Thousands of Russian Orthodox gather in Kiev despite threats

July 27, 2016

MOSCOW (AP) — Thousands of Russian Orthodox Christian pilgrims have reached the center of Ukraine's capital to finish their procession to the city's most revered monastery after their march was disrupted on Tuesday.

The procession by Ukrainian adherents of Russian Orthodoxy was prevented from entering the city on Tuesday after Ukraine's interior minister said grenades had been planted along the route. The believers completed their journey in buses Wednesday.

Ukrainian nationalists had blocked the procession from entering the city on Monday, pelting marchers with eggs and denouncing them as "agents of Moscow." The Orthodox Christian faithful in Ukraine are divided between one church which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church and a splinter church under a Ukrainian leader.

Romania buries 'Queen Anne' in lavish funeral

August 13, 2016

CURTEA DE ARGES, Romania (AP) — As church bells rang, thousands of Romanians turned out Saturday in a central town for the grand funeral and burial of the woman they call Queen Anne, the wife of Michael, the last king of Romania.

Romania and neighboring Moldova both observed a national day of mourning Saturday for Anne. Soldiers placed her royal flag-draped coffin, which arrived 45 minutes late, on a catafalque outside a cathedral in a park in Curtea de Arges. A phalanx of Orthodox priests sung the funeral liturgy addressing her as "Queen Anne."

Following a short private service, she was buried inside the unfinished brick cathedral. People clapped and members of the royal family shook hands with people in the crowd. Anne died Aug. 1 in Switzerland at the age of 92. She first visited the country only when she was nearly 70 and did not speak the language. Yet many respect her for her 68-year marriage to Michael, whom she wed months after the communists forced him to abdicate in 1947.

"She was a symbol of our country," said Eugenia Cristescu, a 79-year-old singer in a local church choir who was dressed in a gold-and-black embroidered peasant blouse and skirt. "The royal family brought about great change in Romania. It raised us from being simple people and brought respect to the country."

Earlier Saturday, church bells rang around Bucharest, the Romanian capital, and hundreds turned out as Orthodox and Catholic priests held services at the city's Royal Palace before Anne's body began the journey to Curtea de Arges, where members of the royal family are buried. Her body has lain in state this week in Romania.

Four of the couple's five daughters were present for the funeral. Princess Irina, who was stripped of her royal title in 2013 after she was arrested with her husband for running an illegal cockfighting ring in the U.S., did not attend.

Michael, 94, has cancer and is living in Switzerland. He did not attend the funeral on the advice of doctors.

Amid migrant crisis: Greece to build Athens mosque

August 04, 2016

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Lawmakers in Greece on Thursday approved construction of a state-funded mosque near central Athens — a proposal that triggered dissent within the coalition government amid a heated public debate on how to manage the migrant crisis.

The proposal, approved by 206-24 votes in parliament, follows several failed attempts to implement the project that had previously faced opposition from the country's powerful Orthodox Church. The governing left-wing Syriza party backed the 950,000-euro ($1 million) project, but it was opposed by its nationalist coalition partner, the Independent Greeks.

Tens of thousands of Muslim migrants live in greater Athens and use informal prayer rooms around the capital — many set up in basements and failed businesses in run-down neighborhoods. Speaking at one prayer site, Syrian-born immigrant Ahmed Halez Hasan said he believed political opposition from previous governments had held up the venture for more than a decade.

"This issue has come up before many times, repeatedly, and then it stops. It stops because of the government. But I think this government will help," said Hasan, who has lived in Greece for more than 30 years.

The number of Muslims in Greece has increased following the refugee crisis last year, when the country was on Europe's busiest transit route for people fleeing to the continent. The proposed site of the new mosque is in a mainly industrial area on the outskirts of the city center, near a United Nations-run camp for refugees.

Speaking in support of the mosque, Education and Religious Affairs Minister Nikos Filis argued that Greece should avoid mistakes made by other European policymakers that left many migrant communities socially isolated and vulnerable to the influence of violent and extreme religious ideology.

"It is truly the elephant in room: Europe has not accepted that Islam is a reality," he told parliament. "The existence of makeshift mosques (in Athens) is a disgrace for our country." Before Thursday's vote, the extreme right Golden Dawn party said it would continue to oppose the mosque and back protests aimed at blocking its construction.

"We will not allow this to happen. Golden Dawn will do everything in its power to stop it," party lawmaker Yiannis Lagos said. A Twitter hashtag which means "No To Mosque" in English was trending in the top position in Greece Thursday afternoon.

