Foreign News
Pope Leo on first foreign trip says future of humanity at stake from conflict
Pope Leo XIV has warned that the world should not give into “a heightened level of conflict on the global level”, at the start of his foreign trip in Turkey.
“The future of humanity is at stake, said the Pope, urging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to act as a source of stability because of the need to promote dialogue and stability.
The Pope will mark a historic Christian anniversary during his visit to Turkey, before heading to Lebanon days after Israeli airstrikes on its capital, Beirut.
The visits had been planned by late Pope Francis, but their main theme of building bridges was embraced by Pope Leo from the moment he stepped on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after his election in May.
Leo warned that today’s wars were like a “third world war fought piecemeal”, repeating a phrase that his predecessor had himself used several times, referring to conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Myanmar and elsewhere.
Since he became pontiff six months ago, he has conveyed a sense of being extremely measured, even cautious. But on this trip, his powers of diplomacy will be closely scrutinised.
A key moment of the trip will take place in the Turkish town of Iznik, the site of the ancient city of Nicaea. Pope Leo and leaders of other Christian traditions will gather to mark the anniversary of an ancient council that took place there 1,700 years ago. In 325 AD, among other key decisions, more than 200 bishops at the council affirmed the belief that Jesus was the son of God, eventually leading to what is known as the Nicene Creed.
Eastern and Western branches of Christianity later dramatically split, but during this trip there will be messages of togetherness and healing divisions.
In Turkey the Pope will also visit the Blue Mosque, as both his immediate predecessors Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI had done. He will have meetings with other religious leaders in a gesture of inter-religious dialogue before flying on to the second leg of the trip.
The Vatican says plans for the Pope’s visit to Lebanon have not changed following the Israeli airstrikes on Beirut earlier in the week.
He will meet more faith leaders and hear from young people in Lebanon, his visit giving a boost in particular to the estimated third of the country that is Christian.
On the final day of the trip, Pope Leo will celebrate Mass at the Beirut waterfront at the site of the 2020 port explosion, praying for the more than 200 people who were killed and 7,000 others injured.
Over recent months, though he has spoken out on some issues dear to him such as the dignity of migrants, he has certainly not been as overtly political as his predecessor could be.
He has walked such a fine line that in some cases both progressives and traditionalists within the Catholic Church have made the case that he supports their school of thought.
It was for similar reasons that cardinals of different persuasions were thought to have coalesced around him at conclave.
Pope Francis was seen as a visionary but one who was not overly worried about creating consensus, leaving behind a somewhat divided Church. Pope Leo has so far operated very differently, gently holding on to some of the progressive ideals of his predecessor while paying heed to the views of traditionalists.
He has repeatedly called for an end to war, but in a different way to Pope Francis, who memorably made daily calls to the Holy Family Church in Gaza to offer his support.
In meetings on this trip – with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Lebanese civic leaders – Pope Leo may be drawn to comment on his views on conflict in the region.
We may hear something of his impressions at the end of his trip, as it is customary for the Pope to hold a news conference with travelling press on the return flight to Rome.
What we will hear more of on this trip is a pope speaking in a Chicagoan accent.
Although Pope Leo, who speaks several languages fluently, has mainly given public addresses in Italian up to this point, the Vatican has confirmed that he will speak English throughout the Turkish leg of his trip, with some French too during his time in Lebanon.
[BBC]
At least seven people have died and more than 80 others are missing after a landslide hit Indonesia’s West Java province, officials said.
The landslide occurred in the West Bandung region, south-east of the capital Jakarta, following days of intense rainfall.
More than thirty homes were destroyed after “landslide material buried residential areas, causing fatalities and affecting local residents”, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.
Flooding, landslide and extreme weather alerts have also been issued for the broader region.
The landslide hit the village of Pasirlangu around 02:30AM on Saturday [24] (19:30 GMT).
Two dozen people were evacuated safely from the affected region, according to Abdul Muhari, communication chief of the National Search Agency.
Images shared by local news outlets showed homes buried under mud and debris.
