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Russian private army head claims control of Bakhmut, war’s longest battle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the Russian private army Wagner claimed Saturday that his forces have taken control of the city of Bakhmut after the longest and most grinding battle of the Russia-Ukraine war, but Ukrainian defense officials denied it.In a video posted on Telegram, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said the city came under complete Russian control at about midday Saturday. He spoke flanked by about half a dozen fighters, with ruined buildings in the background and explosions heard in the distance.However, after the video appeared, Ukrainian deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar said heavy fighting was continuing.“The situation is critical,” she said. “As of now, our defenders, control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities in this area.” Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern command, told The Associated Press that Prigozhin’s claim “is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut.”Fighting has raged around Bakhmut for more than 200 days....

Burner phones, aliases, code words: How secret networks help women circumvent Honduras’ abortion ban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Inside a little wooden house among the pine and oak forests of western Honduras’ coffee-growing mountains, a woman opened a tiny package of pills, delivered to a nearby town. She didn’t know it, but the medication had more than likely entered the country hidden in an activist’s suitcase, from Mexico.The woman, 27, was confident in her decision to have an abortion, but in the moment, she panicked. She knew she was breaking national law banning all abortions and could be prosecuted. Even more, she feared medical complications, or her religious family finding out.Days earlier, an anonymous guide had asked her for an ultrasound; she sent it via encrypted message. Now, in her one-room house, empty and quiet except for the pings of her cellphone with messages from the guide and her closest friend, she studied the instructions on how to take the pills – first the mifepristone, later the misoprostol.She was ready. She swallowed the first pill.___In remote mounta...

Pakistani transgender activists to appeal Shariah court ruling against law aimed at protecting them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Transgender activists in Pakistan said they plan to appeal to the highest court in the land an Islamic court’s ruling that guts a law aimed at protecting their rights.The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was passed by Parliament in 2018 to secure the fundamental rights of transgender Pakistanis. It ensures their access to legal gender recognition, among other rights.Many Pakistanis have entrenched beliefs on gender and sexuality and transgender people are often considered outcasts. Some are forced into begging, dancing and even prostitution to earn money. They also live in fear of attacks.The Federal Shariat Court on Friday struck down several provisions of the landmark law, terming them “un-Islamic.”It ruled that a person cannot change their gender on the basis of “innermost feeling” or “self-perceived identity” and must conform to the biological sex assigned to them at the time of birth.The Shariah court has the constitutional mandate of examin...

‘Looking for Canada’: RCMP’s Musical Ride steeped in tradition as force turns 150

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

Maxwell Newhouse remembers the earth quivering below his feet when 32 riders wearing bright scarlet jackets, on top of their large black horses, moved across a field in seamless patterns. It was 25 years ago and his first time watching an RCMP Musical Ride, a horsey ballet where Mounties don the iconic red serge, hoist their lances and pay tribute to Canada’s heritage. “It’s just the Canadian experience. It was just beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed,” said Newhouse, a painter from British Columbia.“When I saw it, it cured me. I went home and I couldn’t stop painting. I literally painted them for more than 10 years.”As the RCMP celebrates its 150th anniversary, Newhouse reflected on the century-long tradition that has shaped him as an artist. Some of the hundreds of depictions he has painted are featured in his book, “The RCMP Musical Ride,” showcasing the intricate formations that require the utmost control, timing and co-ordination. Mounties say the ride is a symbol o...

Travel expert shares tips for vacation plans this summer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

Travel expert Natalie Preddie shares travelling tips to keep in mind when planning your vacation this summer.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Weekend Break: Red Bull Dance Your Style

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

Join Marcella Raymond in this morning's Weekend Break where she visits the Red Bull Dance Your Style at the Salt Shed. MORE STORIES: Weekend Break

Racial disparities in maternal health during Maternal Health Month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

Dr. Sandi Tenfelde, advanced nurse practitioner with Near North Health joins WGN Weekend Morning News to discuss the disparities of maternal health for different races.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Biden says he believes US will avoid default at G7 summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

(The Hill) – President Biden said at the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Saturday that he believes the United States will avoid a default as the deadline for lawmakers to reach a deal approaches. Biden said at a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan, that he is “not at all” worried about the ongoing negotiations to raise the debt ceiling before the limit is reached. He said the process goes in stages, and one meeting might not make progress, but subsequent ones do. “I still believe we'll be able to avoid a default and we'll get something decent done,” he said. Biden’s remarks come after national security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier in the day, local time, that Biden “expressed confidence” to other world leaders at the summit that the U.S. would not go into default. “Here at the G7, you know, countries want to have a sense of how these negotiations are going to play out and the president has expressed confidence that he believes that we could drive to an outcome th...

What happens if the US can't pay its bills? 'Catastrophe'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

(NerdWallet) - A few short weeks are left for Congress — or, perhaps, President Joe Biden — to take action and lift the debt ceiling before tick, tick, tick … boom goes the economy.The so-called “X-date” — when the federal government can no longer meet its legal obligations — could be as early as June 1, according to a May 1 letter from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to Congress. Yellen reiterated the same sentiments in another letter to Congress on May 15.“If Congress fails to increase the debt limit, it would cause severe hardship to American families, harm our global leadership position, and raise questions about our ability to defend our national security interests,” Yellen wrote in the most recent letter. She warned of "catastrophe" in a May 11 news conference.The Congressional Budget Office released its own projections on May 12, which left more wiggle room: somewhere in the first two weeks of June. The report also said the U.S. Treasury’s cash and extraordinary measures...

Girl, 8, dies in Border Patrol custody; mom says pleas for hospital care were denied

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:58 GMT

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The mother of an 8-year-old girl who died in Border Patrol custody said Friday that agents repeatedly ignored pleas to hospitalize her medically fragile daughter as she felt pain in her bones, struggled to breathe and was unable to walk.Agents said her daughter's diagnosis of influenza did not require hospital care, Mabel Alvarez Benedicks said in an emotional phone interview. They knew the girl had a history of heart problems and sickle cell anemia.“They killed my daughter, because she was nearly a day and a half without being able to breathe," the mother said. "She cried and begged for her life and they ignored her. They didn’t do anything for her. DHS: Daily drops of asylum-seekers at Southwest border The girl died Wednesday on what her mother said was the family’s ninth day in Border Patrol custody. People are to be held no more than 72 hours under agency policy, a rule that is violated during unusually busy times.The account is almost certain to raise qu...