International
The first shipment of food by sea to Gaza is going as planned, according to NGOs
The first shipment of humanitarian aid by sea to Gaza is going as planned and the spis to disembark on the coast of the Strip will be ready when it reaches its destination, World Central Kitchen (WCK), one of the managers of the operation, said on Thursday.
“Our departure and sailing times will fit perfectly with our arrival and construction times of this port. Everything is going as planned,” Juan Camilo Jiménez, Response Manager of World Central Kitchen (WCK), the NGO founded by Spanish chef José Andrés, told EFE.
For security reasons, no details have been given about the crossing or the time of arrival at the Strip.
This organization, together with the Spanish NGO Open Arms, have been planning for months the opening of a humanitarian corridor by sea, which was inaugurated last Tuesday with the departure from Cyprus of a ship carrying 200 tons of food, equivalent to about 500,000 meals.
Jiménez also confirmed that a second shipment is already being prepared in the Cypriot port of Larnaca, of another 400 tons, which will leave in the coming days, with the aim of alleviating the famine caused by the blockade and Israel’s attacks on Gaza in its offensives to try to destroy the Islamist group Hamas after the terrorist massacre of last October 7.
As with the Open Arms, this second boat will unload the food on the 35-meter edor that WCK collaborators are building to make up for the lack of ports on the coast of Gaza.
However, Jiménez acknowledged that since this operation was planned, he was aware that these maritime shipments should not replace other entry routes, such as the Rafah land crossing, between Egypt and Gaza, having more capacity, air supplies or more corridors by sea.
“This is one more way and at the moment there are not enough ways to meet the demand for the needs that exist,” he said.
Regarding the distribution of food on the ground, Jiménez recalled that WCK has been working in Gaza for four months, where it has prepared 35 million meals in collaboration with staff and local communities.
Thus, to avoid crowds and problems with the arrival of aid by sea, the NGO will adapt the logistics and networks it has built in recent months, he said.
Regarding the announcement last Friday by the European Commission of the opening of a maritime corridor, the head of WCK said that he does not know what are the “mechanisms” that European governments or other countries have in place, but his NGO is willing to listen and see how it can join.
At the moment, the first shipment and the one being prepared have been coordinated with Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Although there is a lot of hope that this maritime corridor will serve to alleviate the serious humanitarian needs of the Strip, its government, controlled by Hamas, has criticized the initiative because the 200 tons of food it loads “does not exceed that of one or two trucks” and also “it takes days to arrive.”
Hamas, like humanitarian agencies, insist on the need to open more land routes for the distribution of aid throughout the enclave, especially in the north, where more than 700,000 citizens are at risk of famine and 27 people, mostly babies, have already died from malnutrition and dehydration.
“The efforts to help our people are weak and remain below the minimum required in the face of the humanitarian catastrophe that afflicts,” the Gaza government lamented yesterday.
Meanwhile, after more than five months of war, hunger and bombs continue to kill people in the enclave, where the death toll amounts to 31,340 dead and 73,134 injured, in addition to about 7,000 bodies trapped under the rubble, according to the Ministry of Health.
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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