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Pope slammed for telling Russians to hold on to ‘legacy’ of a ‘great empire’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

Pope Francis has come under fire after he encouraged Russian youths not to give up their “legacy” as heirs of a “great, enlightened Russian empire.” “Never give up this legacy, you are the heirs of the great Mother Russia, go forward with it,” Pope Francis told young Russians gathered for the All-Russian Meeting of Catholic Youth in St. Petersburg on Friday. During the speech, a clip of which was posted online, the pope also 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.“You are the heirs of the great Russia: the great Russia of saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, of that great, enlightened Russian empire, of great culture and great humanity,” he said.The comments have sparked outrage online, with many criticizing the pope’s decision to praise Russia’s imperialist past, especially considering the Kremlin’...

In Bulgaria, demise of top prosecutor raises questions about judicial reform

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

SOFIA — At the beginning of July, Bulgaria’s former chief prosecutor, who rarely took questions while in office, turned to Facebook Live. As Ivan Geshev read awkwardly from the teleprompter, staring stiffly into the camera, he announced plans to establish a new movement, Justice for Bulgaria — the first step, some said, to him entering politics. Geshev, who once referred to himself once as “an instrument in the hands of God” and was dismissed as the top prosecutor in June, plodded through his speech, not referring to the years of protests and public outcry about his cozying up to oligarchs and corrupt politicians while in office, and his failure to investigate high-ranking graft.This attempted return to public life by Geshev so swiftly after he was ousted as prosecutor was another outlandish moment as the new government — which has made no secret of its dislike for him — aimed to course-correct years of stagnation, and as it agreed to focus on eliminating corruption among ...

Will Patriots O-line starters be ready for Week 1? Bill Belichick answers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

Less than two weeks away from their season opener, the Patriots’ offensive line is in shambles.Left tackle Trent Brown and center David Andrews were the only starters available for most of training camp and the preseason. Their line mates are scattered across the trainer’s room.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots 53-man roster projection: Toughest cuts at QB, tight end, linebacker New England Patriots | Patriots acquire another tackle via trade with Vikings for draft pick New England Patriots | Patriots practice notes: Two players return, long list of absences ahead of cuts New England Patriots | Source: Patriots trade RB Pierre Strong for Browns offensive lineman New England Patriots | Patriots-Titans film review: Marte Mapu’s main area for growth and 19 more takeaways Starting guards Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu continue to recover from lower-body injuries, with Onwenu und...

14-year-old arrested with a gun, two stabbed in Roxbury and Dorchester over weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

Two people were arrested for separate stabbing incidents in Roxbury and Dorchester on Saturday, BPD reported Sunday, and one 14-year-old boy was arrested with a gun in Hyde Park on Friday.On Friday, members of the Youth Violence Strike Force were conducting a missing person investigation in the area of 6 Alwin Street for a juvenile with an outstanding warrant, the police said.Around 2 p.m., officers reportedly saw the kid enter an idling car with a second person and intiated a traffic stop as the vehicle moved.BPD said officers made contact with all people in the car, had them exit the vehicle. They searched the car, BPD said, and found a firearm, later determined to be a Kel-Tec Sub-2000 Rifle with 15 rounds in the magazine.The other car occupants were “promptly released,” police stated.The 14-year-old suspect was placed under arrest and charged with Delinquent to wit; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Delinquent to wit; Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Delinquent...

Chicago baseball report: A wild week for the White Sox, a big home series set-up for the Cubs — and September call-ups

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

The Chicago Cubs took care of business in Pittsburgh to set up a huge series at Wrigley Field.They carry momentum into a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers after winning three of four games against the Pirates. It’s a chance to chip away at the Brewers’ National League Central lead, beginning with Monday night’s series opener in what should be an electric atmosphere.It was a week of change for the White Sox after firing executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn on Tuesday. In the release announcing the news, the Sox said they will “begin a search for a single decision-maker to lead the baseball operations department” and anticipate having someone in place “by the end of the season.”Every Monday throughout the season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead for the Cubs and Sox.Seiya Suzuki on a roll since mental resetSometimes watching the game from t...

