Mysterious series of deaths among Russian oligarchs

Seven Russian oligarchs, many involved with oil and gas, have recently died under mysterious circumstances. Though suicide is officially suspected, speculation about the Kremlin's involvement abounds.

Gazprombank executive and oligarch Vladislav Avayev was found dead in his home

April 19, Lloret de Mar, Catalunya: The Spanish police received a telephone call from Fedor Protosenya, the son of a Russian oligarch, whose family owns a villa in the area. He reported that he had been trying for hours to call his mother from France but that no one was picking up the phone. When the police arrived at the family property, they were met with the bodies of Protosenya's parents and sister. The police initially assumed that his father, the millionaire Sergei Protosenya, had stabbed the women and then hung himself in the garden of the villa — but it didn't take long for doubts to surface about that course of events. 

Russian oligarch Sergei Protosenya was found dead with his family their house in Spain

One day earlier, police in Moscow, about 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) away from the coastal city in Spain, also made a gruesome discovery: Vladislav Avayev, another millionaire, and his wife and 13-year-old daughter were found dead in their luxury apartment. The Russian state news agency Tass reported that Avayev had a pistol in his hand. He is suspected by authorities of shooting his wife and his daughter before taking his own life. 

The incidents took place within 24 hours of each other, and the presumed courses of events are strikingly similar. Moreover, Protosenya and Avayev were both multimillionaire oligarchs from the highest ranks of the Russian oil and gas industries. Protosenya was at one point the deputy chairman of the natural gas company Novatek, while Avayev served as vice president of Gazprombank. 

Their deaths were the latest in a series of mysterious deaths of Russian oligarchs — primarily from the energy sector — that have taken place in 2022. 

In late January, a month before Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Leonid Schulman, a 60-year-old high-level manager at Gazprom, reportedly committed suicide. Then, on February 25, Alexander Tyulyakov, another former manager at the energy giant, was found hanging dead in his house in St. Petersburg. Three days later, the Ukraine-born gas and oil magnate Mikhail Watford was also found hanging dead in the garage of his country estate in Surrey, southern England. 

On March 24, the billionaire Vasily Melnikov, head of the giant medical supply company MedStom, was found dead alongside hie wife, Galina, and their two young sons in their multimillion-dollar apartment in the Russian city of Ninzhni Novgorod. The details of their deaths also parallel those of Protosenya and Avayev.

And, finally, there is the case of Andrei Krukovsky. The 37-year-old was the director of the ski resort Krasnaya Polyana, located near Sochi. Russian President Vladimir Putin is said to have repeatedly invited his guests to ski there. According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Krukovsky was out hiking on May 2 when he fell from a cliff to his death. 

RUSSIA'S OLIGARCHS AND THEIR SPORTS INVESTMENTS
Roman Abramovich (Chelsea)
56-year-old Roman Abramovich was the first Russian billionaire to make a foray into the sports world. His 2003 purchase of Chelsea transformed the Premier League side and created the blueprint for the acquisition of sporting assets by wealthy individuals. Chelsea have since won five league titles and two Champions Leagues, but Abramovich's UK assets have now been frozen by the government.
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'Senior Kremlin-linked people'?

The mysterious deaths of seven superrich Russians in just three months under such gruesome circumstances have opened the door to all kinds of speculation. Numerous media outlets have surmised that the suicides could have been faked. Some of them have even gone so far as to suggest that the Kremlin, or even Putin himself, may have been involved in some way. 

Alexei Navalny, an outspoken Putin critic, was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020

There have been multiple dramatic assassination attempts on Kremlin critics in recent years. In August 2020, opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent while at the Tomsk airport. Two years earlier, Sergei Skripal, the former head of the Russia's GRU intelligence agency, had been similarly poisoned. Both Navalny and Skripal survived. In 2006, Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian security officer who had defected to the UK, was fatally poisoned with radioactive polonium in London. 

In 2017, the US newspaper USA Today published the results of an investigation stating that at least 38 oligarchs had died or gone missing over the course of three years. 

Former spy Alexander Litvinenko wrote books exposing the mechanisms inside Russia

What is striking about the 2022 incidents is that none of the deceased oligarchs was known to have made critical public remarks about the invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, none of them was on the international sanctions lists that were drawn up in the aftermath of the invasion.

A recently published post from the Warsaw Institute, a Polish think thank focused on Russia and security policy, stated that both the Russian police and Gazprom's security services quickly launched investigations into the deaths that occurred within Russia. "Possibly some senior Kremlin-linked people are now covering up the traces of fraud in state-run companies," a post on the institute's Russia Monitor site read.

There is no evidence to back this theory or speculation about violent involvement by a third party. And so, in the case of Sergei Protosenya, the Spanish police continue to presume that the deaths were murder-suicide. However, Fedor Protosenya doesn't believe that this was the case. "My father is not a killer," he told various British media. 

This article was originally written in German.

If you are suffering from serious emotional strain or suicidal thoughts, do not hesitate to seek professional help. You can find information on where to find such help, no matter where you live in the world, at this website: https://www.befrienders.org/

Putin blasts 'Nazi filth' in Ukraine in Victory Day remarks

THE BIGGEST SOURCE OF NAZI FILTH WAS EAST GERMANY COMRADE

STILL IS

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a concert marking the anniversary of Crimea's annexation by Russia at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow in March. Putin on Sunday blasted “Nazi filth” in Ukraine in remarks he made to commemorate Victory Day, the 77th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. File Photo by Sergei Guneyev/EPA-EFE


May 8 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted "Nazi filth" in Ukraine in remarks he made to commemorate Victory Day, the 77th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Putin's remarks also noted that he sent congratulatory messages to the Russian appointed heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, which together make up the Donbas region, for "fighting shoulder to shoulder for the liberation of their native land."

