International
Justice rejects that the investigation of luxury watches has violated the rights of Boluarte

The Peruvian Justice declared this Sunday unfounded the protection of rights presented by the defense of Dina Boluarte, who argued that the rights of the president were violated during the investigation of the Prosecutor’s Office for the alleged commission of illicit enrichment in the case of the luxury watches that she wore without having declared.
“Judicial power declares unfounded protection of rights presented by the defense of President Dina Boluarte, in the investigation followed against her for the alleged crime of illicit enrichment and another in the grievance of the State,” the institution reported on social network X.
He added that this decision was issued by the Supreme Court of Preparatory Investigation, in charge of Judge Juan Carlos Checkley Soria, “who considered that the defense arguments raised in this appeal have no factual or legal basis.”
Last Tuesday, in the hearing in which this protection of rights was analyzed, the lawyer of Boluarte, Eduardo Barriga, maintained that the Prosecutor’s Office violates the rights to the defense and due process of the ruler during the investigation opened by the case of the luxury watches that Boluarte wore in public without having declared.
He questioned the alleged violation of the right to defense and equality of parties, because the Prosecutor’s Office would not have allowed him to intervene in open source information extraction proceedings (public media information).
“(Boluarte) Requests before this Supreme Court Protection of Rights for being the subject of tax proceedings without the presence of technical defense and for violation of the constitutional right of defense and procedural equality by the Public Ministry,” reads the document of the complaint published on May 16 by the Judiciary in X.
Boluarte requested that, for that reason, the actions carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office during the investigation be declared null and void and that the information obtained in proceedings of the Public Prosecutor’s Office be excluded from it.
“As a corrective measure, it requests that the actions carried out by prosecutors Karina Llatance Mendoza and Walter Arlando Giles Paucar be declared null and void with respect to the tax proceedings of extraction and open source transcription act described in their application,” the complaint adds in this regard.
He also requested that the information generated as a result of the tax proceedings of extraction and open source transcription described in his application be excluded from the investigation.
A month ago, on April 24, the Prosecutor’s Office extended the preliminary investigation to Boluarte for the case known as ‘Rolexgate’ by including the possible commission of a crime of improper passive bribery, which is in addition to that of illicit enrichment and failure to record statements in documents.
He also announced that he expanded the preliminary investigations to include the regional governor of Ayacucho, Wilfredo Oscorima, who assured that he lent the luxury watches to the president, for the alleged commission of generic active bribery crimes.
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.
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