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As the pope heads to Portugal, he is laying the groundwork for the church’s future and his legacy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — When Pope Francis made the first foreign trip of his papacy, to Rio di Janeiro for World Youth Day in 2013, he urged young people to make a “mess” in their local churches, to shake things up even if it ruffled the feathers of their bishops.As he embarks this week on another edition of World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, Francis in many ways has taken his own advice to heart. After 10 years as pope, Francis is accelerating his reform agenda and making revolutionary changes in personnel and policy that are definitely shaking things up.Unencumbered by the shadow of Pope Benedict XVI, who died seven months ago, and despite recovering from a second intestinal surgery in as many years, the 86-year-old Francis is opening a frenetic second half of the year with his Portugal visit. He seems aware that he has a limited sweet spot of time to solidify the changes he believes are necessary for the 21st century church, and is looking to the next generation of faithful and le...

Caribbean Export forges closer ties with the Dominican Republic through headquarters agreement signing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

Caribbean Export signs a Headquarters Agreement with the Government of the Dominican Republic. The signing marks a milestone in a new era of collaboration and progress for the Caribbean. Caribbean Export is committed to fostering greater regional trade and attracting foreign direct investment to the Caribbean. The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) took a significant step forward in strengthening trade and co-operation with the Dominican Republic as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez, and Caribbean Export’s Executive Director, Deodat Maharaj, gathered for the momentous signing of a Headquarters Agreement formalizing the operations of the Subregional Office of the agency in the Dominican Republic (DR). After signing the agreement, Minister Álvarez highlighted that Dominican companies will now enjoy the distinct advantage of having the agency’s Subregional Office formally established within the country. Caribbean Export’s primary objective is to boost tra...

Man killed, boy critically injured in DUI-related crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

Authorities with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating after a driver believed to be under the influence caused a crash that killed one man and critically injured a boy Saturday night in Lancaster.  Deputies from the sheriff’s department’s Lancaster Station responded to the scene near the intersection of 20th East Street and Avenue L at around 11:16 p.m. on July 29 on reports of the fatal two-car collision, authorities said in a news release.  A preliminary investigation indicates that a man driving a Lexus northbound on 20th Street East failed to stop at the red light at Avenue L, colliding with a Ford sedan traveling westbound on Avenue L that was carrying four passengers. An adult male in the Ford’s rear passenger seat suffered fatal injuries while a male juvenile was seriously wounded and taken to the hospital in critical condition. Video taken at the scene showed a heavy presence of first responders as well as significant damage to both vehicle...

Niño de 8 años sobrevive al ataque de un puma cerca del lago Ángeles de Washington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

(CNN) — Un niño de 8 años resultó con heridas leves después de ser atacado por un puma en el Parque Nacional Olympic de Washington este sábado por la noche, dijeron funcionarios del parque.El niño estaba acampando con su madre en el lago Ángeles, en el área de Heart O’ the Hills al sur de Port Angeles cuando el puma atacó, según un comunicado de prensa del Servicio de Parques Nacionales.El depredador felino “casualmente abandonó su ataque después de que la madre del niño le gritara y gritara”, dijo el servicio del parque.El personal del parque fue notificado sobre el ataque a las 6:30 p.m. y respondió rápidamente, según el comunicado.El niño sufrió “lesiones menores” y fue llevado al hospital para una evaluación adicional. El personal del parque escoltó a la familia de regreso al comienzo del sendero, dice el comunicado.Un puma ataca a un niño de 4 años en la reserva natural de San DiegoUn puma suelto pone en alerta a una ciudad de Argentina 1:02El personal evacuó a todo...

Denmark floats Quran-burning ban after far-right protests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

Denmark is considering banning events where “religions are being insulted,” the foreign ministry said Sunday after Qurans were burned in recent weeks by far-right groups in front of foreign embassies from Muslim-majority countries in Copenhagen.The Danish government will “explore the possibility of intervening in special situations where, for instance, other countries, cultures, and religions are being insulted,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding the burnings were “deeply offensive” and “play into the hands of extremists.”“We must find a legal tool that allows us to prevent Quran burnings in front of foreign embassies in Denmark,” Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR on Sunday, adding there had been “five Quran burnings” in Copenhagen that day.Several Quran burnings have taken place in Denmark and Sweden, where the act is permitted under freedom of expression and right ...

