The development of the international crisis, after the surrender of Kandahar and while awaiting the capture of Bin Laden, continues to monopolize the attention of the main international dailies. “The victory of Bush, the hunt for Omar”, is the headline for instance in Le Monde of 9-10/12. “After the defeat of the Taliban regime, announced on Thursday 6 December writes Le Monde the situation remains confused at Kandahar, their ancient stronghold (…). In the greatest confusion, two anti-Taliban groups claim the arrest and the disarming of the enemy troops, the arrest of the ‘Arab’ combatants, if not the actual identification of the hiding place of mullah Omar, political and spiritual head of the Taliban”. “At Tora Bora, the troops of Bin Laden are fighting their last battle”, announces the same French daily on the following day, emphasizing that “the military operations against the members of Al-Qaeda are now being concentrated on Tora Bora, round a network of underground caves and refuges manned by a thousand fighters faithful to Osama Bin Laden. American B-52 bombers pounded them without respite for three days, preparing the way for the advance of the Afghan forces (…). At Kabul, the UNO is preparing the installation of the interim government resulting from the Bonn agreement”. “The men of Al-Qaeda, in full retreat, are asking for mercy”, informs the Herald Tribune of 12/12 . “Some foreign soldiers who support Osama Bin Laden writes John Kifner have asked for mercy through their radio, after a morning of heavy gunfire and ferocious combat”. “Who will judge Bin Laden and his accomplices?”. The question is posed by Marie-Francoise Masson, in La Croix of 10/12; she calls the possible trial of those responsible for the terrorist attacks of 11 September “a real judicial brain-twister”. Among the various hypotheses, the journalist points out that of “ international jurisdiction” which “would have a dual advantage”: on the one hand, it would permit “all those responsible to be tried by the same court, whose composition, independent of States, would not be placed in question”; on the other, explains Masson, this solution “would avoid having to refuse the extradition to the USA of members of Al-Qaeda arrested in Europe”. “But are German students idiots?” : that’s the rhetorical question posed on the front cover of the German weekly Spiegel, of 10/12, reporting the findings of an international study commissioned by the OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) that has relegated Germany to a position in the international league table that is “ decidedly of the second rank for a country of poets and thinkers”. The survey’s findings show in fact that “almost ten percent of German students are utterly incapable of understanding a written text, while a further 13% are only able to extract elementary contents from it”. Altogether Germany turns out to be 21st country in the world ranking for reading ability: it is even beaten by Italy, whereas for mathematical and scientific knowledge it only manages to reach 20th place. In the same number of Spiegel discussion recurs to the question of bioethics, with a long interview of the Social-Democratic exponent and evangelical theologian Richard Schroeder. In his view, “the concept of embryo easily generates false representations”. While on the one hand declaring himself “favourable to research on surplus embryos, which would never develop into human beings”, Schroeder says at the same time that he opposes “their creation for scientific purposes”. The theologian is however convinced “ that no laboratories exist in Germany for the realization of new Frankenstein’s monsters”. The question of the possible blessing of homosexual couples is the subject of a lengthy article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of 1/12. “The German evangelical community appears rather uncertain about how to interpret the phenomenon”, according to Eckhart Kauntz. For example, “the Evangelical Church of Hesse and Nassau has deferred to the beginning of next year a pronouncement on the matter”, fearing “internal splits”. The question is prompted by the recognition “obtained by homosexual couples” under the terms of a law passed last August. Now the religious communities are asking themselves “how to interpret a request for a blessing to be given to their union” in the light of the interpretation of the biblical text. According to Kauntz, the difficulty to clarify the question “is undermining even the traditional faith of the evangelical tradition in the interpretation of the Word”.
