International

Biden authorizes Ukraine to use US weapons in Russia but only to defend Kharkov

Joe Biden’s government has given Ukraine permission to attack inside Russia using weapons provided by the United States, but only near the Kharkov area, a US official confirmed to EFE.

“The president recently ordered his team to guarantee that Ukraine can use weapons supplied by the United States for counterattack purposes in the Kharkov region, so that Ukraine can counterattack the Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them,” he said.

However, the source added, the policy regarding the prohibition of the use of ATACMS ballistic missiles or long-range attacks within Russia “has not changed.”

With this decision, the Biden Administration has given in to the request of Ukraine, which has been asking Washington for weeks to make this change of policy, especially since the Russian offensive against Kharkov began this month.

Therefore, Ukraine can now use weapons provided by the United States, such as rockets and rocket launchers, to shoot down Russian missiles launched into this area against troops that are concentrated just across the Russian border. Or against Russian bombers that throw bombs into Ukrainian territory.

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However, Ukraine cannot use those weapons to attack civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles, such as the Army Tactical Missile System, to achieve military targets in central Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken became the first U.S. official to publicly insinuate that Biden could change course and allow such attacks. In turn, he told journalists that US policy towards Ukraine would evolve as necessary.

The spokesman of the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, did not subsequently rule out a possible change.
Those messages came after the main allies of the United States, such as the United Kingdom and France, said that Ukraine should have the right to attack within Russia using Western weapons.

Russia accused NATO of opening a new phase of tension in its stormy relations by encouraging Ukrainian attacks against targets in Russian territory with Western weaponry, a position in which there is no unanimity in the Allied bloc.

“In recent days and weeks, NATO members, especially the United States and other European countries, have entered a new phase of escalating tensions. And they do it consciously,” Dmitri Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin, said at his daily press conference.

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In recent days, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged the green light to be given to Kiev, an appeal that was supported this week by France.

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenski, considers it “unfair” that Kiev cannot use Western weapons to respond to Russia, but the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, already told him this week that the F-16 fighter planes he will deliver to Kiev will not be able to be used in the neighboring country.

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.