Michael's Daily 7 - 28 August

I. U.S. Senate bill would give president emergency control of Internet

Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet. They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency. The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license. "I think the redraft, while improved, remains troubling due to its vagueness," said Larry Clinton, president of the Internet Security Alliance, which counts representatives of Verizon, Verisign, Nortel, and Carnegie Mellon University on its board. "It is unclear what authority Sen. Rockefeller thinks is necessary over the private sector. Unless this is clarified, we cannot properly analyze, let alone support the bill." Probably the most controversial language begins in Section 201, which permits the president to "direct the national response to the cyber threat" if necessary for "the national defense and security." The White House is supposed to engage in "periodic mapping" of private networks deemed to be critical, and those companies "shall share" requested information with the federal government. ("Cyber" is defined as anything having to do with the Internet, telecommunications, computers, or computer networks.) Translation: If your company is deemed "critical," a new set of regulations kick in involving who you can hire, what information you must disclose, and when the government would exercise control over your computers or network.

II. NATO head to boost ties with Muslim world

Secretary-General Andres Fogh Rasmussen urged Turkey, the only predominantly Muslim NATO member, to increase its military commitment in Afghanistan. Rasmussen arrived in Turkey on Thursday, and in the evening took part in an iftar, the traditional fast-breaking dinner observed by Muslims all over the world during Ramadan. "Please see my presence here tonight as a clear manifestation of my respect for Islam," Rasmussen said. The dinner host was Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who just a few months ago tried to block Rasmussen's nomination because of his role in the Prophet Mohammed cartoon row from 2006. Citing press freedom, Rasmussen, then Denmark's prime minister, defended a Danish newspaper's decision to print caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad, including one where he was depicted wearing a bomb instead of a turban. The republication of the cartoons in other newspapers sparked worldwide unrest that killed some 50 people. Rasmussen has also spoken out against EU membership for Turkey. Ankara dropped its opposition to Rasmussen only after intense mediation by U.S. President Barack Obama. Rasmussen has been on an appeasement course with Turkey ever since, and his main goals as NATO's top official include a pledge to intensify "dialog and cooperation" with the Muslim world. Rasmussen also touched on the conflict over Cyprus between Turkey and Greece; before his arrival in Turkey, he had indicated that the diplomatic tensions between the two NATO members were affecting alliance efforts in Afghanistan and Africa.

III. Cyprus to examine all options in view of Turkey's EU evaluation

Government Spokesman Stephanos Stephanou has said that all available options will be on the table for discussion between the President and the National Council, with regard to Turkey’s assessment by the European Union in December. The National Council, the top advisory body to President Demetris Christofias on the handling of the Cyprus question, comprises representatives of parliamentary parties and will meet for two days on September 14-15. Cyprus, as well as Greece support Turkey’s European prospect and European course as through this process “Turkey can find incentives and we can find levers to exert pressure and influence Ankara to changer its stance.” However, this support is not a “blank cheque” and that whatever Turkey does, it will find Cyprus before it and will have more problems than those Ankara creates for itself. “Our objective is not to create problems for Turkey but to work for a settlement, which is served through the implementation by Turkey of its obligations. Turkey has to adjust its behaviour, recognise the Republic of Cyprus and normalise its relations with an EU member-state.” Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.

IV. "Self-Determination" leader warns of new actions against EU Mission

Self-Determination movement leader Albin Kurti, whose activists demolished 28 EULEX vehicles on Tuesday, has announced new actions against the EU mission. In a statement given to Priština daily Express, he criticized the EU mission in Kosovo because of the announced signing of an agreement with the Serbian Interior Ministry, and called EULEX a “mutation of UNMIK.” “The announced protocol represents further proof that EULEX is a mutation of UNMIK, and Kosovo will not receive anything from this protocol. The winner will be only Serbia. It will receive police information regarding Kosovo, and strengthen its ties with Kosovo, it will confirm the six-point plan and Resolution 1244. And in the end, it would meet the conditions for visa liberalization,” Kurti said. He said that Self-Determination was against EULEX even before the mission arrived to Kosovo. He added that the government in Priština should sever “communication and cooperation with EULEX until it backs down from this protocol” with Serbia.

V. Russia to help guard Abkhazia's territorial waters

The Russian Federal Security Service's coast guards will work with Abkhazia's border service to protect ships passing through Abkhazia's territorial waters from Georgian forces, the FSB border service said Friday. Lt. Gen. Yevgeny Inchin, deputy head of the border service, told RIA Novosti that measures to ensure protection from Georgia must also be carried out as part of preparations for the 2014 Olympic Games to be held in the Russian resort of Sochi, near Abkhazia. Asked whether Russia's coast guards will stop Georgia from detaining ships going to and from Abkhazia, Inchin said his service has special boats to fulfill this task. "Believe me, they will do this effectively and productively, as the 'Sochi factor' with the upcoming Olympic Games is now a decisive one," he said. Georgia's state minister on reintegration, Temur Yakobashvili, told RIA Novosti on Friday that Tbilisi will consider Russian coast guard operations in Abkhaz waters as piracy. Russia recognized Abkhazia as an independent state last August after a five-day war with Georgia over breakaway South Ossetia, which Moscow also recognized as independent. Russia has maintained peacekeepers in the republics since the bloody post-Soviet conflicts in the early 1990s, when the republics broke away from Georgia. It deployed more troops there after the war.

VI. Ancient burial site discovered in northern Greece

Archaeologists say they have found a lavish burial site while excavating the ancient Macedonian capital in northern Greece. The find in the ruins of Aigai was made a few meters from last year's remarkable discovery of what experts say could be the bones of Alexander the Great's murdered teenage son. Archaeologist Chrysoula Saatsoglou-Paliadeli says the human remains excavated this week were inside one of two large silver vessels found in the ruins, some 190 miles (300 kilometers) north of Athens. She said Friday it is too early to speculate on the identity of the bones. Alexander was one of the most successful military commanders of all times. By the time of his death in 323 B.C, he had conquered much of the known world, reaching as far as India.

VII. Dormition of the Holy Virgin

Today, many Orthodox Christians celebrate the Dormition of the Holy Virgin. The feast of the Dormition is the last great feast in the Church calendar year. It is preceded by a two week fast. The glorious lot of the Ever Blessed Virgin in the role of God's salvation of the world made all her life wonderful and exemplary.

Michael's Daily 7 - 27 August

I. US Navy: Pirates fire on US helicopter

The U.S. Navy says pirates holding a hijacked ship off the coast ofSomalia fired at one of its helicopters making a routine surveillanceflight over the ship. The Navy says pirates Wednesday morning fired alarge caliber weapon at the helicopter which is based on the USSChancellorsville. At the time the helicopter was flying over aTaiwanese-flagged vessel called the Win Far, south of the Somali porttown of Hobyo. The Navy said in a statement Thursday that no rounds ofammunition struck the helicopter and no injuries resulted from theincident. Pirates captured Win Far and its 30-member crew in April.

II. Russia Charges 8 Arctic Sea Hijackers With Piracy, Kidnapping

Russia charged the eight suspected hijackers of the Maltese-flaggedfreighter Arctic Sea with piracy and kidnapping, investigators said.Several of the Finnish-owned freighter’s 15 Russian crew memberssuffered bodily harm in the July 24 hijacking, the InvestigativeCommittee of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said on its Website today. The Arctic Sea was carrying lumber from Finland to Algeriawhen it broke off contact, leading to a 25-day odyssey that sparked awave of international speculation about the ship’s fate. A lawyer forone of the suspects has challenged Russia’s jurisdiction in the case,Interfax reported this week. Russia claims it has the right tointerrogate the suspects and crew and to inspect the Arctic Sea, whichwas seized on July 24 in international waters off Sweden andintercepted by a Russian warship on Aug. 17 off the Cape Verdeislands, investigators said.

III. EU has not recognized Kosovo independence

Kosovo Minister Goran Bogdanović said that the protocol to be signedbetween EULEX and Serbia will confirm that the EU has not recognizedKosovo independence. Bogdanović told daily Večernje Novosti that thetext of the agreement for cooperation between the EU Kosovo missionand the Serbian Interior Ministry (MUP) has been confirmed andBelgrade officials are waiting for an official date for the signing ofthe protocol. "The most important point is that the agreement is to besigned with EULEX, not the Kosovo institutions, which enables theSerbian government to clearly confirm that it does not recognizethem,” Bogdanović said. The minister said cooperation between theSerbian MUP and EULEX police is “inevitable” when it comes to stoppingthe large amount of criminal activity in the province and improvingthe rule of law. Bogdanović said that “with this document, the EU isconfirming Serbia’s integrity even on the areas that our country doesnot have full control over. The act of signing this agreement meansthat instead of our institutions, EULEX will be taking over some theauthorities of the police, which is in everyone’s best interest.Because, if the spreading of crime in Kosovo is not stopped, it willspill over to other European countries.” He said that he is notsurprised with the strong reactions coming from Albanian officials inPriština, “especially because they are trying to impose an illegalindependence of the province at all costs.” Referring to visaliberalization between Serbia and the EU, he added that Serbs in theprovince “will not be left out, nor will the Albanians that declarethemselves as Serbian citizens, because our country will do everythingto stop the discrimination of its citizens.”

