International
Trump warns Iran and threatens the Houthis with being “annihilated” if the attacks do not cease
US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that Iran must completely and immediately cease its support for the Houthis, not just reduce it, and threatened the latter that they will be “completely annihilated” if the attacks do not cease.
The Republican leader estimated on his social network, Truth Social, that “tremendous damage” has already been inflicted on the Houthis and stressed that “the situation will progressively worsen.”
“It’s not even a fair fight and it never will be. They will be completely annihilated!” he said.
Trump added that although “there is news that, although Iran has decreased its intensity in the supply of military equipment and general support to the Houthis, it continues to send large amounts of supplies.”
“Iran must stop sending these supplies IMMEDIATELY. Let the Houthis manage on their own,” he said.
The United States launched a series of airstrikes over the weekend against different cities controlled by Houthi Shiite rebels in northern and central Yemen, as well as in the capital, Saná.
Those bombings, which according to the insurgents have left fifty dead, were ordered by Trump to stop the threat and attacks by the Houthis against navigation and international trade in the Red and Arabian Seas.
The Yemeni rebels, backed by Iran, had announced last week that they would resume their military operations on those maritime routes against Israeli or state-linked Israeli ships in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Trump, whose Administration classifies these Shiite rebels as a terrorist group, has recently promised them “hell” if they do not stop threatening international navigation, while the Executive insists that they will continue to attack the Houthis until maritime attacks cease.
The US government offered on Wednesday a reward of up to 15 million dollars for information that leads to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC) and its different branches, including the Quds Force, its outer arm.
The State Department indicated in a statement that the IRGC has financed numerous attacks and terrorist activities worldwide, including through its external allies such as Hamas, Hezbulah and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
According to his note, he finances his terrorist activities in part through the sale of military equipment, including drones.
Washington targeted four Chinese citizens for allegedly supporting the production and sale of IRGC weapons through the illegal acquisition and delivery to Iran of US-controlled dual-use technology for export.
They are Liu Baoxia, Li Yongxin, Yung Yiu Wa and Zhong Yanlai, also known, respectively, as Emily Liu, Emma Lee, Stephen Yung and Sydney Chung.
The State Department indicated that since May 2007 Liu and his associates have used various front companies in China to send dual-use electronic components of American origin to companies linked to the IRGC that could be used in the production of drones, ballistic missile systems and other military uses.
The US Executive pointed out that the IRGC and MODAFL, a logistics branch of the Iranian Ministry of Defense, have used the technology controlled by the United States to develop and manufacture weapons and weapons systems that are sold to governments and groups of allied countries such as Russia, Sudan and Yemen.
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
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