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Pope promotes ‘humanitarian corridors’ for asylum-seekers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis met Saturday with thousands of refugees and charity groups hosting them in Italy as he sought to promote legal migration routes to Europe as an alternative to smuggling operations that he said have turned the Mediterranean Sea into a “cemetery.”Francis said “humanitarian corridors,” which have operated in Italy since 2016, saved lives and helped newly arrived asylum-seekers get acclimated while church groups provided housing, education and work opportunities.“Humanitarian corridors not only aim to bring refugees to Italy and other European countries, rescuing them from situations of uncertainty, danger and endless waiting; they also work toward integration,” he said.The Sant’Egidio Catholic charity, the Federation of Evangelical Churches and the Waldensian Church spearheaded the ecumenical humanitarian transfer initiative in Italy, which has brought more than 6,000 people to Europe, Francis was told.Under the program, aid workers identify asylum cand...

Judge won’t toss lawsuit over ivermectin in Arkansas jail

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that says detainees at an Arkansas jail were given the drug ivermectin to fight COVID-19 without their knowledge.The lawsuit contends detainees at the Washington County Jail in Fayetteville were given ivermectin as early as November 2020 but were unaware until July 2021. Ivermectin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to address parasitic infestations such as intestinal worms and head lice and some skin conditions, such as rosacea. It is not, and was not at the time, approved to treat COVID-19.U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks ruled Thursday that the lawsuit could move forward, saying Dr. Robert Karas used detainees for an experiment, The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.Plaintiffs in the case include Edrick Floreal-Wooten, Jeremiah Little, Julio Gonzales, Thomas Fritch and Dayman Blackburn. The case was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union last year against Karas, Karas Corr...

US warns about fake, dangerous pills being sold in Mexico

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning about dangerous counterfeit pills being sold at pharmacies in Mexico that often contain fentanyl. The travel alert posted Friday says Americans should “exercise caution when purchasing medication in Mexico.” Small pharmacies in tourist areas and border regions sometimes sell medications advertised as OxyContin, Percocet, Xanax and others without a prescription. The State Department warned that such pills are often counterfeit and “may contain deadly doses of fentanyl.” “Counterfeit pills are readily advertised on social media and can be purchased at small, non-chain pharmacies in Mexico along the border and in tourist areas,” it said.A study led by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that 68% of the 40 Mexican pharmacies visited in four northern Mexico cities sold Oxycodone, Xanax or Adderall, and that 27% of those pharmacies were selling fake pills. UCLA said the study, published in ...

Ottawa to allow temporary Syrian, Turkish residents to stay longer after earthquake

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

TORONTO — The federal government says it will make it easier for temporary residents in Canada from Turkey and Syria to extend their stay in the country after a powerful earthquake struck their countries last month.More than 50,000 people have been killed and millions displaced after the 7.8-magnitude quake and several powerful aftershocks hit the region on Feb. 6.Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says the government will allow people from Turkey and Syria who have a temporary status to visit family, study or work in Canada to apply for an extension to their status and will wave the application fees for them.Fraser says his department has been prioritizing processing temporary and permanent resident applications from people affected by the earthquake.The government says, as of March 10, about 600 Syrian and 6,400 Turkish residents in Canada had temporary status that is set to expire within the next six months.Last month, the federal government said it is to send another $20 million i...

Should remote workers take 'hush trips'?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Emily Smith was working two jobs — at a hotel and at a retail store — when she realized she was in dire need of a break. Smith, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, says her employers didn’t usually approve of her vacation days, so she invented a fake family emergency, claiming she’d need to work from home. Instead, she went to Las Vegas.“I took meetings poolside, and I timed my flights to happen outside working hours,” she says. “All my work was completed in a timely manner so neither of my bosses ever asked.”That was back in 2012, when most jobs demanded an in-person presence. About 10 years later, more people are working remotely (or poolside like Smith). According to U.S. Census Bureau data released in 2022, more than 27.6 million people worked primarily from home in 2021. That’s triple the number of people working from home in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.Even with the rise of remote work, some workers are hesitant or don’t feel the need to tell their empl...

