Benedict XVI is moving the Church away from religion, in the modern sense of the term, and toward a deeper understanding of Christianity, says an Augustinian scholar.
The Vatican has issued a set of "10 commandments" for motorists to promote safer driving. The "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" call on drivers to respect speed limits, refrain from drinking before driving and avoid cursing. Roman Catholics are also urged to make the sign of the cross before setting off on a journey. This is said to be the first time the Vatican has specifically dealt with the growing worldwide problem of road rage.
(Zenit: Full text of document)
A right-wing citizens' initiative is protesting against Germany's largest mosque, which is being built in Cologne. They have enlisted the efforts of the far-right from Austria and Belgium in their fight against the "Islamization of Europe."
Rumors of the political death of Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi appear to be greatly exaggerated - "Il Professore" is hanging on in office despite a razor-thin majority and a lack of vision. But are Italians tiring of their pampered political caste?
The Western Europeans mostly think the US continues to do far more harm than good in the Middle East and Africa; and they are very dubious about provoking Russia, and about what is going on in Afghanistan, preferring to be as little involved in the latter affair as possible. Their new leaders, I am afraid, are going to be a great disappointment to the global adventurers in Washington.
The UK is one of Germany's key partners, bilaterally as well as in the EU and in NATO. Of one thing I can assure both the present and future British Prime Minister: of Germany's commitment to a close and steadfast partnership with the UK, a partnership which has grown in strength and scope over the last half-century, a partnership with substance and potential. Indeed, in the Berlin view, close German-British ties are a vital necessity.
Gordon Brown and Tony Blair secured backing from France last night for their stance that a return to a constitutional treaty "would not be possible". In an unprecedented move the two negotiated over the telephone with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, before tomorrow's EU summit in Brussels.
Poland will not take part in any intergovernmental talks on a new EU treaty that do not discuss EU voting rights, but the square root voting model is open to negotiation, Polish officials said, indicating a willingness to compromise.
(UPI: Icy German-Polish relations)
Have you ever wondered why everyone goes on and on about Israel? It's all about the preservation of fear societies. And the Middle East is dominated by fear societies – back to back, cheek-by-jowl dictatorships. To survive in power, the leaders of fear societies need an external enemy. A threat that justifies their policies of control, their emergency laws, their police infrastructure.
Backed by armored columns and helicopter gunships, some 10,000 US troops have launched a massive assault on the provincial capital of Baquba and other areas north and east of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The operation, dubbed Arrowhead Ripper, is one of the largest since the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
German press...
The creation of a new moderate Palestinian government in the West Bank has been enthusiastically welcomed in the West. But as the West courts moderate Palestinians, German commentators wonder if they know what they are doing.
Iran has stepped up its protest over the knighthood awarded by Britain to Salman Rushdie. Iran's foreign ministry summoned the UK ambassador in Tehran and said the knighthood was a "provocative act". Pakistan voiced similar protests.
Benjamin Netanyahu is heading for the US on a visit aimed at increasing financial sanctions against Iran to get it to drop its nuclear program. He will meet for talks on the Iranian issue with Dick Cheney, Hillary Clinton, and Fred Thompson.
(Reuters: Thompson highlights serious Iran threat)
Nihilism and neoconservatism are brothers under the skin. It's true that the more radical wing of the War Party currently favors the Republicans, but that could change in an instant, especially if the Democrats get on board the let's-attack-Iran bandwagon. As it is, the major Democratic presidential candidates have all refused to take war with Iran "off the table," and Hillary the Hawk, now and perhaps forever the front-runner for the nomination, is relentless on this score. It's heads the War Party wins, tails the Peace Party loses. That's what "democracy" in America is all about.
The sprawling $43 billion homeland security department is known chiefly for being the agency in charge of America's color-coded terrorist-threat alarm system. It's boogeyman nonsense, of course, doing absolutely nothing to make our country safe. But such falderal helps those in charge obscure HSD's real mission: to serve as a giant federal cookie jar for corporate America.
"I've had a number of firefighters tell me over the years and since Fahrenheit 9/11 that they heard these explosions - that they believe there's much more to the story than we've been told. I don't think the official investigations have told us the complete truth - they haven't even told us half the truth."
A walk down Main Street in this New England town calls to mind the pictures of Norman Rockwell, who lived nearby and chronicled small-town American life in the mid-20th Century. So it is fitting that the artist's face adorns the 50 BerkShares note, 1 of 5 denominations in a currency adopted by towns in western Massachusetts to support locally owned businesses over national chains.
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