All the Gospels begin the narrative of Jesus' public life with the account of the Jesus' baptism in the Jordan by John. St. Luke sets John's appearance on the scene in a solemn historical frame. My book "Jesus of Nazareth" also takes cues from Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, an event that had enormous resonance at that time.
The "question of man", which is central to your discussions, is essential for a correct understanding of current cultural processes. It also provides a solid point of departure for the effort of universities to create a new cultural presence and activity in the service of a more united Europe.
The Vatican said that there had been a "frank exchange" on "delicate subjects" during Saturday's meeting between Benedict XVI and Mr Blair. Vatican sources said that the formula used was "the nearest the Vatican comes to referring to a row without using the word". The Papal statement also referred to the Pope's disappointment over Mr Blair's failure to back the Vatican's campaign to have a reference to Europe's Christian roots and values inserted into the EU constitution.
A German newspaper has reported that the defense minister was the target of an attack plot when he visited troops in Afghanistan earlier this month. The report was later confirmed by the defense ministry.
The revamped treaty hammered out by European leaders at a marathon summit meeting here will rescue the bloc from its current existential crisis. But the "United States of Europe" envisioned by the EU's founding fathers is dead and Europe's ability to act as a unified power on the world stage remains in doubt.
Gordon Brown was under pressure to perform a U-turn over Europe and grant a referendum on the proposed EU treaty last night, after Ireland said it would call a national vote. The move by Dublin raised questions about whether Mr Brown can resist Tory calls to put it to the British people.
(LX op/ed: Trick or treaty?)
(LX op/ed: In all honour, give us a vote)
(LT op/ed: We won't be fooled out of our referendum)
President Sarkozy has claimed that changes to the bloc's forthcoming treaty that he pushed through are going to have significant implications for the EU's free market policy. Speaking at an air show in Le Bourget over the weekend, he said it meant the "end of competition as an ideology and a dogma" in Europe.
The Kaczynski government sees its EU summit performance as a big success. But Poland's messy negotiating tactics and use of World War II references has left a bad taste in the mouth for some of its partners in Brussels.
As Europe recuperates after a hectic and longer than normal EU leaders summit, daily political life in Brussels will continue this week, seeing scrutiny of the two newest EU states' membership progress and further moves on EU climate policy.
Serbia cautioned its Balkan neighbours that independence for the breakaway Kosovo province would destabilise the entire region and seriously undermine its potential for economic growth. "Kosovo independence would set a dangerous precedent, which would destabilise not just Serbia, but the entire Balkan region, as well as other regions. Such a political and legal precedent would undermine the ability of southeastern Europe to exploit its potential for geo-political development."
Europe's most senior officials have given their support to a plan to make Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain a Middle East envoy after he relinquishes the office of prime minister this week. Such a move would also put one of Europe's most high profile power politicians at the heart of efforts to solve one of the world's most intractable diplomatic problems.
Baghdad has revived a contract signed by the Saddam Hussein administration allowing a state-owned Chinese oil company to develop an Iraqi oil field. US diplomats in Beijing said they were not aware that the deal had been revived.
President Sarkozy has called on the world to be "firm" with Sudan if it refuses to co-operate with efforts to end the conflict in Darfur. He said "silence was killing" in the troubled region, as he opened talks in Paris between the world's major powers.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said most European states seek revival of logical talks with Iran.
President Bush has turned the executive branch into a 2-way mirror. They get to see everything Americans do: our telephone calls, e-mail, and all manner of personal information. And we get to see nothing about what they do. Everyone knows this administration has disdained openness and accountability since its first days. That is about the only thing it does not hide. But recent weeks have produced disturbing disclosures about just how far Bush's team is willing to go to keep lawmakers and the public in the dark. Governments have to keep secrets. But this administration has grossly abused that trust, routinely using claims of national security to hide policies that are immoral and almost certainly illegal, to avoid embarrassment, and to pursue Bush's dreams of an imperial presidency.
As the Bush administration struggles through its last 2 years in office, it appears that the agenda of neoconservative ideologues has finally lost its appeal among strategic parts of the US foreign policy apparatus. But as their influence has waned at the Pentagon and State Department, neo-conservative hawks have taken charge on the battlefield of public diplomacy.
Pilots for 9/11 Truth obtained black box data from the government under the Freedom of Information Act for AA Flight 77, which The 9/11 Report claims hit the Pentagon. Analysis of the data contradicts the official account in direction, approach, and altitude. The plane was too high to hit lamp posts and would have flown over the Pentagon, not impacted with its ground floor. This result confirms and strengthens the previous findings of Scholars for 9/11 Truth that no Boeing 757 hit the buillding.
The international community faces a real risk of 'economic chaos' arising from major imbalances in the global financial system, the World Economic Forum on East Asia was told Sunday. Complacency has set in after years of uninterrupted global growth and there is no evidence to suggest a self-correcting mechanism is in place to avert a major shock to the global financial system, delegates to the 2-day forum were told.
The end of the housing bubble will force banks, hedge funds and pension plans to acknowledge substantial losses that have been hidden away in complex investment vehicles that only have a real value when they are liquidated. The investment banks, such as Bear Stearns, which was a dominant player in the mortgage arena, is fighting for survival.
The giant Wall Street investment and brokerage firm Bear Stearns has put up $3.2 billion to bail out one of its troubled hedge funds in the biggest rescue operation of its kind since the collapse of the Long Term Capital Management hedge fund in 1998. Bear Stearns agreed to put up the credit line on Friday to ensure that collateralised debt obligations seized by creditors led by Merrill Lynch were not liquidated in a "fire sale" that could have sent the valuation of the assets plunging.
Nearly one-fourth of American workers have no paid vacation or holidays, and nearly half of all private sector workers have no paid sick days. The US is the only rich country that does not mandate paid vacations and paid sick days, and Americans who are afforded such benefits enjoy far less time off than workers in other wealthy nations.
Archaeologists have revived the debate over whether a spectacular Bronze Age disc from Germany is one of the earliest known calendars. The Nebra disc is emblazoned with symbols of the Sun, Moon and stars and said by some to be 3,600 years old. The Nebra disc is considered one of the most sensational - and controversial - discoveries in archaeology in the past 10 years.
(BBC: Secrets of the star disc)
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