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The Vatican says it understands difficulties in following synodal decisions but wants to avoid activism and protestsThe Vatican has endorsed the decision of India’s Syro-Malabar Church to follow uniformity in liturgical celebration in its latest attempt to put an end to the five-decade-long dispute in the Eastern-rite church. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Oriental Churches, backed last August's decision by the church's synod of bishops to adopt uniformity in liturgy and end all differences over the issue. “It is basically a directive to go along with the decisions of the synod,” Cardinal George Alencherry, the...

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ROME – Ukraine’s government has not been shy in voicing its willingness to let the Vatican help mediate in the war with Russia. Now the mayor of Kyiv, the country’s capital, has issued a formal invitation for Pope Francis to visit the city. “We believe that the world religious leader’s presence in person in Kyiv is key for saving lives and paving the path to peace in our city, country and beyond,” says the March 8 letter signed by Vitaly Klitshko. The letter was leaked to the media on Tuesday, and Crux has been able to independently verify its authenticity....

This date marks half a century since the hanging of Victor Feguer — the last man executed by the federal government in the 20th century. (And the last executed in the state of Iowa, period.) A drifter holing up at a Dubuque, Iowa, boarding house, Feguer phoned up a random doctor claiming a woman needed medical attention. Think about that the next time someone gets nostalgic for house calls. Dr. Edward Bartels showed up only to be kidnapped by Feguer, and eventually murdered in Illinois. Feguer was picked up in Alabama, trying to sell the doctor’s stolen car; his motive...

Pathogens don't always work against drug treatments. Sometimes, they can strengthen them. Diseases caused by a combination of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites—also known as polymicrobial infections—are challenging to treat because scientists don't fully understand how pathogens interact during infection and how these interactions impact the drugs used to treat them. Researchers looked at two pathogens that often occur at similar sites, particularly in cystic fibrosis and mechanically ventilated patients: Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Candida is the fourth most common hospital-acquired pathogen, and is particularly difficult to treat. It is targeted by a number of antifungal agents, but some...

For more than a decade, Chinese companies have spent billions of dollars buying out U.S. and European miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s cobalt belt - the world’s richest source of a mineral that has become critical to the global transition to cleaner energy. Now the Chinese firms are running into trouble after a court ordered one of the largest to temporarily cede control of one of its mines. Just one electric vehicle can require between 10 and 30 pounds of cobalt to build its battery, depending on the manufacturer, though Tesla Inc. and other auto makers are now...

As Russia risks default, country sends order for coupon payments March 14 (Reuters) - The Russian Finance Ministry said on Monday it has sent an order to a correspondent bank for the payment of coupons on eurobonds amounting to $117.2 million, a signal to markets waiting to see whether Russia will default on its sovereign debt. The eurobonds in question, maturing in 2023 and 2043 , were both last trading at 20 cents on the dollar or lower and are among the first to have scheduled payments after Russia was hit by sanctions related to its invasion of Ukraine. The...

A Memorandum on the Next Conclave Is Circulating Among the Cardinals. Here It IsSince the beginning of Lent the cardinals who will elect the future pope have been passing this memorandum around. Its author, who goes by the name of Demos, “people” in Greek, is unknown, but shows himself a thorough master of the subject. It cannot be ruled out that he himself is a cardinal.* THE VATICAN TODAYCommentators of every school, if for different reasons, with the possible exception of Father Spadaro, SJ, agree that this pontificate is a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe.1. The Successor...

A pregnant Malaysian woman shared a video online in which she surprises her husband with a $650,000 Lamborghini in anticipation of his dedicated caretaking of her and their baby. Anes Ayuni Osman, 19, uploaded the video to TikTok on March 12, showing viewers how she surprised her husband by taking him into a car dealership blindfolded. In the video, her husband, 20-year-old Weldan Zulkefli, cries from happiness after seeing the turquoise Huracan Evo wrapped with a giant red bow. Osman is a cosmetics entrepreneur from Kelantan, Malaysia, where she plans to stay at her family’s home while recovering postpartum. She...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) reacted to President Joe Biden blaming Vladimir Putin for inflation and high gas prices and Democrats in Congress blaming oil companies by stating that the U.S. needs to lead and “can’t be pointing fingers and accusing.” And that “Rather than beating them up and taking a club to them,” energy producers need support.

