


“This incident started mysteriously about a month ago, but no life has been lost since the outbreak. I don’t know the meaning of this strange fire which cannot be traced to a cause,” the acting district head said. He, however, insinuated that the fire outbreak, which, he said, was abnormal, could be a spiritual attack on the town, calling on residents to continue to offer prayers to God to put an end to the incident. MORE

The downing of the helicopter belonging to the army of the breakaway ethnic Armenian region is the most serious incident on the Karabakh border since a 1994 ceasefire ended a bloody war that cost 30,000 lives. MORE


Russian President Vladimir Putin came in first.
For one, he has a remarkable grip on power. He became prime minister in 1999. That gig lasted until 2000, when he switched to president, which lasted until 2008. Then he became prime minister again — until 2012. He then went back to being the president of Russia, an office he’s held since May 2012. MORE



The schools still will be closed on the holidays, but the board voted 7-1 to move the religious references from the calendar.MORE


More than 500 crashes were reported Monday, as the worst-hit parts of states including Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas were coated with up to 16 inches of snow. MORE


The files, which were released online, and other documents released in January show how the archdiocese dealt with abuse allegations during the past six decades, including the practice of moving priests accused of abuse to new parishes. MORE


On the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, Pope Francis calls for all barriers that divide the world to be knocked down. Gavino Garay reports. MORE