International
Russia mourns the victims of the attack in the concert hall while the investigation continues
Russia is experiencing today a day of national mourning for the dead in the attack committed last Friday by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) on the outskirts of Moscow while the count of fatalities and the search for the organizers of the massacre continues.
Flowers, candles and toys filled the surroundings of the Crocus City Hall on Sunday, where Friday’s terrorist attack left at least 137 dead and 180 injured.
Despite the rain that fell in the Russian capital, a tide of people approached the site of the attack today to pay tribute to the memory of the deceased.
“I came because I’m a Moscow, I live next door. I have been to the concerts at Crocus City Hall many times. It’s a tragedy what has happened, no one can be indifferent,” a local told the Vecherniaya Moskva newspaper.
On numerous screens on the roads and large shops of Moscow, candles were seen on a black background and the date of the attack, on March 22, 2024.
Meanwhile, in the capital subway, passengers were reminded that the security measures have been reinforced after the attack and they were asked for understanding for possible inconvenience.
Different memorials in memory of the victims of the tragedy were also created today in other Russian cities, according to regional media.
Meanwhile, the Russian flags in the state institutions and the Russian embassies abroad were flying at half-mast as a sign of mourning.
The deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitri Medvedev, said on Sunday that all those involved in the brutal attack in Crocus City Hall will be “legitimate targets” of Russia.
“We will avenge everyone. And those involved, regardless of their country of origin or their status, will henceforth be our legitimate and main objective,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.
He added right away: “Wait, you scoundrels.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin also assured the day before that “all the perpetrators, organizers and those who commissioned this crime will receive a well-deserved and irremediable punishment, whoever they are and regardless of whether they have sent them.”
So far, the security forces have arrested eleven people linked to the attack, four of whom personally participated in the massacre, according to the authorities.
This Sunday, the four responsible for the attack were transferred to Moscow pending the judicial decision on their entry into pretrial detention.
Meanwhile, several Russian politicians and analysts are already advocating the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty in this country.
According to updated data, the tragedy has left 137 dead and 180 injured.
At the same time, these figures are growing every day because the search and rescue work continues at the site of the attack, where firefighters took long hours to extinguish the fire caused by the attackers and which devastated an area of 13,000 square meters.
“So far, the bodies of 137 people have been found at the site of the terrorist attack, including three children,” the Russian Instruction Committee said today in a statement.
He added that 62 bodies have been identified and “genetic tests are being carried out to establish the identities” of the other victims.
Meanwhile, the number of injured rose today from 154 to 180 people. According to Russian media, some survivors of the attack took more than a day to request medical help because they were in a state of shock.
On the other hand, the Russian police evicted the London Mall in St. Petersburg on Sunday after receiving a bomb warning, reports the local media Fontanka.ru.
Simultaneously, law enforcement officers arrested a man who claimed to have placed an explosive device in the shopping center.
Another woman was arrested today for a false bomb warning on a plane that was about to take off from Moscow to yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
During the interrogation, the woman assured that her words were “a joke.”
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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