International

Smoke blanketing U.S. and Canada could last for days as fires continue unabated

Photo: AP

June 8 |

On air quality maps, purple indicates the most serious situation. In reality, it is a dangerously dense haze that disrupts the daily lives of millions of people across the United States and Canada, obscuring the skyline of cities and painting the sky orange.

And with little change in the weather forecast, smoke from the fires in Quebec and Nova Scotia and fine particulate clouds reaching as far as North Carolina should continue through Thursday, and possibly into the weekend.

That’s at least one more day in a dystopian environment that brought players off baseball fields, brought actors off Broadway stages, delayed thousands of flights and prompted the reappearance of facemasks and telecommuting, while raising concerns about the health effects of prolonged exposure to such poor-quality air.

The system causing the big U.S.-Candy smoke – a low-pressure system over Maine and Nova Scotia – “will possibly stick around for at least the next few days,” said Bryan Ramsey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

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“Conditions are likely to remain unhealthy, at least until the wind direction changes or the fires are put out,” he added. “Given that the fires are active, and they’re really large, they’re likely to continue for weeks. So it’s all going to depend on the wind shift.”

In the eastern United States, authorities warned residents to stay indoors and limit outdoor activity Thursday as well, extending “code red” alerts for poor air quality for the third straight day as forecasts show winds will continue to push smoke-laden air southward.

In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered schools to cancel outdoor recess and field trips on Thursday. In the Philadelphia suburbs, authorities set up a shelter for the homeless to take shelter from the smoke.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state will distribute 1 million N95 masks – those recommended at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic – at state facilities including 400,000 in New York City.

The more than 400 active fires in Canada have displaced 20,000 people. The United States sent more than 600 firefighters and equipment to the country to fight the blaze, and other countries also provided assistance.

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In a phone conversation on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked President Joe Biden for his support, the Canadian president’s office said, adding that the two “recognized the need to work together to address the devastating impact of climate change.”

Canadian authorities say the country is suffering the worst fire season in its history. It started earlier than expected because the ground is drier than usual and accelerated rapidly. Smoke from fires had been affecting the United States since last month, but the situation was exacerbated by recent blazes in Quebec, where on Wednesday there were about a hundred burning out of control.

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.