Foreign

Mexico Election Mounts Centre Stage As Two Women Vie For Presidency

Published

1 year ago

March 1, 2024

ADMIN

Campaigning officially began Friday for elections likely to produce Mexico’s first woman president – a watershed for a nation with a long tradition of macho culture.

Opposition candidate, Xochitl Galvez, launched her campaign after the stroke of midnight in one of Mexico’s most dangerous states, seeking to tap into voter concerns about the country’s rampant violence.

Public opinion polls suggest that she faces a tough battle against ruling party candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, a former Mexico City mayor and close ally of outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, known by his initials AMLO.

With three months to go before the June 2 vote, Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old scientist by training, enjoys a significant lead with 63 per cent support, according to an average of polls compiled by the Oraculus research firm.

Galvez, also 61, has 31 per cent support, while Jorge Alvarez, 38, of the Citizens’ Movement party is a distant third with just five per cent, polls show.

At stake is the future of Latin America’s second-largest economy, a country of 126 million people that is a key trading partner of the United States and a major tourist destination, but which faces huge challenges from illegal migration and drug-related violence.

Galvez, an outspoken businesswoman with Indigenous roots, sought to put the focus on the country’s insecurity with a night-time rally in the city of Fresnillo in the violence-wracked central state of Zacatecas.

She led a candle-lit march through the streets before sharing the stage with a relative of one of Mexico’s more than 100,000 missing persons, holding a minute’s silence for victims of violence.

“Here in Fresnillo, as in all of Mexico, people are afraid,” Galvez said, hitting out at Lopez Obrador’s “hugs not bullets” strategy to tackle violent crime at its roots by combating poverty and inequality, rather than using military force.

“Hugs for criminals are over,” she said.

“To have a Mexico without fear, we’re going to restrain the most violent and aggressive criminal organizations in our country,” she added.

It was the first of several planned stops in cities considered by their residents to be among the most unsafe in Mexico, to highlight what Galvez says is the government’s failure to tackle spiraling violence.

Nearly 450,000 people have been murdered across Mexico since 2006 when then-president Felipe Calderon launched a controversial anti-drug military campaign, according to official figures.

‘Formidable party machinery’
Sheinbaum is a staunch supporter and confidant of Lopez Obrador, a leftwing populist who enjoys an approval rating of nearly 70 per cent according to Oraculus, but who is required by the constitution to leave office after one term.

The granddaughter of Bulgarian and Lithuanian Jewish migrants, Sheinbaum has vowed to continue Lopez Obrador’s policy agenda.

“Sheinbaum is in a very strong position, with a significant lead in the polls over Galvez,” analyst Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington told AFP.

“Although nothing is impossible in politics, with just over three months to go before the election, it is highly unlikely that Galvez will be able to gain enough ground to make it a competitive race. AMLO is too popular, and the government and party machinery is too formidable,” he added.

Sheinbaum is due to address supporters on Friday afternoon in Mexico City’s main square, the heart of the city she governed from 2018 until last year when she stepped down to run for president.

On the eve of her campaign launch, Sheinbaum said that her opponents were “looking for a way to rise in the polls, but there is no way they can do it because we represent the future, and they represent the past.”

Galvez represents an opposition coalition made up of the Institutional Revolutionary Party – which ruled the country for more than 70 years until 2000 – the conservative National Action Party and the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution.

But her background sets her apart from the traditional conservative opposition – she wears Indigenous clothing, uses colloquial language peppered with swear words and is known for travelling around Mexico City by bicycle.

Foreign

Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Launching 2800 Aerial Bombs, Over 1400 Drones In 14 Days

Published

2 days ago

April 15, 2025

Admin

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has accused Russia of ongoing hostilities, stating that since the beginning of April, Russia has launched nearly 2,800 aerial bombs, over 1,400 Shahed drones, and approximately 60 missiles at Ukraine.

Zelensky’s statement, released on Monday, reads, “Currently, 38 people are receiving treatment inmedical facilities in Sumy following yesterday’s Russian ballistic strike — among them, 9 children. Eleven people, including 3 children, are in critical condition.”

“Every effort is being made to provide them with maximum assistance. Yesterday’s strike alone claimed 34 lives and left 119 people injured. Tragically, 2 children were killed, and another 15 were wounded.”

“Another 7 people were injured overnight in Odesa during a ‘Shahed’ drone attack. Last night, the Russians also struck Slovyansk, Uman, Kharkiv, Beryslav, and other cities and villages.”

“All the damaged sites are civilian: apartment buildings, stores, a car service station.”