Vikings agree to terms with depth offensive lineman Oli Udoh

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

In an effort to further bolster their depth up front, the Vikings agreed to terms with depth offensive lineman Oli Udoh on Saturday afternoon, the latest move designed to ensure continuity in the trenches.Already this offseason, the Vikings have re-signed starting center Garrett Bradbury and backup center Austin Schlottmann, re-upped with fellow depth offensive lineman Blake Brandel, and re-worked a deal with veteran offensive lineman Chris Reed.As for Udoh, he has developed into a useful piece on the offensive line. Originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft as a project player, the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Udoh has played in 41 games in his career with 17 starts under his belt.Not only did Udoh fill in admirably last season after starting right tackle Brian O’Neill broke his right ankle, he has proven capable of playing both on the interior and exterior of the line in a pinch. His presence should help if O’Neill needs more time than expected to recover.Rela...

Albany police investigate Saturday shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Albany police are investigating a shooting that took place in the early morning hours of Saturday. Their investigation remains ongoing, and no arrests have been announced. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Per Officer Steve Smith, the police department spokesperson, police received a call reporting the shooting at around 2 a.m. Officers arriving on the scene on Broadway near Lawn Avenue found a a 48-year-old man with gunshot wounds.Police said that he was treated at the scene and then sent to Albany Medical Center Hospital. His identity has not been revealed by police.Stick with NEWS10 for more on this story as it develops.

Judge grants Missouri AG more time to amend petition against Kim Gardner

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A judge has granted the Missouri Attorney General more time to amend his petition against St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. On Feb. 23, Missouri AG Andrew Bailey filed a writ of quo warranto against Kim Gardner, accusing her of neglecting her duties as circuit attorney. It comes in an effort to remove her from office. According to court records, Bailey's office until March 21 to amend its quo warranto, during which he could outline more allegations of wrongdoing linked to Gardner. John Torbitzky, the special judge assigned to the case, would also grant Gardner 10 days to respond to new allegations. That deadline would be March 31. Top story: Murder victim’s sister waited nine years to hear triple killer was found guilty In a motion filed Wednesday, Bailey asked the judge for more time to present new evidence against Gardner. He also requested a June trial date.  Bailey’s new filing comes after Gardner barely met a deadline to file her respons...

Mikaela Shiffrin receives slalom trophy; Petra Vlhova wins last race

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

SOLDEU, Andorra — Seven weeks after securing it, Mikaela Shiffrin was finally able to hold and kiss the crystal globe for the best slalom skier of the women’s World Cup season.The dominant American had already locked up the discipline title at a mid-season slalom in the Czech Republic in January, but trophies in ski racing are traditionally handed over only in the final week of the season.Her Slovakian rival Petra Vlhova used a frenetic finish on her decisive run Saturday to win the slalom at the World Cup Finals ahead of Croatian prodigy Leona Popovic, while Shiffrin placed third.“It’s the sum of a lot of hard work and many amazing races and the work of the whole team,” Shiffrin said. “I’m very thankful and very proud.”Shiffrin, who also secured her fifth overall and second giant slalom globe, won six of the 11 slaloms this season, making her the first woman to win seven season titles in slalom, surpassing Swiss standout Vreni Schneider, who won it six times in the 1980...

Bay Area weather: 3,000 PG&E customers still in the dark, but power expected restored by midnight

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:46 GMT

Four days after a punishing atmospheric river storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of Bay Area residents, about 3,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers in the region remained in the dark Saturday morning — but utility officials expected to have electricity fully restored by midnight.Roughly 1,500 customers were without power in the South Bay, while another 1,500 on the Peninsula were still waiting for the lights to come on. That’s down from nearly 7,000 across the Bay Area Friday afternoon.Power had been fully restored in the East Bay, North Bay and San Francisco, PG&E officials said.At the outage’s peak on Tuesday, some 367,000 customers were without power, leaving the utility with its most outages in a single day since 1995. By noon Thursday, that number had fallen below 38,000. According to the PG&E, the storm damaged at least 217 power poles and 157 transformers.Related ArticlesWeather | PG&E slashes Bay Area outage numbers...