VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s Wednesday general audiences are often chances for ordinary people to get rare access to Pope Francis, and this week’s gathering was no different: A group of LGBTQ+ Catholics got a papal photo, and clergy abuse survivors from Germany who biked to Rome handed Francis a letter demanding a better response from the church to the crisis.
In between, Francis stopped the proceedings in St. Peter’s Square midway through to take a cellphone call. The Vatican didn’t provide any information on the content.
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People in Japan are taking lessons to relearn how to smile
After the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, people in Japan were advised to wear masks in order to protect themselves from the respiratory illness. Now that mask rules have eased, people in the country feel like they’ve forgotten how to smile.
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but will there be a fantasy suite?
That and other questions will be answered when ABC premieres “The Golden Bachelor,” a senior version of “The Bachelor” franchise debuting this fall.
“After more than 20 years of fostering young love on ‘The Bachelor,’ ‘The Bachelorette’ and ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ ‘The Golden Bachelor’ showcases a whole new kind of love story – one for the golden years,” an ABC press release for the show reads.
“On this all-new unscripted series, one hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life,” it continues. “The women arriving at the mansion have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities. In the end, will our Golden man turn the page to start a new chapter with the woman of his dreams?”
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There are plenty of alligators in Alabama. But how many enjoy a day at the beach?
One such unlikely critter was spotted riding the waves recently on Dauphin Island, bobbing calmly near the human beachgoers sunbathing and wading.
Matt Harvill, a 27-year-old Mobile resident, came across the lengthy gator on May 7 while at the beach taking pregnancy announcement photos with his girlfriend.
He said the reptile seemed to be enjoying the sun and gently breaking waves, attracting several beachgoers to get a closer look — but not too close.
“It didn’t hiss, charge or open its mouth at all,” Harvill said. “It seemed like it was kind of spectating and seeing what was going on.”
Harvill snapped photos and videos of the gator to show family and friends. His post on Facebook garnered 3,000 shares.
“The things you never think you’ll see,” he wrote in the caption. “First time seeing a gator on Dauphin Island. Heading towards the west end be careful y’all.”
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May 17 (UPI) — An Australian strongman added a fourth Guinness World Records title to his name by using his bare hands to spin a Ferris wheel around in 16 minutes and 55 seconds.
Troy Conley-Magnusson, 39, achieved the feat at Sydney’s Luna Park to raise funds for the charity Little Wings, which benefits seriously ill children and their families.
Conley-Magnusson dedicated his attempt to the memory of an 11-year-old named Zac, who died last year.
“He was the strongest 11-year-old I’d ever met and my absolute hero,” the strongman told Guinness World Records. “This record is dedicated to his memory and strength which far outweighs mine.”
GWR required the Ferris wheel to have at least 24 cars, each weighing at least 1,543 pounds. The total structure had to have a total weight of at least 99,208 pounds.
The amusement park ride was set into “freewheeling” mode, meaning the hydraulics and brakes were completely disengaged.
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FARMINGTON, Mo. – An all-state athlete was not allowed to participate in a regional competition this weekend after she brought her pet goat to school on Friday.
The goat is a Nigerian dwarf named Rachel.
“Rachel is more of a pet than a goat,” said a family friend. “She comes into the house all the time and wears a diaper when she’s inside. She has a harness and leash. She’s not the typical outside goat.”
A family friend said Farmington High School senior Jade Roth, who set a record high jump of 5 feet, 2 inches at a track meet, brought the goat before school. It was the senior’s last day for the year. Administrators told Roth to take the goat home and return to school.
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About 1,200 Rastafarian children in Malawi are expected to return to state schools over the next month after being banned for a decade because of their hair.
After a landmark decision at the high court in March, letters have now been sent out to about 7,000 schools telling headteachers that the exclusion of children with dreadlocks from the classroom has been ruled as unconstitutional.
The high court judge, Zione Ntaba, who presided over a long-running judicial review of government policy in Malawi’s former capital, Zomba, ordered the education ministry to inform state schools that they must admit Rastafarian children by 30 June.
In Malawi, primary school is provided free of charge but enrolment had previously required all children to cut their hair.
