This week, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, amidst the buzz generated by the UK heading into a triple-dip recession, the IMF downgrading its forecast for global growth, and David Cameron's speech on an EU referendum, there was also a lot of talk about the surprising number of sessions devoted to mindful leadership, meditation, wellness, and redefining success -- topics that united, among others, PIMCO's Bill Gross, professors Mark Williams and Sheena Iyengar, neuroscientist Amishi Jha, economist Joe Stiglitz, and Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard. Tipping point? Perhaps, but definitely a signal that the powers that be are beginning to accept the connection between our ability to deal with the crises that surround us and the way we live our lives, and care for our body, mind, and spirit. This mindset has gone from being dismissed as New Age California flaky to being supported by growing scientific evidence and embraced by a growing number of corporate leaders. Looking inward is suddenly in.
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A fire that swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday appears to be the deadliest in a decade. Here is a look at some other recent big nightclub fires:
? A blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, broke out in December 2009, when an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches, killing 152.
? A fire at the Santika nightclub in Bangkok killed 67 people on New Year's Day in 2009. An indoor fireworks display set off after the countdown to the new year ignited the blaze.
?Fireworks sparked a blaze and stampede that killed at least 43 people at a Shenzhen, China nightclub in September 2008.
? A December 2004 fire killed 194 people at an overcrowded working-class nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after a flare ignited ceiling foam.
? A nightclub fire in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in 2003 killed 100 people after pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling.
?Flames engulfed the tiny La Gojira discotheque in Caracas, Venezuela, in November 2002, leaving 50 people dead.
?A welding accident reportedly set off a Dec. 25, 2000, fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309.
UNION COUNTY, N.C. -- A Union County teen has been arrested on a rape charge, and investigators say young children were the alleged victims.
The sheriff?s office says Aaron Honeycutt, 17, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree rape. The investigation is continuing, and other charges are possible, investigators say.
According to the arrest report, the victims were two children under the age of 7. Authorities have not specified any of the circumstances behind the alleged assaults but said the arrest followed an investigation.
Honeycutt, a senior at Piedmont High School, was jailed under $250,000 bond. According to Union County jail records, he was not listed as an inmate Wednesday morning.
Donald Trump, the American real estate mogul and reality TV star, has publicly endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hisright-wing Likud party, in a video posted on YouTube on Tuesday by Israeli political operative Jonny Daniels. Likud is widely expected to come out on top in the Israeli elections, which take place next week on January 22.
In the video, Trump appears in his office in Manhattan, and says he is ?a big fan of Israel.?
?Frankly, a strong prime minister is a strong Israel,? Trump says, ?and you truly have a great Prime Minister in Benjamin Netanyahu ? there?s nobody like him! He?s a winner; he?s highly respected; he?s highly thought of by all.
?People really do have great, great respect for what?s happened in Israel. So vote for Benjamin. Terrific guy, terrific leader, great for Israel.?
The endorsement makes Trump the first high-profile American to publicly take sides in an Israeli election, at a time when Israel has been fast losing support in the international community over its policies toward the Palestinian Territories. The government?s military action last November against Hamas in Gaza and plans for building settlements in the E1 section of the West Bank, while mostly supported within the country, have drawn the ire of the U.N. and international community.
?Here in Israel, Netanyahu?s been attacked for weakening ties with America,? Daniels said. ?Trump?s endorsement proves that we still have support among the American people."
Despite Trump's somewhat eccentric reputation in the United States, an endorsement in Israel could carry a lot of weight. "Trump is viewed in Israel as a major celebrity," Daniels said. "He?s known as a businessman and personality, and people really take what he has to say seriously."
During Operation Pillar of Defense ? the conflict that broke out in November between Israel and the Hamas government in Gaza ? 68 percent of Americans said they supported Israeli efforts over those of Hamas, according to a poll taken by the Times of Israel. ?
The Donald himself was not available for comment, but Trump is a self-proclaimed ?ardent Zionist? and longtime supporter of Israel. He even admitted via Twitter that U.S. President Barack Obama, whom he otherwise virulently opposes, ?did a good job? supporting Operation Pillar of Defense at the end of November 2012.
