International
Spain assures that no one will intimidate her in her support of the Palestinians
Spain made it clear this Sunday that no one is going to “medren” it in its support of a ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, after Israel broadcast a video in which it reproaches the country for its imminent recognition of the Palestinian State.
“Spain has been very firm condemning the attacks of Hamas and demanding the release of all the hostages, but Spain has also been very firm and will continue to be demanding a ceasefire and the knowledge of help from the land points,” stressed the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.
At a press conference in Brussels after meeting for the first time in person with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohamed Mustafa, he stressed that “no one is going to beurther us in it.”
Albares guaranteed Spain’s support for the Palestinian National Authority and said that next Wednesday he expects to receive Mustafa in Spain, a day after the country has materialized the recognition of the Palestinian State.
The head of Spanish diplomacy stressed that the Palestinian people “have the right to have a State, just as the people of Israel have that right.”
“Both have to coexist in peace, security and good neighborliness. The recognition of the State of Palestine is of justice for the Palestinians, it is the best guarantee of security for Israel and is indispensable to achieve peace in the region,” he said.
Asked about the video shared on social networks by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, in which he reproaches that Spain is going to recognize the Palestinian State, Albares replied that it is “scandalous and execrable.”
“It is scandalous because it is known from all the world, especially from my Israeli colleague, that the Government of Spain has condemned the terrorism of Hamas from the first moment and in all its actions,” he said.
The video, which lasts 18 seconds, starts with the flag of Spain and some of the images of the attacks of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on October 7 appear, alternating with those of two people who imitate flamenco dancers, while the phrase “Hamás: ‘Gracias España’” appears overprinted.
For Albares, the video is also “execrable” for the use he makes of flamenco, “a universal art, an open music, a music that dialogues and, therefore, a universal language that brings us closer to all the peoples of the world and that inspires us,” he said.
The minister also referred to other statements criticized by Israel, those made on Saturday by the Spanish head of Defense, Margarita Robles, in which he considered that what is happening in Gaza “is a real genocide,” and said that it was “an opinion” on an issue that is being elucidated by the International Court of Justice.
In that context, Albares alluded to the precautionary measures of that UN court for Israel to put an immediate end to its military offensive in Rafah and recalled that its decisions are “mandatory for all parties, they must be complied with and thus avoid the loss of more human lives and so much unnecessary suffering.”
Mustafa, for his part, praised “the courageous decision taken by Spain” to recognize Palestine as a State and urged the rest of the European countries that have not yet taken this step to do the same as a gesture to “end the serious injustice to which the Palestinian people have been subjected for decades.”
He was also “fully convinced” that “a large number of European countries” will recognize the State of Palestine “in the near future.”
Before Mustafa, Albares emphasized the “important role” played by the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank and guaranteed him the political and financial support of Spain.
The head of Spanish diplomacy said that, when peace returns to Gaza, both that territory and the West Bank “must be placed under a single Palestinian National Authority.”
He also defended that there is a “massive financial plan” to rebuild Gaza, that the Strip is connected by a corridor with the West Bank and that the capital of the Palestinian State is East Jerusalem.
Albares participates today and tomorrow with the Member States of the European Union and Arab countries in different meetings “to outline the next steps in our efforts for peace.”
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
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