Fans pay tribute to Coco Lee, Hong Kong singer who had international success

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Fans of singer and songwriter Coco Lee, who was known for her powerful voice and live performances, were gathering with flowers to pay their respects to their idol at her funeral in Hong Kong on Monday.The evening services were expected to be attended by her family, friends and supporters. Lee died July 5 at age 48. She was born in Hong Kong and attended school in San Francisco before releasing her first album in 1994 at age 19. She began her career as a Mandopop singer but branched out to release albums in Cantonese and English.She was the first Chinese singer to break into the American market, and her English song “Do You Want My Love” climbed to #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Breakouts chart in December 1999. In 2001, she sang “A Love Before Time” from Ang Lee’s movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” at the Academy Awards, becoming the first Chinese American to perform at the Oscars.Lee was also the voice of heroine Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s “Mula...

Our bears are real, a Chinese zoo says, denying they are ‘humans in disguise’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A zoo in eastern China is denying suggestions some of its bears might be people in costumes after photos of the animals standing like humans circulated online.The sun bears from Malaysia are smaller than other bears and look different but are the real thing, the Hangzhou Zoo said Monday on its social media account.“Some people think I stand like a person,” said the posting, written from the bear’s point of view. “It seems you don’t understand me very well.”An employee who answered the phone at the zoo declined to talk about the bears but said visits were being arranged for reporters Monday to see them.Internet users questioned whether the zoo’s bears were real after photos circulated showing one standing upright on slender hind legs.“Because of the way they stand, some people online question whether they are ‘humans in disguise,’” the newspaper Hangzhou Daily said.Sun bears are the size of large dogs, standing at most 1.3 meters (50 inches) tall on their hind le...

Pakistan holds funerals as government vows to hunt down those behind the weekend’s suicide bombing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan held funerals on Monday for victims of a massive suicide bombing that targeted a rally of a pro-Taliban cleric the previous day as the death toll climbed to at least 45 and the government vowed to hunt down those behind the attack. No one immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s bombing, which also wounded nearly 200 people. Police said their initial investigation suggests the Islamic State group’s regional affiliate could be behind the attack. The victims were all from the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, which is headed by hard-line cleric and politician Fazlur Rehman. He did not attend the rally, held under a large tent close to a market in Bajur, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan.The IS regional affiliate — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — is based in neighboring Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province and is a rival of the Afghan Taliban. Bajur was a stronghold of the Pakistani Talib...

EU leader warns Europe won’t tolerate aggression: ‘not in Ukraine, not in the Indo-Pacific’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned Monday that Europe would not tolerate aggression in Ukraine or the Indo-Pacific, as she renewed in a speech the EU’s recognition of a 2016 arbitration decision that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the disputed South China Sea.Von der Leyen spoke in a joint news conference with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after holding talks in Manila that aimed to bolster trade, economic and security relations. The leaders announced the 27-nation bloc would resume negotiations with the Philippines for a free-trade agreement that stalled in 2017 under Marcos’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.She underscored the need for security cooperation citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which showed how authoritarian leaders “are willing to act on their threats.”“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shakes the foundation of the international order. It is in violation of the U.N....

Commission steps up protection of children from unsafe toys

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:37 GMT

On 28 July, the Commission proposed a Toy Safety Regulation revising the current rules to protect children from potential risks in toys. Toys put on the EU market are already among the safest ones in the world. The proposed rules will further improve this protection, in particular from harmful chemicals. They also aim at reducing the high number of unsafe toys that are still sold in the EU, especially online, increasing the level playing field between toys manufactured in the EU and imported ones. At the same time, they will continue to ensure the free movement of toys within the Single Market.Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, said: “This proposal will ensure that children are even more protected when playing with toys, including from harmful chemicals. Enforcement will be stepped up thanks to digital technologies, allowing unsafe toys to be more easily detected, notably at EU borders. As a result, the proposal increases the level playing field for the EU toy manufacturin...