Shortly after abandoning his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, Trump met with Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Mieszhnikov in the U.S. to discuss the possibility of investing in Israeli tourism and real estate, the Israeli outlet YNet News reported at the time.
In June 2012, Trump also met with Likud party member Danny Danon, a rising right-wing star in Israeli politics. Danon told Trump that Israel was ?grateful for your actions".
Previously in May 2008, Trump?s daughter Ivanka also paid a visit, her first, to the Jewish state to scout out the Israeli real estate market and drump up support from Israeli investors for a new Trump project in the states. Ivanka Trump is also married to Jared Kushner, a Jewish-American businessman and son of real estate mogul Charles Kushner, who invests heavily in Israel.
In recent years, Trump has taken a more active role in U.S. politics, most notably with the right-wing Tea Party movement. He has endorsed Republican candidate Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election; however this is his first endorsement of a politician outside the U.S.
Prime Minister Netanyahu?s office was not immediately available for comment.
AUSTIN ? In April 2012, state legislators spoke with pride about Texas? cancer-fighting agency.
Rep. Dan Branch noted then in a committee hearing that a fellow lawmaker had tried to cut funding for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Branch, a Dallas Republican, recalled how he successfully fought
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The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com
Compiled by ABC News' Jayce Henderson and Jordan Mazza
FISCAL CLIFF: ABC News' Devin Dwyer, John Parkinson, and Sunlen Miller: " 'Fiscal Cliff': Congress Approves Compromise Aimed at Averting Recession" The House of Representatives has approved a bipartisan Senate deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" and preserve Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans making less than $400,000 per year. LINK
The New York Times' Jennifer Steinhauer: " Amid Pressure, House Passes Fiscal Deal" Ending a climactic fiscal showdown in the final hours of the 112th Congress, the House late Tuesday passed and sent to President Obama legislation to avert big income tax increases on most Americans and prevent large cuts in spending for the Pentagon and other government programs. LINK
The Washington Post's Ezra Klein: " The lessons of the fiscal cliff" There is a narrative in American politics that goes something like this: The White House can't negotiate. House Republicans can't be reasoned with. And so the country is caught between pragmatists who can't hold their ground and radicals who can't compromise. LINK
Bloomberg's Richard Rubin, Roxana Tiron and James Rowley: " Bipartisan House Backs Tax Deal Vote as Next Fight Looms" The U.S. House passed a bill undoing income tax increases for more than 99 percent of households, giving a victory to President Barack Obama even as Republicans vowed to fight him in coming weeks for spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. LINK
The Hill's Russell Berman and Pete Kasperowicz: " House approves 'fiscal cliff' deal; bill headed to Obama's desk" The House late Tuesday night voted to approve a sweeping tax deal to prevent the most significant effects of the "fiscal cliff," overcoming Republican resistance to raising income tax rates on the wealthiest earners. The 257-167 vote culminated a day of high drama in the Capitol, as Republican leaders considered and then quickly abandoned a plan to attach steep spending cuts to a measure passed overwhelmingly by the Senate early Tuesday morning. LINK
The Los Angeles Times' Lisa Mascaro and Kathleen Hennessey: " 'Fiscal cliff' plan clears House with GOP divided" The House voted Tuesday to roll back income tax increases on the vast majority of Americans, finalizing a deal on the so-called fiscal cliff after weeks of gridlock. The approval, in a session that stretched late into the New Year's holiday, came after hours of closed-door debate among Republicans, with conservatives threatening to derail a bill that had overwhelmingly passed the Senate in the early hours of the morning. LINK
New York Daily News' Dan Friedman: " It's Official! House approves fiscal cliff bill giving President Obama's administration a major victory" In a New Year's Day of intense legislative drama, the hopelessly divided 112th Congress finally came together to pass a partial fiscal-cliff fix. Late on Tuesday night, after the Senate began 2013 by acting to pave the way for a compromise, the House voted, 257 to 167, to increase tax rates on the wealthy and spare the middle class a significantly harder hit from the Taxman. LINK
