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Pastors find a role ministering to young men swept up in El Salvador’s crackdown on gangs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The smell of pineapple bread fills the kitchen of “Vida Libre,” or “free life,” a gang rehabilitation program founded in El Salvador by American pastor Kenton Moody in 2021. The trust that Moody puts in former gang members is not widely shared. Thousands of lives have been destroyed in this Central American country after decades of gang violence.Over the past year, President Nayib Bukele’s security forces have cracked down harshly on gangs, arresting more than 68,000 people suspected of criminal involvement, though human rights groups say innocent people are also being detained. Ministries like Moody’s are caught in the middle. Dozens of men who were part of evangelical rehabilitation ministries were also arrested and taken back to prison. Of the 38 members of Vida Libre, ten have been detained by the government.Inside the Vida Libre complex, in the impoverished city of Santa Ana, Moody frequently hugs the young men under his care and assigns them ch...

Poverty, climate, regional stability on agenda as Saudi crown prince visits France

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris as part of an official visit, during which he will also participate in a global financing summit aimed at fighting poverty and climate change.Macron and the prince sat down for a one-to-one working lunch at the Elysee presidential palace.The French presidency said the talks would focus on bilateral relations between the two countries and on regional stability issues, especially after long-time rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran restored diplomatic ties earlier this year.France is a major weapons and defense supplier to Gulf nations.The leaders also are preparing for a global summit next week “aimed at bringing together private and public funding” to fight poverty, support climate transition and protect biodiversity, the French presidency said. The event is expected to gather over 50 heads of states and governments as well as many NGOs and prominent climate activists. During his st...

Czech lawmakers vote to tighten conflict of interest legislation in snub to former populist PM Babis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — Lawmakers in the lower house of the Czech Parliament agreed on Friday to tighten the country’s conflict of interest legislation to ban politicians from owning media, in a direct snub to former populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis.In the 200-seat house, lawmakers voted 85-79 to amend the current law and prohibit media ownership for members of Parliament, the government and the president.Babis’ centrist opposition ANO (YES) movement vehemently protested the move and threatened to challenge it at the Constitutional Court. Babis was not present for the vote but later said he was not planning to leave politics for now.The amendment still requires the approval of the upper house, the Senate, where the governing coalition has a comfortable majority, and then presidential approval.Babis, one of the country’s richest people, was required by law to transfer ownership of his businesses to two trust funds in February 2017. That included two nationwide newspapers and a popula...

Film composer Hans Zimmer proposes to his partner on London stage, prompts raucous audience response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Hans Zimmer, the two-time Academy Award-winning composer, proposed to his partner on stage in London, prompting raucous applause from the audience.As his performance at the O2 arena was drawing to a close Thursday evening, the 65-year-old German asked his partner to join him on stage — and then proceeded to declare his love. Addressing her directly he said: “Why did I bring you up here? I was going to ask you something really important. Did you lock the back door? Is the milk in the fridge? Do we have any sorbet in the freezer?”And then, he got to the point: “Will you marry me?”The couple embraced and the audience erupted into applause after she appeared to accept.A spokesperson for Zimmer confirmed that he had proposed to his partner, whose name and age were not provided.Zimmer’s fans were treated to an array of music he has composed for hit films over the past few decades, including “Gladiator,” “The Dark Knight” and “Inception.”He was joined onstage with...

We live with lots of noise. What’s that doing to us?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, if you live in even a small city, you probably find yourself constantly surrounded by noise. Most of us learn to filter it out as we go about our daily lives, but that doesn’t make us immune to its effects.Bojan Furst, who wrote about noise for The Walrus, says that new research indicates that noise in our environment can have negative long-term impacts on human health. “People who are already experiencing health impacts because of their social determinants of health, their income, their employment, on top of that, also experience additional health risks because they live in neighbourhoods that are noisier than better off neighbourhoods,” says Furst.When the pandemic put a temporary pause on human activity, it gave researchers an opportunity to observe the extent to which the sounds we generate affect not just our own health and wellbeing, but the environment around us. So whether it’s the rumble of cars and trucks, the hum of modern applian...

Man, woman shot in Austin by man standing behind car: Police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

CHICAGO -- A man and a woman are in serious condition after they were shot in Austin Thursday night.According to police, a 22-year-old man and woman were sitting in a car near the 4700 block of West Jackson Boulevard around 11:52 p.m. when an unidentified man shot in their direction while standing behind the car. Police said the woman was struck multiple times on the back and the man was also struck on the back. Des Plaines police release bodycam video of officer-involved shooting The two were transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition. There is no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.

Dean's Weekender: Damon Wayans Jr., Winnetka Music Festival and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for the top events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's Reviews: 'The Flash,' 'The Blackening,' and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

Check out Dean's reviews for the latest on the latest films coming to theaters.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Schizophrenia and nausea drugs recalled after labeling mix-up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

LA VERGNE, Tenn. (WRIC) – The Harvard Drug Group has recalled a single lot of the drugs Dronabinol and Ziprasidone Hydrochloride after labels on the two drugs were mixed up. During the distribution process, it was discovered that cartons labeled as Ziprasidone Hydrochloride actually contained packages labeled as and containing Dronabinol, according to the Food and Drug Administration.Ziprasidone Hydrochloride is used for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, while Dronabinol is frequently used to treat nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite in chemotherapy and AIDS patients. Strawberry products sold in 32 states recalled over Hepatitis A risks Patients who mistakenly take a dose of Dronabinol instead of Ziprasidone Hydrochloride can experience worsening symptoms of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, including agitation, aggression, delirium and self-harm. Older people may be "particularly at risk.""Taking an unexpected dose of Dronabinol may cause mental and cognit...

The best days to fly around the Fourth of July

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:45 GMT

(NerdWallet) - If Memorial Day 2023 was any indication, travelers should brace for big Fourth of July crowds at airports. On the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened roughly 2.7 million people at U.S. airports, the highest checkpoint volume thus far in 2023.And summer travel is only just getting started. In 2019, the Friday before Memorial Day was the third-busiest day at U.S. airports for the entire year, losing only to the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the Sunday after July Fourth. This may indicate that airports could be even busier around Independence Day than Memorial Day weekend.Making Fourth of July travel predictions is tricky this year because the holiday falls midweek, on a Tuesday. Some folks may take Monday off to enjoy a long weekend, while others may save their vacation time for a different holiday.With that in mind, here’s some guidance around booking July Fourth weekend air travel and how you might be able to avoid...