International
Murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shocks Ecuador
August 10|
Ecuador’s presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a champion of the anti-corruption fight and known for his statements against criminal gangs and drug trafficking, was killed on Wednesday in Quito in a shooting attack outside a political rally, just over a week before the general elections and amid a wave of violence affecting various parts of the South American country.
Villavicencio died in a clinic 100 meters from the site of the attack, while police carried out a controlled explosion of a grenade that had been thrown in front of the rally site.
After the death was confirmed, presidential candidate Otto Sonnenholzner, of the Actuemos coalition, called on the other candidates to stop campaigning and come together to form a single force in the fight against crime.
President Guillermo Lasso, who called the murder a “political crime” and said it was intended to “sabotage the electoral process”, confirmed that the election date would be kept, albeit with additional security measures including a military deployment.
He also decreed three days of national mourning for the death of Villavicencio.
The Attorney General’s Office informed near midnight on the social network X, formerly Twitter, that six people have been arrested in connection with Villavicencio’s murder. Earlier it had specified that a suspect in the attack was wounded during the exchange of bullets with security personnel, was apprehended and taken badly wounded to the Flagrancy Unit in Quito, where he died of his wounds.
The criminal organization that calls itself “Los Lobos” published a statement on the social network X — formerly known as Twitter — claiming responsibility for the murder of Fernando Villavicencio and threatening that “it will happen again when the corrupt don’t keep their word.
Villavicencio was one of eight registered candidates for the August 20 presidential election. The 59-year-old politician was not among the favorites, with a meager 10% of the preferences, although he was a recognized figure for having denounced in the past several cases of alleged government corruption.
He was married to Verónica Sarauz and leaves five children.
In recent days, the presidential hopeful had publicly denounced that the leader of a local criminal group linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel had threatened him, although so far no Ecuadorian authorities have pointed to any specific criminal organization. Villavicencio had also alleged links between politicians and drug traffickers.
In the last video in which he is seen alive, he is seen leaving the school grounds where the political rally was held surrounded by police, who help him into a vehicle. Before closing the door, a series of gunshots and desperate shouts from supporters can be heard.
Following the attack, Ecuadorian authorities did not disclose the possible motive behind the attack. Patricio Zuquilanda, an advisor to the candidate’s campaign, told The Associated Press that Villavicencio had received two death threats, although he did not give further details.
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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