Salzburg citizens took to the streets to welcome Pope Ignatius on his first return visit to his former home. In Rome, however, the new Austrian Pope had a more muted reception from Vatican radicals who fear that the appointment of an arch-conservative may scupper proposed financial reforms. MF
The election of the centrist politician Andrei Kakoshin as Russia's new president has been welcomed in western capitals. His biggest problem may be the spiralling cost of reconstructing the Volga-Ural region, still contaminated by radioactive fallout after last year's civil war. PR
The International Space Station, in which the US, Russia, Europe and Japan are partners, has been completed with the delivery of a new accommodation module. There are now seven permanent members of staff in the ISS, which operates the world's most popular web site. JM
Taking his cue from the Olympic motto, 'Citius, altius, fortius' (Faster, Higher, Stronger), the new head of the International Olympic Committee, Alastair Field, insists that while the 28th Olympiad in Athens this year may not produce new records, it will help to re-establish the credibility of the games. 'We need a slower, lower, weaker Olympics to prove to the world that we are winning the drugs battle', he said. DW
|
