The Vatican has acknowledged that Pope Benedict XVI has had a pacemaker for years, one day after his resignation.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi reiterated that Pope Benedict was not stepping down because of any specific illness.
The Pope’s last public appearance will be his final mass in Saint Peter’s Square on February 27, Federico Lombardi said.
The pontiff would have no role in the running of the church after his resignation, he added.
The unexpected development – the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years – surprised governments, Vatican-watchers and even the Pope’s closest aides.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 after John Paul II’s death.
In theory there has never been anything stopping Pope Benedict or any of his predecessors from stepping aside.
Under the Catholic Church’s governing code, Canon Law, the only conditions for the validity of such a resignation are that it be made freely and be properly published.
But resignation is extremely rare: the last pontiff to step aside was Pope Gregory XII, who resigned in 1415 amid a schism within the Church.
According to a report in Il Sole 24 newspaper, the Pope had surgery to replace a pacemaker just under three months ago.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi reiterated that Pope Benedict was not stepping down because of any specific illness
At a news conference at the Vatican, Father Federico Lombardi confirmed that the batteries in the pacemaker, which had been fitted several years ago, had been replaced in the routine operation.
“That hasn’t affected his decision [to resign] in any way and simply he felt that his strength was diminishing with the advancement of age,” he said.
Earlier the pontiff’s brother, Georg Ratzinger, said the Pope had been advised by his doctor not to take any more transatlantic trips and had been considering stepping down for months.
“When he got to the second half of his 80s, he felt that his age was showing and that he was gradually losing the abilities he may have had and that it takes to fulfill this office properly,” he said.
He said the resignation therefore was part of a “natural process”.
The Vatican now says it expects a new pontiff to be elected before Easter.
Father Federico Lombardi said the Pope would continue with his diary as usual until the day he officially retires on February 28.
He is due to officiate at an Ash Wednesday service at the Vatican.
“The last general audience [on 27 February] will be held in the square since a lot of people will come,” AFP news agency quotes Father Lombardi as saying.
After that the Vatican has said he will retire to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo before moving into a renovated monastery used by cloistered nuns for “a period of prayer and reflection”.
“He’ll stay in Rome and will certainly have some duties and of course will continue to educate himself intellectually and theologically,” said Georg Ratzinger.
“Where he’s needed he will make himself available, but he will not want to want to intervene in the affairs of his successor,” he said.
At 78, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was one of the oldest popes in history at his election.
Giuseppe Orsi, chief executive of the Italian aerospace and defence firm, Finmeccanica, has been arrested on corruption charges.
Giuseppe Orsi has been under investigation for embezzlement for several months. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors allege he profited illegally from the sale of 12 helicopters to India.
Shares in the company did not open for trade in Milan.
In a statement, Finmeccanica expressed solidarity with Giuseppe Orsi and said: “Finmeccanica confirms that management activity and the initiatives it has undertaken are continuing in an orderly fashion.”
Italy’s Prime Minister, Mario Monti, said in an interview with Italian television: “Magistrates will do their work. I’m sure they will do it thoroughly and in the best way possible.”
He added: “There is a problem with the governance of Finmeccanica at the moment and we will face up to it.”
Giuseppe Orsi, chief executive of the Italian aerospace and defence firm, Finmeccanica, has been arrested on corruption charges
Arrest warrants have been issued for two people living in Switzerland.
India’s foreign ministry said it had not been informed of the raid.
“We had asked the government of Italy through our mission in Rome for details of the investigation, but were told that it is a judicial process and the government of Italy is unable to share any information,” said foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.
“That remains the position even today.”
For Italy, it is the latest in a string of corporate scandals – including risky trades at the bank Monti Paschi di Siena and allegations of bribery at the oil services group Saipem.
Asian markets have had a mixed reaction to the nuclear test carried out by North Korea, its third since 2006.
South Korea’s Kospi index dipped 0.3%. Analysts said the test was widely anticipated and was unlikely to have a major impact on investor sentiment.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index held on its earlier gains of nearly 2%
Japanese shares were boosted after the yen continued to dip, raising hopes of a profit boost for the country’s leading exporters.
“This is kind of a known – unknown event,” Jasper Kim, said founder of Seoul-based Asia-Pacific Global Research Group.
“Everyone knew that North Korea would conduct a nuclear test, the only questions were when, and how successful it would be.”
“The markets have already factored in the test,” he added.
Markets in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan were closed for Lunar New Year holidays.
The yen fell after a US official voiced support for Japan’s recent policy moves to try and spur economic growth.
The moves have seen the yen slide more than 15% since November, leading to concerns that some countries may oppose Japan’s aggressive stance.
Asian markets have had a mixed reaction to the nuclear test carried out by North Korea
The fear was that such criticism might prompt Japan to tone down its policy and the currency could rise again.
Analysts said that the support from US Treasury Under Secretary Lael Brainard, especially ahead of the meeting of the G20 group of nations later this week, had helped allay those fears.
The finance ministers and central bank officials from the G20 nations are scheduled to meet in Moscow and currency policies are expected to be a key topic of discussion.
“Investors were worried that finance ministers would criticize the recent weakness in the yen,” said Hiroichi Nishi of SMBC Nikko Securities.
“While currency moves have been sensitive to officials’ comments in general, people thought any comment from the G20 would trigger yen buying.
“But such worries are receding as she [Lael Brainard] said she supports Japan’s efforts to end deflation,” he added.
The Japanese currency fell nearly 2% to 94.25 yen against the US dollar and to 126.4 yen versus the euro in early Asian trade on Tuesday.
A weak yen bodes well for Japan’s exporters as it not only makes their goods less expensive to foreign buyers but also boosts profits when they repatriate their foreign earnings back home.
Fashion designer Alfred Fiandaca, who was responsible for many of Ann Romney’s campaign outfits, has died at the age of 72.
Alfred Fiandaca – whose designs were favored by Ann Romney during the 2012 Presidential race – died Saturday of a major stroke in West Palm Beach, Florida.
He divided his time between Boston, New York and Palm Beach, and is survived by his daughter, son and spouse, Carl Bartels.
After founding his eponymous line in 1960, Alfred Fiandaca opened up his first shop in Boston, Massachusetts.
His tailored skirt suits and elegant dresses soon attracted the attention of political figures in Washington, among them Joan Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson.
Actresses Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn also wore his creations.
Ann Romney, 63, had been a supporter of his ever since her husband Mitt was governor of Massachusetts.
On the campaign trail, relatively unknown Alfred Fiandaca earned recognition for being the go-to designer for the Republican candidate’s wife.
Fashion designer Alfred Fiandaca, who was responsible for many of Ann Romney’s campaign outfits, has died at the age of 72
Ann Romney wore a crisp cream-colored skirt suit from his fall 2006 collection to the first presidential debate.
And the edgy black leather skirt suit she sported on the Jay Leno show was also one of his creations.
Although Alfred Fiandaca was a Democrat, he had no qualms about dressing the wife of the former Republican hopeful, both of whom he counted as friends.
In an interview with New York Magazine last year, Alfred Fiandaca’s rep described him as “apolitical”, noting that he had dressed just as many Democrats as Republicans.
Alfred Fiandaca’s designs are sold in boutiques in Boston and Palm Beach, as well as an atelier in Manhattan’s Garment District.
He was known among friends and in social circles in New York and Palm Beach for his outgoing and friendly demeanor.
A third-generation member of the garment trade, Alfred Fiandaca began cutting clothes when he was only nine.
His glamorous designs have earned him recognition in the art world as well as the fashion world.
