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Pope’s Russia fiasco lingers as Lithuania summons Vatican envoy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

Lithuania has summoned a Vatican diplomat following Pope Francis’ controversial remarks about “great mother Russia.”A spokesperson for Lithuania’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said they had invited the Apostolic Nuncio (a Vatican diplomat) for a chat in early September, after he returns from holiday, local news reported.It comes days after Pope Francis was widely slammed for telling Russian youths to remember their legacy as heirs of a “great, enlightened Russian empire.”During a video speech to the All-Russian Meeting of Catholic Youth in St. Petersburg, a clip of which was posted online, the pope invoked former Russian emperors Peter I and Catherine II, two rulers who played key roles in expanding Russia’s conquests in Europe, and who are known as symbols of Russian imperialism.The comments sparked outrage in Kyiv where the pope was condemned for praising Russia’s imperialist past, considering the Kremlin’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.Oleg Nikolenk...

Second Wind Developer Moves to Terminate Its Contracts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

Another offshore wind developer took a major step Tuesday toward scrapping its initial plans for an installation in waters off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. SouthCoast Wind, whose pair of successful bids represented a combined 1,200 megawatts of anticipated offshore wind power, agreed to pay utility companies $60 million to terminate contracts the parties previously struck for the clean energy. The penalty would be divided into $32.4 million for Eversource, $27.3 million for National Grid and $591,000 for Unitil, according to contract amendments filed with the Department of Public Utilities. The utility companies would then credit the payments to their ratepayers through contract adjustments. The move makes official the developer’s attempt to cancel existing contracts after months of warning that the project was no longer financially viable under the negotiated prices as a result of economic trends. Like Commonwealth Wind, another developer whose termination agreement ...

Yankees’ Michael King has ‘the weapons’ to be a long-term starting pitcher, Aaron Boone says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

Michael King’s transition back to the Yankees rotation is off to a strong start.The right-hander’s four shutout innings in Tuesday night’s win over the Detroit Tigers impressed Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who isn’t ruling out a long-term role as a starting pitcher for King.“He definitely has the weapons to do it,” Boone said. “It’s just a matter of transitioning and can he then hold the stuff in extended outings? … With what he’s been through now in his career, and the confidence he’s gained as a pitcher in this league, and I think a real good understanding of what he has and what he can use, I wouldn’t be surprised at anything he’s able to do.”Tuesday marked the third start of the season for King, who started 59 games in the minor leagues, as well as 10 for the Yankees across 2020 and 2021.King operated exclusively out of the Yankees’ bullpen in 2022, when he pitched to a 2.29 ERA over 51 inn...

Judge’s illness delays sentencing for ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio in Jan. 6 case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio’s sentencing for orchestrating the far-right extremist group’s attack on the U.S. Capitol was delayed until Sept. 5 because the trial judge was sick on Wednesday.The government is seeking a 33-year sentence for Tarrio in one of the most significant prosecutions in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. That is nearly twice the length of the longest prison term so far among the hundreds of riot prosecutions.U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who is not bound by prosecutors’ recommendation, was sick and unable to preside at the hearing Wedneday, the U.S. Marshals Service said shortly before the proceeding was to begin. Tarrio had already been arrested and ordered to leave Washington by the time Proud Boys members joined thousands of Trump supporters in storming the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. But prosecutors say Tarrio organized and led the group’s assault fro...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises in morning trading following 3 straight gains

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose in morning trading on Wednesday following several updates showing that the job market continued cooling, but economic growth remained resilient.The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and continued to chip away at the market’s losses in August. The benchmark index is coming off of three straight gains.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 131 points, or 0.4%, to 34,984 as of 10:15 a.m. and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%.Technology stocks led the market’s gains. Apple jumped 1.9% and Palo Alto Networks rose 2.3%.HP was on the losing end with a 8.1% slump after cutting its profit forecast for the year. Wall Street’s focus this week remains a broad mix of economic updates that investors hope will paint a clearer picture of where the economy is headed and whether the Federal Reserve has enough reason to hold off on any additional interest rate hikes.A survey of private-sector employers in the U.S. showed that hiring cooled more than expected by economists...

