According to the liberal daily Corriere del Ticino the social encyclical is of a surprisingly concrete yet at the same time utopian character: "The most astonishing aspect is the precision of the proposals on how to meet the global economic crisis. … But the utopian tinge of the document is also surprising. … The message of the Pope is particularly precise when it addresses entrepreneurs and bankers. … The agents of the financial world must rediscover the ethic foundations of their activities so as to avoid abusing the highly refined instruments that can be used to deceive savers. Honest intentions, transparency and the search for results are compatible with each other and should never be separated. When the encyclical deals with these points it transcends the scope of a purely theological document on the centrality of connections between the economy, public spirit, politics and ethics and becomes a fundamental reflection addressed to everyone - believers and non-believers alike." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Global
All available articles from » Mario Tettamanti

The daily Le Monde welcomes Pope Benedict XVI's new social encyclical: "Catholic social doctrine has been searching for social justice in the service of the 'common good' for more than a century. Benedict XVI does not seek to put it in a state of upheaval, but to rejuvenate it by taking globalisation into account. ... The Pope preaches a 'complete humanism' in stressing that humans 'are the first capital to be protected and valorised'. Like his predecessor Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI defends the market economy on the precondition that it should 'respect the common good'. ... The Pope concedes that globalisation has certain virtues as long as it does not neglect development or a better distribution of wealth. But above all he points out its malfunctions. ... In view of the crisis, the Pontiff is making a plea for truly regulated capitalism." (07/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Economic Policy, » Weltanschauung, » Global

The crux of Benedict XVI's social encyclical is its call for reflection, writes the liberal-conservative Corriere della Sera. "The Pope's encyclical deals with many concrete points. ... and is consequently anything but a simplified recipe. The Pope gives voice to many people's dissatisfaction, developing it into an articulate argument. ... The encyclical seeks to win many economic and social players over to a vision of solidarity. Solidarity is the key word. The root of humanism, it seeks to bring the economy into the sphere of politics. ... Publishing the encyclical simultaneously with the G8 summit is a challenge to the poverty of ideas and perspectives. ... If it prompts our political and economic culture to reflect on the future, the encyclical will score a major success. This Pope not only wants to help people to believe, he also wants to help them reflect." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Global
All available articles from » Andrea Riccardi

"Pope Benedict's document is called 'Caritas in Veritate', Love in Truth - and is a disappointment," writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. It lacks the visionary power that Paul VI injected into his social encyclical 'Populorum progressio' and the prophetic intensity of Pope John Paul II's document - and this at a time when these qualities are more needed than they have been for a long time. … No pontiff has been this out of touch with the world since Pius XII, who failed to understand the post-war modern age. Being unworldly, not copying every latest trend, this is certainly a quality that suits the Christian churches. … But the limitations of this non-political Pope are becoming increasingly visible: in his Regensburg speech and his conduct towards the traditionalist Pius brothers. Or now, for example, when a word about the new things of this world is called for - and instead all that has come forth is a weak concoction of what has already been said." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Economic Policy, » Weltanschauung, » Italy, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » Matthias Drobinski

On Thursday the heads of state and government of the world's leading industrialised nations will come together in the Italian city of L'Aquila for the G8 summit. In the eyes of the liberal daily La Vanguardia the meeting no longer reflects the distribution of power in the world: "More than reflecting multipolarity the G8 reflects the hierarchy of the Western world (including Japan). If the G8, created in 1973, were founded now, Italy, the host of the summit that begins today, would not have a place in the club. On the other hand one would have to reserve a place for China and India with their burgeoning economies, nuclear arsenals and demographics. The world has changed." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Italy, » China, » Brazil, » India

Following the summit meeting between US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev the daily Die Presse writes that the attitude of the Russian government towards its guest from Washington is friendly but reserved. "So what has the Russian-American summit achieved? They got to know each other, presented their points of view, signed a couple of agreements. That's no small achievement. Obama, the pragmatist, probably had no problem with the fact that his Moscow visit didn't cause the upheaval his visits usually provoke. If bilateral relations are kept on a rational, businesslike, result-oriented level in future this summit was a success." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Russia, » U.S.
All available articles from » Burkhard Bischof

