Michael's Daily 7 - 21 October

I. Pirate attacks surge in 2009

Pirate attacks worldwide in the first nine months of 2009 exceeded the whole of last year's total because of more frequent raids in the Gulf of Aden and off the east coast of Somalia, an international maritime watchdog said Wednesday. The number of attacks rose to 306 between January and September, surpassing the 293 incidents recorded throughout 2008, according to a statement released by the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. Vessels were boarded in 114 cases and 34 were hijacked so far this year, with 661 crew taken hostage and six killed, the bureau said in its quarterly report. The use of guns in the attacks more than doubled to 176 cases in the first nine months of 2009 from 76 in the same period of last year, the report added. The higher number of attacks was due mainly to increased Somali pirate activity off the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest sea lanes, and the east coast of Somalia, which combined accounts for 147 cases, the report said. Somalia has been ravaged by violence and anarchy since 1991 and piracy has flourished off its coast, making the Gulf of Aden one of the most dangerous waterways in the world. The International Maritime Bureau said Somali attacks decreased in the third quarter of 2009 compared to the first half of the year because of monsoon-related poor weather. However, the pirates have recently started to increase attacks after a period of quiet. The pirates use sophisticated equipment and so-called larger "mother ships" to enable them to strike hundreds of miles (kilometers) offshore. The multimillion-dollar ransoms they share are a fortune in their impoverished country. Among other nations that reported significant attacks over the same nine months, Nigeria had 20, Malaysia reported 14, Bangladesh had 12, while India and Peru recorded 10 each.

II. Anti-Islamic Dutch Lawmaker Event Cut Short as Crowd Turns Nasty

Amid tight security and a large turnout of protesters, Dutch right-wing lawmaker Geert Wilders told an assembly of Temple University students that Europe and America must fight an ongoing "stealth jihad" that threatens democracy and free speech. "Where Islam sets roots, freedom dies," Geert Wilders told the students during his 30-minute address organized by a new student group called Temple University Purpose and funded by the California-based David Horowitz Freedom Center, a foundation that promotes conservative scholarship. His remarks were met by a mixture of applause and boos, and occasionally gasps — particularly when he stated that "our Western culture is far better than the Islamic culture and we should defend it." He decried as a "disgrace" a resolution co-sponsored by the U.S. and Egypt, and backed by the U.N. Human Rights Council earlier this month, deploring attacks on religions while insisting that freedom of expression remains a basic right. Wilders also criticized President Barack Obama for his efforts to extend a hand to the Islamic world, saying that such appeasement marks "the beginning of the end." If the spread of Islam continues unabated in the Western world, "you might at the end of the day lose your Constitution," he told the assembly. "Wake up, defend your freedom." He also touched on common themes in his speeches, including calling for an end to Muslim immigration and referring to the Muslim holy book, the Quran, as "an evil book" that promotes violence and intolerance.

III. Bosnian talks still deadlocked

Talks between Bosnian political leaders and U.S. and EU officials ended today in Butmir without reaching any agreement. A set of proposals to address open issues in Bosnia-Herzegovina has been offered by representatives from Washington and Brussels, which Bosnian leaders have thus far rejected. Republic of Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, Party of Democratic Action (SDA) leader Sulejman Tihić, Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina leader Haris Silajdžić, Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Zlatko Lagumdžija, th Croatian Democratic Union’s (HDZ) Dragan Čović, Božo Ljubić of the Croatian Democratic Union 90 (HDZ 90) and Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) leader Branislav Borenović are taking part at the Butmir talks. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn are chairing proceedings. While international representatives said that an important step had been made—the determination of Bosnian officials to move towards Euro-Atlantic integration—Bosnian officials said negotiations so far had been “unsuccessful.” The success of these negotiations has been questioned because the representatives of the largest parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina are not satisfied with the proposed reform of the Constitution presented by American and European mediators. Republic of Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik stated that it was important to the representatives of U.S. and EU “to hold some sort of meeting,” adding that they had discussed the principles of the negotiations yesterday and which solutions were possible and which were not. “We said yesterday that the proposed package was unacceptable for us, that it was anti-Dayton and that it could not be a foundation for the talks, and we repeated that today. The talks have turned into talks about the principles, with the clear opinion that this is not a foundation for any negotiations,” he told Republic of Srpska TV. According to Dodik, “it has become clear now that the reality in Bosnia-Herzegovina is quite different to the ideal wishes that some want to promote.” He added that “various requests” had been made, adding that Party of Democratic Action (SDA) leader Sulejman Tihić had called for a Supreme Court to be incorporated into the Constitution, which was unacceptable to the Republic of Srpska. “My request to incorporate the right to a referendum in the Constitution and a procedure for possible peaceful separation in Bosnia-Herzegovina are probably unacceptable to him,” Dodik said. He said that Bosnia-Herzegovina would either continue to function as a two-entity state, respecting the RS or “it won’t exist.”

IV. Russian president addresses Serbian parliament

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday addressed a special session of the Serbian parliament. This is the first time that a foreign statesman has addressed Serbian MPs, and the first time for Medvedev to speak in a foreign parliament. Medvedev started his speech by congratulating those present on today's anniversary of the 1944 liberation of Belgrade from Nazi German occupation – fought together by Partisans and Russia's Red Army – by saying it was a day "jointly written in history". Serbia respects all those who gave their lives for freedom. You fought against fascism bravely. Such resistance to the Nazis was not seen everywhere. The Third Reich at the time did not meet resistance in a number of European states. What resistance can there be, when a number of countries in Europe not only supported, but fought on the side of the Hitler regime," said the Russian leader. "Other countries decided to collaborate and help Germany. It must be said openly that the responsibility of those political regimes is also evident. If there were no support, the history would have been different. This must be remembered, especially by those who would like to change the history according to their benefit and interest. They need the thesis about the equal responsibility of Hitler and the USSR for the start of the war. No one can idealize Stalin's regime, but the USSR did not start that war, and that is known to the people of good will. For this reason, the task ahead of us is to create a new European system of security that does not stand against it, but will be independent of the economy. We offer new obligations based on international principles that we all share among ourselves. One cannot deal with security issues at the expense of others. That is the lesson of the Second World War and the sad events in the 1990's. I have in mind both the Balkan crisis, and Georgia's aggression in the Caucasus. All that points toward an inefficient system of security that is in place now. The need to sign a contract on the European security is an obligation of all countries." The Russian president also told MPs that Russia supports Serbia on the Kosovo issue, and that further improvement in relations between Serbia and Russia would benefit not only Belgrade and Moscow, but the Balkans and the entire Europe as well. Speaking about Kosovo, Medvedev said he thought it intolerable to use a lack of progress in negotiations, "in the way it was done with the Kosovo precedent" as a cause for unilateral action. "The basis for the solution to the Kosovo problem should be international law and a UN Security Council resolution, in particular the Resolution 1244," Medvedev said, adding that Russia was still "prepared to provide the necessary assistance to Serbia in defending its legal rights." He stated that Russia was "categorically opposed to drawing any wrong parallels between the events in the Balkans and in the Caucasus." Stressing that Russia was ready to harmonize its relations with the U.S. and other western partners, including a peaceful and constructive cooperation with NATO, Medvedev said that a strategic partnership between Russia and the EU should be the cornerstone of a new Europe.

V. Iran agrees to draft deal on uranium

Iran has agreed to a draft deal on its nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday, and diplomats say it has the Islamic Republic shipping most of its enriched uranium to Russia. Representatives from Iran, Russia, the U.S. and France have signed off on the draft deal after talks held in Vienna this week. A diplomat inside the closed meeting told The Associated Press the draft deal includes the export of most of Iran's low-enriched uranium, taking away most of the material needed to potentially make a nuclear weapon. Iran has claimed its nuclear facilities are for energy purposes, and has previously balked at shipping most of its low-enriched uranium abroad, saying it needs it for nuclear fuel. But the international community was expected to press for the export of the nuclear material, as even low-enriched uranium could be used to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads. Based on the Iranian stockpile, the U.S. has estimated Tehran could produce a nuclear weapon between 2010 and 2015.

