The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Vatican City - An increasingly frail Pope John Paul missed his general audience Wednesday - a rare absence - because of a mild intestinal problem, raising fresh concerns about his health just weeks before he presides at ceremonies marking his 25th anniversary as pope. The 83-year-old pontiff managed to address the crowd at the Vatican in an audio message, although he spoke with a weak voice and slurred his words, symptoms of the Parkinson's disease he has had for years. Oklahoma City - A federal judge has ruled that the Federal Trade Commission overstepped its authority in creating the national "do-not-call" list against telemarketers. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by telemarketers who challenged the list of 50 million people who submitted their telephone numbers and said they do not want to receive business solicitation calls. The list was to go into effect Oct. 1. The telemarketing industry estimates that the do-not-call list could cut its business in half, costing it up to $50 billion in sales each year. Vienna - Defying expectations, OPEC plans to cut its oil production target by 3.5 per cent beginning in November, Kuwait's oil minister said Wednesday. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries still must approve the cut, which would reduce the cartel's output ceiling by 900,000 barrels a day to 24.5 million barrels.
