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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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."
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."