Reading between the lines, and thinking outside the box . . .
Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged Saturday that the Vatican's teaching against birth control was difficult as he praised a 1968 Church document that condemned contraception. "What was true yesterday remains true even today. The truth expressed in 'Humanae vitae' doesn't change; on the contrary, in the light of new scientific discoveries, it is ever more up to date."
[WAR: This teaching has a direct bearing on the national security of nations.]
New polling data released by the Knights of Columbus shows that Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the US produced a sharp jump in the proportion of American Catholics with a more positive view of the pope following his trip.
Solicitation of Prostitution...
China's foreign-ministry spokesman has said that Beijing hopes is prepared to take the next steps in improving relations with the Holy See.
Bees in the German state of Baden-Württemburg are dying by the hundreds of thousands. In some places more than half of hives have perished. Government officials say the causes are unclear -- but beekeepers are blaming new pesticides.
A controversial proposal to create a national security council
Was it the start of a serious debate about German security, or a blueprint for militarism and a presidential style of foreign policy at odds with German tradition? Or both?
[Europress] [Russopress]
Back to the future?...
The new mayor of Rome, a former neo-fascist, has praised Benito Mussolini as an inspired architect who modernised Italy. The election of Gianni Alemanno has prompted fears of a fascist revival.
"People calling me 'Duce' makes me laugh. I'm not at all fascist and I think that today the word belongs to the history books. I've grown to hate all forms of totalitarianism, whether of the left or of the right.
"I've never described myself as fascist, even when I was young, but in the 1970s and 1980s we on the right believed fascism was substantially positive. Now we realise it was totalitarian and generally negative, it has to be condemned."
World War 2 ended 63 years ago but it sometimes seems that Nicolas Sarkozy does not want France to emerge from its shadow. The President used Thursday's celebration of victory day to try once again to revise the history of France's 4-year occupation by the Nazis.
"Real France was not at Vichy. It was not collaborating," he said. "Real France, eternal France, had the voice of General de Gaulle. Its face was that of the resistance. We are not celebrating a military victory, we are above all celebrating a moral victory."
The risk that the Irish will vote No to the Lisbon treaty is rising
If Ireland votes No to the European Union's Lisbon treaty in a referendum on June 12th, it will become a "pariah", says its Europe minister. A No vote would drive the Irish from the centre of the EU, leaving them "whistling out in the dark."
Instead, it is the EU that would face a nasty crisis if the Irish said No. As a veteran politician says, an Irish rejection would release a "very cold shower" over the European parade planned by President Sarkozy for the second half of 2008, when France holds the rotating EU presidency.
Serbia will make its most defiant claim yet to sovereignty over breakaway Kosovo today, staging crucial elections there 3 months after its former province declared independence.
The elections, which are predicted to usher a hardline nationalist coalition into power in Belgrade, are being organised across Kosovo in an open challenge to authorities in the new state's capital, Pristina.
(Q&A: Serbian election)
As the votes are counted in Belgrade, all of Europe will hold its breath. The election portends gloom or worse.
There is mass opposition in Europe to increased military spending and especially to bailing out the US in Iraq or Afghanistan by sending troops. US imperialism has grand and ominous plans to surround Russia and China with US/NATO bases. The plans look great on paper and in war games. But putting troops on the ground is becoming more and more difficult.
Tensions between Russia and Georgia have intensified to the brink of open armed conflict.
Rich in oil, gas and mineral resources, this region is a bridge between Southeast Asia, with the growing economies of China and India, and Europe—the most important competitor of the American ruling elite.
The strengthening the military and political influence of the US in the Caucasus, Ukraine and other countries of Eastern Europe is a crucial element in the efforts of the American ruling elite to secure its geo-political interests against its European competitors.
The aggressive policies of American imperialism are the main source of the growing confrontation in the Caucasus.
For the first time since the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow has put on an arms parade to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany. Russians are impressed with the military show of strength, but in Eastern Europe the parade has reawakened old fears.
(And: Putin's imperial Russia)
Israel is celebrating its 60th birthday this week with a series of events ranging from barbecues and military fly-pasts to a full-scale anniversary ceremony to be attended by President Bush on Wednesday. But beyond the pomp and circumstance, the celebrations are being overshadowed by the habitual worries of the past 6 decades.
