Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Papa! Thousands cheer pope on streets of Washington; he calls for action on climate change
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cheered by jubilant crowds across the nation's capital, Pope Francis forged common cause Wednesday with President Barack Obama on climate change, immigration and inequality, as the popular pontiff signaled he would not sidestep issues that have deeply divided Americans.
On his first full day in the United States, the pope also reached out to America's 450 bishops, many of whom have struggled to come to terms with his new social justice-minded direction for the Catholic Church. He gently prodded the bishops to forgo "harsh and divisive language," while commending their "courage" in the face of the church's sexual abuse scandal — rhetoric that angered victims he may meet with later in his trip.
Late in the day, Francis — the first pope from the Americas — canonized Junipero Serra, the famous 18th century Spanish friar who brought the Catholic faith to California.
The 78-year-old pontiff's whirlwind day in Washington enlivened the often stoic, politically polarized city. Excited crowds lined streets near the White House to catch a glimpse of the smiling and waving Francis as he passed by in his open-air "popemobile." He seemed to draw energy from the cheering spectators, particularly the children his security detail brought to him for a papal kiss and blessing.
In keeping with his reputation as the "people's pope," Francis kept Obama and other dignitaries at the White House waiting so he could spend time greeting schoolchildren gathered outside the Vatican's diplomatic mission where he spent the night.
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Volkswagen CEO steps down, takes responsibility but denies wrongdoing; shares rise
BERLIN (AP) — Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned Wednesday, days after admitting that the world's top-selling carmaker had rigged diesel emissions to pass U.S. tests during his tenure.
No replacement was announced, and VW still has no easy exit from a scandal that has suddenly dented a reputation for trustworthiness that took decades to build. The smog-test trickery has wiped out billions in VW's market value and raised the specter of criminal investigations and billions more in fines.
Winterkorn took responsibility for the "irregularities" found by U.S. inspectors in VW's diesel engines, but insisted he had personally done nothing wrong.
"I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part," his statement said. "Volkswagen needs a fresh start ... I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation."
Winterkorn, 68, resigned following a crisis meeting of the Volkswagen supervisory board's executive committee. Its acting chairman, Berthold Huber, said company directors are "resolved to embark with determination on a credible new beginning."
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EU leaders agree to pump 1 billion euros to agencies helping refugees near conflict zones
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders, faced with a staggering migration crisis and deep divisions over how to tackle it, managed to agree early Thursday to send 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to international agencies helping refugees at camps near their home countries
The leaders also agreed to set up "hotspots" by the end of November where EU experts can quickly register and identify people eligible for refugee protection, said European Council President Donald Tusk, who chaired an emergency EU summit in Brussels.
The move is intended to also quickly filter out economic migrants who are unlikely to qualify for asylum in Europe.
"The measures we have agreed today will not end the crisis. But they are all necessary steps in the right direction," Tusk said at the conclusion of the more than seven-hour meeting.
He added that European leaders, who have disagreed acrimoniously with one another over how best to tackle the flow of migrants into the continent, finally appeared to reach a common understanding and consensus at the meeting.
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The Latest: EU leaders agree to give extra 1B euros to UN refugee agency, World Food Program
BRUSSELS (AP) — The latest developments as European governments struggle to cope with the huge number of people moving across Europe. All times local:
01:15 a.m.
European Union leaders have agreed to give an extra 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to the United Nations refugee agency and World Food Program to help them offer food and shelter to people fleeing conflicts.
European Council President Donald Tusk said early Thursday the pledge was part of a range of actions agreed by the leaders who were meeting to discuss ways of tackling the overwhelming migration crisis.
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Pope canonizes friar who brought Catholicism to California; some Native Americans object
WASHINGTON (AP) — An 18th-century missionary who brought Catholicism to the American West Coast was elevated to sainthood Wednesday by Pope Francis in the first canonization on U.S. soil.
Francis canonized Junipero Serra during a Mass outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in North America.
Serra was a Franciscan friar who marched north from Baja California with conquistadors from his native Spain, establishing nine of the 21 missions in what is now California. The pope announced in January that Serra would be canonized.
The decision was polarizing. Serra is revered by Catholics for his missionary work, but many Native Americans in California say he enslaved converts and contributed to the spread of disease that wiped out indigenous populations.
In his homily, Francis defended Serra, characterizing him as a kind and open-hearted man who protected Native Americans from colonizers.
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AP PHOTOS: Adoring crowds greet pope, hear message of helping the most vulnerable
WASHINGTON (AP) — Huge crowds of admirers and fans gave Pope Francis an enthusiastic reception in the nation's capital on Wednesday, beginning with the thousands who packed the South Lawn of the White House.
President Barack Obama welcomed Pope Francis to the White House. The clear blue sky and mild temperatures reinforced Obama's first words: "Good morning. What a beautiful day the Lord has made!"
