The U.S. government has recognized the World War II architect of a mission to rescue more than 500 U.S. bomber crew members shot down over Nazi-occupied Serbia. It was the largest air rescue of Americans behind enemy lines in any war. George Vujnovich is credited with leading the so-called Halyard Mission in what was then Yugoslavia. The 95-year-old New York City man was awarded the Bronze Star in a ceremony Sunday at Manhattan's St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral. He received a standing ovation from a crowd of several hundred. He's long retired from his job as a salesman of aircraft parts. Vujnovich says of the honor, "better now than never" — but he regrets most of the men on his wartime mission are no longer alive.
II. IMFA - Israel-Greece sign aviation agreement
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman and Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas signed today (Monday 18 October 2010) an aviation agreement between Israel and Greece. The agreement signed today replaces the previous aviation agreement between the two countries which was signed in 1952. The new agreement regulates a variety of issues and is aimed at promoting the aviation relationship between the countries, including the appointing of additional carriers, enabling up to two carriers to service each side for each destination (instead of the present one), establishing rules for setting rates, establishing guidelines for settling differences through negotiation, mediation and arbitration, establishing a schedule of routes, setting up guidelines for mutual criticism of the agreement and the appointed air carriers regarding compliance with safety regulations that relate to aviation facilities, flight teams, aircraft or their operation, and other subjects. Prior to the signing of the agreement, FM Liberman and FM Droutsas met in a private session, and in an extended meeting discussed the bilateral relationship, the situation in the region and negotiations with the Palestinians. At the signing ceremony, which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, FM Liberman stated that there is a good and close level of cooperation between Israel and Greece, and that this relationship is beneficial not only to the two countries but to the entire region. FM Liberman further stated that he is pleased to sign the aviation agreement, as it is an important agreement which will benefit both countries. FM Droutsas noted the strengthening of the bilateral relationship, which includes the many meetings between FM Liberman and himself, as well as meetings between other senior Greek and Israeli officials, and added that the aviation agreement shows how the strengthening of the relationship can be translated into practical terms. The Greek foreign minister also stated that additional areas of mutual interest were defined, and that the two sides were looking into other areas in which cooperation could be expanded. FM Droutsas said that the discussions with FM Liberman were very effectual and contributed to the cooperation between the two countries. He added that Greece is interested in promoting peace and stability in the area, and if both sides are willing, is ready to offer its services to assist on this issue.
III. NYDAILYNEWS - NATO: Osama Bin Laden is "living comfortably in Pakistan"
Osama Bin Laden is living it up in Pakistan, not hiding in a Tora Bora cave, a senior NATO official tells CNN. The report states that Bin Laden, the founder of Al Qaeda, is shacked up in a home somewhere in the northwest region of the country. With Bin Laden is his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, although the odd couple are not bosom buddies sharing a pad, but merely neighbors. "Nobody in Al Qaeda is living in a cave," the unnamed official told CNN. Pakistan has denied that Bin Laden is in their country. According to the official, the terror boss has moved around over the years, but has remained in the region which borders Afghanistan near Tora Bora to the west, as well as Tajikistan to the north and China to the east. The source, who according to CNN has access to sensitive information as a senior NATO official, also said that Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban which has led the insurgency against the United States in Afghanistan, also spends time in Pakistan. Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik played down reports that Bin Laden and his ilk were based in his country. Reports of the terror mastermind's location have surfaced in the media before, and have rarely been reliable, he said.
IV. EURONEWS - Saudis warn France of terror threat
French tourist sites are to remain on high alert amid fresh fears of an imminent terror attack. Tension rose last month after warnings that al Qaeda could be planning simultaneous commando-style raids in several European cities. Now alarm bells are ringing again with reports from Saudi Arabian security services that the group is active, or planning to be active, in Europe, especially in France. French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux revealed the warning, pointing to information confirming the reality of a threat from radical Islamists. September’s scare included a reported tip-off that a female suicide bomber was planning to attack the French transport system. The recent ban on the full-face Muslim veil has heightened fears France could be a terrorism target.
