International
US snubs EastMed pipeline as Russian energy alternative
AFP
Building an East Mediterranean gas pipeline to Europe as an alternative to Russian energy would be too expensive and take too long to build, a senior US diplomat said Thursday.
The EastMed pipeline to transfer natural gas from Israeli waters to Europe via Cyprus and Greece was announced in 2016, and several agreements have been signed.
The three states aimed to complete the €6 billion ($6.5 billion) project by 2025, but no financing has been secured.
US State Department official Victoria Nuland said the pipeline was too long, in very deep waters and would take a decade to build.
“We believe it is too expensive, not economically viable and will take too long,” Nuland said, after meeting Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
“When we think about hydrocarbons, both in the US context and in the EU context, we are hoping for a quick transition — and frankly, we don’t have 10 years,” she added.
“So what we are looking for within the hydrocarbon context are options that can get us more gas, more oil for this short transition period.”
Greece, Cyprus and Israel signed a deal in January 2020 to build a 2,000-kilometre (1,250 mile) subsea pipeline.
Nuland said there was a need to search for alternative supplies to avoid dependence on Russian energy after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
“Countries throughout this area have understood that dependence on Russian oil and gas is an extremely bad bet,” Nuland said.
“There is a convergence of interest in diversifying supply even as we work to get green.”
She said Washington does support other projects that Cyprus, Greece and Israel are involved in.
That includes the €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) EuroAsia Interconnector — the world’s longest and deepest underwater power cable, linking their electricity grids with Europe — which is slated to be completed by 2025.
“We have supported the idea of the EuroAsia electricity interconnector and other projects,” Nuland said.
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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