In the last month, Russia has refocused its fighting in the Donbas region, which has largely been held by Russian-backed separatists since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Putin had recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics in the days before the invasion.

"Today, the common duty is to prevent the revival of Nazism, which brought so much suffering to people from different countries," Putin said in the messages, according to a press release from the Kremlin.

"It is necessary to preserve and pass on to posterity the truth about the events of the war years, common spiritual values and traditions of fraternal friendship."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday met with Bärbel Blas, the president of Germany's parliament, in Kyiv as the countries commemorated the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945.

The visit by Blas was the first by a German official since the countries mended a diplomatic disagreement over a decision by Ukrainian officials last month to uninvite federal president Frank-Walter Steinmeier over his past Russian ties.

During the meeting, Zelensky thanked Germany for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, according to a press release.

Zelensky and Blas also discussed further assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of sanctions against Russia as the war continues, as well as the movement toward membership in the European Union.

Putin's comments on Victory Day came as Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, released a video message in which she said that "the Russian invasion of Ukraine reminds us why we are celebrating Europe Day tomorrow."

"My fellow Europeans, today our continent encounters shadows of a past we thought we had long left behind -- an atrocious war, senseless aggression and destroyed cities," von der Leyen said.

"Europe stands at the side of Ukraine. At the same time the Kremlins invasion reminds us why we're celebrating Europe Day -- the day when our peaceful, prosperous and united Europe was born."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also released a video message for Victory Day in which he remembered the Ukrainians who have died during Russia's invasion.

"As we remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and our futures, we also think of those who've died and suffered in Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine," Johnson said.

"Our respect and gratitude to those who have fought in previous conflicts strengthens our determination to support the people of Ukraine in their struggle. We won't forget the sacrifices that have been made over the generations to ensure peace and freedom in Europe."

Trudeau visits Irpin as diplomats, politicians return to Ukraine


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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Irpin, Ukraine, on Sunday as a slew of diplomats and politicians traveled to the country ahead of Victory in Europe Day. 

Photo courtesy Oleksandr Markushyn/Facebook

May 8 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Ukraine on Sunday as a slew of diplomats and politicians traveled to the country ahead of Victory in Europe Day.

Trudeau announced his visit in a message on Twitter and said that he had traveled with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.

"We're here to show our support for Ukraine and its people," Trudeau said. "Our message to President [Volodymyr Zelensky] and Ukrainians is this: Canada will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine."

His visit was confirmed by Oleksandr Markushyn, the mayor of the Kyiv suburb of Irpin. The town suffered destruction as Russian forces attempted to assault the capital before refocusing the war to eastern Ukraine.

"He came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horror that the Russian occupiers had done to our city," Markushyn said.

"And, of course, he was shocked. After all, he saw burned and completely destroyed not military facilities, but the homes of Irpin residents, who until recently enjoyed life and had their own plans for the future."


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Irpin, Ukraine, on Sunday.

 Photo courtesy Oleksandr Markushyn/Facebook

Markushyn thanked Trudeau for Canada's support for the country and said he believed the country's would continue to cooperate as Ukrainians work to rebuild their cities.

Trudeau's visit came as first lady Jill Biden on Sunday also made an unannounced trip to Ukraine where she met with first lady Olena Zelenska, the wife of President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a school near the border with Slovakia.

Kristina Kvien, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, returned to Kyiv on Sunday with a group of diplomats for the first time since before Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

Zelensky on Sunday met with Bärbel Blas, the president of Germany's parliament, in Kyiv as the countries commemorated the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945.

The visit by Blas was the first by a German official since the countries mended a diplomatic disagreement over a decision by Ukrainian officials last month to uninvite federal president Frank-Walter Steinmeier over his past Russian ties.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also visited Ukraine on Sunday and met with Zelensky, who thanked him for his support of Ukraine.

"Croatia is a principled member of our anti-war coalition," Zelensky said. "Together we defend the right not only of our citizens, not only of the citizens of Ukraine, but also of every European nation to an independent and democratic life."

Zelensky said he discussed with Plenković a sixth sanctions package from the European Union and membership in the international organization.

Masud Gharahkhani, the president of Norway's unicameral legislature, also met with Zelensky on Sunday and said he was "deeply shocked" by the Russian occupation in Irpin and Bucha in the Kyiv region.

Jill Biden makes unannounced visit to Ukraine


First lady Jill Biden on Sunday made an unannounced trip to Ukraine where she met with first lady Olena Zelenska, the wife of President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a school near the border with Slovakia. Photo courtesy Jill Biden/Twitter

May 8 (UPI) -- First lady Jill Biden on Sunday made an unannounced trip to Ukraine where she met with first lady Olena Zelenska, the wife of President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a school near the border with Slovakia.

"On this Mother's Day, my heart is with you, First Lady Olena Zelenska, and all of the brave and resilient mothers of Ukraine," Biden said on Twitter after the visit.

In a photo shared by Biden, she can be seen carrying flowers for her Ukrainian counterpart as the women embrace in a hug.

Biden met with Zelenska at a school in Uzhhorod, a town just a few miles from the border with Slovakia which is being used as a shelter for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

"We understand what it takes for the U.S. first lady to come here during a war, where the military actions are taking place every day, where the air sirens are happening every day, even today," Zelenska told reporters after the hour-long visit.

Biden is the latest high-profile official to visit Ukraine after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation of lawmakers to the country last Sunday. Before Pelosi, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited with officials in Kyiv.