VI. Greece, Cyprus want to see Turkey in EU

Greece and Cyprus said on Monday they supported Turkey's bid to become a full member of the European Union and needed its help to end the island's decades-old division. The division of Cyprus has defied mediation for decades, remaining a key obstacle to Turkey joining the EU and a source of tension with Greece, its neighbour and partner in NATO. "This is an issue which we can either solve and therefore (will) unite us, or keep us divided," newly elected Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou told journalists in Nicosia, Cyprus's ethnically split capital. An architect of closer ties with Ankara, Papandreou said Turkey had every right to be a member of the European Union, but needed to meet entry requirements. Turkey has had a large military presence in northern Cyprus since 1974, when it invaded the north in response to a brief Greek-inspired coup. The island is now in the EU represented by Greek Cypriots, but EU membership is suspended in the north, a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state recognised only by Ankara. Turkey has been urged to open its ports to Cyprus, which it does not recognise, and help resolve the division of the island. "Turkey has obligations it must comply with or it will not be able to continue on its accession course without obstruction," said Cypriot President Demetris Christofias. Turkey began EU entry talks in December 2005 but their pace has been slowed by delays in Turkish reforms and by the Cyprus issue. "I'll always be sincere about the problems which separate us and those we need to solve. Among those the biggest one is the continued occupation of Cyprus," Papandreou said. Cyprus's Greek and Turkish communities launched peace talks in September 2008. They are trying to unite the island under a federal umbrella and any agreement will be put to a referendum.

VII. Finding God in Abundance

From Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain - I have realized that the destruction of man lies in the abundance of material goods, because it prevents him from experiencing the presence of God and appreciating His benevolence. If you want to take someone away from God, give him plenty of material goods. He will instantly forget Him forever. I realized this when I was younger. When I was on Mount Sinai [at St. Catherine's Monastery], I lived in a place that had no water. I had to walk for two hours to get to a rock where water was leaking from its side. I placed the jug underneath and waited about an hour until it was filled up. The limited amount of water created in my soul various feelings: Every day I was in agony: “I wonder, will the water be dripping from the rock?” I prayed to God to continue to make it drip. As I was walking towards the rock, I was anxious to see whether I would find some water and I prayed. When I could detect from far away the water glittering as the sun beams were falling on the rock, I glorified God. On my way back, I constantly thanked and glorified Him for the water He gave me. So, the small amount of water impelled me first, to constantly pray to God to make the rock drip and secondly, to thank and glorify Him, as He is the giver of all good things. When I left Sinai, I went to the Scete of Iviron [on Mt. Athos], where there was no shortage of water. We had plenty of water, which was sometimes wasted, as it was left running for no reason. At some point, I felt that I had developed a different attitude inside my soul. I realized that during my stay at the Scete, I hadn’t said, not even once, “Glory to God.” While the small amount of water became a reason for me to pray and glorify God, its abundance made me forget that water is indeed a gift from God and I should be grateful to Him. The same thing applies to material goods. I will give you another example. I could never feel the need to thank God for giving me the opportunity to sit down and rest, as I thought it was natural for me to do so. Now, I suffer from hernia and I cannot make myself comfortable while sitting down; the moment I find a comfortable position, I glorify God for giving me the opportunity to feel at ease. This led me to the conclusion that being able to sit down is also a gift from God and we should thank Him for it. The same thing applies to everything. If we are found in a difficult situation, we must not be upset; instead we should realize this is God’s way to make us feel closer to Him and become aware that He is the grantor of everything in our lives.

Michael's Daily 7 - 20 October

I. Time Runs Out For Cypriot Solution

Is it not a paradox, Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias asked in full rhetorical flight before the United Nations General Assembly last month, that Turkey should now have a seat on the U.N. Security Council? The apparent contradiction, of course, being that Turkish troops have occupied one third of Mr. Christofias's Mediterranean island country—a European Union member no less—for 35 years, despite U.N. resolutions demanding their withdrawal. Right now is the best chance in years to break through the half-century-old Cyprus deadlock. The current talks on a settlement between the Cypriot leaders are doing much better than is generally realized, but the time left to resolve these paradoxes is short. In April 2010, the pro-solution Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat faces an election. Absent the success on Cyprus that he promised to achieve, all the signs are that he will lose to a hardline candidate. If that were to happen, three decades of efforts to reunite the island on the basis of a bicommunal, bizonal federation would end. Indeed, for many, the old status quo ended in 2004, when Cyprus and the EU missed a big opportunity and Cyprus entered the Union as a divided island. If by April the talks fail to achieve a collaborative settlement to deal with the island's problems, this new phase of the Cyprus dispute will be a sharp swerve toward hostile partition. A failure to solve Cyprus would also doom deeper EU-NATO ties: Cyprus is a member of one organization and Turkey a member of the other; yet most EU countries have shown no support whatsoever for solving the dispute. Greek Cypriots are actually having to restrain some EU member-state leaders, who see in the Cyprus dispute a new way to close down Turkey's EU accession process. Worse, while the world has been worrying about big-power missile grandstanding around Iran and Russia, it is Athens and Ankara who have been actually stocking up on missiles in case growing frictions turn into frustrated anger. Watch this space: Gunboats and seismic survey ships have already been sparring over oil prospecting rights, with Turkey disputing territorial claims made by Greece and Greek Cypriots in the Mediterranean. All sides will lose if the talks collapse. Greek Cypriots will suffer from greater insecurity, Turkish troops indefinitely on their doorstep, and a much-reduced chance of compensation for or restitution of property. Turkish Cypriots will see their community scatter or be driven into integration with Turkey. Ankara will lose the regional charisma and economic boon of having a real EU accession process. The EU will forego commercial opportunities in Turkey, sacrifice strategic depth in regional disputes and see a withering in the soft power that results from having Turkey anchored in an EU process and thus a convincing advocate when it speaks up for European values in meetings with Middle Eastern leaders.

II. Geopolitics of Moscow-Belgrade relationship

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Serbia on Oct. 20 for an eight-hour visit that coincides with the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from Nazi Germany in the Second World War. During his visit, Medvedev will hold a meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadić, speak before the Serbian parliament and receive the Serbian Orthodox Church’s highest distinction: the Order of St. Sava of the First Degree. Medvedev’s visit to Belgrade reaffirms strong relations between Russia and Serbia and illustrates that despite Serbia being led by an officially pro-EU government, Moscow may be on the best terms with Belgrade in decades. Serbia and Russia are often cited as “traditional” allies, due to strong cultural and religious links between the two Slav and Orthodox countries. However, Serbia has at various times in its history allied against Russia, most notably during the entirety of the Cold War. Therefore, there is nothing “traditional” about the alliance; and like all alliances, it is most concrete when based on firm geopolitical foundations. Today, the status quo in the Balkans is that the West has won the various 1990s wars of post-Cold War transition and that, other than Serbia, most of the region is under the West’s overt control or rolled into its alliances. Furthermore, despite Belgrade’s democratic changes, the European Union (most of it anyway) and the United States continued to support Kosovo’s February 2008 unilateral declaration of independence. This was unacceptable to Serbia due to the fact that it lost sovereignty over 15 percent of its territory, and unacceptable to Russia because it illustrated the West’s complete disregard for Moscow’s concerns on European post-Cold War security arrangements. It is in this confluence of interests that officially pro-EU Belgrade and Moscow have found common grounds for what appears to be a budding relationship. Meanwhile, Russian business interests in Serbia are growing and are heavily influential across the political spectrum of both nationalist and pro-Western political parties in Serbia. In Belgrade, Medvedev is accompanied by a delegation of about 100 government and business officials that will finalize a Russian loan of 1 billion euro ($1.5 billion) to the Serbian government. Medvedev’s visit to Belgrade therefore makes official what has become obvious over the past six months: that Serbia and Russia are coming closer on more than just the Kosovo issue. From Brussels’ perspective, Serbia is surrounded by NATO member countries and isolated from Russia. Europe and the United States believe they have the luxury of letting Serbia sit on the outside looking in for essentially as long as they want. But in the meantime, Russia will play on Serbia’s indignation over being left outside of EU integration processes and will increase its influence in the Balkans, trying to upset the West’s stranglehold in the region. The real question is to what ends Russia will use its budding alliance with Serbia, particularly as the game between Moscow and Washington heats up over Central Europe and Iran.

III. White House officials to appear on Fox News

After impugning the objectivity of Fox News and saying that they would begin to treat the network as "an opponent," White House officials said Sunday that they will allow administration officials to appear on the network. Last week, White House communications director Anita Dunn said Fox News, which airs the shows of several conservative commentators, functions "almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party. . . . We don't need to pretend that this is the way that legitimate news organizations behave." Without citing specific complaints against Fox, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said on CNN's "State of the Union" that the way "the president looks at it and we look at it is it is not a news organization so much as it has a perspective." Obama eschewed "Fox News Sunday" when he appeared on five Sunday-morning news shows last month. Again this week, he sent aides to discuss the war in Afghanistan, the economy and the overhaul of the nation's health-care system on ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC. Fox was left out. Still, senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said on ABC's "This Week" that administration officials are willing to appear on the network in the future.