In 2000, the Massachusetts College of Art presented an exhibition on Alfred Fiandaca’s forty years of work, as well as creating a scholarship in his name.
President Barack Obama is set to make gun control – as well as taxes and spending – a key part of his 2013 State of the Union speech after the first lady invited the parents of the slain Chicago teenager who has become the poster child for gun violence in the president’s home city.
Barack Obama is also expected to press Congress for additional tax hikes, fewer spending cuts, outreach for military families and immigration reform, which is shaping up to be a key part of his second term agenda.
The agenda Barack Obama will outline will include more money for infrastructure, clean energy technologies and manufacturing jobs, as well as expanding access to early childhood education.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama would outline “his plan to create jobs and grow the middle class” as the nation struggles with persistently high unemployment.
President Barack Obama is set to make gun control, as well as taxes and spending, a key part of his 2013 State of the Union speech
President Barack Obama’s talking points:
Gun control: A mission since December’s Sandy Hook massacre, Barack Obama has pushed for intensified background checks and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Immigration reform: Barack Obama’s proposed plan would put 11 million undocumented residents on the path to American citizenship.
Tax hikes: The president is looking to ramp up tax hikes on the wealthy in an effort to repair the economy while stabilizing the middle class.
Military families: Barack Obama is expected to call for increased outreach to those closest to those fighting overseas
Clean energy initiatives: The development of and investments in clean energy has long been a priority of the Obama administration as part of his ongoing effort to bolster the economy.
Pope Benedict XVI is to resign from his office at the end of this month. The Pontiff says he is too old to continue at the age of 85.
The move has come as a shock, but in theory, there has never been anything stopping Pope Benedict XVI – or any of his predecessors – taking a piece of paper out of his writing desk and drafting a letter of resignation to hand to the College of Cardinals, the supreme electoral body of the Catholic Church.
Under Canon Law, the only conditions for the validity of such a resignation are that it be made freely and be properly published.
But no pope has done this in modern times, until now.
In 2005, it was revealed that Pope John Paul II had considered resigning five years previously, when he was 80. In his will and testament, he had said he hoped God “would help me to recognize how long I must continue this service”.
There has also been persistent speculation by historians that during World War II, Pope Pius XII drew up a document stating that if he were to be kidnapped by the Nazis he was to be considered to have resigned, and a successor should be chosen.
As the Vatican has delayed the full release of its archives relating to Pius’s pontificate, because of a dispute over his reaction to the Nazi Holocaust, there is no means of verifying whether this is true.
Going back further in time, the last case of a pope resigning dates back a further five centuries. Pope Gregory XII – who reigned from 1406 to 1415 – did so to end what was called the Western Schism.
There were three rival claimants to the papal throne at that time – the Roman Pope Gregory XII, the Avignon Pope Benedict XIII, and the Antipope John XXIII. Before resigning, Gregory XII formally convened a Church Council and authorized it to elect his successor.
Pope Benedict XVI is to resign from his office at the end of this month
The only other significant example of a papal resignation dates back even further in time.
In 1294, Pope Celestine V, only five months after his election, issued a solemn decree declaring it permissible for a pope to resign and then did so.
He lived for two further years as a hermit, and was later declared a saint. The decree that he issued ended any doubt among canon lawyers about the validity of a papal resignation.
But Pope Benedict’s decision to lay down his high office will come as a genuine shock to Catholics all over the world.
He has presided over the Catholic Church during a period when repeated accusations of sex abuse were made against the clergy.
But throughout that time, the Vatican vigorously defended Benedict’s papacy and his record during the period when he was Cardinal Archbishop of Munich and subsequently head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the watchdog Vatican department responsible for disciplining priests guilty of bad conduct.
Some earlier popes who stood down
Martin I (649-655): Exiled to Crimea by Roman emperor Constans II, where he was imprisoned and tortured – after his death he was made a saint
Benedict V (964): Forced to stand down by Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, who had another preferred candidate
Benedict IX (1032-45): Sold papacy to his godfather, then had change of mind and tried to seize it back – he was later excommunicated
Pope Benedict XVI is to resign on February 28, 2013, at the age of 85. He is thought to the first pontiff to have stepped down since Gregory XII in 1415.
Canon Law states: “If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone.”
Pope Benedict’s resignation has set in motion the centuries-old process of electing a new pope.
The Dean of the College of Cardinals, the 85-year-old Italian Angelo Sodano, would be responsible for the convoking a meeting of cardinals for the papal election – or Conclave.
Popes are chosen by the College of Cardinals – the Church’s most senior officials, appointed by the Pope and usually ordained bishops – who are summoned to a meeting.
There are currently 203 cardinals from 69 countries. The rules of the Conclave were changed in 1975 to exclude all cardinals over the age of 80 and the maximum number of cardinal electors is 120. During the forthcoming Conclave, there will be 117 cardinals who are younger than 80 and thereby eligible to vote.
Sixty-seven of these were appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, and 50 by his predecessor John Paul II. About half (61) are European, and 21 are Italian. There will also be 19 Latin Americans, 14 North Americans, 11 Africans, 11 Asians and one cardinal from Oceania among the voters.
During the time between the Pope’s resignation and the election of his successor, the college of cardinals will govern the Church, headed by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, as the cardinal camerlengo – or chamberlain.
It is his job to supervise the whole election process, with secret votes being held twice daily inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. During the Conclave, cardinals reside within the Vatican and are not permitted any contact with the outside world.
During this period all the cardinals – retirees included – will begin to discuss in strict secrecy the merits of likely candidates.
The cardinals do not have to choose one of their own number – theoretically any baptized male Catholic can be elected pope – but tradition says that they will almost certainly give the job to a cardinal.
The Vatican talks about the cardinals being guided by the Holy Spirit. But although open campaigning is forbidden, a papal election is still a highly political process.
The coalition-builders have about two weeks to forge alliances and senior cardinals who may themselves have little chance of becoming pope can still exert a considerable influence over the others.
The election of a pope is conducted in conditions of secrecy unique in the modern world.
The cardinals are shut away in the Vatican until they reach agreement – the meaning of the word conclave indicating that they are literally locked up “with a key”.
The election process can take days. In previous centuries it has gone on for weeks or months and some cardinals have even died during conclaves.
The process is designed to prevent any of the details of the voting emerging, either during or after the conclave. The threat of excommunication hangs over anyone tempted to break this silence.
John Paul II changed the rules of the Conclave so a Pope could be elected by simple majority. But Benedict XVI changed the requirements back so that a two-thirds-plus-one vote is required, meaning the man elected is likely to be a compromise candidate.
Before the voting begins in the Sistine Chapel, the entire area is checked by security experts to ensure there are no hidden microphones or cameras.
Once the conclave has begun, the cardinals eat, vote and sleep within closed-off areas until a new pope has been chosen.
They are allowed no contact with the outside world – barring a medical emergency. All radios and television sets are removed, no newspapers or magazines are allowed in, and mobile phones are banned.
Two doctors are allowed into the conclave, as well as priests who are able to hear confessions in various languages and housekeeping staff.
Pope Benedict XVI is to resign on February 28, 2013, at the age of 85
All these staff have to swear an oath promising to observe perpetual secrecy, and undertake not to use sound or video recording equipment.
Voting is held in the Sistine Chapel, “where everything is conducive to an awareness of the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be judged”.
On the day the conclave begins, the cardinals celebrate Mass in the morning before walking in procession to the chapel.
Once the cardinals are inside the conclave area, they have to swear an oath of secrecy. Then, the Latin command “extra omnes” (“everyone out”) instructs all those not involved in the election to leave before the doors are closed.