IV. Greek fire-fighting plane crashes, pilot killed

A Greek fire-fighting plane crashed while battling a blaze on theIonian Sea island of Kefalonia Thursday, killing the pilot,authorities said. The accident came three days after fire fightersmanaged to bring under control a major wildfire that destroyed 150homes and thousands of hectares of forest and farmland near Athens."I'd like to express my devastation, our grief and my condolences forthe loss of the pilot, who died while doing his duty selflessly andwith self-sacrifice," Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told reporters.The plane crashed nine minutes after leaving the Kefalonia airport tofight a forest fire, officials said. Nobody else was on board. Whilethe conservative government was criticised for its response to the Aug21-24 fires, the worst in Greece since a 2007 blaze killed 65 people,fire-fighters have won praise by all political parties for theirtireless efforts. Greek, Italian and French water-drop planes,hundreds of fire-fighters and soldiers battled the three-day inferno,which forced thousands to flee their homes and prompted a state ofemergency in the east Attica region.

V. NATO Secretary General visits Greece, calls for better Greek-Turkish relations

The NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen visited Athens andmet with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, Minister of Foreign AffairsDora Bakoyannis and Minister of Defence Evangelos Meimarakis. Duringthe visit, the Secretary General thanked Greece for the contributionsto the Alliance's anti-piracy mission in the Indian Ocean, to KFOR andto ISAF. The Secretary General said that he hopes Greece can considermaking a larger contribution towards reaching the next phase in theISAF operation, by providing more personnel to help train the AfghanNational Security Forces. "I also hope that during my term, we willsee an improvement in relations between two very important Allies:Turkey and Greece. While these are bilateral issues, the effects ofthese tensions are felt far beyond, NATO-EU relations being the mostobvious", he said. The Secretary General also discussed with hisinterlocutors the importance of ensuring that difficulties in NATO-EUrelations do not negatively affect the safety or effectiveness ofpersonnel on the ground. He noted that Greece can play a leadershiprole within the Alliance and in the EU, in achieving trueEuro-Atlantic integration for the entire Balkan region. During thevisit, the Secretary General laid a wreath at the Tomb of the UnknownSoldier.

VI. The 10 silliest things ever said by politicians

Comedians would probably not exist without politicians, whose speecheshave always been full of wisdom. Here is our rating of the 10 moststupid things ever said by politicians all over the world. 1. “QueenElizabeth Taylor.” – Thai Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa,referring to the Queen of England. 2. “In Iran, we don’t havehomosexuals, like in your country." – Iranian President MahmoudAhmadinejad, referring to the USA while addressing ColumbiaUniversity. 3. "I would never approach a small-breasted woman." –President Clinton, denying that he had sexually harassed KathleenWilley. 4. “Life has become better, life has become more fun!” [«Житьстало лучше, жить стало веселее!»] Josef Stalin. The irony of thisphrase is that he said it at the peak of mass repressions organized byhim at the end of 1930s. 5. “I am not a communist and neither is therevolutionary movement.” – Fidel Castro. But he also said: “I am aMarxist-Leninist and I will be one until the last day of my life.” 6."Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They neverstop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, andneither do we." – Washington, D.C., August 5, 2004 – George W. Bush.7. "This is a great day for France!" – President Richard Nixon atFrench President Charles de Gaulle's funeral. 8. "I've now been in 57states – I think one left to go." – Barrack Obama at a campaign eventin Beaverton, Oregon. 9. “We are not without accomplishment. We havemanaged to distribute poverty equally.” – Nguen Co Thatch, VietnameseForeign Minister. 10. Senator John McCain in his presidential run: “Iwas in Germany over the weekend and President Putin of Germany gave one of the old Cold War speeches as he addressed the conferencethere.”

VII. Saint Phanourios

Today, August 27, is the feast day of Saint Phanourios who is one ofthe most beloved Orthodox Saints, especially among the Greeks andCypriots. Though dearly loved, we know very little about him save forthe information provided from an icon that was discovered in a ruinedchurch in Rhodes. A thorough compilition of material on SaintPhanourios is provided by his Orthodox Wiki article. St. Phanourios has become famousfor assisting the faithful in revealing lost or hidden spiritualmatters of the heart, objects, directing or revealing actions thatshould be taken, restoring health and similar situations. He is thenhonoured by the faithful through a symbolic cake, called the"Phanouropita" which can be brought to the church, at any time, for a blessing.

Michael's Daily 7 - 26 August

I. Italian banks may take ham and wine as collateral

Italian bank vaults may soon resemble well stocked delicatessens if aplan goes ahead to accept expensive wines and dry-cured hams ascollateral on bank loans from crisis-hit producers. The idea, whichwas launched this week by an influential Italian bank chairman andwine producer, was backed by an Italian minister and follows thetradition of Italian banks storing massive wheels of parmesan cheeseas loan collateral. "We've done it with cheese, why not withprosciutto and good wines like Brunello di Montalcino and chianticlassico?" said Gianni Zonin, chairman of the Banca Popolare diVicenza and head of wine producer Zonin. "This is a great idea, it hasmy blessing," said Luca Zaia, the Italian agriculture minister. TheItalian bank Credito Emiliano has long stored hundreds of thousands ofparmesan wheels, worth about ¤300 each, in warehouses as collateralwhile they age. Since the bank can sell the cheese if creditorsdefault, it can afford to offer low interest rates to an industrywhich is suffering from recession and supermarket discounting. Legs ofcured ham, or prosciutto crudo, weighing about 10kg, can sell forhundreds of euros after months of curing in controlled conditions,while bottles of Brunello di Montalcino are regularly snapped up forthe same amount.

II. Hague Tribunal: Former KLA members arraigned, set to appear in Hague Oct. 28

The Hague Tribunal has set October 28 as the date for the arraignmentof ethnic Kosovo Albanians Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj and LahBrahimaj. The three are former members of the so-called KosovoLiberation Army (KLA). After the 1999 war in the province, Haradinajpursued a political career and was prime minister of the KosovoAlbanian government at one point. In addition to the three defendants,the court will that day hear the arguments of the Hague Office of theProsecutor (OTP) in the appeal proceedings, an announcement from thetribunal said this Wednesday. Last year, the OTP appealed theacquittal of Haradinaj and Balaj and it requested a partial retrial sothat the witnesses whose testimonies were not heard by the TrialChamber in the original trial could take the stand. The originalverdict for Haradinaj and Balaj, issued in April 2008, found the pairnot guilty on all 37 counts of the indictment for crimes – includingkidnapping, torture, rape and murder – against Serbs, Roma and ethnicAlbanians in the province in 1998. The third defendant, Brahimaj, wassentenced to six years in prison for cruel treatment and torture ofprisoners in the KLA compound in the village of Jablanica.

III. Russia warns of “confrontational” UN document on refugees

The Russian Foreign Ministry has branded as “provocative” a draftresolution submitted to the UN General Assembly by Georgia. Thedocument relates to the status of Georgian refugees from South Ossetiaand Abkhazia. A ministry statement said the proposed resolution has a“confrontational nature” and draws a humanitarian issue into area ofpolitics. It warned that such a resolution would undermine the chancesfor refugees to return to their homes in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.“Adopting such a resolution would essentially amount to supporting theSaakashvili regime, which started the war, becoming an aggressor. Itwould further destabilize the region,” the statement says. Thedocument refers to Abkhazia and South Ossetia as parts of Georgia,which was bound to be rejected by them both as well as by Russia,which acknowledges the two as independent nations. Several months ago,this very reason stalled negotiations on the post-conflict settlementin Abkhazia. Moscow also pointed out that the draft resolution namesRussia as “party to the conflict”, while at the same time avoidingmentioning that it was Georgia’s actions which started thehumanitarian crisis in the first place. “Submitting this draftresolution provokes discord among the UN members and pushes aside moreurgent world humanitarian problems, like the status of Palestinianrefugees,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

IV. NATO calls for Greek and Turkish pragmatism

NATO’s Secretary-General and former Danish Prime Minister Anders FoghRasmussen is in Greece and Turkey today and tomorrow and says the twocountries’ disagreement over Cyprus is creating problems in EU-NATOrelations and NATO operations. “I know it is a bilateral issue betweenthe two countries, but we have reached a point where it is creatingproblems for our missions,” Fogh says on his newly introduced NATOvideo blog. “In Afghanistan NATO cannot conclude an agreement tosupport EU police. Off the Horn of Africa both NATO and the EU havenaval missions in the same area to combat piracy – but we have noagreement on who will do what or how to support each other,” FoghRasmussen says. “These are just two examples of how these problemshave spread far beyond Turkey and Greece,” Fogh Rasmussen says adding:“I hope it is possible to embark on a more pragmatic approach thatwill increase the security in our missions and make our efforts moreeffective.”

