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Vatican and Vietnam agree to open resident Holy See office in Hanoi, as relations improve

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Vietnam formally agreed Thursday to let a Vatican representative live in the country and open an office, a notching up of relations that could have implications down the line for the Holy See’s delicate ties with China.The Holy See announced the conclusion of the agreement during a visit to the Vatican by Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, who met with Pope Francis and the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.The agreement still falls short of full diplomatic relations, which have been strained for decades. But the two sides have held regular talks since at least 1990 studying the renewal of ties, with Parolin overseeing the process for years, first as foreign minister and now as secretary of state.A Vatican statement said the appointment of a resident representative of the pope to the communist country would support the local Catholic community, contribute to the development of the country and help serve as a “bridge to advance relations between ...

‘Jackass’ star Bam Margera to stand trial on assault charge in fight with brother, judge rules

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — “Jackass” star Bam Margera must stand trial on charges that he punched his brother during an altercation at their home near Philadelphia, a judge ruled Thursday while ordering him to get a drug and alcohol screening to remain free on bail.Margera, 43, has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges, which include simple assault and making terroristic threats. He has been free on $50,000 bail and said Thursday that he has been in drug and alcohol treatment this year and living with former Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom.“I’m not trying to get him in trouble here. I just want him to get the help because I feel like this is our last chance,” Margera’s brother, Jess Margera, said in testifying about what he called two decades of troubling behavior by his brother, which he said escalated during a “frightening and unpredictable” two-week visit home in April. He said that Bam — upset on a Sunday morning after seeing a text that suggested he needed mental...

Mexico’s president offers to buy US company’s coastal property for $375 million to end dispute

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Thursday that he has offered to buy an American company’s Caribbean coast property for about $385 million to end a bitter, years-long dispute. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said a formal offer would be presented to Alabama-based Vulcan Materials. The company operated gravel extraction pits at the Yucatan peninsula site before López Obrador’s administration closed them. The company said it had not yet received the president’s proposal or responded to the idea. In papers filed for a case before an international arbitration panel, Vulcan Materials valued the almost 6,000-acre (2,400 hectare) property, located just south of the resort town of Playa del Carmen, at $1.9 billion.López Obrador said his much lower offer was fair and based on a government assessment. He said the most attractive part of the property was the freight shipping dock, which he plans to turn into a dock for cruise ships.As the only significant port facil...

Cubs’ Happ hits Cardinals catcher Contreras in head with follow-through, then gets hit by pitch

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ hit St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras in the head with a long follow-through on a swing, then was soon hit himself by a pitch from Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.Mikolas and Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol were ejected in the first-inning dustup between the longtime rivals.Contreras was cut badly and tumbled down. After a trainer applied a towel to his head, Contreras walked off the field. Andrew Knizner took over behind the plate, and Mikolas brushed back Happ with the first pitch when play resumed to run the count to 3-1. With the next pitch, Mikolas hit Happ in the rear.Mikolas acted stunned by the umpires’ decision. He stopped while walking off and appeared to gesture and call over to the Cubs dugout, apparently signaling them to come out on the field. Marmol argued the ejection and also was sent to the clubhouse. Dakota Hudson came in to pitch for St. Louis. He gave up a single, walked two, and was touched for a ground-...

Spence-Crawford could become a welterweight classic when they meet Saturday

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person once known as the “baddest man on the planet” stood between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford at Thursday’s news conference, and just the mere presence of Mike Tyson further cemented the magnitude of their showdown.Both undefeated fighters meet Saturday night, the winner unifying all four welterweight championships for the first time in boxing’s four-belt era that began in 2004.Spence (28-0, 22 knockouts) already owns the WBC, WBA and IBF titles, and Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) holds the WBO belt. Crawford is a minus-146 favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.“I haven’t seen things like this in over 30 years — two of the best fighters in the world to decide who is truly the best,” Tyson said.This fight has been compared in many corners to so many other classic welterweight matchups such as two between Robert Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980, Leonard and Thomas Hearns the following year, Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez in 19...

