International
Pope Francis: ‘We are destroying the world with war’
“We are destroying the world” with war, Pope Francis declared this Tuesday in a message broadcast during the closing of the Sant’Egidio peace forum held in Paris.
“I make their cry, and that of many people affected by war, my own, and I direct it to political leaders: Stop the war! Stop the wars!” urged the Argentine pontiff in his text, which was read during a ceremony in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
“We are already destroying the world. Let us stop while there is still time!” he exhorted.
“We must pray for peace” in the face of “the risk that many conflicts, instead of ending, may dangerously expand,” the pope insisted.
His message was read during the closing ceremony of the 38th “International Meeting for Peace” by Sant’Egidio, a Catholic community close to the Vatican, which since Sunday had brought together in Paris dozens of religious dignitaries, experts, cultural figures, civil society leaders, and politicians.
Founded in 1968, the Sant’Egidio community, present in more than 70 countries, has become one of the channels for the Vatican’s “backdoor diplomacy” and has been particularly active in Africa and Latin America.
“May this gathering inspire all believers to rediscover the vocation of fostering fraternity among peoples today,” Pope Francis, also known as Jorge Bergoglio, remarked.
“Too often in the past, religions have been used to fuel conflicts and wars, a danger that still lurks today,” warned the pope.
Religions must not “become instruments to fuel nationalisms, ethnicisms, populisms,” Francis insisted. “Woe to those who try to drag God into taking sides in wars!” he added.
During the event, a minute of silence was observed for the victims of wars, and religious leaders lit candles.
A survivor of World War II, Gilberte Fournier, 93, urged that “the memory of the great evil, the great defeat of humanity that is war,” must not be lost.
The Sant’Egidio community also made a “call for peace” to demand “a radical change […] from political leaders, warlords, and all peoples” to prevent leaving future generations with “a world destroyed by war and ecological crisis.”
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
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