V. Greek response to NATO SG visit

A foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday said the process ofpreparing the NATO's new strategic doctrine, the alliance's operationsand missions, primarily in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as effortsto confront piracy off Somalia will be on the agenda of talks betweenGreek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and new NATO secretary generalAnders Fogh Rasmussen, who arrives in Athens. Moreover, in referenceto a handful of issues of particular importance to Greece, thespokesman said Rasmussen's first visit to Athens in his capacity asNATO chief will also include discussions on the entire gamut ofGreek-Turkish relations, the nagging FYROM "name issue" and even theGreek OSCE presidency's initiatives to boost European security.Foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras also cited "problemsthat also exist, even between two members of the Alliance, with theirknown consequences on cooperation between NATO and the EuropeanUnion," in reference to the "paradox", as he said, of one NATO memberand EU hopeful, Turkey, not recognising a full EU member-state,namely, the Republic of Cyprus.

VI. Israeli dig finds ancient Greek king's gemstone

Israeli archaeologists say they have found a miniature precious stonecarved with the image of Alexander the Great. The stone, dating to theHellenistic period, was found at the Tel Dor excavation site south ofHaifa, the Israeli news Web site Arutz Sheva reported Wednesday.Ayelet Gilboa, one of the archaeologists directing the work, said thecarved image shows a young and energetic face, with a sharp chin,straight nose and long curly hair held in a crown. The gemstone wasfound in the remains of a large public building dating to the periodfrom the death of Alexander in 323 B.C. to the final conquest ofGreece by the Romans in 146 B.C., and was authenticated by JessicaNitschke of Georgetown University in Washington and Andrew Stewart ofthe University of California at Berkeley, the Web site said. Theconquering Greek king is believed to have passed through the areawhile making his way to Egypt.

VII. Unique 10th Century Byzantium Seal discovered in Bulgaria

Archaeologists in Bulgaria have discovered a unique medieval Byzantineseal at the site of the Princely Monastery near the Eastern city ofVarna, dating back to the 10th century and belonged to the Byzantinedignitary Antonius, who was an imperial protospatario inConstantinople. Antonius had correspondence with a representative ofthe Knyazhevski Monastery, who is believed to have been the BulgarianKnyaz (king) Boris I (r. 852-889 AD) himself. The team ofarchaeologist Popkonstantinov from the University of Veliko Tarnovohas also discovered fragments of Byzantine ceramics and a book locknear the seal. The archaeologists have discovered there over 40 booklocks, pieces of parchment, lead seals. They believe that some of thedisciples of St Cyril and St Methodius most likely worked there.

Michael's Daily 7 - 25 August

I. UK Envoy: Solution to Cyprus, Kurdish and Armenian issues key to prosperity

Progress in the Cyprus, Kurdish and Armenian issues will help the region achieve stability, according to the British Ambassador to Ankara Nick Baird, whose new post will start next month in London as director-general for Europe and Globalization. If Turkey’s Kurdish, Armenian and Cyprus issues are resolved, the region will be much better off, according to the outgoing British ambassador, who added that Turkey is making good progress in solving the points of contention. On Turkish efforts to normalize ties with its neighbor Armenia, the ambassador said the government was very courageous to take that step. The process has been blocked, however, by Ankara linking an open border with Yerevan to progress in Nagorno-Karabakh upon pressure from inside and its regional ally Azerbaijan. Britain is one of the strongest advocates of Turkey’s bid to join the European Union. While Cypriot leaders are preparing for the give-and-take in October to reunify their divided island, the Brussels deadline to review Ankara’s performance in complying with Ankara protocol obligations is nearing. Turkey hopes a solution will be reached on Cyprus by the end of this year, which will give it an upper hand in its rocky EU journey. In Turkish-EU negotiations, eight chapters were frozen due to Ankara’s refusal to open its ports to shipping from Greek Cyprus. Turkey has so far opened 11 chapters since it formally started entry talks in October 2005. “If Turkey can make progress in such a way as to unfreeze those chapters, then that would really give extra momentum to the process,” said Baird.

II. Cyprus President Christofias rejects Talat's criticism

President Demetris Christofias has rejected criticism leveled against him by the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community that he trying to change provisions of the 1960 treaties, which established the Republic of Cyprus. “I seek to change the Zurich and London Agreements which provide that the President of the country is directly elected by the Greek Cypriots and the Vice President by the Turkish Cypriot. Both must be directly elected by the people of Cyprus, on a common ballot,” President Christofias has said. Christofias stressed that “each Cypriot, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot, should bear responsibility for the election of the President and the Vice President on a common ballot. In that sense and under this condition, we have accepted the rotating presidency, in the context of the current negotiations” for a political settlement, he said. He explained that in a six year presidency term, the President during the first four years will be a Greek Cypriot and the Vice President a Turkish Cypriot, and during the last two years they will change offices. The President called for self-criticism among the island’s two communities, “if catharsis is to take place and true reconciliation is to follow, as it has happened in South Africa”, which he described as a “very good example Cyprus should study”. He also stressed the need for the two communities to apologise to each other for what they have done to each other and the need for Turkey apologise for the crimes it has committed against the people of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.

III. Balkans not Obama’s priority

The Balkans will not be one of the priorities of U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, U.S. professor Steven Meyer said. Meyer, a professor of political science at the National Defense University, said that Obama’s administration will only pay an extra amount of attention to the Balkans if a crisis breaks out in the region. He told Voice of America that the Balkans will not be ignored, however, "since there are many people in his administration from the administration of former president Bill Clinton", adding that the current situation in the Balkans is a “result of activities by the Democrats and their political heritage”. Meyer said that he does not believe that “concrete measures will be taken in the current situation” especially in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, but said that “the situation in Bosnia is sliding towards uncertainty more and more”. “On the other hand, in Kosovo, you have the evolution of a frozen conflict. Belgrade does not want to give up on sovereignty over Kosovo, while the U.S. and other western countries, along with Priština, do not want to give up on independence. In essence, the reality is that there have been no significant changes either in Bosnia or Kosovo,” he said. Meyer added that changes in general in Obama’s foreign policies are negligible, because the administration is currently focused on internal problems, especially with the financial crisis.

IV. Kosovo and Ongoing De-Christianization

The ongoing de-Christianization of Kosovo continues and unlike the past frenzy of the anti-Serbian mass media in the West, we mainly have a deadly silence about the reality of Kosovo and the continuing Albanianization of this land. However, how is it “just” and “moral” to persecute minorities and to alienate them from mainstream society; and then to illegally recognize this land without the full consensus of the international community? How ironic it is that the same United States of America and the United Kingdom, two nations who were in the forefront of covertly manipulating the mass media; remain mainly silent about the destruction of Orthodox Christian churches, Serbian architecture, and of course the past killings of Serbians and other minorities in Kosovo. According to Minority Rights Group International (MRG) which is based in the United Kingdom, it is apparent that exclusion and discrimination is rife. Therefore, minorities face a bleak future and Serbians, Bosniaks, Roma, Croats, Turks, Gorani and Ashkali Egyptians are either being forced out because of alienation or because of limited economic opportunities.

V. Well-known Christian Orthodox convert struggles to stay alive in Egypt

These days, one of Egypt’s most well-known converts to Christianity is living a mobile lifestyle, but not by choice. Maher El Gohary, the second Egyptian to legally request to change his religious status, and his 15-year-old daughter, Dina, are living like “fugitives.” Every few months, the father and daughter move to a new apartment to escape the Muslim extremists who want them dead for leaving Islam. “I'm not so much afraid of the government anymore,” Gohary told the Times. “It's conservative Muslims who worry me. Some of them believe whoever kills me is rewarded. When I go to court, I'm surrounded by police protection." Gohary is the second known convert to file a request to change his religious identity from Muslim to Christian. In June, a Cairo judge rejected his petition even though he provided a baptism certificate and a letter of acceptance into the Coptic Orthodox Church as the judge had requested. The judge made the excuse that the church deals with Christians and not with Muslims who convert to Christianity. It was the first time the Coptic Church had issued a letter recognizing the baptism of a convert. The result of Gohary’s case is similar to that of Mohammed Hegazy, the first convert to legally request to change his religious status. The 2008 case ended up with Egypt’s Supreme Court judge saying that Hegazy can believe what he wants in his heart, but that he cannot change his religion in his legal documents. “Islam is the only thing Egyptians are 150 percent sure of. If you reject Islam, you shake their belief and you are an apostate, an infidel,” Gohary said. “I can see in the eyes of Muslims how much my conversion has really hurt them.”

VI. Chechen rebels order separatist leader death

Chechen rebels called on Tuesday for prominent separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev to be killed, saying he had abandoned Islam by recognising the legitimacy of the restive region's Kremlin-backed government. "Public remarks show that he (Zakayev) has fallen away from Islam," the website said, adding that Doku Umarov, Chechnya's most wanted separatist leader, was behind the order. "The court has ruled that the killing of this apostate is a duty for Muslims." It did not say what court had issued the ruling. Zakayev, who lives in London, represents the moderate wing of the separatist movement and has clashed with radical Islamist insurgents in Russia's southern republic of Chechnya. Russia has tried to extradite Zakayev for 13 alleged crimes including kidnapping and murder, but a British court rejected the request in 2003, causing a diplomatic row.

