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Faithful watch a giant screen showing Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican,Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The 85-year-old German Pope Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to vigorously lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
Faithful watch a giant screen showing Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican,Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The 85-year-old German Pope Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to vigorously lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
Nuns wait for Pope Benedict XVI to greet the crowd from the window of the Pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, the scenic town where he will spend his first post-Vatican days and make his last public blessing as pope,Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
In this photo provided Friday, March 1, 2013 by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, at center with red skull cap, officially takes over the vacant See as camerlengo, chamberlain, before sealing Pope Benedict XVI's apartment, after Benedict left the Vatican, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Benedict XVI became the first pope in 600 years to resign Thursday, ending an eight-year pontificate shaped by struggles to move the church past sex abuse scandals and to reawaken Christianity in an indifferent world. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)
In this photo provided Friday, March 1, 2013 by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, at center with red skull cap, officially takes over the vacant See as camerlengo, chamberlain, before sealing Pope Benedict XVI's apartment, after Benedict left the Vatican, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Benedict XVI became the first pope in 600 years to resign Thursday, ending an eight-year pontificate shaped by struggles to move the church past sex abuse scandals and to reawaken Christianity in an indifferent world. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)
In this photo provided Friday, March 1, 2013, then Pope Benedict XVI is saluted by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, left, as leaves Piazza San Damaso inside the Vatican to board a car which will take him to a helipad where he will depart to the pontiff's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Benedict XVI left the Catholic Church in unprecedented limbo Thursday as he became the first pope in 600 years to resign, capping a tearful day of farewells that included an extraordinary pledge of obedience to his successor. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)
VATICAN CITY (AP) ? The Catholic Church awoke Friday with no leader following the resignation of Benedict XVI, who pledged obedience to his successor and described himself as "simply a pilgrim" starting the final journey of his life.
Now begins a period known as the "sede vacante" or "vacant see" ? the transition between the end of one papacy and the start of another.
During this limited time, several key players take charge of running the Holy See, guiding the College of Cardinals in their deliberations and organizing the conclave of cardinals whose votes elect Benedict's successor.
With the 8 p.m. Thursday end of Benedict's papacy, every department head in the Vatican lost his job ? except for those whose offices are considered crucial for the smooth running of the transition period.
On Monday, the cardinals begin meetings to set the conclave date and discuss problems facing the Catholic church.
Here are the top figures who will run the church in the coming days:
___
THE CAMERLENGO: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
The camerlengo, or chamberlain, takes over the day-to-day running the Holy See as soon as the papacy ends. He places the seal on the pope's study and bedroom and takes possession of the Apostolic Palace, "safeguarding and administering the goods and temporal rights of the Holy See" until a new pope is elected. On Thursday night, Bertone sealed the papal apartment, which will not be reopened until a new pope is elected.
Benedict in 2007 gave the camerlengo job to Bertone, 78, a natural choice given that Bertone is currently the Vatican No. 2 as secretary of state and runs the Vatican bureaucracy anyway. A priest of the Salesian order, Bertone was trained as a canon lawyer and taught in various Roman universities for several years before coming to work for the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the Vatican's doctrine office in 1995.
As secretary of state, Bertone has had Benedict's unwavering trust, but his legacy has been mixed. He had no diplomatic training coming into the Holy See's most important diplomatic and administrative post, and critics blame the gaffes of Benedict's papacy and current state of the Vatican's dysfunction on Bertone's managerial shortcomings. The 2012 leaks of papal documents appeared aimed at undermining his authority further, by exposing the power struggles and turf battles that festered under his watch. In his last speech as pope, however, Benedict singled Bertone out for thanks.
___
THE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS: Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
The dean is the senior member of the College of Cardinals, the so-called "princes" of the church whose main task is to elect a pope. In one of his first official acts as dean, Sodano on Friday officially summoned cardinals to Rome to participate in the pre-conclave meetings, a formality given that most were already here. The first starts Monday at 9:30 a.m.
The dean oversees these meetings, at which the problems of the church are discussed, and has duties inside the conclave itself, including asking the newly elected pontiff if he accepts the job. But Sodano is 85 and cannot vote, so some of those duties shift to the sub-dean.
