International
Death toll rises to five due to weather phenomena in Mexico

October 12 |
The death toll from the double whipping of cyclones Lidia and Max rose to five on Wednesday in Mexico after the death of two people was reported in Jalisco, a state in the western part of the country.
Among the damages caused by tropical storm Max in Mexico, it is reported the collapse of a part of the road to Acapulco, as well as more than 200 people affected by the meteorological phenomenon and several injured.
The passage of tropical storm Max along the Mexican Pacific coast caused on Monday the death of at least two people and injured another in Guerrero, in the south of the country, informed on Tuesday the Secretary of Integral Risk Management and Civil Protection of the state government.
On the other hand, a person died while crossing a river in the municipality of Pihuamo, according to the governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, on his social networks, while the Army reported the death of another person from a heart attack in Autlán after the evacuation of the regional hospital, which was flooded by the rains.
Meanwhile, a man died after a tree fell on his car during the storm near the Punta Mita tourist center, informed Miguel Ángel Navarro, governor of the state of Nayarit, to the north of Jalisco.
The national coordinator of Civil Protection, Laura Velázquez, informed that hurricane Lidia, which hit mainly Jalisco, Nayarit and Colima, and which on Tuesday was classified as category 4, decreased its intensity during the early hours of the morning, but heavy rains will continue in some entities.
Lidia was downgraded from hurricane to tropical storm and is moving over land to the north of Baja California Sur, informed the National Meteorological Service (SMN).
It maintains intense rains and strong winds over the Baja California Peninsula, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima, in addition to high waves on the coast of these states.
Lidia and Max are the twelfth and thirteenth named cyclones of this season in the Pacific, where Adrian, Beatriz, Calvin, Dora, Eugene, Fernanda, Greg, Hilary, Irwin, Jova and Kenneth have also formed.
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.
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