Benedict XVI has declared June '08-'09 the year of St. Paul in celebration of the 2,000th anniversary of the saint's birth. "This 'Pauline Year' will take place in a special way in Rome, where for 2,000 years under the papal altar of this basilica, lies the tomb that according to experts and undisputed tradition has conserved the remains of the apostle Paul."
Islam and Christianity may come together in music but the pope, in his book on Jesus, draws one clear dividing line.
(Zenit: PHP on B16's book)
After winning praise for her deft handling of the recent EU and Group of 8 summit meetings, Chancellor Merkel turned this week to national politics, with both her critics and supporters wondering if she can continue her winning streak. Inside Merkel's CDU, powerful state premiers who tried to challenge Merkel's leadership have accepted her authority - for now.
(Economist: Merkel's magic)
Forget the Brits, it's the Germans who are really taking over in Tuscany. A German tour operator is buying up an idyllic village in the Italian region. But the company denies that it wants to turn Castelfalfi into a Tuscan theme park.
The German parliament isn't set to vote on extending the country's Afghanistan mission until this autumn. But the debate has already begun - and some within Chancellor Merkel's coalition would like to see a partial withdrawal.
(UPI analysis: Germany's Afghan commitment)
The truth of the matter from Brussels...
The Frankish ruler Charles Martel, after beating back the Muslim invasion at the Battle of Tours in 732, founded the Carolingian Empire, which bears his Latin name: Carolus. He also laid the foundations for the feudal system, and thus shaped much of the Middle Ages. His grandson Charlemagne was crowned Emperor in the year 800 by the Pope. The Carolingian Empire, which was a deliberate attempt to revive the Roman Empire in the West, at this point encompassed France, Germany and much of Central Europe plus Italy down to Rome, but was divided into three parts in 843. The eastern third, with its heartland in today's Germany, later became known as the Holy Roman Empire and lasted for another thousand years, one way or the other. This is somewhat ironic, given that most of Germany was never included in the original Roman Empire.
German press...
Romania and Bulgaria have been warned by the European Commission to do more to tackle corruption and organized crime. Some German commentators wonder if they were let into the EU too early - and if it's not too late to kick them out again.
Why nobody was happy with the summit deal on a new EU treaty. For anyone whose dream is still some ideal of European unity, the mere fact that each competing camp won at this summit was, of itself, a defeat.
(Op-ed: Trick or treaty)
The incoming Portuguese EU presidency has called on member states not to unravel a carefully worked out compromise on a new look treaty for the bloc, amid signs that some capitals have reservations about what they agreed last weekend.
Just days after EU leaders agreed on a revised version of the European Constitution - rejected in French and Dutch referendums in 2005 - the prospect of a 2nd EU referendum is emerging in the Netherlands. A 2nd EU referendum in the Netherlands would represent an important setback for member states' general efforts to avoid the referendum as a ratification route.
A group of some 70,000 stateless highlanders living on the Russia-Georgia border could by 2012 be heading for EU citizenship, if the self-admittedly "bold" vision of local leader Dmitri Sanakoev and the Georgian government comes to pass.
Nearly 2 months after his election, outsiders are getting the measure of the "hyper-president". In short, nobody should doubt Sarkozy's determination to get his way. Star quality may dazzle, but even box-office sensations can be hard to deal with.
Kremlin opposition to a US-backed plan that would put the tiny Serbian province on the road to independence has grown so vociferous that experts say the dispute could stymie efforts to repair collapsing Russia-Western relations at the Putin-Bush summit. "Never since Hitler and the Western allies carved up Czechoslovakia at Munich in 1938 has a sovereign state been dismembered with the agreement of the international community, as the West is proposing to do with Serbia. Russia is asking the West to stop and think about the precedent they are setting. Kosovan independence might make life a little simpler for Europe, but they are opening Pandora's box for the rest of us."
