Nobel Peace Prize sought for Turkey's AKUT, Greece's EMOK rescue teams Ankara - Turkish Daily News The Turkish Daily News and Hurriyet newspapers have decided to launch a joint initiative which aims to get Turkey's Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) and its Greek counterpart, the Hellenic Society to Deal with Catastrophes (EMOK) nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for their contributions to the establishment of an atmosphere of peace between the Turkish and Greek nations. We believe the

TDN's Editorial by Ilnur Cevik AKUT and Greek counterparts deserve a Nobel The search and rescue teams have moved the Turkish and Greek nations closer in times of disaster and thus deserve international recognition and applause for their achievements, which go beyond the bounds of politics and ideology We Turks believe that out of evil some good emerges. This is also valid for the killer earthquakes that have shaken Turkey and Greece in the past month, causing deep sorrow and huge losses. When the

The history of one of the world's oldest cities: Izmir HUSEYIN KANDEMIR & DEBBIE LOVATT Izmir - Turkish Daily News Greek poet Yorgo Seferis, Nobel Prize laureate for literature, was born in a district of Smyrna in 1900 and lived there until 1914, when his family moved to Europe. Seferis returned to his birthplace in 1950, visiting the ruins of ancient Ionian cities to the west and south of Izmir. This visit made a deep impression on him, which he describes in his memoirs and several of his poems,

United Nations team defends vote process against cheating charges Dili, Indonesia - The AP Rampaging mobs set fire to a Nobel Peace Prize winner's residence, burned scores of other homes and drove thousands of terrified people before them in the East Timorese capital on Monday. The United Nations was evacuating nearly 200 elections officials to Australia. The plunge into a bloodbath was complete, with the U.N. team accusing Indonesian authorities of doing nothing to stop the violence that has followed

Fears of civil war have heightened since the United Nations announced on Saturday that 78.5 percent of East Timor's voters chose independence in last week's referendum Dili, Indonesia - The AP Pro-Indonesia militiamen shot and burned through East Timor's capital unchallenged on Sunday, driving thousands of refugees before them a day after the United Nations announced that residents overwhelmingly voted to break away from Indonesia. With waves of gunfire echoing across the city, fears of civil war have

Rebel chief Gusmao to be freed from ghouse arrest Dili - The Associated Press Anti-independence militias embarked on a new rampage of violence Saturday after the United Nations announced that East Timorese had voted overwhelmingly for independence, rejecting continued rule by Indonesia. In a late development the Indonesian government announced it is freeing rebel leader Xanana Gusmao from house arrest Wednesday and will send him to East Timor, where he will be protected by a U.N. mission. Indonesian

Indonesian defense minister is to arrive in Dili today for the announcement of referendum result Dili, Indonesia - The AP Anti-independence militiamen occupied towns and villages across East Timor on Friday, and police evacuated dozens of U.N. staff workers from one of the many areas that were under siege by the marauding gangs. "They are burning everything. They don't respect anything. They are out of control. They are crazy," said one of the 54 United Nations workers who returned to Dili,

Yangon, Myanmar - The Associated Press Diplomats were awaiting permission on Friday for access to a British activist sentenced to 17 years imprisonment after he was captured smuggling anti-government literature into Myanmar. James Rupert Russell Mawdsley, 26, who also holds Australian nationality, received a summary trial in the remote northeastern town of Keng Tung after his arrest on Tuesday at Tachilek, a nearby border outpost. A British Embassy official, speaking on customary condition of

Mawdsley says he has drawn inspiration for nonviolent struggle from Suu Kyi and Indian resistance hero Mahatma Gandhi Yangon - The Associated Press A British activist arrested as he smuggled anti-government literature into Myanmar has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, the military regime said on Thursday. James Rupert Russell Mawdsley, 26, was arrested on Tuesday after crossing into Myanmar at Tachilek, a trading town on the border with Thailand. It was his third arrest in two years for making a

Dili, Indonesia - The AP Throngs of eager East Timorese defied threats of violence to cast their ballots Monday in a U.N.-supervised referendum on ending decades of Indonesian repression. Optimistic independence supporters said the big turnout meant success for their cause. U.N. officials hailed the huge, peaceful turnout. They estimated that 79 percent of registered voters had cast their ballots by midday, 5 1/2 hours after polls opened. Despite fears that many voters were too scared to turn out,

