International

The Baltimore Fallen Bridge: 2,632 meters in length immortalized in the series ‘The Wire’

The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed on Tuesday after a freighter crashed into it, is the largest in Baltimore, the capital of the state of Maryland: it has a length of 2,632 meters and more than 11 million vehicles travel through it a year.

This bridge was immortalized by “The Wire”, the successful American television series set in Baltimore about judicial telephone interventions against a police group and in which many of its characters are based on real people from the city.

Named in honor of the poet Francis Scott Key, author of the lyrics of the American anthem, the construction of the current bridge began in 1972 and was inaugurated on March 23, 1977.

The structure crosses the lower part of the Patapsco River between Hawkins Point and Sollers Point and runs through it by the I-695 motorway (Baltimore Beltway).

The bridge that collapsed this Tuesday is, according to the organization Historic Sites, heir to the one built between 1833 and 1843 with stone pillars, demolished in 1915, as well as the one that replaced it, a concrete arch inaugurated in 1923.

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He already had the name of Francis Scott Key because the artist lived in an area near the beginning of the 19th century. Originally the bridge was known as ‘Outer Harbor Crossing’.

Every summer, in addition, the U.S. Coast Guard deploys the commemorative buoy of the poet Francis Scott Key on the Patapsco River, in the vicinity of the bridge.

The star-covered buoy marks the approximate location where Francis Scott Key wrote the national anthem, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, while trying to facilitate the release of a prisoner held on a British ship during the bombing of Fort McHenry in 1814.

The piles of the bridge and other components form an underwater reef that attracts fish, such as striped sea bass or perch, so the place is appreciated by sports fishing enthusiasts.

The area also attracts recreational boats, and tourist boats and local cruises offer travel routes near the bridge.

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Near the western end of the bridge, in Fort Armistead Park, there are ramps for launching boats, a fishing dock and views of the bridge.

Baltimore, an important seaport even before the American Revolution settled in Chesapeake Bay, is the most populous city in the state of Maryland.

It has just over 600,000 inhabitants in the urban center and 2,700,000 in its metropolitan area.

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.