CNBC: fabricante de Bud Light despedirá a cientos de empleados corporativos

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

Anheuser-Busch, la empresa matriz de Bud Light, anunció que despedirá a unos 350 empleados, o menos del 2% de su personal corporativo en los EEUU.Los despidos no afectarán a empleados como el personal de cervecería y almacén, conductores y vendedores de campo, entre otros, dijo la compañía.Las ventas de Bud Light han caído después de los boicots conservadores por la asociación de la compañía con el influencer transgénero Dylan Mulvaney y luego de una respuesta corporativa a la reacción que otros consideraron inadecuada.El gigante de las bebidas Anheuser-Busch anunció que despedirá a cientos de empleados corporativos a medida que disminuyan las ventas de su insignia lager Bud Light.En un comunicado a CNBC el jueves, un portavoz de la compañía dijo que los recortes de empleo afectan a menos del 2% de los empleados estadounidenses. Anheuser-Busch tiene alrededor de 18,000 empleados en todo el país. Los despidos incluirán a aproximadamente 350 de esas personas. Es mexicana...

Motorcycle crash on I-75 in Weston leaves 1 dead, another critical; WB lanes back open to traffic

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

A crash involving a motorcycle on Interstate 75 in Weston left one person dead, sent another to the hospital and led to hours-long lane closures that caused traffic backups during rush hour. Florida Highway Patrol and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the crash along the westbound lanes near Indian Trace, about a mile west of Markham Park, Thursday afternoon.Investigators said the crash involved the motorcycle and a dark colored SUV and took place around 3:15 p.m.Authorities said there were two people riding in the motorcycle when it collided with the SUV.7Skyforce hovered above the scene and captured a dark colored SUV with front-end damage.First responders pronounced one of the victims dead at the scene and airlifted a second individual to the hospital as a trauma alert.Just after 4 p.m., the deceased victim’s body remained on the highway covered with a yellow tarp. In response to the severity of the situation, all westbound lanes were shut down to ...

Newly opened JOEY Aventura brings refined dining experience from Canada to South Florida

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

You don’t need a lot of letters to come up with something cool. I mean, just look at words like love and glee. And Lynn, of course! There’s a new spot in Aventura that’s following that concept.JOEY comes to SoFlo all the way from Canada, And while you won’t find poutine on the menu, You are going to get everything else on the menu.You’ve probably heard of Joey from “Friends.”Matt LeBlanc (as Joey Tribbiani): “Oh, what I do is, I look a woman up and down, and I say, ‘Hey, how you doing?'”Or Taylor Swift’s pal, actress Joey King.But there’s a different kind of Joey setting up shop in SoFlo. JOEY Aventura is a brand-new, two-story restaurant next to Aventura Mall, and it comes all the way from our neighbors to the north.Matthew Stowe: “As a Canadian concept starting in Vancouver, it’s just really exciting being able to come to Miami. It’s somewhere we’ve always wanted to be.”This is th...

MIA’s XpresSpa adds new robot manicurist to give quick fixes before boarding your flight

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

One of the worst feelings is getting your nails done right before a big vacation, only to have them chipped or get messed up right before you take off.Miami International Airport’s XpresSpa will take away your mani blues faster than you can say clockwork.Their spa just added a new manicurist to their lineup — a robot! — to give you a quick fix before you board your flight.Rodger Bumpass (as Squidward, voice): “Run for your lives! The robots are taking over the world, our world!”That’s right: the robots are taking over … and they’re starting with our manicures at XpresSpa at Miami International Airport.Erika O’Connor: “Clockwork Manicurist is a new robotics coming out to XpresSpa. It does your manicure, it’s a self-service.”They call it a “minicure,” since it only paints your nails. No nail techs are involved.Erika O’Connor: “Clockwork is very easy. The customer will sit down, put their ha...

Tornado reported in southern NH as storms move through parts of New England 

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:18:10 GMT

A reported tornado touched down near Keene, New Hampshire Thursday, leaving damage in multiple spots as a larger series of storms moved across the region.The threat of storms initially prompted a widespread severe thunderstorm watch in effect for most of southern New England. Later, video showed clouds swirling over Roxbury, New Hampshire, where the National Weather Service said one of its trained spotters saw a funnel cloud touch the ground around 3 p.m.The National Weather Service had already issued a tornado warning for communities around Keene. Moments after the spotter’s tornado sighting, at 3:03 p.m., doppler radar also detected possible debris in the air in the same area.The National Weather Service recorded a series of damage reports on the ground near Keene. On the streets, 7NEWS crews also spotted several downed trees, utility poles and wires in communities including Keene, Dublin, Roxbury and Marlborough.Part of Route 101 was closed in the area as of around 5:15 p.m....