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New Zealand PM proposes banning under-16s from social media

New Zealand’s prime minister on Tuesday proposed banning children under 16 from social media, stressing the need to protect them from the perils of big tech platforms.Regulators the world over are wrestling with how to keep children safe online, as social media is increasingly flooded with violent and disturbing content.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon unveiled draft …

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Cardinals assemble to elect pope and set course for church

All 133 Catholic cardinals who will vote for a new pope have arrived in Rome, the Vatican said on Monday, two days before they gather in a conclave to elect the next head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.Hailing from 70 countries across five continents, the group — summoned following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 — is the largest and the most international ever.At stake is the direction of the Catholic Church, a 2,000-year-old institution with huge global influence but which is struggling to adapt to the modern world and recover its reputation after the scandal of widespread child sex abuse by priests.The 133 cardinals who will vote — all those aged under 80, minus two who are absent for health reasons — will gather on Wednesday afternoon under the frescoed splendour of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.They are sworn to secrecy, risking excommunication if they reveal what happens — as are their support staff, from medics to lift operators, canteen and cleaning staff, who took their oath on Monday.The Vatican announced on Monday that it would also cut the phone signals within the tiny city state for the duration of the conclave, although this will not cover St Peter’s Square, where thousands of pilgrims are expected to gather to see the new pope.On Monday morning, technicians installed red curtains on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica overlooking the square, where the new pontiff will make his first appearance.Cardinals of all ages had met earlier on Monday for the latest in a series of closed-door preparatory meetings.Discussions so far have covered everything from the Vatican’s finances to the abuse scandal and Church unity.On Monday morning “the focus was on the missionary nature of the Church: a Church that must not withdraw into herself”, the Vatican said.Cardinals discussed the profile of the next pope — “a figure who must be present, close, capable of being a bridge and a guide, of favouring access to communion for a disoriented humanity marked by the crisis of the world order”.He should be “a shepherd close to the real life of the people”, the Vatican added.- ‘Spectacular’ conclave -Francis was an energetic reformer from Buenos Aires who helped open up the Church during his 12-year-long papacy but was accused by critics of failing to defend key Catholic doctrine.The question now is whether his successor will follow a similar progressive line, or take the Church on a more conservative, traditionalist path.Francis appointed 80 percent of the current cardinal electors — but experts caution that they may not choose someone in his mould, with many warning that there could be surprises.Vatican affairs specialist Marco Politi told AFP that, given the unknowns, the conclave could be “the most spectacular in 50 years”.  The conclave begins on Wednesday afternoon and could continue for days, weeks or even months — although both Francis and his predecessor were elected within two days.The cardinals will vote once the first day and four times a day thereafter until one of them has the two-thirds majority to be elected pope.They will stay at the nearby Santa Marta guesthouse and are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have made their choice.Under a centuries-old ritual, they will inform the waiting world of their progress by burning their ballots, with black smoke indicating no winner, and white smoke signalling a new pope.- ‘Tough pope’ -Italy’s Pietro Parolin, who was secretary of state under Francis, is one of the favourites, as is Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.Amongst the so-called “papabili” are also Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines and Hungarian conservative Peter Erdo.But many more names have been discussed and a surprise candidate could emerge, as was the case when Francis — then an Argentinian known as Jorge Bergoglio — was picked in 2013.Amongst the pilgrims and sightseers who gathered in St Peter’s Square on Monday, opinions varied widely about who could or should take over.”Maybe more of Pope Francis than Pope Benedict,” said German visitor Aurelius Lie, 36.”As long as he’s not too conservative (and) influenced by modern political leaders — (Giorgia) Meloni, (Donald) Trump,” he said, referring to the Italian prime minister and the US president.”Maybe the Church will be thinking: ‘We need a tough pope now to deal with these people’. But their terms will end in a couple of years.”burs-ar/db/bc

Israel says ‘most’ Gazans to be displaced in expanded operation

Israel’s military said on Monday that expanded operations in Gaza approved by the government would include displacing “most” residents of the Palestinian territory, with the UN chief expressing alarm at the plan.The Israeli security cabinet approved overnight the plan, which an Israeli official said will entail “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories”.The decision comes as the United Nations and aid organisations have repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.A UN spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “alarmed” by the Israeli plan that “will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza”.”Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian state,” said spokesman Farhan Haq.A second senior Israeli security official said that “a central component of the plan is a large-scale evacuation of the entire Gazan population from the fighting zones… to areas in southern Gaza”.Military spokesman Effie Defrin said the planned offensive will include “moving most of the population of the Gaza Strip… to protect them”.Nearly all of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during the war, sparked by Hamas militants’ October 2023 attack on Israel.Israel has pushed for Palestinians to leave Gaza, with the senior security official saying that a “voluntary transfer program… will be part of the operation’s goals”.For Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the “Nakba”, or catastrophe — the mass displacement in the war that led to Israel’s creation in 1948.The European Union voiced concern and urged restraint from Israel, saying the plan “will result in further casualties and suffering for the Palestinian people”.- ‘Sacrificing’ hostages -Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock over how to proceed with a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the war with Hamas.On Monday, rescuers in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 19 people.Israeli officials have said that the renewed fighting was aimed at defeating Hamas and securing the return of hostages held by militants since the 2023 attack, although critics have charged that it puts the captives in mortal danger.An Israeli campaign group representing the relatives of hostages said the plan for an expanded offensive was “sacrificing” those held in Gaza.Yossi Gershon, a 36-year-old Israeli civil servant, told AFP that he supported the plan, saying “it’s a smart move to finally address the root problem properly”.”Unfortunately, there really isn’t peace with the other people,” he added.Tamar Lazarow, 59, told AFP that the new plan “is a thoughtless way of endangering more lives on both sides”.”Enough innocent people have died… I do not really trust our government to make decisions coming from the right place.”The decision by the security cabinet, which includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers, came after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists.The security source said the troop deployment would “allow a window of opportunity” for a possible hostage deal coinciding with US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week.- ‘Reinforce control’ -The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 2,459 people had been killed since Israel resumed its campaign on March 18, bringing the overall death toll from the war to 52,567.Hamas’s attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Out of the 251 people abducted by militants that day, 58 are still held in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.The first Israeli official said that the security cabinet had also approved the “possibility of humanitarian distribution, if necessary” in Gaza, “to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities”.Israel has accused the Palestinian militant group of diverting aid, which Hamas denies.A grouping of UN agencies and aid groups in the Palestinian territory has said Israel sought to “shut down the existing aid distribution system… and have us agree to deliver supplies through Israeli hubs under conditions set by the Israeli military”. The plan “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic”, the bodies said in a statement.Hamas said the proposed aid framework amounted to “political blackmail”.Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has previously called to establish Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory, said that “the only aid that should enter Gaza is for voluntary immigration.”dms-lba-acc-csp/ami