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World leaders congratulate Pope Leo XIV, first American pontiff

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The Vatican on Thursday announced that Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, will take up the highest authority in the Catholic Church after only two days of deliberation and voting by the papal conclave. 

Upon the announcement of the first American pontiff to be elected, world leaders began reacting with their own messages of support and good wishes. 

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Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

FIRST AMERICAN ELECTED PONTIFF, GET TO KNOW POPE LEO XIV

U.S. 

President Donald Trump took to his social media site to offer his «congratulations» and said, «It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope.

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«What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,» he added. «I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!»

Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson, the current leader of Leo’s hometown, posted his excitement of the news on X and said, «Everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago! Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV! 

«We hope to welcome you back home soon,» he added. 

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ITALY

Italy’s leader, President Giorgia Meloni, who was reportedly close with Pope Francis, extended her «most sincere wishes to Pope Leo XIV for the beginning of his pontificate.»

«In a time marked by conflict and unrest, his words from the Loggia delle Benedizioni are a powerful call for peace, brotherhood and responsibility,» she said in reference to the central balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica. «A spiritual legacy that follows the path traced by Pope Francis, and that Italy looks at with respect and hope.»

Italian PM Meloni and Pope Frsancis

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greets Pope Francis as he attends the G7 Summit, at the Borgo Egnazia resort, in Savelletri, Italy, June 14, 2024. ( Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS)

DAVID MARCUS: POPE LEO XIV’S GREATEST CHALLENGE IS ALREADY CHANGING THE WORLD

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PERU

The government of Peru – where Leo spent more than a decade serving in the Catholic Church and where he was appointed bishop in 2014 before getting his dual citizenship in 2015 – offered its congratulations from President Dina Boluarte, offering their «fraternal greetings» to the pontiff.

«He served our people with love and faith. In his first message as pontiff, he recalled with emotion his time in Chiclayo and his closeness to Peru,» the statement highlighted. «May God bless him in his mission!»

SPAIN

«Congratulations to the entire Catholic Church for the election of the new Pope Leo XIV as [Pontiff],» the President of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the predominantly Catholic country, said on X. «May his pontificate contribute to strengthening dialogue and the defense of human rights in a world that needs hope and unity.»

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FRANCE

«A historic moment for the Catholic Church and its millions of faithful,» French President Emmanuel Macron said. «To Pope Leo XIV, and to all Catholics in France and around the world, I extend a message of fraternity. 

«On this May 8th, may this new pontificate be one of peace and hope,» he added in apparent reference to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. 

New American Pope Leo XIV gives first speech to Vatican City.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of the U.S., appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, May 8, 2025.  (Claudia Greco/Reuters)

CARDINAL ROBERT PREVOST ANNOUNCED AS FIRST AMERICAN POPE, TAKING NAME LEO XIV

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UKRAINE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wished Pope Leo congratulations along with «wisdom, inspiration, and strength—both spiritual and physical—in carrying out his noble mission.»

«Ukraine deeply values the Holy See’s consistent position in upholding international law, condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, and protecting the rights of innocent civilians,» he continued.  «At this decisive moment for our country, we hope for the continued moral and spiritual support of the Vatican in Ukraine’s efforts to restore justice and achieve a lasting peace.»

UNITED KINGDOM

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the appointment of the first American pontiff a «momentous moment» and said, «The election of Pope Leo XIV is a deeply profound moment of joy for Catholics in the United Kingdom and around the world. 

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«I look forward to meeting the Holy Father soon,» he added. 

Nuns in the Vatican City see that the Conclave have chosen a new Pope.

Nuns react to white smoke from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new pope has been elected, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)

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MEXICO

The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, wrote on X, «We congratulate His Holiness Leo XIV, elected by the College of Cardinals as Head of Vatican City State and spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. 

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«I reaffirm our humanist convergence for world peace and prosperity,» she added. 