Burly and sociable, the Italian Sodano was Pope John Paul II's longtime secretary of state. As dean, he spoke on behalf of all the cardinals in giving a final farewell to Benedict on Thursday, thanking him for his "selfless service."
Still, Sodano and Benedict were known to have clashed when Benedict was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, particularly over the scandal-plagued Legion of Christ religious order. Sodano was a chief backer and protector of the Legion's late founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, even though the Vatican had known for years of solid allegations that he was sexually molesting his seminarians. Within Benedict's first year in office, Maciel was sentenced by the Vatican to a lifetime of penance and prayers for his crimes. That same year Benedict named Bertone to replace the retiring Sodano as secretary of state.
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THE MASTER OF LITURGICAL CEREMONIES: Monsignor Guido Marini.
The master of liturgical ceremonies runs the religious side of the conclave and the installation Mass for the new pope, all of them carefully choreographed rituals. He is by the side of the dean when the newly elected pope is asked if he accepts the election. And as the main witness and notary, he draws up the formal document certifying that the new pope's name and that he has accepted the job.
Benedict appointed Marini to the job in 2007, replacing Monsignor Piero Marini who for two decades was Pope John Paul II's right-hand man for all things liturgical. The shift was intentional. Under Guido Marini, papal Masses became far more reverent, with more Latin, Gregorian chants and the use of heavy silk-brocaded vestments of the pre-Vatican II church.
In changes introduced just before he resigned, Benedict made clear he wanted this more traditional vision of his papacy carried forward for the installation of a new pope. He called for the rites of installation to be separate from the liturgy itself and for the cardinals to make a public pledge of obedience to the new pope during the Mass. Previously, their pledge of obedience was done in private in the Sistine Chapel immediately after the election.
In keeping with Benedict's classical musical tastes, the new rites also allow for more flexibility in musical choices rather than the modern selections previously in favor. The aim, Marini recently told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, was to make "the most of the rich musical repertoire of church history."
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THE PROTO-DEACON: Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.
The proto-deacon's main task is to announce to the world that a pope has been elected. He shouts "Habemus Papam!" ("We have a pope!") from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square after the white smoke has snaked up from the Sistine Chapel chimney. He then introduces the new pope ? in Latin ? along with the name the pope has chosen.
The French-born Tauran is a veteran Vatican diplomat who served in the Dominican Republic and Lebanon. He currently heads the Vatican's office for interreligious dialogue ? in other words the Vatican's primary point man for Catholic-Muslim relations. Benedict appointed him proto-deacon in 2011.
___
Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield
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A great white shark investigates a fake seal decoy used by U.C. Davis researchers in the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco.
By Sarah Grieco, NBCBayArea.com
Great white sharks off the coast of California gained protection from the California Endangered Species Act Friday.
Three environmental groups asked the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to protect the fish at the beginning of February.
The groups said there are only around 340 great whites in the Northwestern Pacific region, making them in danger of extinction.
Great whites may not be hunted, pursued, or killed under CESA. Anyone caught harming or killing a shark could face criminal prosecution.
Commercial fishing for great whites has been banned in California waters for nearly 20 years, but some exceptions previously existed for research purposes.
More news from NBCBayArea.com
Starting March 1, the Fish and Wildlife department will issue permits for scientific research. Fishers will also have to obtain a permit in case of accidental capture of great white sharks.
With CESA protection for great whites, Fish and Wildlife may also decide to deem the species endangered.
The department will conduct a status review of the sharks to determine whether or not it is threatened and expect to make a decision by early 2014.
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For the last several years, automotive sales have helped carry the struggling economy. This time, however, the recovering housing market appears to be giving a boost to the auto industry.
February sales showed unexpectedly solid momentum, automakers are reporting today, despite concerns about recent fuel price spikes and the potential damage that the ongoing budget battle in Washington could cause to a still-fragile economy.
As in recent months, cheap financing and pent-up demand helped propel the car market, but industry analysts say other factors helped drive a roughly 7% increase for February in the sales of new cars, trucks and crossovers.
