International
Venezuelan government promotes development of the state of La Guaira
August 24|
The Venezuelan Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Europe, Franklin Ramírez, led this Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry headquarters the inter-ministerial meeting in which the tourism potential of the state of La Guaira was evaluated and sectors such as the local Chamber of Construction proposed initiatives to expand it.
Among the proposals collected by the Ministry of Tourism, the investment in infrastructure and services for the attention of foreign tourists and an international cooperation project to twin La Guaira with European cities stand out.
La Guaira plans the construction of works of cultural interest such as the Marine Museum and the new headquarters of the nucleus of the System of Youth and Children Orchestras and Choirs. On the other hand, it has already inaugurated the Jorge Luis García Carneiro baseball stadium, also known as the Forum of La Guaira, with a capacity of 14,300 spectators.
Additionally, the possibility of exhibiting the tourist and port benefits of La Guaira during the Hamburg Fair, scheduled for September of this year in Germany, was discussed.
The Ministry of Tourism informed that new air connections have been agreed with multiple operators, which will take international tourists directly from Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru and Poland to La Guaira, Barquisimeto and Margarita.
The Venezuelan Minister of Tourism, Alí Padrón, explained that thanks to the signing of new agreements, Venezuela will increase the number of foreign visitors to the levels it had ten years ago.
La Guaira is a coastal entity, located 30 minutes from the capital, Caracas, and is home to the main international airport and the second largest port in the country, for which reason the initiative contemplates turning it into an entry locality for tourist cruises and international cargo. According to estimates, this proposal would create some 8,000 new jobs, both direct and indirect.
Padrón stated last August 16 that he estimates an increase of more than 50 percent in the entry of international tourists with respect to 2022, when the figure exceeded 656,000 people. He detailed that an average of 2,740 people enter the country daily so far in 2023.
Despite the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States and the European Union on the Venezuelan economy, the country is making progress in the recovery of its infrastructure and its connectivity with the world.
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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