International

Maduro says that “no one will veto or silence the country” on his return after the BRICS summit

The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said this Saturday, on his return to the nation after participating in the BRICS summit in Russia, that “no one will veto or silence” the country, after Brazil vetoed the entry of the nation of South America to the group of emerging economies.

“There is no force in this land that silences the voice of rebellion and justice of Venezuela, neither today nor tomorrow nor ever, no one will veto or silence Venezuela and anyone who tries will dry up (will be forgotten),” said the president, in a brief welcome ceremony broadcast by the state channel VTV, without mentioning Brazil or Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Maduro assured that Venezuela’s participation in the BRICS summit, held this week in Kazan, Russia, was “stellar, exemplary, beautiful.”

Maduro: “We are on the right side of history”

“It fully ratifies that we are on the right side of history and we are at the forefront of the new world that has been born, the multipolar, multicentric, pluripolar world,” he added.

On Friday, Brazilian government sources told EFE that Maduro tried to pressure “at the last minute” to get Venezuela included in the list of countries associated with the BRICS, to which Brazil reacted by demonstrating against it “emphatically.”

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Brazil refused to join Venezuela in the list of associated countries because, “at this time,” relations between the two countries “are not friendly,” according to the sources.

“Hostile gesture of Brazil”

At the end of the summit, the Maduro Government described Brazil’s veto as a “hostile gesture” and an “aggression” against the nation’s interests.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said that this veto is “reproducing the hatred, exclusion and intolerance promoted from the Western centers of power to prevent, for now, the entry of Bolivar’s homeland into this organization.”

Relations between Caracas and Brasilia have deteriorated as a result of the Venezuelan presidential elections, in which Maduro was declared the winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE), in a decision questioned by the opposition.

Brazil has refused to recognize Maduro’s victory and has repeatedly asked the Venezuelan authorities to disclose the electoral records to demonstrate the triumph of the Chavista leader over the opposition Edmundo González Urrutia.

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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.