Syria war is everybody's problem

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: United States will give food and medical aid to rebel fighters for the first timeNEW: It's not clear how much that aid is worth, but $60 million will go to opposition councilNEW: "Behave as a human being," opposition leader urges Syrian presidentU.S. officials are considering more nonlethal military aidRome (CNN) -- The United States stepped further into Syria's civil war Thursday,...

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Pope leaves Vatican before abdication

Pope Benedict XVI gives final farewell at Vatican. (WGN - Chicago)...

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Wall Street rises on Bernanke, Italian bond auction

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street rose on Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reaffirmed his support of the Fed's stimulus policy, the latest U.S. earnings showed strength and an Italian bond auction drew ample demand, reassuring investors. In his second day before a congressional committee, Bernanke repeated testimony in which he defended the Fed's policy of buying bonds...

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Pistorius representatives name substance found

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Oscar Pistorius' representatives have named the substance found in his bedroom after the shooting death of his girlfriend as Testis compositum, and say it is an herbal remedy used "in aid of muscle recovery."A product called Testis compositum is also marketed as a sexual enhancer, good for lack of stamina. Some online retailers advertise oral and injectable forms as testosterone...

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‘Star Trek’ Beams Into Oscar Night

“Star Trek” fans got quite a treat last night during the Academy Awards last night (Feb. 24).Actors who portray major characters from the film and television versions of the iconic science fiction series made cameo appearances during the three-hour-long ceremony celebrating the best movies of 2012.William Shatner, the actor that played Starship Enterprise captain James T. Kirk in original series helped...

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Benedict: Pope aware of his flaws?

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his last Angelus Blessing to thousands of pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square on February 24.STORY HIGHLIGHTSSister Mary Ann Walsh: Pope Benedict acknowledged that he made mistakesWalsh: In firestorm over scholarly quotes about Islam, he went to great lengths to atoneWalsh: Similarly, he quickly reversed a decision that had angered Jews and repaired tiesEven his stepping...

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Kelly says win in Congressional primary a 'message' to the NRA

Robin Kelly has won the Democratic Primary in the race to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. in Illinois's 2nd Congressional District. ...

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Iran upbeat on nuclear talks, West wary

ALMATY (Reuters) - Iran gave an upbeat assessment of two days of nuclear talks with world powers that ended on Wednesday, but Western officials said Tehran must start taking concrete steps to ease mounting concerns about its atomic activity. The first negotiations between Iran and six world powers in eight months ended without a breakthrough in Almaty, but they agreed to meet again at...

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Wall Street rebounds from Italy drop, Bernanke defends policy

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks advanced on Tuesday, rebounding from a steep decline a day earlier after an inconclusive Italian election and on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony defending the central bank's bond-buying program. Major indexes had fallen more than 1 percent on Monday, with the S&P 500 dropping the most since November on voting in Italy where groups...

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AP source: Tom Brady gets 3-year extension

Tom Brady will be a Patriot until he is 40 years old.Brady agreed to a three-year contract extension with New England on Monday, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press. The extension is worth about $27 million and will free up nearly $15 million in salary cap room for the team, which has several younger players it needs to re-sign or negotiate new deals with.The person spoke...

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