The party of the Turkish minority, Movement for Rights and Freedoms, attained 14.5 percent of the vote in the Bulgarian parliamentary elections on the weekend. Giorgos Delastik analyses in the daily To Ethnos the role of the party in Bulgarian politics. "If [the mayor of Sofia and election winner] Boyko Borisov keeps his campaign promises, the party of the Turkish minority will have to leave the government. The party was established in Bulgarian politics by the US ambassador to Sofia in the early 1990s, and soon got used to sharing the reins of power. In the last 20 years it participated in almost every Bulgarian government, regardless of whether they were Centre-Right or Right. On the one hand this is due to the weakness of the Bulgarian political parties, which can't garner enough votes. On the other hand it's the opportunism of Bulgarian politicians and the protective hand of the US that has made Turkish participation in Bulgarian governments almost a tradition." (07/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Minorities, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Giorgos Delastik

The OSCE has passed a declaration which puts the crimes committed by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin on an equal footing. The Russian parliament has protested this move. Writing in the conservative daily Rzeczpospolita, Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz comments: "In a sense I agree with the indignant Russian MPs who have unanimously and harshly protested the OSCE's comparison between Hitler's crimes and those committed by Stalin. ... Anyone who knows his history from serious sources and not just from television series will admit that Hitler was merely a very talented pupil of Stalin's … The crimes of Hitler also differ from those of Stalin in that apart from a few lunatics there are no Germans left who would justify his crimes and even exhibit him at the pantheon of national tradition. On the other hand to this day the Russian elites see Stalin above all as the creator of an imperial power. ... But did he commit murder?" (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Poland
All available articles from » Rafal A. Ziemkiewicz

Philosopher Wolfram Eilenberger wonders in the monthly magazine Cicero why no one loves the European Union: "The main reason for this scandal must lie in the mythic image our continent has draped itself in since its beginnings. Nothing, the argument goes, has done more harm to the public image of the EU than the deeply-rooted, politically motivated cultural image of this stately union as a loosely clad young woman whose manifold attractions are irresistible even to the most powerful of gods. Right down to the present day this phallocentric mythical phantasy has pointed out a disappointing discrepancy between our wishes and how they are answered on a daily basis. In so-called reality, on the other hand, Europe first saw the light of day with the Treaty of Rome, meaning she's now 52. No easy age for a woman. Certainly, well educated and cultivated, she speaks many languages fluently and is financially independent. An intelligent, cosmopolitan non-smoker, she is healthy and fond of travelling, with a sense of irony and an appreciation of all things beautiful. But just put all that into a lonely hearts ad and at the end: age 52." (25/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Weltanschauung, » Europe
All available articles from » Wolfram Eilenberger

After a passenger was struck dead by a taxi driver in Amsterdam, much attention is being paid to the miserable state of the taxi sector in the Netherlands. The daily Trouw writes that the problem lies with the market's privatisation: "Economic principles entitle one to expect that a large supply and a low demand will lead to a drop in prices and an improvement in services. ... This is not always how things pan out in practice, however, as shown by the cabs in Amsterdam. Long lines of waiting taxis mean you'll never get out of a cab without paying the highest price possible, you'll be sneered at if you just want to go a little way and you're often treated with the most brazen cheek. ... What we have here is a little-known economic principle, namely that businesses, even those consisting of a single person, sometimes don't have even the slightest interest in offering competitive prices or services. What they're after is not the free market but complete market domination. ... The free market is a fairy tale, and only functions when those in power establish - and implement - proper regulations." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Netherlands