Wildfires spare Marseille in France, but danger high nearby

August 11, 2016

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Firefighters in southern France brought in reinforcements from across the country on Thursday to help smother the last flames and douse dry brush after wind-whipped wildfires devastated thousands of acres and destroyed homes but spared Marseille, the nation's second-largest city.

There was no letup in the high southern winds, known as the Mistral, raising the risk of new bursts of flames after the worst blaze in recent years was contained. Meanwhile, a fire broke out Thursday in the Pyrenees-Orientales region, southwest of Marseille.

Multiple fires started up on Wednesday, west and north of Marseille, and President Francois Hollande said some were of criminal origin. "We will find those who started them," he said, but did not elaborate.

A man behaving suspiciously in Vitrolles, one of the towns most ravaged by flames, was detained for questioning, according to French media. Fires were burning in Portugal and Spain. Two arrests were made in the deadliest of more than 100 fires in Portugal, on the island of Madeira, that killed three people.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said four people were seriously injured — a resident of the Marseille region and three firemen who battled a blaze on Wednesday in the nearby Herault region. More than 3,000 hectares of vegetation were destroyed in the Marseille area, the Herault and the Pyrenees-Orientales regions.

Residents of the region north of Marseille, especially Vitrolles and nearby Pennes-Mirabeau, woke up to take an accounting of the scorched and still-smoking landscape and their losses. More than 1,000 had spent the night in gymnasiums.

"Today, at this time, the fire is, as we say, mastered. That means that it is not expanding any more there are no visible flames," said Vice-Admiral Charles-Henri Garrier, commander of Marseille's firefighter battalion, speaking near Vitrolles, just 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Marseille.

"Anyway, if you go and walk in the ash behind me, you may walk on embers. And those embers, with the wind going stronger ... may spark the fire again, cross the crest and put the fire in the pinewood behind you."

Flight delays continued Thursday evening at Marseille's airport which had rerouted incoming flights on Wednesday to cope with firefighting aircraft. Major highways had been closed to make way for firefighters, and to keep drivers from danger.

Fire battalions from as far away as northern France were driving their heavy engines and other equipment to the Marseille region to help some 2,500 firefighters with the critical aftermath. In Portugal, firefighters also battled multiple fires for a sixth straight day. A total of 186 wildfires were counted Wednesday on Portugal's mainland alone and on Thursday, 12 were burning out of control.

In Spain, authorities said five major fires were raging in the northwestern region of Galicia, with 10 others under control.

Margaid Quioc in Marseille contributed to this report.

Fires ravage southern France, Portugal, 4 dead, 1,000s flee

August 11, 2016

MARSEILLES, France (AP) — Fires whipped by high winds ravaged swaths of southern France and Portugal on Wednesday, killing at least four people, burning scores of homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands, including tourists.

In France, multiple fires formed a column marching toward the Mediterranean port city of Marseille. Hundreds of miles away, a fire swept overnight into Funchal, the capital of Portugal's Madeira Islands, killing three elderly people and leaving more than 300 with minor burns and smoke inhalation. A forest watchman was killed on the mainland during the night when one of more than 100 blazes engulfed the caravan he was sleeping in 150 kilometers (95 miles) north of Lisbon.

Two people were reported injured, one seriously, as the fire in southern France moved toward Marseille, firefighters said, and 20 to 25 homes were burned. At least 2,700 hectares (6,670 acres) of land were devastated. Four firefighters were injured, three seriously, battling a separate blaze in the nearby Herault region — brought under control like a fire in an industrial area outside Marseille that stocks oil and petrochemicals.

The Marseille airport rerouted incoming flights to make way for firefighting aircraft, while officials in Marseille, France's second-largest city, were bracing for flames that risked lapping at its doors, and the airport warned flights risk delays or cancellations Thursday.

Thick layers of ochre-colored smoke dimmed the afternoon skies of sun-drenched Marseille, while black plumes rose above Vitrolles and Pennes-Mirabeau. "It was a scene really like the end of the world," Caroline Vidal, a Vitrolles resident told iTele TV, describing the scene as she fled her home to her grandmother's house and saw people running on the highway to escape.

Assistant Prefect Yves Rousset, asked at a pre-dawn meeting with reporters in Marseille, whether the fire might reach France's second-largest city overnight, said, "We can never say there will be no risk, but we're doing everything so it doesn't." Firefighting aircraft were restarting duty at daybreak, while the battle continued on the ground.

Firefighters in both countries battled multiple blazes fanned by high winds and fed by brush in a hot, dry summer, considered fire season in both countries. A full 186 wildfires were counted Wednesday on Portugal's mainland.