Iran has called on the international community and Islamic countries in particular to fight against the crimes of the Zionist regime. "The Islamic Republic of Iran regards the racist, aggressive and illegal nature of the Zionist regime as the root cause of all crises in the region."
German press
This week Israelis are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their state's foundation. But, as German media commentators point out, the country still faces huge challenges. They point out Israel's many successes and the difficult problems it still faces. They also take the opportunity to reflect on Germany's relations with Israel, which now counts Germany among its closest allies.
Israel's right to exist is questioned on a daily basis -- not just by radical Palestinians, but also by prominent intellectuals. As the country celebrates its 60th anniversary, they are sending their case against Israel in messages disguised as birthday greetings. But their supposed concern about the Middle East is really just a cloak for their own guilt complexes.
The overwhelming view in Israel on Friday, just hours after Prime Minister Olmert declared his innocence in a bribery investigation, was that the post-Olmert political era had already begun.
Calls for his resignation came from left, right and center although all acknowledged that by vowing, as he did Thursday night, to resign if charged, Olmert had won himself time. The investigation will probably take another month or two.
The Bush administration appears set to offer Israel a powerful radar system that could greatly boost Israeli defenses against enemy ballistic missiles while tying it directly into a growing US missile shield. President Bush is expected to discuss the matter during a visit to Israel on Wednesday.
Al-Qaeda has reportedly called on its operatives to go to Lebanon and defend what it called the Sunni community of the country.
It is because of this complex interplay of the internal and the external that Lebanon matters. Instability there feeds, and is fed by, regional instability. In the current context, what is under way is not just a battle for control of one small country, but a wider regional battle between pro-Western and anti-Western forces.
Put starkly, Iran and Syria would regard the containment of Hezbollah as an unacceptable victory for the US and its allies. Victory for Hezbollah, on the other hand, would be seen in Washington, Paris, Riyadh and Cairo as handing over Lebanon to Iran.
While the central issue is power and the balance of power, there is a dangerous sectarian undercurrent. The politics are complicated. The stakes are high.
(And: Arabs hold crisis talks)
Rarely does a top diplomat speak so openly from a public forum as Negroponte did on the centrality of Pakistan for the US's national security. He spoke in Winston Churchill terms. "More than ever, our [US] national security depends on the success, security and stability of Pakistan ... We recognize that our fate - that is, our security, our freedom, our prosperity - is linked to the fate of the people of Pakistan,"
Sudanese troops have clashed with rebels from Darfur outside the capital, Khartoum, reports say, prompting an overnight curfew in the city. On Friday the Sudanese army said it was preparing for a possible attack on the capital after detecting a heavily-armed column of rebels advancing from Darfur.
Darfurian rebels staged a bold attack on Saturday, advancing to within a few miles of the center of Sudan's capital, Khartoum. By nightfall, it seemed that government forces had beaten them back, but only after declaring a citywide curfew, deploying attack helicopters and hundreds of troops and essentially shutting down the city.
There were credible reports that Sudan had arrested several mid-level military officers, most of them originally from Darfur, and that officials were "scared to death" about the prospect of a coup. Sudan accused neighboring Chad of backing the rebels, but Chad's government denied involvement.
(And: Sudan cuts ties with Chad)
(And: France condemns rebel attack)
The catastrophe wrought by Cyclone Nargis on the Burmese people has provoked an extraordinary campaign by the US and allied powers, and in the international media, demanding that the military junta open its borders to aid and aid officials as well as to American military aircraft, troops and warships.
No one, however, should place any credibility in the protestations of concern from the Bush administration and its allies. In reality, all American assistance comes with political strings attached.
Washington's hostility towards the Burmese regime is driven above all by the latter's close association with China, regarded by the US as its main potential rival. Burma is a significant hole in US efforts to "contain" China.
The country sits next to the strategic Strait of Malacca—the major sea-lane linking North East Asia, including China, with the energy resources of the Middle East and Africa. Control of such "choke points" has long been central to American naval plans.
(And: Why the generals shun aid)
As far as ElBaradei is concerned, the real issue is whether the Iranians are truth-tellers or inveterate liars – liars who lie when there is no reason to lie. He already knows that virtually all intelligence provided the IAEA by our "intelligence community" has been – to put it politely – wrong.
