Negotiating for Peace in Kosovo

By Dan Burton
Washington Times
In coming weeks, an international confrontation is likely to occur among the United States , the European Union, and Russia over an issue most Americans have long since forgotten: Kosovo, where a few hundred Americans remain deployed as part of a NATO force protecting a shaky interim peace that ended the 1999 [...]

Bosnia: International envoy to unveil police reform plan

The international community’s top official in Bosnia, Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajcak, said on Wednesday he has a blueprint for reform under wraps which would pave the way for pre-entry talks with the European Union.
Lajcak said he would reveal his plan at a series of meetings with the political leaders of Bosnia’s parliamentary parties later on [...]

Annnouncement by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106  
Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0215
Web: http://www.goarch.org
Email: communications@goarch.org
Protocol Number 111/07
August 27, 2007
To The Clergy and the Faithful of the Holy Archdiocese of America  
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am writing to you on behalf of the Eparchial Synod of the Holy Archdiocese of America [...]

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan opium production soars to record levels

Opium production in Afghanistan increased by 17 percent in 2007, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on 27 August.
“No other country in the world has ever produced narcotics on such a deadly scale,” said the Afghanistan Opium Survey 2007, an annual assessment prepared by UNODC and the government of Afghanistan.
Afghan farmers have [...]

World defence update

France appoints a general for its Libreville headquarters
France put the finishing touches to an overhaul of its permanent force in Africa on 1 August by appointing a general to command a new headquarters staff in Libreville, Gabon, the French Ministry of Defence announced earlier this month. Brigadier General Claude Reglat took charge of French forces [...]

Global: Microbes don’t know geography – WHO report-

Regardless of capability or wealth, no country is immune to the increasing risk of disease outbreaks, epidemics, industrial accidents and other health emergencies, according to a new World Health Organisation (WHO) report.
Public health is threatened on a global scale, and the prospect of a safer future will depend on countries working together to identify risks [...]

Key reports on small arms and related issues

General
Who Takes the Bullet? The impact of small arms violence ­– Norwegian Church Aid, 2005
http://english.nca.no/
Shattered Lives: the case for tough international arms control – Control Arms, 2003
www.controlarms.com
Putting People First: Human Security Perspectives on Small Arms Availability and Misuse – Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, 2003.
www.hdcentre.org
Putting Guns in their Place: A resource pack for two years of [...]

YEMEN: Desert locust infestation yet to be controlled

Yemen’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation says the current desert locusts’ invasion has entered a dangerous phase. Swarms of locusts have infested both the south and the north, posing a threat to agricultural crops.
Agriculture Minister Mansour Ahmed al -Hawshabi said on 20 August that the problem had become severe owing to the spread of the [...]

China’s continuous support for a just solution of the Cyprus problem

At a meeting between China’s Ambassador to Cyprus Zhao Yali and Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Erato Kozakou Markoulli, it was expressed that China will continue to support a fair and lasting political settlement in Cyprus.
According to an official press release, Ambassador Zhao expressed “the constant and unwavering support of the Chinese government to a [...]

IRAQ: Continuing violence boosts funeral industry in Baghdad

The continuing violence in Baghdad is fuelling a boom in the funeral industry.
Back in Saddam Hussein’s time, coffin maker Abdul-Wahab Khalil Mohammed used to sell one or two coffins a day at US$5-US$10 each. Now he produces an average of 15 to 20 coffins a day and charges $50-$75 for each one.
“Our business is booming,” [...]