This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com.
* Mission Accomplished! as Muammar Gaddafi is killed in Libya
* Basque separatist group ETA announces end to campaign of violence
* France and Germany announce another summit for next week
* Greece passes harsh austerity bill amid violent rioting
* St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church to be rebuilt at Ground Zero
* Hillary Clinton harshly criticizes Pakistan on visit
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church to be rebuilt at Ground Zero
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N.Y. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has signed an agreement with the Port Authority and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese to rebuild St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The agreement had been delayed because of disagreements over a land swap that will move the church slightly down the street to make way for some of the giant construction projects now under way at ground zero. Greek Reporter
Basque separatist group ETA announces end to campaign of violence
The Basque separatist group ETA announced Thursday a “definitive cessation of its armed activity” in a published statement. Listed as a terrorist organization by Spain, the United States and the European Union, ETA is blamed for hundreds of deaths in its decades-long fight for an independent Basque state that it wants carved out of sections of northern Spain and southwestern France. The change in policy was brought about at the urging of Gerry Adams, the leader of Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein, the political arm of the terrorist Irish Republican Army (IRA), which has also renounced violence. CNN
France and Germany announce another summit for next week
Eurozone leaders were caught by surprise on Thursday evening when they learned that French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had announced a second euro zone summit meeting for next week. The new meeting will be held on Wednesday, following the previously scheduled meeting on Sunday. The announcement is, in effect, an admission that France and Germany are still very far apart on their plans to save the world, and that no major breakthrough will be coming on Sunday. Meanwhile, other European diplomats are annoyed. “We were not informed,” said one. “It’s about time the French and Germans stopped talking just to each other and starting informing the rest of the world.” Independent (London)
Greece passes harsh austerity bill amid violent rioting
Greece’s 300 member parliament on Thursday passed harsh new austerity legislation by a vote of 154-144. The vote is expected to pave the way for the next €8 billion bailout payment in early November. Outside the partliament building were thousands of protesters, many of them violent. After initial hours of calm, the rioting erupted when hundreds of masked anarchist youths attacked a peaceful rally of about 50,000 Communist-backed union members, pelting them with firebombs and jagged chunks of marble. The Communists counterattacked, and chaos ensued as the two sides fought with sticks and rocks before riot police fired volleys of tear gas to separate them. One protester died, and 100 more were injured. AP
Mission Accomplished! as Muammar Gaddafi is killed in Libya
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With a history of conflict among Libya’s 140 or so tribes, the death of former leader Muammar Gaddafi will not mean the end of the war, as many people hope. The rebel National Transitional Council (TNC) must bring together numerous militias with differing ideologies and historical hatreds, even though they will no longer be unified by Gaddafi as a common enemy. The TNC is also responsible for recovering looted arms; halting revenge attacks on Gaddafi loyalists; caring for thousands of casualties; restoring oil production; repairing war damage, and keeping a lid on regional tensions and radical Islam. Even with Gaddafi as a common enemy, militias from Cyrenaica have had little contact with those west of Tripoli in Tripolitania, and the Tuareg tribe in Fezzan are long-time supporters of Gaddafi. The war in Libya is not ending, but is certainly entering a new phase. McClatchy
Hillary Clinton harshly criticizes Pakistan on visit
Before her arrival in Pakistan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bluntly warned Pakistan’s leaders of “serious consequences” if Pakistan doesn’t change its policies towards the Taliban and the Haqqani network. “There’s no place to go any longer. The terrorists are on both sides [of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan]. They are killing both peoples. No one should be in any way mistaken about allowing this to continue without paying a very big price.” Later, Clinton added, “I have too much respect for Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and for the country.” The Nation (Pakistan)