VII. Protests rise as Turkish renovation work turns church into mosque

Restoration work that would result in an historic Greek Orthodox church being recognized as a mosque has caused uproar in Turkey. At issue is the 178-year-old St Dimitrios church in the northern Turkish village of Silivri. The village was once a Greek settlement but, after the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, ethnic Greek residents had to leave in a forced resettlement that swapped 1.5 million ethnic Greeks from Turkey for 600,000 ethnic Turks living in northern Greece. After the resettlement, the church was briefly used for prayers while work was underway to build a mosque for the new Muslim residents. A minaret was attached to the building, but its cross was never removed. Later, the church was used for storage and as a stall. However, current work on the church is being billed as 'restoration of the Ortakoy Mosque,' causing an uproar. Adding to the grievances is the fact that the renovation work was approved by local leaders of the AKP Justice and Development Party, which runs the government at the national level. Representatives of the Greek Orthodox church in Turkey have not commented on the issue.

Michael's Daily 7 - 24 August

I. Veto ‘racist’ everyday phrases

It could be construed as a black day for the English language — but not if you work in the public sector. Dozens of quangos and taxpayer-funded organisations have ordered a purge of common words and phrases so as not to cause offence. Among the everyday sayings that have been quietly dropped in a bid to stamp out racism and sexism are “whiter than white”, “gentleman’s agreement”, “black mark” and “right-hand man”. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has advised staff to replace the phrase “black day” with “miserable day”, according to documents released under freedom of information rules. It points out that certain words carry with them a “hierarchical valuation of skin colour”. The commission even urges employees to be mindful of the term “ethnic minority” because it can imply “something smaller and less important”. The National Gallery in London believes that the phrase “gentleman’s agreement” is potentially offensive to women and suggests that staff should replace it with “unwritten agreement” or “an agreement based on trust” instead. The term “right-hand man” is also considered taboo by the gallery, with “second in command” being deemed more suitable. Many institutions have urged their workforce to be mindful of “gender bias” in language. The Learning and Skills Council wants staff to “perfect” their brief rather than “master” it, while the Newcastle University has singled out the phrase “master bedroom” as being problematic. Advice issued by the South West Regional Development Agency states: “Terms such as ‘black sheep of the family’, ‘black looks’ and ‘black mark’ have no direct link to skin colour but potentially serve to reinforce a negative view of all things black. Equally, certain terms imply a negative image of ‘black’ by reinforcing the positive aspects of white.

II. Beer-drinking Muslim model wins caning reprieve

A Muslim model sentenced to be caned for drinking beer won a surprise reprieve Monday when religious officials delayed her punishment until after the fasting month of Ramadan. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was sentenced by a religious court last month to six strokes, making her the first woman to face caning under Islamic law in Malaysia, a moderate Muslim-majority country. She was taken into custody Monday from her family home in northern Perak state by religious officials who were to transport her to a jail outside Kuala Lumpur where the sentence was to be carried out. But after travelling a short distance, the vehicle returned and she was abruptly freed. The mother-of-two has stared down religious authorities by saying she is ready to be caned, refusing to appeal against her sentence, and challenging them to cane her in public. Human rights group Amnesty International has urged Malaysia to abolish the "cruel and degrading punishment" and critics have said the case threatens to damage Malaysia's international standing. Islamic scholars have mostly backed the sentence, and said it would be carried out when Kartika was fully clothed and with a cane that is smaller and lighter than the heavy length of rattan used in criminal cases.

III. U.S.: "Kosovo independence irreversible"

Newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador in Priština Christopher Dell says his country's policy towards Kosovo "remains unchanged". According to the diplomat, "Kosovo's independence is irreversible". Upon presenting "Kosovo President" Fatmir Sejdui with his credentials, Dell pointed out that the basis of the American policy towards Kosovo is "simple and unambiguous". "First, the independence of the Republic of Kosovo is irrevocable, and U.S. support to Kosovo's independence is unequivocal. Second, we are still dedicated to our joint project of establishing a democratic, multiethnic, tolerant and successful state that is law abiding, and will become a rightful member of the transatlantic and European family."

IV. Exhausted Greek crews battle on against fires, nuns rescued

A Greek monastery clanged its bells in warning Monday as an out-of-control wildfire raced down a mountainside, elderly nuns were evacuated from its threatened convent and the remains of Saint Ephrem were removed to a safer location. "The flames were 30 meters (100 feet) high," said one of the dozen nuns evacuated, wearing a black habit and a surgical mask to ward off the smoke and grit. "Thankfully they came and rescued us." For the fourth straight day, exhausted Greek firefighters battled around the clock to try and contain massive blazes north of Athens. To their relief, more water-dropping planes and firefighting help arrived from other European nations. Crews tried hard Monday to push the fires back from the outskirts of the Greek capital, with 17 water-dropping planes and helicopters swooping over flames near populated areas. They were joined by up to 2,000 firefighters, military personnel and volunteers. Firefighting planes and helicopters from France, Italy and Cyprus were operating outside Athens, with more planes due to arrive later Monday and Tuesday from Spain, Turkey and the European Union, Civil Protection Agency officials said. Several other EU countries had also offered help, they said. Fires raged, meanwhile, at the coastal town of Nea Makri and nearby Marathon — site of one of ancient history's most famous battlegrounds — to the northeast of the capital and at Vilia to the northwest. Fires also continued to threaten the ancient fortress town of Rhamnus, home to two 2,500-year-old temples.

V. Turks interrupt Christian worship at Monastery

Once again, Greek pilgrims from many parts of the world congregated at one of the holiest places of worship, the Monastery of Panagia Soumela (founded in 386 A.D.) in Turkey. It was apparent from the outset however that the pilgrims weren't welcome this year. Priests were ordered to remove their crosses and holy garments at the airport upon entering the country, boatloads of pilgrims from Georgia were prevented from disembarking at ports, and the passage of another eight busloads of pilgrims from Greece were hampered in their approach to the monastery by Turkish authorities. For some reason this year, Greek authorities were pre-warned by Turkish authorities that certain public performances would not be allowed. The Greek response in particular by Mr Ivan Savvidis on behalf of the Council of Greeks Abroad, was that the forced removal of religious emblems and dress, as well as the banning of peaceful worship at the Christian monastery was ‘a violation of the individual rights of a person'. The religious service did take place in the presence of a crowd of followers, but was interrupted by the director of the Museum Nilgün Yılmazer, as well as officials who poured water over candles and removed them in an attempt to end the service. Considering the yearly service has been taking place at the monastery for a number of years previous to this, the interruption was bizarre in that it created precedent with regards to such peaceful gatherings taking place in Turkey in the future. The treatment of religious minorities in Turkey is one of the main stumbling blocks for Turkey's bid for EU membership. By coincidence or not, on the very same day which these bizarre events at the Monastery took place (15/8/2009), Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Turkey's religious minority leaders including Greek-Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in an effort to pass reforms on the issue of minority rights. One can only hope that reforms are passed and actually followed, so that events such as these are not repeated.

VI. Patriarch Kirill: No nuclear shield is able to protect any country lacking spiritual values

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia believes that Russia's defense capacity should be supported with fostering Orthodox values. "You should not be ashamed of going to church and teaching Orthodox faith to your children. Then we shall have something to defend with our missiles... I am sure that free economic relations can efficiently facilitate production development, but in this context, it is crucial not to lose the basis of our spiritual and cultural tradition and overcome the temptation of market pragmatism which values everything for money... The philosophy guided by instincts and valuing everything for money may destroy the country even provided with the most secure nuclear shield."

VII. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Discusses Minority Rights with Turkish PM

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had a luncheon meetng on the island of Buyukada with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior ministers concerning non-Muslim minority and religious freedom rights on Saturday, August 15, 2009. The meeting coincided with government reform aimed to address decades-old tensions with the country's 12 million Kurds. His All Holiness, joined by leaders of the Armenian, Jewish, Assyrian Orthodox, and Catholic communities, delivered a report on the main problems of religious minorities and presented it to Erdogan. The 88-article report includes such issues as reopening the Orthodox Theological School of Halki, violations of property rights, and bringing attention to cultural diversity and to the problems of local administration on the island of Heybeliada (Halki). While only reporters from the Anatolia News Agency and the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation were allowed to attend the meeting, Prime Minister Erdogan promised democratic reforms to the religious leaders. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Prime Minister later toured the Haghia Yorgi Church, where they had a private conversation in which His All Holiness voiced his community's concerns. They also visited the Patriarchal Orphanage on Buyukada, which was seized by the Turkish state a decade ago. The European Court of Human Rights issued a landmark decision last year that the Turkey Government had wrongly confiscated the property. The government has yet to act on that ruling. His All Holiness also raised the issue of the Halki Seminary, but Erdogan made no statement on the issue. An Ecumenical Patriarchate official later said. "We believe the prime minister is looking for a way to open the school. There is movement on this. It was a very positive, very friendly meeting."

