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Cardinals gather in St. Peter’s Basilica for final Mass before conclave to choose new pope

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Cardinals entered St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday for a final Mass before the conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis after his death last month.

The Mass comes before the private process to select a new leader of the Catholic Church.

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The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, prayed that the 133 cardinals find wisdom, good counsel and understanding before entering the Sistine Chapel to begin making their choices for the next pope.

THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS MEET TO ELECT THE NEXT POPE. WHO WILL IT BE?

People walk near St. Peter’s Basilica, background, in Rome, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the day before of the upcoming conclave starting on May 7, to elect the 267th Roman pontiff. (AP)

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The cardinals from 70 countries will be isolated from the outside world, with their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent all communications until a new pontiff is elected.

Francis named 108 of the 133 cardinals, selecting many pastors in his image from countries like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, is seen Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP)

Many had not met one another until last week and explained that they needed more time to get to know one another, leading to questions about how long it could take for one of them to secure the two-thirds majority needed to become the 267th pope.

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PAPAL PULSE: EVERYDAY CATHOLICS REVEAL THEIR HOPES FOR THE NEXT POPE

Cardinals

Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, left, walks with Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi at the Vatican, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP)

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«Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see,» Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria, said as he arrived for the final day of pre-vote discussions.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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La guerra en Oriente Medio: el exilio iraní en Francia recibe amenazas de muerte del régimen persa y refuerzan la seguridad

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Cincuenta años atrás, el ayatollah Ali Khomeini organizó su revolución iraní desde Neauphle-le-Château, en Yvelines, un pueblito de 3.000 habitantes en las puertas de París que hoy recuerda la conmoción de su llegada y de su partida.

Desde allí, extremistas y moderados solo soñaban con la caída del Sha y su monarquía, el fin de las torturas y la represión. Era la década del 70. En febrero de 1979, el líder decidió regresar a Irán en un avión cargado de fotógrafos y periodistas. Francia lo había recibido originalmente porque era el único país que no exigía visa a los ciudadanos de esa nación.

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Cuando Khomeini llegó a Teherán, miles de personas marcharon al exilio. Comenzaba una dictadura teocrática tan brutal como la del Sha. Al igual que antes, los exiliados eligieron Francia, ya que tampoco necesitaban visa. En contraste, el gobierno francés no permitió que el Sha aterrizara en su territorio durante su exilio.

En 2015, la diáspora en Francia estaba compuesta por aproximadamente 25.000 personas nacidas en Irán, una cifra menor a la de Alemania y Estados Unidos. En 1999, las estadísticas mostraban 18.376 residentes, de los cuales 9.715 tenían nacionalidad extranjera y 8.661 la francesa.

Miedo y ansiedad

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La operación militar lanzada por Estados Unidos contra la República Islámica ha sumido a los exiliados en una mezcla de miedo y esperanza desde el sábado. Viven en constante ansiedad, al ritmo de los bombardeos que azotan a sus familias en Teherán.

Martineh Sadeghi y sus padres han estado «completamente conmocionados» desde el inicio de la ofensiva israelí-estadounidense contra el régimen, lanzada por iniciativa de Donald Trump. Durante estos bombardeos, el líder supremo Alí Khamenei, quien llevaba casi 37 años en el poder, fue asesinado junto con unos cuarenta miembros de alto rango del régimen.

Martineh, de 29 años, vive cerca de Rennes desde los 13, donde más tarde se unieron su hermano menor y sus padres en busca de libertad. El resto de su familia permanece en la capital iraní. «Los bombardeos nos sumieron en el pánico porque nuestros seres queridos están allí y muchos barrios están cerca de bases militares», explica. «Estábamos muy asustados, sobre todo porque no recibimos muchas noticias; el acceso a internet se corta con frecuencia».

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“Nadie se alegra de ver su país bombardeado, pero también hay alegría. Nos debatimos entre el miedo y el alivio”, resume esta agente de seguros que regenta una tienda de especialidades culinarias en Bretaña.

