International
Putin does not rule out supplying weapons to North Korea as NATO does in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not rule out on Thursday the supply of weapons to North Korea in response to the delivery of modern weapons to Ukraine by NATO countries.
“We reserve the right to supply weapons to other regions of the world. And I also do not rule this out in view of our agreement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” Putin said during a press conference at the end of his visit to Vietnam, broadcast on Russian public television.
Putin assured that “Westerners provide weapons to Ukraine and from then on they say that they no longer control anything, and it does not matter how they are used.”
“Well, we can also say that we have supplied something to someone and then we don’t take care of anything,” he said.
As for the mutual assistance agreement in case of aggression signed this Wednesday with Pyongyang, Putin took iron from him, arguing that “it is nothing new.”
“We have signed this agreement because the old one has ceased to exist. And in the previous agreement of 1961 it was all the same, there is no news,” he said.
Although he admitted that “in the current context this seems somewhat extraordinary,” he added that “we have changed almost nothing” and that the situation in the world requires legal strengthening relations with Russia’s partners, especially in Asia.
South Korea “does not have to worry, since our military aid under the agreement we signed is only raised if an aggression is committed in relation to one of the signatories of the document. As far as I know, the Republic of Korea does not plan an aggression against North Korea,” he said.
Putin stressed that, in reality, the agreement he signed with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, will be “a deterrent so that the (Korean) crisis” does not translate into an armed conflict.
And, in response to a reporter’s question, he ruled out the possible deployment of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield of Ukraine.
The signing of the mutual assistance agreement between Russia and North Korea has caused great discomfort in Seoul, but also in the United States and Japan.
Putin also called some of the sanctions adopted against the North Korean communist regime “inhumane” today and called for its lifting.
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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