“I thank all the services and everyone involved in rescuing people and defending lives. Russian terror continues every day and night. Since the beginning of April alone, the Russian army has used nearly 2800 aerial bombs, over 1400 attack drones — most of them ‘Shaheds’ — and nearly 60 missiles of various types, including ballistic ones.”

“Only real pressure on Russia can stop this. Tangible sanctions are needed against the sectors that finance Russia’s killing machine. The one who brought the war must be stopped and held accountable for what they have done; that is only fair,” Zelensky said.

In an earlier statement yesterday, Zelensky urged the world not to remain silent in the face of Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine: “As of now, 31 people are known to have been killed in Sumy by the Russian ballistic missile strike. Among those killed were two children. My condolences to the families and loved ones… More than 84 people have been wounded, including 10 children. All of them are receiving the necessary assistance.”

“It is crucial that the world does not stay silent or indifferent. Russian strikes deserve nothing but condemnation. There must be pressure on Russia to end the war and guarantee security for people. Without truly strong pressure, without sufficient support for Ukraine, Russia will continue dragging this war out.”

Zelensky also accused Russia of rejecting a potential peace opportunity involving U.S. President Donald Trump.
“It’s now the second month that Putin has been ignoring the U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire. Unfortunately, there in Moscow they are convinced they can keep killing with impunity. Action is needed to change this situation.”

World leaders have condemned the latest wave of Russian attacks and pledged solidarity with Ukraine.

On Saturday, top diplomats from Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over breaches of a tentative ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States. The deal aimed to halt attacks on critical energy infrastructure, signaling an attempt to ease tensions in the third year of the war.

However, Sunday’s strike underscored the fragility of such negotiations and the continued toll on Ukrainian civilians.

The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and millions displaced, with no comprehensive peace agreement in sight.
International observers have raised concerns that the missile strike may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
Sumy, located near Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia, has faced repeated assaults since the war began but had seen a relative lull in recent months. Sunday’s bombing marks one of the deadliest strikes in the region in over a year.

Ukrainian officials have called on allies to increase military aid and intensify sanctions on Russia, warning that continued attacks on civilian areas threaten any hope for a negotiated resolution to the war.

Foreign

US orders 30-day registration for all foreign nationals or face jail, deportation

Published

3 days ago

April 14, 2025

ADMIN

By Francesca Hangeior

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a new rule requiring all foreign nationals who stay in the country for more than 30 days to register with the federal government.

The directive, introduced this week, is one of the strictest immigration measures in recent years.

In a post titled “Message to Illegal Aliens” and tagged to President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the agency stated,

“Foreign nationals present in the U.S. longer than 30 days must register with the federal government. Failure to comply is a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment. @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem have a clear message to Illegal aliens: LEAVE NOW and self-deport.”

Foreign nationals present in the U.S. longer than 30 days must register with the federal government. Failure to comply is a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment. @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem have a clear message to Illegal aliens: LEAVE NOW and self-deport. pic.twitter.com/FrsAQtUA7H

Non-compliance could lead to daily fines of $998, heavier penalties for those who promise to leave but don’t, imprisonment, and permanent bans from re-entry.

DHS warned that delaying registration will increase penalties and reduce the chances of returning legally.

“The longer you wait, the higher the penalty, and the slimmer your chances of returning,” the department said.

The agency also introduced a “safe exit” provision for undocumented individuals who choose to leave voluntarily.

Those who self-deport may be allowed to select their departure flight, keep their earnings if they haven’t committed any crimes, apply for subsidized travel if they can’t afford it, and stay eligible for future immigration pathways.

While the rule doesn’t currently apply to individuals on valid visas like H-1B or F-1, DHS emphasized that once a visa becomes invalid—due to expiration, job loss, or program termination—the individual is considered “unlawfully present” and subject to the same penalties.

Maintaining legal status, the agency noted, is more critical than ever.

Foreign

Swiss woman abducted in Niger Republic

Published

3 days ago

April 14, 2025

ADMIN

By Francesca Hangeior

A Swiss citizen has been kidnapped in Niger, Switzerland’s foreign ministry told AFP, confirming information published by a Nigerien media outlet.

The foreign ministry said it had been “informed of the kidnapping of a Swiss citizen in Niger.

“The Swiss diplomatic mission in Niamey is in contact with the local authorities. Clarifications are under way.”

The governor of the Nigerien state of Agadez, General Ibra Boulama Issa, said the abduction happened in Agadez city, where an Austrian woman was kidnapped three months ago.

The general said “a foreign woman… of Swiss nationality” had been taken from her home there late Sunday.

In a statement, he also referenced the January 11 kidnapping of the Austrian.