The Vatican and the White House have announced that Pope Benedict XVI will hold his first meeting with President Bush this June. The meeting is scheduled to take place just after the president attends the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany.
Jewish campaigners this week expressed concerns over relations with the Roman Catholic Church as they awaited a papal decree which could approve prayers calling on Jews to convert. The controversial prayer, which was outlawed by the Vatican in the 1960s, reads: "Let us pray also for the Jews, that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ."
Germany hopes that the next French president will be strong enough to implement economic reforms that could strengthen France's role in Europe and reinvigorate the Franco-German relationship, officials here say.
History was made in Moscow last week. For the first time since the funeral of Czar Alexander III in 1894, a Russian head of state was laid to rest according to the rites of the Orthodox Church.
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday annulled a parliamentary election on the presidency, blocking a candidate whose background is in political Islam and pitching Turkey into what will probably be early national elections and a referendum on the role of religion in its future.
Many recent polls here showed former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party would trounce any new elections.
(Ha'aretz: Protest marches demand Olmert quit)
(LX: Olmert on brink)
(LX op/ed: Israel's dilemma)
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said that based on information obtained the Americans are engaged in secret talks with terrorists in Iraq and the US ambassador to the country held negotiations with terrorist groups a couple of months ago. Refuting to baseless allegations raised on Iran's cooperation with terrorists in Iraq, he said Iran have always condemned terrorist moves all over in the world and have always supported the legitimate Iraqi government.
A number of experts and critics attending the screening and analysis session of the documentary dubbed `Glory of Persepolis' said that it reflects the dignity of Iranians and Persepolis, adding that it is a proper response to the insulting Hollywood movie `300'.
President Ahmadinejad said that today, the World of Islam is victim of an organized terrorism. Addressing the first International Congress on the Culture of Resistance, inaugurated here this morning, he regretted that certain bullying powers, by producing weapons of mass destruction, are the main elements posing threat to human beings.
President Ahmadinejad said that the Zionist regime is manifestation of state terrorism, genocide and crimes.
Tony Blair has indicated that Gordon Brown is likely to replace him as Prime Minister within a matter of weeks.
[WAR: Is he waiting for the attack on Iran to start before leaving - or keeping him in office?]
Struggling to catch up with her rival on the eve of a live television debate, Ségolène Royal received an unexpected lift when the leader of the far-right National Front called on the 10% of French voters who backed him in the first round to abstain in the runoff. Their abstention could help Royal.
If the price at your local gas station isn't topping $3 already, it likely will soon. "Records definitely are coming." "We're not even in the peak driving season yet. Prices could go sharply higher than where they are now."
Blah, blah, blah...
A move to protect US industries and workers from foreign competition would be a serious mistake that would jeopardize the sizable benefits of free trade, the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, said Tuesday.
If there is one thing that unites both candidates in France's presidential run-off this Sunday, it is a shared belief that Anglo Saxon hedge funds are the great villains of modern civilisation. Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to "hit predators" with a tax on speculative investments - apparently a version of the Tobin tax, a staple of populist discourse in Europe for years. "We can't tolerate hedge funds buying a company with debt, firing a quarter of the staff and then enriching themselves by selling it in pieces. We didn't create the euro to have capitalism without ethics or morals."
Poor Paranoid Protestants...
With every decade that passes, the prophecy charts of the "Left Behind" crowd have to be revised. Each decade spawns more inaccurate predictions from so-called "prophecy experts" and there are indeed other interpretive options in the prophetic debate that better stand up to Biblical scrutiny. The system preys off of fear and ignorance of Biblical texts. After having the disputed texts explained by the "prophecy experts" the adherent accepts the interpretation as infallible truth and cannot conceive of any other way to view the passages. Therefore, any other view must be a "false teaching," "delusion," "lie," or of course, "liberalism." Yes, a prophetic realignment is on the horizon and has even now has begun.
Today-tomorrow in Scripture
* "Take care of them until the 14th day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight..." (Exo 12:6-13:1-16)
* "Yahweh's Passover begins at twilight on the 14th day of the 1st month. On the 15th day of that month Yahweh's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for 7 days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the 1st day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For 7 days present an offering made to Yahweh by fire. And on the 7th day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'" (Lev 23:5-8 / Num 9:2-5 / Num 28:16-18,25/ Num 33:3 / Deut 16:1-8)
* "On the evening of the 14th day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. (Joshua 5:10,11 / 2Chr 35:1-18)
* "On the 14th day of the 1st month, the exiles celebrated the Passover." (Ezra 6:19-22)
* "Then the Jews led Yahshua from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover..." (John 18:28-19:42 / Mark 15:1-47 / Luke 22:66-23:56 / Matt 27:1-66)
* "Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." (1Cor 5:7)
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Posted By The Daily Warrior to The Daily World Affairs Report at 5/02/2007 06:54:00 AM