IV. Pranksters stage fake press conference

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce fell victim to identity theft Monday when activist pranksters sent out a fake press release and staged a phony news conference to announce the organization's endorsement of climate-change legislation. "There is only one sound way to do business," said prepared remarks included with the ersatz release. "That's to support a strong climate-change bill quickly so . . . President Obama can lead the entire business world in ensuring our long-term prosperity." In reality, the chamber has opposed most climate-change legislation, expressing concerns that it was not sufficiently comprehensive and international and that it imposed too high a regulatory burden. The briefing at the National Press Club -- complete with the chamber's logo on the lectern -- did not last long. Within a few minutes, a real chamber official, communications director walked in and announced: "This is a fraudulent press activity, and a stunt." The handful of reporters present were left to stare as Wohlschlegel and the fake chamber officials accused each other of being impostors and demanded to see each other's business cards. "These irresponsible tactics are a foolish distraction from the serious effort by our nation to reduce greenhouse gases," the chamber's vice president for communications said in a statement. Reuters and CNBC briefly reported the fake news, but both ran corrections minutes later.

V. The Internet Is Altering Our Brains

Adults with little Internet experience show changes in their brain activity after just one week online, a new study finds. The results suggest Internet training can stimulate neural activation patterns and could potentially enhance brain function and cognition in older adults. As the brain ages, a number of structural and functional changes occur, including atrophy, or decay, reductions in cell activity and increases in complex things like deposits of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which can impact cognitive function. Research has shown that mental stimulation similar to the stimulation that occurs in individuals who frequently use the Internet may affect the efficiency of cognitive processing and alter the way the brain encodes new information. "The results suggest that searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults," the study's first author and UCLA researcher, said in a statement. Previous research by the UCLA team found that searching online resulted in a more than twofold increase in brain activation in older adults with prior experience, compared with those with little Internet experience. The new findings suggest that it may take only days for those with minimal experience to match the activity levels of those with years of experience. Additional studies will be needed to address the impact of the Internet on younger individuals and help identify aspects of online searching that generate the greatest levels of brain activation.

VI. Somali Islamists whip women wearing bras

In lawless Somalia, the Al Shabaab—“the Youngsters”—Muslim terrorist group has sent its gunmen into the streets of Mogadishu to gather up women who appear to violate Islamic law for wearing bras that they claim are “deceptive.” According to locals, Al Shabaabi round up women who appear to have firm bosoms and then inspects them to determine whether that firmness is natural or not. If the firmness is the result of wearing a bra, they are ordered to remove it and shake their breasts in the presence of the Al Shabaab men. Al Shabaab—many of whose members appeared masked when in public—have forced Somali women to wear full veils. They whipped two girls on October 15, as other women have also been whipped, for wearing bras. Al Shabaab believes that women’s breasts should be firm naturally, or lie flat. Al Shabaab is enforcing a particularly strict reading of Sharia (Islamic law). They have, in addition to bras, banned dancing and music at weddings, musical ringtones, and the playing or watching of soccer. They have also severed a hand and foot from each of two men accused of theft. Al Shabaab is one of a number of Muslim terrorist organizations that colludes with Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden. Islamic law concerning gender roles and the status of women harkens back to the Koran, which forms the basis of Sharia. According to the Koran, a woman’s testimony is worth but half that of a man: "Get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her" (2:282). It is up to men to enforce Islamic law. The Koran instructs husbands to beat discordant wives, saying that "men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other," and that therefore "good women are the obedient." And as for those who are not obedient, the Koran directs men to give them a warning, send them to a separate bed, and "beat them" (4:34). It also allows for marriage to pre-pubescent girls, stipulating that Islamic divorce procedures "shall apply to those who have not yet menstruated" (65:4).

VII. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to Visit U.S. This Week

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, will visit New Orleans this week (Oct. 20-24) for a symposium on the environment with scientists, policymakers and religious leaders. Bartholomew, spiritual leader to 275 million Orthodox Christians around the globe, arrives in New Orleans on Tuesday and will deliver the symposium's keynote speech on Wednesday, according to his church's Web site. The visit is generating excitement for Orthodox believers in the area. "Any time the head of your church, your spiritual leader, gets this close to the community, it's a blessing, and the message he brings of taking care of God's creation is important," said the Rev. Elias Stevens. Bartholomew has persistently proclaimed the primacy of spiritual values in determining environmental ethics and action. His endeavors earned him the title "Green Patriarch" and Time magazine has named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world for "defining environmentalism as a spiritual responsibility." Following the New Orleans leg of the visit, according to the church's itinerary, Bartholomew will visit Atlanta, New York and Washington. The trip will conclude Nov. 5 with a reception and dinner in his honor with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to the itinerary, which is subject to change. This will be Bartholomew's second visit to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The first was just four months after the storm, when he offered prayers for the victims. Bartholomew, who was elected in 1991, is based in Istanbul but has sponsored meetings to focus attention on environmental issues in the Arctic, the Amazon, the Adriatic, Baltic and Black seas and the Danube river. To read more about His All Holiness and view the itinerary, please click here.

Michael's Daily 7 - 19 October

I. White House Escalates War on Fox News

The White House escalated its offensive against Fox News on Sunday by urging other news organizations to stop "following Fox" and instead join the administration's attempt to marginalize the channel. White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN that President Obama does not want "the CNNs and the others in the world [to] basically be led in following Fox." Obama senior adviser David Axelrod went further by calling on media outlets to join the administration in declaring that Fox is "not a news organization."The White House stopped providing guests to 'Fox News Sunday' after Wallace fact-checked controversial assertions made by Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in August. Dunn said fact-checking an administration official was "something I've never seen a Sunday show do." "She criticized 'FOX News Sunday' last week for fact-checking -- fact-checking -- an administration official," Wallace said Sunday. "They didn't say that our fact-checking was wrong. They just said that we had dared to fact-check." Fox News senior vice president Michael Clemente said: "Surprisingly, the White House continues to declare war on a news organization instead of focusing on the critical issues that Americans are concerned about like jobs, health care and two wars. The door remains open and we welcome a discussion about the facts behind the issues." Observers on both sides of the political aisle questioned the White House's decision to continue waging war on a news organization, saying the move carried significant political risks. Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said on CNN: "I don't always agree with the White House. And on this one here I would disagree." David Gergen, who has worked for Democratic and Republican presidents, said: "I totally agree with Donna Brazile." Gergen added that White House officials have "gotten themselves into a fight they don't necessarily want to be in. I don't think it's in their best interest." Media columnist David Carr of the New York Times warned that the White House war on Fox "may present a genuine problem for Mr. Obama, who took great pains during the campaign to depict himself as being above the fray of over-heated partisan squabbling." He added: "The administration, by deploying official resources against a troublesome media organization, seems to have brought a knife to a gunfight."

II. Moscow Mayor Promises a Winter Without Snow

Pigs still can't fly, but this winter, the mayor of Moscow promises to keep it from snowing. For just a few million dollars, the mayor's office will hire the Russian Air Force to spray a fine chemical mist over the clouds before they reach the capital, forcing them to dump their snow outside the city. Authorities say this will be a boon for Moscow, which is typically covered with a blanket of snow from November to March. Road crews won't need to constantly clear the streets, and traffic - and quality of life - will undoubtedly improve. The idea came from Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who is no stranger to playing God. In 2002, he spearheaded a project to reverse the flow of the vast River Ob through Siberia to help irrigate the country's parched Central Asian neighbors. The plan was unsurprisingly rubber-stamped this week by the Moscow City Council, which is dominated by Luzhkov's supporters. Then the city's Department of Housing and Public Works described how it would work. The air force will use cement powder, dry ice or silver iodide to spray the clouds from Nov. 15 to March 15 - and only to prevent "very big and serious snow" from falling on the city, said Andrei Tsybin, the head of the department. This could mean that a few flakes will manage to slip through the cracks. Tsybin estimated that the total cost of keeping the storms at bay would be $6 million this winter, roughly half the amount Moscow normally spends to clear the streets of snow. So far the main objection to the plan has come from Moscow's suburbs, which will likely be inundated with snow if the plan goes forward. Alla Kachan, the Moscow region's ecology minister, said the proposal still needs to be assessed by environmental experts and discussed with the people living in the area before Luzhkov can enact it. With only a few weeks left before winter comes, environmentalists will have to work fast to keep Luzhkov from implementing his zaniest plan to date - and to stop the first snowflakes from wafting down to the city streets.