Iran notes that "the maintenance and strengthening of international peace and security requires, as a first step, our endeavor to ensure a safer world through developing equitable international rules, and through their evenhanded implementation."
P5+1 – the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany – will present Tehran with a secret incentive package in the next few days to convince Iran to suspend its enrichment program and enter negotiations.
There is little doubt that Tehran will reject the offer since it crosses its red line – suspension of enrichment – but the question is why such an offer is being made at this time, even though reinvigorating talks is in and of itself much needed.
The nuclear offer coincides with an escalation of rhetoric between Washington and Tehran over allegations of Iranian meddling in Iraq. Following several stark comments by high-ranking U.S. military officials, the new buzz in the beltway is that Iran "is killing American soldiers" – a clear casus belli if proven true.
From Senate staffers to think-tank pundits, fear of a military confrontation between Iran and the US is quickly rising once more.
There is considerable speculation and buzz in Washington suggesting that the National Security Council has agreed in principle to proceed with plans to attack an Iranian al-Qods-run camp that is believed to be training Iraqi militants. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was the only senior official urging delay in taking any offensive action.
The perceived Iranian intransigence [in Iraq] coupled with the Lebanese situation convinced the White House that some sort of unambiguous signal has to be sent to the Iranian leadership, presumably in the form of cruise missiles.
More than 7,000 miles separate Chicago and Tehran. But on May 14, the city council of the American city will consider whether to take a stand on an event that would have far reaching consequences for residents of both: a US attack on Iran.
A resolution introduced into the council by one of its members, Alderman Joe Moore, would put the city on record as opposing a preemptive strike against Iran by the US. No one harbours any illusions that the resolution will stop a US attack on Iran.
Rather, the measure is seen as a vehicle to raise the profile of the issue - right in the country's heartland - and demonstrate broad opposition to a wider war. Several US cities have passed such resolutions, but Chicago would be by far the largest and most prominent to do so.
Gordon Brown has vowed to do "whatever is necessary" to preserve the United Kingdom in the wake of a bruising battle over a referendum on Scottish independence. Giving his most impassioned defence yet of the link between Scotland and England, the Prime Minister told the Telegraph that he was calling for pro-Union parties in Britain, as well as businesses, to join together to "expose the dangers of separation".
Emily again topped the list of most popular baby girl names last year, registering as #1 for the 12th straight time. Jacob led among names for boys for the 9th year in a row. Biblical names continued to dominate the boys' list. Besides Jacob, other top picks for boys were Michael, Joshua and Matthew.
Liberty in America is not quite as revered as its leaders pretend
No other country puts as much emphasis on "freedom" as the United States. And no other country boasts as much about its mission to give freedom to the rest of the world. But how good is America at living up to its own ideals?
Senator John McCain has said he will be Hamas' worst nightmare. Macho talk borrowed from make-believe macho movie characters should have no place in our diplomacy.
The rapid erosion of support for Clinton within the Democratic Party establishment—reflected also in the drying up of campaign contributions—has produced an increasingly hostile and belligerent response from the Clintons and their campaign aides.
The Obama campaign has the support of those sections of the Democratic Party leadership and the ruling elite as a whole who have concluded that the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq, and more generally its unilateralism and injudicious application of military force, have produced a disaster for American imperialism, isolating the United States and weakening its global position.
An Obama presidency, they believe, would give the US ruling elite the opportunity to present a different face to the world that could revive illusions in its democratic pretensions, not only internationally but within the US as well.
The US Navy has raised the profile of its operations in Latin America, reviving the US 4th Fleet after nearly a 60-year slumber. And some, beginning with Cuba's Fidel Castro, are asking why. "The aircraft carriers and nuclear bombs that threaten our countries are used to sow terror and death, but not to combat terrorism and illegal activities."
"On the one hand in the region there are those who make the argument, 'Uh, Oh, here we go again,' said a professor at the National War College. "The United States' obsession with Venezuela, Cuba and other things indicates they are going to use more military force, going to use that instrument more often."
Cecil Rhodes believed that the Anglo-Saxons were the finest of all races, and the British empire was God's instrument to maximise their influence. He himself did his utmost to extend the empire in Africa. The scholars would continue the work.
America may well be only halfway through the house-price bust
The pain of America's housing bust varies enormously by region. Hardest hit have been the "bubble states"—California, Nevada and Florida, as well as parts of the industrial Midwest. The biggest uncertainty hanging over the economy is how red will things get.
