- The Guardian
- Issue #2144
MEXICO: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected US President Trump’s proposals to send US troops to Mexico to help her administration fight drug trafficking. Speaking at a recent university event she explained her refusal. “And you know what I told him? No, President Trump, the territory is sacrosanct, sovereignty is sacrosanct, sovereignty is not for sale, sovereignty is lived and defended.” The Mexican President also pointed out that while the two countries can collaborate, “we will never accept the presence of the United States military in our territory.”
UN: The United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other top EU officials should face prosecution for complicity in war crimes committed during Israel’s war on Gaza. “They will have to understand that immunity cannot equate with impunity,” Ms Albanese said. “I am not someone who says ‘History will judge them’ – they will have to be judged before then.” A complaint was filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Ursula von der Leyen for complicity in war crimes in Gaza, as critics accuse top EU officials, including foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, of supporting Israel’s actions despite international legal obligations to prevent genocide.
ROMANIA: George Simion has topped the first round of Romania’s presidential election re-run. Simion, who leads the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, will face off against the mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, in a 18 May run-off. With 99 per cent of the votes counted, Simion had 40.5 per cent of the vote, compared to Dan’s 20.9 per cent. Simion opposes military aid to neighbouring Ukraine, is critical of the European Union leadership and says he is aligned with United States President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. The Constitutional Court earlier nullified the result of the last election won by NATO critic Cailin Georgescu, who was also banned from contesting last Sunday’s re-run.
ISRAEL: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was forced to abandon a planned visit to Azerbaijan after Türkiye refused to allow his plane to enter its air space. Netanyahu was supposed to travel to Baku for talks with President Ilham Aliyev. However, his office said that the visit had been cancelled due to a “tight political and security schedule” and developments in Gaza and Syria.
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) won another landslide in last week’s general elections, extending its 66-year unbroken rule in a huge boost for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The Election Department announced the PAP won 82 Parliamentary seats. The Party had earlier won five seats uncontested, giving it 87 out of a total of 97 seats. The opposition Workers Party maintained its 10 seats.
TÜRKİYE: Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Türkiye’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, was attacked as he left the Ataturk Cultural Centre in Istanbul. He was attending a memorial for Sirri Sureyya Ouder, a pro-Kurdish politician. The attacker was detained, according to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Ozel was not harmed.