(IHT op-ed: It's time for some brinkmanship)
Turkey is preparing plans for a cross-border operation against Kurdish rebels in Iraq, Turkey's Foreign Minister was quoted as saying today. "The military plans have been worked out in the finest detail. The government knows these plans and agrees with them."
As things stand today the US and Turkey face imminent military confrontation in northern Iraq.
Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman discussed deploying NATO forces in the Gaza Strip in a meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Alessandro Minuto Rizzo in Brussels. Lieberman visited Europe this week to hold a round of talks with European leaders.
During his tour of Europe, the Yisrael Beitenu chairman also met with representatives of the European People's Party, the largest transnational European political party which consists mainly of conservative, center-right parties. Lieberman is examining the possibility of having Yisrael Beitenu join the EPP, as part of his declared plans to bring Israel into the European Union.
In two articles, we look at how an increasingly nervous regime is stifling dissent while putting out ambiguous new signals about its nuclear plans.
The big question right now among Republicans is how to remove Vice President Cheney from office. Even before this week's blockbuster series in The Post, discontent in Republican ranks was rising. As the reputed architect of the war in Iraq, Cheney is viewed as toxic, and as the administration's leading proponent of an attack on Iran, he is seen as dangerous.
(Slate: Impeach Cheney)
(LX op-ed: Don't underestimate that pitcher of warm spit)
Wounded, tetchy and less effective than it should be, America is still the power that counts.
(Economist: The hobbled hegemon)
Flood-weary residents hoping for a reprieve from the sustained, heavy rains that have soaked parts of Texas may have to wait. "Right now with the ground being saturated, it's all run-off and that causes the flash flooding we've been seeing."
[WAR: Strange coincidence: I've been keep track of Noah's Flood in the Scriptures (today is the 26th day), so I hope this isn't my fault ... ;-)]
Ireland elected its first black mayor, the latest sign of how rapid immigration is changing the face of this once all-white nation. Rotimi Adebari, a Nigerian who arrived in Ireland 7 years ago as an asylum-seeker, was elected unopposed to lead the council of Portlaoise, a bustling commuter town west of Dublin.
Oil prices shot back up above the psychologically important $70 mark today, trading above that level for the 2nd time in 2 days on worries about gasoline supplies.
The Federal Reserve, leaving its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 5.25%, signaled that it would keep it at that level for some time and said that inflation remained its "predominant policy concern."
It should not be permitted for lenders, banks and hedge funds to risk everyone's economic well-being in their attempts to enrich the few. In the coming year, interest rates on some $850 billion in mortgages are scheduled for their first increase. Over half of that is in subprime loans. That is the dangerous financial world we live in.
The term New World Order (Novus Ordo Mundi) has been used to refer to a new period of history evidencing a dramatic change in world political thought and the balance of power. We have heard many theories and conspiracy theories relating to a NWO, including the US and the UK wanting to form a federal world government. In my opinion, these theories will never materialize because of strong disagreement from Russia, China and various Islamic countries.
Don't count on state-sponsored greybeards to silence all awkward voices.
June 6, 2006 was a quiet day for weddings across the US. Even Las Vegas—which calls itself the wedding capital of the world, with 113,000 wedding licences issued last year—had a tiny fraction of its usual business. The reason was the date: 06-06-06 or 666, the "number of the beast" in the book of Revelation. By contrast, 07-07-07 looks set to be very busy for Vegas.
For the first time ever, humans know what a noctilucent cloud (NLC) looks like - from above. NASA's AIM spacecraft took this composite picture on June 11th from a vantage point 600 km above Earth's north pole. Noctilucent (night-shining) clouds are a mystery. They were first sighted in the 19th century after the eruption of supervolcano Krakatoa. In those days, the clouds were confined to polar regions, but lately they have intensified and spread with sightings in recent years as far south as Colorado and Utah. "It is clear that these clouds are changing, a sign that a part of our atmosphere is changing and we do not understand how or what it means."
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