Michael's Daily 7 - 21 August

I. Turkey renames Kurdish village as part of reforms

Turkey has begun restoring names of Kurdish villages and is considering allowing religious sermons to be made in Kurdish as part of reforms to answer the grievances of the ethnic minority and advance its EU candidacy. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his government will push democratic reforms to address decades-old grievances from the Kurdish population and help end a 25-year conflict between the state and separatist guerrillas. Erdogan, who has given few details on the measures and their time frame, is seeking public, military and parliamentary support for his “Kurdish initiative”. Analysts say some of the expected measures will require difficult legal and constitutional reforms for which Erdogan needs broad consensus, but the main opposition parties have rejected a call for talks, arguing the process threatened Turkey’s unity. More than 12,000 village names, some 35 percent of the total, were changed in Turkey between 1940 and 2000 under a “Turkification” drive, according to a report by the Milliyet daily. The name change initiative, dating back to the Ottoman era before World War One, was also designed to give Turkish names to places with Armenian, Greek and Bulgarian names, it said. Turkey’s estimated 12 million Kurds out of a population of 72 million have long complained of discrimination by the state.

II. Israel responds to Greek criticism on airspace dispute with Turkey

The Israeli embassy in Athens has responded to criticism in the Greek media that Israel was taking Ankara’s part in the Greek-Turkish airspace dispute by saying that a reference in an online statement about a joint military exercise taking place in "Turkish" territory was an error. The controversy arose after an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) website statement referred to a joint military exercise by the United States, Israel and Turkey as to take place off the Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo in Turkish territory. The island is Greek territory. The incident happened amid a massive upsurge of Turkish air force aircraft entering airspace claimed by Greece. The Israeli embassy said that it regarded Greece and Turkey both "as significant partners and allies... in the region." Earlier, after the initial IDF statement, Greek media singled out Israel for criticism, omitting references to the other partner country in the exercise, the US. Eleftheros headlined its report "Israel questions our sovereignty over the Aegean" while Vradyni said: "Israelis ‘baptise’ Kastellorizo as ‘Turkish’". The dispute has been going on for about three decades, and has seen Greece and Turkey, both Nato members, come close to blows, in 1987 and in 1996. In 2006, a mid-air collision between Greek and Turkish air force jets cost a Greek pilot his life. Recent weeks in 2009 have seen the problem take wing once more, compounding the complexities of Greek-Turkish relations, already confounded by the Cyprus issue and Greece’s frustrations that Turkey is failing to do its part against illegal immigration.

III. Turkish Cypriot teachers oppose Quran lessons

Turkish Cypriot teachers want authorities to stop optional Quranic lessons for schoolchildren, which they say threaten their community's secular culture. Education officials in breakaway northern Cyprus sanctioned courses on Islam's holiest book this summer at a few schools that cater mostly to the children of Turkish immigrants. But Sener Elcil, head of the primary schoolteachers' union, said Thursday that the summer courses teach a stricter interpretation of Islam than the official state curriculum. He called the lessons "an imposition on Turkish Cypriot culture." The island was split into a Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece.

IV. Overseas Cypriots annual meetings begin on Monday

The opening ceremony of the 16th World Conference of Overseas Cypriots (POMAK - PSEKA) will take place on Monday, 24 August, at 7 pm at the Hilton Hotel, in Nicosia. Inaugurating the works of the conference of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots (POMAK) and of the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA), as well as of the Meeting of the Executive Council of the World Organization for Young Overseas Cypriots (NEPOMAK) will be the President of the Republic Mr Demetris Christofias. During the ceremony, speeches will be addressed by the President of the House of Representatives Mr Marios Garoyian, the Archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Markos Kyprianou, the President of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots (POMAK) Mr. Haris Sophoclides, the President of the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA) Mr. Philip Christopher, and the President of the World Organization for Young Overseas Cypriots (NEPOMAK) Mr. Christos Karaolis. The President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) Mr Stefanos Tamvakis and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Mr. Theodore Kassimis will also address the meeting. Latest developments in the Cyprus problem will be among the main issues to be discussed during the meeting. Moreover, an overview of the activities of the various federations of overseas Cypriots and a presentation of activity reports will also be made. Participants will also be briefed by leaders or representatives of parliamentary parties. Additionally, representatives of various Ministries will also brief the Overseas Cypriots on various issues that concern Cypriots abroad.

V. Suicide bombers on bicycles kill at least 4 police in Chechnya

Suicide bombers on bicycles carried out four blasts in the capital of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya on Friday, leaving at least four police dead and two injured. "Four suicide bombers riding bicycles activated explosive devices in various locations in Grozny," the Investigative Committee at the Russian Prosecutor General's Office said in a statement. The explosions were carried out in a period of some 30 minutes, with the first attack staged by a cyclist in Grozny's Leninsky District at 01:10 p.m. (09:10 GMT). Two officers died, and one police officer was injured. The second blast occurred in similar circumstances at 01:40 p.m. (09:40 GMT), and also left two police officers dead and one injured. Police are currently verifying the number of injured in another two explosions in the city.

VI. UN: EULEX receives green light

The Security Council has given its unanimous backing to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s plan for UNMIK reconfiguration, thus opening the doors for EULEX. During the debate, ambassadors from Security Council member states supported Ban’s plan for the reconfiguration of UNMIK and deployment of EULEX in Kosovo. Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić welcomed the secretary-general’s report, calling on the authorities in Priština to respect the will of the international community. The Priština government remains the only one to oppose the plan. During the debate, Jeremić said that the key condition for Serbia to accept the reconfiguration was the EU’s clear commitment that EULEX would have neutral status and would function fully under UN auspices and in line with Resolution 1244. “The report confirms the neutral status of EULEX’s engagement, which is a guarantee that not a single part of its mandate can be based on the Ahtisaari Plan for Kosovo independence that the Republic of Serbia has rejected, and that the Security Council never approved,“ he added. The EU has welcomed the adoption of the UN Secretary General’s report at the Security Council, Javier Solana’s spokeswoman said. The permanent representatives of France, the U.S. and Italy said in New York that EULEX would work within the framework of Resolution 1244, would be neutral and fully transparent.

VII. UPDATE: Myrrh-Streaming Icon of the Mother of God in Washington, DC

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ - Please be advised that the Hawaiian Myrrh-Streaming Icon of the Mother of God and its custodian Reader Nektary Yangson will arrive in Washington, DC on Saturday, August 22 at 5:16 PM. God willing, the Holy Image will be with us in time for the Slavonic Vigil at 6:30 PM. (We had originally planned for the Icon to be with us in time for the English Vigil at 4:00.) After both Sunday liturgies we will serve a moleben with commemorations. Private prayers and veneration of the icon can take place on Sunday between 1-2:00 PM. We hope to visit a few of our seriously ill parishioners between 2:00-4:30 PM. At 5:00 PM we will gather at our Iveron Chapel at Rock Creek Cemetery and sing a bilingual akathist to the Mother of God. If it rains, we will gather in church and serve the akathist there. Donations are encouraged to cover the costs of Reader Nektary's travels and other expenses he has incurred during his visit of the East Coast. Checks may be made out to St. John Church/Iveron Icon and left in a basket in the center of the church. A detailed description of the Icon can be found here. Hope to see you all in church this weekend. God bless! In XC, Fr. Victor Potapov

Michael's Daily 7 - 20 August

I. Ban Ki-Moon Lacks Leadership Skills

A top secret report by a senior Norwegian diplomat on the performance of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been published in Norway. And the diplomat doesn't mince her words, saying that the South Korean secretary-general has failed the UN in many respects. Its not good timing either: He is due to visit Oslo in two weeks time. In the report, senior diplomat Mona Juul, the Norwegian ambassador to the UN, wrote that, "at a time when solutions by the UN and multilateral agencies are more necessary than ever to resolve global conflicts, Ban and the UN are conspicuous in their absence." Juul also wrote that Ban is "battling to show leadership." She said that the United Nations is having difficulty in dealing with the environmental agenda and that Ban has not demonstrated enough leadership during the global financial crisis. Political crises are not Ban's cup of tea either, according to Juul, a former Norwegian ambassador to Israel who played a leading role in brokering the 1993 Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. She added that his recent visit to Burma was a clear example of this. The Norwegian UN ambassador goes on to write that most other nations also feel increasingly negative towards Ban, who is half-way through his term. "The tone has changed among the many who felt he should be given more time, that he'd get better once he was warmed up and that comparisons with his charismatic predecessor were just not fair. The mood now is that the time for learning the ropes is over and that (his) lack of charisma is, in fact, a problem." With regard to Ban's personality, Juul also wrote that Ban is given to fits of rage that even experienced UN employees are finding hard to handle.

II. Turkish fighters violate Greek airspace again

Turkish jet fighters violated Greek airspace on August 19 2009 in an incursion of more than 30 minutes, the latest in a series of multiple such incidents in recent months, according to Greek media reports. Greek website Zougla, quoted by Bulgarian news agency Focus, said that eight Turkish fighters entered Greek airspace over the island of Farmakonisi in the Aegean Sea. Four flew low and the group left after being intercepted by Greek aircraft. On August 10, Greek daily Kathimerini said that Athens expected Ankara to keep the tension in the Aegean high for the next few months, until the European Union decides in December as to how Turkey is progressing in its bid to join the bloc. "There have been a number of incidents, both in the air and at sea, in recent weeks that have heightened concerns of Greek diplomats about the attitude that Turkey will adopt over the coming months," Kathimerini said. During June and July, Turkish aircraft flew over Greek territory, including islands such as Agathonisi and Farmakonisi, 19 times. A total of 363 incursions into Athens’s Flight Information Region (FIR) were recorded and Greek jets were dispatched 58 times to ward off Turkish aircraft.