But the blazes were exceptionally powerful in both countries, roaring through Madeira and southern France at the height of the tourist season — a mainstay of the economy of Madeira islands, off northwest Africa.

Portugal's National Civil Protection Service reported 14 major wildfires burning out of control in mainland Portugal where almost 4,500 firefighters were in action in a massive operation, supported by 28 water-dumping aircraft and 1,300 vehicles. Desperate, the government requested help from other European Union countries.

The Madeira fire forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents and tourists in the islands. Residents described chaotic nighttime scenes, with people fleeing the flames by car at high speed on the wrong side of the road.

Miguel Albuquerque, head of Madeira's regional government, told reporters the three local victims died in their burned homes early Wednesday as the wildfire hit the coastal city in the dark. He said two other people were seriously hurt and one person went missing. At least 37 houses and a five-star hotel had burned down.

In southern France, more than 1,000 people were evacuated in several towns, notably Vitrolles, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Marseille where some homes were burned down, and in nearby Pennes-Mirabeau.

"The fire is progressing. It's progressing fast," Deputy Marseille Mayor Julien Ruas said on BFM-TV. He said firewalls had been set up on the corridor leading toward the city, but if the fire passed those "it will move toward the northern neighborhoods of Marseille."

"The fire is extremely powerful, fast, explosive, and continues burning everything in its path," firefighters said in a statement from a temporary headquarters set up in Vitrolles. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, visiting firemen in several locations, said 1,800 firefighters were mobilized to fight the blazes. Some 400 police officers were helping towns secure homes and firefighting aircraft, from Canadairs to Trackers, were mobilized.

The origins of the French fires, which started in Rognac, north of Vitrolles, were unknown. The Madeira blaze broke out Monday and firefighters said the island's steep hills and dense woodland made it hard to reach the flames. Albuquerque, the regional government chief, said officials suspect that fire was started deliberately and police have made two arrests.

Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal; Ganley reported from Paris.

Council of Europe head visits Turkey in wake of failed coup

August 03, 2016

ISTANBUL (AP) — The head of the Council of Europe, the continent's top human rights organization, arrived in Turkey Wednesday for talks with the country's leadership and opposition officials — the first high-ranking European official to do so after the attempted July 15 coup.

Thorbjorn Jagland was to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, the ministers of foreign affairs and justice, and the heads of opposition parties during his visit to Turkey.

Erdogan has blasted Western allies for what he says is a lack of clear support for the government in the wake of the failed putsch, which killed more than 270 people. On Wednesday, he accused the West of siding with terrorism and noted no European leaders had visited Turkey to express support after the coup.

While governments have denounced the coup attempt, they have also expressed concerns about the crackdown on opposition supporters in Turkey since then. The government says the coup was instigated by a U.S.-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and whose extradition Turkey is seeking from the United States. Gulen has denied any involvement in the coup plot, while Washington has asked for evidence of his involvement from Ankara and says the extradition process must be allowed to take its course.

That stance has angered Erdogan and has led to strains in the two countries' relations. "From now on, everyone who continues to pay attention to the delusions of the charlatan, the chief terrorist, in Pennsylvania, has accepted in advance what will become of them," Erdogan said during a speech at a religious council meeting in Ankara Wednesday.

Turkey has conducted a sweeping crackdown on those suspected of supporting Gulen's movement, which runs schools, charities and businesses across the world. Tens of thousands of people in Turkey have been dismissed or suspended from their jobs in the civil service, education, health care, judiciary, the military and media sectors, while about 18,000 have been detained or arrested, mostly in the military.

UK promises to maintain EU funding for farming, science

August 13, 2016

LONDON (AP) — The British government promised Saturday to keep paying for European Union-funded agriculture, infrastructure and science projects until 2020, even if Britain leaves the bloc before then.

Treasury chief Philip Hammond wants to allay worry among farmers and scientists about what will replace the millions they currently get from the EU. Some scientists in Britain say the uncertainty is already hitting their ability to begin multi-year research projects.

Hammond said organizations "want reassurance about the flow of funding they will receive," and the announcement would help provide "stability and certainty." He said the funding guarantee would cost taxpayers about 4.5 billion pounds ($5.8 billion) a year.

Britain voted in June to leave the 28-nation EU, but an exit likely remains several years away. The Conservative government says it will not trigger the formal two-year exit negotiations process before next year.

Scientists' organization the Royal Society welcomed the announcement, but said it should be extended to give more stability. Its president, biologist Venki Ramakrishnan, said "we have been hearing anecdotal reports of people not being willing to collaborate with certain U.K. collaborators because they weren't sure that they would be able to stay for the full duration of the grant."