A communique made public today announced that the Holy See and the United Arab Emirates, "being desirous of promoting bonds of mutual friendship and of strengthening international cooperation, have decided by common accord to establish diplomatic relations at the level of apostolic nunciature on the part of the Holy See and at the ambassadorial level on the part of the United Arab Emirates."
Britain's 2 most senior Roman Catholic leaders intensified the debate on abortion yesterday by warning Catholic politicians who support terminations not to receive Holy Communion.
As Italy's bishops concluded their general assembly on May 25th, some may have reflected on an irony in their situation. In a secular age, and 13 years after the collapse of the Christian Democratic party that used to represent their interests in politics, the church wields more direct influence in Italy than at any time in 40 years. Vatican officials say Pope Benedict is determined to stop Italy following Spain under the Zapatero government, which legalised gay marriage and made other social reforms at odds with Catholic teaching. The pope sees Italy as uniquely emblematic of Roman Catholicism and thus ideal ground for an attack against the creeping secularisation of Europe.
In a lot of ways, Rome today is the same as it was two millennia ago. And the people of Rome still view their city as one of the greatest ever created, even though now Rome is no longer seen as a giant on the international scene. So why is this city so great? Still stuck in the past and the glory days, what does Rome still have that other cities don't? Why Rome? And why now? Germany may not claim a strong connection to the Roman Empire, but they hold distinct ties to the Holy Roman Empire.
An increasing number of Germans are leaving home and going abroad to live. In 2006 emigration was at the highest level since the 1940s.
Chancellor Merkel welcomed a pledge by President Bush to work with his G8 counterparts on climate at next week's German-hosted summit as an "important statement."
Join the club...
Italians grumble that Goldman Sachs runs their country, much as the Jesuits ran countries during the Counter-Reformation. Premier Romano Prodi is an ex-Goldman Sachs man, as is central bank president Mario Draghi and the deputy treasury chief Massimo Tononi.
European Commission president Barroso has warned both Poland and the UK not to block attempts to agree a new treaty for the EU.
Thanks to the windfalls from high energy prices, Putin has turned Russia into a confident, proud but also very prickly nation. Gone are the years of pleading for assistance by the brave but chaotic Boris Yeltsin during the late 1990s when Russia was on the brink of financial collapse. But something more fundamental has changed in Putin's Russia, which the Europeans have yet to grasp. Putin does not like the EU.
Far from being a show of unity by some of the world's richest nations, next week's G-8 summit could fast deteriorate into a slanging match between the US and Russia. That, at least, was what happened when the G-8 foreign ministers gathered in Germany on Wednesday.
President Putin issued an acerbic warning Thursday to the US, saying the recent test of a new Russian missile was a direct response to US actions and condemning "imperialism" in world affairs. "Our American partners have quit the ABM Treaty. We warned them then that we would come out with a response to maintain the strategic balance in the world. Yesterday we conducted a test of a new strategic ballistic missile with multiple warheads, and of a new cruise missile, and will continue to improve our resources."
British diplomats considered the possibility that the aircraft hijacking that led to the fatal Israeli raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda may have been the work of Israeli secret agents. "The operation was designed to torpedo the (PLO's) standing in France ... and to prevent what they see as a growing rapprochement between the PLO and the Americans . . . hence the unholy alliance of the hijacking".
With Iran racing toward nuclear power and IDF preparations for the possibility of a conflict with Syria and Hizbullah in high gear, the Home Front Command plans to launch a publicity campaign to prepare the public for war. Within a few weeks it intends to inform the public about what people need to do in the event of attack.
Kingdom of the South...
Now Sudan's name must be added to the list of countries that appear to delight in outraging world opinion. Even before Western defence officials disclosed to me that the African country has signed a mutual defence co-operation pact with Iran, there were already numerous grounds to qualify Omar al-Bashir's government for membership.
Top envoys for Iran and the EU ended talks Thursday with little indication that they were closer to resolving a deadlock over Tehran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment but agreed to meet again in 2 weeks.
A fundamental question needs to be answered in order to see through the fog that hangs over the policy on Iran: Are we witnessing the emergence of a regional power or the demise of a troglodyte theocracy?
One wonders what Bush & Co. are setting up with the new Presidential Directive. What if, heaven forbid, some sort of catastrophic event were to occur just before the 2008 election? Bush could use this directive to suspend the election. This administration has gone to great lengths to remain in Iraq. It has built huge permanent military bases and pushed to privatize Iraq's oil. Bush and Cheney may be unwilling to relinquish power to a successor administration.
It is estimated that close to 70% of Americans own their own homes and many that qualified did so with adjustable rate loans or subprime loans whose high interest rates borrowers can no longer afford, according to the Maryland Bankers Association.
A few pessimistic economists are convinced that a devastating economic cataclysm lies ahead.
The French agriculture minister Thursday warned that France could use its veto powers to block a global trade deal that did not protect European agricultural interests. But rather than provoking complaints of obstructionism, her tough words found a sympathetic ear in Brussels, underscoring a growing consensus in Europe that the US and developing countries must offer new concessions if the foundering talks are to be saved.
President Bush's reaction to the loss of close ally, ultra globalist and PNAC war hawk Paul Wolfowitz as President of the World Bank has been to nominate one of his best friends, closest allies and ultra globalist PNAC war hawks, Robert Zoellick for the position. Zoellick is the Crème de la Crème of Washington's elite.
vs.
There are 3 layers of debate at G8 summits, and the upcoming meeting in Germany will be no exception.
In the more than 50 years of their meetings, the press has never been allowed to attend, no statements have ever been released on the attendees' conclusions, nor has any agenda for a Bilderberg meeting been made public. Doubtlessly, this discretion allows the Bilderberg Club to deliberate more freely, but that does not respond to the fundamental question: What do the world's most powerful people talk about in these meetings?
The media postmortems
A writer who believes in science not God; a scientist who believes in both. But why are they that way? Nobody knows.
But limiting this question to a stark choice between evolution and creationism does a disservice to the complexity of the interaction between science, faith and reason. The heart of the issue is that we cannot drive a wedge between faith and reason. I believe wholeheartedly that there cannot be any contradiction between the two.
Today/tomorrow in Scripture
* "Tell the Israelites: 'When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they may still celebrate YAHWEH's Passover. They are to celebrate it on the 14th day of the 2nd month at twilight.'" (Num 9:10:11)
* "Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of YAHWEH in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to YAHWEH, the ELOHIM of Israel. ... They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the 2nd month." (2Chr 30:1-20)
* "The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the 15th day of the 2nd month after they had come out of Egypt. ... that evening quail came and covered the camp." (Exo 16:1-13)
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