General News
Iraqis Make Up Largest Group of Asylum-Seekers to EU
According to a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a five-year downward trend in the overall number of people seeking asylum in industrialized countries experienced a reversal last year. Nearly half of asylum seekers from around the world found home in the European Union last year, with the majority of them…
Pope Benedict XVI Approves a Permanent Catholic-Muslim Forum
Pope Benedict XVI has approved the first-ever Catholic-Muslim forum which will hold its first meeting at the Vatican in November 2008. The decision follows three days of meetings with Vatican officials and a Muslim delegation representing 138 Muslim scholars. Inspired by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammed bin Talal of Jordan, these scholars wrote an open letter…
Europe alert to triple terror threat
Last November, Gilles de Kerchove, the European Union’s anti-terror chief, said that al-Qaeda was the biggest threat to Europe. To confirm this, Western intelligence services have recently established operational links between al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda in The Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) whose goals include striking at the heart of Europe. Al-Qaeda has not made any…
Obama wins over hearts and minds in Europe
Barack Obama’s candidacy is winning over hearts and minds in Europe, where his race, youth, and promise of change are raising hopes for a likeable America, once again. German weekly magazine Der Spiegel placed a picture of the Illinois Senator on its February cover under the headline The Messiah Factor. Inside, the magazine discussed Obama…
European Commission braces for anti-Islam film
The European Commission warned all of its offices around the world ahead of a film criticizing the Quran by a Dutch politician. “We have informed our delegations that the film – due for release soon, although we don’t know exactly when – could draw protests,” said EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner’s spokeswoman, Christiane Hohmann….