The cardinals have the option of holding a single ballot on the afternoon of the first day. From the second day, two ballots are held in the morning and two in the afternoon.
The ballot paper is rectangular. Printed on the upper half are the words “Eligio in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”). Below is a space for the name of the person chosen. The cardinals are instructed to write the name in a way that does not identify them, and to fold the paper twice.
After all the votes have been cast, the papers are mixed, counted and opened.
As the papers are counted, one of the scrutineers calls out the names of those cardinals who have received votes. He pierces each paper with a needle – through the word “Eligio” – placing all the ballots on a single thread.
The ballot papers are then burned – giving off the smoke visible to onlookers outside which traditionally turns from black to white once a new pope has been chosen.
Damp straw was once added to the stove to turn the smoke black, but over the years there has often been confusion over the color of the smoke. More recently a dye has been used.
If a second vote is to take place immediately, the ballots from the first vote are put on one side and then burned together with those from the second vote. The process continues until one candidate has achieved the required majority.
Pope John Paul II changed the rules of election in 1996. Previously, a candidate had to secure a majority of two-thirds plus one to be elected pope.
John Paul II ruled that the voting could shift to a simple majority after about 12 days of inconclusive voting.
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI passed a decree reverting back to the two-thirds plus one vote majority, thus encouraging cardinals to reach consensus, rather than one bloc backing a candidate with more than half the votes and then holding out for 12 days to ensure his election.
If after three days of balloting nobody has gained the two-thirds majority, voting is suspended for a maximum of one day to allow a pause for prayer, informal discussion and what is described as “a brief spiritual exhortation” by the senior cardinal in the Order of Deacons.
At the end of the election, a document is drawn up giving the results of the voting at each session, and handed over to the new pope. It is kept in an archive in a sealed envelope, which can be opened only on the orders of the pope.
The only clue about what is going on inside the Sistine Chapel is the smoke that emerges twice a day from burning the ballot papers. Black signals failure. The traditional white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.
After the election of the new pope has been signaled by white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney, there will be a short delay before his identity is finally revealed to the world.
Once one candidate has attained the required majority, he is then asked: “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?”
Having given his consent, the new pope is asked: “By what name do you wish to be called?”
After he has chosen a name, the other cardinals then approach the new pope to make an act of homage and obedience.
The new pope also has to be fitted into his new robes. The papal tailor will have prepared garments to dress a pope of any size – small, medium or large – but some last-minute adjustments may be required.
Then, from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, the traditional announcement will echo around the square: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum… habemus papam!” – “I announce to you a great joy… we have a pope!”
His name is then revealed, and the newly-elected pontiff will make his first public appearance.
After saying a few words, the pope will give the traditional blessing of Urbi et Orbi – “to the city and the world” – and a new pontificate will have begun.
President Barack Obama has presented the Medal of Honor to former Staff Sgt Clinton Romesha for his heroism during a huge firefight in Afghanistan.
Sgt Clinton Romesha, 31, led a battle against hundreds of Taliban fighters four years ago.
About 50 US soldiers were at Combat Outpost Keating near Pakistan when it was almost overrun by insurgents.
Clinton Romesha is the fourth living veteran of Afghanistan or Iraq to receive America’s highest military award.
The father-of-three lives with his family in Minot, North Dakota, and works in oil-field safety.
According to the Army’s official narrative, at about 06:00 on 3 October 2009, some 400 Taliban fighters targeted Combat Outpost Keating in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, while many key US officers were off base.
The outpost was surrounded on four sides by insurgents who had occupied the high ground and began to attack with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), mortars, heavy machine-gun fire and small-arms fire.
Sgt Clinton Romesha is said to have frequently exposed himself to withering enemy fire as he led the fightback.
He killed a team of machine-gun fighters, and was peppered with shrapnel when an RPG landed close to his position.
Ignoring his wounds, Sgt Clinton Romesha then killed more enemy fighters, including a nest of machine-gunners and a sniper.
He then killed three Taliban fighters as they were breaching the outpost’s perimeter.
President Barack Obama has presented the Medal of Honor to former Staff Sgt Clinton Romesha for his heroism during a huge firefight in Afghanistan
Sgt Clinton Romesha also led a team to secure an ammunition supply point and then turned his attention to defending a vulnerable entry point.
From there, he was able to pinpoint the origin of enemy fire at a nearby village, Urmul, and at an Afghan National Police checkpoint that had been seized by the insurgents.
According to the official narrative, he helped to direct air support and 120 mm mortars to target the enemy positions.
Finally, Sgt Clinton Romesha helped wounded troops to withdraw to a safe location and recovered the bodies of two soldiers who died in the attack.
Eight US soldiers were killed and other 22 were wounded, including Sgt Clinton Romesha.
The official citation says that Sgt Clinton Romesha personally killed 10 Taliban fighters and was instrumental in the deaths of another 35.
Last month, after learning he would get the award, Clinton Romesha told a news conference: “You’re not going to back down in the face of adversity like that. We were just going to win, plain and simple.”
It seems Karrueche Tran has finally moved on after her split from Chris Brown as she showed off her latest boyfriend J. Ryan La Cour at the Grammys on Sunday.
Karrueche Tran dragged self-styled public relations mogul J. Ryan La Cour along as they partied with the likes of Drake and Diddy in Los Angeles.
The couple enjoyed refreshments at the star-studded bash held by drink giants Hennessy at the trendy Hyde nightclub.
Karrueche Tran smiled for the cameras for a series of photos posted online by the charismatic young professional on his Twitter page.
It will surely be a relief to the model and designer’s legion of fans, as even in recent weeks she has been speaking about Chris Brown, who she dated between 2010 and 2012.
It seems Karrueche Tran has finally moved on after her split from Chris Brown as she showed off her latest boyfriend J. Ryan La Cour at the Grammys on Sunday
Just last month Karrueche Tran said: “At the end of the day, he will always be a friend. We’ll always care about each other.
“We won’t allow that to interfere. Our business is business.
“It’s a lot going on but it could be a lot worse, and that’s how I look at life. I take it for what it is.
“I move forward, grow from it and at this point, that’s what I’m doing.
“I’m not gonna sit and dwell and become consumed in that negativity because I could very much be that person, especially when things are so public and so thrown in my face.
“But like I said, things can be much worse. So I’m good.”
Meanwhile Chris Brown was at another part of town whisking away his lover Rihanna, who he was convicted of beating back in 2009, in his fancy sports car.
Luxury smartphone maker Vertu has launched Vertu Ti, its first Android-operated handset.
The Vertu Ti costs 7,900 euros and is made at the firm’s headquarters in Church Crookham, Hampshire.
The device had a titanium frame and sapphire screen but was not 4G-enabled, said its designer Hutch Hutchison.
Until last year the company was owned by Nokia and specialized in highly priced handsets designed for the Symbian operating system.
Vertu had chosen Android over Windows as an operating system because it was more established, said chief executive Perry Oosting.
“You need to be part of an ecosystem,” he said.
“Your device will have to integrate with other devices. I think the Windows phone will have success but it is still a relatively small market share. At the moment it doesn’t have the global reach of Android – which is about 60% of the market.”
Head of design Hutch Hutchison said that Vertu was not interested in being a tech pioneer.
“Vertu will never be at the bleeding edge of technology,” he said.
“It has to be about relevant technology and craftsmanship – it’s not a disposable product.”
Luxury smartphone maker Vertu has launched Vertu Ti, its first Android-operated handset
The firm is also not focused on the mass market, with just 326,000 Vertu smartphone owners worldwide after 10 years in the industry.
