THE DAILY WAR!
Non-pagan/papal date: 11-08
THE HOLY ROMAN
B16 celebrated mass in the parish of Saint Anne inside the Vatican, a church under the care of the Augustinians.
When "The Da Vinci Code" became a publishing sensation, leaders of the Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei realized they had an image problem on their hands.
EMPIRE OF THE GERMAN NATION
Germany is back. After 8 years in which Berlin's foreign policy consisted largely of niggling the US, cozying up to Russia and off-shoring its European policy to Paris, Angela Merkel has signaled a 180-degree about-turn.
Germany intends to reach out to the Arab world to defuse the violent unrest over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
German papers
As cartoon-related unrest claims its first death, many are wondering what's gone wrong with the world. Is this a clash of civilizations or just a conflict between western radicals and Islamic fundamentalists, German papers ask.
EUROPE/RUSSIA
Some Muslim leaders have urged Europe to use blasphemy laws against newspapers that publish cartoons containing representations of the Prophet Mohammed. Here's a look at the differing laws in European countries.
World leaders rallied round in a desperate attempt to stop the crisis spiralling out of control as more newspapers printed the pictures, more European embassies were attacked and more ambassadors recalled.
The cartoon war is escalating and the Middle East is going loony tunes, as President Reagan used to say. But are these protests being orchestrated with the intent of creating political instability in the area, and if so to what end?
For over 400 years, a relative truce existed between the Western European nations and the Muslim world. But once again, contention has arisen in the cradle of civilization.
Several European dailies react to the protests over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. A German paper examines Angela Merkel's role in the Iran nuclear debate. And plans to tackle youth unemployment prove unpopular in France.
MIDEAST/AFRICA/ASIA
Tit for tat...
Iran’s biggest-selling newspaper has waded into the Muhammad controversy by launching a competition to find the 12 "best" cartoons about the Holocaust.
"The US prepares for a new war -- and Iran for a clash of civilisations," was the headline in Russia's Vremya Novostei newspaper, reporting a number of belligerent statements towards Iran made by US politicians.
Uh-oh, here we go...
Imposing economic sanctions on Iran without UN backing would be legitimate if other efforts failed to convince Tehran to halt uranium enrichment, a senior State Department official said.
The current flurry of Western diplomacy will probably turn out to be groundwork for launching missiles at Iran.
It is the option of last resort with consequences too hideous to contemplate. And yet, with diplomacy nearly exhausted, the use of military force to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme is being actively considered.
(LX graphic: On alert)
Now all that is needed in this powder keg environment is an alarming event, which is scheduled for . . .
MISC
Considering the growing number of studies regarding the harm you can do to your body by eating non-fermented soy, it's not completely surprising that the conventional medical establishment may finally be getting it.
#11-08