?The housing sector has now joined auto sales in propelling the U.S. economy forward,? said Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations for General Motors, which reported a 7% increase, year-over-year. ?More importantly, the recovery in new home construction is reinforcing the underlying improvement in auto buying conditions, especially for pickups.?
The Detroit Bureau: A Worthy Flagship: First Drive of the Acura RLX
Domestic makers GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC all reported solid gains for February -- the smallest of the Detroit Big Three reporting its best February in five years ? while Volkswagen and Toyota also reported modest sales gains.
Though the overall market was up, the performance varied widely from one maker to another. Two key Japanese automakers, Nissan and Honda, posted small sales declines, as did BMW, while rival Mercedes-Benz reported a 22% sales increase.
?Light vehicle sales have now been running at a mid-15 million unit annual rate since November,? noted GM?s McNeil. And February appears to have maintained that pace, with several automakers indicating they may up their forecasts for the rest of the year ? and consequently alter their own production plans.
The Detroit Bureau: China's Car Boom Could Go Bust
The strong performance in the automotive market counters reports of consumer spending cutbacks on lower-priced goods, a potential trend analysts are ascribing to a variety of factors including higher Social Security taxes, the recent ending of a federal payroll tax break and higher fuel prices this winter.
But, ?I think these little speed bumps aren?t enough to slow down the momentum right now,? said analyst Jeff Schuster, of LMC Automotive.
Indeed, consumers seemed to shrug off the turmoil in Washington D.C. over the budget, and consumer confidence, a critical element in sales of new vehicles, edged upwards in February, according to recent surveys.
Detroit?s Big Three were looking for solid gains last month, especially GM and Ford, both of which lost market share in 2012. Ford sales grew 9% as the maker posted its best February in six years ? with cars up 6%, utility vehicles up 21% and trucks like the big F-Series pickups gaining 4%.
?As more new vehicle buyers continue returning to the marketplace, our fresh new product portfolio of fuel-efficient vehicles is winning over customers,? said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. ?People are buying our all-new Fusion and Escape in record numbers, thanks to strong fuel economy and innovative new technologies.?
The Detroit Bureau: Chrysler Investing Nearly $400 Mil, Adding Another 1,250 Jobs
Despite early forecasts that the company's sales were poised to drop for the month, Chrysler managed a 4% increase compared with sales in February 2012 as the group posted its best February sales since 2008. The maker?s Dodge, Ram Truck and Fiat brands each posted year-over-year gains. The Dodge brand?s 30% increase was the largest sales gain of any Chrysler Group brand in February.
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne last month had cautioned pointed out that first-quarter volumes will likely be off from the same period in 2012 due to the company?s numerous product launches. These include the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Compass and heavy-duty Ram. The Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio also cut production as it ended the run of the old Liberty model to convert over for the launch of the all-new Jeep Cherokee.
?In spite of a cautious ramp up of some of our most popular products which limited inventory last month, we still managed to record our strongest February sales in five years and our 35th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales growth,? said Reid Bigland, Chrysler?s director of U.S. Sales. ?Looking ahead, we expect to get our inventory gaps corrected over the next 90 days resulting in additional products contributing to our growth.?
Chrysler Group finished the month with a 71-day supply of inventory, slightly higher than the industry norm ? and an apparent build-up meant to offset the impact of its current production slow-down.
The Detroit Bureau: How Foreign Automakers Like Toyota Are Rapidly Ramping up Exports
Initial indications suggest each of the Detroit makers should gain some share for February at the expense of the Japanese, with only Toyota among that country?s big marques showing a sales gain last month.
?Despite rising gas prices, severe winter storms and concerns about the federal budget, February was a good indication of the overall strength of the market,? said Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division. ?With the most fuel efficient full line of vehicles, Toyota is well positioned and we?re encouraged by very positive consumer reaction to our new Avalon and RAV4.?
Volkswagen reported a 2.9% increase over prior year sales during February. It was Volkswagen?s best February since 1973.
"February's sales results and 30 consecutive months of growth reflects increasing consumer interest in our products," Jonathan Browning, president and chief executive officer of the Volkswagen Group of America.
"There is a lot of intensity in the marketplace," added Browning, who noted carmakers, in general, have picked up their advertising and incentives in order to set up the traditionally strong spring selling season.