III. Russian leader on Kosovo

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, due to arrive in Belgrade tomorrow, says that he considers the visit to be very important. "Serious work is ahead to strengthen, through joint efforts, not only the foundation of our cooperation, but also to spur a better uncovering of its rich potential for the long term," said Medvedev. Addressing the issue of Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians in February 2008 unilaterally declared secession that has been rejected both by Belgrade and Moscow, he told the newspaper that "no one must claim that the Kosovo issue has been solved, without Serbia having the last word". "Russia is taking part in the Kosovo settlement according to a formula that has been harmonized with our Serb colleagues a long time ago: Belgrade comes up with initiatives, and we consistently support it. Considering the complicated nature of the problem, this approach is proving to be efficient," he continued. "Despite all efforts by supporters of Kosovo's independence, they will not manage to present it as an irreversible process, to close the issue. We believe that it must be proven step by step that, after all, there is alternative to legal arbitrariness," the president was quoted as saying. He continued to state that "unfortunately, during the last decade, which has become critical in the history of solving the problem of Kosovo, many tragic mistakes were made, some of which were knowingly allowed to happen as part of a plan to introduce unilateral solutions to international practice."

IV. Iran warns the West ahead of new nuclear talks

Iran headed into new talks with world powers on its nuclear programme on Monday vowing to step up it uranium enrichment if it does not get what it wants from the negotiations. Iran is to hold talks at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on a proposal for Russia and France to enrich fuel for a research reactor. This would require Iran to hand over the uranium which many western nations say is being built up to develop a nuclear bomb. But before the talks with France, Russia, the United States and IAEA officials, Iran said it would carry on enriching uranium no matter what happens in Vienna. Iran Atomic Energy Organisation spokesman Ali Shirzadian said the country will keep on enriching uranium up to the five percent level, the official IRNA news agency reported. "But if the negotiations do not yield the desired results, Iran will start enriching uranium to the 20 percent level for its Tehran reactor. It will never give up this right," the spokesman added. Shirzadian said the third-party enrichment deal was a "test" for the world powers. "This issue is a test for the Western powers to show how honest they are in their commitments," he said.

V. Greek PM visits Cyprus

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou arrives in Cyprus on Monday for a visit which is laden with emotion and symbolism. Papandreou made the Cyprus tour immediately after a parliament confidence vote, in a move aimed at regaining trust of all Greek Cypriot political forces. Papandreou's traditional good relations with the government and political parties in Cyprus cooled down and he fell out with the former Cyprus government after he expressed support for the so-called Annan plan. Close associates of Papandreou say that the purpose of the visit is two-fold: first, to fully restore his relations with all sides of the Greek Cypriot political spectrum, a prerequisite for his efforts to solve the Cyprus problem; second, he is also expected to draw plans with the Cyprus government both on the handling of the Cyprus issue and on future relations with Turkey. While addressing the Greek parliament last Friday, Papandreou said that he fully supports the initiatives by Cyprus President Christofias and will continue to have close ties with Cyprus, "not in words, but in deeds." Meanwhile, Papandreou has believed it is necessary to develop good relations with neighboring Turkey. Ties between Athens and Ankara have improved significantly in the past decade thanks to the joint efforts by Papandreou. Papandreou has said Athens welcomes Turkey's efforts to join the EU, albeit on the "self-evident and unyielding condition that Turkey incorporates the EU acquis, respects international law and contributes to a solution of the Cyprus issue." Cyprus has been divided since the Turkish military invaded in 1974.

VI. Denied marriage at home, mixed-faith couples head to Cyprus

The two couples had never met each other, and probably never would. They had come from opposite sides of a border between longtime enemies. But Elie Wakim and Nada Ghamloush from Lebanon, and Dimitri Stafeev and Olga Zaytseva from Israel, had a problem in common: Belonging to different religions, neither couple could get married in their home country, and had to fly to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus to tie the knot. In the Middle East, civil marriage doesn't exist and no religious authority will perform an interfaith wedding. Lebanon and Israel are different in that they recognize civil marriages as long as they're performed abroad, and the closest venue abroad is Cyprus, 240 kilometres from Lebanon and 370 kilometres from Israel. So this little island, which claims to be the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, has made mixed marriages something of an industry. ts municipalities charge around $415 for express processing and $190 for others, while travel agencies in both Lebanon and Israel offer packages including travel, luxury hotel, marriage fees and flowers for the bride. Last year, by Cyprus government count, 523 couples from Lebanon and 1,533 from Israel were married here.

VII. Orthodox-Catholic Theological Dialogue opens in Cyprus

The International Joint Commission for Orthodox-Catholic Theological Dialogue opened last weekend on Cyprus. This time, the meeting focused on “the role of Bishop of Rome in the communion of the Church in the 1st millennium,” the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations has reported on its website. The Russian Church offered the Joint Commission its critical commentaries even before the session opened. The Russian Church delegation chaired by the DECR head Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk participates in the session, which is to last till October 23. Commission held its previous session in October 2007 in Ravenna. Then, the Moscow Patriarchate delegation left the session as its members didn’t agree to participation of the so-called “Estonian Apostolic Church” established by the Constantinople Patriarchate on the Russian Church canonical territory in 1996. In the absence of the Russian Church representatives, the participants adopted a final document defining their joint view on the nature of rule in the Ecumenical Church. Later, commenting on the adopted document Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, spoke about "real breakthrough" in the dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics. However, the Russian Church didn’t share his optimism and reproached the Holy See for its attempts to impose Catholic model of administration with the Pope ruling on Orthodox world.

Michael's Daily 7 - 16 October

I. Congressmen call on Obama to seek Turkey's cooperation on Cyprus

Fifty five Congressmen have urged US President Barack Obama ''to impress upon Turkey that a solution to the Cyprus problem cannot be reached without its full and constructive cooperation, both in the process and in the outcome of the negotiations for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, and without the withdrawal of its military forces from Cyprus.'' In a letter to Obama, dated 5 October, the 55 Congressmen welcome the commitment demonstrated by the President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Mehmet Ali Talat who have been engaged in direct negotiations since September 2008 with the aim of reunifying the island. ''Only a well-prepared and mutually agreed settlement based on the universal principles of international law and human rights, the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, and the principles on which the European Union is founded would guarantee a just, viable and lasting solution,'' they stress. They also reiterate their support for the reunification of the island and its people in a bi-communal and bi-zonal federation with a single sovereignty, single international personality and single citizenship, with its independence and territorial integrity safeguarded, and comprising two politically equal communities as described in the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, adding that ''such a solution for Cyprus would respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots.'' They also note that a solution to the Cyprus problem must come from the Cypriots themselves and serve first and foremost their interests, which can be achieved if the Cypriots retain ownership of the process which should not be subjected to strict timeframes or arbitration. ''Ultimately however, the key to a successful outcome of the negotiating process and reunification of the island remains with Ankara. Turkey must give the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community the necessary freedom to negotiate a solution within the established framework and facilitate that solution with the removal of its troops from Cyprus,'' they conclude.

II. 'No Israeli wants to fly to Turkey now'

With a new wave of anti-Israel sentiment in Turkey, and a furious response in Israel, the once-booming tourism trade between the countries is already feeling the effects. "I can't sell a Turkish Air ticket going via Istanbul," Mark Feldman, CEO of Zion Tours, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Istanbul is a common stop-over point on the way to many other destinations. "Nobody, but nobody, wishes to fly there... packages are very cheap, the airline is a good airline... [but] people are voting with their feet," Feldman said. Relations with Turkey have recently been strained, due to Turkey's withdrawal from an international military exercise involving Israel, a series of verbal assaults from Turkish leaders, and the premiere of a new television series portraying IDF soldiers as murderers. The first episode of the series aired in Turkey on Tuesday evening and depicted IDF soldiers in the West Bank killing a baby and a young girl, and lining up Palestinians to be shot before a firing squad. Turkey is generally the second most popular destination for Israeli tourists, ranking only after the United States. More than half a million Israelis visited Turkey last year. Tourists from Israel ranked 10th in the number of entries to Turkey and made up 2.49 percent of all tourists to the country, Ynet reported in 2008. Israel and Turkey have, until recently, enjoyed close relations, and strong military and economic ties, but these have recently been deteriorating. Tourism from Israel to Turkey took a sharp drop at beginning of 2009, due to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vocal objections to Operation Cast Lead. According to Time magazine's Web site, tourism has dropped 47% since the beginning of this year, compared to the same period last year. Exports to Turkey have dropped by 40% in that time. "I'm very close to telling my office not to sell it [tours to Turkey] at all... [I ask myself], is it safe to fly? Would I recommend going to Istanbul?... Should I let my clients go?"

