Pope Leo asks media to show suffering of war, not amplify 'propaganda'
The Straits Times
VATICAN CITY, March 16 - Pope Leo urged journalists on Monday to highlight the suffering caused by war, cautioning against news reports that risk sliding into propaganda by glorifying conflicts or serving as \"a megaphone\" to amplify the voices of those in power. Read more at straitstimes.com.
VATICAN CITY, March 16 - Pope Leo urged journalists on Monday to highlight the suffering caused by war, cautioning against news reports that risk sliding into propaganda by glorifying conflicts or serving as "a megaphone" to amplify the voices of those in power.
In a meeting with broadcasters from Italy's TG2 television news programme, the pope made a direct appeal for reporters "to show the face of war and tell it through the eyes of the victims, so as not to turn it into a video game."
"In the dramatic circumstances of war, such as those we are experiencing, information must guard against the risk of turning into propaganda," said Leo, the first U.S. pope.
Journalists must work "in verifying the news so as not to become a megaphone of power," he said.
Leo did not mention a specific conflict on Monday, but he has been ramping up calls in recent days for an end to the expanding U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
On Sunday, he called for an immediate ceasefire to what he called the "atrocious violence" of the conflict, in some of his strongest remarks to date.
BBC argued that Donald Trump's subsequent re-election showed it did not harm his reputation. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Upgrades include better active noise cancellation and an improved microphone system. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Some 350 oil tankers, some loaded and some empty, are currently stranded in the area. Read more at straitstimes.com.
GENEVA, March 16 - The head of a U.N. investigation said on Monday that an Israeli air strike on a prison last year was a war crime, and warned of risks of further repression following the current U.S.-Israeli bombings. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The negotiations were held over the weekend and concluded on March 16. Read more at straitstimes.com.
BERLIN/BRUSSELS/LONDON, March 16 - U.S. allies said they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a request by President Donald Trump for military support to keep the vital waterway open. Read more at straitstimes.com.
VATICAN CITY, March 16 - Pope Leo met on Monday with an investigative journalist who alleges that a prominent Catholic organisation with ties to right-wing politicians in the U.S. and other countries covered up sexual and financial crimes, which the group firmly denies. Read more at straitstimes.com.
China urged an immediate ceasefire after deadly cross-border clashes flared. Read more at straitstimes.com.
DEBRECEN, Hungary, March 16 - Istvan Hollo, a 76-year-old supporter of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, spends up to an hour daily on Facebook promoting the right-wing leader's messages to bolster his chances in an April 12 parliamentary election. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The two former ministers are set to return to the fold as UMNO seeks to strengthen its position ahead of upcoming state and federal elections. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The phone will debut alongside an Oppo AI Pen accessory. Read more at straitstimes.com.
MADRID, March 16 - Spain will not take part in any military mission in the Strait of Hormuz because it considers the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran to be illegal, Madrid's defence and foreign affairs ministers said on Monday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Any changes would be due to logistics amid the Iran war, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. Read more at straitstimes.com.