Pope Francis asked Americans to support efforts to help the world's most vulnerable people and said it's clear to him that climate change is a problem that can no longer be left to a future generation.
Cheering crowds jammed the parade route along Constitution Avenue as Francis made a leisurely loop around the streets near the White House. He paused twice to have babies brought to him, and he kissed their heads.
Spectators came from all walks of life and from throughout the country to see the pope during his first visit to the United States. They spoke glowingly of his humility and his focus on taking care of the less fortunate.
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Formal charges filed against man suspected in 4 of 11 Phoenix freeway shooting cases
PHOENIX (AP) — Prosecutors announced formal charges Wednesday against a 21-year-old man suspected in some of the freeway shootings that have rattled the Phoenix area.
Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. was charged with 16 counts, including aggravated assault, unlawful discharge of a weapon, disorderly conduct, endangerment and carrying out a drive-by shooting.
But prosecutors did not file terrorism charges that police originally sought against the landscaper arrested Friday night at a suburban Phoenix Wal-Mart.
Maricopa County's top prosecutor, Bill Montgomery, previously said Arizona's terrorism laws enacted after 9/11 focus mostly on protecting public utilities from attack and would not apply to the freeway shootings.
Using ballistics tests, detectives tied Merritt to four of the 11 shootings reported on Phoenix-area freeways, Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead said.
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Human rights struggles for attention at US-China summit, as dissident spurns State Department
WASHINGTON (AP) — Relatives of Chinese dissidents met Wednesday with Secretary of State John Kerry as the Obama administration sought to demonstrate it won't gloss over human rights during this week's state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
But the message was in danger of backfiring after the wife of one prominent dissident, Gao Zhisheng, who says he was tortured with an electric baton during years of solitary confinement, refused the invitation.
"They haven't talked to us in five years, for all the time we've been here, so why should we attend a meeting now?" Geng He told The Associated Press from her home in Cupertino, Calif. Gao himself vows to never leave China despite the hardships and having to live apart from his family.
The United States has warned that the toughest crackdown in years on Chinese activists threatens to cloud the high-profile visit by Xi, who arrives in Washington on Thursday and will meet with President Barack Obama.
Yet the issue of human rights is unlikely to dominate the agenda at their Oval Office meeting Friday, which is followed by a state dinner.
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Egypt's president pardons 2 Al-Jazeera journalists ahead of visit to United Nations
CAIRO (AP) — President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi pardoned and released two Al-Jazeera English journalists Wednesday, ending a case that was widely condemned by human rights groups and had raised questions about Egypt's commitment to democracy and free speech.
The move to free Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohammed came days before el-Sissi's appearance at the U.N. General Assembly, as well as on the eve of a major holiday in Islam, Eid al-Adha.
Also receiving presidential pardons were 100 people, including dozens of human rights activists. Most of them were convicted and imprisoned for breaking a disputed law enacted in 2013 that prohibits unapproved demonstrations. The measure has almost entirely ended street activism in Egypt.
Fahmy and Mohammed were arrested in December 2013 and sentenced to three years in prison in a retrial last month for airing what a court described as "false news" and coverage biased in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. Since the 2013 military overthrow of former President Mohammed Morsi, hundreds of his supporters have been killed in clashes with security forces and thousands were detained, including almost the entire leadership of his group, the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
The two journalists were released hours after the pardon was announced, and dropped off by police in a Cairo suburb.
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New push to document, protect or one day recreate Syria's heritage in face of IS danger
BEIRUT (AP) — Scientists are slipping 3-D cameras into Syria to local activists and residents to scan antiquities. A U.S.-funded project aims to provide local conservators with resources to help safeguard relics. Inside Syria, volunteers scramble to document damage to monuments and confirm what remains.
The rush is on to find creative and often high-tech ways to protect Syria's millennia-long cultural heritage in the face of the threat that much of it could be erased by the country's war, now in its fifth year. Giving the drive new urgency, experts are desperate to stay a step ahead of the Islamic State group, which has ruthlessly destroyed and looted sites that fall into its hands as it spreads across Syria and neighboring Iraq.
The efforts are tempered by a recognition of the realities — that in some cases the best that can be hoped for is to document ancient monuments in as great detail as possible so that if they are destroyed they can still be studied in the future, or possibly accurate replicas could one day be built. All acknowledge that nothing short of a military or political solution can stop the danger posed by the militants and the conflict.
The campaigns are also fraught with risks. Getting supplies to activists on the ground can expose them to retribution from IS militants or others suspicious of outside powers. As a result, the various efforts underway are mostly cloaked in secrecy, with their organizers reluctant to give specifics on their activities for fear of endangering those on the ground.
But among experts, there's a feeling that something — anything — must be done.