[BBC]
Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding has been arrested in Mexico and will be extradited to the US after years on the run, FBI Director Kash Patel has said.
Wedding, who had been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, is accused of running a transnational drug trafficking operation that moved tonnes of cocaine across international borders.
Wedding, 44, was also wanted on murder charges. US officials had said they believed Wedding was living in Mexico under the Sinaloa drug cartel’s protection.
The head of Canada’s federal police force, which assisted in the investigation, spoke alongside Patel on Friday to praise the law enforcement operation.
Wedding is accused of running a vast drug trafficking operation responsible for importing some 60 metric tonnes of cocaine a year.
The organisation operated across North America, as well as several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and was also the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada, bringing in an estimated $1bn a year.
Before he was arrested, Wedding was accused of killing a federal witness in a case against him. Officials say he has also ordered the murders of several others.
Wedding is now facing a slew of felony charges, including witness tampering and intimidation, murder, money laundering and drug trafficking.
The FBI had previously placed a $15m (£11m) reward for information leading to his arrest. Patel declined to comment on whether anyone would be claiming the reward money.
US officials have released limited details regarding how Wedding was captured, except to say that his arrest took place on Thursday night in Mexico City.
Mexico’s top security official, Omar García Harfuch, said in a post on X that Patel had visited Mexico City on Thursday, and departed with two fugitives on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.
He did not name the men arrested, but said one was a “Canadian citizen who voluntarily surrendered” at the US embassy in Mexico.
The Associated Press, citing an unnamed Mexican Security Cabinet member, reported that Wedding is the Canadian who turned himself in at the US embassy.
In his remarks at a news conference, Patel described Wedding as a “modern-day Pablo Escobar”, referring to the Colombian cartel leader. US officials have also compared him to Mexican drug dealer Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
“When you go after a guy like Ryan Wedding, it takes a united front,” Patel said, thanking Canadian and Mexican authorities for their help in the investigation.
Patel also thanked the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, who participated in taking Wedding into custody.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Patel praised the team, which had also been involved in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro weeks earlier.
“This was a complex, high-stakes operation with zero margin for error,” Patel told the magazine.
“I was on the ground with our team in Mexico and witnessed extraordinary teamwork, precision, and trust between our agents and partners in Mexico.”
Wedding’s aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King,” and “Jesse King”, the FBI said. He has reportedly had plastic surgery to change his appearance while on the run.
Officials allege that he launched his criminal enterprise following his release from a US federal prison in 2011, where he was serving a sentence for cocaine distribution.
Authorities allege he has ordered dozens of murders across the globe, including in the US, Canada and Latin America.
It is unclear to whom the medals belong. Wedding competed for Canada in the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, but did not win any medals. He came in 24th place in the men’s giant parallel slalom ski event.
In November, the FBI seized his rare 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR, which had been valued at $13m.
Patel also spoke about the recent arrest of another man in Mexico who had been on the FBI’s most wanted list.
American man Alejandro Castillo was wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. According to the FBI, he has been in hiding in Mexico for nearly 10 years, and will now be extradited back to North Carolina for trial.
(BBC)
Vampire horror film Sinners has broken the record for the most Oscar nominations received by a single film, after being nominated for 16 of Hollywood’s most coveted honours.
The film beat the previous record of 14 nominations, and emerged ahead of its nearest rival this year, Leonardo DiCaprio’s thriller One Battle After Another, which is up for 13 awards.
Sinners’ contenders include its star Michael B Jordan and his British co-stars Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo.
Other big names up for trophies include Timothée Chalamet, who is hoping for third time lucky after two previous nominations, and Irish actress Jessie Buckley, who is the frontrunner to win best actress for Hamnet.
However, there was no space for her co-star Paul Mescal, who starred opposite Buckley as William Shakespeare in Hamnet; while Wicked: For Good and its stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande missed out completely.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hollywood on 15 March.
The leading films:
- Sinners – 16
- One Battle After Another – 13
- Marty Supreme – 9
- Frankenstein – 9
- Sentimental Value – 9
- Hamnet – 8
[BBC]
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