International
At least 15 people are killed when bus overturns in Mexico
February 20 |
At least 15 people were killed and some 30 injured when a bus carrying suspected migrants overturned while traveling through the Mexican state of Puebla, local media reported Sunday.
The incident occurred in a border area between the states of Puebla and Oaxaca, from where the vehicle may have started and overturned, according to some versions, due to mechanical failures, while others point to a collision with a trailer.
Immediately, members of the National Guard, Federal Roads and Bridges, along with paramedics from the Mexican Red Cross and agents from the National Migration Institute (INM) arrived at the scene.
Health authorities pointed out that the injured were transferred to the General Hospital of Tehuacán, to the medical units of San Gabriel Chilac and neighboring municipalities belonging to the State of Puebla, in order to offer them the necessary medical attention.
Following the incident, the governor of the state of Puebla, Sergio Salomón Céspedes Peregrina, assured in a message published on his social networks that his government has the necessary tools to attend to the victims and regretted the death of some of the victims.
The states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Puebla are a forced passageway for those migrating to the United States, and the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (Comar) points out that there is a constant daily traffic of migrants, controlled by local organized crime mafias.
These traffickers demand high fees for transporting migrants across the country, incognito and without legal customs documents. According to reports from humanitarian organizations, in 2022, 900 migrants died in their attempt to reach the United States.
It was also 2022 the year that set a record for migratory flow, with 2.76 million undocumented migrants detained at the Mexican-US border and in which Mexico received the most asylum requests, with 118,478, the second highest figure, below the 131,448 in 2021, according to Comar data.
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.
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.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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