“We don’t make massive numbers of phones and the price point is reflective of that,” said Perry Oosting.
Each device is assembled by hand. The name and signature of the person who assembled the phone is laser inscribed onto the inside lid of the SIM card holder.
Vertu handsets can only be purchased in 500 retail outlets, 70 of which are the company’s own boutiques, around the world.
Each device has a “concierge” button that connects the caller with a global team who can provide localized advice and help with events and restaurant bookings.
Weighing 180 g (6oz), the Vertu Ti is heavier than most current generation smartphones – the Samsung Galaxy S3 weighs 118 g and the iPhone 5 is 112 g.
One reason for this is that it has been designed for intense durability. One handset – and its screen – remained intact and working after being accidentally run over by a delivery truck.
“People think sapphire is just posh glass,” said Hutch Hutchison.
“But sapphire is to glass what steel is to blancmange. The only thing that scratches it is a diamond.”
Vertu does not release figures but says sales have increased every year for the past 10 – with the exception of 2008, when the bank Lehman Brothers collapsed.
It also says China is its biggest market.
Other luxury brands such as Tag Heuer and Goldvish are also now competing in the niche yet lucrative space for handsets costing thousands of pounds.
However some experts believe the wider market is moving towards lower-end smartphones.
Huawei has just launched a budget Windows device in Africa and there are rumors of a cheap version of the iPhone 5.
According to researchers, dogs are more capable of understanding situations from a human’s point of view than has previously been recognized.
They found dogs were four times more likely to steal food they had been forbidden, when lights were turned off so humans in the room could not see.
This suggested the dogs were able to alter their behavior when they knew their owners’ perspective had changed.
The study, published in Animal Cognition, conducted tests on 84 dogs.
The experiments had been trying to find whether dogs could adapt their behavior in response to the changed circumstances of their human owners.
It wanted to see if dogs had a “flexible understanding” that could show they understood the viewpoint of a human.
It found that when the lights were turned off, dogs in a room with their human owners were much more likely to disobey and steal forbidden food.
The study says it is “unlikely that the dogs simply forgot that the human was in the room” when there was no light. Instead it seems as though the dogs were able to differentiate between when the human was unable or able to see them.
The experiments had been designed with enough variations to avoid false associations – such as dogs beginning to associate sudden darkness with someone giving them food, researchers said.
According to researchers, dogs are more capable of understanding situations from a human’s point of view than has previously been recognized
Dr. Juliane Kaminski, from the University of Portsmouth’s psychology department, said the study was “incredible because it implies dogs understand the human can’t see them, meaning they might understand the human perspective”.
This could also be important in understanding the capacities of dogs that have to interact closely with humans, such as guide dogs for the blind and sniffer dogs.
Previous studies have suggested that although humans might think that they can recognize different expressions on their dogs’ faces, this is often inaccurate and a projection of human emotions.
“Humans constantly attribute certain qualities and emotions to other living things. We know that our own dog is clever or sensitive, but that’s us thinking, not them,” said Dr. Juliane Kaminski.
“These results suggest humans might be right, where dogs are concerned, but we still can’t be completely sure if the results mean dogs have a truly flexible understanding of the mind and others’ minds. It has always been assumed only humans had this ability.”
Pope Benedict XVI will not interfere in choosing his successor after his shock decision to resign at the end of the month, the pontiff’s brother has said.
Georg Ratzinger said the Pope would only “make himself available” if he were needed.
Pope Benedict XVI said on Monday he would resign after nearly eight years as the head of the Catholic Church because he was too old to continue at the age of 85.
The Vatican now says it expects a new Pope to be elected before Easter.
The unexpected development – the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years – surprised governments, Vatican-watchers and even Benedict’s closest aides.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 after John Paul II’s death.
In theory there has never been anything stopping Pope Benedict or any of his predecessors from stepping aside.
Under the Catholic Church’s governing code, Canon Law, the only conditions for the validity of such a resignation are that it be made freely and be properly published.
But resignation is extremely rare: the last Pope to step aside was Pope Gregory XII, who resigned in 1415 amid a schism within the Church.
Georg Ratzinger said his brother had been advised by his doctor not to take any more transatlantic trips and had been considering stepping down for months.
He said the resignation therefore was part of a “natural process”.
And he added: “Where he’s needed he will make himself available, but he will not want to want to intervene in the affairs of his successor.”
The next Pope will be chosen by members of a 117-strong conclave held in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
Analysts say Europeans are still among the favorites, including the current Archbishop of Milan, Angelo Scola, and Christoph Schoenbron – a former Austrian student of Benedict.
But strong candidates could emerge from Africa and Latin America, which both have very large Catholic populations. Among the names being mentioned are Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson and Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria.
Pope Benedict XVI will not interfere in choosing his successor after his shock decision to resign at the end of the month
Pope Benedict XVI was to retire to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo when he leaves office, the Vatican said, before moving into a renovated monastery used by cloistered nuns for “a period of prayer and reflection”.
At 78, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was one of the oldest popes in history at his election.
He took the helm as one of the fiercest storms the Catholic Church has faced in decades – the scandal of child sex abuse by priests – was breaking.
The pontiff said in his Monday’s statement: “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.
“I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.”
A theological conservative before and during his time as Pope, he has taken traditional positions on homosexuality and women priests, while urging abstinence and continuing opposition to the use of contraceptives.
His attempts at inter-faith relations were mixed, with Muslims, Jews and Protestants all taking offence at various times, despite his efforts to reach out and make visits to key holy sites, including those in Jerusalem.
Pope Benedict XVI
At 78, one of the oldest new popes in history when elected in 2005
Born in Germany in 1927, joined Hitler Youth during WWII and was conscripted as an anti-aircraft gunner but deserted
As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger spent 24 years in charge of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – once known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition
A theological conservative, with uncompromising views on homosexuality and women priests
Possible successors
Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, 64
Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada, 68
Archbishop Angelo Scola of Milan, 71
Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, 80
Archbishop Christoph Schoenborn of Vienna, 67
Archbishop Odilo Pedro Scherer of Sao Paulo, 63
Gianfranco Ravasi – President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, 70
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, 55
North Korea confirms it has successfully carried out its third underground nuclear test, a move that has drawn international condemnation.
Pyongyang said the test involved a “miniaturized” device and was carried out in a “perfect manner”.
The confirmation came three hours after seismic activity was detected at North Korea’s nuclear test site.
President Barack Obama called for “swift” and “credible” international action in response.
He said the “provocative” nuclear test did not make North Korea more secure, adding that Washington would remain vigilant and steadfast in its defence commitments to its allies in Asia.
The United Nations had warned of “significant consequences” if Pyongyang went ahead.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the test as a “clear and grave violation” of UN resolutions and a “deeply destabilizing” provocation.
The Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting at 14:00 GMT on Tuesday in New York, diplomats say.
North Korea previously conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. It announced in January that it would conduct a third as a response to UN sanctions that were expanded after its December rocket launch.
Confirmation of the test came in a statement from state-run KCNA news agency.
“It was confirmed that the nuclear test that was carried out at a high level in a safe and perfect manner using a miniaturized and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously did not pose any negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment,” KCNA said.
North Korea confirms it has successfully carried out its third underground nuclear test, a move that has drawn international condemnation
The claim to have tested a “miniaturized” device is likely to alarm observers. The US and North Korea’s neighbors fear Pyongyang’s ultimate goal is to produce a nuclear device small enough to fit on a long-range missile, something it is not yet believed to have mastered.
