International

Minister Katz attends the Israel Parade that brings together thousands of people in New York

Thousands of people participated this Sunday in the Israel Parade that is held every year on Fifth Avenue in New York, United States, and which was joined this year by the foreign minister of the Hebrew country, Israel Katz, who traveled expressly for the occasion.

The march took place peacefully for about four hours, despite the fact that the New York police considered it high risk this year in the face of the increase in tension in the city in recent months, translated into hundreds of pro-Palestinian and to a lesser extent pro-Israeli protests.

To do this, the Police cut off traffic not only from Fifth Avenue in its central section (from 40th to 74th Street), but also on the parallel Madison Avenue, with a deployment of thousands of agents – with drones and metal detectors – who fenced the entire route with a double barrier of metal fences on both sides, enabling only a few entry and exit points.

The demonstrators, among whom there were a large number of children and adolescents – dressed in their t-shirts from their schools, yeshivas or Jewish foundations – also expressed their American patriotism because they carried in many cases Israeli flags next to the American one.

They mainly shouted two slets: “Bring them home” (Bring them home, alluding to the hostages in the hands of Hamas) and “Am Israel Hai” (The people of Israel live), but they refrained from other more political smotical s.

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Despite the fears of the Mayor’s Office, there was no incident with counter-demonstrators, as feared in the light of the more than 1,000 protests recorded in New York against the pro-Palestinian-signed war in Gaza in the past eight months.

The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, who since the beginning of the war in Gaza has multiplied the messages for Israel, was present at the march and photographed himself with Minister Katz, but that was not enough and from there he wrote in his X account: “I will always defend our brothers and sisters of Israel, (I want to) show the world that hatred has no place in our city.”

They could see numerous Jews arriving from neighboring New Jersey, who joined those from New York, a city that has the reputation of being the second largest in the world in Jewish population behind Tel Aviv.

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.

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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.