NewsFeed Colombians headed to the polls to choose a new president in a high-stakes election that will determine whether the country continues the left-wing agenda launched by Gustavo Petro or shifts back to the political right. Published On 31 May 202631 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link
Following the strike, President Nikos Christodoulides called for talks on the future of the “colonial” bases, with Cypriot diplomats expressing “disappointment” at the lack of information-sharing around the incident. It also reopened the issue of how Britain should be allowed to use the bases, with Cyprus calling on the support of fellow EU countries. In March, the European Council gathering EU leaders said it “acknowledges the intention of Cyprus to initiate a discussion with the UK on the UK bases in Cyprus and stands ready to provide assistance as needed.” Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides speaks to the media ahead of a European Council summit in Ayia Napa on April 23, 2026. | Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images Marc Weller, director of the international law program at Chatham House, said: “Cyprus argues that the U.K. only retained more limited authority relating to defense. While the U.K. view [of full sovereignty] is legally correct, the Iran episode will offer an opportunity for Cyprus to reignite this debate.” The Farage factor Cypriot concerns worsened after Farage initially backed …
But some critics have asserted that Harris and other top-level Democrats may have avoided the race to dodge any association with California’s heated political battles. In addition to its persistent struggles with homelessness and housing costs, the state faces a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. Republicans like Hilton and Bianco lay those problems at the feet of the state’s Democratic leadership. “We need a change from those policies, not more of the same,” Hilton said during a May gubernatorial debate. But the Democratic leaders argue their party has steered the state through multiple crises, without Republican help. “It’s been Democrats that have led the state over the last 10-plus years — that have addressed issues like affordability and healthcare and public safety and education,” Hicks said. “Certainly, the other party in the mix, the California Republicans, have done little to nothing to provide any sort of a meaningful alternative.” The winners of Tuesday’s primary will likely be candidates who best sell their plan to improve California’s cost-of-living problem. Throughout the election season, Emerson College has identified the …
Abela called a snap election in April, four years into his five-year term, amid fears the war in Iran and the ensuing economic shock could erode support for his government. Alex Borg, leader of the opposition Nationalists Party, appeared to concede defeat on Sunday, saying the outcome was “not the result we wanted, but it’s a very clear message.” Abela’s victory was widely expected, with polling ahead of Saturday’s vote showing his Labour Party on top. Still, the Labour Party’s majority appeared to be considerably smaller than its last victory in 2022, with around 18,000 votes separating the government from the opposition. The election was fiercely fought and drew some surprise interventions from Brussels, with Malta’s EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who was Abela’s chief of staff, controversially endorsing the prime minister in a campaign speech, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola appearing at campaign stops alongside Borg. Source link
In Peru, hundreds of demonstrators marched through Lima on Saturday to protest against Keiko Fujimori’s candidacy and her family’s political dynasty. They fear that, if elected, she will continue her father’s authoritarian regime. Keiko Fujimori came out on top in the first round of the presidential election and will face left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez in the second round on June 7. Details by Eliza Herbert. Keywords for this article Source link
Labour Party secures historic fourth term in Malta amid geopolitical and economic instability concerns. Published On 31 May 202631 May 2026 Malta’s Labour Party (PL) has won an unprecedented fourth term in a victory for Prime Minister Robert Abela, a sample of vote counts showed. Preliminary results gave the election to PL, officials at the counting hall in Naxxar said on Sunday, as fireworks were set off across the tiny Mediterranean island. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “This is a victory of all the people based on the programme we presented for all the people,” Abela told reporters, saying results showed his party had “won a strong mandate”. “Let us maintain the spirit of national unity and move the country forward together,” he said. Journalists following the vote count said PL had won a comfortable parliamentary majority, although it appeared to be narrower than in 2022, when it took 55 percent of all ballots cast. The election was held on Saturday and saw a turnout of 87.4 percent, slightly up from the …
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Colombians milled into voting stations on Sunday in the first round of the South American nation’s presidential election, choosing between candidates with radically diverging visions for the future of peace in a country haunted by decades of armed conflict. The vote, seen as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, comes 10 years after Colombia signed an historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. That agreement offered hope to break the nation out of a vicious cycle of fighting between rebel groups and the government but violence has roared back since then, coming to a head in the lead-up to the presidential vote. Criminal groups have increasingly launched drone strikes, armed attacks have plagued the race and last June, 39-year-old politician and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was fatally shot at a political rally. In a country where the fight for peace has long been a part of the political ethos, the question of how to address the conflict is once again dividing …
“After literature, the censor Bolloré now wants to control filmmaking. It is unacceptable to allow a billionaire to threaten artists in this way,” said hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, threatening to dismantle Bolloré’s empire. Socialist leader Olivier Faure slammed the move by Canal+ as a sign that “the far right has never liked freedom, creativity, or public service.” More diplomatically, Culture Minister Catherine Pégard regretted Canal+’s “disproportionate, to say the least” reaction to “the very real concerns that were raised.” The conservative mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, slammed the artists as masochists for “biting the hand that feeds them.” Canal+ declined POLITICO’s request for comment, but Bolloré’s son, Cyrille, president of the Bolloré group, brushed off fears on Wednesday that Canal+ would choose projects based on political orientation. “No, there is no political project,” he said. France’s Citizen Kane The uproar has illustrated how deeply connected French cinema is to Canal+, which financed seven of the nine movies that won awards at Cannes this year, including the prestigious Palme d’Or. Source link
His campaign mirrors the very successful campaign of centrist liberal Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten in October 2025, which focused on optimism about the future and prioritizing the young generations, while exalting a sense of national pride. “My first promise is that we will once again become Europe’s leading power within six years. That is our rank, our place, our destiny,” he said, also vowing to make France the leading European country in artificial intelligence. Attal is following incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron as the presidential candidate of the centrist liberal Renaissance party, which he heads. After almost 10 years of Macron governments and dwindling popularity, Attal is seeking to distance himself from Macron to frame his candidacy as one of change and reform. The 37-year-old politician served as prime minister under Macron from January-September 2024. He was the youngest prime minister in French history and the first openly gay. The latest polls put Attal in fourth place at 13 percent of popular vote, preceded by far-right French Rally candidate Jordan Bardella, center-right Édouard Philippe, …
A driver refuels a vehicle with regular gasoline at a Shell gas station in Hercules, California, May 21, 2026. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images For some Americans’ finances, the Iran war was over almost as soon as it began. Those with access to stocks — a majority of Americans have some, though the ultrawealthy have most — saw the S&P 500 dip about 8% when the war started, only for it to bounce 19% starting in late March, more than making up its losses. The index is now up 10.7% for the year, which if it held would make for the fourth consecutive year of double-digit stock increases. President Donald Trump has been quick to trumpet these gains. “We have 401(k)s at their all-time high, highest they’ve ever been, and that goes along with the stock market, which is the highest it’s ever been,” Trump said at a televised Cabinet meeting this week, repeating a refrain he has adopted to celebrate market wins. That is all despite the war, he said. But …
