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Pope heads to Mongolia to minister to its few Catholics and complete centuries-old East-West mission

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — When Pope Francis travels to Mongolia this week, he will in some ways be completing a mission begun by the 13th-century Pope Innocent IV, who dispatched emissaries east to ascertain the intentions of the rapidly expanding Mongol Empire and beseech its leaders to halt the bloodshed and convert.Those medieval exchanges between Roman pope and Mongolian khan were full of bellicose demands for submission and conversion, with each side claiming to be acting in the name of God, according to texts of the letters that survive. But the exchanges also showed mutual respect at a time when the Catholic Church was waging Crusades and the Mongol Empire was conquering lands as far west as Hungary in what would become the largest contiguous land empire in world history.Some 800 years later, Francis won’t be testing new diplomatic waters or seeking to proselytize Mongolia’s mostly Buddhist people when he arrives in the capital Ulaanbaatar Friday for a four-day visit. His trip is n...

Russia earns less from oil and spends more on war. So far, sanctions are working like a slow poison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

The Russian ruble’s wobble in value has exposed a crack in President Vladimir Putin’s fortress economy, a vulnerability quickly plastered over by the Kremlin’s economic team in a move that allowed the currency to regain its footing, at least for now.Yet the patch — an emergency interest rate increase — cannot hide the dilemma at the heart of the Russian economy: how to fund the military while not undermining the national currency and overheating the economy with corrosive and politically embarrassing inflation.Life in Moscow presents a facade of normality despite sweeping sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine and the departure of hundreds of name-brand Western companies. Outdoor seating at restaurants and bars on the popular Bolshaya Nikitskaya street were packed on a recent evening with well-dressed residents enjoying balmy August weather. Loud music from DJs boomed from a nearby courtyard eatery. Malls haven’t changed at first glance, but where Zara and H&M on...

Commission proposes fishing opportunities for 2024 in the Baltic Sea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

The Commission has adopted its proposal for the 2024 fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea in response to a scientific assessment that indicates several fisheries are in a dire situation.The Commission proposed the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for three out of the ten stocks managed in the Baltic Sea. The Commission proposes to increase fishing opportunities for salmon in the Gulf of Finland by 7%, while proposing to decrease fishing of salmon in the main basin by 15%, and to decrease herring catches in the Gulf of Riga by 20%.As for the other stocks in the Baltic (western cod, eastern cod, western herring, Bothnian herring, central herring, sprat and plaice), the Commission has requested additional information from the International Council on the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) to take better account of the fact that cod is caught together with flatfish, and herring together with sprat. The remaining quota proposals will be established at a later stage.Environment, ...

Connecticut seeks 25th victory this season in matchup against Phoenix

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

Phoenix Mercury (9-26, 2-15 Western Conference) at Connecticut Sun (24-11, 13-4 Eastern Conference)Uncasville, Connecticut; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Connecticut will aim for its 25th win of the season when the Sun host the Phoenix Mercury.The Sun have gone 10-6 in home games. Connecticut ranks third in the WNBA with 20.9 assists per game led by Alyssa Thomas averaging 8.1.The Mercury are 1-16 on the road. Phoenix allows 83.8 points to opponents and has been outscored by 7.2 points per game.The teams square off for the third time this season. The Mercury won 90-84 in the last meeting on Aug. 11. Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 21 points, and Rebecca Allen led the Sun with 24 points.TOP PERFORMERS: DeWanna Bonner is averaging 18 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Sun. Thomas is averaging 19.2 points over the last 10 games for Connecticut.Diana Taurasi is averaging 16 points and 4.6 assists for the Mercury. Sophie Cunningham is averaging 11.8 points and 3.1 rebounds while sho...

Washington visits Las Vegas after Young’s 24-point outing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

Washington Mystics (17-18, 8-10 Eastern Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (30-6, 15-2 Western Conference)Las Vegas; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Las Vegas hosts the Washington Mystics after Jackie Young scored 24 points in the Las Vegas Aces’ 94-85 loss to the New York Liberty.The Aces are 16-1 on their home court. Las Vegas averages 21.6 assists per game to lead the Western Conference, paced by Chelsea Gray with 7.2.The Mystics are 5-11 on the road. Washington is eighth in the WNBA with 19.0 assists per game led by Natasha Cloud averaging 5.9.The two teams square off for the third time this season. The Mystics defeated the Aces 78-62 in their last matchup on Aug. 26. Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with 21 points, and Kelsey Plum led the Aces with 21 points.TOP PERFORMERS: A’ja Wilson is averaging 22 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for the Aces. Plum is averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games for Las Vegas.Brittney Sykes is averaging 15.5 points, 3.8 assists...

