Released: March 15, 2013 By: Daniel Whyte III

1. According to The New York Times, to the cheers of thousands of rain-soaked Catholic faithful, a gathering of cardinals chose an archbishop from Argentina to be the first South American pope to lead the Catholic church. Jorge Bergoglio (Ber-GOAL-io), will be called Francis I, and he is the 266th pontiff. He is also the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years. The new Catholic leader is tasked with ending the divisions among Vatican leadership and bringing reform to the troubled church.

2. According to DEBKAfile, the Israeli military is installing an Iron Dome battery on the grounds of the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to deter any missile attacks that may be launched as President Obama arrives next week. While no one in U.S. or Israeli security circles has suggested that Iran, Syria, or Hezbollah are planning to hit the Israeli airport with rockets on March 20, both parties are unwilling to risk such an attack. It has been suggested that jihadist groups acting on orders from al-Qaeda may try to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden by striking either the president or Air Force One during the three day visit.

3. According to People's Daily News, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake jolted the northern part of Russia's Kam-chat-ka Peninsula on Wednesday. Residents in two nearby villages felt tremors, and rescuers and emergency staff are working door to door to examine the impacts of the earthquake...