In December it put a satellite into space using a three-stage rocket – a move condemned by the UN as a banned test of missile technology.
North Korea said the nuclear test – which comes on the eve of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address – was to “to protect our national security and sovereignty against the reckless hostility of the United States”.
It is the first such test under new leader Kim Jong-un, who took over the leadership after his father Kim Jong-il died in December 2011.
Activity had been observed at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site for several months.
Seismic activity was then detected by monitoring agencies from several nations at 11:57 a.m. A shallow earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 was recorded, the US Geological Survey said.
Both South Korea and Japan convened emergency meetings of their national security teams shortly afterwards.
“This is an unacceptable threat to the security of the Korean peninsula and north-east Asia, and a challenge to the whole international community,” South Korea’s presidential national security adviser Chun Young-woo said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his government would “consider every possible way to address this issue”.
The US, South Korea and Japan had all warned Pyongyang not to go ahead with the test. China, North Korea’s closest ally and biggest trading partner, had also called for restraint.
Turkish police investigating the murder of Sarai Sierra have honed in on five people after collecting 51 DNA samples, it was revealed today.
Though authorities will not have results for two weeks, they have managed to narrow it down to a small group of Sarai Sierra’s internet contacts as well as the homeless people who were at the scene when her body was found.
One person who is believed to be talking to investigators is Ammer Reduron, who Sarai Sierra connected with on Instagram in the months before her trip and stayed with while she was in Amsterdam.
Little is known about the 31-year-old Dutch national, but last year he posted on a site similar to Craigslist that he lives in an immigrant ghetto in Amsterdam called Zuidoost.
Last week, Ammer Reduron claimed he was not a suspect and admitted Sarai Sierra stayed with him when she went to Amsterdam on a side trip – also saying her husband Steven knew this and was OK with it as the two were friends.
“Taking care of her,” he said last week.
“Meaning showing my city and being a good friend to her. She had a wonderful time here.”
Turkish police investigating the murder of Sarai Sierra have honed in on five people after collecting 51 DNA samples
On his Facebook, Ammer Reduron “checks in” at Amsterdam airport on January 15, which is purportedly when he went to pick up Sarai Sierra.
On January 23 – ten days before her body was found in Istanbul, Sarai Sierra’s sister Christina Jiminez become Facebook friends with him.
Aware that he is under the intense scrutiny of both the FBI and the media, he denounced them both on his Instagram site, alongside a picture of two toy pigs placed in an assimilated sex position.
“Media writes, goes home, gets paid, pay bills and don’t give a sh*t only about some juicy stories with no real or fact checked stories. Police should do their work. If you fart on the planet the FBI is on yo [sic] ass with some satellite sh*t.”
Police however, are giving little away as to what they have uncovered in the investigation.
Mystery has surrounded the death of 33-year-old Sarai Sierra since her body was found at a run-down area of Istanbul on February 2. She failed to make the flight back to New York on January 22.
PepsiCo Inc. has launched new drink KickStart that has Mountain Dew flavor but is made with 5% juice and Vitamins B and C, along with an extra jolt of caffeine.
PepsiCo is hoping to boost sales by reaching Mountain Dew fans at a new time of day: morning.
The company said it doesn’t consider KickStart to be an energy drink, noting that it still has far less caffeine than drinks like Monster and Red Bull and none of the mysterious ingredients that have raised concerns among lawmakers and consumer advocates.
But KickStart, which comes in flavors such as “energizing orange citrus” and “energizing fruit punch”, could nevertheless give the company a side-door into the fast-growing energy drink market without getting tangled in any of its controversies.
The drink comes in the same 16-ounce cans as popular energy drinks made by Monster Beverage Corp., which also offers options with juice content. And the TV ad features young men skateboarding, reminiscent of the marketing themes used by energy drink makers.
Simon Lowden, chief marketing officer for PepsiCo’s Americas beverages, says the idea for KickStart came about after the company learned through consumer research that Mountain Dew fans were looking for an alternative to traditional morning drinks such as coffee, tea and juice.
“They didn’t really see anything that fit their needs,” he said.
PepsiCo has launched KickStart that has Mountain Dew flavor but is made with 5 percent juice and Vitamins B and C, along with an extra jolt of caffeine
Simon Lowden said KickStart was developed independently from a Taco Bell breakfast drink introduced last year that combines Mountain Dew and orange juice. PepsiCo says KickStart, which is carbonated, is also not a soda because its 5 percent juice content qualifies it to be considered a “juice drink” under guidelines set by the FDA. A spokeswoman for the FDA said the agency doesn’t have definitions for what qualifies as a soda or an energy drink.
With the growth of energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull expected to slow, KickStart could also signal the emergence of a new category that plays off the promise of energy and other health benefits, said John Sicher, publisher of the trade journal Beverage Digest.
In a nod to the growing concerns about sugary drinks, for example, KickStart also uses artificial sweeteners to reduce its caloric content to about half that of regular soda; a can has 80 calories.
“It’s a very interesting experiment capturing a number of attributes,” John Sicher said, likening it to Starbucks’ Refreshers drinks, which promise ‘natural energy’ from green coffee extract.
The promise of “energy” has been a big seller in the beverage industry in recent years, with the energy drink market increasing 17% in 2011 even as broader soft drink consumption has continued to decline, according to Beverage Digest.
PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Co. have largely watched that growth from the sidelines, however, with players such as Monster Beverage and Red Bull dominating the market.
But the surging popularity of energy drinks has also led to sharper scrutiny. This summer, New York’s attorney general launched an investigation into the marketing prices of energy drink makers including Monster and PepsiCo, which also makes Amp. Lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups have also called on the FDA to investigate the safety of the high levels of caffeine in energy drinks for younger people.
Although KickStart may look like an energy drink, it has far less caffeine, at 92 milligrams for a 16-ounce can. A comparable amount of regular Mountain Dew would have 72 milligrams of caffeine while a can of PepsiCo’s Amp energy drink has 142 milligrams, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
By comparison, a 16-ounce cup of Starbucks coffee has 330 milligrams of caffeine.
Facebook is facing legal action from Rembrandt Social Media over its use of the “Like” button and other features of the social network.
Facebook is being sued by a patent-holding company acting on behalf of a dead Dutch programmer called Joannes Jozef Everardus van Der Meer.
Rembrandt Social Media said Facebook’s success was based, in part, on using two of Joannes Jozef Everardus van Der Meer’s patents without permission.
Facebook said it had no comment to make on the lawsuit or its claims.
A lawsuit has been filed in a federal court in Virginia by Rembrandt Social Media.
“We believe Rembrandt’s patents represent an important foundation of social media as we know it, and we expect a judge and jury to reach the same conclusion based on the evidence,” said lawyer Tom Melsheimer from legal firm Fish and Richardson, which represents the patent holder.
Rembrandt now owns patents for technologies Joannes Jozef Everardus van Der Meer used to build a fledgling social network, called Surfbook, before his death in 2004.
Facebook is facing legal action from Rembrandt Social Media over its use of the “Like” button and other features of the social network
Joannes Jozef Everardus van Der Meer was granted the patents in 1998, five years before Facebook first appeared.
Surfbook was a social diary that let people share information with friends and family and approve some data using a “like” button, according to legal papers filed by Fish and Richardson.
The papers also say Facebook is aware of the patents as it has cited them in its own applications to patent some social networking technologies.
Also cited in the same legal claim was another social media company called Add This.
UK retailer Tesco’s DNA tests have revealed that some of its Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese contain 60% horsemeat.
