Geries Othman

Murat Altun, now 29, says he is sorry for killing the bishops but "At that moment, I was not in control of myself." He could be released for good behaviour after six years.

Insufficient food and drinking water, and harsh living conditions of quake survivors. Winter has arrived in the affected area in the south east of the country, and many are forced to sleep outdoors. "We are all getting sick. We waited in line four days and still nothing. When it came our turn we were told it was all finished", says one woman.

The trial opened today. Its first hearing ended after 20 minutes, adjourned to next November. Murat Altun’s family comforted him, saying, “God is with you.” The accused said he felt ill; his lawyer asked for his hospitalisation. The judge refused.

Archbishop Aram Atesyan has described the event as “a miracle”. The church is located in lands where the Armenian genocide took place. In the past, its icons were used for target practice and darkened by the smoke of barbecues. The building is still missing its iron cross from the top of its dome. Diaspora Armenians complain about it; Armenians living in Turkey are happy and joyful for the event.

The bishop was stabbed in the house and beheaded outside. He cried help before he died. The murderer shouted "Allah Akbar!". The alleged insanity of the murderer is now to be excluded. There is no medical certificate to prove it. Murat Altun accuses the dead bishop of being a homosexual. Turkish minister of justice condemns the murder and promises to shed light on the incident.

Christian observers and ask that the investigators to delve deeper into the motives for the murder.. Several attacks against Christians in Turkey are the work of "young unbalanced men" The condolences of the Italian Bishops Conference and PIME. The funeral of Mgr. Padovese next week in Milan.

An aide stabbed the prelate to death. A pastor closely involved in ecumenical work and in the dialogue with Islam, he was getting ready to travel to Cyprus to meet the Pope. After Fr Andrea Santoro was killed, he spoke about the slain priest. The director of the Holy See Press Office comments the event.

The man who attempted to assassinate John Paul II will be freed on 18 January. Promises, revelations, films, exclusive interviews, memoirs. He has also written to Benedict XVI and is masquerading as the new messiah. But for the Turkish people he is a disgrace, a symbol of a dark period in the nation.

Turkish leaders react to Swiss referendum that bans minarets. Muslims are asked to withdraw their money from Switzerland. But some wonder whether the Turkish government should look into its own “nasty little secrets” to see the denied permits to build or restore churches and the promises made but never kept with regards to Saint Paul’s Church in Tarsus and the Orthodox theological school in Halki.

The process facilitated by the political and economic transformation in the Caucasus. Hillary Clinton, Sergei Lavrov, Javier Solana participate in the ceremony in Zurich. Tensions persist among Armenians of the Diaspora, who remember the genocide. Support from Armenians in Turkey. Armenian President will attend the Turkish-Armenian match in Bursa for the Football World Cup 2010.

The accord should be signed in Zurich on 10 October. Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian genocide remain sticky points, but ordinary people, especially young people, have overcome these old festering obstacles.

There are promises of amnesty, economic aid, amendments to the constitution. But meanwhile also continuing military operations on the border with Iraq. However the development of Iraqi Kurdistan seems to push for peace and diplomacy, neutralizing the military.