Official says the UN remains committed to helping reach a deal healing Cyprus’ ethnic split

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — United Nations chief Antonio Guterres is paying very close attention to the situation on war-divided Cyprus and will use all means at his disposal to help reach an agreement to heal the Mediterranean island nation’s ethnic split, a senior U.N. official said Monday.U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča said he and Cyprus’ Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides discussed ways of resuming talks with breakaway Turkish Cypriots that have remained stalemated since 2017, when negotiations at a Swiss resort collapsed.Jenča said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would definitely “use all his good offices in order to help this process to find a solution to the Cyprus issue.”Cyprus government spokesperson Constantinos Letymbiotis said Jenča conveyed Guterres’ “dedication to efforts for a resumption of negotiations” and that the world body continues to look for ways to get negotiations back on track.Cy...

To stop wildfires, residents in some Greek suburbs put their own money toward early warning drones

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The nightmare repeats itself every year: A towering wall of flames devours forests, farmland and homes, forcing animals and people to flee for their lives. With their hot, dry summers, Greece and its southern European neighbors experience hundreds of devastating wildfires each year. Last week alone, wildfires killed 21 people in Greece. The country’s deadliest, in 2018, cost more than 100 lives. And experts warn that climate change is likely to exacerbate extreme weather, fueling more wildfires.This summer, a group of residents in a leafy suburb of the Greek capital united in determination to prevent the nightmare from reaching their homes.In less than a week in early August, an initial group of three people with a shared concern grew to an online community of about 320 offering donations to hire a company using long-range drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras as a sophisticated early warning system to catch wildfires before they can spread.“We’re all wo...

US, China agree to discuss export controls as commerce secretary visits to warm up chilly ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said she and her Chinese counterpart agreed Monday to exchange information on U.S. export controls that frustrate Beijing and set up a group to discuss other commercial issues, but neither side appeared ready to make concessions on disputes that have plunged relations to their lowest level in decades.Raimondo joined American officials including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in July who have visited China in hopes of reviving chilly relations. They expressed optimism about improving communication but no progress on conflicts over technology, security, human rights and a lingering tariff war.For its part, Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government wants to revive foreign investor interest in China as it tries to reverse a deepening economic slump.Raimondo said she and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao agreed during a four-hour meeting to launch an “information exchange” on export controls. She said they also will set up a “working group” of of...

Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to become a hurricane and move toward Florida, forecasters say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Idalia intensified early Monday and was expected to become a major hurricane before it reaches Florida’s Gulf coast, the National Hurricane Center said Monday, warning of an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds in Florida as soon as late Tuesday. Heavy rainfall in western Cuba could produce flooding and landslides, forecasters said, and hurricane-force winds were expected later Monday.At 8 a.m. EDT Monday, the storm was about 90 miles (150 kilometers) off the western tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph). The storm was moving north at 8 mph (13 kph) at the time, the hurricane center said.The center’s update also included a hurricane advisory for the Cuban province of Pinar Del Rio.Forecasters said they expected Idalia to become a hurricane later Monday and a dangerous major hurricane by early Wednesday over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Idalia was expected to move northwa...

UK flights are being delayed and canceled as a ‘technical issue’ hits air traffic control

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of air travelers faced delays on Monday after Britain’s air traffic control system was hit by a breakdown that slowed takeoffs and landings.Flight control operator National Air Traffic Services said it was experiencing a “technical issue” that could delay flights on Monday, the end of a holiday weekend and one of the busiest travel days of the year.The service said it had “applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety” and that engineers were working to find and fix the fault. It said U.K. airspace remained open.It did not give an estimate of how long it would take to fix the problem, or what had caused it, but European air traffic authority Eurocontrol warned of “very high” delays because of a “flight data processing system failure” in the U.K.Scottish airline Loganair said there had been “a network-wide failure of U.K. air traffic control computer systems.”“Although we are hopeful of being able to operate most intra-Scotland flights on th...