Por su parte, Tahoura Vergnet, una francoiraní de 57 años que llegó a Francia a los 11, marchó el domingo por las calles de París. «La gente cantaba y bailaba. Claro que nadie quiere que un extranjero bombardee su país, pero las circunstancias hicieron que no hubiera otra opción», explicó.

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Mona Jafarian, ensayista y cofundadora de la asociación «Mujer Azadi», vive en Francia hace tres años tras romper vínculos con su familia por seguridad. La activista cree que hubo un punto de inflexión tras la sangrienta represión de enero: «Los iraníes comprendieron que este régimen era capaz de matar a cientos de miles para mantener el poder. Entonces se dieron cuenta de que necesitaban ayuda externa».

«Recibo miles de mensajes desde el interior. El pueblo está recuperando la esperanza y, en su mente, no hay vuelta atrás. Tenemos que llegar hasta el final y derrocarlos», afirmó.

Militantes amenazados en Francia

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Pero no solo hay exiliados, sino también militantes en la diáspora que están recibiendo amenazas tras la muerte de Khamenei. Estos opositores están siendo intimidados incluso en manifestaciones, como la ocurrida el pasado domingo 1 de marzo en la Plaza de la Bastilla, en París.

Llamadas anónimas, insultos y amenazas de muerte han provocado que a varios de ellos se les refuerce la protección policial. Mientras en Irán la población queda atrapada entre los bombardeos y las balas de la Guardia Revolucionaria, en Francia otros ciudadanos arriesgan sus vidas ante mensajes intimidatorios y fotos de hombres armados.

El Ministerio del Interior anunció el despliegue de patrullas adicionales en lugares frecuentados por la comunidad ante el temor de ataques terroristas orquestados por Teherán. Muchas víctimas prefieren no dar su nombre. Una de ellas, bajo protección desde hace dos años, relata haber recibido amenazas de violación por parte de miembros de Hezbollah. «Sabemos dónde vives. Iremos a buscarte pronto», dice uno de los mensajes que ha enviado a la policía.

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Emmanuel Razavi, periodista y autor de El pulpo de Teherán, también se encuentra bajo custodia tras ser amenazado por los servicios secretos iraníes. “Un sitio web cercano a la Guardia Revolucionaria afirmó que me atraparían y me ahorcarían. La Fuerza Quds utiliza matones vinculados al narcotráfico o al crimen organizado en Francia para ejecutar estos contratos. Les cuesta menos que una operación propia y tiene un gran impacto psicológico en la diáspora”, cuenta.

La productora Nazila Golestan experimentó esta presión tras publicar un documental sobre el exlíder supremo. «Atacaron a mi hermano y a mi madre en Irán», relata. «En Francia rompieron las ventanas de mi casa. Por seguridad, tuve que cortar todo contacto con mi familia».

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US Navy sinks second Iranian ship as over 200 crew rescued near Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka began offloading 208 crew members from a second Iranian vessel a day after 87 people were killed and several others were still missing following a U.S. submarine strike on an Iranian warship in the same region.

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«After detailed discussions with all parties, Sri Lanka has decided to assist the Iranian vessel,» Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told reporters at a press briefing in Colombo, Reuters reported.

Among the crew members being offloaded the ship, which is near the port of Colombo, were 53 officials, 84 cadets, 48 senior sailors and 23 sailors, Dissanayake said.

Iranian warship IRIS Dena is seen in the Bay of Bengal. (AP Photo)

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The Iranian ship, the IRIS Dena, was sunk Wednesday off Sri Lanka’s coast in the Indian Ocean. Officials there have dispatched two freezers to store 87 bodies recovered at sea. 

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the ship was «effectively neutralized» in a Navy «fast attack» using a single Mark 48 torpedo. He added that the U.S. Navy achieved «immediate effect, sending the warship to the bottom of the sea.»

TRUMP OVERSEES US STRIKES ON IRAN FROM MAR-A-LAGO, SPEAKS WITH NETANYAHU: WH

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An Iranian sailor in Sri Lanka with medical personnel

An injured Iranian sailor is moved on a stretcher at Galle National Hospital, where the sailors are receiving treatment, following a submarine attack on the Iranian military ship, IRIS Dena, off the coast of Sri Lanka, in Galle, Sri Lanka, March 5, 2026. (Reuters/Thilina Kaluthotage)

Iran contends the ship was sunk in international waters without warning. 