Jill Biden (2-R), accompanied by the wife of the President of Romania, Carmen Iohannis (L), meets with Ukrainian refugee children in their classroom in Bucharest, Romania, on Saturday. Her visit to Romania is part of a four-day trip to Romania and Slovakia to highlight the United States' commitment to Ukrainian refugees. Photo by Cristian Nistor/EPA-EFE
President Joe Biden, who has not visited Ukraine, made a trip to Warsaw, Poland, in March during which he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power."

Jill Biden's trip to Ukraine came amid a trip to Europe that included visiting with Ukrainian refugees in a school in Romania.

On Saturday, she visited Scoala Gimnaziala Uruguay, a Romanian school in Bucharest that had opened its classrooms to Ukrainian refugee students, alongside Romania's first lady Carmen lohannis.

Before crossing the border into Ukraine on Sunday, Biden -- a professor at Northern Virginia Community College -- had visited the Tomasikova Street School in Slovakia on Sunday to meet with students and teachers.

Jill Biden, right, has met with teachers and students in Slovakia and Romania during a trip to express the United States' support for refugees. Photo courtesy Jill Biden/Twitter

Dozens killed in raid on DR Congo gold mine: local sources

Sun, May 8, 2022

Local official Jean-Pierre Bikilisende of the rural Mungwalu settlement in Djugu, Ituri, a strife-torn northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo region pictured in January 2022, said the CODECO militia had carried out an attack on a mine

 (AFP/ALEXIS HUGUET)

Raiders killed at least 35 people including a baby in an attack on a gold mine in Ituri, in the strife-torn northeast of Democratic Republic of Congo, local sources said Sunday.

One local official, Jean-Pierre Bikilisende, of the rural Mungwalu settlement in Djugu, Ituri, said the CODECO militia had carried out the attack on the artisanal mine.

Bikilisende said the militia had attacked the Camp Blanquette gold mine and that 29 bodies had been retrieved, while another six burnt bodies had been found buried at the site.

Among the dead was a four-month-old baby, he added.

"This is a provisional toll," he said, as there had been other people killed whose bodies had been thrown down the mine shafts.

Several other civilians had been reported missing, he said. "The search continues."

Camp Blanquette was set up in a forest, far from the nearest military outpost, so help came too late, said Bikilisende.

Cherubin Kukundila, a civil leader in Mungwalu, said that at least 50 people had been killed in the raid.

Several people had been wounded, nine of them seriously. They were being treated at Mungwalu hospital, he told AFP.

During their attack, the raiders had ransacked shops, carried off what the miners had dug out of the mine and burned down houses, he added.

The Camp Blanquette mine lies seven kilometres (four miles) from Mungwalu.

- Years of violence -

CODECO -- the name for the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo -- is a political-religious sect that claims to represent the interests of the Lendu ethnic group.

The Lendu and Hema communities have a long-standing feud that led to thousands of deaths between 1999 and 2003 before intervention by a European peacekeeping force.

Violence then resumed in 2017, blamed on the emergence of CODECO.

CODECO is considered one of the deadliest of the militias operating in the east of the country, blamed for a number of ethnic massacres in the province of Ituri.

It has been held responsible for attacks on soldiers and civilians, including those fleeing the conflict and aid workers.

Its attacks have caused hundreds of deaths and prompted more than 1.5 million people to flee their homes.

Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province have been under a "state of siege" since May last year. The army and police have replaced senior administrators in a bid to stem attacks by armed groups.

Despite this, the authorities have been unable to stop the massacres regularly carried out on civilians.

Under pressure from local leaders in both Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu, who are boycotting parliament, DR Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi has decided to review the efficacy of the state of siege.

In April, 16 people, including nine soldiers, went on trial in DR Congo accused of selling weapons to CODECO. The trial is taking place at a military court in Ituri.

jpp-bmb/jj/imm

US begins issuing first visas in Cuba in more than 4 years
2022/5/3 
© Agence France-Presse

A small number of Cubans waited in line for the first visas issued in more than four years at the US embassy in Havana

Havana (AFP) - The US embassy in Cuba began issuing visas on Tuesday for the first time since alleged sonic attacks against diplomatic staff more than four years ago.

Washington closed its consular services in the Cuban capital in 2017 after US personnel and their families suffered from mystery illnesses subsequently known as "Havana Syndrome."

The closure was a huge blow to many Cubans hoping to emigrate to the United States and escape the economic woes of their island nation.

"Welcome to the embassy after so much time," said a Cuban employee to a small group of people waiting for their appointments in the consular section.

The United States announced two months ago it would begin a "limited" and "gradual" reopening of its embassy and consular services.

It was closed in September 2017 after then-US president Donald Trump hit out at the alleged sonic attacks.

A US government report in 2020 said the illnesses suffered by staff and their families were most likely caused by "directed, pulsed radio frequency (RF) energy."

"We're hoping that everything goes well. I've been waiting three years for this to rejoin my daughter" who is in the United States, said one man who spoke on condition of anonymity. "I haven't seen her for seven years."

Following the embassy closure, Cubans wishing to emigrate to the United States were obliged to overcome numerous obstacles, among them being forced to travel to Colombia or Guyana to submit a request.

Many instead opted to make the perilous journey through Central America and Mexico and enter the United States as undocumented migrants.

The US customs office says more than 78,000 Cubans entered the country from Mexico between October 2021 and March this year.

According to existing immigration agreements, the US should authorize 20,000 immigrant visas a year to Cubans, something it has not been fulfilling.

Cuba is suffering its worst economic crisis in almost 30 years, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent decrease in tourism.

Mexican President presses for end to US sanctions on Cuba


Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (R) was received with military honors by his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz Canel (AFP/YAMIL LAGE) (YAMIL LAGE)

Carlos BATISTA
Sun, May 8, 2022, 

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called Sunday for an end to US sanctions against Cuba as he concluded a migration-themed tour of Central America and the Caribbean.

