VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo on Sunday sent condolences to the families of devastating floods in Texas which have left at least 79 people dead and 10 more missing, many of them children.

“I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in a summer camp in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas. We pray for them,” said the US-born pontiff following Angelus prayers.

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Rescuers searched through the night to try to locate 27 girls and teenagers missing from a riverside summer camp after flash floods caused by torrential rains on Friday, when the Guadalupe River rose eight meters (26 feet) in just 45 minutes.

READ: Desperate search for missing girls as nearly 80 dead in Texas floods

Nearly 300 millimeters of rain per hour suddenly fell, a third of the average annual rainfall.

Later Sunday, the Pope traveled to Castel Gandolfo, the summer papal residence some 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Rome where he will take a two-week break. /dl

Lawmakers elected Jennifer Geerlings-Simons as Suriname’s first woman president on Sunday, after her party won the most seats in legislative elections in May.

The 71-year-old former opposition leader was left the sole candidate for president after her rivals decided on Thursday not to nominate anyone to lead the small country on South America’s northern coast.

Geerlings-Simons’ National Democratic Party (NDP) won 18 of the 51 seats in congress, more than those of the centrist VHP party of outgoing president Chan Santokhi.

The NDP had already entered into an agreement with five other parties with which it jointly holds 34 seats in parliament.

The NDP was founded by former coup leader and autocrat-turned-elected-president Desi Bouterse, who died in hiding in December 2024.

Santokhi’s party had also hoped to form a coalition to remain in power, but said in a statement that it had decided not to oppose Geerlings-Simons’ election.

Suriname, a diverse country made up of descendants of people from India, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, Indigenous groups and African slaves, marks its 50th anniversary of independence from the Dutch throne this November.

In recent years, it has looked increasingly toward China as a political ally and trading partner and, in 2019, became one of the first Latin American countries to join the Asian giant’s Belt and Road infrastructure drive.

The former Dutch colony of 600,000 inhabitants, one of the poorest countries in South America, is hoping that an oil boom will bring prosperity.

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Spain’s ruling Socialist Party, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez , is grappling with a severe crisis following a major corruption scandal involving allegations of bribery and payments to escorts.

On Saturday, the party underwent a leadership shakeup, announcing that members who pay for sex will be expelled in response to public outrage over the scandal. Meanwhile, as party leaders met to repair their tarnished image and prolong their grip on power, a new controversy emerged.

Sanchez, 53, faces the most significant challenge since taking office seven years ago. Last month, a corruption scandal erupted centering on Santos Cerdan, a parliament member and the party’s secretary, considered its third most influential figure.

Spain’s Supreme Court announced that Cerdan is under investigation for allegedly securing public contracts in exchange for bribes. A report by the investigating judge included transcripts of recordings in which Cerdan discussed bribe payments with former Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos, another Socialist Party member.

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On Monday, the court ruled that Cerdan would remain in custody until his trial. A close ally of Sanchez, Cerdan prompted a public apology from the prime minister for trusting him.

In an attempt to mitigate the damage, the Socialist Party banned its members from “soliciting, accepting or obtaining sexual acts in exchange for money,” with violations leading to expulsion. “If we believe a woman’s body is not for sale, our party cannot allow behaviour contrary to that,” Sanchez said.

2 View gallery Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ( Photo: OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP )

“These are difficult times for everyone, without a doubt,” Sanchez told party leaders during a meeting in Madrid, reiterating that he has no intention of resigning. “The captain doesn’t look the other way when seas get rough. He stays to steer the ship through the storm,” he said, rejecting calls for snap elections.

During the meeting, party leaders approved replacing Cerdan as the third-ranking official with 44-year-old lawyer Rebeca Toro. Attendees were met with jeers from protesters demanding their resignation. The meeting started late due to another scandal involving Francisco Salazar, a Sanchez ally slated for a senior party role.

Salazar resigned after several women under his supervision accused him of sexual harassment. He requested an investigation into the allegations, and the party confirmed it would proceed.

Sanchez heads a minority government and many now call for its dissolution. So far, coalition partners have resisted supporting the conservative opposition’s push for a no-confidence vote, which would trigger new elections. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the opposition People’s Party, said Spaniards “deserve a government that doesn’t lie to them, that doesn’t rob them but serves them.”

Over the past 18 months, Sanchez has positioned himself as a leading anti-Israel voice in the European Union, among the first senior European leaders to criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza following the October 7 attacks . He has openly accused Israel of genocide, labeling it a “genocide state” and spearheading efforts to impose sanctions.