Vatican Says Pope Benedict Will Resign Feb. 28

Pope Benedict XVI announced today that he will resign Feb. 28, saying his role requires "both strength of mind and body."The pope's decision makes him the first pontiff to resign in nearly 600 years. A conclave to elect a new pope will take place before the end of March. The 85-year-old pope announced the decision to resign in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals.VIDEO:...

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Six French retailers withdraw products over horsemeat fears

PARIS: Six major French retailers have withdrawn foods provided by producers Findus and Comigel over fears they may contain horsemeat, the FCD retail association said on Sunday.Retailers Auchan, Casino, Carrefour, Cora, Monoprix and Picard have pulled the prepared products, including pasta dishes with meat sauce, shepherd's pie and moussaka, from their shelves, the association said in...

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Over three crore take holy dip in Sangam on Mauni Amavasya

ALLAHABAD: Over three crore devotees led by ascetics of Hindu sects on Sunday took a holy dip at Sangam on " Mauni Amavasya", considered the most auspicious day of bathing during the 12-yearly Kumbh congregation here. "As per our estimates, three crore people have taken a holy dip till 3pm. The influx of visitors has slowed down a bit since then but the turn-out has already exceeded our expectations,"...

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LAPD Reopens Case of Suspected Cop-Killer's Firing

The Los Angeles Police Department announced today it will reopen the case of the firing of Christopher Dorner, but said the decision was not made to "appease" the fugitive former cop suspected of killing three people.Dorner, a fired and disgruntled former Los Angeles police officer, said in the so-called "manifesto" he released that he was targeting LAPD officials and their...

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Obama urges balanced approach to deficit reduction

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama urged Congress Saturday to find a balanced approach to deficit reduction, warning that steep budget cuts known as "the sequester" would hurt the economy and threaten thousands of American jobs."If the sequester is allowed to go forward, thousands of Americans who work in fields like national security, education or clean energy are likely to be laid...

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Afzal Guru's life should become extinct, ruled SC

NEW DELHI: "The incident, which resulted in heavy casualties, had shaken the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will only be satisfied if the capital punishment is awarded to the offender," the Supreme Court had said while upholding the death sentence of Afzal Guru. Holding Afzal guilty of the conspiracy culminating in the attack on Parliament House, the apex court in its...

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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Dragon, Celestial Seagull

Solar DragonImage courtesy SDO/NASAResembling a dragon's tail, remnants of a solar filament strain to escape the sun's gravity in an image released this week by NASA's Solar Dynamics...

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Blizzard Drops 2 Feet of Snow on Northeast

A behemoth storm packing hurricane-force wind gusts and blizzard conditions swept through the Northeast on Saturday, dumping more than 2 feet of snow on New England and knocking out power to 650,000 homes and businesses.More than 28 inches of snow had fallen on central Connecticut by early Saturday, and areas of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire notched...

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Police working with Interpol in global effort against match-fixing

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is working with Interpol in relation to recent claims of a match-fixing syndicate originating in Singapore.SPF said that evidence of alleged match-fixing needs to be further developed in order for Singapore law enforcement agencies to take concrete follow-up actions against the alleged suspects.That is why the SPF will send its officers to Interpol...

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Quiet lunch shatters EU boycott of Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: A quiet lunch between European Union ambassadors and prime ministerial contender Narendra Modi has shattered what remained of a decade-old informal boycott of the Hindu nationalist political leader. The January 7 lunch at the German ambassador's residence in New Delhi will likely be seen as a major boost to Modi's quest for mainstream acceptance. The meeting went unpublicized until an...

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