During the trip, which has also taken him to Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize, Lopez Obrador urged the United States -- where many migrants are headed -- to help solve underlying economic problems fueling the wave.

Cuba has seen its own exodus accelerate, with more than 78,000 of its nationals arriving in the US via Mexico from October 2021 to March this year, according to US customs data.

The wave has been fueled by the communist nation's worst economic crisis in nearly three decades, which it blames in large part on six decades of US sanctions that were tightened under Donald Trump.

On Sunday, Lopez Obrador said he would continue to insist that the United States lift what he called a blockade against the island nation.

Many thousands of US-bound undocumented migrants, most of them Central Americans, cross Mexico's southern frontier with Guatemala each year fleeing poverty and violence.

In 2021 alone, Mexican authorities detected more than 300,000 irregular migrants.

US Customs and Border Protection officials have registered 7,800 undocumented migrants a day along the border with Mexico in recent weeks -- almost five times the average in 2014-2019.

Lopez Obrador argued on his trip that migration from Latin America was "the result of the difficult conditions in our countries, from the Rio Grande to the south."

"The will of Latin Americans is not enough; we also need the United States to become clearly involved in solving a problem that also affects it and to contribute to financing job creation projects," he said in Honduras.

And in El Salvador, Lopez Obrador argued that "the United States, a protagonist of the migration phenomenon, must, therefore, be jointly responsible for solving it, modifying its migration policy."

The Mexican leader also insisted that all countries of the region should be able to take part in a Summit of the Americas to be held in Los Angeles in June. Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela were not invited.

He said Sunday he would "insist with President (Joe) Biden that no country of the Americas is excluded."

Lopez Obrador arrived in Havana on Saturday on the heels of an explosion at a luxury hotel in the city center that killed at least 30 people.

His visit marks 120 years of diplomatic relations with Cuba. Mexico is the only Latin American country not to join the global effort to isolate Fidel Castro's government in the 1960s, instead maintaining trade with Havana.

Lopez Obrador was received Sunday by his counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel with military honors, before the men sat down for talks.

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Leni Robredo looking for a people-powered Philippine election upset

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Around 780,000 supporters turned out for the final rally of Robredo's presidential campaign on Saturday, according to organizers. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI

MANILA, May 8 (UPI) -- On the eve of the Philippine presidential election, supporters of candidate Leni Robredo are hoping she will be able to pull off an upset victory driven by a "pink wave" grassroots movement.

Robredo, the current vice president, is trailing frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by a large margin in most surveys, but advocates say that the numbers don't capture the energy of what has turned into a full-fledged people's campaign.

"The surveys seem to contradict the momentum on the ground," Neri Colmenares, a Senate candidate allied with Robredo, told UPI.

On Saturday, some 780,000 supporters dressed in pink -- the Robredo campaign's signature color -- filled the central business district of Makati in Manila for a final rally that featured speeches and performances by musicians and celebrities.

"There has never been such a spontaneous mass movement, except during the time of [the] 1986 [uprising]," Colmenares said.

The 1986 People Power revolution brought millions to the streets to oust former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. -- the father of Robredo's opponent.

Robredo, 57, rallied her supporters on Saturday night for a final push as she looks to repeat her own come-from-behind victory against Marcos Jr. in the 2016 vice-presidential election.

'It's our right to have a future with dignity, and it's our duty to fight for it," Robredo said in the final speech of her campaign. "We've learned that nothing is impossible."

"Trust that at the end of all the sweat, time and sacrifice, there is a victory waiting for us," she said.

The mood at the campaign event was festive, as a sea of supporters chanted, danced and waved pink flags and balloons from early afternoon until late in the evening.

"You can see the love," Angelo Pedrosa, 35, said. "This is the first time there's ever been so many thousands out for a candidate. [Robredo] has the values, she has the morals to be a good leader and help the whole country. She is not corrupt like her opponent."

Robredo, a former human rights lawyer, is running as a champion of democracy and decency against Marcos Jr., the scion of a family dynasty that plundered as much as $10 billion from the country.

Her supporters are also looking for an end to six years of democratic backsliding under current strongman President Rodrigo Duterte, whose tenure has been marked by a brutal war on drugs and attacks on the media, critics and government watchdogs.

Robredo has picked up a slew of endorsements from major celebrities, athletes, officials and over 1,200 members of the Roman Catholic clergy.

Some rally-goers said that Monday's election is not just a contest between candidates but an existential battle for the future of the Philippines.

"I came to be part of this historic event," said 18-year-old student Rafael Valix, a first-time voter who campaigned door-to-door for Robredo.

"Not just the next six years are at stake," he said. "We're fighting against the dictator's son. We're fighting for the good of our country."

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Monday in the Philippines. Voting hours were extended due to COVID-19 distancing protocols that remain in place.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. favored to win pivotal Philippines election

"This is the most consequential election in the Philippines in the past half a century," Manila-based political analyst Richard Heydarian told UPI. "The last time we had an election of this significance, with long-term generational consequences, was in 1969 when another Marcos was on the ballot."

Presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, is the heavy favorite to win Monday's election. File Photo by Rolex Dela Pena/EPA-EFE

MANILA, May 6 (UPI) -- The Philippines' 67.5 million registered voters will head to the polls Monday to choose the successor to strongman President Rodrigo Duterte, whose checkered, controversial -- and highly popular -- six years in office come to an end after a constitutionally mandated single term.

The front-runner has a name that resonates throughout the Philippines and beyond: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the 64-year-old son and namesake of the dictator who ruled for 20 years until being ousted by a popular uprising in 1986.

