Going to Sunday Mass is not just a rule to follow, but rather an "inner necessity," says Benedict XVI. His homily centered on the mantra of the early Christian martyrs of Abitene: "Without Sunday we cannot live."
(Zenit: Full text of homily)
Aging supporters, falling membership, a shrinking voting base: Germany's established political parties have serious problems. Some commentators are even calling the situation a systemic crisis.
DW-World spoke with a political expert about the future of political parties in Germany in an era of globalization and the relevance of liberal principles in the political sphere.
The German population is split down the middle on whether to surrender personal freedoms for the sake of countering the threat of terrorism, according to a survey published Sunday.
The Danish government has pushed forward a decision on whether or not to hold a referendum on the EU's new treaty, saying it will start examining the issue next month instead of in December as planned. The Danish Constitution requires that any handover of power must be approved by the Danish people.
A radical Polish priest accused of xenophobia and anti-Semitism has become the "king-maker" of his country's election campaign. Father Rydzyk runs the Radio Maryja Catholic media network and his messages to the faithful could influence the outcome of the polls. He has emerged as a power broker who claims his power from a higher authority. In staunchly Roman Catholic Poland, the ability to mobilise the faithful in their pews and at the ballot box is critical.
German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has urged EU powers to stop backing Poland on trade and to counter US missile shield plans, or risk another unfriendly summit with Russia next month. He described Poland's outstanding veto on a new EU-Russia treaty as "narrow-minded nationalism" and called the US missile scheme "politically dangerous." "It is Germany's responsibility...to persuade the US to abandon these plans."
EU member states meeting in Portugal over the weekend confirmed their deep divisions on what to do if Kosovo eventually makes a unilateral declaration of independence. But according to many western diplomats, Germany is at the forefront of European nations against any unilateral move. Last week top Berlin officials warned against any attempts by western countries to sidestep the UN and Russia on Kosovo independence, saying that such a risky move would harm Germany's and the EU's relations with Moscow.
Turkey today called the discovery on its territory of fuel tanks allegedly dropped by Israeli aircraft "unacceptable," and Syria branded it a "hostile act." Turkish officials complained to Israel over the weekend after the discovery of the unmarked fuel tanks near its border with Syria. Syria had alleged on Thursday that Israeli aircraft entered its airspace and dropped munitions. "They dropped bombs over Syria, they dropped fuel tanks on Syrian soil," Syria's Foreign Minister said, accusing Israel of an "intentional and hostile act."
Six years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the entity known as al-Qaeda remains largely a mystery: its intent, its ideology, its leadership, and its inner workings are all largely unknown to the American people. Now, however, we have a new video featuring the terrorist leader, released just a few days ago, and, with it, a new evaluation of al-Qaeda and its leader as being much more active, and organized, than previously thought
There is evidence that the whereabouts of Osama are known to the Bush Administration. On September 10, 2001, "Enemy Number One" was in a Pakistani military hospital in Rawalpindi, courtesy of America's indefectible ally Pakistan, as confirmed by a report of Dan Rather. The CBS report is a crucial piece of information in our understanding of 9/11. It refutes the administration's claim that the whereabouts of bin Laden are unknown. It points to a Pakistan connection, it suggests a cover-up at the highest levels of the Bush administration.
Adam Pearlman, the Jewish Mossad agent who once wrote stinging essays condemning Muslims as "bloodthirsty terrorists", has been singled out as the creator of the suspicious "new" Osama Bin Laden video.
(Corrected: Bin Laden video transcript)
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been arrested and deported within hours of returning to Pakistan from exile. After landing in Islamabad he was charged and put on board a plane, reportedly bound for Saudi Arabia.
(LX op-ed: Flight into danger)
The US is planning a new strategic command to take the global War on Terror to the Horn of Africa. Sometime in the coming months, after a vetting process to find a good partner country, the US plans to establish a new headquarters in Africa to spearhead this armed battle for hearts, minds and the capture of terror suspects.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated Sunday that his country has no plans to build nuclear weapons, state radio reported. "While the Iranian nation has no atomic bomb and has no plans to create this deadly weapon, it is still a respected nation" for its spiritual and revolutionary values, he told a meeting of the nation's elite Revolutionary Guards. It is significant that the country's supreme leader has directly stated Iran is not after the weapons in front of the elite Revolutionary Guards.
President Ahmadinejad has said that a nuclear Iran has proved the inability of enemies and the strong power of the Iranian nation.
The chief UN nuclear inspector's approach to Iran is leading to US accusations that he has overstepped his authority, diplomats said Sunday.
The US urged Iran today to cooperate with a probe into past suspicious nuclear activities but said even full compliance would not be enough to ease international concerns over Tehran's possession of bomb-making technology.
The Pentagon is preparing to build a military base near the Iraq-Iran border to try to curtail the flow of advanced Iranian weaponry to Shiite militants across Iraq.
In the run-up to the coming war against Iran, the administration has changed the subject from its abject failure in Iraq to Iran's also non-existent nuclear weapons. Vastly experienced European diplomats, from Paris to Brussels, confess their helplessness and impotence. They also confirm off the record that Bush's brand-new European poodle, President Sarkozy, is convinced the US president will order the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites - not to mention general infrastructure. A number of chancelleries are already working under this premise.
Langley Air Force Base - home to three fighter squadrons - will ground its jets next week. The Air Force says the service's Air Combat Command has ordered all jet fighters and bombers to remain grounded so airmen can review safety procedures and protocol. Officials say the stand down next Friday was prompted by an incident where a B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with 6 nuclear warheads and flown across several states.
The federal government hijacked radio and TV transmissions in the Midwest with test signals that triggered the sort of high-level emergency alert that is reserved for use by the president. TV viewers saw a scrolling message that said: "The Emergency Action Notification Network has issued an emergency action notification for the United States, beginning at ..."
From Pax Romana through Pax Britannica to the current Pax Americana, empires have justified their own power by insisting that they were not simply serving their own interests but rather the common good.
Japan's main share index has fallen sharply, hit by fears about the state of both the Japanese and US economies. Japan's biggest exporters led the declines in Tokyo, as the dollar fell to a fresh 14-month low against the yen.
Apologies to TS Eliot, but September is the cruellest month. Six of the past 8 have lost investors money. Shares rise only 4 years out of every 10 this month. The 10 worst days in stock market history have all occurred in September or October. It's a bad time of year to be facing a financial crisis. That is what has welcomed investors back from their holidays, however. After a summer of turmoil, the money markets that underpin the City and Wall Street have ground to a halt and no one knows when or how the crisis will end.
Six explosions ripped apart pipelines for Mexico's state oil monopoly early today. The blasts were believed to be sabotage.
There are 13 vitamins humans need for growth and development and to maintain good health. The human body cannot make these essential bio-molecules. They must be supplied in the diet or by bacteria in the intestine, except for vitamin D. Skin makes vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet B radiation from the sun. Vitamin D is also unique in another way. It is the only vitamin that is a hormone, a type of steroid hormone known as a secosteroid.
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