Cardinal Tauran told leaders representing world religions that the rejection of violence and the promotion of peace is the road map for interreligious dialogue. The president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue explained his proposal in Naples at the round-table discussion "Religions in Dialogue for a World Without Violence." "We have our road map that we have to follow: to make for religions a name of peace. Terrorism covers its followers with shame. All violence justified in the name of faith is a profanation of the name of God."
Chancellor Merkel prides herself on being honest with - and critical of - world leaders. But within her government, dissatisfaction is growing, and German trade may be suffering.
Climate change is a growing threat to world peace and has led to rival territorial claims in the Arctic that could turn into a cold war, Foreign Minister Steinmeier said Tuesday. Political solutions also are needed to problems posed by climate change that threaten peace in Africa and the Middle East. "Policies to fight climate change can, and will, become an important part of peace policies," he added. "We have to be aware of it and look for solutions."
The European Court of Justice has ruled that a German law from 1960 aiming to protect car manufacturer Volkswagen from hostile takeovers restricts the free movement of capital in the EU. The European Commission had brought Germany to court in 2005, saying the provisions of this law were infringing the freedom of establishment and of movement of capital in the EU - both being fundamental part of the EU's single market rules. The Court has agreed with the EU executive that the German law is in "breach of the free movement of capital". As a result, this ruling is seen as creating a precedent and establishing limits as regards protection by member states of companies they say are of high importance to their national economy.
EU regulators on Wednesday forbade a German state from giving $9.7 million to fund commercial TV programs on a new digital broadcast network, saying it was unfair to cable and satellite broadcasters.
The European Commission said it has opened an inquiry into whether German federal state aid given by Berlin and Brandenburg to railway Deutsche Bahn AG for public service contracts between 2002-2012 breaches EU rules.
[WAR: Do these 3 stories show how Germany is dominating/ruling the EU? Does Germany really want all this EU intrusion into their domestic affairs? Hell no! The EU is trying to change Germany (as well as the other countries), and it will not work. Germany must be freed from the constraints of the EU in order to fulfill it's prophetic destiny.]
Europe's key task in the first half of this century, says Javier Solana, will be to help create a new system of global governance that can resolve the growing frictions in our increasingly inter-dependent world. "We haven't abolished nation states or their sovereignty, but we have changed their nature. Sovereignty is no longer expressed by an army at the frontier but by a seat at the table. If truth be told, the global system is in a poor shape. What we are seeing is a growing mismatch between our security and economics, which are increasingly global in nature, and our politics which often remain national. "
German press...
Europe is delighted by the decision of Polish voters to replace conservative Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski with the EU-friendy Donald Tusk. German commentators welcome the swing to the political center.
(UPI analysis: Poland ends Kaczynski reign)
Turkish warplanes and troops have attacked Kurdish rebels inside Iraq and forces were being built up on the border, but Ankara was holding back from any major strike for now, military sources said. In the face of intense concern by Washington and Baghdad over a possible major incursion into northern Iraq by Turkish forces, Ankara says it is still hoping for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Turkey, which has NATO's 2nd biggest army, has deployed as many as 100,000 troops, backed by tanks, F-16 fighter jets and helicopter gunships, along the mountainous border in preparation for a possible large-scale strike.
(UPI analysis: A possible new Iraq war)
(DS: "Allah wants this war")
"Be prepared to fend off all external aggression that seeks to harm the homeland," General Khabib, the Syrian chief of staff, instructed pilots at a ceremony marking their graduation from flight school Monday. He also told the pilots to "maintain a high level of readiness and always be ready for the homeland's calling". During his speech, Khabib also attacked the US: "The mask has been removed from the real intentions of the US and her allies in their invasion of Iraq. This has allowed Arabs to understand the Zionist plans and plots in the region and has made clear that talks about peace and about a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are not genuine and are merely attempts to market what is being referred to as a 'peace conference.'"
Uncertainty hangs over the Middle East peace conference President Bush wants to convene in Annapolis, Md., n November. Analysts, meanwhile, are somewhat pessimistic at what they perceive as a last-ditch effort by the president at resolving the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian dispute before he leaves the White House next year. With time rapidly running out for his administration, Bush, ironically, finds himself in a situation similar to that which befell President Clinton during the waning days of his administration: Both men attempted to resolve the 60-year-old Middle East problem with too little time left on their White House clocks.
Between the GOP's wave of congressional retirements and its lackluster presidential candidates, the party's prospects are looking dim. But they have one cheerful possibility on the horizon: war with Iran.