Marcos' main opponent from a field of 10 candidates is Vice President Leni Robredo, 57, a former human rights lawyer who has frequently been at odds with Duterte over policies such as his violent war on drugs. Robredo has focused her campaign on protecting democracy and cleaning up corruption in government.

The presidency is not the only up office up for grabs on Monday. Thousands of other races will be contested, from Senate seats to local and provincial posts.

A key battle will be for the position of vice president, which is held as a standalone contest. The front-runner for that race also comes from a famous political family: Sara Duterte, 43, daughter of the current president. She has formed an alliance with Marcos Jr., which has driven tremendous support to his campaign.

Marcos Jr., widely known by his nickname Bongbong, has held a commanding lead in the polls for months. A Pulse Asia survey released this week found 56% of respondents favoring Marcos Jr. to 23% for Robredo.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is a distant third, with 7% support.

What's at stake

The incoming president will face numerous issues, from deep-rooted corruption to COVID-19 pandemic recovery, but campaign season has been driven by personalities, famous family ties and a heavy dose of disinformation glorifying the Marcos era.

For some observers, Monday's election represents a battle for the very future of democracy in the Philippines.

"This is the most consequential election in the Philippines in the past half a century," Manila-based political analyst Richard Heydarian told UPI. "The last time we had an election of this significance, with long-term generational consequences, was in 1969 when another Marcos was on the ballot."

After Ferdinand Marcos Sr. won that election, he went on to impose martial law, kill and imprison thousands and siphon off as much as $10 billion from the country before being driven out of office by the People Power Revolution in 1986.

"Even though it fell in 1986, the legacy of the dictatorship never went away," Heydarian said. "We're still living in its shadow."

Under Duterte, the Philippines has taken a turn back toward authoritarianism, as the populist strongman killed thousands in a drug war and has used the powers of his office to silence critics, attack the media and hobble government oversight.

Heydarian said a Marcos-Duterte tandem could continue to undermine democracy and cement their family dynasties in power for decades to come.

"[Rodrigo] Duterte didn't have the wherewithal and discipline to create a new order, but a Marcos presidency, together with Sara Duterte, will be young and disciplined enough to finish off what he started," Heydarian said. "We could be looking at the introduction of a new constitution in the coming years."

The candidates

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

After being exiled in 1986, the Marcos clan returned home in the 1990s and its members have reintegrated themselves into the mainstream of Philippine life and politics. Flamboyant former first lady Imelda Marcos, now 92, served in congress until 2019. Bongbong was governor of his family's home province of Ilocos Norte and later became a congressman and senator.

Bongbong's campaign has been boosted by coordinated online disinformation efforts, according to fact checkers, that have sought to whitewash the Marcos Sr. legacy as well as spread negative information about his opponents.

Tsek.ph, a collaborative fact-checking project, found that 94% of the false information posts it analyzed about Robredo were negative.

"Disinformation has been more pervasive than it has been in past elections," Rachel Khan, associate dean of the University of the Philippines College of Media Communication and coordinator of Tsek.ph, told UPI.

Khan said the false information about the Marcos family has been almost uniformly positive and has evolved to target voters too young to remember the martial law era on platforms such as TikTok.

"There has been an effort for historical revisionism showing that the Marcos years were the golden years of the Philippines," Khan said.

Leni Robredo

Robredo worked as a human rights lawyer and entered politics after her husband, who served as secretary of the interior, died in a plane crash in 2012. She won a seat in congress in 2013 before defeating Bongbong Marcos for the vice presidency in 2016, becoming the second woman to hold the office.

She has focused on human rights and gender equality during her political career and is campaigning on restoring the rule of law, but has trailed Marcos Jr. in the polls throughout.

Her supporters haven't given up hope, however. Robredo has picked up a wave of endorsements from athletes, celebrities and even political leaders from Duterte's home province of Mindanao. Her candidacy has also been bolstered by a grass-roots movement of some 2 million door-to-door volunteers and a series of high-energy rallies in recent weeks.

On Saturday, the final day of campaigning, organizers are expecting as many as 1 million supporters to turn out for a rally in downtown Manila that they hope will help push Robredo across the finish line to an upset victory.

Marcos Jr eyes landslide as Philippines votes for new president


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Ten candidates are vying to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte in the elections seen by many as a make-or-break moment for Philippine democracy

 (AFP/CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN)

Millions of Filipinos thronged primary schools and other polling stations Monday to elect a new president, with the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos the favourite to win the high-stakes election.

Nearly 40 years after the patriarch was deposed by a popular revolt and the family chased into exile, Ferdinand Marcos Junior looks set to complete their remarkable comeback from pariahs to the peak of political power.

Ten candidates are vying to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte in elections seen by many as a make-or-break moment for the Philippines' fragile democracy.

But only Marcos Jr and his rival Leni Robredo, the incumbent vice president, have a credible chance of winning.

People wearing masks began forming long queues before dawn to cast their votes when polling stations opened across the archipelago.

At Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in the northern city of Batac, the ancestral home of the Marcoses, voters waved hand fans to cool their faces in the tropical heat.

Bomb sniffer dogs swept the polling station before Marcos Jr arrived with his younger sister Irene and eldest son Sandro.

They were followed by the family's flamboyant 92-year-old matriarch Imelda, who was lowered from a white van while wearing a long red top with matching trousers and slip-on flats.

Sandro, 28, who is running for elected office for the first time in a congressional district in Ilocos Norte province, admitted the family's history was "a burden".

But he added: "It's one that we also try to sustain and protect and better as we serve."

Casting her ballot for Robredo at a school in Magarao municipality, in the central province of Camarines Sur, Corazon Bagay said the former congresswoman "deserves" to win.