The intense competition in key segments, including compacts, midsized sedans and entry-luxury models appears to have taken the biggest toll on foreign-owned brands like Nissan, Honda and BMW. Honda also blamed fierce winter storms for its 2% sales drop.
The Detroit Bureau: New McLaren P1 "Ultracar" Could Leave You Breathless
Little Subaru, which has posted a steady string of annual sales records, even through the recession, fared better than any of its big Japanese rivals ? perhaps because it has a strong reputation for slogging through the worst weather conditions in its key Snowbelt markets.
Porsche, posted the market?s biggest gain for the month, sales surging 31% year-over-year. And both Korean makers, Hyundai and its sibling Kia, eked out modest gains.
U.S. industry sales figures for February appear to have come in at a 15.5 million units Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate, or SAAR.
"Any industry over 15 million units is a strong industry," said VW?s chief American executive, and would mark a big jump from the 14.5 million vehicles sold in 2012.
The strongest factor behind the industry surge appears to be ?strong pent-up demand from consumers and businesses that have been holding off on buying a new car for years,? said Jesse Toprak, Senior Analyst for TrueCar. ?Even with the rise in gas prices, demand for new cars (appeared to reach) the highest SAAR since December 2007,? or Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate, explained Toprak.
TrueCar estimated that rebates and other incentives rose a modest 1.8% from January to February, to an average $2,392 per vehicle. But that was still down 3.9% compared to the typical giveback a year earlier.
Meanwhile, Toprak forecast that transaction prices ? what consumers actually paid for the typical vehicle in February after adding in options and subtracting discounts and other incentives -- will likely be ?nearing record levels? for February at an estimated $30,958.
Paul A. Eisenstein contributed to this story.
Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/auto-sales-surge-despite-washington-budget-fight-1C8636739
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By TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 5:22 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 2013
Major League Soccer is giving itself a date and setting a goal - it wants to be considered among the world's premier soccer leagues by 2022.
MLS commissioner Don Garber believes it's obtainable, even if it's ambitious.
"I think the plan has been in place for some time, now we have given ourselves a very targeted goal and it's a bold one," Garber said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. "It's not going to be easy to achieve it but it's one we're very confident if we stay focused and things continue to align for us as they have the last couple of years."
Garber announced Wednesday an outline for what he believes it will take for MLS to be recognized among the planet's elite soccer leagues, one that calls for major capital investment in player development, including youth programs, training for coaches and infrastructure improvements at training facilities.
There also are plans for increasing franchise exposure in local markets and expanding fan bases through new technologies.
The plan will begin in earnest this season. The primary focus is on improving player development and raising the level of play for a league that's been maligned in the past for the quality of the product. The investment will be wide ranging, Garber said, from the youth level all the way to growing a partnership with the lower-division USL PRO as a developmental system for MLS.
Improving the on-field play won't be limited to players. There is a significant investment in education and training for coaches and referees.
"It's just a lot more focus on building the pyramid from the bottom, investing on those things that make our players better and improve our quality of play," Garber said. "And at the same time improve infrastructure and our training grounds and facilities and programs and our marketing so we can connect even more deeply than before with this new audience that really seem to be very passionate about major league soccer and soccer overall."
The timeline on the plans for growing MLS internationally was supposed to coincide with U.S. Soccer entering a successful bid for the 2022 World Cup. The tournament was ultimately awarded to Qatar, but Garber and MLS continued to keep that year as its target date. MLS believes it's the next step in the evolution of a product that a decade ago was on shaky footing before seeing massive growth and success for most of the past 10 years.
There was discussion about whether to temper such a rapid timeline once the World Cup bid didn't come to fruition. But moving forward with the original plan won out in the end, Garber said.
"We spent some time talking among ourselves and with our board and I think all of us really believe that there isn't a code cracker here that is going to make soccer the most popular sport in America or one that is more competitive with the other leagues. It's just a lot of hard work and a lot of good thinking and a lot of continued investment," Garber said. "And rather than wait for some seminal moment that may or may not arrive we just thought it was time for us to depend on ourselves, get very focused with a very committed and passionate ownership group to go out and try and compete with the world's best."
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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