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Zelenskyy meets Pope Francis at Vatican and seeks backing for his Ukraine peace plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had private talks with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, later saying he sought support for his peace plan from the pontiff, who in the past has offered to try to help end the full-scale war launched by Russia a year ago.Zelenskyy held his hand over his heart and said it was a “great honor” to meet with the pope. Francis, using a cane for his knee problem, came to greet the Ukrainian president before ushering him into a papal studio near the Vatican’s audience hall. In a tweet after the 40-minute audience, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Francis for “his personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians.” He said he spoke with the pontiff “about the tens of thousands of deported (Ukrainian) children. We must make every effort to return them home.” Last month, Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, asked the pope to help get children returned from Russia to Ukraine. But the Vatican’s state...

Kenya cult death toll hits 200, with more than 600 reported missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The death toll linked to a doomsday cult in Kenya hit 201 Saturday after police exhumed 22 more bodies, most of them bearing signs of starvation, according to the coast regional commissioner. The bodies are believed to be those of followers of a pastor based in coastal Kenya, Paul Mackenzie. He’s alleged to have ordered congregants to starve to death in order to meet Jesus.More than 600 people are still missing. Mackenzie, who was arrested last month, remains in custody. Police plan to charge him with terrorism-related offenses.Hundreds of bodies have been dug up from dozens of mass graves spread across his 800-acre property, located in the coastal county of Kilifi.Mackenzie insists that he closed his church in 2019 and moved to his property in a forested area to farm.Autopsies conducted on more than 100 bodies last week showed the victims died of starvation, strangulation, suffocation and injuries sustained from blunt objects.Local media outlets have bee...

Syria extends opening of 2 border crossings with Turkey for quake aid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Syrian government has agreed to extend by another three months the use of two border crossings with Turkey into the rebel-held northwest that were opened for aid delivery after a deadly earthquake in February, Syrian and U.N. officials said Saturday.Syrian President Bashar Assad had agreed to open the border crossings at Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai for three months to allow aid to flow into Idlib province a week after the Feb. 6, earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria.The earthquake has killed more than 50,000 people, including over 6,000 in Syria, according to the United Nations. The quake also displaced hundreds of thousands of people.Following a request by the U.N. and ensuing discussions, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad conveyed to U.N. Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths the decision by Syria’s government to allow the U.N. to continue using the two border crossing points for an additional three months, said Eri Kaneko, s...

Survivor, storyteller and filmmaker on mental health awareness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

Survivor, storyteller and film maker Kevin Hines joins WGN Weekend Morning News to talk about experience with bipolar depression and his passion to help others with their mental health challenges.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Biden gives commencement speech at Howard University: 'Hope can defeat fear'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

(The Hill) – In his commencement address at Howard University on Saturday, President Biden said hope is “shadowed” by fear, violence and hate, but asserted that it can still win if people speak up to oppose those forces.Biden, the seventh sitting president to give the commencement address at the historically Black university, told the graduating class that he hoped hatred was losing the battle after former President Obama was elected and reelected as the country’s first Black president. But he said hatred “never goes away” and only “hides under the rocks.” “A vivid demonstration when it comes to race in America, hope doesn’t travel alone. It’s shadowed by fear, by violence and by hate,” he said.  Biden unveils new airline passenger protections for flight delays, cancellations Biden said he had hoped when he graduated from school that hate could be permanently defeated, but he has learned that stopping it requires people to not remain silent during the “battle for the soul of ...

Hobby Lobby doesn't use barcodes: Here's their explanation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - There is hardly any item you can purchase that doesn’t have a barcode. In fact, getting to the checkout only to learn your item doesn’t have a barcode can prove to be a challenge. Unless you’re shopping at a certain national retailer — then a barcode may actually be a problem. Frequent visitors to Hobby Lobby may have noticed that their cashiers don’t scan tags but rather manually enter the item’s price and, if applicable, sale prices. Why? Starbucks rolls out $1 charge for certain orders, causing confusion Some have speculated that Hobby Lobby, well-known for being owned by Evangelical Christians, fears barcodes are the “mark of the beast,” which is mentioned in the final book of the Bible. There, in the Book of Revelation, a beast is described. That apocalyptic beast would put its mark on all people, and that things could not be bought or sold “unless they had the mark.”The idea that the barcode is a “mark of the best” stretches back to the 1970s, according...

