International

Argentina: candidates prepare for internal political party elections

Photo: AP

May 29 |

On June 4, the internal elections of the political parties in Argentina will be held, which will define the formulas that will compete in the August primaries and in the general elections in October to elect the new president.

In the midst of a serious economic crisis and a social unrest that could lead the government to suffer a heavy defeat, according to opinion polls, the candidates are toughening their speeches and intensifying their campaigns.

The liberals, for the first time in history, capture the young vote and the so-called ‘angry vote’ of the society, they lead the polls, with their referent the economist Javier Milei, with an incendiary message.

“We are going to bet on a system that is going to take the machine away from the criminals of the politicians,” said Milei. “The main beneficiaries of the little machine that generates inflation are the crooks of the political caste, because it is the one that has financed the political caste and during the first two years of President Alberto Fernández they have looted (stolen) 11 points of the GDP from us.”

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Kirchnerism has already differentiated itself from the current government and is presenting a pro-government candidate, the current Minister of the Interior, Wado de Pedro, who is seeking to gain followers for the Frente de Todos party.

“As Cristina Fernández de Kirchner rightly said, it is necessary to take the marshal’s baton, because there is a generation that is good for Argentina to refresh its leadership. New generations appear in businessmen, in the media, in the trade unions”, argues the candidate.

From the opposition, there is a possibility of recovering governorships, mayorships, legislative seats and even the presidency, with a tough message.

The former Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, from the right-wing Republican Proposal (Pro), says that “to adjust means to shrink a State that grew 100% in the last 20 years, and that took away the wealth of all Argentines, to create a bureaucracy, bigger and bigger, that went from 23% of the GDP to 42% and that left you absolutely nothing”.

“It did not give you better health, better housing, better education… so, I do not enter into the language of Kirchnerism”, he added.

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The current mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, of Juntos por el Cambio, is the most moderate candidate with more experience in administration, and seeks to give guarantees of governability.

“Here the important thing is a development plan. We are going to make Argentina produce again, we are going to open new markets in the world because it needs our food, our oil, gas and we are going to modernize the labor system. Today it is a catastrophe and I am convinced that Argentina will stop suffering”, he recently promised.

The August primary elections will be decisive to measure the political pulse and to see who has real chances of winning.

International

Death toll from southern Spain train crash rises to 40

The death toll from the train accident that occurred on Sunday in southern Spain has risen to 40, according to investigative sources cited by EFE on Monday afternoon.

Since early Monday, search operations have focused on the damaged carriages of a Renfe train bound for Huelva, which collided with the last derailed cars of an Iryo train traveling from Málaga to Madrid after it left the tracks.

The crash has also left more than 150 people injured. Of these, 41 remain hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care units at hospitals across the Andalusia region.

More than 220 Civil Guard officers are working at the site, searching the railway line and surrounding areas for key evidence to help identify victims and determine the causes of the accident.

The tragedy has revived memories of the deadliest railway disasters in Europe in recent decades. In Spain, the most severe occurred on July 24, 2013, when an Alvia train derailed near Santiago de Compostela, killing 80 people and injuring 130 others.

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At the European level, the worst rail disaster took place on June 3, 1998, in Eschede, northern Germany, when a high-speed train struck a bridge pillar at 200 kilometers per hour, resulting in 98 deaths and 120 injuries.

International

Spain’s Prime Minister pledges transparency after train crash kills at least 39

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged on Monday to ensure “absolute transparency” regarding the causes of a train crash that killed at least 39 people on Sunday in southern Spain, warning that the death toll could still rise.

The fatal accident occurred in the Andalusia region, where the number of confirmed deaths reached 39 by Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.

Authorities were preparing to deploy heavy machinery to lift several derailed train cars. “We are waiting for cranes to be installed this morning to lift cars one, two and three of the Alvia train, which suffered the most damage,” said Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno Bonilla on regional television. “It is likely that once they are lifted, we may find more victims,” he added.

The disaster also left more than 120 people injured. As of Monday afternoon, 43 victims remained hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care, according to emergency services.

International

Over 160 christian worshippers kidnapped in Kaduna Church attacks

More than 160 Christian worshippers were abducted on Sunday during coordinated attacks carried out by armed gangs on two churches in a remote village in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, according to a cleric and a United Nations report accessed by AFP on Monday.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has witnessed a renewed surge in mass kidnappings since November, prompting the United States government to carry out military strikes on Christmas Day in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

U.S. President Donald Trump accused Nigerian armed groups of targeting Christians, describing the violence as a form of “genocide” against the religious community.

According to Reverend Joseph Hayab, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the north, the attackers arrived in large numbers, blocked access to the churches, and forced worshippers to flee into nearby forests.

“The attackers came in large numbers, sealed off the entrances to the churches, and drove the faithful into the bush,” Hayab told AFP.