International

Mexican President receives U.S. delegation for security dialogue

Photo: La Jornada

October 6 |

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, received this Thursday the US delegation headed by the Secretary of the State Department, Antony Blinken, after starting the High Level Security Dialogue.

According to local media, the president announced that he will receive the delegation from Washington shortly after 09H00 (local time), which will address issues such as migration, drug trafficking, trade development and the recent order to reinforce the border wall.

“A delegation is coming, a group of US officials, headed by the secretary of state, we start at 09:00 It’s going to be a coffee with bread,” said Lopez Obrador at the end of his usual morning conference.

“We have an agenda all day long. Public servants from the U.S. and Mexican governments will be working. There will be a press conference at the end of all these meetings,” said the head of state.

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According to local sources, after the private meeting with the Mexican president, the US officials will meet with the Mexican security cabinet to advance with the work of the meeting.

During his morning speech, López Obrador also referred to the order given by his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, to reinforce the border wall, which he considered to be “a step backwards because it does not solve the problem”.

In this sense, the Mexican president assured that the head of the White House is being pressured by the Republican Party because, he pointed out, the order is “contrary to what President Biden has been saying. He is so far the only president who has not built a wall”.

The U.S. delegation is also composed of the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas; the Attorney General, Merrick Garland; the White House Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall; and the State Department’s Latin America representative, Brian Nichols.

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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.