International
Russia assures that Ukraine will lose the war despite the new US military aid package
Russia assured today that Ukraine will lose the war despite the new military aid package of $61 billion approved on Saturday by the US House of Representatives.
“But this will not alter the situation on the battlefield. The criminal regime of Kiev will be defeated,” wrote Viacheslav Volodin, president of the Duma or chamber of deputies of Russia, on his Telegram channel.
Russia warned the United States, which on Saturday approved a new $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine, that its current support for Kiev will end in a “fiasco” as well-nound as in the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg celebrated last night that the United States House of Representatives has approved “a new and important” aid package to Ukraine and assured that this will contribute to “making us all safer, both in Europe and in North America.”
“I am pleased that the United States House of Representatives has approved a new and important aid package for Ukraine. Ukraine is using the weapons provided by NATO allies to destroy Russian combat capabilities. This makes us all safer, in Europe and North America,” Stoltenberg said on social network X.
The leaders of the main institutions of the European Union (EU) also welcomed the fact that the United States House of Representatives has approved a new aid package for Ukraine and called for the preservation of unity between Europeans and Americans to continue supporting Kiev.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Ukraine “deserves all possible support against Russia” and, after the affirmative vote of the House of Representatives, urged the US Senate to ratify this package “as soon as possible”, because “there are lives at stake.”
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed that the approval of this aid package “sends a clear message to the Kremlin,” and that is that “those who believe in freedom and the Charter of the United Nations will continue to support Ukraine and its people.”
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, added that, with the package approved this Saturday by the US House of Representatives, Ukraine “will have the transatlantic support it needs to face Russian aggression.”
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, pointed out that “the only way to peace is to help the Ukrainian people defend themselves” and stressed the value of the EU and the United States remaining “united for freedom and against aggression.”
The US House of Representatives approved on Saturday a package of 95 billion dollars (about 89 billion euros) of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, after the bill has remained stagnant for months due to the blocking of a group of Republican legislators opposed to continuing to finance Kiev.
Each item has been voted independently and the 61 billion (about 57 billion euros) for Ukraine have received the green light with 311 votes in favor, among which there were both Democratic and Republican congressmen, compared to 112 against, in a session in which the Democrats cheered and waved Ukrainian flags.
In recent months, both Stoltenberg and other European NATO leaders had been pressing the United States to unblock this aid package as soon as possible, at one point in the Ukrainian Army it has been in trouble to defend itself against Russia’s offensive due to the shortage of weapons and ammunition.
The president of Ukraine himself, Volodymyr Zelensky, had previously stated that it would depend on this package of US aid that the Kiev forces could maintain their positions or be forced to withdraw gradually.
Now, the bill endorsed this Saturday by the House of Representatives will have to be validated by the Senate, where the Democratic Party has a tight majority.
After the approval, President Joe Biden celebrated in a statement that legislators have voted to promote “the national security interests” of the country and to “send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the global stage.”
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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