International
The Legal Medical Institute identifies all 62 victims of the plane crash in Brazil
The Medical Forensic Institute (IML) of São Paulo reported on Thursday that it concluded the identification of all 62 victims of the Voepass airline plane crash that occurred last week in this state of Brazil.
The agency indicated that it has already delivered the respective mortal remains to the relatives of 42 of the victims and that it hopes to release the rest this Thursday.
Of the 62 victims, 40 were identified by typing examinations and the others by analysis of their dental arch or by other physical characteristics.
The IML collected genetic samples from the relatives of all the victims, but it was not necessary to use genetic comparison methods to identify them, explained the superintendent of Technical-Scientific Police of the IML, Claudinei Salomão.
“The identification processes dispensed with complementary DNA tests because the experience we have allowed us to compare the bodies with pre-existing data, such as fingerprints or radiological images of the victims,” he said.
Despite the difficulties due to the state in which some of the bodies were left after the explosion and the fire that occurred after the fall, which destroyed a large part of the aircraft, the forensic doctors said that none of the corpses were completely charred.
Those responsible for the investigation of the accident managed to recover all the information contained in the black boxes of the crashed plane and promise to deliver a preliminary report in 30 days.
The Brazilian Air Force clarified on Thursday in a statement that so far no media has had access to the contents of the black boxes, after Globo television published statements by the pilot allegedly taken from the transcript of the cabin recording.
According to that version, in the last minutes of the flight the co-pilot is heard saying that the plane was without power.
The crashed plane, a twin-engine ATR-72-500 model and French manufacture, covered the route between the city of Cascavel and São Paulo with 58 passengers and 4 crew members on board and crashed when it had about 80 kilometers left to reach its destination.
The device crashed in the backyards of a set of residences in the municipality of Vinhedo, without affecting any building or leaving any victims on the ground.
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.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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