International

Demonstrations return in Peru to demand Boluarte’s resignation

Photo: Infobae

June 15 |

Some 300 Peruvians marched Wednesday in Lima to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and members of Congress, in a resumption of widespread protests from December to February that began in the Andes and left more than 60 dead.

The demonstrators moved peacefully through the streets of the capital’s historic center, where anti-government marches were banned in February by order of Mayor Rafael Lopez-Aliaga, an ultra-conservative and ally of the president.

Although the protests in the capital had calmed down, in the southern region of Puno, bordering Bolivia, marches have been recurrent.

A week ago, on local flag day, rural Peruvians marched with black and white flags to mourn the shooting deaths of 18 civilians in confrontations with police in early January.

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Shirley Muñoz, a 51-year-old cosmetics saleswoman, waved a Peruvian flag alongside riot police on Wednesday. “If she is a mother, if she is a woman, let her think about the young people who have died and let her resign so she can be at peace with her conscience,” the woman said in reference to President Boluarte.

Angie Quispe, a 31-year-old domestic worker, was marching with her seven-month-old son Liam to demand the resignation of the president, but also to ask for an improvement in her salary. “Since Dina’s government began, there has been no improvement for workers,” she said.

The proposals to bring forward the presidential and parliamentary elections, which were debated at the beginning of the year in the midst of protests, do not seem to interest the Congress, which has sent to the file five plans that sought to shorten the mandate of Boluarte and the 130 legislators.

Both the unicameral Parliament and the president maintain high unpopularity ratings, according to all polls. The firm Ipsos Peru revealed a recent national poll in June where 81% of Peruvians reject the work of the Parliament, while 77% disapprove of the President’s administration.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations agreed in May that security forces used excessive force in repressing anti-government demonstrations that began after then President Pedro Castillo tried to dissolve Parliament on December 7 to avoid being removed from office.

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Hours later, on the afternoon of December 7, Congress removed Castillo for moral incapacity. He was succeeded by Dina Boluarte, who was vice president.

Demonstrations against his administration began in the southern Andes, where much of the country’s mining and tourist wealth is concentrated, and in areas with strong identification with Castillo, now in preventive prison for three years while he is tried for alleged crimes of rebellion and corruption.

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.