blasts

VATICAN CITY — In his most substantial critique of U.S., Russian and other military incursions in sovereign countries, Pope Leo XIV on Friday denounced how nations were using force to assert their dominion worldwide, “completely undermining” peace and the post-World War II international legal order.

“War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” Leo told ambassadors from around the world who represent their countries’ interests at the Holy See.

Leo didn’t name individual countries that have resorted to force in his lengthy speech, the bulk of which he delivered in English in a break from the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic protocol of Italian and French. But his speech came amid the backdrop of the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela to remove Nicolás Maduro from power, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and other conflicts.

The occasion was the pope’s annual audience with the Vatican diplomatic corps, which traditionally amounts to his yearly foreign policy address.

In his first such encounter, history’s first U.S.-born pope delivered much more than the traditional roundup of global hotspots. In a speech that touched on threats to religious freedom and the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion and surrogacy, Leo lamented how the United Nations and multilateralism as a whole were increasingly under threat.

“A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies,” he said. “The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined.”

“Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence,” he said.

A geopolitical roundup of conflicts and suffering

Leo did refer explicitly to tensions in Venezuela, calling for a peaceful political solution that keeps in mind the “common good of the peoples and not the defense of partisan interests.”

The U.S. military seized Maduro, the Venezuelan leader, in a surprise nighttime raid. The Trump administration is now seeking to control Venezuela’s oil resources and its government. The U.S. government has insisted Maduro’s capture was legal, saying drug cartels operating from Venezuela amounted to unlawful combatants and that the U.S. is now in an “armed conflict” with them.

Analysts and some world leaders have condemned the Venezuela mission, warning that Maduro’s ouster could pave the way for more military interventions and a further erosion of the global legal order.

On Ukraine, Leo repeated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire and urgently called for the international community “not to waver in its commitment to pursuing just and lasting solutions that will protect the most vulnerable and restore hope to the afflicted peoples.”

On Gaza, Leo repeated the Holy See’s call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and insisted on the Palestinians’ right to live in Gaza and the West Bank “in their own land.”

In other comments, Leo said the persecution of Christians around the world was “one of the most widespread human rights crises today,” affecting one in seven Christians globally. He cited religiously motivated violence in Bangladesh, Nigeria, the Sahel, Mozambique and Syria but said religious discrimination was also present in Europe and the Americas.

There, Christians “are sometimes restricted in their ability to proclaim the truths of the Gospel for political or ideological reasons, especially when they defend the dignity of the weakest, the unborn, refugees and migrants, or promote the family.”

Leo repeated the church’s opposition to abortion and euthanasia and expressed “deep concern” about projects to provide cross-border access to mothers seeking abortion.

He also described surrogacy as a threat to life and dignity. “By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a product, and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family,” he said.

Winfield writes for the Associated Press.

Brandon Fisher was praised for carrying out the emergency landing of the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 when a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff at Portland International Airport

A hero pilot is suing Boeing as he believes the aeroplane manufacturer “attempted to paint him as a scapegoint” following its error that led to an emergency landing.

Brandon Fisher safely brought the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 back to Portland International Airport in Oregon when a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff. He was widely praised for the emergency landing as experts believe his quick thinking ensured all of the 171 passengers and six crew members survived the accident.

But Mr Fisher’s lawyers say Boeing has tried to deflect liability in past lawsuits. Four flight attendants previously sued Boeing over the incident last summer. Now, Mr Fisher’s team says Boeing believes it wasn’t responsible for the blowout in January 2024 because the plane was “improperly maintained or misused” by others.

“It was clear Boeing’s words were directed at Captain Fisher in attempt to paint him as the scapegoat for Boeing’s numerous failures,” Mr Fisher’s lawyers, William Walsh and Richard Mummolo, wrote in the lawsuit filed in an Oregon court.

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and even Boeing executives commended Mr Fisher for his heroics following the horror.

