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Pope Francis authorizes blessings for same-sex couples

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

(CNN) — Pope Francis formally permitted Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples on Monday, in a significant shift in Vatican doctrine.The blessings may be carried out providing they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor at the same time as a civil union, according to a Vatican document approved by the pope.The latest ruling fleshes out the opening the pope made to blessing same-sex couples last October and marks a shift away from a 2021 ruling from the Vatican doctrine office which barred any blessings saying God “cannot bless sin.”But since July 2023, the doctrine department has been led by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, an Argentinian prelate and ally of Francis, who has stuck a different tone to his predecessors.“When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it,” the declaration, authored by Cardinal Fernandez and another official, states. “The grace of God works in ...

Police say driver accidentally struck parked SUV in Biden’s motorcade near campaign headquarters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

By COLLEEN LONG (Associated Press)WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Wilmington police say a 46-year-old driver believed to be drunk accidentally plowed into a parked SUV that was guarding President Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday night while the president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters. The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed.While Biden was walking from the campaign office to his waiting armored SUV, the sedan struck a U.S. Secret Service vehicle that was being used to seal off the area surrounding the headquarters for the president’s visit. The driver then tried to continue forward into the closed-off intersection, before Secret Service agents surrounded the vehicle with weapons drawn and instructed the driver to put his hands up. Wilmington police said Monday their investigation determined the driver, a 46-year-old Wilmington man, accidentally struck the SUV and he was charged with drunken driving and inattentive driving. A loud bang and sound...

EU hits Russia’s diamond industry with new round of sanctions over Ukraine war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union said Monday that it has imposed fresh sanctions on Russia over its war against of Ukraine, targeting the lucrative diamonds industry, more than 140 officials and organizations, and closing loopholes that Moscow has used to bypass previous punitive measures.It’s the 12th round of sanctions that the EU has slapped on Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine almost two years ago.EU headquarters said the latest measures would “deliver a further blow to Putin’s ability to wage war by targeting high-value sectors of the Russian economy and making it more difficult to circumvent EU sanctions.”The import, purchase or transfer of Russian non-industrial natural and synthetic diamonds and diamond jewelry will be banned starting Jan. 1. The ban applies to diamonds originating in Russia, exported from Russia and transiting through Russia, as well as Russian diamonds processed elsewhere.The new round of sanctions also obliges EU comp...

Around 1,000 customers without power after truck strikes power line in Mississauga crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

Two people are injured and a number of residents are without power after a crash in Mississauga on Monday morning.Emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle crash near Dixie Road and Meyerside Drive around 9:30 a.m.Police say one of the vehicles hit a power line and knocked out power in the area. Images from the scene show a large truck on its side near a damaged utility pole.Two males were taken to hospital, one with serious injuries and the other with minor injuries.Alectra says the outage is impacting around 1,000 homes and businesses in the area bounded by Dixie, Britannia Road, Atlantic Drive and Tomken Road. Crews have been dispatched and they estimate power will be restored around noon.Southbound Dixie is closed from Courtneypark Drive to Shawson Drive for the investigation. Police say the road will be closed for “an extended period.”

Behind the ‘Maestro’ biopic are a raft of theater stars supporting the story of Leonard Bernstein

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Leonard Bernstein was a towering figure on Broadway. So it seems only fitting that the new biopic of him leans on the Great White Way to get the story right.Bradley Cooper’s movie “Maestro” is studded with theater stars — 29 of the 38 principal cast members have a background in the theater, including Gideon Glick, Michael Urie, Greg Hildreth, Nick Blaemire, Ryan Steele, Zachary Booth and Gaby Diaz.Look closely and you’ll find actor-turned-director Scott Ellis playing Bernstein’s manager, Harry Kraut, and rising stage star Jordan Dobson — whose credits include “Bad Cinderella,” “Hadestown” and, significantly, “West Side Story” — playing a young conductor.Casting director Shayna Markowitz said she didn’t necessarily set out to land theater pros but it came naturally when she was trying to populate Bernstein’s world authentically.“There’s kind of this amazing synergy between casting theater actors to portray people of the theater world and of Lenny’s world,” Markowitz s...

