According to reports from German newspaper Die Welt, Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the Frankfurt Airport were allegedly out of action when an Islamist from Kosovo shot four U.S. airmen, killing two. The suspect has been officially charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. The shooter said that we was not a member of a terrorist group and acted alone. The CCTV footage was thought to be crucial in verifying these statements.
Former Bosnian Army general and war crimes suspect, Jovak Divjak, was arrested at the Vienna airport on Thursday evening. However, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger stated that Austria will not extradite him to Serbia. Divjak is indicted in connection to the May 1992 Dobrovoljačka Street massacre, when retreating Yugoslav soldiers were attacked and killed in Sarajevo. At present, the court in Austria awaits the files related to the case to decide whether to extradite Divjak to Serbia.
III. UPI - China eyeing foreign journalists
In an attempt to keep Middle East and North African style protests from surfacing within China, its authorities have been - in addition to detaining Chinese dissidents - impacting foreign reporters. The New York Times reported that on Sunday some European and Japanese reporters in Shanghai were kept in an underground room for 2 hours. The Times also reported that in Beijing, plainclothesmen watched the home of a U.S. correspondent through the weekend. Coincidently, that same correspondent was beaten the previous week as he sought to cover a similar gathering in the capital. The Times said security people also visited a dozen or so other journalists and photographers in their homes during the weekend to renew warnings about not causing trouble.
IV. EKATHIMERINI - Search continues for missing Libya evacuees in Crete
After transporting about 1,200 evacuees from Libya, Greek coast guard and navy are still looking for the more than a dozen who had jumped from a ferry as it was to dock at the port of Souda, Crete. A helicopter, three coast guard boats, two navy vessels and some private boats were helping in the search operation on Sunday. Greece has been very active in helping people leave Libya over the last couple of weeks and has ferried more than 10,000 Chinese workers to Crete so they could fly back to their homeland.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden left Washington, DC sunday night to travel to Finland, Russia and Moldova. After a stop in Finland and a meeting with Finish president Tarja Halonen, Biden will head to Moscow. Biden will U.S. businessmen and visit Skolkovo, dubbed Russia's Silicon Valley, where he will participate in a roundtable with Russian businessmen and will also meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Before leaving Russia for his stop in Moldova, which will be the first time a U.S. vice president has visited, Biden will meet with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and will later give a speech at Moscow State University on bilateral relations of the two countries.
March 8, marks the 100TH Anniversary of International Women's Day and Secretary of State Clinton said that women still bear the brunt of poverty, war, disease and famine, adding that a lot more work has to be done to consolidate gains and keep momentum moving forward. The United States continues to make women a cornerston of its foreign policy and we should mark this day by finding news ways to ensure women and girls have access to education, healthcare, jobs, and credit, and to protect their right to live free from violence, she said.
VII. Monomakhos - As we begin the Great Fast…
…Forgive me brethren. The Lord forgives and I forgive. Let us double up on our prayer life and pray for our bishops, for their judgment is greater than ours.