The Lithuanian government wants to continue with plans to introduce the euro on 1 January 2012, despite the economic crisis and a difficult budgetary situation, by implementing stringent economy measures. "The date for the introduction of the euro was chosen randomly. There is no case for this [the introduction of the euro] freeing Lithuania from the need for tight public budgeting. Will it make loans any cheaper? We need cheap money now and not in three or four years' time, when the international crisis is over. By then money will be cheaper anyway, provided we haven't totally ruined our economy. Clinging to that date is reminiscent of the Soviet planned economy: The five-year plan will be fulfilled in three years! This would be sticking to the plan at any price, regardless of the impact it has on people." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Lithuania
All available articles from » Saulius Stoma

Most Romanians prefer to spend their holidays in their own country, writes the daily Adevărul: "And why not? Here in Romania we have a bit of everything. We have sea, mountains, culture and religious sites. When there's no traffic jam you can eat your dinner in the baroque centre of Brasov and drink an afternoon coffee on the shady terrace of a Bucharest Bojaren house [houses built by erstwhile big landowners] in the Balkan style. … Yes, we have everything … But the bad thing is that we have plenty, but nothing truly exceptional - apart from the Danube delta. However there it would be better not to have any mass tourism. The Carpathians are not the Alps. The Black Sea is not the Mediterranean. Our rural tourism is not like that in the Tyrol. … Yet these are the places we want to compete with!" (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Tourism, » Austria, » Europe, » Romania
All available articles from » Ovidiu Nahoi

Friends and fans of deceased popstar Michael Jackson yesterday gathered at one of the greatest media events in pop culture to say goodbye to him in Los Angeles. In its leading article the daily La Libre Belgique examines the life and death of the singer: "The death of Michael Jackson on 25 June has left the world dumbfounded and grieving. From a musical point of view the singer had disappeared from our screens, only to make way for a drama of self-destruction. His image was so spooky that people believed death couldn't affect him. It took time for the reality to sink in, while the physical disappearance of Michael Jackson triggered a need to listen to 'Billie Jean' and see 'Thriller' again. His death has revived him as an artist. … After all the success and the obsession comes the grief or at least the sympathy of the whole world." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Music, » Public Culture, » Global
All available articles from » Dominique Simonet

The artist Antony Gormley is currently organising an action on London's Trafalgar Square in which anyone who wants can stand for an hour on the square's famous empty "fourth plinth". Katy Guest writes in the daily The Independent that the action gives a great portrait of Britain: "Putting ordinary people on such public display is bound to make us question our national identity and our image of ourselves. But when you analyse those brave and chilly 'plinthers', you start to look at the rest of the crowd differently, too. The man all in denim with the gold hoop earring and cigar - was he art? The portly security guard, an Edward Hopper-esque study in urban boredom... He must have been. But art or otherwise, the sight of dozens of Londoners in their sunglasses and macs watching as a Clare Balding lookalike all in pink dances herself silly for an hour - it's as good a portrait as any of Britain in the summer of 2009." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Exhibitions / Museums, » Public Culture, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Katy Guest

A new survey by the research agency Consumer Compass in which citizens from 15 countries participated has shown that people's nationality has an important influence on what they see as healthy food. The daily Etelä-Suomen Sanomat writes: "Healthy eating means something entirely different for Poles to what it means for the Finns. A greater proportion of Finns, Germans and British found fat-free eating more healthy, while the Poles and Brazilians had no appreciation of this. Quite a few Finns know exactly what's healthy but there are also those who haven't got the message. … The results show that the amount of money spent on food by people who observe nutritional recommendations has not increased, but actually gone down a little. Putting together a good healthy diet requires a little planning and effort but your body, purse and nature will thank you for it." (08/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Health Policy, » Public Culture, » Finland

According to a corruption report published at the start of the week by the OECD, football is highly susceptible to money laundering. The weekly magazine Marianne analyses corruption in football on its website: "One might have thought that amateur football was unaffected by all this. Not a chance. Starting with the lowest leagues, football provides the ideal milieu for criminals, who have many means at their disposal to launder money. They purchase amateur clubs or those in difficulty, transfer money and bet online. Or they overestimate ticket sales to wash part of the dirty money. ... Money circulates abundantly in this sector, making it a godsend for the Mafia according to the report." (07/07/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Europe
All available articles from » Régis Soubrouillard