The meal, withdrawn from sale on Tuesday, came from the French factory producing Findus beef lasagne, also at the centre of a row over horsemeat.
Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has told MPs of plans to test all processed beef in the UK.
Romania has rejected claims that it was responsible for wrongly labeling horsemeat from its abattoirs.
Tesco took the frozen bolognese off the shelves when it found out Findus was concerned about the source of its meat at the Comigel processing plant in Metz, north-eastern France.
It is one of several products that have been withdrawn from UK shelves amid the current scandal over horsemeat in food products in the UK and Europe.
Tesco Group technical director Tim Smith said: “The frozen Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese should contain only Irish beef from our approved suppliers. The source of the horsemeat is still under investigation by the relevant authorities.
“The level of contamination suggests that Comigel was not following the appropriate production process for our Tesco product and we will not take food from their facility again.
“We are very sorry that we have let customers down.”
Owen Paterson told MPs he had called in representatives of all Britain’s producers, retailers and distributors and “made it clear” he expected to see immediate testing of all processed beef products across the supply chain.
He said testing should take place every three months, and the Food Standards Agency should be notified of results.
Owen Paterson told representatives from the British Retail Consortium, the Food and Drink Federation, the British Meat Processors Association, the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, the Institute of Grocery Distribution and individual retailers that he expected to see:
“meaningful results from this testing by the end of this week”;
“more testing of products for horse along the supply chain and that the industry must co-operate fully with the FSA on this”;
“publication of industry test results every three months through the FSA”;
“and that they let the FSA know as soon as they become aware of a potential problem in their products”.
Tesco’s DNA tests have revealed that some of its Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese contain 60 percent horsemeat
In the Commons, Labour’s Mary Creagh accused Owen Paterson of being too slow to respond as incidents emerged.
“The secretary of state had to be called back to London from his long weekend to deal with the crisis,” she claimed.
“Until Saturday’s panic summit, he hadn’t actually met the food industry to address this crisis.”
News of the tests came after Romanian PM Victor Ponta earlier on Monday denied two abattoirs in his country sold horsemeat purported to be beef to European food companies.
The abattoirs had been linked to the contamination of processed meat products sold in Europe. Victor Ponta said checks were carried out and there had been no breach of rules and standards.
In France, consumer affairs minister Benoit Hamon said that the whole of the food industry would be under heightened surveillance, with more random sampling of products and wider use of DNA tests to determine the origin of meat.
French inspectors were at the Comigel headquarters in Metz in north-eastern France on Monday. Findus meals were made by the company at its Luxembourg factory.
Investigators were also at the offices in the south of France of the importer Spanghero, which brought the meat to France from Romania.
Last week Findus UK took its frozen beef lasagne, made by Comigel, off the shelves after some samples were found to contain up to 100% horsemeat.
Seven French supermarkets have withdrawn frozen ready-meals made by the company.
The controversy surrounding contamination of meat products has also affected firms in the Irish Republic and Poland.
Last month, Irish food inspectors announced they had found horsemeat in some burgers stocked by a number of UK supermarket chains, including Tesco, Iceland and Lidl.
And on Monday night, one Dutch supermarket chain took its Prima Frost brand of lasagne off the shelves amid fears it may contain horsemeat.
Owen Paterson said he would meet with his European counterparts and the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy Tonio Borg later this week in the wake of the scandal.
“At the moment this appears to be an issue of fraud and mis-labeling.
“But if anything suggests the need for changes to surveillance and enforcement in the UK we will not hesitate to make those changes,” he said.
A British hairdresser, who paid £26,000 ($42,000) of wages into the wrong bank account over two years has been left unable to get her missing money back – after the recipient spent it.
The woman logged onto the joint Nationwide account that she shares with her husband in May 2010 to arrange for £1,000 to be transferred into it from her HSBC business account each month.
But unbeknown to her, although she had entered the correct account name and sort code, she had keyed one digit of the account number incorrectly and the money was sent to the wrong person.
It has proved a costly mistake for the hairdresser – she didn’t realize that the money was being paid into the wrong account for more than two years, by which time some £26,650 had gone awry.
Unfortunately for her, the recipient of the money had spent it and is refusing to pay it back.
The building society says that there is nothing that it can do to retrieve the funds, and they can’t even identify the recipient due to data protection laws.
Although the hairdresser is legally entitled to demand the cash back, retrieving it in practice is a more complicated matter.
The woman told The Guardian: “Phone calls to Nationwide that night, many tears and numerous subsequent calls and letters, have left us with just £1,000 returned and a complete blank of information from Nationwide.
“We have been reluctant to tell anyone we know about the error, so have dwelled heavily on it ourselves.
“It leaves a sick feeling in my stomach to think someone has been spending all that hard-earned money and I’ve been going to work – running my own hairdresser’s business – when I could have been enjoying a little more time at home with my two sons.”
Hairdresser loses £26,000 by paying her wages into wrong Nationwide account for two years
The hairdresser did not realize that the cash wasn’t reaching her and her husband’s Nationwide account – the couple only receive online statements, she would only check the balance if she went to a cash machine and her husband sorted out all the bills.
Nationwide says that it has never encountered a case of “mis-applied credit” that went on for so long.
Although legally Nationwide can take funds wrongly attributed to an account back without the account holder’s permission up to six years after the error, the building society was unable to take the money back because it had already been withdrawn.
The building society says that they cannot tell if the funds were transferred to another account – the recipient withdrew the cash from ATMs.
Neither it nor HSBC are willing to reimburse the hairdresser as the mistake was down to customer error and they say that it could encourage fraud if they begin to pay back customers who transfer money to the wrong account.
Her family has been hit particularly hard by the loss of the money – her and her husband, a public sector worker, earn less than £50,000 a year between them and live in a modest semi-detached house.
The couple ended up going overdrawn for a period because they struggled without her income.
Taking her case to the Financial Services Ombudsman, the body which regulates banks and building societies might not help the hairdresser’s case either – it can only make a ruling if the bank has made a mistake and has no powers to get the money back from the other account holder.
Although the body says that it receives around 100 complaints about mis-applied credit each year, they are mostly from people who have wrongly been credited extra funds and believe that they should be able to keep the money.
Unfortunately for them, the law does not entitle them to a penny.
Jamie Foxx has riled conservatives after making a statement about black superiority during an NAACP awards ceremony.
Jamie Foxx declared that black people are the “most talented people in the world” at the 44th annual NAACP Image Awards, drawing the ire of conservative critics who took offense to what they considered a racist remark.
As the actor accepted the Entertainer of the Year Award during the February 1 ceremony, he praised other luminaries such as Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier, saying that he was humbled by the amazing people he shared the stage with.
“Black people are the most talented people in the world. I, it’s, I can’t explain it,” Jamie Foxx said.
“You can’t sit in this room and not watch Gladys Knight sing and go like, <<Golly, what in the world?>>.”
The site NewsBusters, which claims its mission is to expose the media’s bias toward the left, picked up on the comment and writer Noel Sheppard criticized Jamie Foxx for what he lambasted as a “really stupid” remark.
“Can you imagine the heat a white actor would get if he said at a nationally televised awards ceremony, <<White people are the most talented people in the world?>>,” Noel Sheppard wrote.
“Probably be the end of his or her career.”
Jamie Foxx declared that black people are the most talented people in the world at the 44th annual NAACP Image Awards
The site Red Alert Politics, which caters to young conservatives, described the comment as a “backhanded” criticism of “performers of all other races”.
“Foxx shouldn’t ignore other talented actors and singers who may not share his skin color,” wrote Kelsey Osterman.
