"The WAR on error"
Benedict XVI's first encyclical aimed, in part, to ask whether the government's role in charity might undercut the human tendency to reach out in solidarity to the needy, says George Weigel.
Benedict XVI said that he is confident about consolidating good relations with Syria, when receiving the letters of credence of the country's new ambassador to the Holy See.
Poland warned that it may seek the renegotiation of a key treaty with Germany to stop property claims by Germans expelled from present-day Poland after WW2.
Germany intends to present a plan to revive the European Union's faltering constitution during its EU presidency next year, but the charter's fate is unlikely to be settled before 2008.
Less than two weeks before Germany assumes the EU presidency, the country wants the ailing EU treaty back on track as some warn that indecision is a "warning sign that Europe is paralyzed."
The 25 leaders of the nations currently comprising the European Union met in Brussels last week to discuss its expansion. The summit was characterised by profound differences over the function and future of the EU. But despite the declarations of intent from Berlin the latest Brussels summit only served to reveal how deeply divisions run in Europe—in particular between leading European nations such as Germany, Britain and France. As the process of enlargement proceeds, and antagonisms with America increase, Europe is saddled with centrifugal forces that could blow it apart.
Bashir Assad, the President of Syria, has repeatedly offered peace talks with Israel. Most recently he has added that he has no preconditions for negotiations — he is not even demanding that Israel promise in advance to return the Golan Heights. The response of Ehud Olmert has been astonishing.
Film produced by two journalists says French special forces had al-Qaeda leader in their sights twice about 3 years ago, but their US superiors never ordered them to fire.
Neo-conservative hawks in and outside the administration of US President George W Bush had hoped that Israel would attack Syria during summer's Lebanon war, according to a newly published interview with a prominent neo-conservative.
A classified document suggests the Administration is considering a plan to fund political opposition to the Damascus government. Some critics say it would be an unwarranted covert action.
The possible move to military action against Sudan follows a period in which the US ruling elite have been deeply divided over the best course of action. The divisions have been no less marked between the US and Europe. The possibility of the conflict expanding on a more than regional scale is immense.
"I and my colleagues are what is known as Orthodox Jews. We are here under the banner of the group known as Neturei Karta which is not a separate movement or organisation but propagators of the philosophy expressing the opposition by Orthodox Jewry to the idea known as Zionism – the secular nationalistic movement to form a sectarian State in Palestine. As is well known, Zionism and the Holocaust have become very much intertwined over the years and the Zionists make a great issue of the Holocaust in order to further their illegitimate philosophy and aims. I wish to talk briefly about both of these topics and their connection."
German papers
Iranians seem to have been left cold by the hard-line rhetoric of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In elections last Friday, moderate candidates did well. But will that change the direction of Tehran's foreign policy?
Italian analyst:
An Italian analyst said the current leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran is a pragmatic one and praised President Ahmadinejad as being of a high calibre.
In a greeting to the world's Christians for the coming new year, Iranian President Ahmadinejad said he expects both Jesus and the Shiite messianic figure, Imam Mahdi, to return and "wipe away oppression." "My one question from the Christians is: What would Jesus do if he were present in the world today? What would he do before some of the oppressive powers of the world who are in fact residing in Christian countries? Which powers would he revive and which of them would he destroy? If Jesus were present today, who would be facing him and who would be following him?"
President Ahmadinejad said that moves of the EU's 3 negotiating states (Britain France and Germany) to prevent Iran from pursuing peaceful nuclear activities clearly show their enmity towards the Iranian nation.
Iran demanded that the U.N. Security Council condemn what it said was Israel's clandestine development of nuclear weapons and "compel" it to place all its nuclear facilities under U.N. inspection. If Israel refuses to comply, Iran said the council must take "resolute action" under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter which authorizes a range of measures from diplomatic and economic sanctions to military action.
Puh-leaze!...
Opposition leader speaks to 60 ambassadors in Tel Aviv, says Ahmadinejad, like Hitler, is a problem for Jews but also for rest of world. Says Iran seeks nuclear armed thousand- year Islamic Reich.
Paranoid Protestants Possessing Political Power...
Over the past 20 years, the U.S. Christian right has evolved into one of the most powerful grassroots organizing forces within the Republican Party, and a host of Christian Zionists have taken a well-earned seat at the foreign policy table. At the same time, their support for Israel is not only growing – it is also becoming an influential political factor.
Uncle Sam may have shown he can be a bit of a stupid bastard but, in the end, he's still our bastard.
French counterterrorism forces are on high alert going into presidential elections next spring, two of the country's top terrorism officials say, citing three Islamist plots thwarted over the last 18 months — including one to bomb the Paris Métro and another targeting Orly Airport.
Iraq is Bush's Waterloo – will it be America's, too? However one defines it, our mission in Iraq is already a clear failure: the question is, will we let this calamity morph into a cataclysm of regional and even global scope, or will we succeed in isolating and containing the disaster?
A new alliance, including financier George Soros and former Bill Clinton advisor Jeremy Ben-Ami, aims to take on the powerful lobbyist group AIPAC - and reshape U.S. policy.
The euro posted a record high versus the yen and climbed against the dollar today after an upbeat survey of German business sentiment the previous session stoked expectations for higher eurozone interest rates in early 2007.
The Bush administration said that China does not meet the technical requirements of a country that is manipulating its currency to gain unfair trade advantages.
EIR Strategic Alert (PDF)
“Financial System Uncertainties”; ECB Issues New Financial Stability Report; Hedge Funds: No Regulation, But More “Transparency”; US Housing Market On The Brink.
The fourth-quarter explosion of so-called ``leveraged buyouts'' worldwide, is accelerating wildly in the final weeks of the year. Over $1 trillion will be in pure predatory takeovers by ``buyout firms'' - private equity and hedge fund locusts - as opposed to mergers between two companies in an economic sector.
Poor Paranoid Protestants...
"When was the last time in recent history that Christians have made a large scale contribution to the culture at large?" Unless I’m missing something, I am not having many examples come to mind. Our most recent significant pop-culture contribution appears to be the fictional Left Behind novels. Unfortunately, its pop theology is rather dubious to say the least and the practical implications that flow from it are the exact opposite of cultural progress. Rather than progress, this type of popular Christian fiction leads to paranoia, militarism, and escapism.
Free personal longevity profile.
What the hell is a nog anyway? Among the festive beverages of Christmas, eggnog reigns supreme. It's got a mysterious history and a texture that's more lubricant than libation. But old-fashioned eggnog is still America's holiday cocktail of choice.
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