Pope's resignation 'shows leadership'

By Roland Martin, CNN ContributorFebruary 16, 2013 -- Updated 1649 GMT (0049 HKT)Longest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesLongest-reigning popesSTORY HIGHLIGHTSPope Benedict stuns world by announcing he will resignRoland Martin says it's a wise...

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Opera world stages its own awards as faces budget crunch

LONDON (Reuters) – The world of opera, faced with budget cuts and wanting to raise appreciation of opera, has launched its own annual international awards, unveiling a shortlist of finalists in 23 categories.The Operas, which will be presented at a ceremony in London on April 22, are the brainchild of Opera Magazine and British businessman Harry Hyman.Opera Magazine editor John Allison said he hoped...

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G20 steps back from currency brink, heat off Japan

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Group of 20 nations declared on Saturday there would be no currency war and deferred plans to set new debt-cutting targets, underlining broad concern about the fragile state of the world economy. Japan's expansive policies, which have driven down the yen, escaped direct criticism in a statement thrashed out in Moscow by policymakers from the G20, which spans developed...

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The Least Annoying Ski Weekend Ever

Lake Tahoe, Calif.Days: The Ritz-Carlton (MAR), Lake Tahoe, is the nicest hotel on the lake and the closest to the airport (from $ 369 a night). Slopeside at Northstar California (MTN), it offers ski-on, ski-off access, maximizing mountain time. Tahoe is Shaun White’s home resort, and aspiring X Gamers can sign up for the Burton Snowboard Academy near the hotel’s back door ($ 250 for a full-day lesson)....

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Construction Writers Association Call for Speakers- Annual Conference “CONNECTED 2013″ in Chicago

CHICAGO, IL–(Marketwire – Feb 15, 2013) – The Construction Writers Association (CWA) is accepting speaker proposals for the upcoming annual conference — CONNECTED 2013 — that will be held October 21-22, 2013 in Chicago. CWA is celebrating its 55th anniversary as an association. This is a two-day conference includes the presentation of awards at the Grand Awards Dinner and a construction tour. The...

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Beckham must wait before making PSG debut

SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE, France (AP) — David Beckham will have to wait at least one more week to make his debut for Paris Saint-Germain because his coach says he needs to get in better shape.Coach Carlo Ancelotti ruled out the 37-year-old former England captain for Sunday's match against Sochaux in the French league."He will stay here and work," Ancelotti said Saturday. "He will stay here and improve...

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How Carnival can clean up PR mess

STORY HIGHLIGHTSDavid Bartlett: For Carnival, impact of 'cruise from hell' potentially devastating. Passenger video, media puts Carnival increasingly on the defensive, he says He says it must show real concern, lay out plan, go a long way to make amendsDon't try to justify or explain, he says, but get proactive now about fixing problemEditor's note: David Bartlett is a senior vice president of Levick,...

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Work starts on Seaside Heights, NJ, boardwalk

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — The sounds shaking the ground in Seaside Heights aren’t from nightclubs.The town featured in the MTV reality show “Jersey Shore” has started rebuilding the boardwalk that was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.Heavy equipment began drilling holes in the sand and pounding pilings into the ground Friday. It’s the first phase of a project that could ultimately cost $ 6 million...

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Wall Street edges up on data, S&P up for seventh week

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose slightly Friday with the S&P 500 gaining for a seventh week in the wake of upbeat consumer sentiment data, though thin trading and the modest rise showed a continuing trend of a consolidating market after strong recent gains. The S&P 500, up nearly 7 percent so far this year, is facing strong technical resistance near the 1,525 level. But investors,...

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Wall Street opens flat with data on tap

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wall Street opened flat on Friday, continuing a trend this week of thin trading and tight moves, with the S&P 500 struggling to extend a streak of weekly gains to seven.The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> shed 0.62 points, or 0.00 percent, to 13,972.77. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index <.spx> gained 1.24 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,522.62. The Nasdaq Composite...

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Living In | Van Cortlandt Village, the Bronx: Van Cortlandt Village, the Bronx – Affordable Homes, and Price of Place

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Ligety wins GS for 3rd gold medal at worlds

SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) — Ted Ligety became the first man in 45 years to win three gold medals at a skiing world championships by blowing away the field in winning his favored giant slalom on Friday.The American can match French great Jean-Claude Killy, who earned four golds in 1968, if he wins Sunday's slalom."I am super pumped. This is such a cool feeling," Ligety said. "I am glad I've done it...

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Where's Obama's foreign policy?

By Isobel Coleman, Special to CNNFebruary 13, 2013 -- Updated 1653 GMT (0053 HKT)STORY HIGHLIGHTSIsobel Coleman: Obama mainly addressed domestic issues: economy, immigration, energy He spoke very little about and offered nothing much new on foreign policy, she saysColeman: He talked about ending Afghanistan War, spoke briefly about Iran, Syria, ChinaColeman: His reinvigorated free trade agenda seems...

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Bosnian Roma family plays itself in stark film

BERLIN (Reuters) – When Bosnian director Danis Tanovic learned about a Roma family refused emergency medical care because they could not pay for it, he not only decided to turn their story into a film but managed to convince the couple to play themselves.The result is “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker”, a simple, powerful tale of one man’s struggle to provide for his partner and two daughters...

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Wall Street erases earlier losses; M&A news, data support

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks erased earlier losses to trade flat by late morning on Thursday as a flurry of M&A deals and better-than-expected jobs data fed optimism to the market, although signs of economic weakness in Europe and Japan curbed appetite for risky assets. Among the M&A announcements, shares of H.J. Heinz Co jumped 20 percent to $72.50 after it said Warren Buffett's...

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Kenyan economy likely to grow up to 6 pct in 2013: IMF

NAIROBI (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund expects the Kenyan economy to grow at least 5.5 to 6 pct this year from an estimated 4.5 to 5 percent in 2012, assuming elections in March go smoothly, a senior fund official said.“Kenya has stayed the course of its economic reforms and this has worked quite well,” Domenico Fanizza, who has been leading a mission to Kenya under the IMF’s Extended...

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The Tax Deductions You Shouldn’t Overlook

The good thing about taxes is they’re only filed once a year. The bad thing is it’s almost impossible to remember which tax deductions you qualify for each year.“Credits come and go. It’s hard to remember,” says Bob Wheeler, a certified public accountant in Santa Monica, Calif.While the IRS does all it can to help taxpayers determine which itemized deductions to apply to their taxes, there are enough...

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Olympian Oscar Pistorius charged with murder

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius was charged Thursday with the murder of his girlfriend who was shot inside his home in South Africa, a stunning development in the life of a national hero known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs.Reeva Steenkamp, a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women, was shot four times in the predawn...

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Africa 'must think big for its children'

Children at school in the Mukuru kwa Njenga slum in Nairobi, Kenya.STORY HIGHLIGHTSNew report shows that policies across Africa are helping children's developmentBut laws must improve to help children reach potential, says Catherine MbengueScrapping fees in Malawi saw entry to primary school jump from under 50% to 99%At secondary level, education in much of the region is deeply limited, Mbengue saysEditor's...

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