III. Greece unhappy with Nimetz's latest FYROM proposal

Greece's response to UN mediator Matthew Nimetz's latest proposal to resolve the long-standing name dispute between Athens and Skopje was not positive, local media reported on Wednesday (August 19th). Nimetz met on Tuesday in New York with Greek representative Adamantios Vassilakis. According to Greece's Mega TV, Vassilakis said Athens would not accept the proposed name "Republic of Northern Macedonia" even if it is to be used only in bilateral Greek-Macedonian relations. He reportedly insisted instead that the name should refer to a geographical location and should be used internationally.

IV. Israeli ‘error’ annoys Athens

There was consternation in the ranks of the Defense Ministry yesterday as sources told Kathimerini that a joint military exercise being conducted off the Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo by US, Israeli and Turkish forces had been described by Israeli military authorities as being in Turkish territory. According to Greek defense sources, the Israeli Defense Forces website stated that the exercise, code-named Reliant Mermaid, was “the tenth to be conducted in a Turkish search and rescue region in the eastern Mediterranean.” When Kathimerini accessed the IDF site late last night, the Turkish reference appeared to have been removed. Sources told Kathimerini that the reference had been posted on the Israeli site even though Israeli and US diplomats in Athens had been informed that the region in question falls within Greece’s sovereign domain.

V. Serbian police uncover arms cache in Southern Serbia

On Aug. 19, police discovered a large cache of weapons in an oil storage tank in the village of Konculj in Bujanovac municipality, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said. He told BETA that the underground tank, which had been welded shut, contained explosives, rocket launchers, rifles, and ammunition. Dacic notified local Albanian leaders and representatives of the international community, KFOR, UNMIK, and EULEX in Kosovo of the seizure carried out by multiethnic police units. Stanisa Mihajlovic, an investigative judge from Vranje, told BETA that hiding such weapons is considered a terrorist act. He went on to say that police discovered the weapons, including three mortars, six rocket launchers, and a recoilless rifle, in Konculj, on the administrative boundary separating Kosovo from the rest of Serbia, early on Aug. 19. Officers also found three machine gun mounts, 21 anti-tank mines, 24 rockets, 150 mortar shells, 139 hand grenades, and 100,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers. The weapons are believed to have been buried following the fighting in the area of late 2000 and early 2001. The ethnic Albanian village of Konculj was site of the headquarters of the terrorist Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja, which has since disbanded.

VI. Arctic Sea Hijackers Questioned In Russian Jail

Russian authorities flew the suspected hijackers of the cargo vessel Arctic Sea to Moscow on Thursday and took them for interrogation, dismissing suggestions that the ship may have been carrying weapons. The Russian Navy tracked the ship into the Atlantic after what Moscow has termed an act of piracy and boarded it off the Cape Verde islands in the early hours of Monday, freeing the 15 Russian crewmen. The mass of conflicting details in a saga that began with the ship's apparent disappearance last month have sparked speculation that it may have been targeted because it was carrying a secret cargo of arms or even nuclear materials. The suspected pirates were flown to Russia's Chkalovsky military airfield from Cape Verde aboard an Ilyushin-76 aircraft, then whisked off to the Lefortovo high-security prison. Russia said the Arctic Sea was hijacked on July 24 off the coast of Sweden by eight armed men, who forced the crew to sail for Africa with its positioning systems switched off. The hijackers then threatened to blow up the ship if their ransom demands were not met, the Defence Ministry said, though it was unclear how much they had demanded. Maritime experts note that piracy has been extremely rare in northern Europe since the age of buccaneers in the 17th century. Russia has so far released no detailed account of why pirates would target a ship carrying a relatively low-value cargo of timber in some of the world's best policed seas.

VII. Archbishop of Cyprus visits Poland Orthodox Church Metropolitan

Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus Chrysostomos II has protested the destruction and plundering of Cyprus’ religious sites in the northern Turkish-occupied part of the country and asked for the support of Poland’s Orthodox Church. The Archbishop, who continues his official visit to Poland at the invitation of Polish Orthodox Church leader, Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland Sawa, delivered a speech after a service held in the Cathedral of Saint Nicolas Biaystok and sought the support of the Polish Orthodox Church and the Polish politicians for Cyprus. “The ‘civilised’ humanity does not care about principles, freedom and justice. We ask help from you all. First of all in your prayers to God, and if possible, we ask for your intervention to the politicians in your country. A sister Orthodox Church is now faced with real danger for its survival”, the Archbishop stressed. He referred to the Turkish invasion against Cyprus in 1974 as well as to Turkey’s policy to bring illegally to the occupied areas of Cyprus Muslim Turkish settlers from Anatolia, thus changing the demographic structure of the island. The Archbishop said that more than 500 religious sites in the Turkish occupied areas have been converted into stables, stores, hen-houses, mosques and military camps.

Michael's Daily 7 - 18 August

I. Dutch embrace Islamic name

MOHAMMED, or other variations of the name of Islam's founding prophet, has become the most popular name choice for baby boys in the four biggest cities of Holland. The country's social security agency found that traditional Dutch names have been displaced in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht as the country's Muslim population grows. In The Hague, variations of the name Mohammed have taken first, second and fifth place in the table of most popular names for boys, replacing traditional favourites such as Jan, Luuk, Gijs or Daan. Official statistics show that European societies are being transformed by immigration and demographic trends. In 2008 just 5 per cent of the EU's total population was Muslim. But low birth rates among Europe's indigenous population and rising immigration are having rapid and widespread effects on the population mix. Muhammad is also the most popular first name in the world. It is quickly gaining popularity in the US and Britain. Muhammad is reported to be the second-most popular baby name in Britain.

II. Georgia waves goodbye to the CIS

Georgia has finalized plans to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional alliance of former Soviet republics. Tbilisi initiated the withdrawal on the 14th of August 2008 when the country’s parliament unanimously supported president Saakashvili’s motion to do so. The decision came immediately after the conflict in South Ossetia. According to CIS regulations, the legal action to leave the organization takes a year. Therefore, as confirmed by representatives of both Georgia and the CIS, the country’s membership will end on the 18th of August 2009. The CIS executive committee has, however, pointed out that Georgia has expressed a desire to continue to participate in agreements ratified over the course of its membership. Russia’s Foreign Ministry noted that the situation should be taken at face value: “The events should not be dramatized, each sovereign state has the right to decide on its participation in any organization. It is the sovereign right of every state,” a ministry spokesperson told TASS. Nevertheless, the ministry is concerned that Georgia’s withdrawal may have a “negative effect on the country’s citizens”. Leonid Slutsky, the deputy chairman of the Russian Duma committee on foreign affairs, agrees with this view: “Tbilisi will have to re-establish the agreements which were drawn up in the CIS framework, including visa-free travel as well as education and labour migration. In the current situation this could be problematic,” he said. “However, nothing dramatic will happen, especially for the Commonwealth,” he added.

III. FYROM talks due to resume today

United Nations mediator Matthew Nimetz is due to meet late tonight with Greek Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis in New York in the latest round of negotiations over the name dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Vassilakis is expected to inform Nimetz of Greece’s assessment of the most recent set of proposals that the UN negotiator submitted to the two countries. Nimetz visited Skopje and Athens in July to submit his latest proposals on a mutually acceptable name. Greece and FYROM must give UN officials their responses and suggestions by Thursday. After his meeting with Vassilakis, Nimetz is due to hold talks with FYROM’s representative, Zoran Jolevski, although a precise day and time for the meeting has not been set. Nimetz is thought to have proposed the name “Republic of Northern Macedonia” as a solution to the dispute. Sources said that Athens, in principle, is pleased with this suggestion. There have also been indications that Skopje may accept it as a compromise. However, any agreement will depend on the use of the name. Athens wants FYROM to use it in its dealings with all countries, whereas Skopje is likely to insist that all the countries that have recognized it by its constitutional name of “Republic of Macedonia” should continue to call it that. In a speech in Komotini, northeastern Greece, on Saturday, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis advised Skopje to adopt a more conciliatory approach. “The history of centuries cannot be wiped out or ignored,” he said. “I repeat that as far as our national issues are concerned, we have put down some clear red lines. “Any of our neighbors that indulge in nationalistic outbursts, provocative behavior and stubbornness that has no basis in history are making a mistake.” Once Nimetz has the feedback from the Greek and FYROM diplomats, he is due to formulate another set of ideas, which will be presented to the two countries.