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Asumió el nuevo primer ministro de Países Bajos: es el más joven de la historia y está en pareja con un argentino

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El liberal progresista Rob Jetten, pareja del jugador argentino de la selección masculina de hockey Nicolás Keenan, asumió este lunes como nuevo primer ministro de Países Bajos.

Jetten, líder de una coalición de centroderecha en minoría, juró el cargo ante el rey Guillermo Alejandro de Países Bajos, esposo de la reina Máxima Zorreguieta.

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De esa manera, comenzó una legislatura con una estabilidad cuestionada que dependerá de pactos con la oposición para sacar adelante su agenda.

Jetten, de 38 años, ganó las elecciones el 22 de octubre al imponerse al ultraderechista Geert Wilders. Así, se convirtió en el primer ministro más joven de la historia de su país.

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Está comprometido con Nicolás Keenan, integrante de Los Leones, desde 2023. Hoy, el jugador argentino subió un video en sus redes sociales en el momento previo de la jura. .

Cómo será el nuevo gobierno neerlandés

El Ejecutivo de Jetten quedó investido tras la ceremonia de juramento ante el monarca en el palacio Huis ten Bosch, en la ciudad neerlandesa de La Haya, donde los ministros firmaron los decretos reales que formalizan el traspaso de poderes.

El gabinete, que gobernará en minoría, está compuesto por 18 ministros y 10 secretarios de Estado. Tras la ceremonia, los ministros posaron en la tradicional foto oficial en la escalera del palacio, una imagen reservada exclusivamente a los titulares de cartera y no a los secretarios de Estado.

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El rey Guillermo junto al nuevo premier Rob Jetten y los nuevos miembros del gabinete (Foto: REUTERS/Peter Lous)

La distribución de cargos refleja el equilibrio interno de la coalición en base a la representación parlamentaria de cada partido socio del gabinete: el liberal de izquierdas D66 aporta diez miembros al gabinete, el liberal de derechas VVD nueve y el democristiano CDA ocho.

Completa el gabinete la independiente Sandra Palmen, secretaria de Estado responsable del proceso de reparación del escándalo de las ayudas sociales a padres con hijos.

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En su cuenta personal, Jetten publicó una fotografía junto a los futuros representantes de D66 en el Ejecutivo, acompañada de un mensaje en el que expresó su “orgullo por asumir la responsabilidad de gobernar y su compromiso de construir lo que puede ir mejor” para todos los ciudadanos.

El nuevo gabinete inicia así una legislatura marcada por la necesidad de negociar con la oposición para sacar adelante sus iniciativas, en un Parlamento fragmentado que anticipa una legislatura exigente para el Ejecutivo recién investido.

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Cuáles son las prioridades del nuevo gobierno

El acuerdo de gobierno, presentado a finales de enero, fija como prioridades el aumento del gasto en defensa hasta el 3,5% del PIB, un mayor control del asilo y un papel más activo de Países Bajos en la Unión Europea (UE), con especial énfasis en seguridad, tecnología (semiconductores) y autonomía.

En materia migratoria y de asilo, apuesta por una línea más restrictiva y coordinada a nivel europeo. Además, buscará que las solicitudes puedan tramitarse fuera de Europa, con la intención de reducir las llegadas y evitar que los procedimientos se desarrollen en territorio neerlandés.

El texto contempla acelerar procedimientos, reforzar centros de régimen estricto y, en caso de aumentar la presión migratoria, suspender temporalmente la reagrupación familiar.

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El nuevo gobierno también sitúa a la UE en el centro de su política exterior y defiende decisiones por mayoría cualificada en política exterior y seguridad, endurecer los mecanismos contra Estados miembros que vulneren los principios comunitarios y mantener el compromiso con el apoyo militar y financiero a Ucrania “de forma plurianual e ininterrumpida”.

El acuerdo señala que la relación transatlántica se mantendrá, aunque Países Bajos se reserva el derecho de “interpelar de forma creíble” a Washington cuando sus acciones afecten a valores e intereses europeos. Finalmente, defiende un mayor énfasis en sanciones y protección de tecnologías sensibles frente a países como Rusia, China e Irán.