Next of Ken: Belichick, Kraft to blame for recent Pats failures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

Bill Belichick is a “Ken.”So is Robert Kraft.“Barbie” took in more than $1 billion this summer. The “girl power” flick was powered by a script recycled from pick-your-favorite-1970-something episode of “Maude.” It portrayed the struggles of women suffering under the iron-fist of a male-dominated patriarchy with fun, flair, color, a plush wardrobe, and nifty visuals.Having been married for 34 years come November, the concept of a patriarchy carries as much relevance to me as the latest dining trends in Kyrgyzstan. Yet “Barbie” was immensely popular and packed theatres. Nicole Kidman can go home now.“Ken,” played by a very chiseled Ryan Gosling, was a clueless sort who thought the world revolved around his whims and needs.“Ken” is the type of guy born on 1st-and-goal at the 1 and thinks he drove the first 99 yards himself.“Ken” would believe he won 6 Super Bowls because of coaching acumen. He would deem his skillful stewardship of the Patriots franchise as the key factor that delivere...

Air attack kills 2 in Kyiv while Russia accuses Ukraine of biggest drone attack of the war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian officials on Wednesday accused Ukraine of launching what appeared to be the biggest nighttime drone attack on Russian soil since the war began 18 months ago. The Kremlin’s forces also hit Kyiv during the night with what Ukrainian officials called a “massive, combined attack” that killed two people.Drones struck hit an airport in western Russia’s Pskov region near the border with Estonia and Latvia, damaging four Il-76 transport aircraft that can carry heavy machinery, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials.The airport strike, which was first reported minutes before midnight, started a massive fire, the regional governor and local media reported. Unconfirmed media reports said up to 20 drones may have targeted the airport.More drones were shot down over the Oryol, Bryansk, Ryazan and Kaluga regions, as well as the region surrounding the Russian capital, according to the Defense Ministry. Three main Moscow region airports — She...

Mutinous soldiers in Gabon say they’ve ousted president whose family has ruled for 55 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Crowds celebrated in Gabon after mutinous soldiers said Wednesday they were seizing power in order to overturn the results of a presidential election, seeking to remove a president whose family has held power for 55 years.The coup attempt came hours after the central African country’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, was declared winner of an election marred by fears of violence. Within minutes of the announcement, gunfire was heard in the center of the capital, Libreville. Later, a dozen uniformed soldiers appeared on state television and announced that they had seized power.Crowds in the city took to the city’s streets to celebrate the end of Bongo’s reign, singing the national anthem with soldiers.“Thank you, army. Finally, we’ve been waiting a long time for this moment,” said Yollande Okomo, standing in front of soldiers from Gabon’s elite republican guard. Shopkeeper Viviane Mbou offered the soldiers juice, which they declined.“Long live ...

Pope says a revised environmental encyclical will be released Oct. 4, feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis said Wednesday he will be releasing an update to his landmark 2015 environmental encyclical on Oct. 4, the feast of his nature-loving namesake, St. Francis of Assisi.Francis recently revealed he was writing a “second part” to the document “to address current problems.” The Vatican spokesman said the update would take into account in particular recent climate crises.On Wednesday, Francis told his weekly general audience that he intended to publish the update on Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis and also the start of Francis’ big Vatican meeting on the future of the Catholic Church.The 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si,” or “Praised Be,” is perhaps Francis’ most well-known and important document. In it, Francis cast care for the environment in stark moral terms, calling for a bold cultural revolution to correct what he said was a “structurally perverse” economic system in which the rich exploited the poor, turning Earth into a pile of “filth” in t...

Pakistan’s Imran Khan will be imprisoned for 2 more weeks despite getting bail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:09 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan will remain in a high-security prison for at least another two weeks despite being granted bail the previous day, as an anti-terrorism court extended his detention Wednesday in a case involving the revealing of an official secret document, a defense lawyer said.The anti-terrorism court announced the decision after a brief closed-door hearing that was held at a high-security Attock prison in the eastern Punjab province, lawyer Intazar Hussain Panjutha said. The next court hearing will be on Sept. 2, he said.Khan’s other lawyer, Salman Safdar, told reporters that he is petitioning a court to seek bail for Khan in the latest case. He said he is challenging Khan’s imprisonment and jail trial as “it is illogical and unconstitutional.” The latest development was a blow to Khan and his legal team, which expected his release after a court in the capital, Islamabad, suspended the corruption conviction and three-ye...