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Zelenskyy meets with Italian officials, Pope Francis in Rome

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held private talks with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, after meeting earlier in the day with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who promised full military and financial backing for Ukraine.Zelenskyy said he sought support for his peace plan from Pope Francis, who in the past has offered to try to help end the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February 2022. The pontiff also indicated the Vatican would help in the repatriation of Ukrainian children taken by Russians.In a tweet after the 40-minute audience with the pope, 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, Pope Francis told reporters that the Vatican was engaged in a behind-the-scene peace mission to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine, without...

Lacrosse notebook: Deep, talented Reading girls team off to 14-1 start

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

READING — When the time finally came to return to the practice field for tryouts this past spring, Kate Leone finally was able to breathe a sigh of relief.The Reading girls lacrosse star had spent months working her way back from a series of left knee injuries, most notably a torn ACL and meniscus. Now following two surgeries, the senior and her teammates have the program off to one of its best starts in school history at 14-1.“It felt amazing,” said Leone. “I was a little nervous at first, because tearing your ACL is a big deal. I think it’s more of a mental game than it is physical. It just felt good to get back out there with my teammates, and make an impact.”A DePauw women’s lacrosse commit, Leone (25 goals, eight assists) has proven to be a Swiss Army knife for the Rockets, as has St. Michael’s commit Julia Barbato (27 goals, 23 assists). Meanwhile, the Rockets have been fueled offensively by a trio of sophomore sensations with Libby Quinn (45 goals, 18 assists), Megan Sh...

Celtics’ Marcus Smart clarifies comment about criticism of Joe Mazzulla

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

With two words, Marcus Smart raised some eyebrows after the Celtics’ Game 6 victory in Philadelphia on Thursday.Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had made a key adjustment, starting Robert Williams instead of Derrick White. It worked, fueling Boston to its best defensive performance of the playoffs. But in praising Mazzulla’s adjustment, Smart also acknowledged the criticism his coach has been taking during his first playoff run.“I know he’s been killed a lot,” Smart said. “Rightfully so.”It was certainly an unusual remark made from a player about their coach. But the relationship between Mazzulla and his Celtics players is also unique.Smart meant no malice behind his words. The point guard clarified them Saturday, and reiterated how the Celtics are operating in a collaborative environment, one that Mazzulla has been fostering since he took the job suddenly in September. Mazzulla makes the final decisions, but the Celtics – who are experienced in these playoff moments – are there to help t...

End of Title 42 hasn’t stopped migrants’ push north to US from Central America and Mexico

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — For weeks, Solangel Contreras raced.The Venezuelan migrant and her family of 22 trudged through the dense jungles of the Darien Gap and hopped borders across Central America.They joined thousands of other migrants from across the Hemisphere in a scramble to reach the United States-Mexico border and request asylum.They raced, unsure what changing migratory rules and the end of a pandemic-era border restriction, Title 42, would mean for their chances at a new life in the U.S.But after missing that cutoff, robbed in Guatemala and crossing into Mexico shortly after the program ended Thursday night, Contreras, 33, had only one certainty in her mind: “We’re going to keep going.”Confusion has rippled from the U.S.-Mexico border to migrant routes across the Americas, as migrants scramble to understand complex and ever-changing policies. And while Title 42 has come to an end, the flow of migrants headed north has not.From the rolling mountains and jungles in Central Americ...

Germany announces $3 billion military aid package for Ukraine ahead of expected Zelenskyy visit

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany will provide Ukraine with additional military aid worth more than 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition, the government said Saturday.The announcement came on the eve of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first visit to Germany since Russia invaded his country last year.Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Berlin wanted to show with the latest package of arms “that Germany is serious in its support” for Ukraine.“Germany will provide all the help it can, as long as it takes,” he said.Zelenskyy’s expected weekend visit — still not publicly confirmed by German officials for security reasons — is regarded in Berlin as a sign that relations between Ukraine and Germany have improved markedly after a rocky patch.Kyiv has long been suspicious of Germany’s reliance on Russian energy and support for the Nord Stream gas pipelines circumventing Ukraine, defended by then Chancellor Angela Merkel....

