New inquiry begins into case of woman who died after she was refused abortion in Ireland

DUBLIN, Ireland - Ireland has opened a new investigation into the death of a woman denied an abortion of her dying foetus, as the government scrambled to stem criticism of its handling of an incident that polarised the overwhelmingly Catholic country.

Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist, was admitted to hospital in severe pain on Oct. 21 and asked for a termination after doctors said her baby would not survive, according to her husband, but in a country with some of the world's most restrictive abortion laws, surgeons would not remove the foetus until its heartbeat stopped days later.

full story :  New inquiry begins into case of woman who died after she was refused abortion in Ireland

Priest expelled because of woman's ordination, activism

A Roman Catholic priest excommunicated for ordaining a Kentucky woman four years ago now has been kicked out of the religious order to which he has belonged for four decades.

The then-Rev. Roy Bourgeois of Georgia defied Roman Catholic teachings by participating in an August 2008 ordination service at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington, Ky., for Janice Sevre-Duszynska.

"What I'm going through now is the rejection of being kicked out," said Bourgeois, 73, in a phone interview after being informed that he was expelled from the Maryknoll, N.Y.-based Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.

"But it's just sort of a glimmer of what women in the Catholic church and gays in the Catholic church experience daily."

full story :  Priest expelled because of woman's ordination, activism

Egyptian protesters, police clash as Morsi defends wide new powers

Opposition protesters clashed with police in several Egyptian cities Friday after new Islamist President Mohammed Morsi awarded himself sweeping new powers.

Police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse tens of thousands of protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the center of anti-regime protests that ousted longtime U.S.-backed leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

"The people want to bring down the regime," shouted protesters, echoing a chant used in the anti-Mubarak uprising. "Get out, Morsi," they chanted.

full story :  Egyptian protesters, police clash as Morsi defends wide new powers

US student stabbed in Rome tells of charge by mob of armed, masked men

ROME — An American college student suffered a foot-long stab wound and a punctured lung when a mob of up to 50 masked men armed with knives and baseball bats suddenly charged English soccer fans and others in a piazza in Italian capital Rome, he told NBC News.

Local media initially blamed Thursday's attack on hard core fans or "Ultras" supporting soccer team Lazio — who played English team Tottenham on Thursday — but two fans of bitter rivals Roma were among a group of 15 detained for alleged involvement in attack, suggesting a different motive.

full story :  US student stabbed in Rome tells of charge by mob of armed, masked men

The path to an American pope? Cardinal's elevation gives US clout at Vatican

ROME — The red, or rather scarlet, carpet will be rolled in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday for the elevation of six cardinals.

The new so-called "princes of the church" will receive their ring, scarlet skullcap and the traditional biretta, a four-cornered hat, in a solemn ceremony presided by Pope Benedict XVI.

The ceremony won't only be a rare insight into one of the oldest and most colorful traditions in the Catholic Church, which with 1.1 billion adherents worldwide, represents more than half of the world's Christian population.

It will also redefine the balance of power in the Catholic Church, and further increase the United States' influence in the election of the next pope.

full story :  The path to an American pope? Cardinal's elevation gives US clout at Vatican

Black voters want Obama to focus on jobs

President Obama's coalition came through for him big time on Election Day, and members of the coalition want him to return the favor.

African Americans, who backed the nation's first African-American president with 93% of their votes, are calling on Obama to pursue new jobs programs and make sure budget cuts do not fall too heavily on middle- and lower-class Americans.

"I think the president heard us loud and clear," Al Sharpton said, according to the Associated Press. "The collective message was, 'let's build on where we already are.'"

full story :  Black voters want Obama to focus on jobs