III. Israel Protests Turkish TV Series About Palestine

An Israeli Foreign Ministry official rebuked Turkey’s acting ambassador on Thursday over a Turkish television series that, among other things, appears to depict an Israeli soldier murdering a Palestinian child. Naor Gilon, deputy director for the Foreign Ministry’s Western Europe desk, said he had told the Turkish envoy, Ceylan Ozen, that the television series was “incitement” that could set off attacks against Jews visiting Turkey. Mr. Gilon met Mr. Ozen at the ministry’s headquarters in Jerusalem amid increasing tensions between Turkey and Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel later talked about his own concerns about the series and what it said about bilateral relations. “We are disappointed by the incitement on Turkish television, and we are not very happy by the trends we are seeing in Turkey of late,” he said at a news conference with the visiting Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Turkey’s ties with Israel have deteriorated since Israel’s offensive last winter against Islamic militants in Gaza, which killed about 1,400 Palestinians. Turkey, a Muslim country, canceled a military exercise in which Israeli pilots were to have participated. It had been scheduled to begin last Monday. Clips of the television program, screened by Turkey’s state-owned TRT television, show soldiers in what appear to be Israeli combat fatigues committing acts of murder and violent repression against Palestinians under their control. Israel captured the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

IV. U.S. disappointed by UN endorsement of war crimes report

The U.S. says it's disappointed by a U.N. Human Rights Council vote to send a Gaza war crimes report to the Security Council. The resolution, which passed 25-6, could set up the international prosecution of Israelis and Palestinians accused of war crimes. The U.S. and five European countries opposed the resolution. Israel and the U.S. have called the nearly 600-page report "flawed," and warned that it could jeopardize Mideast peace prospects. The report concluded Israel used disproportionate force, deliberately targeted civilians, used Palestinians as human shields and destroyed civilian infrastructure during the January conflict that left 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. It also accused Palestinian groups of deliberately targeting civilians in Southern Israel. Israel's foreign minister warns that endorsing the report could set a dangerous precedent for soldiers in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

V. Serbia calls on UN to wait for Kosovo court hearings results

Serbian foreign minister called on the United Nations member states to abstain from recognizing Kosovo until UN court hearings on the legitimacy of Kosovo's declaration of independence are completed. Serbia brought the case to the UN's Hague-based International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence. The hearings will begin on December 1 and will involve the five permanent Security Council members - Russia and China on Serbia's side and the United States, Britain and France supporting Kosovo. Other countries have filed written statements on the case. "Our common duty is to provide unbiased hearings of this issue in the court. It is necessary that the International Court procedures are observed unreservedly and must not be undermined by political pressure such as further cases of Kosovo's independence recognition," Vuk Jeremic told a session of the UN Security Council on Thursday. A total of 62 countries, including major Western powers, have recognized the independence of Serbia's ethnic-Albanian-dominated province, which was declared in February 2008. The rest of the world, including Russia, China and India, considers Kosovo to be part of Serbia. Kosovo, Serbia's historic heartland, was administered by the United Nations after the Kosovo war and the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Last week Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Jeremic at a meeting in Moscow that Russia would support Serbia's case in UN court hearings on the legitimacy of Kosovo's declaration of independence. In August 2008, Russia recognized Georgia's breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia following a brief war with the ex-Soviet Caucasus state triggered by its offensive against Ossetia. The move was seen by many as influenced by Western nations' recognition of Kosovo.

VI. Russia flexes muscles with Central Asian war games

A NATO-style rapid reaction force set up by Russia and four former Soviet republics staged war games on Friday, the new unit designed to cement Moscow's hold over allies in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Dressed in combat fatigues, the leaders of Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan looked on as the newly formed force carried out an exercise to destroy insurgents who had taken control of a chemical plant. Russia is building up the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a military alliance among former Soviet republics, as a counter-weight to NATO. The organisation commits members to defending each other in the event of attack. Five of the CSTO members agreed to create the rapid reaction force in February; the units should be comparable to NATO structures. Officials said 7,000 troops and 90 aircraft took part in the "Interaction-2009" drills which covered an area of 1,600 square kilometres at the Matybulak firing range in southern Kazakhstan.

VII. IOCC Delivers Emergency Supplies to Typhoon-Battered Philippines

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is coordinating the delivery of hygiene kits that will assist over 3,000 survivors of Typhoons Ketsana and Parma, which struck the Philippines in late September. The subsequent floods and mudslides killed hundreds and an estimated 2.5 million people are either homeless or in need of emergency aid. This latest effort by IOCC is part of its response to a series of natural disasters – multiple typhoons, earthquakes and a tsunami – that recently hit Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Whole communities have been destroyed with thousands killed or injured and millions left homeless in the wake of the destruction. IOCC is also working through the Orthodox Church in the hard-hit province of Rizal to deliver emergency supplies to victims. IOCC has provided enough food, clothing and medicines to assist nearly 500 survivors through the relief efforts of the Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Manila.

Michael's Daily 7 - 15 October

I. Schroeder: Kosovo recognition “grave mistake”

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder says that the recognition of Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration was a grave mistake. Schroeder said that this was backed up by the fact that two-thirds of the international community had not recognized Kosovo. “I criticized the recognition of Kosovo independence, because it was rushed and pushed through by pressure from the then American administration,” Schroeder said. He also said that the future of Serbia was in the European Union. He said that the EU must speed up Serbia’s integration process, reiterating that many conditions had already been fulfilled.

II. Bosnia Serbs demand right to secede

The leader of the Serbian half of Bosnia today demanded the right to break up the country as part of a constitutional reform package that is being pushed by the EU and the US. Milorad Diodik's demand to be allowed the right to secede collided with an ultimatum from Brussels for Bosnia's feuding leaders to agree on reforms to streamline the dysfuctional state or forget about their prospects of union membership. Senior European and American officials had emergency talks in Sarajevo last week with Bosnia's estranged political leaders and will return next Monday. The US and Europe have suddenly become active in the Balkans, amid growing international fears that Bosnia could drift back into conflict. "We need certain constitutional changes in Bosnia-Herzegovina," said Olli Rehn, the European commissioner for enlargement, who issued ultimatum to the country's leaders. But officials in Brussels and Sarajevo were gloomy about the chances of success. In the 14 years since the Bosnian war ended with the country divided into a Serbian half and a Muslim-Croat federation, the country has become entrenched as a partitioned international protectorate headed by a European viceroy and dominated by nationalist politicians who refuse to deal with one another. Dodik today told western officials preparing next week's talks that any constitutional reforms would need to include a new article giving the two halves of Bosnia the right to hold a referendum. The Europeans are signalling that 14 years of international supervision of Bosnia has failed to establish a viable country. They are keen to close down by the end of the year the Office of High Representative, the international official running Bosnia – currently the Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko, and previously Lord Ashdown. "The country needs to stand on its own feet," said Rehn. "It needs to be able to govern itself. No quasi-protectorate can join the EU." But the Europeans and the Americans are at odds. Brussels is pushing for a quick closure of the international role, but the Americans are less keen.

III. Russia warns US on missile defense

A top Russian diplomat suggested Thursday that the U.S. should not talk with non-NATO nations about a prospective missile shield, Russian news agencies reported. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov's remarks appeared to reflect alarm over the idea that Western-leaning neighbors such as Ukraine or Georgia, Russia's foe in a war last year, could potentially host U.S. missile defense facilities. Ryabkov said Russia is concerned about what he said were contacts between the U.S. and nations outside NATO on missile defense, state-run ITAR-Tass and RIA Novosti reported. President Barack Obama removed a major irritant in relations with Russia last month by scrapping U.S. plans to place interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic — deployments Russia treated as a threat. The Kremlin has praised Obama for the decision, but Russian officials have also said they want to know details about what system the U.S. will put in place instead. Ryabkov's comments served as a warning that the United States should avoid taking steps that would threaten Russia or turning to its neighbors as potential partners in missile defense without consulting with Moscow. "We are experiencing the concerns that emerge when major questions of strategic stability should be considered in a partner-like manner," he was quoted as saying. Russia and the U.S. have discussed cooperating on missile defense, and Ryabkov represented Russia in talks on the issue in Moscow on Monday ahead of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's visit. Ryabkov did not name any specific nations as being in contact with the U.S. about missile defense, but he spoke in response to a question about Russian media reports suggesting the U.S. might use Ukrainian radar stations. Tensions over Georgia and uncertainty over the future of Ukraine, whose pro-Western president wants the country to join NATO, are hurdles in efforts by Russia and the U.S. to mend strained ties.

