International
Evo Morales reinforces his security in the Tropic with foreigners and hopes that more will arrive
The former president of Bolivia Evo Morales (2006 – 2019) will strengthen his security in the Tropic of Cochabamba, his political and union stronghold, with the presence of young foreigners who formed the International Committee on Defense and Solidarity with the former president, two of its leaders reported this Sunday.
“We are going to have vigil activities in defense of Evo Morales (…) We came to Lauca Ñ and here we are going to be with several activities but also in (the central city of) Cochabamba where we will give talks from the committee,” said the university student of Argentina María Macedo, interviewed on the Kawsachun Coca radio, related to Morales.
Macedo together with the Chilean Felipe Barriga arrived at the town of Lauca Ñ, where the former president has been protected by hundreds of coca growers and peasants since November 2024.
The student emphasized that she and her partner arrived in Bolivia “on their own free will” and that they will follow Morales out of “conviction and loyalty.”
“I was surprised (the news of) that there was a committee of defense and solidarity with Evo, at first I didn’t believe so much, time goes by, it was confirmed and I am totally convinced that we have some brothers and sisters outside Bolivia who support our policy,” Morales said.
The former governor ceased to be the president of the official Movement to Socialism (MAS) in November 2024, after the judicial and electoral bodies validated a congress held in May 2024 by the ‘arcista’ faction, as the followers of President Luis Arce are known, who elected as the new leader of the party the peasant leader Grover García, related to the Government.
Despite these resolutions, Morales announced that he will go to the general elections in August as a “single candidate” united with the Front for Victory (FPV) party, after resigning from the MAS after 30 years of leadership.
Macedo indicated that some delegations of foreign students and social movements will arrive in the coming weeks from Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, Peru and Chile to support the former president.
“We will continue here until the elections are held and until our leader assumes the Presidency,” said the student of the Federal University of Latin American Integration.
Macedo indicated that the committee he represents is against the “political persecution” that Morales “suffers”, so they will accompany him in Lauca Ñ and will organize themselves in the city of Cochabamba.
The Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the former president for aggravated human trafficking, in which he is accused of having had a relationship with a minor with whom he would have had a child in 2016 in the southern region of Tarija, when he held the Presidency.
In October, the arrest warrant was issued against Morales, which was ratified in February of this year, however the Police has not yet executed it.
The Justice also issued the declaration of rebellion against the former governor, for not appearing to two precautionary hearings before a court, forbade him to leave the country, ordered the preventive annotation of his assets and the freezing of his bank accounts.
Morales’ followers carry out permanent vigils in all the populations of the Tropic of Cochabamba, they announced that they will dig wells to prevent the landing of planes or helicopters in the area and in recent days they were seen armed with sticks and stones in different populations.
The judicial process aggravates the relationship between Morales and President Luis Arce, distanced since the end of 2021 due to differences in the administration of the State and the control of the MAS.
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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