I. TORONTOSUN - Pro-Taliban cleric offers reward to kill Christian woman
A hardline, pro-Taliban Pakistani Muslim cleric on Friday offered a reward for anyone who kills a Christian woman sentenced to death by a court on charges of insulting Islam. The sentence against Asia Bibi has renewed debate about Pakistan’s blasphemy law which critics say is used to persecute religious minorities, fan religious extremism and settle personal scores. Non-Muslim minorities account roughly 4 percent of Pakistan’s about 170 million population. Maulana Yousef Qureshi, the imam of a major mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, offered a $5,800 reward and warned the government against any move to abolish or change the blasphemy law. While Qureshi is not believed to have a wide following, comments by clerics can provoke a violent response and complicate government efforts to combat religious extremism and militancy. Qureshi, cleric who has been leading congregation at the 17th century Mohabat Khan mosque for decades, later told Reuters he was determined to see her killed. Bibi, a 45-year-old mother of four, is the first woman to be sentenced to death under the blasphemy law. Blasphemy convictions are common in mainly Muslim Pakistan. Although the death sentence has never been carried out as most convictions are thrown out on appeal, angry mobs and fanatics have killed many people accused of blasphemy in the past. After her conviction, Bibi appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari to pardon her, saying she had been wrongly accused by neighbours due to a personal dispute. Last week, a government minister said an initial inquiry into the case showed she had not committed blasphemy. The Lahore High Court last month prevented Zardari from granting a pardon and ruled that the High Court should be allowed to decide her appeal. “No president, no parliament and no government has any right to interfere in the commandants of Islam. Islamic punishment will be implemented at all costs,” said Qureshi.
II. EURONEWS - Israel’s friendship with Turkey is over
Turkey is transforming. Ankara is developing economic and diplomatic relations with its neighbours, prompting many in the global community to talk of “axis shift”. Turkish President Abdullah Gül has given a candid interview to euronews mapping out where his country might be heading next. Euronews: Turkey is developing and extending its relations in the region and this has led a flurry of debate in the West. Where is the country heading? Is Turkey turning away from the West? Is it shifting on its axis? Gül: There has been a lot of talk about this recently and I am following it all closely. My view is, as I’ve always said, that much of it is wrong. Some of these comments have been made intentionally and others out of ignorance. Turkey’s aim is very clear. We working towards the most advanced democratic and economic standards we can, and to improve standards. We have had to change the Constitution but we have also benefited from geopolitical opportunities; we have historical advantages as well. We are looking at a multi-directional policy... Euronews: What then do you think about the idea of including countries that are not NATO members, Israel in particular, under this umbrella? Gül: That is out of the question. It can never happen because this only concerns NATO members. Israel is not a NATO member. It does not even cooperate with NATO. This would be impossible. Lets be clear; I am saying that Israel cannot use NATO facilities. Euronews: After the Gaza flotilla incident, could Turkey still be described as a friend and an ally of Israel in the Middle East? Gül: Frankly, many things changed irrevocably after the flotilla incident. The Israeli army attacked a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid while it was in international waters in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and unfortunately several people were killed. It is not possible for us to forget this. Euronews: Is Israel’s friendship with Turkey over? Gül: Absolutely. Israel has lost the friendship of Turkey and of Turkish citizens... To watch or read the transcript of the interview, please click here.
III. JPOST - Photo Gallery: Uncontrolled blazes in the North
In an unprecedented wave of international assistance, foreign fire fighters and pour into country to help battle Carmel forest fire. Foreign firefighters and aircraft poured into Israel Friday, in an unprecedented wave of international assistance as the country battled a huge forest fire that has killed over 40 people and displaced thousands. Some 100 firefighters from Bulgaria have arrived as well as forces from Jordan and Greece. Fire extinguishing planes were on their way from Britain and Cyprus as well as aid from the United States, Russia, Egypt, Spain, Azerbaijan, Romania and Turkey — which put aside recent tensions to lend a hand. Investigators speculated that the fire could have been sparked accidentally, or it might have been deliberately set.
IV. ANA - Skopje requests support for EU bid
The foreign minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM), Antonio Milososki, has reportedly sent a letter to his Greek counterpart Dimitris Droutsas, in which he asks Athens to support a decision for the start of EU accession negotiations with his country at the upcoming EU summit in mid December. The letter was published by the foreign ministry in Skopje on Friday but has not yet been received by the Greek foreign ministry, officials in Athens stated. In the letter, Milososki refers to the European Commission's recommendation for the start of accession talks with fYRoM, pointing out that this was the second consecutive year that the landlocked one-time Yugoslav republic had been judged ready to proceed to the next stage of the accession process, and five years since it had become a candidate for EU entry. "This situation is unbearable both for a candidate-country that in the next month will establish full trade ties with the EU, in the framework of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement, and for the credibility of the EU and the enlargement policy," Milososki said. The fYRoM foreign minister noted that Greece can contribute decisively to reviving the European integration of the region by supporting the start of accession negotiations with his country. "With such as step we will also give a boost, together, to the necessary positive climate of mutual trust in the relations between us for a final resolution of the final bilateral difference, a viable solution that is accepted by both countries and peoples for the benefit of regional and European stability and prosperity," Milososki underlined.