Dili, Indonesia - The AP East Timor's pro and anti-independence leaders agreed on Sunday to end years of bitter fighting as Indonesia's military and police promised to maintain security on the eve of a referendum on the future of the troubled territory. U.N. Secretary-General and the pope pleaded for peace and democracy. Under a new U.N.-brokered peace deal, the rival factions agreed to keep their armed supporters off the territory's streets and to lay down their weapons. They also promised to abide by

Indo-Turkish relations Political Relations between India and Turkey have traditionally been close and friendly. The historic ties date back to the nationalist movements in both countries. During the Turkish War of Independence, the people of India contributed funds for the Turkish cause, which were partly used to train the Turkish army, partly to build the Turkish Parliament and the rest for establishing the first Turkish bank. The two countries share common values and a commitment to secularism and

Poetry suggests that in our mass consumption societies where we are all supposed to go with the flow, restraint and abdication become heroic The emphasis on decor is perhaps the most modern aspect of Cavafy's work serving time and again to contextualize events of universal import. The decor of historical poems describing powerful political figures has a glorious Shakespearean feel to it Despite the brilliant message of hope, there is a disturbing lack of realism in Elitis' poetry. He evokes an ancient

Is the European past nourished on the ideals of Greek culture lost to us? If not, how can we recover it? What is the role of literature in this effort? These are the central questions evoked by Ritsos and Seferis Part 1 NATALI MEDINA Istanbul - Turkish Daily News The coexistence of states has always been a precarious issue. The causes of war can be explained in a number of ways and one of them is the struggle for power. We know for instance from Thucydides' Peloponnesian War that the war between the

Hebron, West Bank - The AP Israeli troops enforced a curfew in this troubled city for a third straight day on Friday, and a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was in stable condition after being shot in the head with a rubber-coated steel pellet. The boy's father said his son lost his sight in the left eye and that Israeli troops opened fire without provocation. The army said that at the time the boy was injured, soldiers were firing rubber bullets to disperse stone-throwers. Hebron, a divided city of 130,000

NASA says it will try again today; if Columbia isn't off the ground by then, the space mission will have to be delayed until mid-August Cape Canaveral, Florida- The AP Thunderstorms prevented space shuttle Columbia from blasting off on Thursday with Eileen Collins, the first woman to lead a U.S. space flight. It was the second launch delay this week. Lightning flashed offshore and thunder rumbled as NASA held the countdown at the five-minute mark in hopes the storms would pass by quickly. The launch

Recriminations run deep and bitter after Protestant politicians refused to form a cross-community Cabinet for Northern Ireland SHAWN POGATCHNIK Belfast- The Associated Press The struggle to achieve lasting peace in Northern Ireland may have stalled this week, but the province's bitterly divided politicians say they're still determined to succeed. Recriminations ran deep and bitter after Protestant politicians refused Thursday to form a cross-community Cabinet for Northern Ireland, the long-mislaid

Blair's ambitious hope of making the key institution within last year's Good Friday accord a reality by today now faces a far tougher vote Belfast, Northern Ireland - The AP Enjoying a crushing parliamentary majority, British Prime Minister Tony Blair rammed the legislative blueprint for Northern Ireland's future Protestant-Catholic administration through an obedient House of Commons early on Wednesday. But Blair's ambitious hope of making the key institution within last year's Good Friday accord a

The legislation hasn't yet persuaded Northern Ireland's major Protestant party to form the key institution envisaged in last year's Good Friday peace accord Belfast, N. Ireland- The AP British Prime Minister Tony Blair, determined to form a new Protestant-Catholic government for Northern Ireland this week, is hoping that a carefully worded bill can win over the province's biggest party, the Ulster Unionists. But his legislation, published late Monday after agonizing behind-the-scenes negotiations,

The Turco-Greek rendezvous From a June 29 article by Milliyet's Sami Kohen: It seems that the "letter-writing diplomacy" will finally pave the way for a dialogue between Turkey and Greece. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem meets with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou in New York this week. The meeting will show to what extent this is feasible. If the two ministers can reach an agreement, a dialogue will be launched on a wide range of issues -- with the exception of Aegean issues at this stage