The Washington Times' David Sherfinski: " House GOP doesn't flinch from the fight" House Republicans faced blistering criticism from all sides Tuesday as they once again threatened to scuttle a bipartisan package blessed by the White House and Senate Republicans - but they remained undaunted, and many even said they relished the fight even as the deal ultimately headed toward passage. "I know the president won his election, but I also won my election," said Rep. Spencer Bachus, Alabama Republican. LINK
USA Today's Susan Davis and David Jackson: " Divided GOP House approves Senate 'fiscal cliff' plan" House Republicans faced blistering criticism from all sides Tuesday as they once again threatened to scuttle a bipartisan package blessed by the White House and Senate Republicans - but they remained undaunted, and many even said they relished the fight even as the deal ultimately headed toward passage. "I know the president won his election, but I also won my election," said Rep. Spencer Bachus, Alabama Republican. LINK
The Wall Street Journal's Colleen McCain Nelson: " Lack of Grand Bargain Complicates Obama's Priorities" For President Barack Obama, the new year was supposed to bring an end to fiscal-cliff negotiations and the opportunity to begin work on a second-term agenda.But the failure to craft a grand bargain to address the country's fiscal woes means that contentious discussions about spending cuts and the debt ceiling will continue in 2013-potentially diminishing the time and goodwill Mr. Obama needs to pursue his policy priorities. LINK
Politico's Joseph J. Schatz and Patrick Reis: " Enjoy the fiscal cliff debate? Just wait for the debt ceiling" The fiscal cliff has consumed Washington for months, but it may end up being the long opening act for a fiscal drama with even higher stakes: the debt ceiling. LINK
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Lined up inside a dark-black painted building in Ciudad?Ju?rez, Mexico, worshippers of La Santa Muerte wait their turn to place their rolled-up paper prayers at the feet of a 5-foot tall statue of an idolized female skeletal figure. She is draped in a white, laced cloak and holds a small globe in one hand, and a tall wooden scythe in the other.
Many of the Santa Muerte statues started popping up in this city around 2009, when drug-related violence began to ravage this border town. More than 10,000 people have been killed in Ciudad?Ju?rez?alone since 2007, when Mexico?s outgoing President Felipe Calder?n?first declared war on the country?s drug cartels. The murder rate earned Ciudad?Ju?rez?the title of murder capital of the world for a while.
Santa Muerte statue looks over prayer room during vigil. (Photo by Alex Pe?a)
Followers recognize La Santa Muerte as an iconic figure of prayer for those looking for protection. The Catholic Church in Mexico denounces the worship as a cult.
The origins of Santa Muerte worship is debated, but many believe it came from the ancient Aztecs and their worship of death. The modern image of Santa Muerte is believed to have surfaced in the mid-20th?century in poor areas of Central Mexico. Now, Santa Muerte can be found throughout all of Mexico, the border, and even some parts of the United States.
Yolanda Salazar inside her prayer room. (Photo Alex Pe?a)
?You can ask the Santa Muerte for many things,? said Yolanda Salazar, self-proclaimed priestess of the Santa Muerte cult in Ciudad Juarez.
?Here in?Ju?rez, people pray for protection, but also health, and for love. What?s important is it comes from the heart. If your intentions are true, it will help you,? she said.
Salazar lives in and runs this particular sanctuary, which is located in the heart of the city, just a drive of a few minutes from the border with the United States. It?s believed there are many makeshift sanctuaries and Santa Muerte altars in?Ju?rez, but Salazar?s is public, and the most popular.
She said she had just a handful of followers in 2010, when she first opened her Santa Muerte sanctuary, which consists of perhaps 100 or more small and large statues of Santa Muerte. This year, her weekly prayer vigils to the Santa Muerte draw in a crowd similar to the size of a Catholic Mass.
Sign telling Santa Muerte believers where to place their money for good luck economically. (Photo by Alex Pe?a)
On this particular night, her vigil resembled more of a Mexican fiesta than an underground worship of death. Mariachi music flooded out into the street, and the 25 or more worshipers ate and danced while the others went inside to make their offerings.
?This has always existed here, but people were timid about professing their belief. They were afraid to be judged by society,? Salazar said. ?But now, a lot of us don?t really care what society thinks.?
