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AP PHOTOS: Easter week still a ritual in more secular Spain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — The drum beat rises on a packed Seville street as Jose Maria Segura opens his mouth and begins the wail of the “saeta,” a pained, mournful ode to Jesus Christ in death.His voice carries along a line of “nazarenos,” or penitents, with tall conical hats, monkish robes and facial hoods. The members of the El Cerro brotherhood are shouldering a sculpture of the Virgin Mary out of a church. Millions of Spaniards take to the road in the days leading up to Easter, traveling to see family or for a holiday break. For many, seeing traditional processions with painted religious icons that can weigh over a ton is a cathartic annual ritual, a time to reflect on past sorrows and current ills.A procession by the La Sed brotherhood this week passed Seville’s San Juan de Dios Hospital. Medical workers stepped outside to receive the tribute, some with tears pricking their eyes. It was the first Easter week since 2019 when masks, or any sign of the COVID-19 pandemic, were v...

Kraken playoff bound for 1st time after beating Coyotes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken clinched the first playoff berth in franchise history and set an NHL record for victories in an expansion team’s second season by beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Thursday night.Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn scored for the Kraken, who earned their 44th win — the most by a second-year NHL team since the Original Six era, which ended in 1968. It’s a big turnaround for Seattle, which was 27-49-6 in its first season and finished last in the Pacific Division.Philipp Grubauer had 27 saves for Seattle, which won its third straight game.Barrett Hayton and Laurent Dauphin scored for Arizona, which has dropped nine in a row. Karel Vejmelka stopped 29 shots.BRUINS 2, MAPLE LEAFS 1, OTBOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored his 57th goal of the season at 2:30 of overtime to give history-chasing Boston a victory over Toronto.Pastrnak blasted a shot from inside the left circle as the Bruins notched their 61st victory — one off the NHL se...

Kraken clinch first playoff berth, beat Coyotes 4-2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken clinched the first playoff berth in franchise history and set an NHL record for victories in an expansion team’s second season by beating the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Thursday night.Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn scored for the Kraken, who earned their 44th win — the most by a second-year NHL team since the Original Six era, which ended in 1968. It’s a big turnaround for Seattle, which was 27-49-6 in its first season and finished last in the Pacific Division.Philipp Grubauer had 27 saves for Seattle, which won its third straight game.Barrett Hayton and Laurent Dauphin scored for Arizona, which has dropped nine in a row. Karel Vejmelka stopped 29 shots.McCann, who also had two assists, scored his team-high 38th goal at 19:36 of the first period to put the Kraken ahead.Dunn followed that up with a goal 28 seconds into the second period. Eberle sneaked one past Vejmelka at 5:52 to make it 3-0. Hayton scored Arizona’...

China sanciona a instituciones y personal estadounidenses tras visita de la presidenta de Taiwán

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

Beijing (CNN) — China impuso este viernes sanciones contra dos instituciones estadounidenses y sus directivos por la visita de la presidenta de Taiwán, Tsai Ing-wen, a Estados Unidos, informó el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores chino en un comunicado.El Instituto Hudson, con sede en Washington, y la Biblioteca Presidencial Ronald Reagan, con sede en California, tendrían prohibida cualquier cooperación, intercambio o transacción con instituciones y personas de China.Se prohibirá a los principales directivos de estas organizaciones visitar China, no podrán realizar transacciones ni cooperar con organizaciones o personas de ese país y se les congelará cualquier activo en China, dijo el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de China en un comunicado este viernes.Beijing advierte sobre un “grave impacto” en las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y China con la visita de la presidenta de Taiwán a Nueva York“El Instituto Hudson y la Biblioteca Reagan han proporcionado una p...

Increase in deadly parvovirus in puppies being seen in the DMV

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

An increase in the number of a highly contagious canine parvovirus is being reported by veterinarian offices in the D.C. region.Veterinarian Ashly Smith, D.C.-area regional medical director for Bond Vet, said over the last month, her organization has seen more animals coming in with the illness.“It’s a very, very contagious disease,” Smith said.While Smith said she wouldn’t classify what she’s seeing as an outbreak, the increase in cases is concerning.More Animals and Pets NewsMore Local NewsMore Health & Fitness NewsWTOP reached out to several other veterinarians who said they’re seeing more cases, but not all those contacted reported cases.While the illness affects all dogs, puppies under four months old are most at risk, according to Smith. The reason for that is at four months, most dogs have received the initial three-shot dose of the parvo vaccine.“If we have that gap before their vaccination series have started, or if the vaccination series aren’t comple...