V. REUTERS - START Treaty at risk
A nuclear arms treaty between Russia and the United States could collapse unless Washington ratifies it before next month's elections change the Senate's composition, a senior Russian lawmaker said. The signing of the new START treaty in April was a step towards U.S. President Barack Obama's goal of "resetting" relations with the Kremlin, so its derailment would be a big setback for the White House's foreign policy agenda. The treaty is not in force until it has been ratified by legislatures in both countries and Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the international affairs committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, said this now hung in the balance. The Kremlin ally said he remained hopeful that the Senate could ratify the treaty in the so-called lame duck session, when it re-convenes after the Nov. 2 congressional elections but before newly elected senators take up their seats. The agreement will cut strategic nuclear arsenals deployed by the former Cold War foes by 30 percent within seven years but leave each with enough to destroy the other. Its predecessor treaty expired in December last year. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted the treaty to Russia's parliament, but he told lawmakers not to ratify the agreement before the full U.S. Senate has approved it.
Steady rains flooded portions of the Haitian capital over the weekend, turning streets into rivers and leaving at least 12 people dead, civil protection officials said Monday. Storms falling on the mountains that ring the capital sent cascades into the pitch-black downtown, where trucks left boat-like wakes as they forded boulevards. At least 10 people were killed in Port-au-Prince on Saturday and Sunday, most when surging rivers burst through houses built in ravines, civil protection chief Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste told The Associated Press. One victim fell into an open sewer. Others were killed trying to cross rivers. Two children were killed when mud slid into earthquake-refuge camp in Carrefour, west of the capital. An AP Television journalist who reached the camp Monday said dozens of families were repairing their tarps. The rocky dirt under other post-quake settlements, home to an estimated 1.3 million people, turned into spongy mud and then lakes. Aid groups and officials overseeing Haiti's post-earthquake reconstruction have been on guard for heavy rains since the Jan. 12 disaster. Canals were cleared and drainage ditches dug around some of the better-managed camps. But even without a direct hit from a hurricane this year, 23 rain-related deaths have been confirmed over the last month in southern Haiti, including the quake zone. The national meteorology centre issued flash-flood warnings across Haiti's southern peninsula through Tuesday, which extends west from Port-au-Prince.
IOCC's efforts to partner with the Romanian Orthodox Church and local community-based organizations to provide vital social services received a boost recently when it was awarded a grant of more than $1.8 million to help strengthen the work of community-based organizations in Romania. "Ten years ago, IOCC opened an office in Bucharest with the vision of working side-by-side with the Romanian Orthodox Church to serve people in need," reflected Constantine M. Triantafilou, IOCC Executive Director. "We are gratified to have this opportunity to take one more step toward that goal of a vibrant network for diakonia in partnership with Filantropia." The project will assist Filantropia, a national network of community-based organizations under the auspices of the Romanian Orthodox Church, to improve the social services it provides to orphans, the elderly, families living in poverty, prisoners, the terminally ill and others in need in Romania. The training and organizational development that will be provided through the project will enable Filantropia to become a strategic partner in improving social services at the local, regional and national levels. The new program has been made possible through the Romanian Ministry of Labor, Family and Equal Opportunity and co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Sectorial Operational Program for Human Resources Development 2007-2013. Over the next two years, the project will provide essential training in the organization and management of the network and its member agencies. The training is expected to improve social service delivery throughout much of Romania, aid in evaluation programs, and assist in the development of a strategic plan that will guide the federation's organizational development and map its future initiatives. The project will also enhance communication and networking among the federation's members, increase linkages and the sharing of resources and best practices. The project will help Filantropia develop strategic partnerships and more effectively coordinate with local government agencies and businesses to cooperate more effectively and increase the efficiency of social service activities. IOCC will help promote sustainable social inclusion and provide opportunities for underserved communities to be fully engaged in society. Training and coordination efforts offered through the project will be offered in the Romanian counties where the twelve members of the Filantropia network are located, including Alba, Bucharest, Buzau, Calarasi, Cluj, Dolj, Galati, Ialomita, Iasi, Mehedinti, Buzau, and Timis.