International
Peru’s president swears in new cabinet, his fourth in six months
AFP
Peru’s leftist President Pedro Castillo on Tuesday appointed a new cabinet, the fourth since he came to power six months ago, including replacing a prime minister who lasted just three days in office.
“Yes, I swear,” Anibal Torres, a lawyer taking over the role of prime minister, declared as he was sworn in by Castillo in a brief ceremony at the government palace in Lima.
Torres, 79, has been the head of the Justice Ministry since the current government took power in July.
Castillo’s six months in office have been characterized by setbacks and internal struggles within the government, as well as attacks from the radical right, which launched a failed attempt to impeach him.
A week ago, Castillo appointed his third cabinet after the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez due to disagreements over promotions in the police force.
In his place, the president appointed lawyer and parliamentarian Hector Valer Pinto, who was left in the hot seat after Lima media reported that his wife and university-educated daughter had denounced him in 2016 for alleged domestic violence.
Three days later, Castillo announced that he was going to “reshuffle” the cabinet again, marking the departure of the questioned Valer.
He was widely criticised for appointing Valer and for taking so long to put together a new cabinet after removing him from office.
“Castillo seems lost in a labyrinth and the question is where he is going to get out of it. That’s why Peruvians are living in great anxiety, because they don’t know what’s going to happen,” political analyst and former ambassador Hugo Otero told AFP.
But for political analyst Eduardo Ballon, Castillo’s woes are simply “the continuation of a long-standing crisis” in the political system, as he told the daily La Republica.
Since 2017, Peru has experienced recurring bouts of instability after political leaders began pushing “vacancy” motions in Congress to abruptly get rid of presidents.
This led the country to have three presidents in five days in November 2020.
Torres now has 30 days to get a vote of confidence from Congress for the new cabinet.
If the right-wing opposition-controlled parliament denies him, Torres must resign and Castillo must form a fifth cabinet.
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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