International
The international community unanimously condemns the Moscow attack
The international community has unanimously condemned the brutal jihadist attack committed on Friday in Moscow, which caused at least 133 deaths and 120 injuries, and which has triggered a massive wave of solidarity with the victims.
The attack, which occurred on Friday afternoon in the Crocus City Hall concert hall, on the outskirts of Moscow, was claimed by the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS) on social media, while the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia reported the arrest of eleven involved in the attack.
After the attack, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to condemn him. “The entire international community is obliged to condemn this horrible crime,” said María Zajárova, the foreign spokeswoman, on her Telegram channel. Convictions have happened all over the world.
From the United Nations, the European Union or the African Union, through the governments of Germany, China, India or Japan, the rejection has been resonated forcefully against terrorist attacks.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres “condemns the terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms,” his spokesman, Farhan Haq, said in a brief note; the Security Council, in a broader note, also condemned that “atrocious and cowardly terrorist attack” and its members urged the international community to “actively cooperate with the Government of the Russian Federation” and other authorities to achieve justice.
From the EU, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, condemned this Saturday “in the strongest terms” yesterday’s “atrocious” attack “against defenseless people,” and so did the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who “forcefully” condemned the attack, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, who lamented the “horrible terrorist attack.”
The president of the African Union Commission (AU), Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemned the attack and offered his solidarity with Russia. “I was shocked to learn about the horrible terrorist attack in Moscow, which claimed many victims,” he said on his social network account X.
From Latin America, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) expressed its categorical condemnation and repudiated “any act of violence that violates the life and security of citizens,” while reiterating its commitment “to peace, tolerance and respect for human life.”
The United States, through the mouth of Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, also condemned the “terrorist attack” in Moscow this Saturday. “We stand in solidarity with the people of Russia who regret the loss of life after this horrible event,” the diplomat wrote on his social network X account.
In Europe, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, condemned “the horrible attack on innocent people who visited a concert. We think about the debts and the wounded,” she said on her X account, while the Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, expressed herself in similar terms on the same social network.
Italy also rejected “the horror of the killing of innocent civilians in Moscow,” which it considers “unacceptable.”
To these convictions must be added those of other EU countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg or Hungary.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Saturday. Xi stated in his letter that he is “shocked” by what happened and expressed his “deep condolences” to the victims and their families, as well as his “sincere solidarity” with the wounded.
Other countries in the region such as India, South Korea or Japan also expressed their condolences.
Iran strongly condemned the attack. “I strongly condemn the recent terrorist attack in Moscow and express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and my colleague Sergei Lavrov, the Government and the people of Russia in relation to this tragic terrorist attack,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian, in X. “The joint and effective fight against terrorism requires serious and non-discriminatory measures on the part of the international community,” he added.
There were also convictions from countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
The president of Syria, Bachar al-Asad, assured this Saturday that the Moscow attack is “directly related to the defeats of neo-Nazism” in the Donbas, in an apparent veiled reference to Ukraine.
Al Asad conveyed this message to Putin in a telegram in which he stated that “this cowardly attack against innocent people demonstrates the inability to force the Russian people to deviate from their principles,” according to a statement from the Presidency in Damascus.
From Ibero-America, the Government of Brazil “repudiated” and declared itself “dismayed” by the terrorist attack, just like Mexico, from where the (SRE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a message in X “rejects any act of violence that threatens the lives of civilians.”
Argentina also expressed its “strong condemnation” and “repudiation” of the attack, as well as Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Cuba, Honduras and Nicaragua.
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.
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Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
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