It was hardly the first time Jamie Foxx had caused this sort of stir.
He took flak for at one point comparing President Barack Obama to Jesus. Some of the jokes he made on a recent Saturday Night Live episode to promote his new film Django Unchained didn’t sit well with some observers, either.
Jamie Foxx said on the comedy show that, in Quentin Tarantino’s latest history-revising revenge-fantasy, he plays a freed slave who kills “all the white people in the movie…How great is that?”.
In interviews after the release of the film, in which he is attempting to rescue his wife from a cruel slave owner played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx said he expected the movie would provoke strong reactions from the black community and he revealed how “every single thing in my life is built around race”.
Jamie Foxx said that black people are “always sensitive” about race and often see everything through a racial prism.
“As a black person it’s always racial,” Jamie Foxx reportedly said, according to the Daily News.
“I don’t necessarily speak it because you can’t,” the actor said.
British scientists identified 24 genes containing information that could lead to a drug to stop many children becoming short-sighted.
The discovery could spare families from spending a fortune on contact lenses, as well as the expense of laser surgery.
More importantly, the discovery would mean future generations would no longer be at risk of developing complications of short-sightedness that can lead to blindness in later life.
Short-sightedness is becoming more common as we spend more time indoors and in front of TV and computer screens.
Caused by overgrowth of the eyeball, it usually starts developing in childhood, and in severe cases can lead to macular degeneration and other forms of blindness.
The fact that the condition runs in families means that genes are involved.
Almost three years ago, the first gene that causes short-sightedness was identified by King’s College London researcher Chris Hammond.
Now, leading an international team of scientists and trawling through genetic data from 45,000 people from around the world, including the UK, he has found many more.
Prof. Chris Hammond said: “This study reveals for the first time a group of genes involved with myopia and that carriers of some of the genes have a ten-fold increased risk of developing the condition.”
British scientists identified 24 genes containing information that could lead to a drug to stop many children becoming short-sighted
Working out what the genes do and what goes wrong in short-sightedness could lead to eye drops or other drugs to treat the condition.
Prof Chris Hammond, whose research is detailed in the journal Nature Genetics, said: “Now we understand more about the genetic triggers for the condition, we can begin to explore other ways to prevent progression.
“It is an extremely exciting step forward which could potentially lead to better treatments or prevention in the future for millions around the world.”
However, the need for more research, plus rigorous testing, means any drug to prevent the condition is at least 15 years away.
As it would be aimed at children, it would have to be proved not to slow their overall growth, while still stopping their eyeballs from overdeveloping.
And genes are not the only factor behind the development of short-sightedness. A child’s lifestyle also plays a role, with too much time spent in front of a screen and lack of sunlight helping fuel the condition.
Azam Khan, the head of the Kumbh Mela festival organizing committee in India, has resigned a day after a stampede killed at least 36 people at the train station in the northern city of Allahabad.
State minister Azam Khan said he was “stepping down on moral grounds”.
The victims were among about 30 million Hindu pilgrims returning home after the main bathing day at the gathering.
Earlier, India’s railway minister said the stampede had been caused by too many people being on the platforms.
At least 39 others were injured in the stampede on Sunday evening. Most of the victims were women and children.
Sunday was the most auspicious of six bathing days at the Kumbh Mela, which is billed as the world’s biggest human gathering.
The festival, which is held every 12 years, expects 100 million bathers in total across its 55 days.
The present festival is also a Maha Kumbh Mela, which comes round only once every 144 years.
Hindus believe a festival dip at Sangam – at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers – will cleanse sins and help bring salvation.
“Though the incident took place outside the Kumbh Mela premises, I take moral responsibility and resign as the in-charge of the Kumbh,” Azam Khan, who is also a cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh state government, told reporters on Monday.
Earlier, Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the railways had made “adequate arrangements well in advance” to deal with the passenger rush during the festival. In addition to “112 routine trains, we also ran 69 special trains on Sunday”, he said.
The minister denied reports that the stampede had been caused after the railing of a pedestrian bridge leading to platform number six collapsed.
“There were too many people on the platforms. The station was overcrowded,” he said.
“Attempts are being made to decongest the railway station.”
Authorities said additional trains were being run on Monday to take people out of Allahabad.
Azam Khan, the head of the Kumbh Mela festival organizing committee in India, has resigned a day after a stampede killed at least 36 people at the train station in the northern city of Allahabad
Officials said tens of thousands of people were at the railway station at the time of the stampede.
Reports said ambulances could not get to the platform for two hours to evacuate the injured to hospital or retrieve the bodies because of the masses thronging the streets and the station.
After the stampede, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a statement, saying he was “deeply shocked to learn of the unfortunate incident… in which precious lives have been lost and many pilgrims to Kumbh Mela among other people have been injured”.
“I send my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families and wish those injured a speedy recovery,” he said.
Throughout Sunday, millions of pilgrims and holy men (sadhus) belonging to various Hindu monastic orders bathed at Sangam.
Carrying pennants, bow and arrow and banners, many danced and beat drums. Some arrived on gaudily decorated chariots. Others arrived on horses. Most were dressed in saffron.
The sadhus, many of them naked, dreadlocked and smeared in ash, ran to the river amid heavy security.
More than 14,000 policemen, along with paramilitary forces and commandos, were deployed to ensure security on Sunday.
Police officers, many of them on horseback, had a hard time controlling the crowds, as many of the bathers lingered to gaze at the colorful processions of the holy men.
Kumbh Mela chief Devesh Chaturvedi said “by evening the number of bathers had crossed 30 million”.
The bathing on Sunday took place at 18 main locations along the river bank.
The Kumbh Mela has its origins in Hindu mythology.
Many believe that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher of nectar, a few drops fell in the cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar – the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.
What is a Maha Kumbh Mela?
The Kumbh Mela is a mass pilgrimage in which Hindus gather in locations along the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical river Saraswati.
There are three different kinds of kumbh: an ardh (or half) kumbh is held every six years at two set locations; a purna (full) kumbh is held every 12 years at four set locations.
The 2013 gathering is a Maha Kumbh and that only happens after 12 purna kumbhs, every 144 years, and always at Allahabad. Astrology determines most aspects of the festival, including its exact date and length.
Kumbh Mela in numbers:
Number expected to bathe: 100 million
Number of days: 55
Area: 20 sq km (4,932 acres)
Drinking water: 80 million litres
Toilets: 35,000
Doctors: 243
Police: 30,000
Number united at lost-and-found centre since January 14: 40,000
Romanian PM Victor Ponta has denied allegations that two abattoirs in his country sold horsemeat purporting to be beef to European food companies.
Victor Ponta said checks had been carried out and there had been no breach of rules and standards.
The abattoirs had been linked to the contamination of processed meat products sold in Europe.
UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson is due to update MPs on the horsemeat scandal later on Monday.
The discovery of horsemeat in beef products has led to processed food being withdrawn from sale in Britain, France and Sweden.
Victor Ponta expressed anger that Romania had been blamed.
“From all the data we have at the moment, there is no breach of European rules committed by companies from Romania or on Romanian territory,” he told a news conference.
“I am very angry, to be honest.”
In France, the government has summoned meat industry representatives for crisis talks. Seven French supermarket chains have already withdrawn frozen ready meals made by Findus and food supplier Comigel.
An initial investigation found the meat originated from Romania. French investigators have visited two companies involved in the import and processing of meat to try to establish at what stage the horsemeat was labeled as beef.