Rastafarianism developed in Jamaica in the 1930s, an Afrocentric belief system based around certain tenets of the Bible and against western colonialism. For some it is a religion, for others a way of life, says Ezaius Mkandawire, a father and Rastafarian community leader in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
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People too tired to lead healthier lifestyles, UK survey finds
Fatigue and lack of motivation top poll of reasons why people don’t improve diet and exercise more
Denis Campbell Health policy editor
Tue 16 May 2023 19.01 EDT
It’s the question many of us ask ourselves: why don’t I exercise more, eat better food and generally lead a healthier lifestyle?
For many who want to, but just can’t seem to make it happen, it turns out the answer to that question is – feeling just too tired.
A survey has found that tiredness is why 35% of people don’t make the changes to their diet and physical activity levels that would help them close the gap between good intentions and concrete action.
The results, from a YouGov poll of 2,086 UK adults for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), illustrate the barriers many people face in their desire to adopt and stick to healthy habits.
When asked what was stopping them from eating more healthily and exercising more often, 29% of men and 40% of women cited “feeling too tired”.
Even more put it down to “lack of motivation” (38%). Other common reasons given included the cost of food (30%), lack of time (26%) and work/life balance (25%). Others cited the cost of exercising (25%), such as buying a gym membership or equipment, lack of confidence (16%) and “not knowing where to start” (12%).
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A lunchtime favorite of students everywhere may soon be a thing of the past.
U.S. officials are considering banning chocolate milk in elementary and middle school cafeterias, according to The Wall Street Journal. The proposed ban comes from the high sugar content in flavored milks.
“From a public-health perspective, it makes a lot of sense to try to limit the servings of these flavored milks because they do have quite a lot of added sugar,” Erica Lauren Kenney, a public-health and nutrition professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, told WSJ.
Another plan would stop short of a complete ban and instead allow options with no more than 10 grams of added sugars in each 8-ounce portions. More than 90% of those in the school milk processing industry agreed last month to adhere to the new sugar standards, according to the report.
A decision on the flavored milk is expected in the coming year and would be implemented in 2025-2026 school year.
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In a stunning event, there has been a python attack in Ontario. A middle-aged man hailing from the vibrant city of Toronto now finds himself facing grave criminal charges following his alleged involvement in a deeply distressing assault that unfolded in the very heart of the metropolis.
The incident took place under the cover of darkness. Eyewitness accounts depict the suspect casually strolling down the street, his hands tightly clutching a live serpent, an unnerving sight that drew the attention and concern of those who crossed his path.
According to reports provided to the Toronto Police Department, the situation took a drastic turn when the individual, wielding the python as though it were a weapon, approached an unsuspecting victim.
What followed was a nightmarish physical altercation that left witnesses stunned and filled with sheer terror. Details surrounding the assault itself remain few, plunging the public into a void of uncertainty regarding the nature of the victim’s ordeal and the extent of any injuries sustained.
Swift and decisive action was taken by Toronto police. The suspect was promptly apprehended and now faces serious criminal charges that reflect the gravity of his alleged actions.
The Toronto Police Department has filed charges of assault with a weapon and the needless infliction of pain or suffering upon an animal, fully recognizing the dual nature of the incident and the harm inflicted upon both the victim and the serpent.
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A 24-year-old woman who allegedly locked her parents out of their house in Kasarani within Nairobi forcing them to seek accommodation at their neighbour’s house was charged with creating a disturbance in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace.
Faith Mokeira is accused of throwing household items outside while shouting at her father David Nyambane and locking him out of his house in the Marurui area on May 8.
Mr Nyambane returned home at around 8pm and found his wife outside the house and upon enquiry, he was informed that their daughter had locked herself in the house.
She was eventually arrested and escorted out of the house. During police investigations into the incident, Ms Mokeira accused her father of intruding on her privacy after bringing an electrician to do some repairs to her room without informing her in advance.
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Oscar Mayer is rolling into a new era, changing the name of its iconic Wienermobile to the “Frankmobile.”
The name change is the 27-foot-long hot dog vehicle’s first in nearly 100 years. Kraft Heinz, the parent company of the cold cut brand, said in a press release that the new name “pays homage to the brand’s 100% Beef Franks as it debuts a tasty new recipe that is more flavorful than ever.”
