International

Milei rams at the press linking it to “extortion” and defamation operations

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, published this Wednesday an extensive statement on his social networks, where he says that “extortion is common currency” in the press and that his party, La Libertad Avanza, will not remain silent in the face of “operations, lies, slander, insult or defamation.”

“As has happened with all the rest of the issues related to politics, journalism has been corrupted, dirty and prostituted in the heat of the envelopes and the official pattern,” Milei said in his X account, while adding that “extortion is common currency. Lies, defamation, slander are common.”

“First they hit you, and then they pass the bill. Sidereal figures,” accused the president, who begins this Wednesday an international trip that will take him to the United States and Denmark.

The president differentiated himself from the “majority of politicians” who pay journalists and are “convised” of their own trap, “since they can never answer the attacks at the risk of their businesses being exposed.”

“Those of us who are part of La Libertad Avanza are that we do not owe anything to anyone. We don’t have business with anyone. And we are not going to remain silent in the face of operations, lies, slander, insult or defamation,” so Milei warned “we are going to answer.”

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

“Journalism has become accustomed, over the last decades, to the fact that they must be treated as prophets of the unique and unstoppable truth, who cannot be criticized, denied or corrected,” he said.

But he issued a warning: “Freedom of expression means that no one can prevent us from talking. Not even the sacred journalists.”

The content of the president’s text that he took over on December 10 is not new in the president’s speech and has been previously questioned by journalism associations.

The Association of Argentine Journalistic Entities (Adepa) had pronounced on Tuesday regarding the “insulting presidential disqualifications of the media and journalists” from an interview it had given last Monday.

The president has not given a single press conference or has appeared before the media – beyond quick questions at the entrance or exit of an event – since he took over the Presidency; he has given interviews to some national television and radio channels and, even, to some international media; and his favorite way of communicating is through social networks.

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

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.

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

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.