Observaciones medievales de la Luna revelan erupciones volcánicas “misteriosas”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

(CNN) — Las observaciones medievales de la Luna están ayudando a los investigadores a estudiar una serie de misteriosas erupciones volcánicas en la Tierra.Monjes y otros escribas de la época hicieron descripciones detalladas de los eclipses lunares, cuando la Luna está completamente a la sombra de la Tierra. En ese momento, se pensó que esos eventos presagiaban calamidades.Sus escritos a menudo señalaban un orbe rojizo que rodeaba a la Luna eclipsada, así como casos más inusuales en los que la Luna eclipsada parecía desaparecer por completo del cielo.“Nunca antes la habían visto de esa manera, con la ubicación del disco de la Luna sin que fuera visible, como si hubiera desaparecido durante el eclipse… Realmente era algo para temer”, escribió el poeta japonés Fujiwara no Teika sobre un oscuro eclipse lunar sin precedentes observado el 2 de diciembre de 1229.La NASA anuncia la tripulación de astronautas que participará en su histórica misión a la LunaLo que los cronistas de la é...

Pakistan’s army says it has arrested Baluch insurgency chief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan top intelligence agency arrested a high-value target in an operation against a Baluch insurgent group in the country’s southwest, the army said Friday.The military statement said Gulzar Imam, also known by the name Shambay, is the militant founder and leader of the banned Baluch Nationalist Army. An umbrella group for Blauch insurgents, the BNA was formed after two main insurgent groups merged: The Baluch Republican Army and United Baluch Army. The army said BNA had been involved in dozens of terrorist attacks in the country, including those on security forces. The military’s media wing said that Shambay’s visits to India and Afghanistan were on record and his suspected links with hostile intelligence agencies are being investigated. The military said the arrest was made possible after a monthslong intelligence effort, but did not provide further details.The gas-rich southwestern Baluchistan province at the border of Afghanistan and Iran has bee...

Faith guides Catholic pilgrims to historic New Mexico sites

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

Thousands of Catholics are making the trek to a historic adobe church in the hills of northern New Mexico as part of a Holy Week tradition that spans generations, carrying heavy wooden crosses and praying as they make their way through the high desert landscape.El Santuario de Chimayó just north of Santa Fe is one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage centers in the U.S. Some travelers are drawn to the holy dirt, believed to have healing powers. Others come to see Nuestro Señor de Esquipulas, a crucifix that, according to legend, was discovered at the site in the early 1800s. Most pilgrims begin the journey on Good Friday, with state transportation workers, law enforcement agencies and other volunteers stationed along the roadways to ensure safety.In an Easter message, Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester reflected Thursday on the season and urged the faithful to be mindful of how they can promote peace and help their neighbors.“We are called to promote the sanctity of human life, to...

US authorities charge man in case of missing Navajo woman

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A New Mexico man is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on assault and carjacking charges in connection with the 2021 disappearance of a Native American woman, whose case has garnered national attention as tribal leaders and law enforcement address an epidemic of missing person cases and unsolved slayings in Indian Country. Preston Henry Tolth, 23, has been accused of assaulting Ella Mae Begay and taking her pickup truck. It will be up to a federal magistrate to decide whether Tolth will remain in custody pending trial. Federal prosecutors said the indictment naming Tolth marked an important step in determining the truth about what happened to Begay, a Navajo woman who was 62 when she disappeared. Her truck was seen on the morning of June 15, 2021, leaving her home in the remote community of Sweetwater in the Navajo Nation, not far from the meeting point of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.The investigation is ongoing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona...

Nevada Dems push gun control bills with uncertain future

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:08 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Democrats and gun control advocates rallied around a trio of bills on Thursday that amplified calls for gun regulation while recalling the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting that became the deadliest in U.S. history.More than five years after a shooter killed scores of people at a country music concert, the recent rise in mass shootings across the U.S. was repeatedly cited in debates over a bill to solidify language meant to ban homemade “ghost guns” and raise the eligible age to possess semi automatic shotguns and assault weapons from 18 to 21. Another bill would bar possession of a gun within 100 yards (91 meters) of an election site entrance, with narrow exceptions. A third bill would prohibit owning a firearm within a decade of a gross misdemeanor or felony hate crime conviction.An increasing number of mass shootings across the U.S. have widened the political divide on gun ownership, with Democratic-led states pushing restrictions on gun ownership. In m...