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(Con información de EFE)

Países Bajos

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Former Secret Service officials warn of low-tech threats facing Trump after latest Mar-a-Lago breach

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A deadly confrontation at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Sunday is the latest in a string of high-profile security incidents threatening President Donald Trump, as former Secret Service officials warn that low-tech, lone actors now pose one of the toughest challenges to presidential protection.

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«It should be quite clear to all of us by now that Trump is the most threatened president in the history of the U.S.,» former Secret Service agent William «Bill» Gage told Fox News Digital Monday, pointing to multiple high-profile incidents in recent years. Unlike past presidencies, where threat levels often subsided over time, Gage said, «the longer he’s president, the more these attacks keep happening.»

Gage said the most difficult cases to prevent are often the least sophisticated. The recent incidents, he noted, were «super low-tech attacks by people with zero training,» using rudimentary weapons. «If you were standing behind them in line at Starbucks, you wouldn’t have given them a second look,» he said.

Gage said the threat landscape shifted over the course of his 12-year career as a Secret Service agent. When he joined the Secret Service in 2002, he said the agency was moving away from what he described as the traditional «lone gunman» model — figures like Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated John F. Kennedy, or international militants such as «Carlos the Jackal,» one of the world’s most wanted terrorists in the ‘70s and ’80s — and adapting to a post-9/11 world focused on coordinated terrorist networks like al Qaeda and later ISIS.

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A deadly confrontation at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Sunday is the latest in a string of high-profile security incidents involving President Donald Trump.  (Marco Bello/Reuters)

«But if you look at Butler and the two incidents at Mar-a-Lago, those were super low-tech attacks,» Gage said. «The low-tech actors are the ones that tend to slip through the cracks.»

He also warned of a potential copycat effect when details of such incidents become public. 

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«If it were up to the Secret Service, they would never report any of these incidents ever,» Gage said, arguing that widespread coverage allows others to «study what happened» and attempt to refine it. 

In today’s hyperconnected political climate, he said, that dynamic adds another layer of complexity for agents trying to stop the next threat before it materializes.

In the early hours of Sunday, a 21-year-old man identified as Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents and a local sheriff’s deputy after entering the secure perimeter of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

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Authorities say Martin drove through the north gate carrying a shotgun and a gasoline can. After being ordered to drop both, he dropped the can but raised the shotgun toward officers, who fired and killed him at the scene. Trump and First lady Melania Trump were in Washington at the time.

The incident marked the third highly publicized security encounter involving Trump in less than two years. 

In July 2024, a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear and killing an attendee before being shot by a Secret Service sniper. 

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In September 2024, a man armed with a rifle was confronted by agents near Trump’s golf course while he was playing; that suspect was later convicted on attempted assassination charges.

While the incidents have drawn intense attention, former Deputy Assistant Director Don Mihalek said the latest Mar-a-Lago intrusion does not necessarily signal a breakdown in protective systems.

«He got through an exterior gate of an active club,» Mihalek told Fox News Digital. «This wasn’t someone reaching the president’s residence.» 

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Agents confronted the suspect within seconds, he said, describing the rapid response as evidence that overlapping security layers functioned as designed.

Mihalek said presidential protection relies on multiple rings of security because outer perimeters at properties like Mar-a-Lago cannot be sealed in the same way as the White House

«If he ended up in the president’s house on Mar-a-Lago, that might be a different conversation,» he said.

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He also cautioned against viewing recent incidents in isolation, noting that presidents routinely face roughly 2,000 threats per year, most of which are mitigated before the public ever becomes aware of them. 

«These just happen to be very public instances,» Mihalek said, arguing that the social media era amplifies perceptions of escalation.

