LITTLE ROCK — Pope Benedict XVI has named two new “doctors” of the Catholic Church, the 16th-century Spanish priest St. John of Avila and the 12th-century German mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen, who join the ranks of only 33 other church doctors to be singled out for their contributions to and influence on Catholic doctrine.
Taisto Miettinen and Kristina Haapanen of Finland won the North American Wife Carrying Championship with a time of 52.58 seconds on a course that includes hurdles, sand traps and a water hole, earning five times Haapanen’s weight in cash, or $530, and her weight in beer, which they shared with the second- and third-place finishers.
Gov. John de Jongh of the U.S. Virgin Islands has signed legislation that awards peace-officer status to federal authorities, allowing the territory’s police to seek help from federal agencies in curbing crime and illegal weapons smuggling.
David Cameron, Britain’s prime minister, joined Twitter and immediately attracted tens of thousands of followers with his first post making fun of his former reluctance to use the site, saying, “I promise there won’t be ‘too many Tweets.’”
Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia apologized in person to a woman who was sucker-punched in the face by police Lt. Jonathan Josey at festivities after a Puerto Rican Day Parade, telling her he was “horrified” by the incident, which was captured on video and posted on YouTube.
Abdi Farah Shirdon, a Somali businessman who worked as a government economist in the 1980s, was named the country’s new prime minister by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and said he would form a “quality” Cabinet that will not tolerate corruption.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California, said he doesn’t think the scandal over his affair with a family housekeeper has cost him credibility as a high-profile political voice in the nation, but said, “If the people are angry at me, I deserve that.”
Front Section, Pages 1 on 10/08/2012