Pope Benedict XVI granted his former butler a Christmas pardon Saturday, forgiving him in person during a jailhouse meeting for stealing and leaking his private papers in one of the gravest Vatican security breaches in recent times.After the 15-minute meeting, Paolo Gabriele was freed and returned to his Vatican City apartment where he lives with his wife and three children. The Vatican said he couldn't...
Aleppo's fledgling government reflects a society shaped by war
Labels: WorldMembers of the Syrian opposition in Aleppo are preparing to unveil what will be the most ambitious transitional government effort to come from inside Syria since the revolution began 21 months ago.Aleppo’s Transitional Revolutionary Council, a civilian effort to provide government services in areas of northern Syria under opposition control, has created a 224-person Grand Assembly with representatives...
Uruguay postpones vote on 'state as dealer' approach to drug regulation - but not for long?
Labels: WorldUruguay has been on the vanguard of drug policy reform in the Americas, proposing a state regulatory market for the cultivation and consumption of marijuana. (See our cover on “Latin America reinventing the War on Drugs” here).But last week the project’s No. 1 proponent – and perhaps the globe’s most trailblazing reformer – Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, told Parliament to postpone the vote.President...
South Korea charges North building missile that could reach US
Labels: WorldSouth Korean defense officials say they have evidence showing a recent North Korean missile launch was to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).South Korean navy divers have recovered more than three tons of debris from the first stage of a missile Korean analysts say was fueled by a type of nitric acid developed in the former Soviet Union over 40 years ago for firing missiles with warheads...
Muslim scholars and clerics: suicide bombings are un-Islamic.
Labels: WorldSuicide bombers in Afghanistan have shown little restraint: Wedding parties and even mosques and children have witnessed gruesome targeting by the Taliban against civilians.But as attacks soared in the summer and fall, killing scores of civilians every week – including at least 40 Muslim devotees at a mosque in late October –public revulsion has turned into unprecedented condemnation.For the first...
Soccer-Marseille cling on with leaders after beating St Etienne
Labels: Technology Andre Ayew struck just before the break to give Olympique Marseille a 1-0 home win against St Etienne on Sunday and keep them level on points with leaders Paris St Germain.As Ligue 1 goes into a three-week break, OM are third with 38 points, behind pacesetters PSG and second-placed Olympique Lyon on goal difference.St Etienne, who last beat OM at the Velodrome in 1979, are 10th with 27 points...
Soccer-European roundup-Barca win again, Chelsea score eight
Labels: TechnologyDec 23 (Reuters) - Barcelona finished the year with a win at Real Valladolid and a record haul of 49 points for this stage of a La Liga season with Lionel Messi scoring his 91st goal of the calendar year while arch rivals Real Madrid lost at Malaga.Chelsea eased the disappointment of their Club World Cup final defeat by beating Aston Villa 8-0 but Manchester United's lead over local rivals City at...
UPDATE 3-Soccer-Ligue 1 summaries
Labels: TechnologyDec 23 (Infostrada Sports) - Summaries from the Ligue 1 matches on SundaySunday, December 23Olympique Marseille 1 Andre Ayew 45+1St Etienne 0Halftime: 1-0; Attendance: 37,007- - -Toulouse 2 Adrien Regattin 26, Emmanuel Riviere 85Sochaux 0Halftime: 1-0; Attendance: 16,401- - -Valenciennes 2 Gregory Pujol 14, Jose Saez 74Missed penalty: Mathieu Dossevi 50Evian Thonon Gaillard FC 1 Saber Khlifa 33Red...
Soccer-Villa's Lambert keen to move on from Chelsea mauling
Labels: Technology- While most managers fret over congested fixtures during the festive season, Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert must be thankful his shellshocked side have only two days to stew over Sunday's 8-0 mauling by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.Villa's worst ever league defeat has dragged them back into the relegation battle and the Midlands side now sit just three points above the drop zone.The defeat was all the...
Soccer-Benitez demands more after Chelsea smash eight
Labels: TechnologyLONDON, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Rafael Benitez was still scribbling notes towards the end of Chelsea's 8-0 rout of Aston Villa on Sunday and after the game, the Spaniard said there was plenty of room for improvement.As Chelsea made it 13 goals from two games since returning empty-handed from a 12,000-mile (19,312-kilometre) round trip to Japan for the Club World Cup a week ago, Benitez demanded even more...
Dec
24
Correction: Peru Quake Unreadiness Story
Labels: WorldIn a story that moved Dec. 9 and 23 about earthquake readiness in Lima, Peru, The Associated Press incorrectly listed the year and the magnitude of a quake that killed about 70,000 people. The 7.9-magnitude Peru quake occurred in 1970.A corrected version of the story is below:The earthquake all but flattened colonial Lima, the shaking so violent that people tossed to the ground couldn't get back up....
Chilean street dogs are protesters' best friends
Labels: WorldThey don't have demands, but they're loyal to the cause and are always on the front lines of the fight. They run with protesters, lap up shots from water cannons, bark at police in riot gear and sometimes even bite officers.Stray dogs are truly Man's Best Friend for thousands of students and workers who demonstrate and clash with police nearly every day to press demands for education improvements,...
