International News

Foreign influence used as alibi in democracies: think tank

09 June, 2025 : Foreign interference in elections is a real concern but sometimes used as an "alibi" by democracies to divert attention from domestic issues, the head of a democracy think-tank said Monday. According to a new report by Stockholm-based International IDEA, disinformation and manipulation of social media algorithms to influence results are among the major threats to democracies during election campaigns. The threat is "exacerbated by the explicit willingness of domestic, foreign and non-state actors to engage in such activities", the report said, highlighting states such as China, Russia and Iran. Among 54 elections covered in 2024, 80 percent experienced "deliberate campaigns of disinformation trying to shape the electoral result", IDEAs Secretary General Kevin Casas-Zamora told AFP. However, when politicians blame foreign influence, it risks diverting the debate from real issues, and whether such campaigns "succeeded or not is anybodys guess", he added. "The question of inequality, the question of how a lot of citizens feel left behind and that theyre not being heard by their political institutions, deserves probably at least as much attention as the external threats that come in the shape of foreign interference or disinformation," Casas-Zamora said. "The excessive emphasis on foreign interference is a kind of alibi, its a kind of convenient explanation to excuse domestic political actors from their responsibility to rethink the working of democracy and make sure that it delivers for citizens." For Casas-Zamora, it is equally urgent to question and analyse the shortcomings fuelling the loss of citizens trust in their political institutions, if "we care about the future of democracy". In 2024, about 1.6 billion people voted in 74 national elections worldwide, demonstrating a strong willingness among populations to make their voices heard, even though trust in politics remains "in short supply," he said. "Arguably, the most important source of mistrust in political institutions is the performance of the state in delivering public goods and services," the Costa Rican former politician said. "Because thats what shapes the relationship of citizens with state institutions."

Colombian presidential contender has successful surgery after shooting

08 June, 2025 : A prominent Colombian right-wing presidential candidate who was shot during a campaign event in Bogota has successfully undergone initial surgery, the citys mayor said Sunday. Thirty-nine-year-old Senator Miguel Uribe was speaking to supporters in the capital when a gunman shot him twice in the head and once in the knee before being detained. A security guard managed to detain the suspected attacker, a minor who is believed to be 15 years old. Uribe was airlifted to hospital in "critical condition" and underwent a "neurosurgical" and "peripheral vascular procedure," the Santa Fe Clinic in Bogota confirmed. He "overcame the first surgical procedure," Bogota mayor Carlos Fernando Galan told media, adding that he had entered "the critical hours" of recovery. His wife, in an audio recording shared with media, said "he came out well from the surgery." "He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life," she is heard saying. Images from the scene of the shooting showed Uribe slumped against the hood of a white car, smeared with blood, as a group of men tried to hold him and stop the bleeding. The suspect was injured in the affray and was receiving treatment, said police director Carlos Fernando Triana. Two others -- a man and a woman -- were also wounded, and a Glock-style firearm was seized. "Our hearts are broken, Colombia hurts," Carolina Gomez, a 41-year-old businesswoman, told AFP as she prayed with candles for Uribes health. - Day of pain - The motive for the attack is not yet publicly known. Colombias defense minister Pedro Sanchez vowed to use law enforcements full capabilities and offered a roughly US$725,000 reward for information about who was behind the shooting. In a video address to the nation posted on social media, President Gustavo Petro also promised investigations to find the perpetrators of the "day of pain". "What matters most today is that all Colombians focus with the energy of our hearts, with our will to live ... on ensuring that Dr Miguel Uribe stays alive." In an earlier statement, Petro condemned the violence as "an attack not only against his person, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia." The shooting was similarly condemned across the political spectrum and from overseas, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it "a direct threat to democracy." But Rubio also pointed blame at Petro, claiming the attack was the "result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government." "President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials," the top US diplomat said. Uribe, a strong critic of Petro, is a member of the Democratic Center party, which announced last October his intention to run in the 2026 presidential election. Authorities said there was no specific threat made against the politician before the incident. Like many public figures in Colombia, Uribe had close personal protection. The country is home to several armed guerrilla groups, powerful cartels and has a long history of political violence. - Shot from behind - Uribe is the son of Diana Turbay, a famed Colombian journalist who was killed after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobars Medellin Cartel. One of his grandfathers was president Julio Cesar Turbay, who led the country from 1978 to 1982. Supporters gathered outside the Bogota hospital, lighting candles and clutching crucifixes as they prayed for his recovery. Uribes party said in a statement Saturday that an "armed individual" had shot the senator from behind. The party leader, former president Alvaro Uribe, described the shooting as an attack against "a hope for the country." Miguel Uribe -- who is not related to Alvaro -- has been a senator since 2022. He previously served as Bogotas government secretary and city councilor. He also ran for city mayor in 2019, but lost that election.

