International
The NATO Council will meet next week to elect Rutte secretary general
The North Atlantic Council, NATO’s main political decision-making body, will meet next week to decide on the formal appointment of the Dutchman Mark Rutte as secretary general of the organization, diplomatic sources told EFE on Thursday.
Although Rutte’s path at the head of the Alliance was cleared today when the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, withdrew his candidacy, the formal decision has to be made by the North Atlantic Council, also known as the Atlantic Council, the sources indicated.
They explained that there is agreement between the allies that it is Rutte who picks up the witness of the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg at the head of NATO, but the decision is not yet formally made.
It is expected that this formal election will take place next week within the Atlantic Council at the level of the ambassadors of the 32 member countries and that it will be ratified by the leaders, as planned, in July at the Alliance summit in Washington.
Iohannis indicated on Thursday to the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) that his country was renouncing its candidacy and this body in turn informed NATO of its withdrawal, after getting Rutte the support of the other 32 member countries.
With this announcement, the acting Prime Minister of the Netherlands becomes de facto the only candidate to lead NATO.
Iohannis, who had announced his candidacy last March, stressed today that his country also supports Rutte’s candidacy.
In recent days, other countries in the region, which initially opposed the Dutchman’s candidacy, such as Slovakia and Hungary, finally gave Rutte their approval.
The Prime Minister of Hungary, the ultranationalist Viktor Orbán, announced on Tuesday that after the recent agreement with NATO in order not to have to join the allied activities in Ukraine, he has decided to support Rutte as the next secretary general.
The Slovak president, Peter Pellegrini, also said on Tuesday that he would support Rutte, who thus has the unanimous support of the 32 NATO-allied countries.
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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