Pope Francis has message for foreign media
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis urged foreign correspondents on Saturday to humbly use the power of the press to search for the truth and give voice to the voiceless, saying journalism is an important tool to counter the hatred, prejudice and fake news.
In an audience with the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Francis also urged journalists to not fall prey to sending click-bait headlines and half-reported stories, saying errors can not only misrepresent the truth but damage entire communities.
He lamented attacks on journalists around the globe and assured reporters that the Catholic Church at large appreciated their work “even when you touch a raw nerve, including within the ecclesial community.”
While Francis meets with journalists regularly during his foreign trips, it was the first time a pope has received the Foreign Press Association, which represents journalists from more than 50 countries, since St. John Paul II in 1988.
Surprise VP bid
Days before she is set to go on trial on corruption charges, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced on Saturday that she intends to return to the presidential palace this year, this time as vice president running alongside Alberto Fernandez, a former ally with whom she has had an uneasy relationship.
The announcement by Ms. Kirchner, who governed Argentina from 2007 to 2015 and is currently a senator, stunned Argentine political observers who had widely expected the leftist leader to mount a bid for a third presidential term.
Mr. Fernandez served as cabinet chief to Mrs. Kirchner’s husband, Nestor, who took office after a recordbreaking default in 2001 left the economy in collapse and who governed during a period of relative prosperity fueled by a commodities boom.
He remained in the role when Mrs. Kirchner succeeded her husband, but stepped down a few months later after a battle between the government and farmers over export taxes.
Arnold absorbs dropkick
Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared completely unaffected after a man surprised a gym full of people with a flying, two-footed dropkick to the former California governor’s back during a public appearance Saturday near Johannesburg.
Mr. Schwarzenegger, 71, was recording a Snapchat video with fans as part of his annual Arnold Classic Africa event when the unidentified assailant ran toward him and threw himself feet-first at the Terminator. Video shows Mr. Schwarzenegger jolt forward but stay on his feet as the man hits him and falls to the ground, where he was quickly subdued by a security guard.
As he was being dragged away by the security guard, the kicker apparently shouted, “Help me! I need a Lamborghini!” repeatedly.