IV. Russia to adopt nuclear first strike policy

Russia will revise its military doctrine to allow a “preventative” nuclear strike against would-be aggressors, a top Kremlin policy-maker was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the powerful security council, said the conditions under which Russia could resort to atomic weapons are being reworked in the main strategy document and will be reviewed by President Dmitry Medvedev by the end of the year. “The conditions have been revised for the use of nuclear weapons to rebuff an aggression with the use of conventional weapons, not only on a massive-scale but on a regional and even local level,” Patrushev told the Izvestia newspaper. “Variants are under considerations for the use of nuclear weapons depending on the situation and potential of a would-be aggressor,” he said. “In a critical situation for national security, a preventative nuclear strike on an aggressor is not ruled out.” Under its current military doctrine, Russia says it would only carry out a nuclear strike if it were attacked with weapons of mass destruction or if it were the victim of “large-scale aggression” using conventional arms. Russian and US negotiators are now working furiously to agree on new arms cuts of their nuclear arsenal before a key Cold War-era disarmament treaty expires on December 5. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated the joint drive to achieve new arms reductions by this deadline after talks in Moscow this week.

V. Fears grow of Sarkozy initiative to downgrade Turkey’s EU bid

Even before he was elected as president of France in 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy made it crystal-clear that he didn’t want Turkey to join the European Union - ever. Now concerns are growing in Brussels that Sarkozy is contemplating a formal Franco-German initiative next year to offer Turkey a “privileged partnership” instead of, as now, the long-term prospect of full EU membership. The idea of a “privileged partnership” has been around for a good few years. Sarkozy likes it, and so does Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic party. It also appeals to Angela Merkel, the CDU chancellor. However, Merkel has up to now taken a nuanced approach, recognising that Germany, along with other EU countries, recognised Turkey as an official candidate for membership in 1999. A responsible country cannot just wriggle out of agreements made in good faith, Merkel believes. The difference now is that, after last month’s German election, the Social Democrats - more sympathetic to Turkey’s aspirations - are out of government and have been replaced by the Free Democrats, whose position on Turkey is more ambiguous. The balance of opinion in Berlin is changing. Sarkozy may try to seize the opportunity to line up the new German government behind the concept of the ”privileged partnership”, according to EU policymakers. Needless to say, Turkey would dismiss an offer along these lines as an insult. There is no legal foundation for a “privileged partnership”, says Egemen Bagis, Turkey’s chief negotiator on EU matters. You are either in the EU or not in the EU. You cannot be half-pregnant, Bagis said. Turkey’s EU membership bid is in serious trouble, anyway. The European Commission tried to put a brave face on matters this week in its annual report on Turkey. But the inescapable truth is that out of the 35 negotiation chapters, or policy areas, that a country needs to complete in order to join the EU, Turkey has opened 11, of which only one has been provisionally closed. Another 12 chapters have been either formally frozen by the EU, or informally blocked by France with support from others opposed to Turkey’s bid. The entire process risks grinding to a halt. In December EU leaders will discuss Turkey’s failure to heed their calls to open its ports and airports to ships and aircraft from the Greek Cypriot-controlled government of Cyprus. In theory they could take a harsh line and more or less abandon Turkey’s EU entry talks.

VI. Greece does not exclude possibility to impose veto on start of Macedonia EU accession

The decision whether the accession talks between Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the EU to start has to be made by all member states, which, including Greece, have the right to impose veto, Greek Ta Nea newspaper informed. After the report on West Balkans and Turkey progress was published Greece deputy foreign minster Dimitris Drucos noted the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia would not get data on starting the negotiations of the name dispute is not solved as pointing the decision is “in the competence of the EU member states, including Greece.”

VII. Theologians Dialogue to Advance Unity in Divided World

More than 120 theologians from various Christian traditions concluded on Tuesday a meeting in Greece where they discussed ecumenism and the call to be one church. On the opening day of the Oct. 7-13 meeting the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians around the world, acknowledged the unity of the Church is a "never-ending search, an ever-unfolding journey." But he added that their ongoing pursuit of unity is "a testimony to the fact that what we seek will occur in God’s time and not our own." "[U]nity obliges us to a common purpose in this age as we expect the age-to-come; for it commits us to a sacred ministry and mission in realizing that kingdom, as we declare in the Lord’s prayer, 'on earth as in heaven,'" he said.

Michael's Daily 7 - 14 October

I. Turkey excluded Israel over military delivery delay

Turkey excluded Israel from a NATO military exercise because of Israel's delay in delivering unmanned aerial vehicles to Turkey, a Turkish newspaper reported. “Turkey needs those vehicles in its fight against terror. What led to the recent crisis between Turkey and Israel was the delay in the delivery,” Today's Zaman quoted an unnamed senior Turkish air force official as saying on Wednesday. The UAV surveillance drones are known as Herons. Turkey signed on four years ago to purchase 10 of the Herons from Israeli Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems, Ltd. at a cost of over $180 million. The companies missed the original delivery deadline and then missed a new deadline to deliver four Herons in August, followed shortly after by another two and then the last four by the end of October, the newspaper reported. Two Herons that have already been delivered have not been used by Turkey due to problems with strengthening the engine that the Israeli companies were supposed to take care of, according to the report. "The General Staff asked Israeli authorities one last time about the delivery of the Herons. Israeli authorities refused to give an exact date and said they planned to deliver the vehicles by the end of 2009, whereupon the General Staff decided to cancel the international part of the exercises,” the air force official told the newspaper. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Syria's Foreign Minister told Al Jazeera that Turkey and Syria held joint military exercises last week, the second military exercise between the two countries since April. Also on Tuesday, the United States criticized Turkey for excluding Israel from participation in the scheduled NATO drill, which led to its cancellation. The criticism came during a State Department press briefing.

II. EU wants more reform in Turkey

The European Union told Turkey on Wednesday to speed up reforms to boost its chances of joining the bloc and made a special appeal to protect the freedom of expression of Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk. The European Commission's annual progress report on Turkish membership said Ankara has improved its handling of human rights issues and the Kurdish minority. But it said that overall, a lot more work needed to be done for membership. The EU and Turkey started membership negotiations in 2005, but they have made little progress since, while France and Germany have expressed opposition to Turkey's bid. The report did not yet take on board Turkey's recent moves to end a century of enmity with neighboring Armenia, a new momentum which has been welcomed around the world and which EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn also highlighted. "I'm encouraged by the historic steps Turkey and Armenia have just taken toward normalizing their relations. This process should now lead to full normalization as soon as possible," Rehn said in a statement. Egemen Bagis, Turkey's chief EU negotiator, welcomed the EU progress report as "the most objective report so far." Bagis said Turkey will work to carry out more reforms, but he did not mention the critical issue of Cyprus, where Turkish troops are based in the Turkish Cypriot north, a legacy of a 1974 invasion. In the report, the European Commission said the Turkish government has not used its large parliamentary majority to push through more reform measures. But bitter divisions between the Islamic-oriented government and opposition lawmakers have slowed advances. "Little progress can be reported on effective implementation of political and constitutional reforms," said the report. On civil rights, it said that "allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and impunity for perpetrators, are still a cause for great concern, and need to become a priority area." Turkey's enthusiasm for EU membership has eroded under internal tension, European skepticism and a dispute over divided Cyprus, an EU member. Plans to reform the constitution, a legacy of military rule, have stalled. The Turkish military has kept a relatively low profile, but still acts with an independence unseen in European countries.

