International
Defense lawyers in Kirchner case claim constitutional violations
AFP
Defense lawyers in a corruption trial involving Vice President Cristina Kirchner that resumed on Monday said prosecutors had violated Argentina’s constitution and its federal system.
Kirchner is among 13 people accused of fraud and corruption in a case involving bribes alleged to have been paid in her Patagonian political stronghold during her two terms as president (2007-15) and that of her late husband Nestor’s in the four years before that.
Prosecutors have asked that Kirchner be jailed for 12 years and banned for life from politics if convicted, although as a senator she would initially benefit from parliamentary immunity if that were the case.
Kirchner, 69, is accused of fraudulently awarding public works contracts.
The lawyer for one of her co-accused, Hector Jesus Carro, argued that the same case had already been investigated and closed in Kirchner’s fiefdom, Santa Cruz province.
In a federal system such as Argentina’s, the current trial constitutes “interference in local government, in the provincial constitution, causing irreparable damage to the federal system,” argued attorney Mariano Fragueiro Frias.
Kirchner is not due to take the stand until the end of September, with five co-defendants appearing before her.
A verdict is not expected until the end of the year.
Kirchner has not spoken since surviving an apparent assassination attempt last Thursday when a gunman pointed a loaded weapon at her head and seemingly pulled the trigger, only for the firearm to fail to go off.
Even the vice president’s usually busy Twitter account has not been updated since.
The prosecution has pointed to what it called systematic irregularities in more than 50 tenders over a 12-year period in which the state lost 5.2 billion pesos ($37 million).
Center-left Peronist Kirchner denies any wrongdoing.
She is implicated in four separate proceedings for laundering and speculative damage to the state, amongst other charges.
She has accused investigators of waging a “legal war” against her that is orchestrated by the right-wing opposition.
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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