International

Colombia will not send an observation mission for the presidential elections in Venezuela

The Colombian Government will not send an electoral observation mission to the presidential elections of Venezuela on July 28, as it does not have enough time to structure it, the Foreign Minister of Colombia, Luis Gilberto Murillo, reported on Thursday.

“We obviously intended to be able to send some technical observers. We had conversations with the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to do so; however, due to the time, it was not possible to structure an observation with the technical characteristics required by the MOE,” Murillo explained to journalists.

Venezuelans are called to elect president in the elections to be held on July 28, for which they must be registered in the Electoral Registry.

Foreign Minister Murillo explained that “some Colombian personalities will be in that observation (…) in this we want to keep a lot of prudence, zero protagonism and also be able to contribute to what is within our reach on the part of the Government, the authorities and the Venezuelan people.”

He also said that the Colombian Government wants “this process to go well for the benefit of Venezuelans and also for the region where Colombia has a brotherhood with Venezuela and a closeness that is important to maintain it in good health.”

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Regarding the elections in Venezuela, Murillo indicated that he has been talking with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, as well as with other countries in the region.

“We had talks with Foreign Minister Mauro Viera of Brazil yesterday (Wednesday) on the subject, also with Minister (Josep) Borrell” of the European Union (EU), he said.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela annulled last Tuesday the invitation to the EU to send an observation mission for the presidential elections due to the ratification of sanctions by the community bloc to members of the Government and the ruling party.

The presidential race in Venezuela has accelerated, less than two months before the elections, with Chavismo and opposition in the streets, making a proselytizing that does not stop, despite the changing reality that is conditioning the political environment and the confidence of the electorate.

President Nicolás Maduro and former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia are the clear contenders of this battle, in which eight other candidates compete who do not stand out in the voting intentions collected by the pollsters.

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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.