Here is the text of the conclusions from the bilateral commission meeting of the Catholic and Jewish delegations dedicated to improving relations between the two religions.
The Vatican has instructed the German bishops to distance themselves from an abortion counseling group so that they will not be perceived as endorsing abortion.
The German military needs to look at money and manpower before taking on more foreign missions, according to a report which examines the shortcomings of the Bundeswehr. No widespread mistreatment of recruits was found.
With EU member states expecting to get the final draft of the entire Berlin declaration to mark the bloc's 50th birthday today, some delegations have criticised the secrecy of its drafting and urged the German presidency to handle the forthcoming talks on the EU constitution differently.
The plan by the US government to bypass NATO and establish a missile base in Poland with a related radar system in the Czech Republic, has prompted angry responses in Europe. A number of prominent European politicians are now openly warning that the US proposal poses a threat to NATO's future and the danger of a split within the European Union as well. In the last few days, leading European political figures have made clear that they regard the missile system as a flagrant attempt by the US to drive a wedge between Europe and Russia.
German press...
Plans by the US to build a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe has led to sharp criticism from some quarters in Germany. While the chairman of the Social Democrats says Europe doesn't need new missiles, Chancellor Merkel and her foreign minister would like to see NATO get more involved.
It's funny, really, how European debates about missile defense inevitably lead to discord, confusion and a torrent of nonsensical statements. In Europe itself, however, few people are laughing. The Europeans are too divided on a host of other problems to welcome a divisive new debate on a non-issue. The present debate isn't really about missile defense, but about our relationship with the US. No matter the outcome, Europeans will always remain vulnerable to complete obliteration by the thousands of nuclear warheads Russia possesses.
Russia's UN envoy stormed out of a Security Council meeting on Kosovo here Monday and accused the UN special envoy for the Albanian-majority Serbian province of "preaching for independence."
Former US Balkans peace broker Richard Holbrooke said that violence could explode in Kosovo as early as next month if Russia stalls a UN plan to give the breakaway Serbian province independence. "If the Russians delay or dilute or veto it, then I'm afraid the long pent-up desire of the Albanians in Kosovo for a rapid move toward independence will explode into violence."
With a government commission of inquiry into the war in Lebanon about to issue its findings and challenges to his leadership mounting, Prime Minister Olmert is fighting for his political life. If Olmert fails to hold on to power – and the smart money says he will have to go – Livni or Netanyahu could emerge as prime minister, with Barak or Ayalon as the new defense minister.
It is in the nature of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict that all the elements needed for a final peace never seem to be properly aligned. But recent developments suggest that some requisites for a serious peacemaking effort are falling into place. Conversely, another failure to reach a mutually acceptable accord on a two-state solution may expose Israelis, Palestinians, and their regional neighbors to ever more calamitous violence.
There are indications that, in the coming days, the Afghan Taliban will be aided by Pakistani troops in their efforts to bring down the pro-West Karzai government in Kabul, and install a pro-Islamabad, and pro-Taliban, government there. This, ultimately, is Pakistan's objective: to revive its role in Kabul. If the Taliban succeeds in establishing a pro-Islamabad government in Kabul, there no doubt that NATO will be finally buried in Afghanistan.
In a message issued on the occasion of the New Year, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called the Year 1386 the year of "national unity and Islamic solidarity."
The Iranian nation has been the forerunner of peace, friendship, monotheism, justice and pure thoughts throughout history, said President Ahmadinejad today in a message to the nation on the occasion of the Iranian New Year.
In the UN yesterday, Russia denied US newspaper accounts of a supposed ultimatum by Moscow to Iran to give up producing enriched uranium as demanded by the Security Council.
The situation has turned in favor of Bush—unfortunately. Iran tried to play the role of more than just a regional power, and this has given Bush the opportunity to persuade the Congress and Senate that US interests are threatened by Iran.
For all of the US efforts to apply economic and political pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, Washington has never used a potentially potent tool in its arsenal — penalties on foreign companies that assist Iran in producing oil and natural gas. That may be about to change. In recent months, the administration has tried to avoid a diplomatic or political flap from its jawboning. But the potential for sanctions is posing a dilemma for the administration by setting up a possible new fight with Europe if it proceeds with them, or a fight with Congress if it does not.
The Cheney speech to AIPAC– reassuring militant rightwingers in Israel and the US that America is leaning forward on Iran, and that we are never leaving Iraq – was filled with honesty and conviction, and gives us a clear window into the administration's thinking. It is all about Iran. The US military, from the tone and content of Cheney's speech, is now ready, and the window is open. We may soon hear of an accident, an incursion, or a purported attack on our forces. That provocation will force the President to bomb until our bombs run out.
As Bush's unbalanced Mideast policies careen from disaster to disaster, people who don't toe the AIPAC line are beginning to speak out. The pro-Israel lobby's victory on the Iran bill is almost unbelievable. Even after the nation repudiated the Iraq war decisively in the 2006 midterms, even after it has become clear that the Bush administration's Middle East policy is severely unbalanced toward Israel and has damaged America's standing in the world, Congress still cannot bring itself to stand up to the AIPAC line.
Without warning, the Bush-Cheney White House is once again overwhelmed by new evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, by both the President and the Vice President, that once again put the issue of impeachment squarely on the table.
Drove by it yesterday...
They say everything is bigger in Texas. But the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas makes one Texas-sized claim that few would expect in the conservative Bible Belt state - it says it is the world's biggest gay church. "I think this shows that God has a tremendously great sense of humor," said senior pastor and rector Jo Hudson.
At 6ft 5ins, Charles Napoleon would have towered over his diminutive ancestor, Napoleon Bonaparte. And the 56-year-old pretender to France's imperial throne has embraced a brand of politics that is decidedly out of character for a Bonaparte. While both Napoleon I and Napoleon III seized power by force and held imperial courts in Fontainebleau's royal chateau, today His Imperial Highness Charles Napoleon - or "Napoleon VII" - plans to recapture this dynastic town through the ballot box.
The dollar fell sharply against the yen on Tuesday, erasing earlier gains, after a magazine reported that China would stop stockpiling foreign exchange reserves.
The disintegration of the global financial system, which has now convulsed various sections of the markets as a result of the unwinding of the yen carry trade, is unstoppable. The collapse of the American real estate market, especially in the realm of the subprime mortgages, due to the market-dominant role of the hedge funds, can lead to a crash of the system. The environmental hysteria is supposed to create a menacing situation in order to force through dictatorial measures in the resulting chaos.
London is rapidly emerging as a center of financial innovation. London-based hedge funds are snapping up property in Mayfair, and London has also outgrown New York to become the world's center of over-the-counter derivatives. It is even showing signs of catching up with the U.S. in bond trading and securitization. While New York remains the financial center to beat, London has momentum.
Strategic Alert (PDF)
Top Washington Agenda: Get Rid Of Cheney; Provocative Attacks Against Iran Continue; Nuclear Power Tops Putin's Agenda In India.
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