International
Cardinal Becciu’s enigma: will he enter the conclave?
Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison for a case of financial irregularities, and to whom Pope Francis withdrew his privileges as a purp, is the great unknown of the next conclave that will choose the pontiff’s successor since it is unknown if he will be able to enter.
Unless otherwise decided, he should not participate in the conclave, and even in the Vatican statistics they count him as a non-elector cardinal, despite being 76 years old.
However, the Vatican press office assured that all cardinals, including the former powerful substitute for the Vatican State, can participate in congregations, preparatory meetings, but that another thing is entering the conclave.
In 2020, Francisco suspended it, stripping it of the “rights associated with the cardinal’s rate” after his involvement in financial irregularities became known.
But he did not suspend his duties and among those that correspond to a cardinal is the election of a new pope, analysts explain.
“The pope recognized my cardinal prerogatives as intact since there was no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave or request for my explicit resignation in writing,” Becciu told the newspaper ‘Unione Sarda’ on Tuesday.
Surely the question of Becciu’s participation will be one of the arguments that will be discussed in the congregations of cardinals, the preparatory meetings of the conclave.
Becciu, the first cardinal tried by a Vatican criminal court, was also sentenced to “perpetual” disqualification from holding positions in the Holy See.
The scandal broke out when the purchase of a building in the heart of London, on Sloane Avenue, a former headquarters of the Harrods galleries in the exclusive Chelsea neighborhood, transcended.
In addition, during the process other financial crimes allegedly committed by Becciu arose, such as the donations of 125,000 euros that the cardinal entered into the account of an association, linked to the Sardinian Caritas of Ozieri, his hometown, and that at that time was presided over by one of his brothers.
In the conclave, in which 135 cardinals will enter, if Becciu is not counted, there are also two peculiar cases.
Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Burkina Faso, had as his date of birth January 25, 1945 in the new papal yearbook of 2024, although the eightieth birthday is postponed to December 31, so he will be able to enter the Sistine Chapel, revealed the Hendro Munsterman of the media Nederlands Dagblad.
A few months ago, the newspaper of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Avvenire, also highlighted a precedent, that of the Kenyan John Njue, whose birth had been corrected from 1944 to 1946: he would also still be an elector in a possible conclave.
The Dutch journalist asked Ouédraogo: “In my town there were no hospitals or schools. I was born at home and they didn’t give me a date of birth,” said the cardinal.
“Some documents may have arrived,” they said from the Vatican press office.
International
Trump and Putin end Alaska summit without Ukraine peace agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up their summit in Alaska on Friday with a brief joint press conference, during which they announced no agreement on peace in Ukraine.
Trump described the more than three-hour meeting with Putin and his delegation at Elmendorf-Richardson base as “extremely productive,” but admitted, “we have not reached the goal.”
“Many points were agreed upon. Only a few remain unresolved. Some are not significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a good chance of resolving them. We haven’t gotten there yet, but we have a good chance of achieving it,” Trump stated cryptically at the no-questions press conference.
According to White House officials, the summit began around 11:30 a.m. local time (7:30 p.m. GMT).
Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy for the Middle East and Kremlin mediator Steve Witkoff. On Putin’s side, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov were in attendance.
Central America
International tourism brings over $2.2 billion to El Salvador in 2025
International tourism has generated more than $2.2 billion in foreign exchange for the Salvadoran economy during the first seven months of 2025, according to the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur).
Tourism Minister Morena Valdez stated on Thursday that this figure reflects a favorable development of the tourism sector so far this year.
“Over $2.2 billion by July, and we estimate more than $3 billion in foreign exchange by December 2025. I believe we will perform quite well,” Valdez said in an interview with Frente a Frente.
These figures do not include the 91,000 international tourists received during the August holidays, who contributed $60 million to the local economy, according to the government.
The accumulated results by July represent 73.3% of Mitur’s estimates for foreign exchange generated by international tourism in 2025.
During the same period, tourism authorities recorded 2.3 million international visitors, which is 57.5% of the more than 4 million visitors projected by the government by the end of 2025.
Authorities have recently adjusted the tourism target: at the beginning of the year, Mitur anticipated 4.2 million visitorsafter receiving 3.9 million in the previous year.
International
Tabasco ex-officials linked to drug trafficking spark Mexico-U.S. tensions
The scandal involving two former state officials from Tabasco, southeast Mexico, linked to drug trafficking and now fugitives, has added tension to Mexico-U.S. relations, which had already been strained by President Donald Trump’s threats to send troops across the border to target cartels.
At the center of the controversy is the current coordinator of the Mexican Senate, former governor of Tabasco, and former Secretary of the Interior, Adán Augusto López Hernández, a close ally of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018–2024), along with his then-security secretary, Hernán Bermúdez Requena.
According to the Mexican weekly Proceso, published two weeks ago, the criminal ties of the former officials were reported in 2022 by Mexican intelligence services during López Obrador’s administration when López Hernández was Secretary of the Interior.
Bermúdez Requena, known as ‘El Comandante H’, was appointed Secretary of Security in Tabasco in 2019 by then-governor Adán Augusto López Hernández, from the ruling Morena party, and is accused of being a leader of the criminal group ‘La Barredora’, a cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
On July 22, Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed that a warrant and Interpol red notice had been issued against Bermúdez Requena, who had been under investigation since 2024 for his links to organized crime.
Honduran prosecutors charge three with terrorism and assassination plot against Manuel Zelaya
Trump and Putin end Alaska summit without Ukraine peace agreement
International tourism brings over $2.2 billion to El Salvador in 2025
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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