III. EC recommends opening EU accession negotiations with FYROM

The European Commission recommended on October 14 2009 that EU accession negotiations be opened with Macedonia. "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has made important progress and has substantially addressed the key accession partnership priorities. The Commission considers that the country sufficiently fulfils the political criteria set by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 and the Stabilisation and Association Process and therefore has decided to recommend the opening of accession negotiations," the EC said in a report on the progress of would-be member states. Macedonia was given EU candidate country status in December 2005. "Political dialogue has improved: the governing coalition is stable, the political climate is more co-operative and the parliament is more effective. The key Accession Partnership priorities regarding the reform of the police, the judiciary, public administration and corruption have been substantially addressed," according to the EC. Macedonia had generally good relations with countries in the region, but relations with Greece continued to be affected by the unresolved issue about the use of the name Macedonia. The country is engaged in talks under the auspices of the UN on resolving this dispute. "Maintaining good neighbourly relations, including a negotiated and mutually acceptable solution to the name issue, remains essential," the EC report said.

IV. Germany sends refugees back to Kosovo

A decade after the armed conflict in Kosovo, Germany plans to repatriate thousands of refugees from the region, most of them of Roma origin. Critics have labeled the project “monstrous”. There are an estimated 14,000 refugees from Kosovo in Germany, and 10,000 of them are Roma. The legal status of many of them has not been regulated. An agreement between Berlin and Pristina is to outline a major repatriation program for them, reports this week German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The reason for the move is that the situation in the disputed region has become more stable, German officials say. The Interior Ministry plans to process 2,500 repatriation cases yearly and pledged to maintain “a reasonable ethnical composition” among them. In addition, Germany will pay 750 euro (about $1,100) to each returning person and cover their travel expenditures. It also promised to help repatriates to find accommodation and jobs in Kosovo. Meanwhile, Ulla Jelpke from the Left Party in Germany’s Parliament labeled the project “monstrous”, arguing that deported Roma will face “absolute poverty” and “daily alienation” from the Albanian majority in Kosovo. Roma human rights group Chachipe has condemned the repatriation program, saying the German government is overly optimistic when describing the situation in Kosovo. “The Roma have been driven out from Kosovo, and in ten years, the international community has been unable to create the conditions for their safe return. Their interests have been sacrificed and abandoned in an attempt to pacify the antagonisms between Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs. Now, they are requested to return in order to make it possible for the international community to say that Kosovo has become a multi-ethnic country, which deserves to be an independent state,” the group said.

V. Croatian fans' nationalist pro-Nazi chants

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has condemned the nationalist chants made by fans of her country's under-21 team in a match against Serbia. The crowd at Tuesday's game in Varazdin chanted "Kill, kill the Serb" and "For the homeland, ready!" - a saying from Croatia's pro-Nazi regime during the Second World War - while Serbia's coach was attacked by two people. He was unhurt but a Croatian passer-by who went to help him received minor injuries. Kosor said Wednesday she "will no longer tolerate" fan violence, adding that "those savages will not get the message" as long as matches and TV coverage aren't suspended following incidents. Last year, Croatia was fined US$27,700 by FIFA for fans' racist chants during a match against England.

VI. Russia calls for new European security body despite thaw with U.S.

Russia will continue to promote the idea of creating a new pan-European security body despite the U.S. decision to scrap its missile shield plans for Central Europe, the Russian president said on Wednesday. "Despite the easing of tensions, the solving of several problems, and the recognition of a multipolar world order by key international players, it seems to me sensible to set up such a system, and we will promote this idea further," Dmitry Medvedev said after talks with his Czech counterpart, Vaclav Klaus. Medvedev proposed in the summer of 2008 setting up an organization ensuring peace in Europe, in which no state or organization would have a monopoly. Medvedev said that existing organizations and blocs, including the EU, NATO, the OSCE and the post-Soviet CIS alliance, are unable to tackle all security issues, and that European countries need a forum to discuss and tackle them. He drew a parallel with the Group of 20 developed and developing nations, whose role has become more prominent since the onset of the current global economic crisis. Speaking at the news conference with Medvedev, Claus welcomed the thaw in Russia-U.S. relations and the end to the dispute over the planned radar in the Czech Republic and a missile base in Poland. Moscow had considered the plans a threat to its security. "I feel tensions are subsiding. I am happy about this," Claus said. Russian-Czech ties had also been strained by Prague's consent to host the radar. U.S. President Barack Obama in September scrapped the plans due to a re-assessment of the threat from Iran. The move was also seen as part of efforts to "reset" ties between the two former Cold War foes.

VII. Choosing a life of faith and contemplation

The Pacific Northwest’s only Russian Orthodox monastery — nestled in Dockton among towering firs, madronas and hemlocks — is secluded and private, a world apart from the bustle of town. Its 12 buildings are clustered close together, the surrounding acreage undeveloped. Vehicles make a lengthy trek up the driveway, passing through a shroud of native vegetation before reaching the clearing where the small buildings are scattered. This Saturday, the monks at the quiet religious community are officially inviting community members to an open house at their newly completed campus, one of 40 Orthodox monasteries nationwide. “We’re looking forward to sharing what we’ve built with the Island community,” said Father Tryphon, the monastery’s abbot. Orthodox Christianity is both different and similar to the Western Christianity that many Americans are more familiar with. Orthodox Christians take a more intuitive approach to their faith, Tryphon said. “It’s ancient, it’s beautiful, it’s mystical theology that is based on the intuitive nature of the heart, rather than logic and reason,” he said. Monks spend as much time as possible in solitude and private prayer. That’s how the monastery differs from the two dozen Russian Orthodox churches in the Seattle-Tacoma region — it’s a brotherhood of monks on a spiritual journey, not a parish with a congregation. “People are welcome to join us in our spiritual path and our services, but we’re primarily contemplatives — that’s why we live out here surrounded by forests,” Tryphon said with a smile. The purpose of a monastic life, he added, is “the acquisition of a humble and contrite heart,” as well as offering service to those around him — Father Tryphon, for example, is a member of Vashon Island Rotary Club and the chaplain for Vashon Island Fire & Rescue. A monastic day begins at 6:30 a.m. with a morning service, followed by breakfast and obediences. Then the monks do chores — be it cleaning, preparing lunch, keeping the books or gardening — and have a communal meal at 1:30 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. the order holds its vespers, or evening service. There are also two Orthodox nuns who live in a rented house on the Island and attend services at the monastery each day. Sundays are marked by a divine liturgy service at 9:40 a.m. “It’s the same service that’s been done for almost 2,000 years,” said congregation member Cheryl Hunt. The Sunday service is both traditional and beautiful. As incense clouds the air within the one-room carpeted chapel, a monk sings lengthy opening chants. The ornate, gleaming icons of saints cover the side walls — men on the right and women on the left, just as the worshippers stand during the service itself. The chapel houses a relic of St. John Maximovitch of Shanghai, an American saint from San Francisco who died in 1966. Reliquaries are an old-world tradition, and the relic’s presence suggests the depth of the Vashon monastery’s connection to the practices of the past.

Michael's Daily 7 - 13 October

I. Obama's Top 10 unfulfilled pledges

Less than nine months into his four-year term of office, President Barack Obama's record is already one of abandoned promises, sidelined issues and lack of action. PolitiFact, a political accountability project run by Florida's St Petersburg Times, has formulated an "Obamameter" gauge that registers seven broken promises, a dozen stalled initiatives and 117 pet projects still "in the works". Here is the top 10 list of most glaring examples of Mr Obama falling short in key areas he trumpeted during his campaign. 1.PROMISE BROKEN. Mr Obama said he would "not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days". But the "sunlight before signing" promise has already fallen by the wayside with Mr Obama signing three major bills without public scrutiny. 2.PROMISE BROKEN. Mr Obama repeatedly said he would negotiate health care reform in televised sessions broadcast on C-SPAN, the public service network. Instead, he his approach has been no different from his predecessors, holding talks behind closed doors at the White House and Congress. 3.PROMISE BROKEN. Mr Obama solemnly pledged that "no political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years". In practice, Mr Obama has granted several waivers to this rule, allowing lobbyists to serve in the top reaches of his administration. 4.PROMISE BROKEN. Mr Obama said he would end income tax for the elderly making less than $50,000 per year, thereby eliminating taxes for seven million of them. This has not been part of his economic stimulus bill, his first budget outline or any legislation proposed by the White House. 5.PROMISE STALLED. On taking office, Mr Obama announced with great fanfare that the Guantanamo Bay prison camp would be closed within a year of his inauguration on January 20th. Defence officials now concede that this self-imposed deadline will not be met. 6.PROMISE SIDELINED. Mr Obama promised to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that prohibits openly gay personnel from serving in the United States armed forces. Despite reiterating the pledge this weekend, Mr Obama shows no signs of taking concrete action on the issue. 7.PROMISE BROKEN. Mr Obama said that in 2009 and 2010 "existing businesses will receive a $3,000 refundable tax credit for each additional full-time employee hired". Democrats on Capitol Hill opposed this and Mr Obama has quietly abandoned the proposal, omitting it from his list of requirements for draft legislation. 8.PROMISE BROKEN. During the campaign, Mr Obama promised that "as President I will recognise the Armenian genocide" carried out by the Ottoman Empire after 1915. Once in office, he travelled to Turkey and made no mention of genocide. In a statement in April on the memorial day for the genocide he spoke of the "heavy weight" of history and the "terrible events " of the period but failed the use the g-word. 9.PROMISE SIDELINED. As a candidate, Mr Obama highlighted his support for abortion rights, stating he would back this up "by passing the Freedom of Choice Act as president". At a press conference marking his first 100 days, Mr Obama said this was "not my highest legislative priority" and that it was important to "focus on those areas that we can agree on". 10. PROMISE SIDELINED. Mr Obama promised to end warrantless wiretaps on the domestic communications of Americans and to "update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to provide greater oversight and accountability". So far, he has taken no action.

