International

One million people displaced in Lebanon in recent days by Israeli attacks

About a million people have left their homes in recent days in Lebanon due to the campaign of unprecedented attacks that Israel maintains against the south and east of the country, and the suburbs of Beirut, announced the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati.

“The number is large, it is estimated that one million people were forced to move from one place to another during the last few days. It is considered the largest displacement operation in Lebanon in all of history,” the leader said at a press conference.

“The management of this displacement not only depends on finding shelter and food for these people, but there are other things such as guaranteeing a health service in these reception centers to prevent the spread of diseases or the problem of garbage accumulation,” Mikati explained.

Lebanon, with an estimated population of less than 6 million inhabitants, has been forced to open hundreds of shelters for displaced people since last Monday Israel began to intensely bomb the main strongholds of the Shiite group Hezbula.

According to the latest situation report published this Sunday by the presidency of the Council of Ministers, 116,100 of the internally displaced are housed in 777 centers and schools enabled by the authorities, of which more than 500 have reached their maximum capacity.

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Various NGOs have denounced the lack of basic services in the shelters and a lack of space that in some cases forces several families to be accommodated in the same classroom.

Mikati explained that they have ordered the customs department to raise taxes on humanitarian aid and donations from abroad so that the supplies “reach directly to the State,” and facilitate the entry of much-needed products.

Mikati: “We have no choice but diplomacy”

The Lebanese Prime Minister considers that diplomacy is the only way out amid the unprecedented Israeli attacks against Lebanon and advocated seeking solutions to the conflict through international forums.

“We have no other option than diplomacy, from the beginning we have asked for the full implementation of resolution 1701 (of the UN Security Council) and the Government is committed to it (…) If the war is prolonged in the end we will return to resolution 1701,” he said at a press conference.

“Lebanon has faith in the international community, in international legitimacy and in the UN, and does not believe in the law of the strongest,” he added.

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More than a thousand dead and 6,000 injured

In the last two weeks, Israel has launched a series of unprecedented attacks against the main strongholds of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbula, which have already left more than a thousand dead, 6,000 injured and about a million internally displaced, according to official data.

One of them killed the top leader of the formation, Hassan Nasrala, on Friday on the outskirts of Beirut.

Mikati recalled that his government has been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon for “seven or eight months”, since long before the clashes that began almost a year ago between Hezbula and Israel recently led to a wave of violence unprecedented in decades.

“The ceasefire in Gaza would lead to a ceasefire in Lebanon and the inhabitants would return to their homes in northern Israel, and everything would return to normal while we take time to implement resolution 1701,” the prime minister reiterated.

Hezbula insisted in recent months that he would only stop his fight against the Jewish state when the Gaza war ended, while the international community advocated the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war between the parties.

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International

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Purse Stolen in D.C. Restaurant Heist

The purse of Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was stolen on Sunday night at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., Fox News Digital confirmed through several agency sources.

The handbag, taken by a white male wearing a mask, reportedly contained $3,000 in cash along with personal documents, including her passport, keys, driver’s license, and DHS badge, according to an agency spokesperson.

“Her entire family was in town, including her children and grandchildren. She was celebrating her retirement by treating them to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the spokesperson added.

Crime continues to be a significant issue in the U.S. capital, particularly theft. However, violent crime reached its lowest level in 30 years last year, according to the Office of the Attorney General at the time.

International

Pope Francis: The Quiet Architect Behind the U.S.-Cuba Thaw

When then-U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in December 2014—after decades of hostility—there was a third figure present in both speeches: Pope Francis.

This thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations—later reversed by Donald Trump—was the result of behind-the-scenes negotiations personally encouraged by Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, just over a year after becoming head of the Catholic Church.

Upon learning the news of the breakthrough, the pontiff humbly stated, “This was made possible thanks to the ambassadors and to diplomacy,” which he called “a noble, very noble job.”

In 2015, months after the announcement, Raúl Castro visited the Vatican and met with the pope. Over time, Castro developed a fondness for Francis that he never had for his predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. “If the Pope continues talking like this, sooner or later I’ll start praying again and return to the Catholic Church—and I’m not joking,” said the younger Castro, who, like his brother Fidel (1926–2016), had been educated by Jesuits—the same order to which Pope Francis belonged.

Pope Francis visited Cuba later that year. Just days before his arrival, the Cuban government announced the pardon of 3,522 common prisoners as an act of clemency.

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While in Havana, the pope met with Fidel Castro, who gave him a first edition of the book Fidel and Religion by Brazilian friar and liberation theologian Frei Betto.

Criticism from the Opposition

Francis’s diplomatic approach also drew criticism from parts of the Cuban opposition. In a 2022 interview with Univision, the pope revealed he had “a human relationship” with Raúl Castro.

International

Dominican Republic Declares Three Days of Mourning for Pope Francis

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has declared three days of national mourning starting Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88 in his residence at the Casa Santa Marta.

In an official decree, Abinader highlighted the pope’s legacy “as a global leader who promoted significant reforms within the Catholic Church and was known for his humility, openness to dialogue, and commitment to peace among nations.”

During the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-staff at military facilities and public buildings.

According to a statement from the Office of the Presidency, although Pope Francis never visited the Dominican Republic during his papacy, he maintained a close relationship with the country. He expressed solidarity and empathy during difficult times, including offering prayers for the victims of the recent tragedy at a Santo Domingo nightclub on April 8, which claimed 232 lives and left more than 180 injured.