Without God, man loses his greatness; without God, there is no true humanism. With these words, Pope Benedict XVI today recalled the great legacy of another early Church father, Saint Gregory of Nazianze, theologian, preacher and poet from 4th-century Cappadocia.
The Knights of Columbus received a greeting from Pope Benedict at their annual report on the state of the order yesterday afternoon. He told them to continue the "yes" of that their founder gave when he founded their order. He praised the Knights saying that, "they will be the first front of the new humanity redeemed and saved by Jesus Christ."
Senior politicians from Chancellor Merkel's coalition have rejected calls for a ban on the Scientology cult. A legal bid to outlaw it would fail because authorities haven't had time to build a proper case against the organization, they say.
The government faces tough questioning about Germany's role in international peacekeeping missions when the summer break ends. The Social Democrats have put peacekeeping on the agenda of their annual conference in the autumn. German politicians have always preferred to talk about peacekeeping as a humanitarian task, never a combat mission.
Not so many years ago, many hoped Europe might step up as a counterweight to US imperial policies. Such hopes were focused in particular on Germany - not only as the leading European power, but as a known moderating, non-military force in international politics.
Georgian allegations that Russia dropped a missile on its soil are aimed at discrediting Moscow, Russia's most senior soldier said as the US appeared to back Georgia in the row. "I am convinced that this is a provocation on the part of Georgia. It is a provocation against ... Russia as a whole."
This week the Russian and Chinese militaries are conducting a joint military exercise involving large numbers of troops and combat vehicles. The former Soviet Republics of Tajikistan, Kyrgkyzstan, and Kazakstan are participating. Other countries appear ready to join the military alliance. This new potent military alliance is a real world response to neoconservative delusions about US hegemony. Neocons believe that the US is supreme in the world and can dictate its course. Considering the instabilities and dangers that abound, the aggressive posture of the Bush regime goes far beyond recklessness. The Bush regime is the most irresponsibly aggressive regime the world has seen since Hitler's.
Israel's security cabinet, composed of the country's top ministers, today held what was deemed a "very sensitive" closed-door meeting to plan for the possibility of war with Syria. Ministers were asked to leave their cell phones outside to prevent the possibility of leaks.
The Hebron incident has resounded like an explosion deep inside Israeli army barracks. Many Israeli soldiers and officers in the elite combat units were raised in illegal settlements within the occupied Palestinian territories, and their sympathies lie with their religious Zionist brethren in Hebron. The military is clearly concerned that the Hebron mini-insurrection may be a warning of what could occur on a wider scale if Prime Minister Olmert tries to remove some of dozens oF illegal settlements in the West Bank, as demanded by the international community and the US.
Reports from Pakistan say the country's president, Pervez Musharraf, is considering imposing emergency rule. Pakistani Information Minister Tariq Azeem said the issue was being discussed, given external and internal threats to the country. However the head of Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim League later said there was "no possibility" of such a move. The reports came after Musharraf abruptly called off plans to attend a tribal peace conference in Afghanistan.
President Ahmadinejad has said Iran and Iraq have a common responsibility to restore peace and security in the region. In a meeting with the visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Ahmadinejad described Iraq's current climate as very critical, saying Tehran maintains Iraq's future depends on the victory of the Iraqi people.
President Ahmadinejad said news and news dissemination is an important part of modern world. "Naturally, mankind cannot have the possibility to live, move and perfection without news. News and information cause mankind's relations with his environment and set his ideals, desires and choose his way of life. Informing others is a sacred work, although, unfortunately, like other fields, the arrogant, the selfish and the followers of the evil have abused it in direction of demolishing morality, social relations and dominating others. Unfortunately, they have created wide networks to organize dominance, consolidate their powers and continue their rule over the nations with news."
All Americans, regardless of caste, live in a culture woven of self-referential illusions. The American media hologram forms our subconscious opinions immediately and without our rational participation.
Despite the Federal Reserve's latest stay-the-course message, investors are betting on at least one interest-rate cut by January, intended to quell turmoil in the markets and to juice the slow economy. But with the dollar also weak - recently hitting its lowest point in 15 years against an index of other major currencies - the Fed may be reluctant to oblige. How did the Fed lose room to maneuver? The answer is rooted in the Bush administration's misguided economic policies.
Treasuries rose as overnight lending rates surged on concern banks face growing losses on investments linked to US mortgages. The European Central Bank said it will add liquidity to the money markets after demand for cash drove interest rates higher.
BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, has been forced to freeze 3 funds as the fears of greater losses from US sub-prime continue to weigh on global credit markets. "The complete evaporation of liquidity in certain market segments of the US securitisation market has made it impossible to value certain assets fairly regardless of their quality or credit rating."
Everyone is talking about the housing bubble bursting and the problem of subprime mortgages. People in the mainstream media blame unscrupulous lenders and hope the worst is over.
The story of a critical phase in human evolution may have to be rewritten after the discovery of 2 remarkable fossils in Kenya that have shed new light on the origins and behaviour of 2 ancient relatives of Homo sapiens. One of the fossils found near Lake Turkana has shown that 2 early human species thought to have evolved one from the other actually lived side by side for almost half a million years, redrawing the most widely accepted version of humanity's family tree.
(Scotsman: Skulls throws evolution into disarray)
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