The Vatican has given warning that the West's efforts at inter-faith dialogue must not be "held hostage" by Islam and are in danger of becoming "obsessed" with it at the expense of other religions. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, said that the Church "has to have regard for all religions". He said that the council had this week discussed new guidelines for inter-faith dialogue. "What was interesting about our discussions was that we did not concentrate on Islam because in a way we are being held hostage by Islam a little bit," he told the Catholic website Terrasanta.net. "Islam is very important, but there are also other great Asiatic religious traditions. Islam is one religion." Pope Benedict XVI has convened an unprecedented Catholic-Muslim forum for October. He has also sought to make amends for his controversial speech at Regensburg University two years ago, when he appeared to suggest that Islam was irrational and inherently violent. He later visited Turkey and prayed at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul alongside the local imam.
The Vatican has given warning that the West's efforts at inter-faith dialogue must not be "held hostage" by Islam and are in danger of becoming "obsessed" with it at the expense of other religions.
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, said that the Church "has to have regard for all religions". He said that the council had this week discussed new guidelines for inter-faith dialogue.
"What was interesting about our discussions was that we did not concentrate on Islam because in a way we are being held hostage by Islam a little bit," he told the Catholic website Terrasanta.net. "Islam is very important, but there are also other great Asiatic religious traditions. Islam is one religion."
Pope Benedict XVI has convened an unprecedented Catholic-Muslim forum for October. He has also sought to make amends for his controversial speech at Regensburg University two years ago, when he appeared to suggest that Islam was irrational and inherently violent. He later visited Turkey and prayed at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul alongside the local imam.
Italian pacifists planning an antiwar march during President Bush's farewell visit to Rome this week staged a protest outside a city centre prison that has been partially emptied to house arrested demonstrators in the event of disturbances. The protesters, dressed in convict clothes, said a decision to move 230 inmates from the Regina Coeli prison on the Tiber embankment was "a grotesque attempt to intimidate us". Piero Bernocchi, their spokesman, said an "entirely peaceful" protest march would go ahead tomorrow afternoon to coincide with Mr Bush's arrival. Mr Bush will hold talks on Thursday with Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister, and President Napolitano before an audience with Pope Benedict XVI on Friday. Mr Bush told Italian state television: "I know Mr Berlusconi and trust him."
Italian pacifists planning an antiwar march during President Bush's farewell visit to Rome this week staged a protest outside a city centre prison that has been partially emptied to house arrested demonstrators in the event of disturbances.
The protesters, dressed in convict clothes, said a decision to move 230 inmates from the Regina Coeli prison on the Tiber embankment was "a grotesque attempt to intimidate us".
Piero Bernocchi, their spokesman, said an "entirely peaceful" protest march would go ahead tomorrow afternoon to coincide with Mr Bush's arrival.
Mr Bush will hold talks on Thursday with Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister, and President Napolitano before an audience with Pope Benedict XVI on Friday. Mr Bush told Italian state television: "I know Mr Berlusconi and trust him."
A Japanese firefighter has been sacked after driving fire engines and ambulances for more than 20 years without a licence. The man, who worked in Takaoka City, was only discovered during a routine inspection of licences last week. According to his bosses, he appeared reluctant to produce his licence, but when he did the inspector realised the man was using his father's licence.
A Japanese firefighter has been sacked after driving fire engines and ambulances for more than 20 years without a licence.
The man, who worked in Takaoka City, was only discovered during a routine inspection of licences last week.
According to his bosses, he appeared reluctant to produce his licence, but when he did the inspector realised the man was using his father's licence.
Vietnamese authorities say they are mystified as to who owns a Boeing 727 which has been abandoned at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport. The plane was flown in from Siem Reap in neighbouring Cambodia in late 2007 and has been unclaimed ever since. An airport official told the BBC that they believe the owners could be an airline based in Cambodia. The official said that if it remains unclaimed, the plane will have to be sent for scrap.
Vietnamese authorities say they are mystified as to who owns a Boeing 727 which has been abandoned at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport.
The plane was flown in from Siem Reap in neighbouring Cambodia in late 2007 and has been unclaimed ever since.
An airport official told the BBC that they believe the owners could be an airline based in Cambodia.
The official said that if it remains unclaimed, the plane will have to be sent for scrap.
An attempt to stop homosexual women calling themselves lesbians begins in Athens today with a court hearing that comes amid growing national debate over gay rights in one of Europe's most socially conservative countries. The hearing has been initiated by plaintiffs on the Aegean island of Lesbos, who say they are unhappy that gay women have "usurped" a term that locals claim should have only geographical connotations.
The hearing has been initiated by plaintiffs on the Aegean island of Lesbos, who say they are unhappy that gay women have "usurped" a term that locals claim should have only geographical connotations.
there are no Barbarians left to go to court.
They are waiting at the gate... "Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
a few days into the Euro 2008 football championships fans are being advised not to fly their flags - because they could damage the environment. Engineers have declared that the flags, which are usually attached to window frames, cause wind resistance, which alters a car's aerodynamics and causes it to burn more fuel. Austria's automobile club, the OAMTC, says attaching two flags to a car leads to an increased petrol consumption of "up to half a litre a kilometre on motorways and rural stretches".
Austria's automobile club, the OAMTC, says attaching two flags to a car leads to an increased petrol consumption of "up to half a litre a kilometre on motorways and rural stretches".
Half a litre per kilometre? That would give my car a range of about 80km.
Do you think they mean a half kilometre less per litre?
I don't believe it.
But if I normally get 60mpg, that's about 20km per litre. So to drive 80km without a flag takes 4 litres.
A flag costs an additional 40 litres over that 80km????
I realise they aren't going to be talking about my car. But it still seems a suspiciously high figure if talking about cars. What did they test it on? A Hummer full of bricks?
(Unless, of course, I've got Wednesday morning syndrome and my maths is screwed.)
Have they change the design of these flags? I don't remember them being the size of a house and made of brightly painted depleted uranium.
