Even before kicking off a three-day visit to Madrid, Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei has stirred controversy, accusing the socialist government of bringing “poverty and death” to Spain and weighing in on corruption allegations against the prime minister’s wife. In such circumstances, a typical visiting head of state may strive to mend fences with diplomacy. Not Milei. The brash economist has no plans to meet Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during his three days in the Spanish capital — nor the Spanish king or any other government official. Instead, he’ll attend a far-right summit Sunday hosted by Sánchez’s fiercest political opponent, the Vox party.
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A 30-year-old prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead. Mohamed Amra has a long and violent criminal history that has now culminated in a high-profile search. Amra was born in Rouen and had a colorful adolescence marked by early run-ins with the law. The Paris public prosecutor says Amra's first offenses occurred between the ages of 11 and 14. They involved violence, theft and extortion. He grew up in a troubled environment in Normandy and he quickly became entangled in a life of crime.
Sen. Bob Menendez sat by himself at a defense table as prospective jurors were interviewed by a judge in a back room for a second day at his New York corruption trial. Judge Sidney H. Stein has been speaking with individuals who say they can't sit at a trial projected to stretch to July. The Democrat has pleaded not guilty to bribery, extortion, fraud and obstruction of justice, along with acting as a foreign agent of Egypt. Prosecutors say he and his wife accepted bribes, including gold bars, cash and a luxury car, from three businessmen in exchange for official acts.
A former Australian army lawyer has been sentenced to almost six years in prison for leaking classified information that exposed allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. David McBride was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to three charges including theft and sharing secret documents with the media. McBride’s documents formed the basis of an Australian Broadcasting Corp. series in 2017 that contained war crime allegations including Australian Special Air Service Regiment soldiers killing unarmed Afghan men and children in 2013. Rights advocates argued that McBride’s conviction and sentencing before any alleged war criminal he helped expose reflected Australia's lack of whistleblower protections.
Jury selection is scheduled to start in the trial of Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat charged with accepting bribes of gold and cash to use his influence to aid three New Jersey businessmen. The 70-year-old Menendez is expected to stand trial beginning Monday in Manhattan federal court along with two of the businessmen. A third has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify at a trial slated to last up to two months. Menendez has insisted he is not guilty of charges including bribery, extortion and fraud. Although his wife is also charged in the case, her trial has been postponed until at least July.
South African police are investigating if former President Jacob Zuma’s new political party forged supporters’ signatures to register for national elections next month. The MK Party has been embroiled in legal cases over whether it and Zuma are eligible to contest the May 29 elections. It could be the most pivotal vote in South Africa in the last 30 years. Zuma rocked South African politics when he joined the MK Party as its de facto leader and said he would be campaigning against the African National Congress he once led. The ANC forced Zuma to step down as president in 2018 over corruption allegations.
Spain is in suspense as it waits for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to announce whether he will continue in office or leave. Sánchez shocked the country last week when he said he was taking five days off to think about his future after a court opened preliminary proceedings against his wife on corruption allegations. The legal complaint against his wife Begoña Gómez was filed by a well-known far right-wing legal platform that says Gómez used her position to influence business deals. The Clean Hands group admitted the complaint was based on newspaper articles. Spanish prosecutors say it should be thrown out. But Sánchez said it was too personal an attack on his family and he needed time to decide his priorities.
Japan's governing party has lost all three seats being contested in parliamentary by-elections Sunday. The result is being considered punishment by voters for a longstanding Liberal Democratic Party corruption scandal that has undermined Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s leadership. Final vote counts showed the liberal-leaning main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan won the three seats in Shimane, Nagasaki and Tokyo. The governing party is unlikely to lose power because the opposition is fractured. However, the loss could reduce Kishida’s clout and make the LDP consider changing leaders ahead of the next general election. The next election for party leader is in September. The current term for the lower house expires in October 2025.
A Ukrainian court has ordered the detention of the country’s farm minister in the latest high-profile corruption investigation. The minister is suspected of unlawfully obtaining valuable land. Officials said he was released after paying bail. Ukraine is trying to root out corruption that has long dogged the country. Also Friday, Kyiv security officials were assessing how they can recover lost battlefield momentum in the war. Russia, despite sustaining high losses, has been taking control of small settlements as part of its effort to drive deeper into eastern Ukraine. Military analysts say it’s been slow going for the Kremlin’s troops in eastern Ukraine and is likely to stay that way, but the key hilltop town of Chasiv Yar is vulnerable to the Russian onslaught.
Vietnamese state media outlet VN Express reports that the head of Vietnam’s Parliament, Vuong Dinh Hue, has resigned. He is the latest member of senior government to leave office amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign. Hue’s resignation takes places days after his assistant Pham Thai Ha was arrested on charges of abusing his position and power for personal gain, according to various state media outlets. Hue, 67, had been the chairman of Vietnam’s national assembly for over three years. The chairman of the national assembly is the fourth most important politician in Vietnam, along with the President, the Prime Minister and the head of the Communist Party.