Romanian PM Victor Ponta has denied allegations that two abattoirs in his country sold horsemeat purporting to be beef to European food companies
The UK government says that an “extensive” criminal conspiracy may have taken place.
UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: “This is a case of fraud and a conspiracy against the public, this is a criminal action, substituting one material for another.”
Legal action is set to begin in continental Europe on Monday, he added.
The controversy surrounding contamination of meat products has also affected firms in the Irish Republic and Poland.
Last month, Irish food inspectors announced they had found horsemeat in some burgers stocked by a number of UK supermarket chains, including Tesco, Iceland and Lidl.
Owen Paterson said a factory in Luxembourg, which has been linked to the French cases, had to issue warnings to 16 different countries. He said he did not know how widespread the problem was but “we have to be prepared for more unwelcome news”.
Tests were continuing and it was the responsibility of the retailers to “convince their consumers of the validity and quality of their products”, he said.
Owen Paterson added that the UK’s Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) advice was to continue buying and eating processed beef products, but if any evidence of a serious threat to health emerged “we will act very swiftly”.
The FSA has ordered food businesses to conduct authenticity tests on all beef products for significant levels of horsemeat and the deadline for the first set of results is Friday 15 February.
Last week Findus UK took its frozen beef lasagne, made by Comigel, off the shelves after some were found to have up to 100% horsemeat in them.
Findus UK said the only product on sale in the UK using ingredients from the French supplier had been its beef lasagne and all other beef products on sale in the UK had been DNA-tested and cleared.
The FSA has asked Findus to test their contaminated beef lasagne for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone as animals treated with “bute” are not allowed to enter the food chain. The results are expected in the next few days.
The Chief Medical Officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, said: “It’s understandable that people will be concerned, but it is important to emphasize that, even if bute is found to be present at low levels, there is a very low risk indeed that it would cause any harm to health.”
The Beatles’ 10-hour recording session for their debut album Please Please Me is to be recreated by musicians including Stereophonics and Mick Hucknall to mark its 50th anniversary.
The Beatles recorded almost all of the record in one day-long recording session on February 11, 1963.
BBC Radio 2 will broadcast live footage of the stars working on the 10 tracks at London’s Abbey Road Studios.
Gabrielle Aplin and I Am Kloot will also be part of the sessions.
Chart topping newcomer Gabrielle Aplin was the first to arrive at the legendary studio, with Radio 2 breakfast DJ Chris Evans and Welsh rockers the Stereophonics arriving in the same car minutes later.
Evans then joined frontman Kelly Jones outside the studio for a short busking session.
The DJ was in fine voice, despite fluffing some lines in their cover of The Beatles’ I Saw Her Standing There – which the band will perform in the studio later.
Kelly Jones said his favorite Beatles’ record was “probably Abbey Road” but “the great thing about the early albums was the sound of a band capturing their raw energy”.
The sessions for Please Please Me saw The Beatles playing live renditions of the songs which had formed the core of their recent live shows. The tracks were recorded largely as they were performed, with few overdubs or layering of instruments – which became common features of their later work.
The final track to be committed to tape was Twist And Shout, which had been held back over fears that John Lennon’s sore throat may not hold out if he performed it earlier in the day.
The Beatles’ 10-hour recording session for their debut album Please Please Me is to be recreated by musicians including Stereophonics and Mick Hucknall to mark its 50th anniversary
John Lennon sang the huge hit topless but was unable to go for a second take, so the initial recording was used.
Ian MacDonald, the late chronicler of Beatles recordings, wrote: “Trying for a second take, Lennon found he had nothing left and the session stopped there and then – but the atmosphere was still crackling.
“Nothing of that intensity had ever been recorded in a British pop studio.”
Initially, the Beatles’ producer George Martin had considered trying to capture the band’s stage show by making a live album at the Cavern Club, but the plan was dropped.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr already had four tracks they could put on the album – the singles Love Me Do and Please Please Me, plus the B-sides.
They needed 10 more to complete the album and were booked at Abbey Road amidst a hectic live schedule.
They had 30 gigs to perform in February including a tour with Helen Shapiro, plus a radio and TV show.
John Lennon had a cold and was drinking tea, milk and smoking while sucking lozenges for his throat.
They started recording at 10 a.m. and their first song was There’s A Place, which they managed in 13 takes.
Next was I Saw Her Standing There and several other followed in quick succession. Hold Me Tight also took 13 takes but it was dumped from the album, only to revived for their second album With The Beatles.
Although just two three-hour periods were booked for the recording, the band added a third which ended at 10.45pm.
Mark Lewisohn, in his book The Complete Beatles Chronicle, wrote: “There can scarcely have been 585 more productive minutes in the history of recorded music.”
Broadcaster Stuart Maconie said it was hard to imagine the original sessions.
“I got here this morning and what struck me was that there are so many people here – bands, crews, journalists – and how different it must have been that morning 50 years ago when the Beatles arrived in their van.
“I’m fascinated whether they knew they were changing the history of the world. Did they have an inkling? I wonder if McCartney knew?”
Pope Benedict XVI has announced today his resignation after nearly eight years as the head of the Catholic Church, saying he is too old to continue at the age of 85.
Here is the full text of Pope Benedict XVI statement from the Vatican:
“Dear Brothers,
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonisations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.
After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.
I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.
However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to steer the boat of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.
For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects.
And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff.
With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.”
Pope Benedict XVI has announced today his resignation after nearly eight years as the head of the Catholic Church, saying he is too old to continue at the age of 85
Music stars including Dave Grohl, Janelle Monae, LA Reid and Miguel have paid tribute to Whitney Houston, a year after her death, at the age of 48.
Whitney Houston died in her hotel room on February 11, 2012.
Speaking at a pre-Grammy gala in Los Angeles, Dave Grohl said Whitney Houston would be remembered “as one of the most iconic vocalists of all time.”
“Not only did she sell 800 bazillion records, but she’s [an] amazing singer.”
Dave Grohl was speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at music industry mogul Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party.
Whitney Houston had been due to attend last year’s event, but died hours before it took place.
R&B singer and actress Brandy said: “She was the greatest voice of all time and nobody will ever come close to touching her. I will never forget her.”
Miguel, who received a Grammy for best R&B song on Sunday night, added: “Whitney’s voice was powerful. She was dynamic. I would like her to be remembered for her voice and smile. I think she’d want to be celebrated.”
Whitney Houston remembered by music stars at pre-Grammy Gala
Contemporary soul singer Janelle Monae said she wanted to keep Houston’s “vision” alive.
“The <<regalness>> that she had, the class that she had. That’s something that I value.”
Record executive and X Factor judge Antonio “LA” Reid, who was being honored at the event, worked with Houston on the soundtrack to her hit movie The Bodyguard.
He said he liked to remember the more personal moments he had with Whitney Houston.
“I can’t sing, but I used to sing with Whitney, just for fun,” he said.
“Just that beautiful spirit and warm personality and that amazing voice.”
American Idol judge Randy Jackson said she would be remembered “as one of the greatest ever to grace a microphone. Greatest ever – that’s big”.
Johnny Depp, Sting, Ne-Yo, Quincy Jones and Patti Smith also attended the event at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, which was held in honor of Whitney Houston.
Whitney Houston accidentally drowned in her hotel bathroom. A coroner ruled that chronic cocaine use abuse and heart disease were also factors.
Her death sent shockwaves around the music industry, which was gathered in Los Angeles for the annual Grammy ceremony.
A last-minute tribute was arranged for the 2012 show, with singer Jennifer Hudson performing Whitney Houston’s biggest-selling single, I Will Always Love You.
