International
Pope to revisit Lesbos on trip to Cyprus, Greece
AFP
Pope Francis will visit Cyprus and Greece next month and will revisit the island of Lesbos, a major point of entry for migrants into Europe, the Vatican said Friday.
His 35th trip abroad comes just five months after the Argentine pontiff, who turns 85 in December, was hospitalised following surgery on his colon.
“Pope Francis will travel to Cyprus from 2 to 4 December, visiting the city of Nicosia, and to Greece from 4 to 6 December, visiting Athens and the island of Lesbos,” spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a brief statement.
Francis has travelled widely since he took office in 2013, and although his schedule was suspended by the coronavirus pandemic, this year he has already made a historic trip to Iraq and visits to the Hungarian capital Budapest and Slovakia.
Migration has been a key theme — his first trip as pope, in July 2013, was to the Italian island of Lampedusa, the landing point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.
While there, he criticised the “globalisation of indifference” over migrants.
In April 2016, he visited Lesbos, for many years the main entry point into Europe for migrants and asylum-seekers. He paid a trip to Moria, the continent’s largest migrant camp until it was destroyed by fire last year.
Josif Printezis, the Catholic archbishop for Greek islands in the Aegean, said earlier this month that the pope in Lesbos in December would “make a humanitarian statement, that the Church and all European peoples care about refugees, and that the weight borne by Greece should be recognised by the other European countries”.
After his last visit to Lesbos, Francis returned home with three Syrian families from the camp, who later settled in Italy.
– ‘More tired’.
During his visit to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus — the first by a pope since Benedict XVI in 2010 — Francis will meet with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, the presidency said.
The island has been divided since 1974 between the Greek-speaking, Orthodox Christian-majority Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway Muslim-majority Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Ankara.
UN-brokered negotiations to reunify the island collapsed in 2017.
In addition to the trip next month, several other papal visits are in the works.
The pope said in October he intends to visit Oceania for the first time next year, without specifying where, and also had “in my head” trips to Congo and the rest of Hungary.
Speaking to Argentine news agency Telam, he said he was overdue a trip to Papua New Guinea and East Timor originally planned for 2020.
The pope had expressed hope he could fly to Glasgow for this month’s UN talks on climate change, another subject close to his heart, but in the end he sent only a video message.
Despite Francis’ busy schedule, there are signs that his age is catching up with him.
On returning from a gruelling three-day trip to Iraq, the pope admitted he “felt a lot more tired” than during other visits.
International
DOJ and FBI officially deny Jeffrey Epstein ‘client list’ conspiracy theories
A U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI investigation concluded that financier Jeffrey Epstein, accused of sex trafficking minors, did not maintain a “client list” for blackmail purposes and confirmed his death by suicide in a New York prison in 2019, according to reports from U.S. media on Monday.
The findings, detailed in a memo reviewed by Axios and ABC News, mark the first official denial of conspiracy theories alleging a list of influential personalities connected to Epstein and a possible murder to silence him.
The DOJ and FBI also reviewed several hours of video footage confirming that no one entered the area of the Manhattan jail where the 66-year-old billionaire took his own life while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors, aided by his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was prosecuted and convicted of similar crimes.
The evidence review was ordered by the Trump administration after officials like Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged to release files related to the federal government’s investigations into the case.
Epstein’s death prevented the trial from taking place, leading some in American society to demand that the Department of Justice make public the list of accomplices and clients, as well as flight logs of his private plane to the island he owned in the Virgin Islands, where some abuses reportedly occurred.
The new memo from the U.S. Justice Department warned that it will not release more investigation records and emphasized that one of its main “priorities” is “combating child exploitation and delivering justice to victims.”
“Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves none of these purposes,” the document states, according to ABC News.
International
Iranian president says Israel tried to assassinate him, warns U.S. against war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claims Israel attempted to assassinate him during a high-level meeting, but Iranian intelligence thwarted the plan, he revealed in an exclusive interview — not to a traditional news outlet, but to far-right journalist Tucker Carlson, a close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The interview was published last night on Carlson’s X account. Carlson anticipates criticism for conducting the interview but defends it by saying Americans need to understand the perspective of a country “we went to war with ten days ago, and maybe will again.”
When Carlson asks if Israel tried to kill him, Pezeshkian replies: “Yes, they tried, and acted accordingly, but they failed.” Asked for details, Pezeshkian explained: “It was during a meeting. We were discussing ways to move forward, but thanks to intelligence services and their clues, we knew they tried to bomb the area where we were gathered.”
He quickly clarified: “Of course, it was not the United States trying to end my life, it was Israel (…) I ask the U.S. not to be deceived by Netanyahu, not to be dragged into this kind of war,” a warning he repeats throughout the half-hour interview.
Relaxed in a chair, Pezeshkian answered all questions. On whether he will allow the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors — after suspending cooperation last week — he said it is not ruled out but currently technically impossible.
“We have never been the ones to withdraw from inspections. We are ready to undergo those verifications, but unfortunately, due to illegal U.S. attacks on our nuclear sites and facilities, many parts and equipment have been severely damaged. So now we don’t have access to them,” he explained.
It is notable that Iran granted this interview to Carlson, a well-known isolationist within the Trump sphere, who, alongside ideologue Steve Bannon, opposes U.S. involvement in foreign wars that come at high economic, political, and human costs.
Carlson asked if Iran planned to assassinate Donald Trump or if it has “sleeper cells” ready to attack on U.S. soil. Pezeshkian dismissed both claims lightly: “That’s what Netanyahu wants you, the president of your country, to believe, but it’s false because Netanyahu has his own agenda—to push the U.S. into an endless war.”
International
Sheinbaum urges unity and respect after clashes over gentrification in Mexico City
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the protests in Mexico City on Monday, which erupted over the weekend amid complaints of gentrification and urban inequality.
The demonstrations took place in the Condesa neighborhood, where protesters claim rising rents driven by an influx of foreigners have altered the daily lives of longtime local residents.
However, the protests escalated into clashes with local police and included discriminatory remarks toward officers and citizens.
In a strong message, Sheinbaum condemned hate speech and urged citizens to reject all forms of discrimination. “All Mexicans must clearly reject discrimination — no to racism, no to classism, no to xenophobia, no to machismo, no to discrimination. All human beings are equal and no one should be treated as less. (…) Discrimination is also a criminal offense.”
“Any man or woman who wants to live in Mexico City or anywhere in our country must respect us just as we must respect them. But these attitudes are not exclusive to foreigners living in Mexico, we also saw them in many marches last year,” the president added.
Regarding the violent incidents shared on social media, Sheinbaum said: “Gentrification is a phenomenon that must be addressed, but xenophobic behavior cannot be justified. That’s unacceptable. Anyone who comes to live in our country will be welcomed as long as they respect the laws, the rules, and appreciate the wonderful people of Mexico.”
She also highlighted Mexico’s long-standing tradition as an open and supportive country that has welcomed refugees and migrants from various nationalities during critical moments in the 20th century.
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