"She has no whiff of corruption allegations," said the 52-year-old homemaker. "She's not a thief. Leni is honest."

Turnout is expected to be high among the more than 65 million Filipinos eligible to vote.

"The long lines are magnificent. Filipinos wanted to be heard and heard loudly," said George Garcia of the Commission on Elections.

At the end of a bitter campaign, polls showed Marcos Jr heading for a landslide. He had a double-digit lead over Robredo in the latest surveys and she will need a low turnout of Marcos Jr voters or a late surge of support for her to score an upset.

In the Philippines, the winner only has to get more votes than anyone else.

Since Robredo announced her bid for the top job in October, volunteer groups have mushroomed across the country seeking to convince voters to back what they see as a battle for the country's soul.

But relentless whitewashing of the elder Marcos's brutal and corrupt regime, support of rival elite families and public disenchantment with post-Marcos governments have fuelled the scion's popularity.

After six years of Duterte's authoritarian rule, rights activists, Catholic church leaders and political analysts fear Marcos Jr will be emboldened to lead with an even heavier fist if he wins by a large margin.

"We think it will worsen the human rights crisis in the country," said Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of human rights alliance Karapatan.

While Marcos Jr had a 75 percent chance of winning, the outcome was not guaranteed, according to Eurasia Group analyst Peter Mumford, who said potential complacency among his supporters could work in Robredo's favour.

- Authoritarian rule -

Robredo, a 57-year-old lawyer and economist, has promised to clean up the dirty style of politics that has long plagued the feudal and corrupt democracy where a handful of surnames hold sway over the country.

Marcos Jr and running mate Sara Duterte -- both offspring of authoritarian leaders -- have insisted they are best qualified to "unify" the country, though what that means is unclear.

Hundreds of thousands of red-clad supporters turned out at Marcos Jr and Duterte's raucous rally in Manila on Saturday, as they made a last push for votes.

Josephine Llorca said it was worth betting on another Marcos, because successive governments since the 1986 revolution that ousted the family had failed to improve the lives of the poor.

"We tried it and they were even worse than the Marcoses' time," she said.

Surveys indicate Marcos Jr, 64, will win more than half the votes, which would make him the first presidential candidate to secure an absolute majority since his father was overthrown.

Political analyst Richard Heydarian warned such a big win could enable Marcos Jr to make constitutional changes to entrench his power and weaken democratic checks and balances.

"(Rodrigo) Duterte never had the discipline and wherewithal to push his authoritarian agenda to its logical extreme," Heydarian said.

"That historic opportunity could fall on the lap of the Marcoses."

- 'Another crossroads' -

Other candidates seeking the presidency include boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and former street scavenger turned actor Francisco Domagoso.

Personality rather than policy typically influences many people's choice of candidate, though vote-buying and intimidation are also perennial problems in Philippine elections.

More than 60,000 security personnel have been deployed to protect polling stations and election workers.

Allegations of dirty tactics marred the final week of the campaign, as Marcos Jr warned of electoral fraud while Robredo accused him of being a "liar".

In a rousing speech to hundreds of thousands of supporters on Saturday, Robredo declared: "Victory awaits us."

Whatever the result, though, Marcos Jr opponents have already vowed to pursue efforts to have him disqualified over a previous tax conviction and extract billions of dollars in estate taxes from his family.

"It's another crossroads for us," said Judy Taguiwalo, 72, an anti-Marcos activist who was arrested twice and tortured during the elder Marcos's regime.

"We need to continue to stand up and struggle."

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The rise and fall -- and rise again -- of the Philippines' Marcos family


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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and first lady Imelda Marcos attend a ceremony in 1979 at Clark Air Force Base in Luzon, Philippines. 

File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army

May 6 (UPI) -- For decades, the name "Ferdinand Marcos" would have struck anger and fear in most Filipinos, and any association with the late dictator might have been the kiss of death for a political campaign.

But on Monday, voters in the Philippines are poised to elect the son and namesake of the onetime dictator into power more than three decades after his father was deposed.

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. of the Federal Party of the Philippines heads into Monday's election with 56% of Filipinos saying they'd vote for him, according to a Pulse Asia Research Inc. poll released Monday. He has more than double the support of his next-nearest opponent, Vice President Leni Robredo (23%). Seven percent of respondents said they'd vote for former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

The support for the younger Marcos is remarkable given how far his family -- including his mother, Imelda Marcos -- fell during the People Power Revolution.

Ferdinand Marcos rose to power in 1965 after nearly two decades in politics -- first working for the first president after independence from the United States, Manuel Roxas, then as a member of the House of Representatives and Senate. He broke with Roxas' Liberal Party after failing to receive its nomination for president in 1965, and was ultimately elected as a member of the Nationalist Party.

Early in his presidency, Ferdinand Marcos won the hearts of Filipinos, building up the country's infrastructure and giving his beauty-queen wife powers beyond those of a typical first lady. A UPI article on his legacy published in the days after his 1989 death said his administration "originally was likened to the Camelot of the John F. Kennedy years in the White House."

Ferdinand Marcos was the first leader of the Philippines to serve a second term, but despite his re-election general favorability in his first term, he faced growing discontent, particularly among students.

RELATED UPI Archives: Exiled Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos makes workout video

Ferdinand Marcos implemented martial law in 1972, jailing opposition members -- including Benigno Aquino Jr. -- and using the armed forces to carry out his will. He used violence to suppress opposition to his rule, silenced media outlets, confiscated some half-million firearms, and oversaw a fraudulent referendum to ratify his martial law in 1973.

The Marcos administration faced fierce threats even within its own ranks, with the politicized military stamping out at least five attempted coups.

