CURRENT EVENTS FEBRUARY 15

1. CURRENT EVENTS FEBRUARY 15 POPE BENDICT TO REITRE • It has been more than seven centuries since a pope freely left the papacy, as Pope Benedict XVI has announced he will do on Feb. 28. • The Catholic Church sees itself as historically rooted, and while there are protocols for how the new pope will be chosen in a few weeks, history offers little guide in the case of a pope who decides to resign. • Pope Celestine V's abdication in 1294 was "the only one in papal history," writes John Julius Norwich in 2011 in Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy. • Before becoming pope, Benedict was Cardinal Josef Ratzinger. • http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/02/12/f-benedict-future.html

2. CURRENT EVENTS FEBRUARY 15 • As John Paul II 's right-hand man, Benedict has witnessed up-close the physical decline of John Paul II in his last years as pontiff. • After he took over the papacy, Benedict had clearly stated, in 2010, that a pope could resign if he "clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically, and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office." The Pope installed 22 new cardinals, who will be responsible for choosing his successor after he steps down Feb. 28

3. CURRENT EVENTS FEBRUARY 15 TOP GRAMMY AWARD GOES TO MUMFORD & SONS • Mumford & Sons won the night's top award as the Grammys were handed out Sunday night in Los Angeles. • The British alt-rockers' Babel was declared album of the year, during an evening when glory was spread among numerous artists. The Black Keys made a strong showing with four awards and both Gotye and Skrillex took three. • In his first Grammy win ever, Drake took the award for best rap album for Take Care. • Carrie Underwood won the Grammy for best country solo performance for her hit Blown Away.

4. CURRENT EVENTS FEBRUARY 15 • The Zac Brown Band took best country album for Uncaged, while a surprised Kelly Clarkson won the award for best pop vocal album for Stronger. • There are 81 categories of Grammys, with honours ranging from classical to jazz to arrangement, but only a handful of the most popular awards are given during the televised gala. • http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2333879641/?page=3 Gotye,andKimbra accept the award for record of the year for Somebody That I Used to Know

5. CURRENT EVENTS FEBRUARY 15 NHL'S BRAND HURT BY LOCKOUT, STUDY SAYS • While the shortened NHL season may be back in full swing, a new report says the league's brand was badly damaged by the lockout. • According to the report by branding consultancy firm Brand Finance Canada, the lockout dropped the NHL's brand value by over $300 million to $1.56 billion. • "The NHL now has a 20-year history of creating periods of lost revenue during its lockouts, and in each case the NHL brand value has been slow to return before rising again,” said Edgar Baum, managing director of Brand Finance Canada, in a statement.

6. CURRENT EVENTS FEBRUARY 15 • It's an issue of balance, says Baum. The top 10 NHL franchises are worth 55 per cent of the league's overall value, while the bottom 10 teams are worth less than 20 per cent. • Attendance is higher than last year, with 18 teams selling out every game so far, and just four teams selling fewer than 90 per cent of available tickets. It's now yet clear how many of those tickets were offered at deep discounts. The report said the lockout fuelled resentment towards the league, leaving individual teams to regain fans' trust. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/video/#id=2334560655