ISTANBUL (AP) - Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Istanbul yesterday to protest cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, chanting slogans against Denmark, Israel and the USA. The protest was organized by the Islamic Felicity Party whose leaders shouted over loudspeakers that the massive crowd symbolized the anger of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims and urged them to “resist oppression.”

BERLIN (Reuters) - A low-budget film from Bosnia swept aside veteran directors Robert Altman and Sidney Lumet as well as previous winner Michael Winterbottom to win the Berlin film festival. “Grbavica,” the touching story of a woman trying protect her daughter from the awful truth of her past, is a powerful examination of how women are still traumatized today by the horrors of the Balkan wars. The first feature film for young Sarajevo director Jasmila Zbanic was the surprise winner of the Golden Bear award for best film at a gala ceremony late on Saturday.

Albania and the EU Saturday signed an agreement opening the way to eventual membership in the 25-member bloc, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on a brief visit to Tirana. “Today is an historic moment for all Albanians and their aspirations to join the great European family,” he told reporters after meeting Albanian President Sali Berisha. The agreement is a preliminary accord on association and stabilization. (AFP)

A Turkish Airbus-320 Atlasjet flight with a total of 144 people aboard made an emergency landing at Budapest’s Ferihegy International Airport yesterday after reporting an engine fault, the airport authority said. The Turkish charter plane was en route from Antalia in Turkey to Dresden, Germany. Nobody was injured. (Reuters)

The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed yesterday in two Romanian towns on the shores of the Black Sea, bringing to 33 the number of sites it has been identified in Romania, a veterinary official said. The strain was identified in Tuzla and Navodari. (AFP)