He gradually amassed more power and wealth for himself, to the tune of $28 billion, much of which he stole from the Central Bank of the Philippines. The U.S. government estimates he made off with up to $10 billion of that in exile.

RELATED UPI Archives: Analysis: Imelda returns to exact revenge not to reconcile

The first couple came to be associated with excess and a decadent lifestyle. Imelda Marcos was famous for her collection of thousands of pairs of shoes, racks of gowns and Gucci handbags.

Ferdinand Marcos ended martial law in 1981, the same year he was elected to a third term. Growing discontent with his rule spurred a non-violent revolution in 1986. Over the course of four days in February, some 2 million people protested the regime's violence -- including the assassination of popular opposition leader Aquino -- election fraud and financial corruption.

Multiple political, military and religious groups joined in support of the effort, also known as the Yellow Revolution, and the first family ultimately fled, seeking refuge in Hawaii.

RELATED UPI Archives: New shoe line inspired by Imelda Marcos

Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquina, was sworn in as president, a role she served for six years.

Ferdinand Marcos died at the age of 72 in 1989, still in exile in Hawaii. He initially was interred in a mausoleum on the island of Oahu, but his body was moved to a crypt in the Philippines in 1993.

In 2016, he was quietly given a hero's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the national cemetery, to the outcry of those who remembered his brutal and dictatorial reign.

Filipino priests hold placards during a protest against the burial of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the People Power Monument in Quezon City on November 18, 2016. File Photo by Mark R. Cristino/European Press Agency

Despite protests against his burial at the revered cemetery, opposition to Imelda Marcos and his son, Bongbong Marcos waned in recent years.

The former first lady, now 92, returned to the Philippines in the 1990s and served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1998 and again for nine years beginning in 2010. Bongbong Marcos was governor and vice governor of Ilocos Norte for a combined 15 years, before serving in the House. He most recently served six years in the Senate.

Bongbong Marcos is running for the presidency as a member of the Federal Party of the Philippines, which was formed by supporters of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte. The party seeks to navigate the Philippines' unitary system of government to a federal one consisting of provinces or states.

His running mate is Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the daughter of the current president.

Though the younger Marcos has plenty of detractors from those who remember the atrocities of his father's regime, observers blame a lack of education about the dictatorship and misinformation by the Marcoses for the new support and BongBong Marcos' likely win.

Sri Lankan president declares second state of emergency in little over a month


Supporters of the Sri Lankan Marxist People's Liberation Front shout slogans during a protest on Saturday against the state of emergency in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

File Photo by Chamila Karunarathne

May 7 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared a state of emergency for the second time in little over a month amid protests calling for him to resign due to economic crisis.

Hundreds of youths gathered outside the Parliament in protest Thursday in addition to the ongoing protests near the Presidential Secretariat and prime minister's official residence, prompting the second declaration on Friday.

"Under no circumstances @GotabayaR will you hold this country down with nothing but fear & violence. The state of emergency runs counter to seeking any solution to the crisis. JUST RESIGN," opposition Sajith Premadesa leader tweeted.

The European Union delegation in Sri Lanka agreed that the emergency declaration would not help, adding that the protests have been peaceful.

"A month of peaceful demonstrations has shown how Sri Lankan citizens fully enjoy their right to freedom of expression in the oldest democracy in South Asia," the EU delegation tweeted. "State of emergency will certainly not help solving the country's difficulties and could have a counterproductive effect!"

U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung added in a tweet that "the voices of peaceful citizens need to be heard," and the state of emergency "won't help do that."

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka also said it was "gravely concerned," about the president's second declaration of a state of emergency.

Rajapaksa previously declared a 36-hour state of emergency on April 1 in response to protests where nearly 50 people were injured and 45 people were arrested after authorities used tear gas and water cannons on protesters.

Protesters have called for Rajapaksa to resign amid his alleged failure to address the country's economic crisis. The country faces power outages up to 13 hours and shortages in basic supplies such as food, gas and medicine after running out of foreign currency to pay for imported goods.

Socialist Economist sworn in as Costa Rica president


Rodrigo Chaves is Costa Rica's 49th president

David GOLDBERG

AFP
Sun, May 8, 2022,

Economist and former finance minister Rodrigo Chaves was sworn in Sunday as Costa Rica's president for a four-year mandate focused on reinvigorating one of Latin America's most stable economies.

The former World Bank executive, who resigned from the global lender amid a sexual harassment scandal, has made it his mission to tackle Costa Rica's economic recline.

The country is faced with rising foreign debt -- about 70 percent of GDP -- a poverty rate of 23 percent, unemployment of 14 percent, and public sector corruption.

Tourism, one of the country’s main economic drivers, was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and the country of 5.2 million people experienced an increase in unemployment equaled in the region only by Peru.

"It is fundamental for the country that Chaves improves the economy," Adrian Aguiluz, a 35-year-old resident of the capital, said ahead of the inauguration.

"This new government has an opportunity to do something different."

Chaves, who served six months as finance minister in the outgoing government, won a runoff election over former president Jose Maria Figueres -- himself tainted by a corruption scandal.

The 60-year-old Chaves had been a surprise qualifier for the April 3 final race, having polled fourth ahead of February's first round.

While he was a senior official at the World Bank, where he worked for 30 years, he was investigated over sexual harassment complaints brought by multiple women.

He was demoted, and later resigned to take on the role of finance minister in President Carlos Alvarado's government.

Last month, Chaves offered "sincere apologies" to two accusers, young subordinates, having previously said the alleged harassment amounted to mere "jokes" that were "misinterpreted due to cultural differences."

This week, Chaves said his government would not ratify the Escazu Agreement that establishes protection for environmentalists, arguing it was unnecessary and would harm the economy. Costa Rica, a regional leader in environmental protection, had hosted the signing of the agreement in 2018.

