Here is a Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered to members of the Chapter of St. Peter's Basilica.
Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered Wednesday at the general audience in St. Peter's Square on St. Ambrose of Milan.
Young people want something built on a solid foundation after seeing how the culture of death is destroying society, said author David Hartline. He is the author of the recent book "The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism." In this interview, Hartline considers some of the changing trends in the Church that have come about through courageous Catholic leaders, seen especially in Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
"The name of God is peace," a group of religious leaders proclaimed in an appeal that concluded the 21st International Meeting for Peace, held this week in Naples. The official statement adopted by participants at the Naples meeting condemned violence as "an illness that pollutes every thing." "From Naples we can say, stronger than before, that anyone who uses the name of God to hate the other, to practice violence, or to wage war, is cursing the name of God." They quoted and affirmed the words of Pope Benedict XVI: "Never can evil and violence be justified by invoking the name of God."
Kurt Beck, the bear-like leader of Germany's ailing Social Democrats, is stamping a cuddly new image on the party to woo back estranged voters. Analysts say the provincial politician has been underestimated - just like former Chancellor Kohl.
German press...
When the EU's highest court struck down a law that kept Volkswagen snug under a government umbrella for 47 years, it also ended state meddling in the free market. Or was it a classic example of state meddling? German commentators discuss.
The French socialists are facing divisions on what is the best approach to take when it comes to ratification of the newly agreed EU treaty, with an abstention from the vote in parliament appearing to be the likely option. Many are considering abstaining from the ratification vote as they believe the new text "lacks ambition." President Sarkozy would like to submit the new treaty to the country's Constitutional Council as early as 14 December – the day after it is set to be signed off by EU leaders. He wants the parliamentarian ratification to be finalised in the beginning of 2008.
The dream of open borders within the EU appeals to most European leaders on paper, but not in practice. Germany's VW law is just one case in point. Europe also has to think about even greater dangers from outside.
Reports circulating within President Putin's Security Council are stating that a 'redline' of Russias Information Security Doctrine has been crossed and that the 'potential' for massive cyber attacks against the military infrastructure of both the Russian and Chinese Military Forces 'appears' to be imminent. According to these reports, the Security Council's fears are based in one of the most destructive computer viruses ever unleashed upon the World, as confirmed by Britain's Guardian Unlimited News Service in their article titled "In millions of Windows, the perfect Storm is gathering".
The Lebanese army on has opened fire on Israeli jets overflying the south of the country, police said. "The Lebanese army used anti-aircraft weapons toward 2 Israeli warplanes that were flying low over the Marjayoun area."
On Sept. 6, Israeli F-15s and F-16s attacked a site near Dayr az-Zawr in northern Syria, though the strike wasn't confirmed for nearly 2 weeks. In the intelligence community, a disinformation operation is a calculated attempt to convince an audience that falsehoods about an adversary are true, either to discredit him or, in an extreme case, to justify military action. When such a campaign is properly conducted, information is leaked to numerous outlets over a period of time, creating the impression of a media consensus that the story is true, as each new report validates earlier ones.
Even the Bush White House, generally willing to use any hint of malfeasance to condemn Damascus and Tehran, has been reluctant to confirm the story. It doesn't need to. Official silence—narrated by a compliant press taking uncorroborated dictation—is cementing a public impression. That's the way disinformation works. Done right, no one stops to ask where it came from—or who benefits.
Turkey bombed Kurdish separatist bases inside northern Iraq on Wednesday, as its government considered plans for wider incursions. Fighter jets hit guerrilla strongholds in Iraq, while Cobra helicopters attacked rebels moving around the border regions. A military spokesman stated that further raids "can be expected".
Jihad in Kingdom of the South...
Osama bin Laden has issued a fresh call for a "holy war" against a new 26,000-strong peacekeeping force for Darfur, which will include British support staff. In an audio recording issued by al-Qa'eda this week, bin Laden also said that Muslims in Sudan and its neighbours must target the Khartoum government for agreeing to the deployment. "This is a brazen occupation, and only an infidel apostate seeks it or agrees to it. It is the duty of the people of Islam in the Sudan and its environs, especially the Arabian peninsula, to perform jihad against the crusader invaders and wage armed rebellion to remove those who let them in."
Pakistan's US-backed military regime has reiterated its threat to impose martial law should the country's highest court not give its blessing to General Musharraf remaining president till 2012. It has also reportedly suspended talks with Benazir Bhutto and her Pakistan People's Party about a power-sharing agreement and the composition of an interim government, which would hold office in the run-up to legislative elections next January, until the Supreme Court's rules on the constitutionality of Musharraf's "re-election" as president.
The oil game in Iraq may be almost up. On September 29th, like a landlord serving notice, the government of Iraq announced that the next annual renewal of the UN Security Council mandate for a multinational force in Iraq – the only legal basis for a continuation of the American occupation – will be the last. That was, it seems, the first shoe to fall. The second may be an announcement terminating the little-noticed, but crucial companion Security Council mandate governing the disposition of Iraq's oil revenues.