All told, Bernanke's maps are going to get a lot redder—and the pressure on policymakers to help struggling homeowners is bound to increase.
(Cartoons: Housing prices fall)
Amish-run salvage stores, a thriving discount industry tucked away in America's farmlands, sell expired food and medicine dirt cheap. This shadow economy, run by people who typically shun modern methods of commerce, is drawing a steady stream of non-Amish customers seeking relief from the country's financial ills.
Federal regulators says they've closed ANB Financial National Association banks after discovering "unsafe and unsound" business practices there. It was the 3rd closure this year of an FDIC-insured bank.
The West's financial centres run red. The axe is now swinging with abandon.
It appears to be a conundrum. US banks tell the Federal Reserve that they are tightening loan standards across the board, and that demand for loans is down from consumers as well as businesses. But the amount of money they are lending has been rising at an unusually fast pace.
The explanation appears to lie in the fact that credit is now expanding in the areas where banks are at least temporarily powerless to halt loan growth, no matter how much they wish to do so. Both consumers and businesses have access to lines of credit, and in the immediate aftermath of the tightening of credit they began to use those lines.
Why is it that the federal government says the US has virtually no inflation – less that 2% – but everything keeps getting more expensive, especially food and gasoline? The Bureau of Labor Statistics lies. Inflation numbers are intentionally manipulated to keep cost-of-living numbers low.
Why does the federal government lie about inflation? Telling the truth about inflation would require the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates and that would be bad for economic growth. Besides, hundreds of billions of dollars in government entitlement payment outflows depend on the inflation number.
No surprises in the market, gold rampage, yen strengthening, what to do with worthless paper, Bush remains in denial about the Economy, What Ted Kennedy told Obama ...
The Bank of England will this week admit for the first time that it is set to breach its inflation target in the coming months and warn that Britain is destined for 2 years of soaring costs and weak growth.
Does the dollar remain in danger? Could "the rope slip" and the world's pivotal currency still go into freefall? That would plunge America beyond recession and into depression. A plummeting US currency would also cause chaos globally, as central banks sought to protect the value of their reserves.
And after the inevitable overshoot, the currency would snap back, sending financial markets into a tailspin, and threatening a fully-blown global slump.
That danger has been averted for now, but could soon come back with a vengeance. And while policymakers in Washington will be content with the current situation, those elsewhere shouldn't be.
It's instructive that the main reason for the dollar's "recovery" has little to do with the US economy. The greenback's relative strength is less about the robustness of America, than the weakness of the eurozone.
The biggest problem for the US isn't the eurozone: it's the rest of the world - in particular China, the other emerging giants and the Middle Eastern countries which peg their currencies to the dollar.
The weak greenback is harming these countries as it forces them to import inflation. All the signs are that their patience is now wearing thin. And, at the same time, these countries now call the shots, accounting for 75% of the world's foreign currency reserves.
(Cartoons: Weak dollar)
Islamic banks join in the race for Africa
China is not the only financial powerhouse with its hungry eye on Africa. Flush with oil wealth, the Gulf states, too, are spying profitable opportunities among the hundreds of millions of Muslims who live just a hop across the Red Sea.
So far, forays from the Gulf into Africa have been limited to a few countries. Sudan—where only sharia-compliant finance is allowed in the north—dominates, holding over half of Africa's Islamic-banking assets.
IT is hard to keep up with the price of oil. No sooner have we got used to $100 a barrel than it is in the $120s. Will the price rise to $150, $200 or even $300 a barrel? How far can it rise without doing severe damage to the world economy?
Brazilian President da Silva wants to get his country into OPEC -- a move that could lower the price of oil worldwide. With a booming biofuel business alongside new oil reserves, Brazil is poised to become a global energy leader.
[CFR Opinion Roundup][Newseum][Global Incident Map][Earthweek][Day-Night Map][Tonight's Sky][Moon phase]
NASA has scheduled a media teleconference Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. EDT, to announce the discovery of an object in our Galaxy astronomers have been hunting for more than 50 years. A video file about the discovery will air on NASA Television on the same day.
Different countries celebrate Mother's Day on various days of the year because the day has a number of different origins.
One school of thought claims this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March.
The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day.
(Cartoons: Mother's Day)
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