Islamic Jihad leader: Cease-fire reached with Israel, but fighting persists

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza announced late Saturday that a cease-fire deal had been reached with Israel to end five days of heavy fighting. But rocket fire persisted after the deadline, leaving the deal in question. Islamic Jihad leader Mohamad al-Hindi had told the Al Kahera Wal Nas channel that the Egyptian-brokered deal would go into effect at 10 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).“Now, this agreement has been reached thanks to continuous Egyptian effort. We appreciate this effort,” he said.Shortly before the truce was to take hold, Israel reported a heavy burst of Palestinian rocket fire toward southern and central Israel, while Israel said it was striking targets inside Gaza. After the 10 p.m. deadline, Israel reported additional rocket fire, and Israeli media said warplanes were responding.There was no Israeli comment on the cease-fire announcement. But the Egyptian station had earlier reported a deal was imminent. Egypt frequently...

Biden to graduates of historically Black Howard University: US history hasn’t been a ‘fairy tale’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday told graduates of a leading historically Black university that American history “has not always been a fairy tale” and that “racism has long torn us apart.” But on the nation’s best days, he said “enough of us have the guts and the heart to stand up for the best in us.”As Biden spoke, more than a dozen cap-and-gowned Howard University students stood with their backs to him holding handmade signs in silent protest over what they said were many forms of white supremacist violence. In his speech, Biden described the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which he has said helped compel him to run for president in 2020.Hate “never goes away” and “silence is complicity,” Biden said.“We know that American history has not always been a fairy tale,” Biden said, describing a constant “push and pull” between the idea that at all people are created equal and “the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart.&...

Pop acts sing for glory at Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, with Ukraine in spotlight

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — The final of the Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Saturday in Liverpool, with a Swedish diva and a party-loving Finnish rapper among favorites to win a joyous music competition clouded, for a second year running, by the war in Ukraine.Britain is hosting on behalf of Ukraine, which won last year but can’t take up its right to hold the contest because of the war. Under the slogan “united by music,” the grand final fused the soul of English port city that birthed The Beatles with the spirit of war-battered Ukraine.The sights and sounds of Ukraine ran through the show, starting with an opening film that showed 2022 Eurovision winners Kalush Orchestra singing and dancing in the Kyiv subway, with the tune picked up by musicians in the U.K. — including Kate, Princess of Wales, shown playing the piano.The folk-rap band itself then emerged onstage in the Liverpool Arena on a giant pair of outstretched hands, accompanied by massed drummers.Contestants from the 26 f...

Tennessee police shootout leaves 1 dead, police dog wounded

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A gunfight between police and a man inside a home in east Tennessee left him dead and wounded a K-9 police dog named Hank, who is recovering from surgery, authorities said Saturday.The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation did not say if police gunfire killed the man, 63-year-old David Wright, who was found dead inside the house. The bureau said an autopsy would determine the manner and cause of death. A second person in the home was hospitalized with unspecified injuries. The bureau’s news release did not identify the injured person.Officers went to the house in Sevierville on Friday night after a felony in which someone evaded police in a vehicle, the bureau said. Someone inside the home fired at the officers, who shot back. The bureau is investigating the shooting.Sevierville city spokesperson Bob Stahlke said Hank the K-9 officer underwent surgery for a gunshot wound and was transferred to a veterinary clinic in Knoxville. The Belgian Malinois was lat...

Kelly Clarkson responds to report accusing her daytime talk show of being a toxic workplace

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:09:50 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kelly Clarkson has responded to a Rolling Stone report accusing her daytime talk show of being a toxic workplace.Clarkson issued a statement on her Instagram page Saturday. She addressed the allegations after 11 current and former employees complained about being overworked and underpaid on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and also called their work “traumatizing to their mental health” in the magazine’s Friday report.In the report, the anonymous employees called Clarkson “fantastic” but said show producers were “monsters” who made their lives “hell.”Clarkson said she loves her team.“To find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable,” she said in the post. The talk show host said she wants to maintain a healthy and safe work environment.“As we prepare for a move to the East Coast, I am more committed than ever to ensuring that not only our team is moving, but also our new team in NY is comprised of the best and kindest in the bus...