International

Guyana asks the ICJ to require Caracas to stop the elections and any action to annex its territory

Guyana asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue “urgently” precautionary measures to require Caracas “not to hold elections anywhere in Guyanese territory” and “to refrain from any action that intends to annex” the territory in dispute, including the incorporation of “Guyana Esequiba” as part of Venezuela.

The ICJ explained this Friday that Guyana argued its request in Venezuela’s announcement to hold elections on May 25 in the Esequibo region, a territory in dispute between the two, which, the Guyanese Government said, would violate “its sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.”

Guyana maintains that the adoption of precautionary measures is “urgent” because these actions by Venezuela would cause “irreparable damage”, in addition to violating the order of this UN tribunal of December 2023, which demanded that Caracas refrain from taking “unilateral actions” that would alter the current situation, where Guyana administers the region.

In this sense, he asked to require Venezuela to “not hold elections anywhere in the Guyanese territory defined by the 1899 Arbitration Award,” including: extending the right to vote to people residing in the disputed territory; distributing ballots, voting cards or other physical or electronic electoral materials in the area; or presenting, appointing or supporting Venezuelan candidates in elections in the territory.

It also asked him to prevent Caracas from establishing polling stations, counting centers or electoral venues in that territory; to create, elect or appoint governors, legislative councils or other government officials for the area in dispute; or to communicate with residents of the territory in relation to elections organized by Venezuela.

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The second precautionary measure requested by Guyana requires Caracas to “restain from any action that intends to annex, de jure or de facto, the disputed territory, including the incorporation of ‘Guayana Esequiba’ as part of Venezuela.”

Finally, he wants the ICJ to order Venezuela to “refrain from changing the current situation in the disputed area, where Guyana administers and exercises control.”

Venezuela claims the Esequibo region, about 70% of Guyana’s territory, including offshore oil reserves, arguing that the arbitration award is null and void because it “fraudulently affected 159,500 square kilometers of the territory” of Esequiba Guayana, as the Venezuelan government calls it.

The Venezuelan government recognizes as the only legal instrument to resolve this controversy the Geneva Agreement, signed in 1966 with the United Kingdom (before Guyanese independence), and which establishes the basis for a negotiated solution, but the negotiations lasted for more than two decades without results.

In 2018, Guyana, a former British colony, filed a lawsuit against Caracas at the ICJ and in April 2023, the Court declared itself competent to rule on the case, which was in a coup to Caracas, which had tried to declare this case “inadmissible,” and stressed on numerous occasions that it does not consent to the jurisdiction of this Court over this controversy.

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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.