Lara Logan, the former 60 Minutes correspondent and one-time Fox Nation host who was dropped by her agent in January for comparing Anthony Fauci to Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, is back with some more controversial comments – that included Nazis. Logan ... denounced Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “puppet” and called much of the news out of Ukraine “misinformation.” The interview kicked off with former Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry explaining the state of play in Ukraine. Henry said Putin “caused a lot of destruction, don’t want to minimize the fact there’s over 2 million refugees....

Routine mammograms may provide key insights for cardiovascular disease. Detection of breast arterial calcifications on breast mammograms was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women, according to research. This finding may be useful to help determine women's risk for heart disease and stroke. Breast arterial calcification, calcium build-up within the middle layer of the breast's arterial wall, is related to aging, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and inflammation, and is a marker of stiffening in the arteries. It is not the same as calcification of the inner layer of the arteries (the layer that is...

A federal grand jury has indicted Monica Cannon-Grant, a high-profile local activist in Boston’s racial justice movement, and her husband on allegations they defrauded donors of the nonprofit they founded, Violence In Boston; committed unemployment fraud; and lied to a mortgage lender, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Cannon-Grant, 41, and Clark Grant, 38, were charged in an 18-count indictment alleging the couple spent financial donations to the nonprofit on themselves, using the cash to pay for hotel reservations, gas, restaurant meals, food deliveries, nail salon services, and personal travel, while concealing their transactions from bookkeepers, directors, and financial auditors.

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday he would withdraw his nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of governors after it was clear she would not win confirmation from the Senate. “Sarah was subject to baseless attacks from industry and conservative interest groups,” Biden complained in his statement, blaming Republicans for “amplifying these false claims” instead of moving forward to confirm his nominee. Biden made the announcement a day after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he would not vote to confirm Raskin, expressing concerns about her comments about energy. Raskin authored a New York Times op-ed...

About 50 miles from Ukraine at an airport in Eastern Poland, a major show of American force is designed to deter Russian aggression. The U.S. has deployed two Patriot missile batteries, which are among the most sophisticated air defense systems in the world. "All of these missiles are designed to defeat tactical ballistic missiles, designed to defeat cruise-type missiles, as well as aircraft," said the battery commander, who CBS News was asked not to name for security reasons. The airport in Eastern Poland is also used as a way station for weapons going to Ukraine. On Tuesday, what appeared to...

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced Tuesday. Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative, but is curtailing her schedule as a result of her husband's positive test. Harris spokesperson Sabrina Singh said Harris would not participate in a planned Equal Pay Day event on Tuesday evening at the White House with President Joe Biden “out of an abundance of caution.” “The Vice President tested negative for COVID-19 today and will continue to test,” she said. He’s feeling very well, I’m told," Biden said Tuesday evening at the event, noting Harris had to skip. “Let’s...

Kawasaki, best known for its motorcycles, debuted a four-legged rideable robot at the world's largest robot trade show last week. The robot, Bex, was created by the company's Kaleido program, which has been working on developing humanoid robots in Japan since 2015. Spectators got their first view of the robot at the 2022 International Robot Exhibition (iREX) in Tokyo. Videos from the event show the dexterity of the goat-shaped robot, which can alternate its limbs like Boston Dynamic's robot dog. The Bex can also lower itself and transport itself on wheels — a move that the program's lead engineer, Masayuki...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said that he doesn’t see gas prices or inflation decreasing “at all.” And argued that “you’ve got to get your financial house in order” and ensure American energy independence. Host Wolf Blitzer asked, “The president is also blaming the high gas prices right now — and the inflation — he’s blaming Russia, labeling it Putin’s price hike. Can the White House really though, claim Putin is solely responsible? Because prices, as you know, have been rising long before the Russian invasion.”

Rod Stewart stole hearts with his viral road-repair video this week, but at least one party was less than impressed: Essex Highways. The 77-year-old rocker on Saturday shared a video that showed him grabbing a shovel and helping to fill potholes on a damaged road. Stewart, who was dressed in the training gear of Scotland's Celtic Football Club, said he was spurred to action because he couldn't drive his Ferrari over the pothole-scarred road. "This is the road near where I live in Harlow, and it's been like this for ages," Stewart lamented. "And the other day there was an...

The Senate on Tuesday voted to nix a requirement to wear masks on public transportation as the country rolls back coronavirus rules and restrictions. Senators voted 57-40 on the resolution, which would roll back Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirements that most people wear masks on public transportation, including trains, airplanes and buses. The bill was introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Jon Tester (Mont.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Maggie Hassan (N.H.) each voted for it.