International

International leaders begin to confirm their presence at Pope Francis’ funeral

International leaders are already beginning to confirm their presence at the funeral for Francisco, which will take place on Saturday, April 26 in St. Peter’s Square.

Since yesterday, Monday, shortly after learning of the death of the 88-year-old pontiff, numerous countries announced mourning measures and sent condolences to the Vatican

Among the earliest when it comes to confirming his trip to Rome is the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who will travel with his wife Melania.

“Rest in peace, Pope Francis! May God bless him and all those who loved him!” the Republican leader wrote.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to travel to Rome to attend Pope Francis’ funeral, according to sources from the Ukrainian presidency to the country’s public agency, Ukrinform, on Tuesday.

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The Ukrainian president stressed that Francis always prayed for “peace in Ukraine and for the Ukrainians” and highlighted his commitment “to God, to the people and to the Church.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, whom he praised the day before for his “positive attitude” towards Russia.

“No, the president does not have such plans,” said Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman. Putin, a confessed Orthodox believer who was secretly baptized in Soviet times, met with the pope on three occasions, the last in 2019.

As for who will represent Russia in the funeral pompoms, Peskov assured that there is no final decision and that he will inform about it in due course.

The presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa and Roberta Metsola, respectively, have already confirmed that they will attend the funeral.

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The presidents of the main institutions of the European Union mourned on Monday the death of Francis, whom they remembered as a guide to move towards “a more just, peaceful and compassionate world,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also announced his presence in Rome on the 26th after yesterday, after learning the news of the death, he paid tribute to Francis, of whom he stressed that throughout his pontificate “was on the side of the weakest.”

For their part, King Philip and Queen Matilda of Belgium will attend this Saturday’s religious ceremony after defining the Argentine pontiff as “a great man, close to the most humble and concerned about the problems of the world.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attend the funeral, the official residence of 10 Downing Street reported on Tuesday.

So will the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the acting Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro.

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Other leaders who have confirmed their presence have been the President of Switzerland, Karin Keller-Sutter, and the interim President of Romania, Ilie Bolojan

From other latitudes they have not yet clarified what kind of representation they will have at the funeral, in the case of China, which has not had diplomatic ties with the Holy See since 1951 and which this Tuesday, however, expressed its condolences for the death of the pope and, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it was willing to “work with the Vatican to promote the continuous improvement” of their bilateral relations.

International

IEA warns Middle East conflict could spark worst energy crisis in decades

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East could trigger the worst energy crisis in decades, warned Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who described the situation as “very serious.”

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Birol compared the current scenario to the oil crises of the 1970s, noting that during those events the world lost around five million barrels of oil per day in each crisis.

“Today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day—more than the two major oil shocks combined,” he said.

The Turkish economist referred to the conflict that began on February 28, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which have significantly disrupted global energy markets and driven oil prices higher.

Birol warned that the global economy is facing a “very, very serious threat” and expressed hope that the crisis will be resolved soon.

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“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction. Global efforts are urgently needed,” he emphasized.

International

Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashes during takeoff with troops onboard

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Air Force was involved in a “tragic accident” while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department of southern Colombia, as it was transporting troops, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez reported on Monday.

The minister stated on social media that the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. He also extended his condolences to the families affected and urged the public to avoid speculation until official information is confirmed.

“This is a deeply painful event for the country. Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” Sánchez said, adding that emergency protocols have been activated and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro expressed hope that there would be no fatalities in what he described as a “horrific accident that should not have happened.”

Petro also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s air fleet and reiterated the need to acquire new helicopters and transport aircraft to strengthen military mobility, particularly in remote regions.

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According to local media reports, approximately 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft. So far, at least 20 injured military personnel have been rescued.

International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.