International

The pope lands in Singapore: from extreme poverty to one of the richest countries in the world

Pope Francis landed this Wednesday in the city-state of Singapore, one of the richest countries in the world, which will be a huge contrast to the realities of extreme poverty that he found in his previous stages of Papua New Guinea, and will mark the themes of his speeches in this last stage of his tour of Asia and Oceania.

After the meeting with the young people in Dili, the pope moved to Singapore on a flight of the Timorese company AirDili, which landed at 14:55 hours (6.55 GMT), and was received by the Minister of Culture, Edwin Tong.

Regarding the great presence of people in the streets of Dili waiting for the pope, the inhabitants of the frenetic business city, known as the “Pearl of Asia”, did not seem to notice the arrival of the pontiff.

Francis, the third pope who visits Singapore after Paul VI and John Paul II, will spend the rest of the day resting and will only have a private meeting with the members of the Society of Jesus.

On Thursday, the day will begin with the welcome ceremony, the meeting with the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the authorities and will end with a mass at the ‘Singapore SportsHub’ in which about 55,000 people are expected, the capacity of the stadium.

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While on Friday this stage will conclude, of just over 24 hours, with a visit to a group of elderly and sick people in the ‘Santa Teresa’ House and then an interreligious meeting with young people at the ‘Catholic Junior College’ and then return to Rome.

Singapore has maintained diplomatic relations with the Holy See since 1981 and occupies the top positions in a large number of international indicators, both in terms of quality of life, personal security or education and is the fourth richest country in the world in relation to the purchasing power of its inhabitants, after Qatar, Luxembourg and Macau.

The Catholic population of Singapore, which currently has around 395,000 faithful, represents about 3% of its inhabitants and the majority, 70%, are of Chinese origin. The city State is closely linked to the figure of the Spanish saint St. Francis Javier, who arrived among the first evangelizers to these lands, where Francis will highlight tolerance and multiculturalism.

As the nunciature is very small, Francisco will reside in the ‘San Francisco Javier Retreat Center’, a house in the diocese intended for training activities.

Not only the wealth of the country, but also the fact that it is one of the largest technological and financial centers in the world will inspire Francis’ speeches on the use of technologies at the service of man. The pope could also refer to the application of the death penalty in the country, which the Catholic Church strongly condemns.

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International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.