According to Salazar, the violence in the city has drawn many followers to her sanctuary, searching for protection that neither the church nor their government can give them.
?Now that it?s come to light, I would say that 40 percent of the people in Juarez believe in Santa Muerte,? she said. ?Still, not all are professing it.?
In Mexico, a traditionally Catholic society, the worship of a deity that isn?t recognized by the Catholic Church usually?means?an association to criminal organizations. Members of drug cartels, commonly referred to as narcos, have long been followers of the Santa Muerte.
Little girl looks into glass window lined with life size statues of La Santa Muerte. (Photo by Alex Pe?a)
Narcos make offerings to the icon in return for protection in their illicit activities. In some rare and very brutal cases, the offerings have consisted of human body parts.
Eight people were arrested in northern Sonora state in March of this year after they were accused of killing two ten-year-old boys and a woman in ritual Santa Muerte sacrifices.
Salazar said that this type of worship is not the ?true cult? of La Santa Muerte.
?This is not exclusively for the narcos,? she said. ?Even police go to her for protection. Even they realize how powerful she is.?
The Catholic Church in Mexico has consistently denounced the worship of such a deity, but it cannot deny the rise in adoration for such figures in Mexico?s violent border towns.
Rev. Felipe de Jes?s Ju?rez,?head priest at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in CD.?Ju?rez, says the belief of Santa Muerte arrived in Ciudad?Ju?rez?around 2009 and 2010, at the height of the violence. Though the murder rate has dropped dramatically, the culture of death has not.
Mix of flowers, ginger, and other ingredients being offered as a sacrifice to La Santa Muerte inside of Sanctuary. (Photo by Alex Pe?a)
?We are all exposed to this new cultural situation. Here in the border we see a lot of different types of beliefs,??Ju?rez?said. ?This started with people who don?t have a good moral base. They are grabbing death, putting a cloak on it, and making it a saint. But it?s not a saint; it?s death.?
In the case of Santa Muerte, once followers pray to her, they believe she will grant them favors, but they must repay her.
?If they don?t, they believe they will be punished,??Ju?rez?said. ?So many live in fear.?
He said he opposes such a practice because he believes the grace of God is free.
Nonetheless,?Ju?rez?recognizes the power of Yolanda Salazar and her followers of this growing cult in his city.
?This woman, a self-proclaimed high priest who started out of her house, now has a full building with a sanctuary,? he said. ??The devotion in Mexico is very strong.?
Candles lit for prayer vigil inside Santa Muerte Sanctuary. (Photo by Alex Pe?a)
And nowhere is the diversity of Santa Muerte worship more prevalent than inside the gates of a Salazar prayer vigil. Little boys and girls hold flowers and candles as offerings; their parents write the prayers on small sheets of paper.
All while a group of teenagers stand and chat near the door, waiting their turn to enter and place their own prayers.
?I feel a lot of security,? said Alexia Varaza, 20, a follower of Santa Muerte. ?I?ve had a lot of luck with La Santa Muerte. She gives me strength.?
Varaza?s mother and father are believers in the cult, but the rest of her family is skeptical.
?That stuff?s for sicarios ? for killers!? said Varaza,?explaining what her family thinks of the cult vigils she attends every weekend.
?That?s not what it is for me. I just tell them I?m a student, and I need the good luck!?
Whether for sicarios or students, Salazar?s doors are open 24/7 to people searching for protection in a city saturated with violence.
?The real cult, our cult, is to go out and profess the goodness of La Santa Muerte,? Salazar said. ?That?s why I opened the sanctuary.?
Salazar has plans to open another Santa Muerte sanctuary next year, with the expectation that her following will continue to grow as massively as during the past year. ?She certainly will be praying to her beloved Santa Muerte for that to happen.
Alex Pe?a is a freelance foreign correspondent currently covering Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Previously, Pena was based in Nairobi, Kenya covering East Africa for Voice of America TV, and has also filed stories from the Middle East, including the border of Jordan and Syria. He graduated from the journalism program at Florida Gulf Coast University in December 2011.
