Italians vote on citizenship and job protections in referendums threatened by low turnout
ROME (AP) — Italians vote over two days starting Sunday in referendums that would make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship, and on providing more job protections. But apparent low public awareness risks rendering the votes invalid if turnout is not high enough.
Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non- European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs.
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Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
After tear gas and street fires, an Los Angeles community cleans up as National Guard troops arrive
COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Ernest Melendrez woke up early Sunday to shovel tear gas pellets and other charred and broken detritus from his neighborhood's streets, the remnants of a battle between protesters demonstrating against immigration raids and federal and local authorities the night before. Melendrez wore a mask covering his nose and mouth, but he coughed often – it wasn't enough to protect him from remaining tear gas still in the air. Across the street, storefronts were covered in anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement graffiti. 'I think people have the right idea, just the wrong approach,' Melendrez said as cars whisked by him, some honking in appreciation or stopping to ask questions about the night before. 'Everybody has their own way of coping with stuff, and if nobody is there to help manage their feelings this is what can tend to happen. You need some community support.' Melendrez, his wife and daughter cleaned the streets that were obscured just hours earlier by huge clouds of tear gas fired by federal authorities. The protests prompted President Donald Trump to order National Guard troops deployed to downtown Los Angeles President Donald Trump says he's deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to respond to immigration protests, over the objections of California Gov. Gavin the clashes. More protests were planned Sunday, and troops dressed in tactical gear were seen stationed outside Metropolitan Detention Center downtown, where hundreds of demonstrators clashed with federal authorities previously. Newsom has called Trump's order a 'complete overreaction.' A Home Depot about a block away from where Melendrez was cleaning was the epicenter of the previous night's struggle. On Sunday it was empty and calm; a lone worker cleaned graffiti off the store's sign as customers drove in. As federal officers in tactical gear fired tear gas and other nonlethal weapons in Compton and Paramount on Saturday, some protesters started a series of small fires that left black char on the streets. Graffiti was scrawled on a doughnut shop, a taqueria, a gas station and other locally owned businesses. On Sunday the damage was still raw and uncleaned in Compton, save for Melendrez's efforts, with spray-painted slogans such as 'What is America without Immigrants' all around. Launie Melendrez, who is married to Ernest, said she supported peaceful protest, and empathized with the families 'being destroyed, that are getting wrangled up. It's sad.' She looked around at the local businesses that had been damaged, and shook her head. 'The destruction of people's hard work. This is how these people, their families, take care of themselves. And the destruction of that is not going to help your case.' Given the breadth of the damage, neighbors said they were angry they were being left to clean up the mess. Melendrez's daughter, Elaina Angel, grew up in Compton and said she wasn't surprised. But it still left her feeling frustrated to see the Home Depot already reopened while her streets and local businesses were still marred by trash and graffiti. 'They don't care about Compton,' she said through her mask, stopping to cough from the irritation. She meant political leaders, law enforcement authorities and others who were nowhere to be seen Sunday morning. 'But I don't think they were counting on us to come out and clean it up.'
Toronto Star
6 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay in serious condition after shooting at political rally
BOGOTA (AP) — Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a conservative presidential hopeful, was in serious condition Sunday following surgery for a gunshot wound at a political rally a day earlier, Bogota's mayor said. Mayor Carlos Galán visited the Fundación Santa Fe clinic to express solidarity with the family of the 39-year-old senator.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay in serious condition after shooting at political rally
BOGOTA (AP) — Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a conservative presidential hopeful, was in serious condition Sunday following surgery for a gunshot wound at a political rally a day earlier, Bogota's mayor said. Mayor Carlos Galán visited the Fundación Santa Fe clinic to express solidarity with the family of the 39-year-old senator. 'He survived the procedure; these are critical moments and hours for his survival,' said Galán early Sunday after receiving information from the medical staff at the clinic. The hospital said Sunday that Uribe Turbay was recovering in intensive care after undergoing neurosurgery and a procedure on his left thigh. His condition was described as 'extremely serious,' and his prognosis was reserved. 'Miguel continues to fight hard for his life, and I ask each of you to keep praying fervently,' Uribe Turbay's wife, María Claudia Tarazona, said in a statement. Former presidents Álvaro Uribe and César Gaviria visited the clinic, along with senators, city council members and other politicians, including former senator Ingrid Betancourt. The attack took place in a park in the Fontibon neighborhood in Bogota when armed assailants shot him from behind, said the right-wing Democratic Center, which was the party of former president Uribe. The men are not related. Images circulating on social media showed a person firing several shots at the senator from behind, apparently hitting his head before he collapsed. The Attorney General's Office, which is investigating the shooting, said the senator received two gunshot wounds in the attack, which also wounded two others. Their identities and conditions have not been disclosed. The office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a firearm. He was injured in the leg and was recovering at another clinic, authorities said. Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez added that over 100 officers are investigating who was behind the attack. Uribe Turbay is the political heir of his grandfather, former President Julio César Turbay who was in office from 1978-82. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during a failed rescue attempt. Her death came during one of the most violent periods in the history of the South American country, then-plagued by drug cartel violence. The senator announced his presidential bid in early March. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, marking the end of President Gustavo Petro's term. Petro, the country's first leftist leader, is not eligible for reelection. Outside the Fundación Santa Fe clinic, dozens of people gathered in prayer for Uribe Turbay's recovery. Late on Saturday, after leading an extraordinary Security Council session, Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, promised 'complete transparency' in the investigation and to find out who was behind the attack. He also promised an investigation into any failures by the senator's bodyguards. The president canceled a planned trip to France 'due to the seriousness of the events,' according to a presidential statement. 'I hope Uribe Turbay survives — that is what I wish more than anything,' Petro said, adding that no one should seek to politically exploit the attack. World leaders and senior officials, including from the United States, Chile, Ecuador, and the European Union, condemned the violence and expressed support for the Colombian people and Uribe Turbay's family. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the 'United State condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe.' He urged Petro 'to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.' 'This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government,' Rubio said. ___ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