IV. Second stage of Cypriot reunification talks begin on Sept 3

The first stage of talks between President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on reunifying the divided island of Cyprus ended on Aug 6. The second stage of the United Nations-backed talks begins Sep 3 in the island's UN-controlled buffer zone. At the second round the leaders will take on the toughest issue, property rights on the island, where UN peacekeepers have been deployed since 1964 to prevent fighting between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. Previous negotiations have focused on immigration, asylum, citizenship and Greek Cypriot membership of the European Union. Neither Turkish Cyprus nor Turkey belongs to the bloc, a contentious issue. A Greek Cypriot newspaper reports that UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon is expected to visit in September or October to support the talks. In May 2008, the two leaders committed themselves to working towards “a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions.” A Federal Government with a single international personality, along with a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State of equal status, will comprise the partnership.

V. Obama loses trust of Israel backers

President Obama's harsh criticism of West Bank settlements during his heavily publicized June speech to the Arab world in Cairo continues to reverberate here, undercutting his popularity and heightening tensions with some pro-Israel advocates in the United States. Navigating the complex relationship with Israel is a delicate task for any administration, but relations are especially delicate now as Mr. Obama is making a major push to build trust with the region's vast Muslim population and coordinate a diplomatic drive to halt Iran's nuclear programs. During his June speech, Mr. Obama questioned the legitimacy of the settlements, saying they violated previous agreements and undermined the peace process, prompting a hawkish public response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A recent poll sponsored by the Jerusalem Post underscored the extent of the rift: Just 6 percent of Jewish Israelis surveyed said they now consider Mr. Obama's administration to be "pro-Israel." Fifty percent said Mr. Obama was "pro-Palestinian, and 36 percent said he was "neutral." Otniel Schneller, deputy speaker of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, warned that Mr. Obama's approach could stymie the peace process. "He doesn't understand the conflict. He thinks he understands it," Mr. Schneller told The Washington Times. "The formula is very easy. If they will continue to push us to give the Palestinians more than 90 percent of the West Bank, there will not be any peace in the future, ever."

VI. The meeting with Patriarch Kirill is beneficial for Obama

The recent meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was "not just important, but even essential" for the head of the United States, Archimandrite Zacchaeus (Wood) rector of the Church of St. Catherine on Vspolye, Moscow, believes. "Patriarch is one of the best representatives of the Orthodox Church, he is an intelligent, educated and talented person and he combines these qualities with Patriarchal grace. Therefore, their conversation with Obama was really interesting, intelligent and to my mind, very helpful to U.S. President," Father Zacchaeus said in an interview to online paper Tatyanin Den of Moscow State University. Fr. Zacchaeus, whose church houses the parish of the Orthodox Church in America, also said that the meeting between Obama and Patriarch Kirill should help to dispel a myth that Russia lacks freedom of religion. "Unfortunately, there is a popular idea, and even a myth, that Russia lacks freedom of religion and that the Orthodox Church creates barriers for members of other religions. But I think that after the meeting with Patriarch Kirill, President Obama will have a different view on that matter," Fr. Zacchaeus said.

VII. Report on problems of religious minorities presented to Turkish PM

The Orthodox Patriarchate's lawyer, Kezban Hatemi, who helped arrange a meeting between non-Muslim religious community leaders and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday, said yesterday that a report on the main problems of religious minorities was presented to Erdoğan at the end of the meeting. The 88-article report includes such issues as reopening the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary, stopping the violation of property rights and bringing attention to cultural diversity and to the problems of local administration on the island of Heybeliada, off of mainland İstanbul. The report also includes the expectations of the island's residents. During the preparation of the report, members of civil society organizations were divided into groups to take part in workshops. The articles, which were initially too numerous, were then edited and grouped under subtitles each having three articles and placing the most urgent issues first.

Michael's Daily 7 - 17 August

I. Turkish PM promises reform to religious minorities

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan promised democratic reforms on Saturday in a rare meeting with Turkey's religious minority leaders highlighting the issue of minority rights, a key stumbling block in its EU membership bid. Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and leaders of the small Armenian, Jewish, Syriac Orthodox and Syriac Catholic communities had lunch with Erdogan and senior ministers on Buyukada island near Istanbul, a patriarchate official told Reuters on condition his name not be used. Erdogan and Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox, later toured the Aya Yorgi Church, where they had a private conversation in which the patriarch voiced his community's concerns, the official said. The two men last met in 2006. Erdogan and Bartholomew also visited a former orphanage on Buyukada that the Turkish state seized from a Greek Orthodox foundation a decade ago. The European Court of Human Rights ruled last year Turkey had wrongly confiscated the property, but the government has yet to implement that ruling. Bartholomew also raised the issue of the closed Orthodox seminary on the nearby island of Heybeli, or Halki in Greek, but Erdogan made no statement on the issue, the official said. The EU has made re-opening the Halki seminary a litmus test of the government's commitment to religious freedom for non-Muslims in largely Muslim but officially secular Turkey.

II. Vatican: UK and US knew about Hitler’s plans to exterminate Jews

he Vatican’s official newspaper has accused Britain and the United States of having detailed knowledge of Hitler’s plans to exterminate Jews, but failed to stop it. The L’Osservatore Romano claims in a report that authorities in Washington and London ignored, downplayed or even suppressed intelligence reports about the Nazis’ extermination plans. According to the daily, both governments could have bombed Nazi concentration camps and the railway stations that supplied them but instead chose not to. According to The Telegraph, British and American inaction was in contrast to the efforts made by the wartime Pope, Pius XII, who tried to save as many Jews as he could through clandestine means. The editorial is the Vatican’s latest effort to rehabilitate the reputation of Pope Pius, whose reluctance to denounce the Nazis publicly prompted accusations of anti-Semitism and earned him the title “Hitler’s Pope”. L’Osservatore dismissed such claims as a “radically false” characterisation of the pontiff’s wartime record.

III. Czechs expel two Russian diplomats

The Czech Republic has expelled two Russian diplomats, one of whom is a deputy military attaché, according to a Czech website. Moscow has called it a “provocation”. “That’s another provocation,” said Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister. However, neither the Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer, nor the republic’s Foreign Ministry, commented on any of the claims being made. "The ministry does not comment on such sort of information, whether this has or has not taken place," a Czech Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "This is nonsense,” said Russian embassy official Vladimir Fyodorov, commenting on the issue. “I do not have this information." Meanwhile, a Czech website, iDNES, says that the republic’s military intelligence agency was told that the diplomats were working for the Russian secret services. It also alleges that two-thirds of the 200 embassy and consulate staff are involved in spying.

IV. Obama troubled by Russian truck bomb attack; Medvedev sacks police chief

US President Barack Obama said Monday he was "deeply troubled" by reports of an apparent suicide attack on a police compound in southern Russia that killed at least 20 people. "I am deeply troubled about reports of a suicide bombing today in Nazran, Ingushetiya that has resulted in the tragic loss of at least 20 lives and 138 injured," Obama said in a statement released by the White House. "There can be no justification for such an act of terrorism. This latest attack highlights the concerning increase in violence in the region affecting officials and civilians alike. Our condolences go out to the government of Russia and the families of victims," said the US president. Russian officials said a truck packed with explosives rammed through the gates of a police compound and blew in an apparent suicide attack in Nazran, the main city in Ingushetia. In a move underscoring the seriousness of the situation, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced hours after the attack that he had sacked the region's top policeman and issued a stern command to his interior minister to bring about order in the region's law enforcement. "This terrorist act could have been avoided," a stern-faced Medvedev said on state television.

V. Muslim spiritual leader urges more Sharia law

Bosnia’s Muslim spiritual leader, Reiss-ul-Ulema Mustafa Ceric, has drawn strong criticism from moderate Muslims and from Bosnian Serbs, after he called for Islamic Sharia law to be incorporated into the Bosnian constitution. Ceric made the controversial suggestion when he conducted Bosnia's first Sharia mass wedding on Saturday in the central city of Zenica. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi reportedly paid for the weddings for the 20 couples and some 500 guests. Strict Sharia law drastically reduces the rights of women, allows polygamy for men, forbids marrying non-Muslims and sanctions cruel penalties including stoning. Ceric said "no force could separate" Muslims in Serbia from those in Bosnia, which he has described as a homeland for Muslims. Ceric’s pronouncement concealed a Muslim drive to dominate the whole country. Ceric’s statements drew sharp criticism from moderate Muslims.

VI. Gridiron Orthodoxy

In addition to being a talented football player, a husband, and father, Troy Polamalu is a devout Orthodox Christian. Polamalu is an Eastern Orthodox Christian, having converted through the influence of his wife Theodora. Among his spiritual activities is a pilgrimage to Greek Orthodox sites in Greece and Turkey, taken in 2007. Polamalu's faith has brought him to the ancient Orthodox monastic haven, Mount Athos which he describes as "Heaven on earth." So touched and graced by the Holy Mountain was he, that he named his first born son Paisios after Elder Paisios. Polumalu stated that in his football game, the goal is to glorify God. His example is something many atheletes and celebrities can learn from, but the everday believer as well. Polamalu said, "Football is part of my life but not life itself. Football doesn't define me. It's what I do [and] how I carry out my faith." The everday believer can learn from this gifted athlete. They can learn that even in the midst of fame and glory, it is still important to seek after God and to humble themselves. They can learn that it is not one's career that makes a person, but what the person does with their life to help others and grow closer to God is what matters most. They can learn that even in the midst of a busy life, it is still possible (and good!) to make time for God and family.

