International

Petro believes that the regional fronts of the guerrillas should be in the negotiation with the ELN

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, considered this Saturday that the regional fronts of that guerrillas should participate in the peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN), such as the one that operates in the department of Nariño (southwest) and that has unleashed a crisis in the dialogues.

“Without disred of the regional dialogue to build a Nariño in peace that has already begun, my Government maintains the established national table as the stage for peace dialogues with the ELN. It is important that that table has members of the different regional fronts of the ELN to move from dialogue to definitive negotiation,” Petro said on social network X.

Last February, after extending the bilateral ceasefire for six months, during the sixth cycle of dialogues in Havana, the ELN announced that the dialogues were entering a freezing phase, something that was solved days later.

This happened because the guerrillas were opposed by the announcement of the governor of Nariño, Luis Alfonso Escobar, that regional dialogues were going to be held where a front that the ELN said had been infiltrated by state agents was allegedly also involved.

Despite the setbacks, the delegations of the Government and the ELN spoke on Friday in Caracas with representatives of the guarantor countries and companions of the peace negotiations, before the extraordinary meeting that will begin this Saturday, the press team of the armed group assured EFE.

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The ELN asked this week for an “extraordinary meeting” instead of the celebration of a normal cycle due to the “critical state” of the peace process that, in the opinion of that armed group, is plunged into a “freezing.”

The Government delegation, led by Vera Grabe, traveled to Caracas on Wednesday, while the guerrilla team arrived on Thursday, led by the head of negotiations, Israel Ramírez Pineda, alias ‘Pablo Beltrán’, and also by the top commander of the ELN, Eliécer Herlinto Chamorro, alias ‘Antonio García’, who is not part of the negotiating delegation.

At the meeting, according to the Government delegation, issues on the agenda will be addressed, such as participation, ceasefire and territorial transformations, as well as substantive decisions on the future of the process.

The negotiations, which were restarted in November 2022 after four years of freezing, have gone through several ups and downs, but both sides maintain a ceasefire that will be in force until next August 3.

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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.

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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.