«The U.S. will bitterly regret the precedent it has set,» Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X.

Iran has asked Sri Lanka to assist with the repatriation of the bodies. 

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Sri Lankan officials said the Dena was on its way home after taking part in a naval exercise organized by India in the Bay of Bengal from Feb. 18 to 25.

Healthcare workers unloading bodies

Healthcare workers unload the bodies of Iranian sailors from a vehicle who died when their IRIS Dena warship sank outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, in Galle, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

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Search and rescue operations would continue for an estimated 10 people who remain unaccounted for, they said.

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House Democrats vote to continue DHS shutdown despite Iran threat, Noem’s ouster

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House Democrats largely voted to allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown to keep going on Thursday, shrugging off Republicans’ concerns about the increased domestic terror threat amid the U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran.

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It comes hours after President Donald Trump shocked Capitol Hill by ousting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and appointing Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as his replacement.

But that did not stop the vast majority of Democrats from voting against a bipartisan DHS funding bill aimed at funding the cabinet agency through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. 

Nearly identical legislation already passed the House in January, but House GOP leaders wanted to force the vote again in light of heightened national security concerns within the country’s borders.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Nov. 3, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

While largely symbolic, it shows Republicans’ pressure strategy is falling on deaf ears as the left continues to protest President Donald Trump’s strategy to combat illegal immigration.

The bill was the product of original bipartisan negotiations that followed the longest-ever full government shutdown in U.S. history, which ended in November after 43 days.

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It would fully fund all aspects of DHS while also including new guardrails on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demanded by Democrats, like a body-worn camera mandate and new required training on public engagement and de-escalation.

But Democrats walked away from the deal en masse amid fallout from Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which saw two U.S. citizens shot and killed by federal agents during anti-ICE demonstrations there. The operation has since ended.

Democratic leaders are still insisting on withholding their caucus’ support, however, until further restrictions are put on ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents on the ground in various cities.

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Iranian demonstrators protest against the U.S.

A person holds an image of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iranian demonstrators protest against the U.S.-Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 28, 2026.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., signaled to reporters that Noem’s ouster was not enough.

«It’s not like Kristi Noem was the one who was involved in negotiating anything. She was a corrupt lackey. So we were dealing with the White House before, and we’re going to continue to deal with the White House at this point,» he said.

Meanwhile, the resulting DHS shutdown has taken on new significance as the U.S. continues its campaign to take out Iran’s top leadership and its military sites.

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Republican leaders are warning that keeping DHS in a shutdown state is dangerous for national security, given its jurisdiction over agencies that monitor threats from home and abroad.

SWALWELL PRESSED ON DEMOCRATS’ RESISTANCE TO FULLY FUNDING DHS AMID IRAN THREAT

«Now is the time to be vigilant at home and to ensure that all of our doors are locked, so to speak,» Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during a press conference Wednesday. «And yet, as all this is happening, we have Democrats running around here playing political games in Congress. It’s infuriating. They’ve shut down the very agency that is responsible for securing the homeland.»

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Speaker Mike Johnson standing still and looking toward reporters in a hallway at the Capitol.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses for questions from reporters as he arrives for an Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 3, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Republicans’ argument «insane» when asked by Fox News Digital earlier this week.

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«Donald Trump launches an unauthorized war in the Middle East. … He decides that he wants to spend billions of dollars to bomb Iran, rather than spend taxpayer dollars to lower the grocery bills that are crushing the American people, and then wants to use his unauthorized war as an excuse to continue spending taxpayer dollars to brutalize or kill American citizens by continuing to unleash ICE without restriction on the American people?» Jeffries posed. «I think it’s ridiculous.»

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It’s the Senate, however, where passing that DHS funding bill is actually key to ending the shutdown. The upper chamber voted again Thursday on the original legislation that passed the House in January, but it failed to reach the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.

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