National / International News

Opening statements are made in the trial of two Ohio high-school footballers accused of raping a teenage girl in a case that has split a small town.

As news spread that the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel was billowing white smoke to signal the election of a new pope, anticipation began to build for the new pontiff's first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. Here's a quick rundown of what happens after cardinal electors choose a pope.

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Pope Francis is the first pope from the New World. For Latin America in particular — home to 43 percent of all Catholics — this is a momentous occasion.

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Pope Francis I is the first pope from the New World. For Latin America in particular — home to 43 percent of all Catholics — this is a momentous occasion.

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Sprinter Sacre is the Pele of National Hunt after coasting to victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Democrats and Republicans are working from very different definitions of the term in discussing their budget proposals unveiled this week.

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The new pope is known for his appeal to the common man, but appears to hold many of the same conservative views as his predecessor.

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A member of staff at an education unit in Suffolk has held a gun to a pupil's head, it is alleged.

A man arrested in England by detectives investigating two murders in Northern Ireland is released unconditionally.

A football team that suffered a 43-0 defeat at the weekend withdraws from the football league it was in.

The Metropolitan Police decides to stop using its Trident command to investigate fatal shootings.

The BBC's science editor David Shukman gets special access to a tiger sanctuary in Thailand to see the conservation measures in place.

Rachel Yankey's 70th-minute goal seals a Cyprus Cup win for England as they beat Canada 1-0 in the final.

White smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel chimney has announced to the world that cardinals gathered inside have elected a new Pope to head the Catholic Church.

A supply teacher agency claims that some schools on the outskirts of London seem reluctant to hire ethnic minority temporary staff.

A Bulgarian man sets fire to himself outside parliament in Sofia, the fourth such act in a month, after weeks of protests against austerity.

Oscar Whisky and Reve de Sivola top the market for the World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on Thursday.

White smoke emerged from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel signaling the selection of a new pope.

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A Church of England priest used the respectability of his cassock to groom and sexually abuse boys along with his organist, a court hears.

Decades after its eradication, the "breakbone fever" has become endemic again in the Florida Keys. Scientists say that Floridians infected during a recent outbreak didn't catch the virus abroad but rather got a dengue strain that's unique to Key West.

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