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Pope says ‘backward’ U.S. conservatives have replaced faith with ideology

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has blasted the “backwardness” of some conservatives in the U.S. Catholic Church, saying they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.Francis’ comments were an acknowledgment of the divisions in the U.S. Catholic Church, which has been split between progressives and conservatives who long found support in the doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, particularly on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.Many conservatives have blasted Francis’ emphasis instead on social justice issues such as the environment and the poor, while also branding as heretical his opening to letting divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive the sacraments.Francis made the comments in a private meeting with Portuguese members of his Jesuit religious order while visiting Lisbon on Aug. 5; the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, which is vetted by the Vatican secretariat of state, ...

Shakira to be given the Video Vanguard Award at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shakira will receive the Video Vanguard Award at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards next month. Previous recipients include Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and Missy Elliott.She will also perform on the VMA stage for the first time in 17 years.The Colombian singer has won four VMAs across her career, starting with her win in the International Viewer’s Choice (Latin America North) back in 2000. This year, she is nominated for four awards: artist of the year, best collaboration (for “XQG,” with Karol G ) and two noms in the best Latin category — for the same Karol G collab, and for her solo single, “Acróstico.”“Shakira is a true global force who continues to inspire & influence the masses with her unique, musical prowess. She’s a trailblazer for women around the world & one of the first artists to lead the globalization of Latin music,” said Bruce Gillmer, chief content officer of music at Paramount+ and president o...

Manuel Neuer returns to training with Bayern Munich’s goalkeepers after he broke his leg skiing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

MUNICH (AP) — Manuel Neuer returned to training with Bayern Munich’s goalkeepers on Monday for the first time since breaking his leg in a skiing accident in December, the club said.Bayern said in a statement that “the 37-year-old captain completed a session with his goalkeeping colleagues” and that he “has now taken the next step on the comeback trail.” Bayern didn’t give details of what kind of training Neuer is able to do, or when he might be ready to play a game, though the club published a picture of him diving to stop a ball. His last game was for Germany at the World Cup on Dec. 1.Neuer’s longtime backup Sven Ulreich has been in goal for the first three games of Bayern’s season, including Sunday’s 3-1 win over Augsburg. Bayern said Neuer was training Monday alongside new arrival Daniel Peretz, who signed from Maccabi Tel Aviv on Friday to add depth to the German champion’s squad. The uncertainty over Neuer’s fitness has overshado...

2 hospitalized after BSO Fire Rescue helicopter crashes in Pompano Beach

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

Police responded to an aircraft emergency after a Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue helicopter went down. Officials said at least two people onboard have been hospitalized. The incident happened around 8:45 a.m. in the area of 1201 NW 6th Ave. where video footage showed a trail of smoke coming off the chopper that went down fast. Live video footage from 7SkyForce showed several fire rescue trucks on the scene as they worked to manage the blaze as it is believed the helicopter did go up in flames when it crashed into a residential building.According to BSO officials, three people were onboard and two people have been transported to Broward Health; their condition is unknown.Broward County School officials said the helicopter did not hit any school buildings and it landed a few blocks away from a school.As a result of the incident, North Dixie Highway is shut down between Northeast Fifth Street and Northeast 10th Street as deputies and fire rescue crews work to clear the scen...

Charles Michel: Get ready by 2030 to enlarge EU

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

European Council President Charles Michel said Monday that he wants Europe to be ready for enlargement by 2030, as the European Union gears up for a renewed debate about its future size. “Enlargement is no longer a dream,” the Council chief said at the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, where leaders from the Western Balkans have gathered. “It is time to move forward,” he added.  While eight countries formally hold candidate status, for many in the Western Balkans the accession process has stalled. And for some countries like Turkey, the process has been officially put on hold, although dynamics linked to the war in Ukraine have reenergized the debate. In June last year, EU leaders granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova and pressure is building to open accession talks with these countries by the end of the year. “There is still a lot of work to do. It will be difficult,” Michel said at the forum, adding: “I believe we must be ready — on both sides — ...