Haitian judge interviews Colombian suspects for the first time since the president was assassinated

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A judge in Haiti is for the first time interrogating some of the 18 Colombian suspects arrested more than two years ago and accused of being part of a mercenary squad that assassinated President Jovenel Moïse, a judicial official said Wednesday.The former Colombian soldiers earlier had refused to talk when questioned by a judge who previously had been assigned to the case, magistrate Bernard Saint-Vil, who appoints judges in the case, told The Associated Press. The first two suspects were transported on Monday and Tuesday from Haiti’s main penitentiary in downtown Port-au-Prince to a government office in nearby Petion-Ville where they were undergoing interrogations by Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, the magistrate said.The 18 Colombians are among more than 40 suspects including elite Haitian police officers who were arrested in Haiti after Moïse was fatally shot in July 2021 in his private residence. The investigation in Haiti has moved very slowly, in pa...

The only defendant in the Georgia election indictment to spend time in jail has been granted bond

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The only person who spent time behind bars as a result of the sweeping indictment related to efforts to overturn then-President Donald Trump ‘s 2020 election loss in Georgia remained in jail Wednesday after he was granted bond a day earlier.A lawyer for Harrison William Prescott Floyd on Tuesday negotiated a $100,000 bond with the office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Online jail records indicated that Floyd had not yet been released.Floyd was charged along with Trump and 17 others in an indictment that accuses them all of illegally conspiring to subvert the will of Georgia voters who had chosen Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent in the presidential election.Lawyers for Trump and the other defendants had all negotiated bonds before their clients surrendered at the Fulton County Jail by the deadline last Friday. Floyd had turned himself in Thursday without first having a bond and, therefore, had to remain in jail. A judge denied him...

Saudi man receives death penalty for posts online, latest case in wide-ranging crackdown on dissent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi court has sentenced a man to death over his posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, and his activity on YouTube, the latest in a widening crackdown on dissent in the kingdom that has drawn international criticism. The judgement against Mohammed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, seen Wednesday by The Associated Press, comes against the backdrop of doctoral student Salma al-Shehab and others facing decadeslong prison sentences over their comments online. The sentences appear part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s wider effort to stamp out any defiance in the kingdom as he pursues massive building projects and other diplomatic deals to raise his profile globally.“Al-Ghamdi’s death sentence over tweets is extremely horrific but stands in line with the Saudi authorities’ escalating crackdown,” said Lina Alhathloul, the head of monitoring and advocacy at the London-based advocacy group ALQST. “Lengthy prison sentences issued for free speech, s...

Belgium’s asylum shelters will no longer take in single men in order to make room for families

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Belgian government said Wednesday it will no longer provide shelter for single men seeking asylum, arguing its insufficient reception capacity should prioritize families, women and children. Europe’s foremost human rights organization and aid groups condemned the move as reneging on international commitments. Belgium has long come under criticism for failing to provide enough shelter to the thousands of people who are seeking protection from persecution back home. Long lines of tents along streets outside the main processing center in Brussels have become a stain on Belgium’s reputation.On Wednesday, Asylum State Secretary Nicole de Moor said increasing pressure on asylum housing was expected over the coming months and she wanted “absolutely to avoid children ending up in the streets this winter.” Instead, single men will have to fend for themselves. According to the EU Agency for Asylum, male applicants last year accounted for 71% of asylum claims. B...

Toronto Zoo devastated after ‘beloved’ 2-year-old tiger dies from tragic fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:36 GMT

The Toronto Zoo is mourning the sudden death of a two-year-old female Amur tiger, who moved away from her mother in Toronto earlier this year.The zoo said Mila had been on her own at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado in solitary confinement after she experienced a dental issue that required surgery.After the zoo staff administered anesthesia, they said Mila was resting on a bench to lay down and let the anesthetic drugs take effect peacefully.Less than a minute after lying down, the zoo said Mila slipped off the waist-high bench, causing a fatal spinal injury.Dr. Eric Klaphake, head veterinarian at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, said the young Amur tiger could have slid off from that height “a hundred times” and landed in various other positions and been unaffected.“The team quickly entered her den when it was safe and diligently tried for 40 minutes to give her life-saving care,” Dr. Klaphake said.Toronto Zoo, community mourning Mila’s passing: CEOAmur tigers ...