Iran has warned Iraq's neighboring states about US plans to partition Iraq into several parts based on ethnic and religious lines.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said a few months ago in a series of closed discussions that in her opinion that Iranian nuclear weapons do not pose an existential threat to Israel, Haaretz magazine reveals. Last week, former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy said similar things about Iran.
Puh-leaze!...
Iran's nuclear program and alleged backing of terrorism represent "perhaps the single greatest challenge" to US national security, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday. "We are very concerned that the policies of Iran constitute perhaps the single greatest challenge to American security interests in the Middle East and around the world."
The US government has designated an elite unit of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps a "supporter of terrorism" as part of a new round of sanctions. The Guards have been labelled a "proliferator of weapons of mass destruction", a reference to ballistic missiles they are allegedly developing. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the announcement alongside Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The classification will allow the US to target the powerful force's finances.
Last week, President Putin and President Bush clashed over Iran, highlighting just how extreme tensions are and the danger of a US attack (as well as the sharpening imperialist rivalry between the US and Russia overall). The Bush-Putin clash comes as the Bush regime, with support of most of the US ruling class, has increasingly targeted Iran as the main obstacle to its Middle East agenda, and may be preparing for war. Nearly half the US's warships have recently been stationed near Iran. The Pentagon has been drawing up military plans for striking Iran for over a year.
In light of the administration's increasingly threatening rhetoric on Iran, CQ reports that members of Congress are worried by Bush's recent budget proposal. In particular, they cite his request to equip B-2 "stealth" bombers with a new 30,000-pound bunker buster as a "sign of plans for an attack on Iran."
The president's warmongering remarks on the Iranian threat suggest he is psychotic. Really. Forget impeachment. Liberals, put it behind you. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney shouldn't be treated like criminals who deserve punishment. They should be treated like psychotics who need treatment. Because they've clearly gone mad.
The notorious security contractor has plans for a military-style complex near the US-Mexico border. Critics worry the firm's "mercenary soldiers" could join the US Border Patrol. Blackwater is planning to build an 824-acre military-style training complex in Potrero, Calif., a rural hamlet 45 miles east of San Diego. The company's proposal will turn a former chicken ranch into "Blackwater West," the company's 2nd-largest facility in the country. It will include a multitude of weapons firing ranges, a tactical driving track, a helipad, a 33,000-square-foot urban simulation training area, an armory for storing guns and ammunition, and dorms and classrooms. And it will be located in the heart one of the most active regions in the United States for illegal border crossings.
Oil futures spiked today, extending a price increase that began after figures exposed large and unexpected declines in US crude and gasoline inventories last week. Violence in Sudan and fears of shortfalls from Mexico also supported prices.
The Bank of England said the global financial system is at risk of further instability because of "ongoing uncertainties" about credit-market losses. The central bank said in its financial stability report today that markets are now more susceptible to a potential slump in global stocks, a slide in the dollar or a crash in UK commercial property after the U.S. subprime mortgage collapse.
The US has entered a recession, according to highly-regarded investor Jim Rogers, who told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper on Wednesday he was switching out of the dollar and into yen, the yuan and the Swiss franc. The veteran investor, who predicted the 1999 commodities rally, also said he was still bullish about surging Chinese stock markets despite worries over a bubble. "Many parts of industry are actually in a state worse than recession. If it were not for Bernanke putting huge amounts of money into the market, the stock market would probably be down much more than it is."
US existing home sales fell 8.0% in September as a persistent housing slump continued to weigh on the property market and the world's biggest economy, an industry group said Wednesday. The National Association of Realtors said in a monthly snapshot that sales of existing homes and apartments tumbled to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.04 million units in September from 5.48 million in August. The drop was worse than expected. Excluding apartments, the supply of homes has risen to its highest level since February 1988.
China has surged ahead of Germany for the first time to become the world's top exporter, prompting ever louder demands from the US and EU to revalue the yuan. Data from the WTO show that the country vaulted past the US at the beginning of this year and has since moved at lightning speed to eclipse Germany's once indomitable export machine. Beijing let the yuan break through the key barrier of 7.5 to the dollar yesterday, but seems determined to resist Western pressure for faster appreciation.
People are drawn to vegetarianism by all sorts of motives. Some of us want to live longer, healthier lives or do our part to reduce pollution. Others have made the switch because we want to preserve Earth's natural resources or because we've always loved animals and are ethically opposed to eating them. Thanks to an abundance of scientific research that demonstrates the health and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, even the federal government recommends that we consume most of our calories from grain products, vegetables and fruits. And no wonder: An estimated 70% of all diseases, including one-third of all cancers, are related to diet.
Shortly before he died, one of Israel's most prominent rabbis wrote the name of the Messiah on a small note which he requested would remain sealed until now. When the note was opened, it revealed what many have known for centuries: Yehoshua, or Yeshua, is the Messiah. The Hebrew sentence with the hidden name of the Messiah reads: Yarim Ha'Am Veyokhiakh Shedvaro Vetorato Omdim. The initials spell the Hebrew name Yehoshua.
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