While O'Brien will no longer be involved in electing the new pope, another controversial cardinal's plan to attend is further taking focus from Benedict's final days in office.

CNN: Scandal threatens to overshadow pope's final days

Merrill's board, which met over the weekend to discuss the crisis, was said to be nearing a consensus that Mr O'Neal's position was no longer tenable.

ECONOMIST: If so, who is the Titanic?

Of course, we all have our own bursting point, when under emotional stress we can no longer contain ourselves, says Sharon Gilchrest O'Neill, a Mount Kisco, N.

WSJ: What Makes People Overshare?

Prosecutors have determined the evidence underpinning Ranta's conviction "has been degraded to such an extent" that it would no longer support the verdict, said John O'Mara, the deputy district attorney in charge of Brooklyn's conviction integrity unit.

CNN: Freed NY convict's first goal: 'Get the hell out of here'

Until now, they have been concerned to stem the dollar's rise, but they will become less fixated about the greenback, suggests Mr O'Neill, when they realise that America is no longer such an important export market.

ECONOMIST: The dollar

Mr O'Dowd said that children born in July and August would no longer get a preference for pre-school places.

BBC: Review of pre-school admissions

Though Mr. O'Hara's once-popular novels and short stories are no longer widely read, he was famous in 1940 for his well-tuned ear, and the characters in "Pal Joey" sound like they stepped out of a real-life alley after throwing a couple of punches.

WSJ: 'Woman in Mind': Funny as a Straitjacket | Eclipse Theatre Company | Pal Joey | Porchlight Music Theatre | Reviews by Terry Teachout