How to make summer camp more affordable

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

(NerdWallet) - To create a fun but affordable summer for her daughters, ages 11 and 13, Flossie McCowald plans out camps well in advance. The Pennsylvania resident snags early bird discounts, takes advantage of a church-based sleepaway camp that offers scholarships and leverages sibling discounts.“Every little bit helps,” says McCowald, who is the founder of SuperMomHacks.com, where she writes about parenting.That’s especially true when camp is more expensive than ever. “We’re in an inflationary environment, and camp is no exception,” says Tom Rosenberg, president and CEO of the American Camp Association, which represents camps and industry professionals. He adds that camps are facing price increases across every major cost category, including staffing, insurance and transportation.The ACA says that according to responses it collected from members nationwide in 2022, on average day camp costs $88 a day and overnight camp costs $173 a day, while some camps are free, and most offer ne...

Widespread 1"-2" rain totals and more on the way

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Preliminary rainfall totals show widespread 1"-3" totals with the first round of rain/storms that moved through overnight into early this morning, and there's more on the way. CENTRAL TEXAS RAIN TOTALS There could be some minor flooding of low-lying and flood-prone areas until 2:00 for most of the counties. Excessive rainfall could create a similar situation for the southeast half of Mason County. NEW BLOG: HOW TO PREPARE FOR FLASH FLOODING The biggest severe threat experienced as some intense lightning. There were no reports of hail nor any damaging winds.All of Central Texas remains under a Flood Watch until at least 8 p.m. this evening. More rain is in the forecast not just for today for for tomorrow and on through the rest of the week. Flood Watch until 8:00 Saturday eveningToday's forecast calls for scattered to widespread rounds of intermittent showers and thunderstorms, some of which may produce heavy rainfall. Be sure to avoid low water crossings.Flood r...

Gophers football adds surging Georgia Southern corner Tyler Bride

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

The Gophers football program continued to get results in addressing its shortage of defensive backs on Saturday. Georgia Southern transfer cornerback Tyler Bridge committed to Minnesota.The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Atlanta native had a strong season in the Sun Belt Conference last fall, where he earned a 68.4 grade across 676 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.“Time to be LEGENDARY,” Bride tweeted.Bride was a strong tackler, with 42 total tackles, along with two interceptions and nine pass breakups east season, including a season-high-tying six tackles against Nebraska last September. He started last season in the nickel spot but moved to wide corner to finish the year. That grade was in the top one-third in the nation.Bride, who’s father Larry played football at Arizona State, has two years of eligibility remaining for the U.Bride is the third transfer defensive back to pledge to Minnesota since spring practices ended in late April. Bride joined cornerback Ta’Von Jones (Elon) and s...

Cheers and tears as Karen and Nepali store replaces troubled St. Paul strip club

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:26 GMT

In a celebration full of cheers and tears, a ribbon cutting was held Saturday for the opening of a new Karen and Nepali grocery store in the former location of the controversial Lamplighter Lounge strip club.The owners spent months renovating the space at 160 Larpenteur Avenue West in St. Paul.The Lamplighter Lounge was St. Paul’s only strip club and was ground zero for a number of shootings including the June 2020 murder of Nia Black, a 23-year-old cosmetologist who was shot outside the club.A year ago, the St. Paul City Council sought to close down the club, holding an emotional public impact session to gauge how the nightclub has affected neighborhood residents. However, the council did not have the authority to do so and was legally required to renew its liquor license.In March 2022, the city said it they would cancel the strip club’s licenses. Shortly after, the business closed permanently.Kim O’Brien, executive director of the Rice & Larpenteur Alliance, called...