International
MEP Miguel Urbán charges Milei for questioning the historical memory
Spanish MEP Miguel Urbán considers that the Government of Argentina, headed by the ultraliberal Javier Milei, and other far-right-wing Executives of the world seek to question the policies of historical memory so that the flame of the struggle of the present cannot be ignited in the reading of the past.”
“It is a common feature and a deliberate attack on what the democratic foundations would be,” says in an interview with EFE in Buenos Aires, this member of the European Parliament since 2015, a central figure of the Anti-Capitalist political organization – which was integrated into Podemos from its foundation until 2020 -, and author of the essay ‘Trumpisms’.
Urbán, son of a communist militant tortured during the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975) by the policeman Antonio González Pacheco, better known as ‘Billy el Niño’, is in the Argentine capital to, among other reasons, accompany other victims grouped under the so-called ‘Argentine complaint’ against the crimes of the Franco regime.
In addition, this Sunday he will participate in the mobilization that will take place in Buenos Aires within the framework of March 24, Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice, in which the victims of the last Argentine military dictatorship (1976-1983) are commemorated, on the anniversary of the coup d’état that overthreuched the democratic powers of the South American country.
The Government of Milei – and particularly the vice president, Victoria Villarruel, with family ties with the military and accused of ‘denialism’ of the crimes of the dictatorship by associations that defend human rights in Argentina – has been equidistant with this symbolic day.
“Obviously we are witnessing a questioning of memory as a questioning of democracy,” says Urbán, who considers that this type of policy is the same as those used by other far-right leaders in the world, such as the Portuguese André Ventura, leader of the Chega! party, or the Spanish Santiago Abascal, president of Vox.
Urbán attributes this trend to the “element of the cultural battle”, usually argued by reactionary leaders to position himself “against the ‘cowardly right’ that does not question the ‘progressive dictatorship’.”
The MEP thinks that Milei is nothing more than “the Argentine decline of this global reactionary wave” that he describes in his latest book and that he presented this Friday in Buenos Aires.
“These phenomena start from eating the political space of the international right (…) Milei could not have been president if he had not managed to get the right to prefer to support him rather than a ‘right-wing uncle’ like Sergio Massa (the presidential candidate of Peronism in the 2023 elections),” says the MEP.
Urbán considers that “the same radicalization” motivated prominent conservative leaders – among them, the former president of the Spanish Government Mariano Rajoy (2011-2018) – to ask for the vote for the far-right Milei in the last Argentine elections.
“(The phenomenon of the extreme right) is not a European measles,” warns Urbán, who calls the importance of the communication skills of far-right leaders or issues such as the rise of disinformation “peripheral”.
“We could not understand this global reactionary wave without understanding that we are facing a real crisis of the regime of capitalism; a crisis resulting from the combination of the neoliberal governance crisis (…) and, on the other hand, the ecological crisis and climate change that constitute a kind of ‘cancellation of the future’,” explains Urbán.
Faced with the anxiety of the present, the MEP, who participated in the 15-M movement (or ‘of the indignadomen’) in Spain in 2011, believes that the extreme right proposes an imaginary of the past “known and that gives assurances.”
“It’s a matter of passion and not of reason,” says Urbán.
In this sense, the MEP believes that Milei’s ultra-liberal positions are more difficult to “inoculate” than those of the Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, characterized by his harshness in police action against the violent gangs of the Central American country.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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