When President Bush talks about the Iranian nuclear program in the context of WW3, the world had better wake up. The danger of a WW3 is indeed posed, but not from the possible construction of Iranian nuclear weapons. A number of American sources and numerous retired generals, have warned of the artificial staging of an incident à la the Gulf of Tonkin, on the Iraqi-Iranian border or in the Strait of Hormuz, which would be used to create the pretext for a US military strike against Iran. The consequences of this would be an uprising of the Shi'ites in Iraq, a fundamentalist coup in Pakistan, which could lead to a preventive strike by India against Pakistan—and WW3 as the result.
The US Treasury's Oct. 16 report of net investments into/out of U.S. securities in August was a shock that opened another view of the financial crash underway. Since July, foreign investors both private and "official" (central banks) have been massively dumping all dollar investments except for the short-term 30-, 60-, and 180-day Treasury Bills to which they fled for safety when the credit crisis hit. An accelerating dollar crash and banking collapses are the threatened results. The shocking August report is not an "aberration" just because the credit crunch intensified in that month; nor is it a "new trend"; but a marker of collapse of the entire dollar-based international monetary system.
International Monetary Fund chief Rodrigo de Rato has done what the G7 would not: Issue a dire warning about the economic fallout of the faltering greenback. A much weaker US dollar, which briefly touched a new low against the euro yesterday, could inflict economic damage on other countries, including much of Europe. "There are risks that an abrupt fall in the dollar could either be triggered by, or itself trigger, a loss of confidence in dollar assets. There is a risk that exchange rate appreciation in countries with flexible exchange rates - including the euro area - could hurt their growth prospects, and that in these circumstances protectionist pressures could worsen."
Today in Scripture
* "...This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the 10th day of the 7th month you must deny yourselves and not do any work - whether native-born or an alien living among you - because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before YAHWEH, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance..." (Lev 16:1-34)
* "The 10th day of this 7th month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves ... Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before YAHWEH your ELOHIM. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the 9th day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath." (Lev 23:27-32 / Num 29:7)
[WAR: There are 2 things concerning this day. The first is the time issue. The 10th DAY (which is only during daylight, when the sun governs/rules) is when no work is to be done and there is to be a sacred assembly. That is the DAY of Atonement. But the denying/fasting starts the evening before - at the tail-end of the 9th DAY - and continues to the tail-end of the 10th DAY. This evening-to-evening instruction applies ONLY to this particular appointed time and not to any other day(s) or Sabbaths - which are from dawn-to-dark. So this is the ONLY "24-hour" time period that is specifically addressed for us to observe - and that is why this is considered the holiest time of the year.
The other issue is concerning Yahshua's sacrifice. When he was crucified on Passover (14th), that was ONLY for the protection of the spiritual 1st-born - the saints that will be in the 1st resurrection. So his pefect sacrifice fulfilled that day. But Passover had nothing to do with sin and the atonement for sin - nothing! I challenge you to find any link between Passover and sin. But yet we're told repeatedly in the NT that the Messiah's blood has cleansed us from our sins - made atonement for us. So how is this possible? How did Yahshua's perfect sacrifice fulfill the Day of Atonement as described in Lev 16?
Well, it's quite simple - yet amazing. One bogus theory is that Yahshua's blood somehow dripped onto the Ark of the Covenant that was supposedly hidden beneath where he was at. But there's 3 problems with this - his blood wasn't sprinkled on and before the ark, this didn't even happen on the Day of Atonement, and the Ark was, and still is, nowhere in that area.
The truth of the matter is that some of his blood was taken to Ethiopia by the Ethiopian eunuch that was in charge of all the treasury of the queen of the Ehtiopians, whom Philip was specifically sent by the spirit to talk to (Acts 8:27-39). And this eunuch was eventually accompanied by Matthew - who isn't mentioned after Acts 1:13, who history tells us went to Ethiopia (where Israelites had been living since Solomon's time), and is the only gospel writer to mention the wise men (who were from Ethiopia, and not some pagan astrologers).
So the Day of Atonement was literally fulfilled by having some of Yahshua's blood sprinkled before and on the Ark of the Covenant in order to be the ultimate/permanent atoning for our sins. Although the exact details, and direct proof, of this have been temporarily lost - they have been somewhat preserved (though stretched/twisted) through the myth/legend of the Holy Grail (where Ethiopia, being ruled by "Prester John," has a big part). Yes, it was about the Messiah's blood being in some kind of container - but not about his child being in Mary. So yes, the truth is stranger - and more wonderful/amazing - than fiction!]
=========================