VII. Orthodox Church leader hopes factions can unify

Orthodox Christians must reach out across ethnic and social lines in order for their churches to survive, the new head of the Orthodox Church in America said Friday after arriving in Michigan for a three-day visit. Metropolitan Jonah, 49, is to meet with local parishes on his first trip to Michigan since being elected in November as head of the church, one of the three main Orthodox churches in the U.S. Metro detroit has about 40 Orthodox churches, some of them part of the group Jonah heads. The Orthodox Church in America has its roots in Russian monks who came to Alaska more than 200 years ago. Today, many Native Americans in Alaska are members of the Orthodox Church, he said. Orthodox churches are often associated with particular ethnicities, such as Greek, Russian, or Lebanese-Syrian, among others. But Jonah said the community must transcend ethnic boundaries to flourish. The key, he said, is making people aware of what the Orthodox Church can offer. "What people are looking for is a spiritual path, a way that leads them into the depths of communion with God," he said.

Michael's Daily 7 - 14 August

I. Bosnia is falling apart, Serbs are seeking for full autonomy

Bosnia-Herzegovina is falling apart as Serbs pull ever further from the weak centre in the direction of outright independence, London’s Independent writes. The partiality that the international governors of Bosnia since 1995 have shown towards the Muslims has not helped them much, the paper adds. “Europe has no strategy for Bosnia; no fall-back plan. One problem is the ill thought-out framework forced on the country at the Dayton Ohio talks in 1995, largely at the behest of Bill Clinton's envoy, Richard Holbrooke,” the daily says. “Bosnian's Muslims are outraged, insisting that the Bosnian Serbs must never be rewarded for with a state. The Serbs retort that they have a right to national self-determination. Europe says they don't – Kosovo was an exception,” Independent points out. According to the paper, Sarajevo has lost its way economically and politically, whilst Republika Srpska has sharpened up its act and become increasingly self-confident.Bosnia may lose the appearance of statehood and becomes an official protectorate and its hopes of joining the EU, feeble as they are, vanish entirely. Brussels is not interested in taking on an ailing international trusteeship, Independent concludes.

II. Greece prepares Nimetz [FYROM] response

UN mediator Matthew Nimetz is expected to welcome diplomats from Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to New York in the coming week as the latest round of negotiations in the name dispute between the two countries enters the next phase. Sources in Athens said that Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakos will be ready to meet with Nimetz next week. It is expected that FYROM’s representative, Zoran Jolevski, will also travel to New York, barring any last-minute surprises. During his most recent visit, Nimetz is thought to have proposed the name “Republic of Northern Macedonia” as a solution to the dispute. Sources said that Athens, in principle, is pleased with this suggestion. There have also been indications that Skopje may accept it as a compromise. However, any agreement will depend on the use of the name. Athens wants FYROM to use it in its dealings with all countries, whereas Skopje is likely to insist that all the countries that have recognized it by its constitutional name of “Republic of Macedonia” should continue to call it that. Once Nimetz has the comments of the Greek and FYROM diplomats, he is due to formulate another set of ideas, which will be presented to the two countries.

III. German court rules on Nazi slogans in English

A German court ruled on Thursday that far-right organizations may use banned Nazi slogans if they are in a foreign language, overturning an earlier decision. In 2005 the defendant was found in possession of 100 T-shirts in the back of his car. "Blood and Honor" is the translation for "Blut und Ehre" which was one of the guiding principles of the Hitler Youth during the Nazi era. Announcing the verdict, presiding judge Joerg-Peter Becker admitted that Thursday's court ruling could open the floodgates, but said that this could not justify judging the case differently. Authorities in Gera, in the eastern state of Thuringia, had deemed the shirts to be in violation of Germany's strict laws banning Nazi slogans. The federal court said the use of the slogan in English decoupled it from its Nazi-era connotations and thus could not fall under a law banning the use of symbols from unconstitutional organizations. But it scolded the lower court for failing to consider other charges against the defendant and referred the case back for a new trial. "The lower court did not review whether the accused, by possessing T-shirts with an aggressive slogan, could be guilty of distributing propaganda for unconstitutional organizations or for abetting the organizational cohesion of the banned group Blood & Honor," it said in a statement. The court in Gera is to now re-examine whether the T-shirt case is illegal for such other reasons.

IV. Council of Europe condemns Abkhazia blast

The Council of Europe secretary general condemned on Friday a recent explosion in Abkhazia, which killed two and injured seven people, as a terrorist act. A bomb exploded in the former Georgian republic during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit on Wednesday, the first visit by a senior Russian official since Moscow recognized the region's independence after a brief war with Georgia last summer. "These tragic events can only be described as terrorism, and it is time for everyone in the South Caucasus to recognize that terrorism is a crime and totally unacceptable in today's Europe," Terry Davis said in a statement on the website of the pan-European human rights body. "A week ago, many international organizations expressed concern that the rhetoric employed by politicians in Georgia and Russia might lead to renewed violence on the anniversary of the war between these countries. I am relieved that the anniversary has passed without the escalation which worried us, but we must condemn the explosion in Abkhazia in recent days," Davis said. Relations between Russia and Georgia have remained strained since last August's war over South Ossetia, which Moscow also recognized, and tensions have persisted in the border area fueling fears of a new conflict. On Friday, Abkhazia marks the 17th anniversary of an armed conflict with Georgia, one of the bloodiest in the post-Soviet area. It erupted when Abkhazia broke away from Tbilisi in 1992 after 60 years as a Soviet-era Georgian autonomy. Abkhazia has maintained a de facto independence since September 1993.

V. Kadyrov: Terrorists ‘not human’, deserve death

The leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic has in an interview to a Portuguese news agency described separatist Islamic guerrillas as “devils” who should be killed. “The terrorists are not people, but devils who are not human”, President Ramzan Kadyrov said in an interview with Lusa. “We need to kill them. They don’t deserve amnesty or a pardon - only death”. Kadyrov acknowledged, however, that he had been in contact recently with an exiled separatist leader, Akhmed Zakaev, in the hope of getting him to return home to Grozni from London. He said Zakaev, who broke with the most militant wing and has called for a suspension of terrorist attacks, would be offered a “dignified post” if he returned to Chechnya. The Chechen leader expressed his full backing for Moscow’s war against Georgia last year, saying “any concession” made in the Caucasus region would signal the end of Russia. “I’m totally Putin’s man… I’ll never betray him”, Kadyrov said.

VI. Ravil Gainutdin to be the first Russian mufti wearing a cross

The execution of the presidential decree to award the Order of Merit for Motherland to mufti Ravil Gainutdin means that the Chairman of Russia's Mufti Council will wear a cross, a well-known Islam expert Roman Silantyev says. "It is well known that the Order of Merit for the Motherland is shaped as a cross, thus, Ravil Gainutdin will be the first Russian mufti wearing a cross," Silantyev told Interfax-Religion on Friday. He expressed hope that "from this day, the Mufti Council will change its attitude to the main Christian symbol for the better, and we will never again hear the requests of the Council's Co-Chairmen to remove crosses from the Russian emblem and their calls to dismantle adoration crosses." According to Silantyev, Gainutdin's decoration has "a special insight" in view of the fact that in July this year the Mufti Council "finally ceased its five year war against the Russian Orthodox Church on teaching religion at schools and military clergy." Silantyev said that "the cross-shaped decoration may cause certain problems to the Moscow mufti, for example, he cannot visit the Saudi Arabia wearing the Order, and radical Muslims in Russia may blame him for apostacy." "However, if the Mufti Council is seeking for positive development of its relations with the state and the Orthodox majority, its Chairman may well disregard such challenges," Silantyev said.

VII. Wherever there are Greeks, a church is devoted to the 'Panagia'

Everywhere in Greece, from the major urban centers to the remotest island and village, and in all corners of the world where Greeks live, there is a church dedicated to 'Panagia', the Virgin Mary. On August 15, the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, tens of thousands of Greeks flock to her churches to piously pray to her and seek her grace. The August 15 feast is the "Easter of summer", as it is celebrated as widely and devotedly by the Orthodox Church as the Resurrection of the Christ. The Pontian (Black Sea Greeks) of the US and Canada have their own special church devoted to the Virgin, the church of the Panagia Soumela, at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains in West Milford, northern New Jersey. The name 'Soumela' comes from the Greek 'stou Mela', meaning 'at Mt. Melas' signifying a specific locality in the Pontos in Asia Minor. The revered icon of Panagia (of) Soumela takes its name from the historic Monastery of Panagia Soumela in the Pontos, and has been kept there for centuries. According to tradition, the icon was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist (Apostle Luke) and is older than the Monastery. The icon was originally kept in Athens, originally called the Panagia Atheniotissa (Panagia of Athens), but was later removed to Pontos for safe-keeping when the Saracens destroyed the city of Athens by two monks, St. Barnabas and St. Sophronios who are also said to be the founders of the Monastery of Soumela.