International

The vice president of Venezuela calls María Corina Machado a “scaser” and “dead mosquito”

The executive vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, called opposition leader María Corina Machado “faker” and “dead mosquito” on Wednesday, whom she accused of asking for sanctions and, at the same time, speaking in favor of the wage increase for workers, who was, according to the official, “hardly beaten” by those foreign measures.

“Who has called for the blockade against Venezuela? Leopoldo López, Julio Borges, Juan Guaidó, María Corina Machado, who then puts the voice of a dead mosquito, and then causes the tremendous damage to Venezuela and still today asks for more sanctions, (…) she then, every day, makes videos (saying): ‘dear workers, I am with you, worker, and now we are going to fight for Venezuela and your conditions,’” Rodríguez said.

“Draught to the US Government.”

She insisted that Machado, “dragged to the Government of the United States, calls for sanctions and blockade against Venezuela,” so the Minister of Oil pointed to the former deputy and the other opponents she mentioned as “tremendous fakes.”

Likewise, Rodríguez assured that the workers have been at the “vanguard” of the “active resistance against the criminal blockade imposed from Washington with the support of Western countries” for “the call made by the extremists and fascists in Venezuela,” in reference to anti-Chavista leaders and leaders.

The vice president charged against Machado a few days after the opponent expressed her “deep admiration and affection” to the educators, who, despite the “hunger waries”, have “remained at the forefront of this struggle, with an infinite vocation and dedication,” according to the former deputy.

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María Corina Machado says she fears for her “life”

Machado, who claims to be in “strandness,” fearing for their “life” and “freedom,” told teachers on Saturday – in an audio published on social networks – that the country “needs them organized and active” in “this decisive hour” in the struggle for a “free” Venezuela that “arrives soon”, in which “they will be protagonists” of the construction of the “best public education system in the world.”

Machado defends the victory that the majority opposition, grouped in the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), assures that its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, obtained in the presidential elections of July 28, in which President Nicolás Maduro was proclaimed winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE), a result questioned inside and outside the country, and that was announced based on votes that are still unknown in a disaggregated way.

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.