Christmas season is now felt as streets and buildings are covered with dancing lights and colorful decors, not to mention all those shopping activities and dance rehearsals for Christmas parties we have to attend.

There’s so much about Christmas season that dazzles and excites, that is magical, making us feel lighter, happier, sentimental even.

I write this by the famous canals of Amsterdam, soaking in the warmth of autumn in a pleasant 13 degrees Celsius. Calmness pervade through the ambience, making wellness rule the day.

This week Istanbul will host two separate but related international conferences on mediation. One will be devoted to the state of play in the conflict map and capacity for mediation within the membership of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

This refers to the blatantly untrue and misleading statements in Mr. Jarius Bondoc’s column Gotcha last 21 November 2018, entitled “What can ‘go wrong’ with Imelda Marcos’ conviction.”