Then-candidate Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents as streaks of blood are visible on his face following a failed assassination attempt in Butler, PA

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is whisked away by Secret Service after shots rang out at a campaign rally at Butler Farm Show Inc. July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.  (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

GUNFIRE, ARSON AND VANDALISM: TRACKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

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Mihalek pointed to the 2024 rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, as an example of how early intervention can be decisive, noting that local law enforcement had reportedly identified the suspect prior to the attack. 

«If somebody had walked up and said, ‘Hey, who are you?’ we wouldn’t be talking about Butler,» he said.

As Trump prepares to address Congress at the State of the Union, both former officials said the security posture at the Capitol is unlikely to change in response to the weekend incident.

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The annual address is designated a National Special Security Event — the highest level of federal security planning — triggering coordination among the Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police, FBI, War Department and other agencies. The designation allows for expanded perimeter controls, airspace restrictions and continuity-of-government planning.

Security fencing surrounds the U.S. Capitol ahead of the State of the Union address, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 23, 2026.

Barricades go up around the Capitol ahead of the State of the Union. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

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Gage, who previously led advance planning for State of the Union addresses, said the event operates under a well-established security «blueprint» built to account for worst-case scenarios. «There’s really no way to increase it anymore,» he said.

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Both former officials said the defining challenge for presidential protection today is unpredictability: individuals with minimal training, rudimentary weapons and the ability to find reinforcement online. Unlike organized extremist networks, such actors may leave few detectable signals before acting.

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UK government to unseal former ambassador Mandelson documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein probe

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The UK government is set to unseal a first batch of key documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the U.S., MPs were told Monday.

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The disclosure, set for «early March,» follows a Commons motion ordering the release of files related to Mandelson’s vetting for the post and comes in the wake of his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

«The government expects to be able to publish the first tranche of documents very shortly, in early March,» Darren Jones, chief secretary to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, told the House of Commons.

«I should, however, inform the House that it remains the case that a subset of this first tranche of documents is currently subject to the ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation,» he said.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, talks with Britain’s ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador’s residence in Washington, on Feb. 26, 2025. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)

Jones added that «a small portion of that material engages matters of national security or international relations» and would be handled through the Intelligence and Security Committee, in line with the will of the House.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed in a statement Monday that officers had arrested a 72-year-old man at an address in Camden and took him to a London police station for questioning.

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The arrest follows revelations about Mandelson’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and comes days after former Prince Andrew was detained.

The investigation relates to allegations that Mandelson shared confidential government information with Epstein while serving as business secretary.

DOJ PUBLISHES TROVE OF EPSTEIN FILES, SAYS MORE TO COME AFTER FRIDAY DEADLINE

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Peter Mandelson

Former British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson enters a vehicle outside a reported residence, after police launched a misconduct in public office investigation. (Reuters)

Police had opened a criminal inquiry after the government passed on communications between the former ambassador and the disgraced financier.

Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice also appeared to show Mandelson sharing market-sensitive information with Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis.

Mandelson has denied wrongdoing and said he does not recall the alleged disclosures and apologized to Epstein’s victims for maintaining contact with him after his conviction.

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On Feb. 4, Starmer told the Commons: «I’m as angry as anyone about what Mandelson has been up to. The disclosures … are utterly shocking and appalling. He has betrayed our country. He has lied repeatedly. He is responsible for a litany of deceit.»

UK TO RELEASE FILES RELATED TO FORMER AMBASSADOR’S JEFFREY EPSTEIN TIES

Jeffrey Epstein mugshot

Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in federal custody in 2019. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)

Starmer later said that if he had known then what he knows now, Mandelson «would never have been anywhere near government.»

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Mandelson, an architect of New Labour, was appointed U.S. ambassador before being dismissed in September 2025 as scrutiny over his links to Epstein intensified. 

He resigned from the Labour Party and stepped down from the House of Lords.

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As U.S. ambassador, Mandelson scored an early victory by ensuring Britain was the first country to agree to a deal with the U.S. to lower some of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but was fired a few months later.

Starmer has also faced calls to step down over Mandelson’s appointment, Reuters reported.

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