International

“I had to swim out of the house,” says one of those affected by floods in Brazil

Entire neighborhoods in southern Brazil remained underwater this Monday, due to the unprecedented floods that have caused the death of 84 people and forced thousands to leave their homes by helicopter, boat or directly swimming.

More than 46,000 people have been rescued and about 150,000 have had to leave their homes, according to the most recent official data, since the worst floods in the history of Rio Grande do Sul, a state bordering Uruguay and Argentina, began.

After spending four days in isolation, Suzana Martins, a 50-year-old commercial representative, had to “swim out of her house” located in a residential neighborhood of the regional capital of Porto Alegre, a city of 1.3 million inhabitants.

The neighbors gave her an inflatable mattress of those used in the pool to put backpacks with clothes and the dog on top, while she and her son were still swimming.

“The water reached up to the neck and there were not enough boats or help to get us out of there,” he explained to EFE Martins, who assured that there were still many elderly people trapped in his neighborhood without being able to leave.

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With more luck than Martins, Regina Ribeiro, a 62-year-old housewife, was rescued by boat after the water flooded the door of the building in the living for 14 years.

“On the way I got scared because the boat was swinging. If I had overturned, I don’t know how to swim…,” this neighbor of Porto Alegre told EFE, who plans to rent an apartment in another place further from the river when everything has happened.

Ribeiro’s husband didn’t want to leave and stayed in the apartment with two gallons of water, a few kilos of rice and pasta and a cell phone in case he had to ask for help.

“I’m hypertensive and I’m very nervous, wanting to cry. I never imagined that water would enter the building, ever,” she says incredulously.

Rescue work continues in forced marches with the participation of 42 aircraft, 243 boats and 15,000 soldiers, which are added to the teams of the regional and local authorities.

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The flood in Porto Alegre began last Friday, the level of the Guaíba River reached its all-time high this Sunday, a level of 5.31 meters, more than two meters above the overflow level, and since then it has dropped only three centimeters.

However, the authorities believe that the floods will continue for several days because there is still a lot of water to evacuate.

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.