“A World Of Wonder And Delight”: Christmas Messages 2011…
- December 26th, 2011
- Posted by EUEditor
Christmas celebrations in 2011 were marked with calls for the protection of innocents, love of family, and salvaging of the Earth itself.
Pope Benedict XVI in Rome said the earth was “stained with blood”, praying for the victims of war in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, and for victims of natural disasters.
The Christian festival, as sometimes will happen, saw the creation of martyrs. More than forty people were killed in a round of bigotry and religious hysteria in Nigeria, by bombs set off while they were in church, on Christmas Day (25.12.11). Blasts were recorded in the capital, Abuja, Jos in the centre of the country, and other places, in the North-east. Friction between Christian and Islamic communities in Nigeria has got worse in recent years. … Read More »
Julia Gillard (picture, left) back in Canberra welcomed the passage of her government’s climate change legislation, having just got back from the G20, and seeing the soldiers in Afghanistan …
Nuclear jitters settled on France with a fatal explosion (12.9.11) at the Marcoule power station on the Rhone River, near Avignon.
An economist working at the European Union office in Port Moresby was bitten by a large tiger shark while kite surfing off-shore near the city on Sunday. 
Anxiety about climate change and rising seas has been a mark of the Pacific Islands Forum for several years - moreso this year with Europe and United Nations contributing to the debate.
“I want to be very clear here: The EU and the Euro are strong and resilient, and we are doing all it takes, from tackling the underlying budget problems to strengthening the governance of the Euro-zone, from tighter financial regulation to improving our overall competitiveness”, said Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, in Canberra this week. 
The European Commission has confirmed the visit of its President, Jose Manuel Barroso, to Australia and New Zealand this month.