An increasingly frail Pope Benedict is leaving his mark on the Catholic Church, installing 22 new cardinals in a ceremony at the Vatican Saturday. Attendants wheeled the 84 year-old pope into St. Peter’s Basilica on a special platform for the ceremony, known as a consistory. The pope then kneeled in prayer before addressing the audience, […]
Pope Installs New Princes of the Catholic Church
Posted February 18th, 2012 at 9:35 am (UTC-5)
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Latvians Vote ‘Da’ or ‘Nyet’ on Russian
Posted February 18th, 2012 at 8:35 am (UTC-5)
Latvians are heading to the polls and are expected to reject a referendum that would make Russian the country’s second official language. The question has triggered a heated debate between the small Baltic state’s large ethnic Russian and Latvian populations. Many ethnic Latvians say that the Moscow-backed referendum is an attempt to weaken Latvia’s sovereignty […]
Syrian Troops Fire on Protesters in Damascus
Posted February 18th, 2012 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
Activists say Syrian security forces have opened fire on protesters taking part in a funeral procession in the capital, Damascus. Witnesses says the shooting broke out Saturday at the funeral of three people killed by security forces during a protest in the area a day earlier. Witnesses and activists say thousands of people participated in […]
China Urges All Sides in Syria to End Violence, Backs Referendum Plan
Posted February 18th, 2012 at 5:40 am (UTC-5)
China’s Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun has called on all sides in Syria to end the violence and allow elections to proceed peacefully. Zhai – who spoke in the capital, Damascus, following a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad – says China calls on the government, the opposition and those with arms for an immediate stop […]
Whitney Houston’s Family Attend Private Viewing of Body
Posted February 18th, 2012 at 12:35 am (UTC-5)
Whitney Houston’s family attended a private viewing of her body at a Newark, New Jersey funeral home Friday evening, on the eve of her funeral. The Grammy award-winning singer’s mother, Cissy Houston, and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown were joined by a host of relatives, including Houston’s cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, as well as music executive […]
Robbers Steal Olympic Artifacts from Greek Museum
Posted February 17th, 2012 at 10:05 pm (UTC-5)
Greek police say armed robbers have stolen about 60 ancient artifacts from a museum in Olympia. The city’s mayor, Efthimios Kotzas, told reporters that two masked assailants overpowered a museum guard Friday and seized valuable bronze and pottery artifacts from the museum dedicated to the ancient Olympic games. “Two armed assailants went in during the […]
Robbers Steal Olympic Artifacts from Greek Museum
Posted February 17th, 2012 at 9:10 pm (UTC-5)
Greek police say armed robbers have stolen about 60 ancient artifacts from a museum in Olympia. The city’s mayor, Efthimios Kotzas, told reporters that two masked assailants overpowered a museum guard Friday and seized valuable bronze and pottery artifacts from the museum dedicated to the ancient Olympic games. “Two armed assailants went in during the […]
Syrian Troops Shell Central City Following UN Condemnation
Posted February 17th, 2012 at 8:20 pm (UTC-5)
Activists say Syrian troops are shelling rebel-held areas in the central city of Homs, just one day after the United Nations General Assembly condemned the regime for violating human rights in its crackdown. The activists said tank fire and artillery shelling Friday hit four neighborhoods in the central city, which has spearheaded the 11-month uprising […]
US, EU Cautious on Iran Offer to Resume Talks
Posted February 17th, 2012 at 6:20 pm (UTC-5)
The United States and the European Union expressed cautious optimism Friday about Iran’s offer to resume talks with world powers about its nuclear program. Speaking at the State Department Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said they are evaluating an Iranian letter on restarting the stalled […]
Pope Discusses Catholic Church With Cardinals
Posted February 17th, 2012 at 6:10 pm (UTC-5)
Pope Benedict has met with top Roman Catholic clergy to discuss how to strengthen the church in view of growing secularism in the Western world. The German-born pontiff held closed-door consultations Friday with 133 prelates, including most of the 22 bishops who will be officially elevated to the status of cardinal in a ceremony Saturday. […]