Italy holds referendum on citizenship, workers rights

08 June, 2025 : Italians vote on Sunday and Monday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labour laws, with Giorgia Melonis government opposing both changes and urging people to abstain. A non-EU adult resident without marriage or blood ties to Italy must currently live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship -- a process which can then take years. The referendum proposal, triggered by a grassroots campaign led by NGOs, would cut this to five years, putting Italy in line with Germany and France. Campaigners say around 2.5 million people could benefit from the reform, which is being backed by the centre-left Democratic Party. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting illegal immigration even while increasing the number of legal work visas for migrants, is strongly against it. She said Thursday that the current system "is an excellent law, among the most open, in the sense that we have for years been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year". More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number in 2020 and one fifth of the European Union total, according to EU statistics. More than 90 percent were from outside the bloc, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil -- two countries with large Italian immigrant communities. Ministers agreed in March to restrict the rights to citizenship of those with blood ties to Italy from four to two generations. Meloni and her coalition partners have encouraged voters to boycott the referendum, which will only be valid if 50 percent of eligible voters plus one participate. Even if it passes, the reform will not affect the migration law many consider the most unfair, that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18. Prominent rapper Ghali, who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents, has been an outspoken advocate changing the law for children, but nevertheless urged fans to back Sundays vote as a step in the right direction. "With a Yes we ask that five years of life here are enough, not 10, to be part of this country," he wrote on Instagram. - Interests of workers - Under Italys constitution, a referendum can be triggered by a petition signed by at least 500,000 voters. This weeks ballot includes one question on citizenship and four others on increasing protections for workers who are dismissed, in precarious situations or involved in workplace accidents. The changes are being pushed by the left-wing CGIL trade union. "We want to reverse a culture that has prioritised the interests of business over those of workers," CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini told AFP. The Democratic Party is also backing the proposals -- even if it introduced some of the laws the CGIL wants to repeal while in office in the past. The proposals are notably aimed at measures of the so-called Jobs Act, passed a decade ago by the government of the Democratic Party prime minister, Matteo Renzi, in order to liberalise the labour market. Supporters say the act boosted employment but detractors say it made work more precarious. Under new leadership, the Democratic Party -- which is polling at around 23 percent, behind Melonis Brothers of Italy at about 30 percent, according to an SWG survey this week -- is seeking to woo working-class voters by backing the referendum reform.

Trump deploys National Guard over LA immigration protests

08 June, 2025 : US President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 troops on Saturday to handle escalating protests against immigration enforcement raids in the Los Angeles area, a move the states governor termed "purposefully inflammatory." Federal agents clashed with angry crowds in a Los Angeles suburb as protests stretched into a second night Saturday, shooting flash-bang grenades and shutting part of a freeway amid raids on undocumented migrants, reports said. The standoff took place in Paramount, where demonstrators had gathered near a Home Depot that was being used as a staging area by federal immigration officials, the Fox 11 news outlet reported. They were met by federal agents in gas masks, who lobbed flash-bang grenades and tear gas at the crowd, according to news reports and social media posts. Since taking office in January, Republican Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants -- who he has likened to "monsters" and "animals." Late Saturday, Trump signed a memo deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen "to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs." About an hour before the White House confirmed the deployment, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he opposed the move. "That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions," he said on social media platform X. "We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need." The protests came a day after masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs. LA Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that some city residents were "feeling fear" following the federal immigration enforcement actions. "Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable," she said on X. - Roadblocks and chants - FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Fridays clashes. "You bring chaos, and well bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail," he said on X. On Saturday, amid chants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to get out, some protestors waved Mexican flags while others set a US flag on fire, the Los Angeles Times reported. Cement blocks and overturned shopping carts served as crude roadblocks. A crowd swarmed a US Marshals Service bus exiting a nearby freeway, with authorities later closing on and off ramps to keep protesters from taking over the highway and to stop new people from flowing in. The White House has taken a hard line against the protests, with deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller calling them "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." Los Angeles, the second-most populous city in the United States, is one of the most diverse metropolises in the country. The suburb of Paramount, home to about 50,000 people, is 82 percent Hispanic or Latino, according to US Census data.

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