Raptors’ forward Precious Achiuwa turns ‘what if’ into why not?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

“What if?” is a question most people ask themselves at least once a day. “What if I didn’t take this job?” “What if Kawhi didn’t make that shot?”For Toronto Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa that question is the motivation and inspiration behind his non-profit foundation ‘What If Unlimited.’“The message and idea of what we do is empowerment,” Achiuwa told CityNews. “Whether it’s kids, young boys and girls, women, people in all aspects of life. We try to do it through education, athletic scholarships, or through business building. Whatever aspect of life people are focused on, especially in areas like that where there is not a lot of opportunity, just being able to create as many opportunities as possible for us is really what we prioritize ourselves with.”Over the weekend the foundation hosted its first ‘What If Women’s Program’ in his hometown of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The event was inspired by a previous camp ...

Serbia’s populist leader relies on his tested playbook to mastermind another election victory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Aleksandar Vucic likes nothing more than to win. Critics say he cheats, but Serbia’s president shows he just knows the job of remaining in power.The populist leader has ruled the Balkan nation for more than a decade as both prime minister and president. After his populists won a weekend snap parliamentary election, Vucic seems set to tighten his already autocratic rule still further.During a political career that spans more than 30 years, Vucic has morphed from being an extreme nationalist who supported an aggression against non-Serbs, to a regional player lauded by Western officials for keeping the Balkans relatively stable.The 53-year-old comes across as both pro-European and pro-Russian. He says Serbia should join the European Union but then bashes the EU at every opportunity. He appointed Serbia’s first-ever gay prime minister but later banned a pride march.“This was an absolute victory and I am extremely happy about it,” Vucic said late on Sunday after d...

Your autograph, Mr. Caro? Ahead of 50th anniversary, ‘Power Broker’ author feels like a movie star

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Since the release a year ago of the acclaimed documentary “Turn Every Page,” Robert Caro has been feeling a bit like a movie star. “I walk up Broadway and kids recognize me,” the historian and author of “The Power Broker” says. “If I linger a bit, they start talking about a chapter that they like. It’s so wonderful.”The 88-year-old Caro, winner of virtually every literary prize, has long held at least semi-celebrity status. His better known admirers range from Conan O’Brien to former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and impatient readers regularly send emails to his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, asking for an update on his fifth and final Lyndon Johnson book. (Still no release date in sight, Caro says.)On this December morning, he’s seated at a small table in the gift shop of the New-York Historical Society, engaged in another kind of ritual for public figures: autographs, available to anyone who buys one of his books from the society’s...

Russia adds popular author Akunin to register of ‘extremists and terrorists,’ opens criminal case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities on Monday added popular detective novelist and dissident Grigory Chkhartishvili – known under the pen name Boris Akunin – to its register of “extremists and terrorists.”On the same day that Russia’s financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring, added the Russian-Georgian writer to the register, state media reported that a criminal case had been opened last week against Akunin for “discrediting the army.”Discrediting the Russian military is a criminal offense under a law adopted after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The law is regularly used against Kremlin critics.Akunin’s placement on the register comes after one of Russia’s leading book publishers, AST, last week announced that it was suspending the printing and sale of books by Akunin and another popular author, Dmitry Bykov, following their criticism of Russia’s military action in Ukraine.The decision by AST followed the release of a prank call earlier in December in which ...

Ontario releases top baby names of 2022. Here’s which ones cracked the list

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:35 GMT

Ontario released the top baby names of 2022, and once again, the most popular of the year prior reign supreme.Olivia and Noah were ranked as the most prevalent girl and boy names in 2022, and more impressively, Olivia has held the top spot for girls for over a decade, with 14 consecutive years as number one.Noah is in the top spot for the fourth year in a row, with Liam following closely behind as the second-most popular name. Here is how both top 10s look.GirlsOliviaCharlotteAmeliaEmma SophiaAvaChloe/IslaEvelynLilyMiaBoysNoahLiamOliverTheodoreJackBenjaminLucasWilliamEthanLeoChloe was on the top 10 list for girl names for the first time, tied with Isla, while Theodore inched up two spots this year.The United States Social Security Administration also released its top baby names of 2022, and Olivia landed number one on their rendition. For boys, Liam took the top spot in the U.S., with the names Elijah and James cracking their top 10.Todd McCarthy, Ontario’s Minister of Pu...