International
Petro says he is dealing with Maduro with a plan to “eradicate” armed groups from the border
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said on Thursday that he has been in contact with Nicolás Maduro to launch an action plan that would allow the “eradication” of armed groups from the border with Venezuela, following the clashes in the Catatumbo area between the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and a dissident of the FARC.
“I have talked to the president in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, to cover up the illegal passages, especially in the Catatumbo River, and it is acted with flights from side to side, we verify (sic) with the presence of 1,580 compatriots in a refugee camp on the other side,” Petro said in his social network account X.
He also said that “an action plan is being built, a set that seeks to close all space for action of the owners of drug trafficking on the border.”
The president thus responded to criticism the day before for making an official trip to Haiti while the country faces the security and humanitarian crisis caused by the clashes in the Catatumbo, which began a week ago and left between 60 and 80 dead, according to different authorities, as well as some 36,000 displaced people.
“No one disconnects at this time. I inform you that I have been connected with the current Venezuelan Government from Haiti and I have delegated my Minister of Defense to talk to his peer and establish a joint plan to eradicate armed gangs on the border,” Petro added.
Petro also said that there will be “a meeting of the two defense ministers for this purpose.”
Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, who resigned this week and will be in office until January 31, said on Wednesday in New York that the Colombian Government has asked that of Venezuela through diplomatic channels to ensure greater control at the border to prevent the passage of ELN fighters from Catatumbo.
Murillo, who spoke before the UN Security Council at its quarterly session on the Verification Mission in Colombia, said that the two Governments “are coordinated to ensure tranquility on both sides of the border.”
To this end, he added, Colombia has “sadd to the Venezuelan State that it is definitive to avoid the passages of the members of the ELN through the border,” because it is a fact that “there were a series of illegal passages,” although all this without going to the extreme of closing the legal bridges that communicate the two countries.
Colombia and Venezuela share a border of 2,219 kilometers, of which about 375 are in the Catatumbo region, the scene of the clashes between the ELN and the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents, for territorial control and drug trafficking businesses.
The delegation of the Government of Colombia in the dialogues with the National Liberation Army (ELN) said that the members of the guerrillas participating in the peace process are not in Cuba, after the Prosecutor’s Office reactivated the arrest warrants against 31 negotiators of the armed group.
“Our delegation affirms that to date, and according to official information, in Cuba there are no representatives or people authorized to participate in the peace process belonging to the ELN,” said this Thursday the Government delegation headed by Vera Grabe in a message on her X account.
This statement is made after the Prosecutor’s Office reactivated on Wednesday the arrest warrants against the ELN peace negotiators after Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the suspension of talks due to the “war crimes” that that guerrilla is committing in the Catatumbo.
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
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International5 days agoTrump and Zelensky hold “very productive” meeting in Rome during Pope’s funeral
-
International5 days agoCardinals seek a “unifier” as they prepare for conclave to elect new pope
-
International4 days agoNine dead after driver runs over crowd at Vancouver Street Festival
-
International3 days agoColombia sees deadliest surge in violence since FARC peace deal
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala sees road blockades amid protests against lawmaker pay hikes
-
International3 days agoSpain’s PM calls for calm and patience amid ongoing blackout
-
International4 days agoKing Charles III expresses deep sadness after Vancouver festival tragedy that left nine dead
-
International3 days agoConclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
-
International3 days agoMexican activist who exposed pornography ring found dead in Veracruz
-
International3 days agoMadrid carries out 286 elevator rescues amid massive blackout
-
International21 hours agoVatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
-
International21 hours agoKristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president