V. RADIOSRBIJA - Cyprus, Serbia Ministers call for faster association with EU
Foreign Ministers of Serbia and Cyprus, Vuk Jeremic and Marcos Kyprianou have agreed in Belgrade that the process of Serbia’s association with the EU should be accelerated despite the difficulties. Kyprianou has repeated the stance of Nicosia that it fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, i.e. that they will not recognize the unilateral independence of Kosmet. Jeremic has greeted the position of Cyprus and communicated that he also discussed the improvement of bilateral relations with Kyprianou.
VI. RIANOVOSTI - Medvedev promises no visa requirements for 2018 World Cup
Footballers and fans will not need visas to travel to Russia for the 2018 World Cup, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday. Russia beat out co-bidders Spain/Portugal, Netherlands/Belgium and England for the prestigious sporting event. During the final presentations in Switzerland's Zurich on Thursday, Russia's bid boss Alexei Sorokin said Russia would scrap visas. "We would like to create a special atmosphere during the tournament," Medvedev said after talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Russia's southern Black Sea resort of Sochi. "We should make progress on the visa regime, but honestly, we would like to scrap visas between Russia and the European Union altogether," he said at his residence at Krasnaya Polyana, outside Sochi. Berlusconi expressed his agreement with the plan. He said Italy helped Russia win the bid. "I would like to say that we put efforts into it," he said. "Our representatives worked to make our voices heard... and to persuade our friends that we have, that the most suitable platform [to host the tournament] is Russia."
As has been widely reported, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in America by the Russian Orthodox Church. Within the context of this commemoration, the Holy Synod of Bishops has issued a statement. The statement in part reads as follows - To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America: Forty years ago, the Orthodox Church in America received its autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church and soon after glorified the first North American saint, our Venerable Father Herman of Alaska. The Holy Synod of Bishops gives thanks to Almighty God for the prayerful intercessions of St Herman and of all the saints who shone forth on this continent and likewise celebrates and affirms the gift of autocephaly. By the grace of God, this great gift was the result of a long process of reconciliation between the Metropolia and the Moscow Patriarchate, whose relations had tragically gone astray, a gift which still stands at the heart of our ecclesial life and serves as the basis for understanding ourselves. At the same time, much has transpired in the past forty years within the life of the Orthodox Church in America. A most significant event took place on May 25th-27th of this year with the convening of the first Episcopal Assembly for the region of North and Central America. All of the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in America participated in this historic gathering of the canonical Orthodox Bishops of this region. Our Holy Synod is grateful to His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who wisely undertook the task of convening the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan Orthodox Conference in Chambésy, Switzerland in June of 2009. This Pre-Conciliar Conference resulted in the establishment, with the blessing of all the Orthodox Patriarchs, of an Episcopal Assembly for our region which has as its goal the “swift healing of every canonical anomaly” [Message of the Patriarchs 3.12] and the working out of a solution to Orthodox administrative unity on this continent. This event, as well as the recent dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, has provided us with an opportunity to enter more fully into the pan-Orthodox process in North America. As such we have reflected on how we understand our life and work and how these can become a means for greater and deeper interrelationship with the other Orthodox Churches as we move towards authentic unity through the process of the Episcopal Assemblies. As we reflect upon the past forty years, we affirm the following principles: 1. We understand ourselves to be an indigenous, multi-ethnic, missionary Church, laboring to bring Orthodox Christianity to all citizens of this continent. 2. We affirm that our historical reality derives from the Russian Orthodox Church and that we have humbly received and faithfully maintain the inheritance of the Russian Mission of 1794, the Diocese of Sitka in 1843; the Diocese of San Francisco in 1870, and its relocation to New York in 1907, and the Autocephaly of 1970. 3. As directed by the Tomos, we live as other self-governing Churches do: electing our own bishops and Primate, without confirmation by any other Synod, maintaining inter-Church relationships with all other Churches; and consecrating our own chrism. 4. As envisioned in the Tomos, we believe that the autocephaly given to us will be fully realized when the promise of Orthodox unity in North America is fulfilled, and the OCA together with all the Orthodox faithful in North America become one united Autocephalous Church of America, recognized by all other Orthodox Churches. 5. We commit ourselves to work within the Episcopal Assembly in order to realize the goal of unity. We express our gratitude to all the Patriarchs for their care and ask all of the clergy, monastics and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America to be of one mind and one heart to offer thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Church, whose mission in this world is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the people of North America. We ask the clergy and faithful to pray that we be worthy of the heritage of the saints who shone forth in North America in building up the Body of Christ, fulfilling these words of Scripture: “Speaking the truth in love, may [we] grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16) The complete text, may be downloaded in PDF format, by clicking here.