II. Cyprus cancels military exercise

Cyprus announced on Tuesday it had canceled the National Guard exercise "Nikiforos", following a decision by Turkey to scrap its joint manoeuvres with the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. Turkey announced earlier Tuesday that it had decided not to carry out the annual military exercise "Toros" in northern Cyprus to offer a more favorable climate for the ongoing negotiations aimed at reunifying the divided island. The announcement prompted a quick response from the Greek Cypriot side. Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said that, although the government had not been informed formally yet about the "Toros" cancellation, it was only natural that "Nikoforos" would be canceled as well. It was Cyprus President and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias who had suggested a mutual cancellation of military exercises when he met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New Yorklast month, Stefanou said. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey militarily intervened and occupied the north of the island following a coup by a group of Greek officers. Turkey maintains a military presence in the self-proclaimed "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which remains a key issue in the talks between the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus.

III. Serbia, Cyprus discuss military cooperation

Chief of the Serbian Army General Staff general Miloje Miletic and Cypriot Minister of Defense Kostas Papakostas had talks in Cyprus on the possibilities of developing the bilateral military cooperation, communicated the Serbian Army. Miletic is on the official visit to Cyprus from October 11 to 14, with the goal of improving the cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. He talked to Commander of the Cyprus National Guard Petros Tsalikidis had talks yesterday on the cooperation between their countries and current political-security situation in the region, reds the communiqué.

IV. Turkey confirms it barred Israel from military exercise because of Gaza war

Turkey's foreign minister said yesterday that his government cancelled a planned joint military exercise with Israel in protest against that country's offensive on Gaza ten months ago. The Nato air exercises with Israel were due to begin today in Turkey's Anatolian region, but days earlier Ankara told the Israeli military it was no longer invited to attend. The US and Italy subsequently opted not to take part either and the war games were called off. The Turkish foreign ministry issue a statement saying the decision was not political. However, when asked about the issue, the foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, told CNN : "We hope the situation in Gaza will be improved, that the situation will be back to the diplomatic track. And that will create a new atmosphere in Turkish-Israeli relations as well. But in the existing situation, of course, we are criticising this approach, [the] Israeli approach." The Israeli media noted that while Erdogan's government had long made its displeasure clear, what was new about Israel's exclusion from this week's "Anatolian Eagle" exercises was the role of the Turkish military, which had been closer to Israel than the civilian government. The Israeli cabinet had an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss the damage to Israel's most important military relationship in the region. "It may be that the reality has changed and the strategic ties that we thought existed have simply ended," a senior Israeli official told Haaretz newspaper. Israeli defence officials told the Jerusalem Post they were rethinking arms sales to Turkey and would end support for Turkey in its efforts to stop the US Congress voting to declare the mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks a genocide. Possibly in anticipation of an diplomatic backlash, the Turkish foreign ministry statement yesterday urged Israel to exert "good sense in its approach and statements."

V. EU tells Ankara to respect free media

The European Commission's annual report on Turkey's progress toward EU membership urged Ankara to step up economic and political reforms and highlighted the country’s shortcomings, the daily Hürriyet reported on its Web site. Despite progress, Turkey still has a long road ahead regarding freedom of the press and expression, the draft said. The tax fine on the DMG was an example of a worrisome factor. “The high fines imposed by the revenue authorities potentially undermine the economic viability of the group and therefore affect freedom of the press in practice. There is a need to uphold the principles of proportionality and of fairness in these tax-related procedures," the Web site read. Meanwhile, the law for protecting the reputation of the Turkish Republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was also mentioned among the laws that limit freedom of expression. The draft said the laws in Turkey do not grant enough assurance for the freedom of expression and, therefore, judges and prosecutors prefer restrictive interpretations. Legal cases and convictions based on Article 318, which states that “discouraging the public from doing military duty” is a crime, as well as the law on the Turkish alphabet were also mentioned in the draft. Despite the recent changes, Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code counted as a limiting factor for freedom of expression since investigations and cases based on this article are still ongoing. The draft also outlined delicate matters for the Turkish public, including the Kurdish problem, minority rights, the role of the military and the legacy of Atatürk. According to the draft, Ankara's progress toward EU membership had been labeled as slow, due to a number of reasons, including its conflict with EU member Greek Cyprus, the status of northern Turkish Cyprus and the reluctance of some countries to admit Turkey as a member. "Turkey has made no progress on normalizing bilateral relations with Cyprus," the report said.

VI. FYROMacedonia embroiled in encyclopedia row

EU candidate country Macedonia has removed a controversial encyclopaedia from libraries after the manual triggered furious reactions from EU members Greece and Bulgaria as well as neighbouring Kosovo and Albania. The reason behind the removal was strong pressure from the US and the UK, diplomats told EurActiv. Following angry reactions, including the burning of the Macedonian flag in Kosovo, the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Art (MANU) recently decided to remove its recently published two-volume, 1,671-page work, the 'Macedonian Encyclopaedia'. The work has managed to offend most of Macedonia's neighbours. Greece, which is pressing Macedonia to change its name because it coincides with that of the northernmost Greek province, considers that Skopje is misappropriating large chunks of its ancient history. Similarly, Bulgaria considers that Macedonia is cherry-picking heroes and glorious episodes from its 19th and early 20th century struggle against Ottoman domination. But those most offended this time were the Kosovars and the ethnic Albanian population of Macedonia itself, as MANU refers to ethnic Albanians as "settlers" who came to the country in the 16th century and to Albanians as 'Shiptari' or 'Planinci', which has derogatory connotations. The Albanians are widely recognised as the descendants of ancient Illiryan tribes, who settled in those lands in approximately 1,000 BC. The authors also claim that the ethnic Albanian movement in Macedonia, the National Liberation Army, was trained by US and British special forces in 2001, and that ethnic Albanian leader Ali Ahmeti, now leader of the Democratic Union for the Integration of Macedonia, is suspected of war crimes. Bulgarian and Greek leaders kept a low profile, but according to diplomats, the encyclopaedia has infuriated both Athens and Sofia. The Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje issued a statement saying that the content of the Macedonian Encyclopedia had the single purpose of collecting political dividends. "It is unacceptable for a country aspirant for NATO and EU membership to resort to terminology typical for the ideology of the Cold War era," the statement says.

VII. Vatican: Bishop urges Turkey to recognise Armenian 'genocide'

An Armenian Catholic bishop from Egypt, Krikor-Okosdinos Coussa of Alexandria, has called on Turkey to accept that the World War I killings of many hundreds of thousands of Armenian Christians were genocide. Successive Turkish governments have refused to do so, arguing atrocities took place on both sides, and that Muslims also died. "In 1915, the Ottomans ... killed the Armenian people in Greater Armenia and Lesser Armenia (Turkey). One and a half million people perished during this genocide," Coussa told a synod of African bishops taking place in Rome. The killings drove the Armenians from Turkey to the Middle East and throughout the world, he noted. "The leaders of the Armenian State and the heads of the Armenian Churches (Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical) are performing an act of public pardon towards the Turks. "We do so while appealing to the Turks to recognise the genocide, to pay homage to the martyrs and to grant Armenians their civil, political and religious rights," Coussa said. In an apparent reference to a landmark agreement signed last weekend between Turkey and Armenia normalising ties and ending a century of hostility, Coussa stated: "The path of reconciliation between the two States has begun." Many Armenians have protested the accord, saying it does not fully address the 1915 killings. The agreement calls for a joint commission of independent historians to study the genocide issue.