NPR News

A car exploded, killing at least several people and wounding many more, according to news reports. NPR's Deborah Amos, who was at the border crossing, says the blast caused panic.

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In a tropical spot like Puerto Rico, you'd think a person would practically be stumbling over exotic fruits and fresh fish. Not so much. Blame global economics.

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"After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry," the 85-year-old pontiff says.

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Also: Manhunt continues for ex-Los Angeles police officer suspected in three murders; Northeast and New England continue to dig out from weekend blizzard; Medal of Honor to be awarded at White House.

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Also: our pick of the best books coming out this week; the 50th anniversary of Sylvia Plath's death; and the real identity of a popular romance novelist.

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Citing his age (85) and diminished strength, the pontiff plans to step down effective Feb. 28. It's likely that a conclave to elect a new pope will be held by mid-March. A pope hasn't stepped down this way since 1415.

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The Vatican says Pope Benedict will resign as head of the Catholic Church on Feb. 28.

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U.S. military commanders are emphasizing their readiness to defend the nation against cyberthreats from abroad. What they do not say is that they are equally prepared to launch their own cyberattacks against U.S. adversaries.

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Whether fighting about texting or curfew, the key to resolving parent-child disputes is by helping them understand why they're angry in the first place. It usually turns out to be another stress like trouble at school or fear of embarrassment.

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It's the entrepreneurs' dream: tapping into China's market of 1.3 billion people. That dream fueled the efforts of two Chinese-American MBAs to take the soft-pretzel franchise — a staple of U.S. shopping malls — to China. Cultural and financial barriers, however, led to a far more challenging reality.

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It's the entrepreneurs' dream: tapping into China's market of 1.3 billion people. That dream fueled the efforts of two Chinese-American MBAs to take the soft-pretzel franchise — a staple of U.S. shopping malls — to China. Cultural and financial barriers, however, led to a far more challenging reality.

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An attention researcher wanted to find out how radiologists would fare in a version of a famous study called the Invisible Gorilla study. He found that 83 percent of the radiologists failed to spot an image of a gorilla on slides they were told to inspect for cancer. It's just one more example of how when you ask someone to perform a challenging task, their attention can narrow and block things out.

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Many of the canines that have flocked to Manhattan are staying at the Hotel Pennsylvania. And there the pooches are treated like VIPs, very important pooches, that is. From spinach pizza to a doggie concierge, it's a pampered life out there for a show dog.

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Pretrial hearings resume on Monday for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other men accused of helping plot the Sept. 11 attacks. There will be two competing narratives in the courtroom, however, with the prosecution focusing on the attacks, while the defense wants the trial to be about the defendants' treatment after they were captured.

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Many of the canines that have flocked to Manhattan are staying at the Hotel Pennsylvania. And there the pooches are treated like VIPs, very important pooches, that is. From spinach pizza to a doggie concierge, it's a pampered life out there for a show dog.

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A tornado tore through Hattiesburg on Sunday as part of a wave of severe storms that downed trees, damaged buildings and injured more than a dozen people.

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Millions of devotees had gathered in northern India for a Hindu festival Sunday. The death toll from the stampede at a train station there rose to 31 on Monday, hospital officials said.

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Authorities suspect Christopher Dorner, 33, in a series of attacks in Southern California over the past week that left three people dead. The Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday ordered a review of the disciplinary case that led to the fugitive's dismissal.

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Chagas' disease, which is transmitted by the "kissing bug," occurs mainly in Latin America. But the illness is on the rise in the U.S. Health economists now estimate that Chagas costs the world about $7 billion annually, which is more than the cost of cervical cancer or cholera.

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Amid a demographic shift in California, university officials are heading to church to find new applicants.

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