Greece rescues 2,500 migrants at aea in past 3 daysAthens, 31 August 2015 (MIA) - Greece's coast guard picked up nearly 2,500 migrants from the sea in dozens of search and rescue operations, part of a relentless flow of people seeking the safety of Europe after facing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The coast guard said Monday it had rescued 2,492 people in 70 operations off the eastern islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Agathonissi, Farmakonissi, Kos and Symi from Friday morning until Monday morning, AP reports.
The coast guard also rescued another 13 people in the water near Chios. One person was unconscious and hospitalized.
Greece has been overwhelmed by record numbers of migrants this year, the vast majority from Syria and Afghanistan, reaching its eastern Aegean islands from the nearby Turkish coast. More than 200,000 have arrived. Nearly all head to Greece's northern border with Macedonia, cross into Serbia and Hungary and go toward more prosperous European countries.
On Monday, Greek police fired one stun grenade to prevent a stampede and keep back a crowd who attempted to rush the border after Macedonian authorities briefly stopped the flow of those allowed to cross. The situation calmed a short while later and crossings resumed.
On the islands, authorities have struggled to cope with the sheer numbers of migrants. A government-chartered ferry on Monday brought 2,500 migrants to Piraeus, the main port near Athens, from Kos and Lesbos. lk/16:53
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Turkey to offer rewards for 'denouncing terrorists'
Istanbul, 31 August 2015 (MIA) - Turkish authorities will offer up to 4 million lira ($1.37 million) in rewards for those who help a crackdown on "terrorists", according to a new ruling published Monday, AFP reports.
The decision comes after a surge in violence in the southeast between Turkish security forces and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Kurdish militants which has nullified a 2013 truce.
Under the government's plan, informants' rewards will be based on the "value of the information in preventing terrorism crimes and catching the suspects," said a statement in the official gazette, where all new legislation and government rulings are published.
Those who report the identity or location of a "suspected terrorist" anonymously will be awarded up to 200,000 Turkish lira ($68,000) as long as they as they are not involved in the "terrorism activity" that they report, it added.
But the award will be multiplied by 20 and increased to 4 million lira if the suspect is the leader of a "terrorist organisation" or the crime that is exposed is severe enough to cause "unrest".
The informant does not have to be a Turkish citizen to be eligible for the award, the statement said.
Ankara in late July launched a dual anti-terror offensive against IS militants in Syria and the PKK in northern Iraq and southeast Turkey following a series of deadly attacks.
Some 60 members of the Turkish security forces have been killed over the past five weeks as the PKK has hit back at a relentless government air and ground campaign.
According to the government, more than 2,500 people have so far been detained in raids targeting suspected members of the PKK, Islamic State (IS) jihadists and DHKP-C Marxist militants, the overwhelming majority of them from the PKK.
The Turkish authorities in the past have offered similar payouts for information on terrorism crimes and suspects, but the new reward system appears to offer the biggest such yet in Turkey's self declared "anti-terror" campaign. lk/19:28
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SYRIZA asks for a strong mandate from the Greek citizens
Athens, 1 September 2015 (MIA) - Olga Gerovasili, spokeswoman for the Greek SYRIZA party, called on the citizens to give their resounding support to the far left movement that called for the early elections on 20 September. SYRIZA governed Greece for hectic seven months, during which the economy crashed and capital controls had to be introduced, as the party tried and failed to negotiate better terms with its European and international creditors.
But, considering the high personal appeal of its leader Alexis Tsipras, SYRIZA called for early elections, hoping it will allow it to shed some of the most hardline members of Parliament who objected to the bailout agreement, and still retain power. "A strong mandate for a SYRIZA Government will save the country from the difficult situation it was brought to after 40 years of bad policies", Gerovasili said.
Still, recent polls show that after the fracturing in SYRIZA it has lost some of its popularity, with the Conservative New Democracy party reducing the lead SYRIZA has in the polls. Gerovasili said that SYRIZA will not form a post election coalition with New Democracy, citing major policy differences.
Tsipras begins the campaign on Tuesday, from Crete.cc/08:56
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Serbia and Albania set an example in the region, Vucic and Rama say
Vienna, 1 September 2015 (MIA) – Participating in a TV debate, the prime ministers of Serbia and Albania agreed on many issues, most notably including those referring to the future of the two countries and their citizens, as they maintained their firm positions when discussing Kosovo, agreeing to always disagree over the matter.
Aleksandar Vucic and Edi Rama in the TV duel, tapped last week in Vienna during the second Western Balkans Summit, were also joined by the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, Goran Svilanovic, local media report on Tuesday.
Vucic and Rama pledged that their countries’ disagreement over the Kosovo issue must not hinder dialogue and cooperation, stressing that Serbia-Albania relations were not the biggest problem on the Balkans.
The most challenging issue on the Balkans is Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Serbia’s Vucic.
“I believe BiH is going to be a pressing issue… We (Serbia) foster excellent relations with BiH, but I’m afraid I’m right,” stated PM Vucic.
Svilanovic concurred that BiH’s functionality was a huge problem.
“Kosovo at least has a framework to solve the issue, i.e. the Brussels Dialogue, whereas there’s no such thing in the case with BiH,” he noted. ba/13:00
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Law on the war crimes court in Kosovo will enter into force in two weeks
Pristina, 1 September 2015 (MIA) - The official gazette of Kosovo published the law for the creation of a special war crimes court and a special prosecutor, putting in motion this new institution. In two weeks, the laws will take effect, and the court will begin to be prepared.
The court will have a mandate to prosecute members of the former paramilitary groups in Kosovo, including the Kosovo Liberation Army, for war crimes perpetrated during the 1999 war with Serbia. As many of the former KLA commanders hold top offices in the newly independent country, and the KLA maintains high reputation among Kosovan Albanians, the passage of the law was highly controversial. But, Kosovo's international supporters, chiefly the United States and the European Union, insisted that the court is formed, and that Kosovo begins to deal with the legacy of the past.
KLA commanders are blamed for war crimes against non-Albanian civilians, as well as in confrontations with rival Albanian guerrilla groups. Charges that need to be investigated include allegations of organ harvesting by the KLA.
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