Bolivia's Morales visits Cuba after Chavez surgery
Labels: World Bolivian President Evo Morales has made a lightning trip to Havana where key ally Hugo Chavez is convalescing after cancer surgery.Morales did not speak to foreign journalists during his weekend visit. Cuban state-run media didn't confirm that he visited Chavez, but said he came "to express his support" for the Venezuelan president. The Cuban government had invited media to cover Morales' arrival...
Prosecutor killed in Guatemala along with 6 others
Labels: World Guatemala's attorney general dispatched a special team Monday to investigate the slaying of a federal prosecutor and six other people in an attack near the Mexican border.Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz said she was sending prosecutors and investigators to the area of northern Guatemala where Irma Yolanda Olivares, who worked in one of the prosecutor's regional officers, was slain along with...
Morales mum on Cuba trip after Chavez surgery
Labels: Health Bolivian President Evo Morales made a lightning trip this weekend to Havana where ally Hugo Chavez is convalescing after cancer surgery, but was mostly silent Monday on the details of his trip or even whether he met with the ailing Venezuelan leader.The secrecy surrounding his visit was sure to add to the uncertainty surrounding Chavez's condition, despite reassurances Monday from Venezuelan...
Dec
23
TSX ends flat as RIM buckles, gold miners bounce
Labels: TechnologyCanada's main stock index ended little changed on Friday as gold miners gained on safe-haven buying amid U.S. budget uncertainty, while BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd plunged more than 20 percent.The index's materials sector, which includes miners, rose 0.4 percent. Even though the price of gold was near its lowest level in four months, the gold-mining sub-sector added 0.9 percent as investors...
Google working on "X Phone", "X" tablet to take on rivals - WSJ
Labels: TechnologyGoogle Inc is working with recently acquired Motorola on a handset codenamed "X-phone", aimed at grabbing market share from Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.Google acquired Motorola in May for $12.5 billion to bolster its patent portfolio as its Android mobile operating system competes with rivals such as Apple and Samsung.The...
Instagram diverts attention from botched policy change with another new filter
Labels: TechnologyInstagram messed up big time this week when it freaked everyone out with changes to its privacy policy related to licensing user photos for advertisements. After days of backlash, Instagram reverted back to its old terms of service. While the damage has already been done, Instagram is hoping a new update to its iOS and Android app will silence everyone. Instagram 3.4.0 adds a new filter called “Mayfair”...
Suicide bombers attack mobile phone firms in Nigeria
Labels: TechnologyTwo suicide car bombers attacked the offices of mobile phone operators India's Airtel and South Africa's MTN on Saturday in Nigeria's northern city of Kano, killing themselves but no civilians, police said.Islamist sect Boko Haram has previously targeted phone firms, blowing up telephone masts and offices, saying the companies help the security forces catch its members."The one who hit the Airtel...
2 bombers target mobile phone firms in Nigeria
Labels: TechnologyAuthorities blame a radical Islamist sect for twin suicide car bombings targeting two major mobile phone companies, an official said Saturday, blacking out a top operator's network in most of Nigeria's northern commercial hub.A suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden car into the facilities of the Nigerian subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Ltd. of India at about 8 a.m. in the city of Kano, said Capt. Iweha...
FBI question Benghazi consulate attack suspect
Labels: WorldTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — After months of asking, agents from the FBI questioned the only known suspect in the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that killed four diplomats, the suspect's Tunisian lawyer told The Associated Press Saturday.Ali Harzi, a Tunisian, was detained in Turkey and extradited to Tunisia in October where authorities have said he is "strongly suspected" of being involved...
Rebels threaten to storm 2 Syrian Christian towns
Labels: WorldBEIRUT (AP) — Rebels have threated to storm two predominantly Christian towns in central Syria if residents do not "evict" government troops they say are using the towns as a base to attack nearby areas.A video released by rebels showed Rashid Abul-Fidaa, who identified himself as the commander of the Ansar Brigade for Hama province, calling on locals in Mahrada and Sqailbiyeh to rise up against President...
Egypt's vice president quits
Labels: WorldCAIRO (AP) — Egypt's state TV says Vice President Mahmoud Mekki has resigned.Mekki's Saturday resignation was announced with more than five hours to go of voting in the second and final phase of a referendum on a disputed, Islamist-backed constitution. Mekki, a career judge, has said he intends to quit once the charter is adopted. The new constitution eliminates the post of vice president.However,...
Ex-Tunisian dictator's property goes under hammer
Labels: WorldTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian authorities are putting property confiscated from ousted Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali up for auction. That includes a pair of miniature gold sphinxes, a diamond-encrusted pen and a staggering 39 luxury cars.Officials hope the sale, which was inaugurated by Tunisia's Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali in Tunis Saturday, will fetch some 20 million dinar ($12.9 million)...
Egypt's central bank governor quits
Labels: WorldCAIRO (AP) — State television says Egypt's central bank governor has resigned.Farouq el-Oqdah's resignation is the second such high profile move on Saturday. Earlier on the day, Vice President Mahmoud Mekki resigned, saying he realized that politics did not suit his professional background as a judge.The brief TV report did not say why el-Oqdah quit, but it ends days of media speculations about his...
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