International

Electoral process underway in Argentina for October’s general elections

Photo: Reuters

April 13 |

Argentina will start its electoral calendar on August 12 with political party primaries for the general elections of October 22, where the president of the Republic, the mayor of Buenos Aires and 21 governors will be elected.

In addition, 130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 24 senators, mayors, legislators and municipal councilors will also be renewed. An election that may totally change the political map of the country and its projection towards foreign relations.

In the midst of strong controversies and cross declarations, the candidates are presenting their proposals and a very close election is expected in the midst of a deep economic and insecurity crisis with the increase of delinquency and crimes.

Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, mayor of Buenos Aires and presidential candidate for Juntos por el Cambio, says it is difficult to fight against the population’s distrust.

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“We have to fight against people’s disenchantment, because when you have 100 % inflation, when people are afraid to go out in the street because of insecurity, when you have 40 % poverty, there is a weariness with the whole system”, he stated.

Economist Javier Milei, presidential candidate for Avanza Libertad, is the great surprise of the election, and manages to unite from the Republican Party those who are angry with politics as well as independents.

“Let the people choose what system they want, it’s all the same to me. I feel (that) in the second round I beat everybody, let them cheat as much as they want. I don’t care. I am against the political caste. Guys who make politics and do bad things to the people”, said Milei.

From Peronism emerges a candidate with a lot of political experience, Daniel Scioli, current ambassador in Brazil and presidential candidate for Frente para la Victoria.

“I hope that the Argentine people take advantage of this possibility, because what is again under discussion is the shock of adjustment or productive investment, and I believe that from there comes the solution”, proposed Scioli.

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There is also a woman of character and with a tough discourse that seeks to gain followers. She is Patricia Bullrich, former Minister of Security and candidate of Propuesta Republicana (PRO), a center-right alliance founded by former President Mauricio Macri.

She says that “the big mistake is to have duplicated the State and there are more poor people because they are maintained by the private country. There are more and more taxes, companies are leaving the country, they attack those who produce and we are poorer and poorer”.

However, in spite of the problems facing the country, President Alberto Fernandez is seeking re-election and told Spanish television.

“If there is something that happens to us Peronists is that we never give up, they killed us a thousand times, they persecuted us, they disappeared us, they overthrew us again and again, we do not know how to give up”.

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International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.