The NTSB investigation since then found that four bolts securing what is known as the door plug panel were removed and never replaced during a repair as the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft was being assembled. Boeing and key supplier Spirit Aerosystems, which has since been acquired by Boeing, were both implicated.

The bolts are hidden behind interior panels in the plane, so they are not something that could have been easily checked in a preflight inspection by the pilot or anyone else from the airline. NTSB investigators determined the door plug was gradually moving upward over the 154 flights prior to the incident before it ultimately flew off.

And Mr Fisher’s lawyers wrote in their latest report: “Boeing’s lie infuriated Captain Fisher as well, as he was being castigated for his actions as opposed to being lauded. Because he had flown Boeing aircraft for the entirety of his employment with Alaska Airlines, Boeing’s attempts to blame him felt like a deep, personal betrayal by a company that claimed to hold pilots in the highest regard.”

The NTSB made clear this was caused by a manufacturing issue and the crew’s actions were exemplary. Experienced pilot John Cox, who is CEO of the Safety Operating Systems aviation safety consulting firm, said the crew did a remarkable job considering what they were dealing with, and no one has faulted the crew. Mr Cox said: “I think the Boeing lawyers were kind of grasping at straws.”

Boeing did not comment directly on this new lawsuit. But the company’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, has made improving safety a top priority ever since he took over the top job at Boeing in August 2024.

Alaska Airlines also declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said the airline remains “grateful to our crew members for the bravery and quick-thinking that they displayed on Flight 1282 in ensuring the safety of all on board.”

BROOKLYN Beckham blocked his family on social media after mum Victoria “liked” a post of his about roasting a chicken, The Sun can reveal.

The budding chef, 26, saw red after Posh showed her approval of a self-shot video in which he discusses beer-brining a bird to give it extra flavour.

Former Spice Girl Posh’s response was soon followed with comments from fans urging estranged Brooklyn to build bridges with his family.

But it is believed that he got annoyed at his worried mum’s public display of affection as she bids to heal the family rift.

David and Victoria are understandably heartbroken by what’s gone on here

Source

Within hours of her olive branch, Brooklyn had blocked Victoria, 51, dad David, 50, brothers Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and his 14-year-old sister Harper.

It means they cannot see any Instagram posts he uploads from his LA home where he lives with actress wife Nicola Peltz, 30.

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It was initially thought that the Beckham family had “unfollowed” Brooklyn’s account, as The Sun on Sunday reported yesterday.

Cruz soon put things straight.

Pulling no punches, he shared a post which read: “Not true.

“My mum and dad would never unfollow their son.

“Let’s get the facts right.

“They woke up blocked  . . .  as did I.”

It marked the first time any of the image-conscious Beckhams had directly addressed the family feud.

Despite wall-to-wall coverage of the row, it was business as usual until Cruz’s blunt contribution.

Unsurprisingly, Cruz and Romeo are furious

A source

A source said: “David and Victoria are understandably heartbroken by what’s gone on here.

‘PUBLIC ATTACK’

“This came out of the blue for them, and in the lead-up to Christmas when families are supposed to come together, it’s devastating.”

The source added: “All they want is for things to be fixed but with every week they just seem to be getting worse.

“Unsurprisingly, Cruz and Romeo are furious that Brooklyn would make such a public attack.

“As for Brooklyn, he wants things fixed in private and not played out on social media, although his actions have resulted in quite the opposite.”

Brooklyn, who married Nicola in a lavish wedding in April 2022, has had nothing to do with his family since the start of the year.

It is thought the feud may have somehow been triggered during the lead-up to Brooklyn and heiress Nicola’s big day.

He swerved his dad’s 50th birthday celebrations in May and the proud ex-England football captain’s knighthood investiture at Windsor Castle last month.

In between, none of the Beckhams were present when the couple renewed their wedding vows in August.

The Beckhams have not been pictured together as a family since Boxing Day last year.