Pope blames Marxism, capitalism for troubles

Pope blames Marxism,capitalism for troubles
APARECIDA, Brazil -- Pope Benedict XVI blamed both Marxism and unbridled capitalism for Latin America's problems Sunday, urging bishops to mold a new generation of Roman Catholic leaders in politics to reverse the church's declining influence in the region. Ending a five-day trip to the most populous Catholic nation in the world, Benedict also warned that legalized contraception and abortion in Latin America threaten "the future of the peoples" and said the historic Catholic identity of the region is under assault. Like his predecessor Pope John Paul II, Benedict criticized capitalism's negative effects as well as the Marxist influences that have motivated some grass-roots Catholic activists. He also warned of unfettered capitalism and globalization, blamed by many in Latin America for a deep divide between the rich and poor. The pope said it could give "rise to a worrying degradation of personal dignity through drugs, alcohol and deceptive illusions of happiness."
Will deal end Gaza strife?
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Egyptian mediators hammered out an agreement to end a day of clashes in Gaza that killed three and jeopardized a power-sharing agreement between rivals Hamas and Fatah. The Egyptian security delegation stationed in Gaza brought the two sides together and got them to agree to withdraw their forces and exchange captives, spokesmen from Hamas and Fatah said early Monday. Such agreements have not always been carried out in the past. The first incident Sunday was a shooting ambush blamed on Hamas that killed a Fatah militant commander and his bodyguard.
Pilot, 3 skydivers die
MARION, Mont. -- A small plane that crashed near a private airstrip, killing its pilot and four skydivers, had made an abrupt turn just before going down, a federal investigator said Sunday. The Cessna 182 had just taken off from Skydive Lost Prairie when it crashed Saturday.
Driver falls asleep; 2 die
LOS ANGELES -- A driver apparently fell asleep before his car plowed into a bus stop and Mother's Day flower stand Sunday, killing two people and injuring four others, authorities said. The six were at the bus stop in South Los Angeles when the out-of-control vehicle struck them, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman D'Lisa Davies. A 57-year-old woman was killed, Davies and police said. She was selling flowers and gifts along with another woman, who was pinned by the car against a wrought iron fence until rescuers freed her. Police said the second woman, 41, had her leg amputated at a hospital. A 26-year-old man died after being taken to a hospital, Officer Mike Lopez said. A 69-year-old woman was in serious condition, and two other people were treated for minor injuries, Lopez said. Police Capt. Bill Sutton said the unidentified driver, a 21-year-old man, "apparently fell asleep after working all night."
Chrysler sale appears near
WASHINGTON -- DaimlerChrysler is closing in on the sale of Chrysler to the private financial firm Cerberus Capital Management in a deal expected to be announced as early as Monday. The sale would unravel a mega-merger of the 1990s and highlights the growing influence of private equity on American business. Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler chairman, put Chrysler on the block in April, opening a high-stakes bidding war for the third-largest U.S. automaker. Chrysler is the kind of company that private-equity firms like to target: a distressed operation with strong cash flow and potential for turnaround.
Clothing beats computers
WASHINGTON -- Online shoppers spent more money last year on apparel than on computers for the first time, a reflection of the Web's increasingly broad appeal, according to a report to be released today by a leading retail trade group. Consumers spent 18.3 billion on clothes, accessories and shoes in 2006, up 61 percent from the previous year. Computer hardware and software sales totaled 17.2 billion, up 20 percent from the previous year. Total online retail spending, excluding travel, grew 25 percent to 146.5 billion.
Combined dispatches
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