xNews® World News: Pope presides over final general audience

Pope presides over final general audience

Pope presides over final general audience
Kenyan city fears violence re-run ahead of tight vote
VIDEO: Syria destruction alarms aid agencies
Kurdish rebel leader sees August withdrawal from Turkey: media
NZ man fatally attacked by shark, police open fire
Head of Mexico's powerful teachers' union jailed
Israel returns 6 wounded to Syria after treatment
NZ man fatally attacked by shark, police open fire
Australia cyclone upgraded as winds hit coast
Badges Lend Gravitas To Free Education Revolution
Getting the Right People into the Right Seats on the Bus is Essential to a Company's Success
EA Implements 'Single Identity' System (and Data Tracking) Across All Platforms
Australian Muslim activists lose free speech case
Israel repatriates six Syrians treated for civil war wounds
Parties may struggle to form government in Italy
Fire at illegal market In India kills at least 18
Kurdish rebel leader sees August withdrawal from Turkey: media
VIDEO: Tourists watch balloon tragedy unfold
Could TiVo And Roku Beat Apple To TV Nirvana?
FDA Wants to Regulate Drug Firms on the Internet. Its Targeting Facebook "Likes"

Pope presides over final general audience

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 11:06 PM PST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI is preparing for his final general audience, the weekly appointment he kept with the faithful and tourists to teach them about the Catholic faith.

Kenyan city fears violence re-run ahead of tight vote

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 11:10 PM PST

KISUMU, Kenya (Reuters) - Some businesses in Kisumu, Kenya's third-largest city, have reduced stock or closed ahead of Monday's presidential elections for fear of a repeat of the tribal violence that killed more than 1,200 people at the last such vote five years ago.

VIDEO: Syria destruction alarms aid agencies

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:39 PM PST

Aid agencies say they are shocked and appalled by the number of children killed in Syria last week.

Kurdish rebel leader sees August withdrawal from Turkey: media

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:15 PM PST

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan envisages the withdrawal of his fighters from Turkey by August under a draft peace plan sent to his group's leadership and Kurdish politicians, media reports said on Wednesday. Held in an island jail since his capture in 1999, Ocalan has been negotiating with Turkey's government since October the outlines of a deal to end a conflict which has killed 40,000 people since his fighters took up arms in 1984. ...

NZ man fatally attacked by shark, police open fire

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:52 PM PST

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand man was attacked and killed by a great white shark on Wednesday in a rare fatal shark incident in the country, prompting police to open fire. Police said they fired shots at the shark after a man was fatally bitten at Muriwai beach located around 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Auckland, one of many beaches dotted along the North Island's west coast that are known for their wild surf. Rescue crews were quoted by local media as saying the shark was a "white pointer", commonly known as a great white, measuring roughly 4 meters (13 feet) long. ...

Head of Mexico's powerful teachers' union jailed

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:54 PM PST

MEXICO CITY (AP) — One of Mexico's biggest political kingfish sits in a women's prison in the capital, accused of embezzling millions in funds from her teachers' union to pay for property, private planes, plastic surgery and her Neiman Marcus bill.

Israel returns 6 wounded to Syria after treatment

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:41 PM PST

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says six wounded Syrians have been returned to their country after receiving medical treatment in Israel.

NZ man fatally attacked by shark, police open fire

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:52 PM PST

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand man was attacked and killed by a great white shark on Wednesday in a rare fatal shark incident in the country, prompting police to open fire.

Australia cyclone upgraded as winds hit coast

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:32 PM PST

Cyclone Rusty upgraded to category four, as country's mining belt braces for more rains and destructive winds.

Badges Lend Gravitas To Free Education Revolution

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:35 PM PST

Just over a year ago, I wrote a column about badges, those digital displays of hyper-focused competency that migrated from foursquare, gaming, and e-commerce to education. I noted then that badges "won't supplant transcripts, majors, degrees, and resumes anytime soon," but that "they are a free or low-cost way in which job-seekers can demonstrate hyper-specialized competency in lieu of, or as an adjunct to, a certificate or diploma." I also mentioned in an earlier piece on MITx that badges might be a way for a free online Massive Open Online Course (or MOOC) to verify competency.

Getting the Right People into the Right Seats on the Bus is Essential to a Company's Success

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:29 PM PST

Behind every company, whether it's a multinational corporation or the smallest startup, is an intersection of talent. Each person is uniquely capable of performing their job: the company spokesperson is a gifted public speaker; the administrative assistant is a master multi-tasker; and the CEO is excellent at setting the vision and leading the team.

EA Implements 'Single Identity' System (and Data Tracking) Across All Platforms

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:18 PM PST

According to Venture Beat, EA has employed 1500 engineers over eighteen month to create a single ID system, Single Identity, which will unify all their games across every platform: PC, Xbox, PS3, even iOS and Facebook. Intrigued, I talked to an EA representative to learn more of this new system and what it will mean for EA…and for gamers. Okay, to be honest, my first thought was, "OMG, I can play my game on both the Xbox and the PS3."

Australian Muslim activists lose free speech case

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:28 PM PST

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's highest court on Wednesday narrowly rejected the case of two Muslim activists who argued they had a constitutional free-speech right to send offensive letters to families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Israel repatriates six Syrians treated for civil war wounds

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 09:53 PM PST

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel repatriated on Wednesday six of seven Syrians after treating them for wounds suffered in the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad, the Israeli military said. Israel admitted the Syrians on February 16 through the occupied Golan Heights, whose eastern foothills have seen fighting between Assad's forces and rebels. Israeli officials gave no further details on the casualties' identities. A military spokeswoman said six of them were discharged from hospital and returned to Syria on Wednesday. ...

Parties may struggle to form government in Italy

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 09:53 PM PST

ROME (AP) — A center-left group of parties appears to have the best shot at forming a coalition government in Italy after an inconclusive national election, but the challenge is steep and comes amid public anger over austerity measures.

Fire at illegal market In India kills at least 18

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:18 PM PST

KOLKATA, India (AP) — A fire broke out at an illegal six-story plastics market in the Indian city of Kolkata early Wednesday morning, killing at least 18 people, police said.

Kurdish rebel leader sees August withdrawal from Turkey: media

Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:15 PM PST