International
Drug kingpin wanted by US escapes Colombian prison
AFP
A notorious drug lord wanted by prosecutors in the United States escaped from a prison in Colombia on Friday, authorities confirmed.
Juan Larrinson Castro Estupinan, known as Matamba, is a powerful figure in the Gulf Clan drug trafficking organization.
He was detained last May and accused of asset laundering and of trafficking cocaine and heroin.
But on Friday, he escaped from the La Picota prison in Bogota, allegedly with inside help.
President Ivan Duque told reporters that he had instructed the attorney general to ensure that those who helped Castro Estupinan escape are arrested.
One guard has already been detained, Justice Minister Wilson Ruiz said.
Duque said he was leading investigators in hatching a plan to “recapture this criminal.”
Castro Estupinan is also under investigation for committing crimes with the aim of committing murder, as well as extortion and the illegal carrying of weapons.
Formerly a communist guerrilla, he subsequently fought on the side of right-wing paramilitaries during Colombia’s 60-year conflict between the government and radical left-wing rebels.
He then struck a deal with Gulf Clan leader Dairo Usuga, known as Otoniel, who is also in prison, to take control of a group of 200 men inside the cartel, authorities said.
After Castro Estupinan’s escape, Duque announced “a comprehensive reform of Colombia’s penitentiary and prison system.”
The National Penitentiary and Prisons Institute (Inpec) has been embroiled in several scandals.
Earlier this month, the government fired the Inpec head and the director of the country’s largest prison over release permits granted to businessman Carlos Mattos, who is accused of bribery.
In videos published by the Caracol television channel, Mattos can be seen leaving La Picota prison on two separate occasions in an Inpec vehicle.
The videos also show him walking around unaccompanied and entering a building where his offices are.
“The system cannot continue with this behavior without there being exemplary punishments,” said Duque.
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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