International

Peru: social movements demand president Dina Boluarte’s resignation and closure of Congress

Photo: Federación Regional de Rondas Campesinas Cajamarca

February 23 |

Rondo delegations from the Cajamarca region and representatives of other grassroots social organizations in the northern and eastern macro-region of Peru will participate starting this Friday in the XIV Congress of the Regional Federation of Peasant and Indigenous Patrols of Cajamarca, which will demand the departure from the Government of President-designate Dina Boluarte and the closure of the Congress.

In a message disseminated through the social networks, a leader of the Rondas from the province of Jaen, Idelso Hernandez Llamo, said that the meeting, which will conclude on February 25, will become a front of struggle against the right-wing coup and the neoliberal continuity.

The bases will also demand the advancement of the general elections for 2023, the holding of a referendum from which a constituent assembly will be born to provide the country with a new Magna Carta, representative of the historical aspirations of the great majorities, and that those responsible for the assassinations of several dozens of Peruvians during the protests against Boluarte be brought to justice.

Hernandez Llamo explained that the event had been planned months ago, only that now it will coincide with “the national political crisis, where we are being battered by a civic-military dictatorship”, he said.

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He said that for this reason, the first point will be an analysis of the current Peruvian situation and the determination of the next measures of regional and national struggle.

Among other issues, the expansion of mining companies, whose lucrative activity is a frequent cause of protests due to the theft of national wealth, environmental damage and disrespect for the space of the communities, will also be addressed.

He added that the agreements of the Congress will be presented before an assembly of organizations that will meet next March 4 in the province of Piura (north), a space to reach a consensus on actions of struggle of national character.

He pointed out that jurists will participate in the Congress to transmit to the bases knowledge about the Constituent Assembly and to promote the call for a referendum to make it concrete.

He expressed that the peasants and indigenous people know very well “the damages and poverty that this Constitution, drafted in dictatorship, has brought us”, he said in reference to the current Fundamental Law, of neoliberal cut and promulgated in 1993, during the mandate of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).

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The rondero Congress was preceded by the congresses held in each province of Cajamarca and the election of their respective boards of directors, attended by the current president of the rondas in the region, Aladino Fernández Rubio, and other guests.

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.