THE DAILY WAR!
Non-pagan/papal date: 11-11
THE HOLY ROMAN
I was floored when B16 said he was inspired by Dante. Why would this avant-garde theologian, eyes firmly fixed on the contemporary Church and its modern maladies, draw from 700-year-old poetry to describe love?
B16 received Laura Bush and her daughter Barbara in private audience, and shared his concerns about the violence unleashed over press cartoons of Mohammed.
(And: Laura Bush interview)
An Italian atheist lost his legal crusade against the Catholic Church on Thursday when a judge rejected his attempts to sue a priest for saying that Jesus existed 2,000 years ago, the priest's lawyer said.
With conservative Christian groups now quick to strike back at Hollywood fare they find offensive, Sony Pictures faced a predicament with its coming film "The Da Vinci Code."
EMPIRE OF THE GERMAN NATION
Ever since Berlin Film Festival began in 1951, it has always had a political edge. But at this year's festival the harsh realities of war, corruption and personal loss are more present than ever.
Politicians from the CDU and SPD firmly rule out a mission by German combat troops to provide security for the elections in the Congo.
EUROPE/RUSSIA
Apocalyptic thought is curiously pleasurable. Doom is too strong a word, in my view; I think it would be more accurate to say that Europe is sleepwalking to further relative decline. But we should also modestly remember that the future is, ultimately, unknowable.
Nearly 2 weeks into the "Cartoon Kampf," Europeans are now considering the implications of an Iran-led boycott of Legos, Havaarti cheese and other staples of Denmark's culture and business world. Some European companies are playing along.
(IHT: The cartoon trail to Mecca)
(AJ: Iran denies Rice claim)
President Putin's 2-day visit to Madrid sparks reflections on relations between the countries and Moscow's Middle East policy. The EU is accused of a lack of solidarity in the row over the cartoons. And the French and Spanish press look at migration policies.
Millions of Russians living outside their homeland have been invited to return in an effort to end a population decline that could devastate the country's economy.
(Map: Russians in the Republics)
MIDEAST/AFRICA/ASIA
Newspapers in Russia and Israel are surprised by President Putin's invitation to Hamas leaders to Moscow and see it as a sign of a split within the Quartet over Middle East policy.
HOUSE OF ISRAEL
After 3 years of war in Iraq, reporting and debate continue to ignore the key fact: The US invasion was a mistake. President Bush himself acknowledges this. In view of this, why is Bush intent on continuing the war?
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez embraced antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan on national television and announced his plot to bring the US to its knees. "Enough of imperialist aggression. We must tell the world: Down with the US empire. We have to bury imperialism this century. Cindy, we are with you in your fight."
(XSM: "New populists" vs. the West)
ECONOMY
We pity poor Ben Bernanke. We have a feeling he doesn't know quite what he's gotten himself into.
The 30-year Treasury bond made a long-awaited return on Thursday, delighting bond investors and the cash-strapped federal government.
Bolivia's new President, is moving his country closer to "nationalising" South America's 2nd-largest natural gas reserves and reviving a state-owned petroleum company.
MISC
American archaeologists have made the first discovery of a new tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings since King Tutankhamen's was uncovered in 1922.
#11-11
