President Xi asks Chinese media to toe the party line

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping has urged Chinese media to fall behind the Communist Party to strengthen its public outreach and continue working towards guiding public opinion.

Xi specifically talked about rapidly developing digital media and social media platforms and using artificial intelligence to transmit CPC’S thoughts and policies across the country where online population touched the 800 million-mark last year. His missive comes as China grapples with a slowing economy, a highprofile trade war with the US and ongoing disputes like those in the South China Sea.

The media in China is heavily censored, with local journalists having to work under strict guidelines: the no-go areas are topped by the CPC and the top leaders. Xi made the remarks at a group study session of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau at the headquarters of the Party's flagship newspaper, the People’s Daily.

“Priority should be given to mobile platforms,” he said, calling for the exploration of using artificial intelligence in news gathering, generation, distribution, receiving and feedback.

All seven members of the CPC’S powerful politburo standing committee visited the People’s Daily office. JOLO (PHILIPPINES): Two bombs minutes apart tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern Philippine island where Muslim militants are active, killing at least 27 people and wounding 77 others during a Sunday Mass, officials said.

Witnesses said the first blast inside the Jolo cathedral in the provincial capital sent churchgoers, some of them wounded, to stampede out of the main door. Army troops and police posted outside were rushing in when the second bomb went off about one minute later near the main entrance, causing more deaths and injuries. The military was checking a report that the second explosive device may have been attached to a parked motorcycle.

The initial explosion scattered the wooden pews inside the main hall and blasted window glass panels, and the second bomb hurled human remains and debris across a town square fronting the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, witnesses said. Cellphone signal was cut off in the first hours after the attack. The witnesses who spoke to The Associated Press refused to give their names or were busy at the scene of the blasts.

Police said at least 27 people died and 77 were wounded. The fatalities included 20 civilians and seven troops. Among the wounded were 14 troops, two police and 61 civilians.