Polish train chaos blamed on radio hackers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

WARSAW — Polish police have arrested two suspects on charges of disrupting railway traffic by transmitting a radio signal that tricks trains into emergency stops.The men, ages 24 and 29, are from Białystok, a city of 300,000 in northeastern Poland close to the Belarusian border. Polish media reported that they had long been interested in amateur radio.The authorities confirmed Sunday that the suspects had broadcast an emergency signal — known as a “radio stop” — on frequencies used by train operators in three Polish regions.The most serious disruption was the first attack around midnight on Friday, which halted about 20 trains in northwestern Poland. Following the stop signal, the perpetrators aired Russia’s national anthem and an excerpt from a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Polish media reported.Regional cargo traffic was suspended until 2 a.m., Polish railway infrastructure operator PKP PLK said.Poland’s ABW counterintelligence agency launched an investigat...

5 teens arrested in Downtown Boston after police say multiple fights broke out, officers assaulted

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

Five teenagers were arrested after officers responded to Downtown Boston late Sunday night, where authorities say multiple fights broke out and at least two officers were assaulted.The Boston Police Department said the arrests came after officers were called to Washington and Avery streets around 11 p.m., where there were reports of “juveniles actively fighting” and “causing disturbances in the area.”In a news release, the department said responding officers attempted to disperse a large group of juveniles that was blocking traffic near the Boston Common, and observed at least one individual jumping on top of a car and stomping on its roof.Meanwhile, Boston PD said multiple fights had also broken out in the area and that officers attempting to break them up were later assaulted themselves.“Officers attempted to break up multiple fights, and other juveniles began to assault officers,” the department said on its website. “Officers began to be ...

Shooting erupts at Worcester’s Caribbean Festival, two injured

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

Worcester police responded to a chaotic scene Sunday as gunfire rang out during the city’s Caribbean Festival, sending two victims, 15 and 23, to the hospital.Police said the gunfire erupted at about 6 p.m.  Officers assigned to the festival at Institute Park responded to the shooting at the area of Salisbury and Boynton Streets.“This caused a chaotic scene in which the large crowd was attempting to run to safety,” Worcester police said.Responding officers were able to identify the victims and provide first aid until they were transported to the hospital. Police said the injuries appear to be non-life threatening.According to the initial investigation, police said the victims appear to be innocent bystanders otherwise unrelated to the shooting.Police described the shooting as an “exchange” of gunfire that arose from a  dispute on Boynton Street near the intersection with Salisbury Street, according to investigators. The shooting remains under investigation.The shooting at Worcester’...

Stock market today: Wall Street opens higher after a rare winning week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street as markets shift their attention from the Federal Reserve to more corporate earnings and economic reports. The S&P 500 was up 0.7% in early trading Monday. The Dow rose 274 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.8%. U.S. stocks broke a three-week losing streak last week as investors appeared relieved that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank would “proceed carefully” on interest rates. 3M jumped following reports that the company had agreed to a $5.5 billion settlement over faulty earplugs, a lower figure than expected.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street is poised for a modestly higher open Monday as attention shifts from the Federal Reserve to more corporate earnings and new economic data that could provide clues about the health of the U.S. economy.Futures for the Dow Jones industrials rose 0.3% and the S&P 500 inched up 0.2% before the opening ...

Ceremony marks start of journey home for Indigenous totem pole taken to Scotland a century ago

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:51 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Members of a Canadian First Nation held a spiritual ceremony on Monday at a Scottish museum to begin the homeward journey of a totem pole stolen almost a century ago.The 11-meter (36-foot) pole is being restored by the National Museum of Scotland to the Nisga’a Nation in northern British Columbia — one of the first times a British museum has returned artifacts to any of North America’s Indigenous peoples.The museum agreed last year to return the pole, which has been on display in the Edinburgh building since 1930. Nisga’a researchers say it was taken without consent in 1929 by an anthropologist who sold it to the museum.Chief Earl Stephens, who has the Nisga’a cultural name Sim’oogit Ni’isjoohl, said that “in Nisga’a culture, we believe that this pole is alive with the spirit of our ancestors.”“After nearly 100 years, we are finally able to bring our dear relative home to rest on Nisga’a lands,” he said.Carved from red cedar in the 1860s, the pole includes family crest...