THE DAILY WAR!
Non-pagan/papal date: 10-11
THE HOLY ROMAN
Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus with a kiss, is to be given a makeover by Vatican scholars.
(Op/ed: Not all bad)
Despite what some modern critics say, P12 launched a multifaceted response to the Nazi campaign against the Jews.
Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who shot and nearly killed JP2, is free. After 25 years behind bars in Italy and Turkey, the gunman was cheered by supporters as he left prison today. Some hope his release will shed light on the mystery surrounding the incident.
Here is a translation of the address B16 gave during yesterday's general audience. He dedicated his address to comment on Psalm 143(144):1-8.
EMPIRE OF THE GERMAN NATION
His father was from Hitler's close coterie, participated in the capitulation of Nazi Germany, and built up the Bundeswehr. His cousin was the last leader of the GDR. Today Thomas de Maiziere heads the office of the Chancellor of Germany.
The disagreements between Washington and Berlin will not go away. If anything, the list has been lengthened in recent months.
(WPH analysis: Merkel goes to Washington)
The world from Berlin
Angela Merkel is off to Washington for her first visit as German chancellor with President Bush. She stood by him in the run-up to the Iraq war -- in contrast to Gerhard Schröder, who ran a political campaign on anti-Bush rhetoric. German papers today believe she's about to reap the harvest of her canny political tactics.
German intelligence agents reportedly helped US forces target Saddam Hussein in an April 2003 Baghdad bombing raid that killed at least 12 people, contravening former chancellor Gerhard Schröder's insistence that Germany was not involved in the war in Iraq.
EUROPE/RUSSIA
The escalating row between the US and the EU on one side and Iran on the other, over the latter's decision to resume nuclear fuel research, continues to draw comment. And attempts by some European leaders to revive the EU constitution remind one German paper of the film The Night of the Living Dead.
Federalist hopes of reviving the draft EU constitution were snuffed out yesterday when the Dutch foreign minister said the treaty was "dead". He swept away months of euphemisms and half-truths, as European leaders struggled to avoid being the first to declare an end to the constitutional project.
The Dutch political class did not mean this to happen, but the parliamentary vote set for February on the Netherlands' participation in the NATO mission to Afghanistan has become a struggle over the character and future of NATO - and possibly of Afghanistan as well.
MIDEAST/AFRICA/ASIA
Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has said Ariel Sharon is not a man of peace although his decision to withdraw troops from the Gaza Strip will have a lasting impact on the region.
America warned Iran yesterday that it had made a "serious miscalculation" by reopening its uranium enrichment plant, as Tony Blair declared that he would not rule out any measures in dealing with Teheran. European foreign ministers are due to meet in Berlin today to co-ordinate their response.
(Analysis: West finds its options are limited)
(Analysis: Israel and Iran's nuclear program)
(Outside view: The Russian solution)
The world faces the real threat of a new conflict over oil as China competes with existing world powers for scarce resources to feed its growing economy, according to a report published today.
China is now competing with Western businessmen for supply contracts, mineral sources and energy ventures to feed the voracious appetite of an economy growing at 10% a year.
(Graphic: Chinese investments in Africa)
HOUSE OF ISRAEL
Pat Robertson and 20 million American fundamentalists are not alone. The new president of Iran also believes that the end of the world is nigh and "believers" can help speed it up. It is indeed an irony that today, at the beginning of the 21st century, America, Iran, and Israel all have governments heavily influenced by fanatical religious fundamentalists. The rest of the world should be aware and wary.
Finally, it has started. People have begun to speak of impeaching President Bush--not in hushed whispers but openly, in newspapers, on the Internet, in ordinary conversations and even in Congress.
For some time, I considered Ted Kennedy the embodiment of all that is wrong with American politics. It is thus a mark of scary times that I found myself in such agreement with so many words, concerning such important issues, that came from Kennedy’s mouth on the second day of the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. For a good couple minutes, the Bay Stater really shined. Even this anarcho-libertarian had almost nothing to quibble with for that whole time. It was astonishing.
ECONOMY
Oil struck a 3-month high on concerns Iran's nuclear ambitions could draw international sanctions that disrupt crude flows from the world's 4th biggest exporter.
MISC
It is possible that dogs have rational mode of behavior besides instincts and reflexes. They are able to express their emotions by posture, gestures and “facial expression”.
#10-11
