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World: The New York Times > International > Vatican to Release WWII POW Information: “The Vatican is releasing more that 2 million files on prisoners of war and other missing persons from its secret archives, part of efforts to emphasize the humanitarian aspects of the World War II papacy of Pope Pius XII, officials announced Tuesday.”

USA: The New York Times > Business > Lost Luggage Is Rare, but the Trauma Can Be Acute: “For passengers who wonder where vanished luggage goes, the answer is often Scottsboro, Ala., home of the Unclaimed Baggage Center, a store that buys unclaimed bags from airlines and sells their contents to the public. Begun in 1970 by Doyle and Sue Owens on card tables stocked with lost luggage from Greyhound buses, the center has grown into one of Alabama’s biggest tourist attractions, selling more than a million lost luggage and cargo items each year. Some of the more interesting objects that the company has seen include artificial limbs, a 40.95-carat emerald, a United States Navy guidance system for a F-16 fighter jet (which was returned to the government), a suit of armor, mummified Egyptian artifacts from 1,500 B.C. and a Barbie doll whose head fell off to reveal $500 in bills stashed inside the body.”

USA: The New York Times > Washington > Cannons Echo as Washington Drills for a State Funeral: “A state funeral, a rite of collective national mourning to which only presidents, presidents-elect and former presidents are automatically entitled, is so elaborate and intricately choreographed that extensive rehearsals are essential � especially since state funerals are held so infrequently. The last one in Washington was for former President Lyndon B. Johnson in January 1973.”