turkey would be content with an admission “that the raid was unjust.”
IV. REUTERS - Kosovo Serb shot in flashpoint town
An unidentified gunman shot and slightly hurt an ethnic Serb member of the Kosovo parliament in a fresh incident in the divided northern town of Mitrovica, police said Monday. It was the second act of political violence in Mitrovica in the past week, highlighting continuing tensions in the former Serb province, whose Albanian majority declared independence from Belgrade in 2008. "The incident occurred at 8.20 (7:20 a.m. British time) when Petar Miletic was leaving his home in northern Mitrovica to go to work in Pristina," said Ergin Medic, deputy regional police chief. Mitrovica remains divided along the Ibar river between Albanians in the south and Serbs in north. Half of Kosovo's 120,000 Serbs, including 20,000 in Mitrovica, live north of the Ibar, which is linked with Serbia by roads. They refuse to deal with Kosovon institutions and regard Belgrade as their capital. Serbia's President Boris Tadic will attend a United Nations Security Council session in New York this week to discuss the security situation in Mitrovica, after one person was killed in a blast during a Serb protest rally Friday. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia asked the International Court of Justice to rule on the legality of the move. The ruling is expected later in July. Some 10,000 NATO peacekeepers along with European Union police and justice missions keep the fragile peace in Kosovo.
British authorities expect an extradition hearing in London for the former president of Bosnia-Herzegovina to last five days. Ejuo Ganic has been under house arrest for four months since he was detained at Heathrow Airport at the request of Serbia. Serbia accused Ganic of ordering the killing of retreating Serbian soldiers in 1992 during the early days of the Bosnian war. Ganic, who was acting president at the time of his arrest, has called the charges politically motivated and accused the British government of doing Serbia's police work.
The president of the Lutheran World Federation, the Rev Mark S. Hanson, says "commitment, capacity and concern" defined the purpose of a recent ecumenical church leaders' meeting on Middle East issues at the White House. The meeting was organised by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) in Washington DC, an organisation of which Hanson's own Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a member. He is also the denomination's presiding bishop. The meeting was with Denis McDonough, chief of staff of the White House National Security Council. "The greatest antidote to religious extremism in the world is to see us, who are not religious extremists, consistently work with people of other faiths to achieve a just and lasting peace; and for people to see successes from these efforts," the Lutheran leader suggested. The church leaders also addressed concerns regarding Israeli settlement construction and settlement expansion, humanitarian relief into Gaza, the future of Christianity and the group's commitment to Jerusalem as a shared city, both shared as a holy city for three faiths and shared in terms of Palestinian and Israeli governments, according to Hanson. The conversation with McDonough was held prior to President Barack Obama's meeting this week with the Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. In addition to the anticipated meeting between Obama and Netanyahu, Hanson said the meeting with McDonough was important because of the recent attention to Gaza and the flotilla raids, the proximity talks that former US Senator George Mitchell is conducting, forthcoming United Nations and Arab League meetings and the expiry of the moratorium on settlement expansions. Others in the group that met with McDonough included Bishop Denis Madden, auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, representing the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Fr Mark Arey of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; Rolando L. Santiago, United States executive director of the Mennonite Central Committee; Angel Nunez, senior vice president, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; and Warren Clark, executive director, Churches for Middle East Peace.
VII. MOSPAT - Moscow mayor receives Athonite monks
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov received on 1 July 2010 a group of monks from Holy Mount Athos led by Archimandrite Simeon from Dionysiou Monastery. Participating in the meeting were Moscow city officials and Hegumen Nikon Smirnov, rector of the Moscow representation of St. Panteleimon’s Monastery on Mouth Athos. The Athonite monks arrived in Russia to participate in the celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo and to consecrate there the restored church of the Holy Protomartyr Catherine. They brought over for St. Catherine’s Cathedral a copy of the miracle-working Icon of the Mother of God the Prodromitissa kept in the Romanian secluded monastery Prodrom on Mount Athos. After the celebrations in St. Petersburg the delegation visited Moscow since early in June the Moscow Mayor made a pilgrimage to Mount Athos and was given a warm welcome by the Athonite community. During the meeting Mr. Luzhkov informed the monks that the Moscow Government would help restore the Old Russik, the oldest Russian monastery on Athos. The Old Russik was abandoned for a long time and now needs urgent restoration. Mr. Luzhkov assured his guests that all the necessary works to restore the monastery would be completed shortly.