The new president has also vowed to improve Costa Rica's deal with the IMF for a loan of more than $1.7 billion.

Spanish King Felipe VI attended the ceremony at Congress in San Jose, along with heads of state and delegations from nearly 100 countries.

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Costa Rica: Rodrigo Chaves takes office as president

The economist and former finance minister has been sworn in for a four-year term. Chaves wants to reinvigorate the country's ailing economy, but he also faces controversy over earlier sexual harassment allegations.


Chaves previously served as finance minister

Costa Rica's new president Rodrigo Chaves was sworn in on Sunday, promising to fight corruption and revive the economy.

The former World Bank economist won a four-year term last month in a runoff with former President Jose María Figueres, himself tainted by a corruption scandal.

The party of Chaves' predecessor Carlos Alvarado was almost obliterated during the first-round election in February, receiving no seats in the new Legislative Assembly.

Chaves' Social Democratic Progressive Party has only 10 of 57 seats in the legislature and he turned out to be a surprise qualifier for the runoff, having come fourth in the first round.

What did Chaves tell voters?

Shortly after being given the ceremonial presidential sash, Chaves lashed out at the state of the nation, complaining of the high cost of living, crime, drug trafficking and long lines at social security offices.

He warned that "if the political class fails one more time, the country could fall apart."

"We will not only put the house in order, we will rebuild it," Chaves vowed. "Change is urgently needed. I will not accept defeat. Costa Rica does not have to accept defeat."
Promises on women's rights

Chaves also promised to stamp out gender discrimination and the abuse of women, as feminist groups protested nearby.

Their rally was a reminder to the 60-year-old former finance minister about allegations of sexual harassment that prompted his resignation from the World Bank.

An internal investigation found that from 2008 to 2013, Chaves made unwelcome comments about physical appearances and unwelcome sexual advances toward multiple bank employees.

Last month, he offered "sincere apologies" to two accusers, young subordinates, having previously said the alleged harassment amounted to mere "jokes" that were "misinterpreted."

Spain's King Felipe VI and other heads of state or government and delegations from nearly 100 countries traveled for the inauguration.

Shortly after his address, Chaves signed his first decrees, including scrapping obligatory mask-wearing for most people.

Chaves has long to-do list

Costa Rica, with a population of around 5 million, is considered one of the most politically stable countries in Central America.

Nevertheless, the country struggles with social inequality, corruption, hunger and drug trafficking.

Chaves takes over an economy in decline, with rising foreign debt — about 70% of GDP — a poverty rate of 23%, unemployment of nearly 14%, and public sector corruption.

Tourism, one of the country's main economic drivers, was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, severely spiking unemployment.

Chaves has previously vowed to improve the terms of an agreement Costa Rica reached with the IMF for a loan of more than $1.7 billion (€1.61 billion).

mm/wd (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Himself accused, Costa Rica's president vows to tackle sex harassment


Dozens of women protested against gender-based violence and unequal pay

David GOLDBERG
Sun, May 8, 2022, 

Costa Rica's new president Rodrigo Chaves, elected despite a cloud of sexual harassment allegations, took the oath of office Sunday with promises to revive the economy and end the abuse of women in his country.

As feminist organizations protested nearby, the right-wing economist said the "first political commitment" of his four-year term would be to stamp out gender discrimination and harassment.

"We will not tolerate the harassment they (women) suffer every day and in all areas of society," he told congress after being sworn in to lead one of Latin America's most stable democracies.

"It cannot be that our women are afraid to walk alone on the street, feel afraid in their own home, at work, in a park, at a concert."

Chaves, 60, was investigated over sexual harassment complaints brought by women while he was a senior official at the World Bank, where he worked for 30 years.

He was demoted over the claims, and later resigned.

Last month, Chaves offered "sincere apologies" to two accusers, young subordinates, having previously said the alleged harassment amounted to mere "jokes" that were "misinterpreted due to cultural differences."

- 'We will be vigilant' -

Dozens of women protested Sunday near the seat of congress against gender violence and unequal pay in a country where abortion is allowed only if the woman's life is in danger.

"We are telling the country and the president-elect that we are here. That we will be vigilant," Sharo Rosales of the Women in Action movement told local media.

Chaves takes over an economy in decline, with rising foreign debt -- about 70 percent of GDP -- a poverty rate of 23 percent, unemployment of nearly 14 percent, and public sector corruption.

Vowing to "repair the country," he said: "We will not just clean house. We will rebuild it!"

Tourism, one of the country’s main economic drivers, was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and the country of 5.2 million people experienced an increase in unemployment equaled in the region only by Peru.

"If the political class fails once more, our country could fall apart," Chaves said.

He has previously vowed to improve the terms of an agreement Costa Rica's reached with the IMF for a loan of more than $1.7 billion.

The economist, who served six months as finance minister in the outgoing government, won a runoff election over former president Jose Maria Figueres -- himself tainted by a corruption scandal.

Chaves had been a surprise qualifier for the April 3 final race, having polled fourth ahead of February's first round.

This week, Chaves said his government would not ratify the so-called Escazu Agreement that establishes protection for environmentalists, arguing it was unnecessary and would harm the economy.

Costa Rica, a regional leader in environmental protection, had hosted the signing of the agreement in 2018.

Chaves did not address environmental issues in his first public speech.

Shortly after his inaugural address, Chaves signed his first decrees, including scrapping obligatory mask-wearing for people other than front-line health workers, and compulsory coronavirus vaccination for the public sector.

Spanish King Felipe VI attended the ceremony at Congress in San Jose, along with other heads of state or government and delegations from nearly 100 countries.

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