International

Peru increases to 544 the number of districts in emergency due to water deficit

Photo: Agencia Andina

September 19 |

The Peruvian government published on Monday a decree declaring an emergency due to water deficit and imminent danger to 544 districts in the country, belonging to 14 departments, in order to address the situation.

The Minister of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, Jennifer Contreras, said in a press conference that the measure covered 544 districts, when previously 131 were in emergency due to this situation.

The decert will allow “regional and local governments to execute and act within the framework of their competences, in terms of disaster management”, said the official.

“It is a priority for the government and for the Presidency of the Republic to attend to the water deficit emergency, as well as to protect the lives of our population, our crops and our assets,” she said.

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Contreras pointed out that the measure reaches several departments and localities that suffer the effects of the lack of rainfall, such as Puno with 85 districts, Huanuco with 54, Huancavelica 71, Cusco 77, Arequipa 32, Ancash 51, Apurimac 18.

“The regulation is going to allow regional and local governments to execute and act within the framework of their competencies, in terms of disaster management. For example, they can make direct contracts to be able to attend to the emergency due to water deficit in their respective localities”, she added.

The minister of the sector expressed that the authorities of the departments in emergency may acquire veterinary kits, food for livestock, as well as take actions to ensure the supply and provision of water, control and measurement of irrigation canals, among other measures.

She stated that the Executive Branch is developing a multisectoral intervention to provide assistance to the populations in the emergency due to lack of water, and “tomorrow the National Emergency Operations Center will report on the establishment of a prevention plan for water deficit”, she said.

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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.